Sect. 9. This made those honest fishermen quit their lawful trades, and follow him, when he called them to it; and others, that waited for the consolation of Israel, to offer up their estates, reputations, liberties, and also lives to the displeasure and fury of their kindred, and the government they lived under, for the spiritual advantage that accrued to them, by their faithful adherence to his holy doctrine. True, many would have excused their following of him in that parable of the feast: some had bought land, some had married wives, and others had bought yokes of oxen, and could not come;" that is, an immoderate love of the world hindered them; their lawful enjoyments from servants, became their idols; they worshipped them more than God, and would not quit them to come to God. But this is recorded to their reproach: and we may herein see the power of self upon the worldly man, and the danger that comes to him by the abuse of lawful things. What, thy wife dearer to thee than thy Saviour! and thy land and oxen preferred before thy soul's salvation! O beware, that thy comforts prove not snares first, and then curses; to over-rate them, is to provoke him that gave them to take them away again; come and follow him that giveth life eternal to the soul.

Sect. 10. Wo to them that have their hearts in their earthly possessions! for when they are gone, their heaven is gone with them. It is too much the sin of the best part of the world, that they stick in the comforts of it and it is lamentable to behold how their affections are bemired and entangled with their conveniencies and accommodations, in it. The true self denying man is a pilgrim; but the selfish man is an inhabitant of the world; the one uses it, as men do ships, to transport themselves, or tackle in a journey, that is, to get home; the other looks no farther, whatever he prates, than to be fixed in fulness and ease here, and likes it so well, that if he could, he would not exchange. However,

m Luke xiv. 18, 19, 20.

he will not trouble himself to think of the other world, till he is sure he must live no longer in this: but then, alas! it will prove too late; not to Abraham, but to Dives, he must go; the story is as true as sad.

Sect. 11. But on the other hand, it is not for nought that the disciples of Jesus deny themselves: and indeed, Christ himself had the eternal joy in his eye for the joy that was set before him, says the author to the Hebrews, he endured the cross; that is, he denied himself, and bore the reproaches and death of the wicked and despised the shame, to wit, the dishonour and derision of the world. It made him not afraid nor shrink, he contemned it and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God." And to their encouragement, and great consolation, when Peter asked him, what they should have that had forsaken all to follow him? he answered them, " Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, " that were then in apostacy from the life and powof godliness. This was the lot of his disciples; the more immediate companions of his tribulations, and first messengers of his kingdom. But the next that follows is to all: "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life." It was this recompense of reward, this eternal crown of righteousness, that in every age has raised, in the souls of the just, an holy neglect, yea, contempt of the world. To Το this is owing, the constancy of the martyrs, as to their blood the triumph of the truth.

Sect. 12. Nor is this a new doctrine; it is as old as Abraham. In several most remarkable instances, his life was made of self-denial. First, in quitting his

up

n Heb. xii. 2.

• Matt. xix. 27, 28, 29.

P Gen. xii.

own land, where we may well suppose him settled in the midst of plenty, at least sufficiency: and why? Because God called him. Indeed this should be reason enough; but such is the world's degeneracy, that in fact it is not and the same act, upon the same inducement, in any now, though praised in Abraham, would be derided. So apt are people not to understand what they commend; nay, to despise those actions, when they meet them in the people of their own times, which they pretend to admire in their ancestors.

Sect. 13. But he obeyed: the consequence was, that God gave him a mighty land. This was the first reward of his obedience. The next was, a son in his old age; and which greatened the blessing, after it had been in nature, past the time of his wife's bearing of children., Yet God called for his darling, their only child, the joy of their age, the son of a miracle, and he upon whom the fulfilling of the promise made to Abraham did depend. For this son, I say, God called: a mighty trial, that which, one would have thought, might very well have overturned his faith, and stumbled his integrity: at least have put him upon this dispute in himself: this command is unreasonable and cruel; it is the tempter's, it cannot be God's. For, is it to be thought that God gave me a son to make a sacrifice of him? That the father should be butcher of his only child? Again, that he should require me to offer up the son of his own promise, by whom his covenant is to be performed? this is incredible. I say, thus Abraham might naturally enough have argued, to withstand the voice of God, and indulge his great affections to his beloved Isaac. But good old Abraham that knew the voice that had promised him a son, had not forgot to know it, when it required him back again : he disputes not, though it looked strange, and perhaps with some surprize and horror, as a man. He had learned to believe, that God that gave him a child by a miracle,

could work another to preserve or restore him. His affections could not balance his duty, much less over. come his faith; for he received him in a way that would let him doubt of nothing that God had promised of him.

To the voice of this Almightiness he bows, builds an altar, binds his only son upon it, kindles the fire, and stretches forth his hand to take the knife; but the angel stopped the stroke. "Hold, Abraham, thy integrity is proved." What followed? A ram served, and Isaac

was his again. This shows how little serves, where all is resigned, and how mean a sacrifice contents the Almighty, where the heart is approved. So that it is not the sacrifice that recommends the heart, but the heart that gives the sacrifice acceptance.

God often touches our best comforts, and calls for that which we most love, and are least willing to part with. Not that he always takes it utterly away, but to prove the soul's integrity, to caution us from excesses, and that we may remember God, the author of those blessings we possess, and live loose to them. I speak my experience; the way to keep our enjoyments, is to resign them, and though that be hard, it is sweet to see them returned, as Isaac was to his father Abraham, with more love and blessing than before. O stupid world! O worldly christians! Not only strangers, but enemies to this excellent faith! and whilst so, the reward of it you can never know.

Sect. 14. But Job pressed hard upon Abraham ; his self-denial also was very signal. For when the messengers of his afflictions came thick upon him, one doleful story after another, till he was left as naked as when he was born; the first thing he did, he fell to the ground, and worshipped that power, and kissed that hand that stripped him; so far from murmuring, that he concludes his losses of estate and children with these words: "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken

away, blessed be the name of the Lord." O the deep faith, patience and contentment of this excellent man: one would have thought, this repeated news of ruin had been enough to have overset his confidence in God: but it did not that stayed him. But indeed he tells us why; his Redeemer lived: "I know (says he) that my Redeemer lives." And it appeared he did: for he had redeemed him from the world: his heart was not in his worldly comforts; his hope lived above the joys of time, and troubles of mortality, not tempted by the one nor shaken by the other; but firmly believed, "that when after his skin worms should have consumed his body, yet with his eyes he should see God." Thus was the heart of Job both submitted to, and comforted in, the will of God.

Sect. 15. Moses is the next great example in sacred story for remarkable self-denial, before the times of Christ's appearance in the flesh. He had been saved, when an infant, by an extraordinary Providence, and it seems by what followed, for an extraordinary service : Pharaoh's daughter, whose compassion was the means of his preservation when the king decreed the slaughter of the Hebrew males, took him for her son, and gave him the education of her father's court." His own graceful presence and extraordinary abilities, joined with her love to him and interest in her father to promote him, must have rendered him, if not capable of succession, at least of being chief minister of affairs under that wealthy and powerful prince. For Egypt was then what Athens and Rome were after, the most famous for learning, arts, and glory.

Sect. 16. But Moses, ordained for other work, and guided by a better star, an higher principle, no sooner came to years of discretion, than the impiety of Egypt and the oppressions of his brethren there, grew a bur. then too heavy for him to bear. And though so wise