very praying against a temptation, if it be hearty, fervent, and devout, is a denying it, and part of the victory: for it is a disclaiming the entertainment of it, it is a positive rejection of the crime; and every consent to it is a ceasing to pray, and to desire remedy. And we shall observe, that whensoever we begin to listen to the whispers of a tempting spirit, our prayers against it lessen as the consent increases; there being nothing a more direct enemy to the temptation than prayer, which, as it is of itself a professed hostility against the crime, so it is a calling in auxiliaries from above to make the victory more certain. If temptation sets upon thee, do thou set upon God; for he is as soon overcome as thou art, as soon moved to good as thou art to evil; he is as quickly invited to pity thee as thou art to ask him; provided thou dost not finally rest in the petition, but pass into action, and endeavor, by all means human and moral, to quench the flame newly kindled in thy bowels, before it come to devour the marrow of the bones. For a strong prayer, and a lazy, incurious, unobservant walking, are contradictions in the discourses of religion. Ruffinus tells us a story of a young man solicited by the spirit of uncleanness, who came to an old religious person, and begged his prayers. It was in that age, when God used to answer prayers of very holy persons by more clear and familiar significations of his pleasure, than he knows now to be necessary. But after many earnest prayers sent up to the throne of grace, and the young man not at all bettered, upon consideration and inquiry of particulars he found the cause to be, because the young man so relied upon the prayers of the old man, that he did nothing at all to discountenance his lust, or contradict the temptation. But then he took another course, enjoined him austerities and exercises of devotion, gave him rules of prudence and caution, tied him to work and to stand upon his guard; and then the prayers returned in triumph, and the young man overcame the temptation. And so shall I and you, by God's grace, if we pray earnestly and frequently, if we watch carefully that we be not surprised, if we be not idle in secret nor talkative in public; if we read the Scriptures, and consult with a spiritual guide, and make religion to be our work, that serving God be the business of our life, and our designs be to secure eternity; then we shall walk safely, or recover speedily, and, by doing advantages to piety, secure a greatness of religion, and spirituality to our spirits and understanding. But remember, that when Israel fought against Amalek, Moses' prayer and Moses' hand secured the victory, his prayer grew ineffectual when his hands were slack; to remonstrate to us, that we must co-operate with the grace of God, praying devoutly, and watching carefully, and observing prudently, and laboring with diligence and assiduity. "Faithful soul, pray always; pray, And still in God confide; He thy quiet spirit keeps; Rest in him, securely rest; Thy Watchman never sleeps." AUGUST 25. CHRYSOSTOM. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.-Rom. ix. 3-5. For the law, he means, which speaks of Christ, comes from thence, and all the covenants made with them, and himself came from them, and the Fathers who received the promises were all from them. Yet still the opposite has resulted, and they have fallen from all their good things. Hence, he means, I am vexed, and if it were possible to be separated from the company about Christ, and to be made an alien, not from the love of him, (that be far from him; for even all this he was doing through love,) but from all that enjoyment and glory, I would accept that lot, provided my Master were not to be blasphemed, that he might not have to hear some saying, that it has been all for stage-effect; he promises to one, and gives to another. He was sprung from one race, he saved another. It was to the forefathers of the Jews that he made the promise, and yet he has deserted their descendants, and put men, who never at any time knew him, into their good things. They labored in the practice of the Law, and reading the Prophets, while men who have come but yesterday from heathen altars and images have been set up above them. What foresight is there in all this? Now that these things may not be said of my Master, he means, even if they are said unjustly, I would willingly lose even the kingdom and that glory unutterable, and any sufferings would I undergo, as considering it the greatest consolation possible for my trouble, no longer to hear my Beloved so blasphemed. But if you be still against allowing this explanation, just reflect that many fathers have at many times taken up with this much for their children, and have chosen to be separated from them, and to see them in honor, considering their honor, dearer to them than their company. But since we are so short of love like this, we can not even form an idea of what is here meant. For there be some that are so wholly unworthy even to hear the name of Paul, and that stand at such an interval and distance from that vehemency of his, as to fancy that he says this of temporal death. Who I should say were as ignorant of Paul, as the blind of the sun's rays, or even much more so. For he that died daily, and set before him dangers thick as a snowstorm, and then said, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or famine, or persecution? and still unsatisfied with what he had said, and after going above the