is to be found in the xvith chapter of the same Gospel; where, at the 21st verse we are informed, that the Lord began to discourse to his disciples concerning the sorrowful and suffering path through which he was to win the dignity of "The Christ, the Son of the living God;" which Peter not savouring, "Jesus said unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Here, as in the former case, the reward presented in the distance, is his coming in the glory of his Father, as it is also in our text; and the scale according to which the rewards of heaven are to be dispensed, is self-denial, taking up of the cross, indifference to this present life, readiness for martyrdom at all times, and a willingness to part with the whole world rather than to put our souls into jeopardy. Of works of this sort are the thrones of heaven the meed. I would I saw some more of them! Who of us can now-a-days take joyfully the spoiling of their goods as did the Hebrews? who of us rejoice and are exceeding glad when men revile us, and speak all manner of evil against us falsely for Christ's sake? I know what it is to have been reproached for the truth of Christ; would that I knew more of joy under the temptation. The school is now so forsaken that there are neither masters nor scholars in it any more. And why this unsuffering state of the church? because she has been ignorant of the rewards of suffering. The doctrine of the church since the Reformation, hath been taken up chiefly with the question, How are we to get off at the judgment-seat? and they have hardly dared to think of the question, How are we to obtain the dignities of the world to come? Indeed the world to come has been a visionary elysium of ghosts; not the terra firma of this material world, governed by embodied men. That prison allowance of doctrine will do no longer for the followers of Christ, who must have both wine and milk, and marrow and fatness; because

it is no longer a question of sects, or a strife of words, but it is a battle with an infidel world, with a Pharisaical church which we have to wage. We are about to bear the brunt of brothers' blows, and to be cast out of the house by brethren; and our Brother is thus early beginning to entreat us with discourse concerning the thrones of his Father's house. Like a good captain on the eve of battle, he setteth out to his soldiers the rich rewards and splendid endowments which abide them after the conflict. But in every other battle, only the survivors receive the reward; in this one, all, as well those who lose their lives in his service, as those who wear out the time till his appearing. This doctrine of rewards in the kingdom of glory, proportionable to our forfeitures in the kingdom of patience and suffering, we would illustrate a little further, as it is so seldom borne in mind; hardly even mooted in the church, too intent upon the question, By what means she may satisfy Christ her hard master? to think of any glorious aims or heavenly ambitions.

Let us then take that noble instance of Paul described by himself in the iiid chapter of the Philippians, wherein having delineated his high degree and distinction among the Pharisees, he declareth not merely that he had foregone them all, but that he nauseated them as vile things; he hated them as the splendid trappings of his bondage; to the end he might obtain Christ's righteousness, and know him, and the power of his resurrection, which enables us to enter into new life; and the fellowship of his sufferings, which is the yielding that new life to the encounter of all trials, that its heavenly temper of joy and proof of faith may the more appear. Sufferings to such an extent doth he covet, as that he may be conformed to Christ's death, or be brought into as weak, sorrowful, and passive a state as Christ died in. And why all this panting after the lowliest and most painful experiences of the Christian life? In order that by all means he might attain unto the resurrection of the dead; that is, the resurrection out from amongst the dead, the resurrection unto life, the first resurrection, of which every one that partaketh is a crowned king (Rev. xx. 4). That this is the thing which he hath in his mind, he declareth in the context twice over; calling it first, "that for which Christ had apprehended him," or laid hold on him, or, as it were, enlisted

him into the service. Christ had chosen him for this dignity, and, setting it before the young soldier, said, Now win thy prize, and disappoint not my choice; keep thy post, and achieve thy reward ! Therefore, addeth he a second form of his 66 eagerness, Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high (above) calling in Christ Jesus;" that is, the calling to the new Jerusalem which is above, the city of the thrones of God. After this beautiful picture of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, struggling in the heat of battle for the palm of victory, it is most delightful to peruse another passage of his mature age, and, as it were, veteran experience. The old experienced captain and field-marshal is giving his last counsel to a young soldier whom he was to leave in his room; and thus loftily the strain proceedeth: "But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" (2 Tim. iv. 5-8). He no longer standeth in doubt, but is assured not only of his safety, but of his crown. And wherefore assured? Because he had fought the good fight. The like assurance may we, ought we, all through the same means to attain unto. I would that it were more sought after. I would that Christians would bear in mind that they are apprehended or taken up by Christ, not merely to get clear off and escape condemnation, but to inherit honour and glory, and eternal life. Why are men so low-thoughted with respect to the other world, when they are so ambitious with respect to this? It is because they think God less generous than man. It is because they wish just as much religion as will bring them off; and for the rest of their time and talents, they waste it all for other purposes. They would not like to have hell-fire flaming upon them, and scaring all their happiness. Escape from this they are willing to purchase by so many hours of church-going, and such a per-centage of charities, and so much of what they under

