fo Chrift may be glorified," Let Chrift be magnified in my body, "whether it be by life or death," Phil. i. 20.

By conversion Chrift enters the foul, as an army doth an enemy's garrifon by ftorm, and when he is poffeffed of it by 2 Cor. x. 5. grace, he prefently divides the whole fpoil of felf betwixt himfelf and his church. This is the firft thing that evinces the neceflity of a work of grace to prepare the heart for fufferings.

2. And then in the next place, it is as evident that a man càn never be fit to fuffer hard things for Chrift until his fpirit be enlarged, raised, and ennobled, so that he be able to despite dangers, and look all difficulties in the face. That low and private spirit must be removed, and a public fpirit muft poffefs him. If a man be of a feeble and effeminate fpirit, every petty danger will daunt and fink him; delicacy and tenderness is as unfuitable to a Chriftian as to a foldier, 2 Tim. ii. 3. They that mean to enter into the kingdom of God, muft refolve to make their way through that brake of troubles betwixt them and it, 2 Tim. iii. 12. They that will be crowned with victory, muft ftand to it, and play the men, as that word imports, 1 Cor. Avi. 13. Look over all the facred and human hiftories, and fee if you can find a man that ever honoured Chrift by fuffering, that was not of a raised and noble fpirit, and in fome measure able to contemn both the allurements and threats of men. So thofe three noble Jews, Dan. iii. 16, 17. So Mofes, Heb. xi. 27. And fo our apoftle, Acts xx. 24. And the fame heroic and brave spirit was found in the fucceeding ages amongst the witneffes of Chrift. When Valence the emperor endeavoured to draw Bafil from the faith by offers of preferment, offer these things (faith he) to children;' when he threatened him with torments, threaten these things (faith he) to your pur•ple gallants that live delicately.' And the fame Bafil relating the ftory of the forty martyrs, faith, That when great honours and preferments were offered them to draw them from Christ, their answer was, Why offer you these small things of the world to us, (O emperor) when you know the whole world is contemned by us!' So Luther, money could not tempt him, nor the fear of man daunt him.

Let

me (faid he in his letter to Staupicius) be accounted proud, cove tous, a murderer, guilty of all vices, rather than of wicked filence and cowardife in the caufe of Chrift.' Thus you fee to what an height, and holy greatnefs, the fpirits of fuffering faints in all ages

have been raised.

But now it is grace that thus raises the fpirits of men above all the fmiles and honours, frowns and fears of men; and no other principle but grace can do it. There is indeed a natural floutnefs and generofity in fome which may carry then far, as it is faid of Alexander, that when any great danger approached him, his courage would rife, and he would fay, Jam periculum par animo Alexandri; Here is a danger fit for Alexander to encounter: So Pompey, vhen diffuaded from a dangerous voyage, answered, Neceffe eft ut eam, non ut vivam.

It is neceffary that I go, not that I live.' But this being fed only by a natural fpring, can carry a man to higher than nature, and will flag at laft. If applaufe, and the obfervation of the world fupply it not, it quickly ebbs and fails.

But as grace raifes men much higher; fo it maintains it even when there is nothing to encourage without; when forfaken of all creatures and vifible fupports, 2 Tim. iv. 10. And this it doth three ways (1.) By giving him that hath it a view of far greater things, which fhrinks up all temporary things, and makes them appear but trifles and fmall matters, Rom. viii. 18. 2 Cor. iv. 18. By grace a man rifes with Chrift, Col. iii. 1. It fets him upon his high places, and thence he looks down upon things below as very poor and inconfiderable. The great cities of Campania feem but little fpots to them. that stand on the top of the Alps. (2.) By teaching him to value and meafure all things by another thing than he was wont to do He did once measure, life, liberty, riches, honours by fenfe. and time; and then they feemed great things, and it was hard to deny them, or thus to flight them; but now he values and meafures all by faith and eternity; and esteems nothing great and excellent but what hath a reference to the glory of God, and an influence into eternity. (3.) Grace raifes and ennobles the fpirit thus, because it is the divine nature; it is the Spirit of Chrift infufed into a poor worm, which makes a ftrange alteration on him, transforms him into another manner of perfon; as much difference betwixt his fpirit now and what it was, as betwixt the fpirit of a child that is filled with fmall matters, and taken up with toys, and of a grave flatefman that is daily employed about the grand affairs of a kingdom.

