hardly perfwading our felves, that in this 1 Pet. xi. 21. part be bath left us an Example, that we Should follow his Steps. Such was the Behaviour, not of the Multitudes only, but his own Difciples too heretofore, who throng'd in to his Hofanna's, and his Preaching; but when he was apprehended, and treated as a Malefactor, all forfook him and fled. And fuch is the Behaviour of all thofe Christians ftill, who serve him Cheerfully, while things go well with them, and magnifie his Mercy fo long as they tafte his Goodnefs; but draw back, when Afflictions approach, and if he hide the Brightness of his Face, fall into wretched Dejections and Defpondency of Mind, and are provoked to Impatience and Murmuring, and fad Complaints.

Matth. xxi. John xviii.

Methinks we might find Charms and Engagements many and powerful, which fhould unite our Souls and Affections to the Bleffed Jefus. From what he is in Himself, from what he is to Us, without any respect of our own Private Intereft, and the prefent Advantages we receive from him. This would confirm and root us faft in Love, and Praife, and Gratitude; beyond the Power of outward Calamities, or inward Anxieties of Mind, to fhake and divert us. Then should we with those Holy Men even think it good, and thank God, that we have been in Trouble, and though he should flay us, yet fhould we still delight and trust in him.

O! Could we once but get above this Mercenary Difpofition of propofing Intereft and Gain in all we do, and love our Bleffed Lord for his own fake, how noble would be the fruits of fo generous a Principle; And indeed, how can we pretend to love him, when we only love ourselves; and pay Obedience to his Commands, not out of regard to his Authority and our Obligations, nor from a Defire to please him, but purely to promote our own Advantage? For where, among

the

1

the many Millions who profess to be Zealous Chriftians, Where is the Man, that would be content to ferve God, as his Maker and rightful Lord, had he no Expectation of Reward from him? Nay, Who almoft is fo Ipiritual, fo refined, as that Poverty of Spirit, recommended and Bleffed by our Saviour, requires we fhould be, that is, Refign'd as to all Temporal Enjoyments, and well fatisfied to perfevere in our Duty, and not to think our Mafter hard, tho' he should even strip us bare of all thofe Comforts, which are ufually the Encouragements of Piety and Virtue? This is a Temper rarely to be met with; Such a Generofity and Greatnefs of Spirit, as Crowns and Kingdoms, nay, the whole Eastern World were wifely given in Exchange for. For this is the perfection of Love; a Virtue fo exalted, that no other Part of Religion is to be named with it. A Man may bestow all his Wealth upon the Poor, and be never the better. He may chaftife and mortifie his Flesh and fenfual Appetite, with all the Severities of the most exemplary Penitence, and yet this is but a low and little Excellence in comparison: He may attain to the higheft and cleareft Knowledge in the Mysteries of Religion, but ftill he is infinitely fhort. His Virtues may be bright and exemplary, his Devotion fervent and conftant, his Meditations ravishing and divine: All these are valuable Gifts, but there is ftill one Excellence behind, more valuable, more neceffary than all the reft; and that is, Being able, after having renounced all the World be fides, to renounce himself for the fake of his Lord; to devote all he is or can do, fo entirely to his Service, as to be content with every thing; to ftudy his Will, his Pleasure, his Glory in all things, and to confult his own in nothing: And when he hath faithfully and diligently perform'd all which he knew it became and was expected from him to do, to esteem all this of no Confideration, and account that he hath done nothing.

Others

Others no doubt will have quite different Notions of him. They will fee and admire, publish and extol his Virtues, but ftill their Commendations, tho' neverfo profufe,never fo juft, will not have any Influence upon his Judgment; nor tempt him to fwerve one whit from that Opinion, which Truth it felf hath directed us to in this Cafe, When ye bave done all that Luke xvii. is commanded you, fay, We are unprofitable Servants. He will not think that Complaint of the Prophet beneath him, I am poor and defolate; Pfalm xxv. when yet in truth among Mortal Men none is more wealthy, none more happy, none greater and more powerful than he, who in a true Chriftian Humility thinks himself moft helpless, moft infirm, moft miferable. In a word, none more Honourable in God's Eyes, than he who is vileft and moft defpicable in his own.

