'germ. XIII. Of Self:denial, ánd Suffering for Chrift's Sake. Glory of God, and the Salvation of their Brethren. But this I (hewed canndt be a Duty, for this plain Reafon ; becaufe if it were, there is no Argument left powerful enough to perfwade a Manto it. And as for the two Scripture Inftances alledged to thispurpofe ; . Mofes his Wifh; of being blotted out of the Book of Lift for the People of Ifrael, fignifies no more than' a:Temporal Death ; and St. Paul's, of being accurfed from Chrifl for his Brethren, is only an hyperbolical Expreffion of his great Paffion and Zeal for the Salvation of his ,Country-men ; as is evident from the Form of the Expreffion, fuch as is commonly ufed to uther in an Hyperbole; I could with. And in the . Second Place, I (hewed. pofitively, That the plain ,meaning of this. Precept of Self-denial is this, and nothing but this ; That we Ihould be willing to part with all our Temporal Interefts and Enjoyments, and even Life it felf, for the fake of Chrift and his Religion. This is to deny, oùr (elves. And then, that we fhould be willing to bear any temporal Inconvenience and. Suffering upon the faine ae- count, This is to'take up our Croft. And this I íhewed from theInftances which our Saviour gives of Self-denial, whenever he had occafron to difcourfe of it. Thirdly, I confidered the ftri& and indifpenfable Obligationof this Precept of Self -- denial, rather than to forfake Chrift and his Religion. Without this Difpo; frtion and Riefolution of Mind we cannot be his Difciples , and ifwe deny him before Men i he will alfo deny us before his Father which is in Heaven. And this Confeffion of Him and his Truth we are to snake before Kings and_Governours, ánd notwithftanding their Commands to the contrary, which are of no Force again(( the Laws and Commands of God. Thus far I have gone. There, remains only the ; Fourth and La/l Particular, which I pròpofed to (peak to ; viz. To vindicate the Reafonablenefs of this Self-denial and Suffering for Chrift, which at firft¡ appearance may feein to be fo very difficult.- And this Precept cannot be thought unreafonablè, if we take into Confideration thefe Three Things., I. That He who requires this of us, hath Himfelf given us the greateft ,Ex- Simple of Self-denial that ever was The greateft in it felf, in that he denied himfelf more, and fuffered more grievous things, than it is poffible for anyof us to do : And. fuck an Example as, in the Circumftances of it is moft apt and powerful to engage and oblige us to the imitation of it, becaufe all his Self- deniäl and Sufferings were for our fakes. II. If we confider, That he hath promifed all needful Supplies of his Grace, tb enable us to the Difchargëof this difficult Duty of Self-denial and Suffering; and to fupport and comfort us therein. III. He hash affured us of a Glorious Reward of alt our Sufferings and Self- denial, beyond the Proportion of them, both iii the Degree and Duration of it. I (hall go over thefe as briefly as I can. I. If we confider, That He who requires us thus to deny our fe.lves for him,. hath given ús the greateft Example of Self-denial that ever was Our Saviour knowing how unwelcome this Dottrine of Self-denial and Suft'ering muff needs be to his Difciples, and how hardly this Precept would go down with them, to fweeten it a little, and take off the harfhnefs of it and toprepare their minds the better. for it he tells them firft of his own Sufferings, that by that means he might, in fame mèalure, reconcile their Minds to it, when they faw that he re- quired nothing of them, but what he was ready to undergo Himfelf, and to give them the Example of it. And upon this Occafton it was, tháf our Saviour ac- quaints them with the hard and difficult Terms Upon which theymuff be his Dif ctples ; Y. 2 r. The Evangelift tells us; that Jef e began toPhew unto his Difisples,. how that be niull go Unto yerufalem, and Puffer many things of the. Elders, and Chief-Priefls, and Scribes, and be killed. Then Paid Jefus untò his Ilifciptes, that is, immediately upon this Difcourfe of his own Sufferings, :as the fitter( time for it, he takes the Opportunity to tell them plainly of their" own Sufferings, and that unlefs they were prepared and refolved to deny themfelves fo far, as to' fuffer all manner of Perfecutron for his fake and the Profeflì:on of his Religion, they could not be his Difeiples. If any man will crime after the, let hiín dëny" O him= 97-
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