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353 Brethren, fays St. James, count it all Joy when ye fall into divers Temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your Faith worketh Patience. But let Patience have her perfect Work, that ye may perfect and entire, wanting nothing, Jam. i. 2. So we find, that The Apostles departed from the Prefence of the Council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to fuffer Shame for the Name of Chrift, Acts v. 41. So the holy Penman of the Epiftle to the Hebrews commends the Chriftians, to whom he writes, for that They took joyfully the Spoiling of their Goods, knowing that they had in Heaven a better and an enduring Subftance, Heb. x. 34. So St. Paul exhorts, that we fhould fhew Mercy, that is, extend our Charity with Chearfulness, Rom. xii. 8. And fo a Sublimity or Chearfulness of Mind in a poor Chriftian, and an Humility or Lowliness of Mind in a rich one, being both very eminent, very difficult Virtues, St. James exhorts Chriftians to rejoice, or glory in them: For the Words, I think, if they were justly render'd, would run thus: Let the Brother of low Degree glory in bis Sublimity; but the Rich, in his Humility, Jam. i. 9. Καυχάσθω δὲ ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὁ ταπεινὸς ἐν τῷ ὕψει αυ18. Ὁ δὲ πλέσιος, ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει αυτε. In general there is Matter of rejoicing, whenever we have atchieved any noble, difficult Piece of Service in the Way of Chriftian Duty; and therefore there is no furer Way to attain to this Alacrity of Mind, than couragioufly to undergo all the Parts of the Chriftian Warfare, and never to flinch from any Duty.

but

4. A fettled inward Joy follows a confirmed Sincerity, or Chriftian Perfection in Virtue. There is a Paffage in St. Paul's Second Epistle to the

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[SERM. Corinthians, which, in the Original, I thus underftand; Finally, Brethren, rejoice, be perfect, be of good Comfort, 2 Cor. xiii. 11. aípele, naτaplicεode, таρznaλão de, &c. From whence I would obferve, that rejoicing, and being of good Comfort, go along with being perfect. The fame Doctrine I obferved before from a Paffage of the Pfalmift's, where he fays, that Light is fown for the Righteous, and joy for the upright in Heart, Pfal.

xcvii. I I.

5. This fpiritual Joy, as proceeding from a true Love of God, is occafioned by promoting the Work and Service of God, whether the Propagation of the Chriftian Faith, or Chriftians living up to their holy Profeffion. First, I fay, good Men rejoice when the Chriftian Faith is propaga ted. Thus St. Paul, in his Epiftle to the Philip pians, obferving fome By-Ends fome Men had in preaching the Gofpel, and fome particular Piques among themselves, or against him, yet concludes thus, Notwithstanding every Way, whether in Pretence, or in Truth, Chrift is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice, Phil. i. 18. Then they rejoice rather more when Chriftians adorn their Profeffion with a good Life: I have no greater Joy, faith St. John, than to hear that my Children walk in Truth, John iii. 4. And St. Paul calls the Philippians, whom he reprefents as an excellent fort of People, His Joy and his Crown, Phil. iv. I. and fays, He thanks God upon every Remembrance of them, in all his Prayers making Requeft with Joy, for their Fellowship in the Gospel from the first Day [of their receiving the Gospel] to that Time, chap. i. 3.

6. Laftly,

6. Lastly, This inward Alacrity and Joy is occafioned by a near Profpect of the Joys of Heaven; and therefore this Rejoicing is called a Rejoicing in Hope. St. Paul tells the Romans, that by Chrift we have Access by Faith into this Grace, wherein we ftand, and rejoice in Hope of the Glory of God, Rom. v. 2. And elsewhere we find the fame Apostle rejoicing mightily, upon the Profpect of the Crown of Righteoufnefs, which was laid up for him after all his Labours; I am now ready to be offered, fays he, and the Time of my parture is at Hand; I have fought a good Fight, I have finished my Courfe, I bave kept the Faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, fhall give me at that Day, 2 Tim. iv. 6. And this, perhaps, may be one good Reafon of the extraordinary Joy of the Martyrs, that they have so near a Profpect of their Crown, there being nothing to intervene to disappoint them of it.

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From all which we may gather, that the best Way to attain this Alacrity and Chearfulness of Mind, is, by having a lively Faith in Christ, by keeping a good Confcience, by faithfully difcharging all the most difficult Duties, by preffing on towards higher and higher Measures of Chriftian Perfection, and by doing what we can towards the Propagation of Faith and good Life in the World, and by taking a near Profpect of Glory and Immortality, and putting ourselves in the best Preparation and Difpofition for it; all which do concur in this patient and joyful Suffering to Martyrdom. And being in fo good Difpofition, we fhall with Joy wait for the coming of our Lord, and chearfully go forth and meet him,

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So much for the Ways and Means to facilitate this Duty of rejoicing under the Crofs.

I proceed next to a more particular Confideration of the two great Motives to this Duty in the Text, the Greatness of their Reward in Heaven, and the Usage of the Prophets.

To begin with the first, the Greatness of their Reward, for Great is your Reward in Heaven. In fpeaking to which, there are these two Things will deferve to be confider'd:

1. How there comes to be any Reward in Heaven of our imperfect, and very undeferving Services here upon Earth.

2. Why it is faid, with a particular Emphasis, that Great is their Reward in Heaven.

1. It may be asked, with good Reason, how there comes to be any Encouragement in Heaven for our poor Services here upon Earth? Efpecially it is very ftrange that this Encouragement should go by the Name of Reward, as if there were any Equality between it and the Service. I shall briefly answer both these Questions, before I come to the principal Thing in this Promise, the Greatnefs of the Reward.

As to the first, Confidering the great Imperfection of our Services, (the very best of them,) and the prefent Bleffings annexed to those Services in an inward Peace and Tranquility, and the Satiffaction of our own Minds and Confciences, we may well think them amply enough rewarded, tho' there were no further Retribution in Reverfion. And indeed I think it must be put upon the infinite Goodness and Mercy of God, and not any Thing of our Deferts, that there are further Rewards (efpecially fuch glorious ones) of our

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poor Services in the World to come. there are fuch, it was highly congruous that our Saviour should acquaint his Difciples with them, more especially confidering the prefent Occafion and Circumstances: For in the foregoing Part of this Sermon he had cut off his Difciples from all their worldly Hopes of an earthly Kingdom; difappointing them in their Expectations of Wealth and Honour, carnal Pleafure and Revenge; fhewing them the Neceffity of Juftice, Mercifulness, inward Purity, Peaceableness, and Patience. He had likewife foretold what hard Fate his Difciples fhould have in the World; that Men fhould revile them, and perfecute them, and fay all manner of Evil against them falfly for his fake. And therefore there could be nothing more proper, or more feasonable, than to comfort them with thofe glorious Promifes relating to his heavenly Kingdom, by opening this great Secret, that this present Life is only a State of Probation for a better, and that the Happiness he defign'd for them was not an earthly, but an heavenly Happiness. But more particularly to give an Account of this Point, and to fhew the Neceffity of the Promife of a Reward in Heaven, let the following Particulars be confider'd, which Time will not allow me to enlarge upon.

1. Let it be confider'd, that this is a more exprefs Promise of the Happiness of Heaven than any that went before; for tho' the Encouragement annexed to two of the Beatitudes be, For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven; and to another, that they shall fee God; and to another, that they fhall be called the Children of God; and to another, that they shall be filled: Yet all these are capable

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