before we are comforted, and receive the fpirit of bondage before we are bleffed with the unfpeakable privilege of the fpirit of adoption, and with a full affurance of faith can fay, "Abba, Father."

Were we indeed in a ftate of innocence, and had we, like Adam before his fall, the divine image fully ftamped upon our fouls, we then should have no need of felf-denial; but fince we are fallen, fickly, difordered, felf-righteous creatures, we muft neceffarily deny ourselves (and count it our privilege to do fo) ere we can follow JESUS CHRIST to glory. To reject fuch a falutary practice on account of the difficulty attending it at first, is but too like the obftinacy of a perverfe fick child, who nauseates and refuses the potion reached out to it by a fkilful phyfician or a tender parent, because it is a little ungrateful to the taste.

Had any of us feen Lazarus when he lay full of fores at the rich man's gate; or Job when he was fmitten with ulcers, from the crown of his head to the fole of his foot: And had we at the same time prescribed to them fome healing medicines, which, because they might put them to pain, they would not apply to their wounds, should we not most justly think, that they were either fond of a distempered body, or were not fenfible of their diftempers? But our fouls, by nature, are in an infinitely more deplorable condition than the bodies of Job or Lazarus, when full of ulcers and boils: for, alas! "our whole head is fick, and our whole heart faint, from the crown of the head to the fole of the foot, we are full of wounds and bruifes and putrifying fores, and there is no health in us." And if we are unwilling to deny ourfelves, and come after JESUS CHRIST in order to be cured, it is a fign we are not fenfible of the wretchedness of our ftate, and that we are not truly made whole.

Even Naaman's fervants could fay, when he refufed (pur'fuant to Elisha's orders) to wash in the river fordan, that he might cure his leprofy, "Father, if the prophet had bid thee do fome great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he faith to thee, wash and be clean ?" And may not I very properly addrefs myfelf to you in the fame. manner, my brethren? If JESUS CHRIST, our great prophet, had bid you to do some far more difficult thing, would you

not have done it? Much more then should you do it, when he only bids you deny yourselves what would certainly hurt you if indulged in, and he will give you a crown of life.

But to illuftrate this by another comparison: In the 12th chapter of the Acts, we read, that "St. Peter was kept in prison, and was fleeping between two foldiers, bound with two chains: And behold an angel of the LORD came upon him, and fmote Peter on the fide, faying, arife up quickly: And his chains fell off from his hands." But had this great apoftle, instead of rifing up quickly, and doing as the blessed angel commanded him, hugged his chains and begged that they might not be let fail from his hands, would not any one think that he was in love with flavery, and deferved to be executed next morning? And does not the perfon who refufes to deny himself, act as inconfiftently, as this apoftle would have done if he had neglected the means of his deliverance? For our fouls, by nature, are in a fpiritual dungeon, fleeping and fast bound between the world, the flesh, and the devil, not with two but ten thousand chains of lufts and corruptions. Now JESUS CHRIST, like St. Peter's good angel, by the power of his gofpel comes and opens the prifon door, and bids us" deny ourselves and follow him." But if we do not arife, gird up the loins of our mind and follow him, are we not in love with bondage, and do we not deferve never to be delivered from it?

Indeed, I will not affirm that this doctrine of felf-denial appears in this juft light to every one. No, I am fenfible that to the natural man it is foolifhnefs, and to the young convert an hard saying. But what fays our Saviour? "If any man will do my will, he fhall know of the doctrine, whether it be of GOD, or whether I speak of my felf." This, my dear friends, is the beft, the only way of conviction: Let us up and be doing; let us arife quickly, and deny ourfelves, and the LORD JESUS will remove thofe fcales from the eyes of our minds, which now, like fo many veils, hinder us from feeing clearly the reasonableness, neceffity, and inexpreffible advantage of the doctrine that has been delivered. Let us but once thus fhew ourselves men, and then the spirit of GOD will move on the face of our fouls, as he did once upon the face of the great deep; and cause them to emerge out of

that

that confused chaos, in which they are most certainly now involved, if we are strangers and enemies to self-denial and the cross of CHRIST.

III. Proceed we therefore now to the third and last general thing proposed, to offer fome confiderations, which may serve as so many motives to reconcile us to, and quicken us in, the fo practise of this duty of felf-denial.

