o The Encouragement to Su f f er f or Ghri fi ; %o1. I. the things which are Peen; we should eafily perceive, that he who:fuffers for God and Religion, does not renounce Happinefs; but puts it out to Intereft, upon terms of the greateft Advantage. I 'half now fpeak briefly to the SecondPart of this remarkable Saying in the Text ; If we deny him, he alfo will deg us, To which is fubjoined in the words following, ifwe believe not; h á oç- sv, if we deal unfaithfully with him ; yet be abideth faithful, be cannot denybimfelf; that is, he will be confiant to his Word, and make good that folenn Threatning which he bath denounced againft thofe, who for fear of Suffering 'hall deny him and his Truth before Men, Mattb. so. 33. Whofoever (faith our Lord there ) 'hall deny me before men, him will I elfo deny before my Father which is in heaven. Mark 8. 38. Whofoever therefore fhall be afhamedof me, andof my words, in this adulterous and finfidgeneration, of him alfo (hall the Son of Man be earned, when he cometh in the glory of his Father; with the Holy Angels. This is a Terrible Threatning, to be difowned by Chrij at the Day of judgment, in theprefence ofGod and his Holy Angels ; And this Threatning will certainly be made good ; and tho' we may renounce him, and break our frith with him ; yet he remainsfaithfïd, who bath threatned, and cannot dewy himfeif This is matter of great Terror, and ferioufly to be thought upon by thofe who are tempted to denyClirift and his Truth, either by the hope ofworldly Advantage, or the fear of temporal Sufferings. What worldly Advantage can we propofe to our felves, by quitting our Religion, which can be thought an equal Price, for the lofs of our immortal Souls, and of the Happinefs of all Eternity ? Suppofe the whole Worldwere offered us in coníderation ; yet what is a man profited; if he fliouldgain the whole world, and lofa his own Said? or what fhall a man give in exchangefor his Soul ? as our Saviour Reafons, Mattb. ab. 26. And on the other hand, if the fear of Temporal Suffering be fuch a Terror to Men, as to (haketheir Conilancy in Religion, and to tempt them to renounce it ; the fear ofEternal Torments ought to be muchmore Powerful, to keep them ftedfaft to their Religion, and to deter them from the denyal of it. If Fear will move us; then in all Reafon, that which is moll Terrible, ought to prevail moft with us, and the greatefl Danger fhould be moll dreaded by us, according to our Savi- our's molt Friendly and Reafonable Advice, Luke 12. 4, 5. I fay unto you, my friends, be not afraidof them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But Iwillforewarn you whom you (hallfear. Fear him, who after he bath killed, bath power to call into. hell; yea, I fay untoyou, fear him. If there can be no doubt, which of them is molt to be dreaded ; there can be no doubt, what we are to do, in cafe of fuch a Temptation. I 'hall now draw fome Inferences from this Difcourfe by way of Applica- tion. Firfi, If this be afaithfulfaying, that if we be dead with Chrifl, we fhall alfo live with him ; if wefu/fer, wefhall alfo reign with him ; but if we deny him, he will alfo deny us. TheBelief of it ought to have a mighty influence upon us, to snake us ftedfaft and unmoveable in the Profeflion and Praéfice of our Holy Reli- gion. This Inference theApoftiemakes from theDo6trine of aBleffedRefurreftion, r Cor. 55. 58. Therefore my beloved brethren, beye fledfe/i, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; for as much as you know, that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. If any thing will fix Men in the Profeflion oftheir Re- ligion, and make them ferious in the Pra&ice of it ; the Belief of a Glorious Re- furredion, and of the Reward which God will then give to his Faithful Servants inuil needs have a very powerful Influence upon them to this purpofe. Upon the fame ground, thoApoftle to the Hebrews exhorts them to hold fall the Profejon of their Faith, without wavering; becaufe he is faithful that loath promifed. If webe confiant in the Profefon and Prablice of out Holy Religion ; God will be faithful to the Promife which he bath made of Eternal Life, to chofe who by pati- ent continuance in well-doing, feek for Glory andHonour and Immortality. If under the dark and imperfe/ Difpenfation of the Law, Good Men !hewed fo much Courageand Couftancy, for God and Religion, as we read in that long Ca- talogue
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=