1265* stand by faith and good works. But as to the honours of the world to come, they desire the more solid honours of the present, and do not thank you for any discourse thereof at all. Keep hell's mouth under the horizon, and they care not for any of the stars of heaven. The riches of the earth content them, and the honours and the lands too they have not the slightest intention of giving them up, on any future account. They prefer these in hand, to those upon God's word, better though they may be accounted. Truly, the cloak of Romanism was better than this Protestant rag of religion. The only good of Protestantism is, that it carries in itself its own principle of rectification, which Romanism does not. And yet not even this; if we are to be forced to square ourselves by articles of certain synods, instead of the word of God. The question is not Trent or Westminster with the Protestant, but man's word or God's word. If we are to lose this, then I wish to know, of what use was the Reformation? Oh, but it is come to low waters with us now in the churches! And yet all is not lost.

I do, therefore, by the example and the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ; by the reward into which he hath entered; and by the assurance of the like reward which the Apostles had within their hearts; by the words of the Holy Scriptures, and especially by the triumph of the faithful exhibited in the book of the Apocalypse,-I do call upon those angels of the churches, who, like this Laodicean, are at present rejoicing in popular favour, and living at their ease in comfort and contentment, abundant in goods and prospering in the world's favour, straightway to disengage their hearts from those vanities, and sit loose to all those worldly affections, to trim their lamps, and let their light shine in the midst of the world. For want of such illumination the people are stumbling upon the dark mountains, and are ready to be engulfed in destruction's yawning pit. Where there is no vision the people perish. There is little or no vision in the church, and the people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. We are the watchmen, but we have not been faithful upon the walls of Zion. We are afraid of the damps of the chilly night; we are afraid of the arrows of the enemy; we love sleep and slumbering, the feast and the wine cup, and the

chief rooms in the synagogue, and flatteries and gifts, and other such soft and smooth allotments. Our phrase is measured, our words are accommodated: God is not so much in the thoughts of the preacher as himself and the people. If I lose their good opinion, if I lose their ear, I lose all; what will it avail if I preach them all away from my church ?'-Oh, brother, thou art set for preaching the truth, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear. Let Paul's conduct at Corinth, as recorded in the xixth chapter of the Acts, be thy guide. He first reasoned with both Jews and Greeks for many days; then he was pressed in spirit and did testify; and when they would not receive his testimony he did shake off the dust of his garments against them, and turn unto the Gentiles. If we were faithful men and under the leadings of the Holy Ghost, we would do likewise; we would reason and debate the matter with the present deadness and darkness of the church; and if we prevailed, as with many we doubtless would prevail, it were well: but if many, and the greater number did still hold out against the truth, we would clear our conscience and leave it with them, and betake ourselves to other parts; for the world is wide and populous, and a preacher's commission is to every creature under heaven. My dear bre. thren, do you think that without suffering for Christ's sake you shall ever enter into his glory? Do you think that without tribulation you shall ever be made perfect? I do entreat you to go into battle and endure hardness as good soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Keep vigils over the armour of the word of God. Why will you not awaken and be up and doing? for the day is far spent, and the night is at hand. What means this monotony of preaching, when the enemies of Christ are mustering their hosts to the battle against the camp of the saints, and the holy city? Why do you not sound an alarm of war? What means this piping in the shade, O shepherds, when the wolf is in the midst of the flock, ravening over his prey? Would Christ ever have won the inheritance of his Father's throne, if he had thus idled in his Father's work? And will ye ever attain to the fellowship of Christ's throne, if you thus saunter about dallying with your idol of popular favour, and seeking honour of one another? Surely there wanteth some sufferer to set the example of suffering