heaven and heaven of heavens, and running through the angels and archangels, and all the higher orders of beings, and taking in at once things present, things to come, things visible, things intelligible, things grievous, and things good, that were on their part, and leaving nothing out at all, yet not even thus satiated, but even bodying forth another non-existing creation, how should he, by way of saying some great thing after all those things, make mention of a temporary death? It is not so, surely it is not! But such a notion is that of worms nestling in their dunghill. For had he said this, in what sense would he be wishing himself accursed from Christ? For death of that sort would have joined him more closely with the band about Christ, and made him enjoy that glory the more. Yet some there are who venture to say things different from these, even more ridiculous. It was not then, they say, death that he wished to have, but to be a treasure, thing set apart, of Christ. And who even of the most worthless and indolent that would not wish for this? And in what way was this likely to be in his kinsmen's behalf? Let us then leave these fables and trifles, and let us go back again to the words themselves, luxuriating in this very ocean of love, and fearlessly swimming there in every direction, and reflecting upon the unspeakable flame of love,-or rather say, what one may, one shall say nothing worthy of the subject. For there is no ocean so wide, no flame so intense, as this. And no language can set it forth as it deserves, but he alone knew it who in good earnest gained it. And now let me bring the words themselves before you again. I could wish that I myself were accursed. What does the I myself mean? I, means I that have been a teacher of all, that have gathered together countless good deeds, that am waiting for countless crowns, that desired him so much, as to value his love above all things, and hold all things of second importance to the love of him. For even being loved by Christ was not the only thing he cared for, but loving him exceedingly also. And this last he cared most for. Hence it was that he looked to this only, and took all things light-heartedly. For he kept one aim in view in all circumstances, the fulfilling of this excellent love. And this he wishes for. But since things were not to take this course, nor he to become accursed, he next attempts to go into a defense against the charges, and so to bring what was bruited abroad by all before them as to overthrow it. And before he openly enters into his defense, he first lays down some seeds of it beforehand. For when he says, to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the giving of the Law, and the service of God, and the promises, he does but say that God willed them indeed to be saved, and this he showed by his former dealings, and by Christ having sprung from them, and by what he promised to the Fathers. But they out of their own forward temper thrust the benefit away from them. And this is also the reason of his setting down such things as set forth God's gift, not such as were encomiums upon them. For the adoption came of his grace, and so too the glory, and the promises, and the Law. After taking all these things then into consideration, and reflecting how earnest God along with his Son had been for their salvation, he lifts up his voice aloud, and says, Who is blessed for ever. Amen. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.-Jas. v. 10. THE consideration of the suffering saints in all ages, is a powerful persuasive to patience. We have great encouragement from hence, if we consider, 1. That those who are of most precious account with God, and highly favored of him, are usually exercised with sharp afflictions. The singularity and greatness of a calamity exasperates the sorrow, when it is apprehended as a sign of extraordinary guilt in the afflicted, and of severe displeasure in God that sends it; but to prevent the trouble that arises from that apprehension, the Scripture records the heavy afflictions that happened to God's chosen servants and favorites. Moses, whom God honored with the most condescending and familiar discoveries of himself, was tried by long afflictions. David, a man after God's own heart, was a long time hurled to and fro by tempestuous persecutions from his unjust and implacable enemies. Isaiah, who was dignified with such heavenly revelations, that his describing the sufferings of Christ seems rather the history of an evangelist than the vision of a prophet, was sawn asunder. 2. Their nature was as frail as ours, their afflictions as cutting and sensible; yet how patiently and courageously did they endure the most cruel sufferings. 3. We have the same blessed comforter to assist us as they had, the Holy Spirit. He that is styled the spirit of power infuses a holy magnanimity to bear the heaviest sufferings. Now it is the apostle's inference from the history of the saints under the Old Testament, some of whom died martyrs, and others lived martyrs by their constant and generous suffering various evils for divine truth: Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us; and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. The metaphorical expression, a cloud of witnesses, imports a numerous company, and is by some of the ancients interpreted as an allusion to the benefit we receive from the natural clouds, that refresh the air, and screen us from the scorching heat of the sun. The allusion is too subtile and |