274 THE ABSOLUTE DOMINION and whosoever will lose his life for my sake, shall find it ; " Matt. xvi. 24. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee;" Psalm lxxiii. 25-27. " The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance," &c. ; Psalm xvi. 5. Moses refused honor, and chose "rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he had respect to the recompense of the reward ; " Heb. xi. 24-26. I forbear citing more, the case being so evident, that God is set highest in the heart of every sound believer, they being in covenant resigned to him as his own. On the contrary, most of the unsanctified are Christians but in name, because they were educated to this profession, and it is the com- mon religion of the country where they live, and they hear none make question of it, or if they do, it is to their own disgrace, the name of Christ having got this advantage, to be every where among us well spoken of, even by those that shall perish for neg- lecting him and his laws. These men have resigned their names to Christ, but reserved their hearts to flesh-pleasing vanities. Or, if under conviction and terror of conscience, they do make any resignation of their souls to Christ, it comes short of the true resig- nation of the sanctified in these particulars. 1. It is a firm and rooted belief of the gospel, which is the cause of sincere resignation to Christ. They are so fully persuaded of the truth of those things which Christ hath done, and promised to do hereafter, that they will venture all that they have in this world, and their souls, and their everlasting state upon it. Whereas the beliefof self-deceivers is only superficial, staggering, not rooted, and will not carry them to such adventures ; Matt. xiii. 21 -23. 2. Sincere self-resignation is accompanied with such 'a love to him that we are devoted to, which overtoppeth (as to the rational part) all other love. The soul hath a prevailing complacency in God, and closeth with him as its chiefest good.; Psalm lxxiii. 25; and lxiii. 3. But the unsanctified have no such complacen- cy in him; they would fain please him by their flatteries, lest he should do them any hurt; but might they enjoy but the pleasures ofthis world, they could be well content to live without him. 3. Sincere self-resignation is a departing from our carnal selves, and all creatures as they stand in competition with Christ for our hearts ; and soit containeth a crucifying of the flesh, and mortifica- tion of all its lusts ; Gal. v. 24 ; Rom. viii. 1 -14. There is a hearty renouncing of former contradictory interest and delights, that Christ may be set highest and chiefly delighted in. But self - deceivers are never truly mortifiedwhen they seemto devote them- selves most seriously to Christ: there is a contrary prevailing in-
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