ther more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth fon or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me, Matt. 10. 37. So again it fhews, that we must contentedly bear, all manner of Croffes and Sufferings, for his fake, take up our Crofs, as our blesfed Lord once did, and follow him. Again, it teacheth us by thefe Expreffions, If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee, and if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, to fubdue our Lufts and corrupt Affections, and to part with whatfoever we are naturally most fond of, rather than difplease God and difhonour our Religion; in fhort then, thus far to deny our felves, is to renounce our own natural Appetites and Defires, to cross our own Wills, and entirely fubmit them to the Will of God, that he as rightful and abfolute Lord over us, may do with us what he pleafeth, and prescribe us fuch Laws, as his infinite Wisdom fhall think fit. To the fubjection of our Wills and Affections, may be added alfo that of our Understandings; and herein to deny ones felf is, not to be puff'd up with a vain Conceit of our own

Know

Knowledge; to be fenfible of our great Imperfections; to caft down every vain Imagination that exalteth it felf against the Knowledge of God; to submit our finite Reafon to the incomprehenfible Mysteries both of Nature and of Faith; in a Word, not to be wife in our own Conceits, but to think foberly of our felves, and not more highly than we ought to think: fuch a one is truly Matter of himself, that is not a Slave to any worldly Temptation, but fhews a noble and Christian Resolution, to renounce every thing that is contrary to his Duty; who forfakes all, Houfes and Land, Parents and Friends, and whatsoever may hinder his eternal Intereft, or ftand in competition with his Obedience to God. And thus much will fuffice for the firft Particular, the Nature and Quality of Self-denial.

I fhall proceed now to the fecond, The extent of its Obligation, or whom it doth concern: Let him deny himself; of whom speaketh our Saviour this? why certainly of those that profess his Religion, as appears from the preceeding Words, If any Man will come after, that is, D 3

if

Hom. 55.

I don't

if any Man will become my Difciple and Follower, let him do thus. St. Chryfoftom very well defcants upon the Words, after this manner; about to force and compel any on St.Mat. one, but I leave it to his own choice, and every Man to act with freedom as he pleafeth. Ifay therefore, if any Man be willing to come after me, let him deny himself; 'tis for his own Good and Benefit that I call him, I have no ill defign upon him, no purpose to scare him into compliance by Threats and Punishments. See then the admirable Conduct of the Son of God; he deals with Mankind as free and reasonable Creatures; treats with 'em on the foundation of Liberty,and would have their Religion to proceed not from Fear or Neceffity, but from Love and Choice; and therefore he very fairly proposeth it under the hardeft Circumftances and Conditions, Self-denial and the Crofs, and keeps none of the unplea fing Difficulties from our Knowledge, that we must look to ftruggle with in our holy Profeffion. Herein Chrift would have his Difciples to act like confidering Men; not venture rafhly upon his Religion without weighing

it well, with all its prefent Difficulties and Incumbrances, as well as its Benefits and future Rewards.

Thus

having in St. Luke told his Hearers, what would be the effect of their becoming Christians, how they must quit the dearest things in this World, if they feriously refolved to be his Difciples; he wifheth them to think well upon the matter, and do as wife Men are wont in their worldly Concerns; that is, before they undertake any difficult Bufinefs, to debate and confider with themselves, the Charges and their Ability: and therefore he appeals to common Prudence in temporal Affairs: Which of you, faith he, intending to build a tower, fitteth not first down, and counteth the coft, whether he hath fufficient to finish it; least haply after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it, begin to mock him, Jaying, this man begun to build and is not able to finish: or, again in another inftance, What King going to war with another King, fitteth not first down, and confulteth, whether he be able with ten thoufand, to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand; thus D 4

our

40

our Saviour fuppofeth, that no Man who acts with Reafon and Prudence, in any temporal Matters, would undertake any weighty and confiderable Bufinefs unadvisedly and rafhly; and therefore he would have thofe, that pretend to become his Difciples, to enter themfelves into his Service, to confider it well before-hand, whether they be willing and fully refolved, to go through all the Difficulties and Hardships that may attend it. There were great Numbers, as he observed, that followed him for the Loaves, upon the account of the Miracle which he had wrought by them; but fuch curious Attendants quickly forfook him, when they found, That Poverty and Croffes, Mortification and Self-denial, were to be the Conditions of becoming his Difciples. So long indeed as he was doing Wonders, and they could hope, like Herod, to fee fome Miracles perform'd by him, he was fure to have their Com pany; but when he comes to touch them in this tender part, willing them to deny themselves, to be ready to lay down their Lives, and to forfake all for the profeffion of his Religion, why then truly