J Goffiel-Couverfatiosa. Fourthly,It is required ofthem that they`ibould hate tÍïeir own lives in this world,7ohn,i 2,15. Now if the Saints should be fuch as should fee fo much excellency in the Kingdom of Chrift as to hate theirvery lives in this world, then fure- ly to look upon all things in this world as contemptible, as hateful incomparison : it is not meant Hate their lives, that is, Abfobitely, but in Comparifon : when any comfort or prefervation of their lives in this world, comes in the least competition with the furtherance of the Kingdom ofJesus Chrift : They should look upon the comfortsoftheir lives as a hateful thing, and look upon the very prefervation of their lives as a hateful thing ; (hall I make my life com- fortable with any hindrance unto the Kingdom of Christ s Oh 'tis that that my foul should abhor, and fo should I prefervemy life with doing any thing that may be any pre- judice to the Kingdom of Chrift, I fhould look upon the very fuggeftion to fuch a thing as that that my very foul lothabhor, And we find in Scripture that it's made an ar- gument of apoftafìe, of one that's falling off from the pro- feflionofChrift to imbrace the world, as it is faid of Demers in the 2 of Tim. 4. 10. Demis (faithPail) bathforfake.n me, but what is it that bath made Demos to forfake me ? he hath imbraced this prefent world. So look upon many ofyour Profeffors of Religion, fuch as have been very forward in former times, and Oh nothingbut Chrift in their mouthes, they afterward begin to decline, and wax worfer and worfer, but obfeive them, they imbrace this prefent world, it ïs becaufe of force honors and efteem, force corn- forts,riches, and eftates that they would have, or live at cafe in this prefent world, they cannot endure the hatred of the world. So it was with Demos, when he began to hear Passl, he perceived that it was a great excellency to be one of Pails followers, P ud,he wrought miracles, and Demos ( fay) thought it an excellent thing to follow Poral; but af- ter he had followed Patel a while, he found that he was perfecuted, and he saw there was no preferment came in by Parals preaching, nothing but blows and imprifon- ments, 2¡;
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