3. A man can never fuffer as a Chriftian till his will be fubjected to the will of God. He that fuffers involuntarily, and out of neceffity, not out of choice, fhall neither have acceptance nor reward from God. Of neceffity the will muft be fubjected; a man can never fay, Thy will be done, till he can firft fay, Not my will.

But it is grace only that thus conquers and fubjects the will of man to God's, Pial. cx. 3. This is that which exalts God's authority in the foul, and makes the heart to ftoop and tremble at his commands. It is that which makes our will to write its fiat at the foot of every command, and its placet under every order it receives from God. No fooner was grace entered into the foul of Paul, but prefently he cries out, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Acts ix. 6. The will is to the foul what the wheels are to the chariot; and grace is to the will what oil is to thofe wheels. When we receive the Spirit of grace, we are faid to receive an unction from the Holy One, 1 John ii. And then the foul is made as the chariots of Aminadab, Cant. vi. 12. Non tardat uncla rota, it runs freely after the Lord, and cheerfully addreffeth itfelf to the very fervice.

20.

4. A man can never fuffer as a Christian until his heart be compofed, fixed, and determined to follow the Lord through all hazards

and difficulties. As long as a man is hesitating and unresolved what to do, whether to go forward, or return back again to the profperous world, when a man is at fuch a pause, and stand in his way, he is very unfit for fufferings. All fuch divifions do both weaken the soul, and frengthen the temptation: The devil's work is more than half done to his hand in fuch a foul, and he is now as unfit to endure hardship for Chrift, as a fhip is to ride out a storm that hath neither cable, anchor, nor ballaft, to hold and fettle it, but lies at the mercy of every wave, Jam. i. 8. "The double-minded man is unftable in all, "his ways." But it is grace, and nothing befides, that brings the heart to a fixed refolution and fettlement to follow the Lord, it is grace that establishes the heart, Heb. xiii. 9. and unites it to fear the name of God, Pfal. xxxvi, 1. This gathers all the ftreams into one channel, and then it runs with much. ftrength, and fweeps away all obftacles before it. So that look as it is with a wicked man that hath fold himfelf to do wickedly, if he be fet upon any one defign of fin, he pours out his whole heart and ftrength into the profecution of that defign, which is the ground of that faying, Liberet me Deus ab bomine unius tantum negotii, let God deliver me from a man of one only defign. He will do it to purpose: So is it alfo in grace; if the heart be compofed, fixed, and fully refolved for God, nothing fhall then ftand before him. And herein lies much of a Chriftian's habitual fitness and ability to fuffer.

5. The neceffity of faving grace in all fufferers for Chrift, will farther appear from this confideration, that he who will run all hazards for Chrift, had need of a continual fupply of ftrength and refreshment from time to time. He must not depend on any thing that is failable; for what shall he do then when that stock is spent, and he hath no provifion left to live upon? Now all natural qualifications, yea, all the common gifts of the Spirit, are failable and thort-lived things; they are like a fweet flower in the bofom, that is an ornament for a little while, but withers prefently: Or like a pond or brook occafioned by a great fall of rain, which quickly finks and dries up, because it is not fed by fprings in the bottom, as other fountain-waters are; and hence it is they cannot continue and hold out when fufferings comé, Matth. xiii. 21 Because there is no root to noųrifh and fupport. The hypocrite will not always call upon God, Job xxvii. 10. Though they may keep company with Chrift a few miles in this dirty way, yet they must turn back at laft, and fhake hands eternally with him, John vi. 66. These comets may seem to shine for a time among the ftars, but when that earthly matter is spent, they must fall and lose their glory.

But now grace is an everlasting principle, it hath fprings in the bottom that never fail. "I fhall be in him (faith Chrift) a well of wa"ter fpringing up into eternal life," John iv. 14. The Spirit of Ged fupplies it from time to time, as need requires. It hath daily incomes from heaven, 2 Cor. i. 5. Phil. iv. 13. Col. i.

11. So that

it is our union with Chrift the Fountain of grace, that is the true ground of our conftancy and long suffering*.