1. And the first means I shall recommend to you, in order to reconcile you to this doctrine, is, to meditate frequently on the life of our bleffed Lord and Mafter JESUS CHRIST. Follow him from his cradle to the cross, and fee what a felf-denying life he led ! And shall not we drink of the cup that he drank of, and be baptized with the baptifm that he was baptized with? Or think we, that JESUS CHRIST did and fuffered every thing in order to have us excused and exempted from fufferings? No, far be it from any fincere christian to judge after this manner: for St. Peter tells us, "He suffered for us, leaving us an example that we fhould follow his fteps." Had CHRIST, indeed, like those that fat in Mofes chair, laid heavy burthens of self-denial upon us, (fuppofing they were heavy, which they are not) and refufed to touch them himself with one of his fingers; we might have had fome pretence to complain: But fince he has enjoined us nothing, but what he first put in practise himfelf, thou art inexcufable, O difciple, whoever thou art, who wouldst be above thy perfecuted felf-denying mafter: And thou art no good and faithful fervant, who art unwilling to suffer and sympathize with thy mortified, heavenly-minded LORD.

2. Next to the pattern of our bleffed mafter, think often on the lives of the glorious company of the apoftles, the goodly fellowship of the prophets, and the noble army of martyrs; who by a conftant looking to the author and finisher of our faith, have fought the good fight, and are gone before us to inherit the promises. View again and again, how holily, how felf-denyingly, how unblameably they lived: And if felf-denial was neceffary for them, why not for us alfo? Are we not men of like paffions with them? Do we not live in the fame wicked world as they did? Have we not the fame good spirit to affift, fupport, and purify us, as they had?

Ee 3

And

and is not the fame eternal inheritance reached out to us, as was to them? And if we have the same nature to change, the fame wicked world to withstand, the fame good spirit to help, and the fame eternal crown at the end; why fhould not we lead the fame lives as they did? Do we think they did works of fupererogation? if not, why do not we do as they did? or why does your own church set apart feftivals to commemorate the deaths and fufferings of the faints, but in order to excite you to follow them as they did CHRIST.

3. Thirdly, Think often on the pains of hell; confider, whether it is not better to cut off a right-hand, or foot, and pull out a right-eye, if they offend us (or caufe us to fin)" rather than to be caft into hell, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Think how many thousands there are now reserved with damned fpirits in chains of darkness unto the judgment of the great day. And think withal, that this, this must be our cafe fhortly, unless we are wife in time, deny ourfelves, and follow JESUS CHRIST. Think you, they now imagine JESUS CHRIST to be an hard mafter; or rather think you not, they would give ten thousand times ten thousand worlds, could they but return to life again, and take CHRIST'S eafy yoke upon them? And can we dwell with everlasting burnings more than they? No, if we cannot bear this precept, deny yourselves, take up your croffes; how fhall we bear the irrevocable fentence," Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlafting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels?" But I hope thofe, amongst whom I am now preaching the kingdom of GOD, are not fo difingenuous as to need to be driven to their duty by the terrors of the LORD, but rather defire to be drawn by the cords of love.

Lastly, Therefore, often meditate on the joys of heaven; think, think with what unspeakable glory thofe happy fouls are now incircled, who when on earth were called to deny themfelves as well as we, and were not disobedient to that call: Lift up your hearts frequently towards the manfions of eternal blifs, and with an eye of faith, like Stephen, fee the heavens opened, and the Son of man with his glorious retinue of departed faints, fitting and folacing themselves in eternal joys. Hark! methinks I hear them chanting forth their everlafting Hallelujahs, and echoing triumphant fongs of joy. And

do

do you not long, my brethren, to join this heavenly choir? do not your hearts burn within you? As the hart panteth after the water brooks, do not your fouls fo long after the bleffed company of these fons of GOD? Behold then a heavenly ladder reached down to you, by which you may climb to this holy hill. Let us believe on the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and deny ourselves! By this alone, every faint that ever lived afcended into the joy of their LORD: And then, we, even we also shall ere long be lifted up into the fame moft blifsful regions, there to enjoy an eternal reft with the people of GOD, and join with them in finging doxologies and fongs of praife, to the everlasting, bleffed, all-glorious, most adorable Trinity, for ever and

ever.

Which God of his infinite mercy grant, &c.