hardly perfuading our felves, that in this 1 Pet. ii. 21. part be bath left us an Example, that we Should follow his Steps. Such was the Behaviour, not of the Multitudes only, but of his own Difciples too heretofore, who throng'd into his Hofanna's, and his Preaching; but when he was apprehended, and

Matth. xxi. John xviii.

treated as a Malefactor, all forfook him and fled. And fuch is the Behaviour of all thofeChriftians ftill, who ferve himChearfully, while Things go well with them, and magnify 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.

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 Himfelf, not from what he is to Us; without any refpect 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; be yond the Power of outward Calamities, or inward Anxieties of Mind, to fhake and divert us. Then fhould we, with thofe Holy Men, even think it good, and thank God that we have been in Trouble, and though he should flay us, yet fhould we ftill 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 our felves; 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

the many Millions who profefs 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 fpiritual, fo refined, as that Poverty of Spirit recommended and blessed 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, though he should even strip us bare of all thofe Comforts, which are usually the Encouragements of Piety and Virtue? This is a Temper rarely to be met with; fuch 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 mortify his Flesh and fenfual Appctite, 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 highest and cleareft Knowledge in the Myfteries of Religion, but ftill he is infinitely fhort. His Virtues may be bright and exemplary, his Devotion fervent and conftant, his Meditations ravifhing, 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 befides, 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 study 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 efteem all this of no Confideration, and account that he hath done nothing.

Others

Luke xvii.

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' never fo 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 have done all that is commanded you, fay, We are unprofi table Servants. He will not think that Complaint of the Prophet beneath him, I am poor and defolate; 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 Christian Humility, thinks himself moft helplefs, moft infirm, moft miferable: In a word, none more Honourable in God's Eyes, than he who is vileft and most despicable in his own.

Pfalm xxv.

CHA P. XII.

The Reasonableness of taking up our Cross.

W

Matth. xvi.

Hen Jefus thus describes the Condition of our being owned for his, If any Man will be my Difciple, let him deny himself, and take up bis Crofs, and follow me; the Generality apt to cry out with thofe in the Gofpel upon another Occafion,This is a bard Saying,

of Men are John vi.

and who can bear it? But oh! that fuch would seriouslyconfider,how infinitely more terrible and confounding that Sentence will be, which their angry Judge fhall pronounce in Thunder at the last Day; And how thofe Ears, which are too foft and tender to bear This, will then be able to endure, a Go ye curfed into everlasting Fire prepared for the

Matth. XXV.

Devil and his Angels. Ah! how abfurd, how fenfeless is it, not to harden our felves at prefent, and chearfully embrace a Command, which, tho' attended with fome fhort Uneafinefs now, fhould yet be welcome to us, be cause 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 Crofs 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 Spiritual 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 Cross, that thou hereafter mightest 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 also live with him; if we fuffer with him, we fball alfo reign with him; but if we deny bim, and are afhamed of this Punishment, he will alfo deny and be ashamed of us, and fhut us out of his Glory.

Mark vili.

2 Tim. ii.

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

Gal. v. 24.

its

you

its Affections and Lufts. In this all the Dispensations of Providence confpire; For, what Course foever 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 Por tion, whether you will or not. Bodily Sickness and Pain, Difappointments and Loffes in your Fortunes, Anguish and Perplexity of Heart, Discomfort, and Defertions from God, Injuries and Provocations from Men, and which is worfe than all, Difpleafure and Discontent at your felf; One or more of thefe 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 Goodnefs, 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 these we are taught to understand and value the Sufferings of Chrift, of which we fhould 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 Trials work us up to, the clearer and more affecting Senfe we have of his Infinite Condefcenfion. Avoid the Crofs then we cannot, becaufe we cannot run away from our felves, nor cease to be Men; and therefore what we cannot avoid, we muft make it our Endeavour patiently to endure, and render that which would otherwife be our Torment, an Inftrument of Virtue here, and of Glory hereafter..

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