CHAP. XII.

The Reasonableness of taking up our Crofs.

W being

John vi.

Hen Jefus thus defcribes the Condition of our being owned for His, If any Man will be my Difciple, let him deny himself, and take up his Math. xvi. Cross, and follow me; the Generality of Men are apt to cry out with thofe in the Gofpel upon another occafion, This is a hard Saying, and who can hear it? But oh! that fuch would feriously confider, how infinitely more terrible and confounding that Sentence will be, which their angry Judge fhall pronounce in Thunder at the laft Day; And how thofe Ears, which are too foft and tender to bear This, will then be able to endure,aGo ye curfed Matth. XXV. into everlasting fire,prepared for the Devil and bis

An

Angels. Ah! how abfurd, how fenfelefs is it, not to harden our felves at prefent, and cheerfully embrace a Command, which, tho' attended with fome fhort Uneafinefs now, fhould yet be welcome to us, becaufe it will give us Boldness in the Great Day of Tryal; and, by impofing fome fhort and very tolerable Pains, be our Security against Torments infupportable and eternal? For when our Lord fhall come to judge the World with terrible Pomp, the Cross fhall be difplayed and lifted high in Heaven: This thing now fo much abhorred, fo full of Shame, fhall then be a Banner of Triumph; and they who have fought under it here, and followed the Crucified Captain of their Salvation, in a Life of Humility and Sufferings, fhall flock to it as their proper Standard, and enter with their glorious Leader into his Joy and Kingdom.

Why fhould we then boggle at that Crofs, which leads directly to a Crown? Why thus obftruct our Happiness, by refusing that, which heals our fpiritual Infirmities, guards us against our worst Enemies, fills us with heavenly Comforts, brightens our Virtues, and supports us with affured Hopes of unconceivable and everlafting Blifs? Remember thy great Mafter and Example, bearing his Crofs, dying upon his Crofs, that thou hereafter mighteft not difdain to bear it for thine own Advantage, when he for thy fake hath born it before thee. For if we dye with him, we shall alfo live with him; if we suffer with him, we shall alfo reign with him; but if we deny him, and are afhamed of his Punishment, he will also deny and be ashamed of us, us out of his Glory.

2 Tim. ii. Mark viii.

and fhut

Confider that thy All depends upon Suffering and Dying. This is the Sum of thy Duty, this the Source of thy Happiness. God hath ordained no other way of bringing us to himself, except that one of dying daily, and crucifying the Flesh with Affections Galv. 24.

and

and Lufts. In this all the Difpenfations of Providence confpire; For, what courfe foever you take, which way foever you turn, how prudently foever you contrive, the Crofs is fure to meet you every-where. And that which, willingly embraced, would prove your Safety and Virtue, is fure to be your Portion, whether ye will or not. Bodily Sickness and Pain, Disappointments and Loffes in your Fortunes, Anguifh and Perplexity of Heart, Discomfort and Defertions from God, Injuries and Provocations from Men, and, which is worfe than all, Difpleasure and Discontent at your felf; One or more of these will be perpetually exercifing your Patience; and, fo long as God fees fit to continue you in this State of Mortality and Difcipline, 'tis vain to hope you fhall be exempted from them.

For God, in his great Wisdom and Goodness, appoints us to Tribulation; and damps, or withdraws our prefent Comforts, that we may learn to love and value him and Heaven the more, to acknowledge our Dependance upon his Bounty, be made fenfible of our own Impotence, and grow wifer and more humble by Afflictions. By thefe we are taught to understand and value the Sufferings of Chrift, of which we should have but a very cold and imperfect Idea, did not our own Experience teach us what it is to fuffer. And the greater Conformity to his Image our Tryals work us up to, the clearer and more affecting fense we have of his Infinite Condefcention. Avoid the Cross then we cannot, because we cannot run away from our felves, nor ceafe to be Men; and therefore what we cannot avoid, we must make it our Endeavour patiently to endure, and render that which would otherwise be our Torment, an Inftrument of Virtue here, and of Glory hereafter.

Now this is ftill in our own Power. For They who sustain their Crofs, fhall likewise be fuftained by