Seren. XII. Of Selfdenial, and Sufering for thrift's Sake. For the Expreffion of blotting out of the Book of-Life, is of the fame importance with thofe Phrafes fo frequently ufed in the Old Teftament, of blotting out from the face of the Earth, and blotting out one's name from under Heaven, which liignifie no more than Temporal Death and Deftru&ion; and then Moles's' Will, was reafonable and generous, and fignifids no more, but that he was willing, if God pleafed, todie to lave the Nation. As for St. Paul's With, ofbeing accurfed fromChr, it is plainly an Hyper- bolical Expreffion of his great Affe&ion to his Country-men the Pros, and his Zeal for their Salvation, which was fo great, that if it had been a thing rea- fonable and lawful, he could have wifht the greateft Evil to himfeif for their fakes ; and therefore it is obfervablè, that it is not a poftive and abfolute With, but expreft in the ufual form of ufhering in an Hyperbole ; I could will), juft as we are wont to fay, when we would exprefs a thing to the height, which is not fit, nor intended to be done by us, I could will, fo or fo ; I could even afford to do this or that ; which kindoffpeeches, no Man takes for a ftri& and precife Declaration ofour Minds, but for a figurative Expreffion of a great Paffion. And thus I have done with the fiirfl thing I propofed for the Explication of this Precept, or Duty of Selfdenial, which was to remove forne forts of Self- denial, which by force are frequently inftanced in as intended by our Saviour in this Precept. I proceed now to the Second thing I propofed, which is to declare pofitively, what that Self-denial is, which our Saviour here intends ; and 'tis plainly this, and nothing but this ; that we fhould be willing to part with all Earthly Comforts and Conveniences, to quit all our Temporal Interefts and Enjoyments, and even Life it felf, for the fake of Chrift and his Religion ; this our Saviour means, by denying our felves- And then (which is much the fame with the other) that we fhould be willing to bear any Temporal Inconvenience and Suffering upon the fame account ; this is to take up our Croft and follow him. And that this is the full meaning of thefe two Phrafes, of denying ourfelves, and taking up our Croo, will clearly appear, by confidering the particular Inftances, which our Saviour gives of this Self-denial, whenever he hath occafion to fpeak of it, bywhich you will plainly fee, that thefe Expreffions amount to no more than I have faid. Even here in the Text, after our Saviour had told his Dif- ciples, that he that would come after him, mu/I deny himfeif and take up his Croft ; It follows immediately, For whofoever will fave his life, 'hall lofe it ; andwhofoever will lofe his life for my fake, 'hall find it. You fee here, ,that he inftanceth in parting with our Lives for him, as the higheft piece of Self-denial, which he requires. And he himfeif elfewhere tells us, that greater love than this bath no man, that a Man lay down his life for his friend. Elfewhere he in- tanceth in quitting our neareft Relations for his fake, Luke 14. 26, 27. If any man came to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren , andfflers, yea and his own life alfo, he cannot he ny Difci- pie ; and whofoever cloth not bear his Croft and come after me, he cannot be my Difciple. Which Expreflions, of hating Father, and Mother, and other Relations, and even Life it felf, are not to be underftood Rigoroufly, and in an abfolute Senfe, but Comparatively; for it is an Hebrew manner of Speech, to exprefs that Abfolutely, which is meant only Comparatively ; and fo our Saviour explains hind-elf in a parallel Text to this, Matth. tc. 37, 38. He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy ofme; he that loveth fon or daughter more than me, is not worthy of nie; And he that taketh not his Croft, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. In another place, our Saviour iuftanceth in quit- ting our Elates for his fake, Matth. 19. 29.. Every one that 'hall forfake houfes, or brethren, or filers, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my names fake; by all which it appears thatthis Self-denial which our Saviour here requires of his Difciples, is to be extended no farther, than to a readinefs and willingnefs, whenever God thall call us to it, to quit all our Temporal lnterefts and Enjoyments, and even Life it felf, the deatefFof all other, and to fulunit to 93
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