6. And then laftly, it will appear by this alfo, that there is an abfolute neceffity of a real change by grace on all that will fuffer for Chrift; because although we may engage ourfelves in fufferings without it, yet we can never manage our fufferings like Chriftians without it. They will neither be honourable nor acceptable to God, nor yet beneficial and comfortable to ourselves or others, except they be performed from this principle of grace: For upon what principle foever befide this any man is acted in religion, it will either cause him to decline fufferings for Chrift; or, if he be engaged in them, yet he will little credit religion by his fufferings. They will either be spoil-* ed by an ill management, or his own pride will devour the praife and glory of them. I do not deny but a man that is graceless may fuffer many hard things upon the account of his profeffion, and fuffer them all in vain, as these fcriptures manifeft. See 1 Cor. xiii. 3. Gal. iii. 4. And although you may find many fweet promifes made to thofe that fuffer for Chrift, yet muft confider that thofe pure and fpiritual ends and motives by which men ought to be acted in their fufferings, are always fuppofed and implied in all these promifes that are made to the external action. And fometimes it is expreffed, 1 Pet. iv. 16. To fuffer [as a Chriftian] is to fuffer from pure Chriftian principles, and in a Christian manner, with meeknefs, patience, felf-denial, &c. and this grace only can enable you to do: So that by all this, I hope what I have undertaken in this character, viz. To evince the neceffity of a work of grace to pafs upon you, before fufferings for religion come, is performed to fatisfaction."

CHAP. VI.

Wherein the nature of this work of grace, in which our kabitual fitness for fuffering lies, is briefly opened, and an account given of the great advan tage the gracious per jon hath for any, even the hardest work thereby.

H

AVING in the former chapter plainly evinced the neceflity of faving grace to fit a man for fufferings; it will be expected now that fome account be given you of the nature of the work, and how it advantages a man for the difcharge of the hardeft fervices in religion: Both which I fhall open in this chapter by a distinct explication of the parts of this defcription of it.

This work of grace, of which I am here to speak, confifts in the real change of the whole man by the Spirit of God, whereby he is prepared for every good work: In which brief defcription I fhall open thefe four things to you.

What faving

grace is.

1. That it is a change; this is palpably evident, both from fcrip

We are only fo far fafe as we are united to Christ.

ture and experience, 2 Cor. v. 17. "Old things are past away, be"hold all things are become new;" and it is fo fenfible a change, that it is called a turning from darkness to light, Acts xxvi. 18, and a new creature formed and brought forth. But to be a little more distinct and particular, there are feveral other changes that pafs upon men, which muft not be mistaken for this; and therefore, (1.) It is not a mere change of the judgment from error to truth, from Paganifm to Chriftianity. Such a change Simon Magus had, yet still remained in the gall of bitterness, and faft bound in the bonds of iniquity, Acts viii. 23. (2.) Nor only of a man's practice, from profane-7 : nefs to civility: This is common among fuch as live under the light of the gofpel, which breaking into men's confciences, thwarts their lufts, and over-awes them with the fears of hell: Which is no more than what the Gentiles had, Rom. ii. 15. (3.) Nor is it a change from mere morality to mere formality in religion. Thus hypocrites are changed by the common gifts of the Spirit, illuminating their minds, and flightly touching their affections, Heb. vi. 4, 5. (4) Nor is it fuch a change as juftification makes, which is relative, and only alters the ftate and condition, Rom. v. 1, 2. (5.) Laftly, It is not a change of the effence of a man; he remains effentially the fame person still. But this change confifts in the infufion of new habits of grace into the old faculties; which immediately depofe fin from its dominion over the foul, and deliver up the foul into the hands and government of Chrift, fo that it lives no more to itself, but to Chrift. This is that change whereof we fpeak: And this change (2.) I affert to be real, no fancy, nor delufion; not a groundless conceit, but it is really existent, extra mentem, whether you conceit it or not. Indeed the blind world would perfuade us it is fuppofitious and fantaftic; and that there is no fuch real difference betwixt one man and another as we affirm grace makes. And hence it is, that whofoever profeffeth it is prefently branded for a fanatic; and that fcripture, Ifa. lvi. 5. "Stand by "thyfelf, I am holier than thou," &c. clapt in their teeth, in their abfurd and perverse sense of it.

But I fhall briefly offer thefe feven things to your confideration, which will abundantly evince the reality of it, and at once both stop the flanderous mouths of ignorant men, and filence thofe atheistical furmifes, which at any time Satan may inject into the hearts of God's own people touching this matter. And first, let it be confidered, that the Spirit of God hath reprefented to us this work of grace under fuch names and notions in fcripture, as if they had been chofen purpofely to obviate this calumny. It is called a creature, Gal. vi. 15. a man, 1 Pet. iii. 4. a new birth, John iii. 3. Chrift formed in us, Gal iv. 12. All which exprefs its reality, and that it is not a conceited thing. (2.) It appears to be real by the marvellous effects it hath upon a man, turning him both in judgment, will, affections, and practice, quite counter to what he was before. This is evident in that famous inftance of Paul, Gal. i. 23. which is abundantly attested and