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SEEM.
IX.1
THE
ifIDDEN LIFE
OF
A
CREISTIALV.
161
and
his
public
honours,
till
the dawn
of that
glorious
morning.
Nor
should
we
dare
to be
censorious
of
those
who
make
a poor
figure,
and
but
mean
appearance
in
the
world;
perhaps
they
are
some
of
Christ's hidden ones;
they
pro-
mise
but
little,
and
shew
but
little
either
wit
or
parts,
prudence or
power, skill
or influence; and perhaps they
have
but little too
;
but
they
know
God,
they
trust
in
Christ, they live
a divine
life,
and
have glorious com-
munications from heaven
in
secret
daily,
they make daily
visits
to the
court of
glory,
and are
visited
by
conde-
scending grace.
r:
You
see in all
these instances,
that
popularity and
shew
are not
at
all necessary
for
a
christian.
V.
Inference.
How exceeding
difficult
is
it
for those
who
are exalted
to
great
and public stations
in
the world
to maintain
lively
christianity
!
They
have need
of great
and
uncommon degrees
of
grace to maintain this
hidden
life.
How
hardly
shall
they
that
have
riches
enter
into
the
kingdom
of
God
!
These are
our
Saviour's own
words;
Mark
x.
23.
and
he gave this
reason
for
it,
ver.
24.
because
it
is so
hard for those
that
have
riches
not
to
trust
in
them,
not
to
live
entirely upon
them,
and make
them
their
very
life.
How
hard
is
it
for
men in high posts
of
honour,
to
take due care
that
their
gráces thrive,
while
they
are all
day engaged,
either
in
the fatigues
of
office,
in
state
and
pomp
of their
own,
or
in
everlasting
attendances
on
the
will
of
some
superior;
so
that
they have
few
moments in
a
day,
wherein they are
capable
of
retiring, and holding
any converse
with'
themselves
or
with
heaven.
But
O
!
how
pleasant
is
it
to such
as
are advanced
in
the
providence
of
God, and
have
a value for
their
hid-
den
life,
to steal
an
hour
of retirement
from the
burden
of
their public cares
!
How
sweet
is
the recovery
of a
few
minutes, and
how
well filled
up
with
active devo-
tion
!
The
secret
life
of
a christian
grows
much
in
the
closet,
and without
a
retreat
from the world
it cannot
grow.
Abandon the secret
chamber, and the
spiritual
life
will
decay
:
Doubtless
many
of
you can witness
that
you have
found
it
so
;
and
your
own
mournful experi-
ence
echoes to the words
of our
ministry
in
this
point.
There
was
'an
ancient philosopher,
who,
when
he
had
vò
L.
I.
at