520 CHARACTER OB A SOUND, cannot come off without perpetual reproach; and then perhaps pride will make him suffer more than the belief of heaven or the love of Christ could do. And all this is, because his very belief is unrooted and unsound, and he bath secretly at the heart a fear, that if he should suffer death for Christ, he should be a loser by him, and he would not reward him, according to his promise, with everlasting life ; lieb. iii. 12. XXIX. '1. A Christian indeed is one that followeth not Christ forcompany, nor holdeth his belief in trust upon the credit of any in the world ; and therefore he would stick to Christ, if all that he knoweth or.converseth with'should forsake him. If the rulers of the earth should change their religion, and turn against Christ, he would not forsake him. If themultitude of the people turn against him ; nay, if the professors of godliness should fall off, yet would he stand his ground, and be still the same. If the most learned men, and the pastors of the church, should turn from Christ, he would not forsake him. Yea, if his nearest relations and friends, or even that minister that was the means of his conversion, should change their minds, and forsake the truth, and turn from Christ; or a holy life, he wouldyet be constant, and be still the same. And what Peter resolved on, he would truly practice ; " Though all men should be offended because ofthee, yet would not I beoffend- ed. Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee ;" Matt. xxvi. 33. 35. And if he thought himself, as Elias did, left alone, yet would he not bow the knee to Baal ; Rom. xi. 3. If he hear that this eminent minister, falleth off one day.; and the other another day, till all be gone, yet still the foundation of God standeth sure ; he falleth not, because he is built upon the rock ; Matt. vii. 22, 23. His heart saith, ' Alas, whither shall I go, if I go from Christ? Is there any other that hath the word and Spirit of eter- nal life? Can I be a gainer if I lose my soul ?' John vi. 67, 68. Matt. xvi. 26. He useth his teachers to bring him that light and evidence of truth, which dwelleth in him when they are gone ; and therefore, though they fall away, he falleth not with them. 2. And the weakest Christian believeth with a divine faith of his own, and dependethmore on God than man ; but yet if he should be put to so great a trial, as to see all the pastors and Christians that he knoweth, change their minds, I know not what he would do ; for though God will uphold all his own, . whom he will save, yet he doth it by means and outward 'helps, together with his in- ternal grace ; and keepeth them from temptations, when he will deliver them from the evil; and therefore it is a doubt, whether there be not degrees of grace so weak as would fail, in case the stròngest temptations were permitted to assault them. A strong man can stand and go of himself, but an infant must be carried;,
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