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CHAP. VI.

Christianity calleth all men to a state of selfdenial and mortification.

CHRI

HRISTIANITY is a doctrine of the cross, that teaches the reftoration of mankind to the favour of Gød, by the death and facrifice of Jesus Christ.

THIS being the foundation of the Christian religion, it fhews us, that all perfons, who will act conformably to the nature and reason of Christianity, must make themselves fufferers for fin.

FOR if there is a reasonablenefs between fin and fuffering, every Chriftian acts against the reafon of things, that does not endeavour to pay some part of that debt which is due to fin.

INDEED it would be ftrange to fuppofe, that mankind were redeemed by the fufferings of their Saviour, to live in ease and softness themselves; that fuffering fhould be the necessary atonement for fin; and yet that finners fhould be excufed from fufferings.

SUCH an high-priest became us, fays the apostle, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, feparate from finners. Now if the holiness of Chrift render'd his facrifice acceptable to God, does not this teach us that we must labour to be holy, in order to be accepted of God?

BUT is there not the fame reason, and the fame example in the fufferings of Chrift? if they made God more propitious to fin, muft we not as well take this way of fuffering, to make our felves fitter objects of divine pardon?

THERE is therefore the fame reason, in the nature of the thing, for us finners to endeavour to conform our felves to the fufferings, as to labour after the holinefs of Chrift; fince they both jointly confpired to recommend the great atonement for fin, and must joint

ly

ly confpire to render us proper objects of the benefits of it.

NOR is the finless state of Christ a better reason for us to avoid and flee from fin, than his fuffering ftate is a reason for our renouncing all softness and indulgence in pleasures.

HAD Chrift wanted either holiness or fufferings, his facrifice had been wanting in an effential part. If therefore we think to be accepted of God by holiness, without fuffering, we seem to contradict the nature of our religion as much, as if we thought to be accepted thro' fufferings without holiness.

Ir may perhaps be faid, in the words of our liturgy, That Chrift, having by his one oblation of himself once offered, made a full, perfect, and fufficient facrifice, oblation, and fatisfaction, for the fins of the whole world, that Chriftians have no occafion to make any fuffering for fin.

To this it may be answer'd,

THAT the facrifice of Chrift is full and fufficient; firit, as it takes away the neceffity of all the legal facrifices: fecondly, as it has no need to be repeated again and thirdly, as it fully reconciles God to accept of us upon the terms of the new covenant.

Now there is no occafion to fuffer for fin, in order to make the facrifice of Chrift more compleat, or to add a further value to the atonement for fin; but then it is to be confider'd, that if felf-suffering for fin be a good and reasonable duty in it felf, and proper for a finner, that the fulness of Chrift's facrifice has no more taken away the neceffity of it, than it has taken away the neceffity of humility or any other virtue.

CHRIST is as well faid to be our fan&tification, our holiness and righteousness, as our atonement for fin; yet we should much mistake the fcripture, if we should think, that because he is our holiness, therefore we need not endeavour to be holy our felves.

YET

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YET this is as good a conclufion, as to imagine, that we need not fuffer for our fins our felves, because Christ's fufferings are a full atonement for fin.

FOR they are no otherwise a fufficient atonement for fin, than as Chrift is our fufficient holiness; fo that we may as well trust to his holiness, without labouring to be holy ourselves, as truft to his fufferings, without making ourselves alfo fufferers for fin.

LET it now therefore be observed, that were there no particular precepts or doctrines, that exprefly cal-. led us to a ftate of felf-denial and felf-suffering, the very nature of our religion is an undeniable argument, that the way of fuffering, is the right and certain way for finners to find God more propitious to their fin.

He that can doubt of this, must fuppofe, that God required a way of atonement in Jefus Chrift, that had nothing of atonement in it; for if it had, it must be undeniable, that all, who, as far as their natures will allow, conform themfelves to the fimilitude of Chrift's facrifice, muft make themselves more acceptable to God.

THAT Chrift's fufferings have not made all other fufferings for fin needlefs, is plain from hence; that all Christians are still left fubject to death: for furely it may with truth be affirm'd, that death is a fuffering for fin.

Now, fince all Christians are to offer up their bodies at death, as a facrifice or fuffering for fin, this plainly teaches us that a state of felf-denial and fuffering is the proper ftate of this life: for furely it must be proper to make every part of our life fuitable to fuch

an end.

DOES God unmake us, and dash our very form into pieces; and can we think that a life of pleasure and felf-indulgence can become us under fuch a fen

tence?

WHAT plainer proof can we have, that we are devoted fufferers for fin, than that we are devoted to

death?

death? for death hath no place in a state of allow'd pleasure and enjoyment. When the fuffering for fin is over, there will be no more death; but fo long as death lafts, fo long are all beings, that are fubject to death, in a state that requires humiliation and fuffering; and they rebel against God, if they do not make their lives conformable to that mark of divine displeasure, which death fignifies.

THUS, as the mortality of our condition is a certain proof that our life is in diforder, and unacceptable to God; fo is it also a proof, that we ought to refuse pleasures and fatisfactions, which are the pleasures of a ftate of disorder, and ftay for joy and delights till we are remov'd to fuch a state of perfection, as God will delight to continue to all eternity.

THE apoftle tells us, that flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of God; muft we not therefore be very unreasonable, if we can cast about for mirth in such a condition, or give up ourselves to the vain pleasures and indulgences of a flesh and blood, which are too corrupt, too unholy to enter into the kingdom of God? THIS may fuffice to fhew us the excellency_and reasonableness of our Saviour's doctrine.

HE faid unto them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

FOR whosoever will fave his life, fall lofe it, and whofoever will lofe his life for my fake, the fame fball fave it.

HERE is a common condition propos'd to all that would be Chrift's difciples; they are call'd to deny themselves, and take up their crofs daily. To fhew us that this belongs to all Chriftians, the apoftle faith, He faid unto them all; St. Mark hath it thus, And when he had called the people unto him, with his difciples also, he said unto them.

The church of Rome refufes to give the cup in the holy facrament to the laity. We reckon it a very good argument against that custom, that our Saviour,

when

when he delivered the cup, faid unto them, Drink ye all of this.

Now if it be an argument that all Chriftians are to receive the cup, because in the institution of the facrament it is faid, Drink ye all of this; is it not as good an argument that all Chriftians are here called to deny themselves, and take up their cross daily, because it is deliver'd in the fame manner, He faid unto them all; and again, When he called the people unto him, with his difciples alfo, be faid unto them?

To me this place feems as general a call to all Chriftians; as, Drink ye all of this, is a general command to all Chriftians.

LET any one try to evade the obligation of this text, and he will find, that he must use such arguments, as will equally ferve to get rid of any other part of holy fcripture.

IF this paffage only called the firft difciples of Chrift to an eternal state of fufferings and perfecutions from other people, it might, with fome pretence, be fuppofed only to relate to people, when they are in fuch a state of perfecution.

BUT as it calls them to deny themselves, to take up their crofs daily, it is plain, that it calls them to a fuffering and felf-denial, which they were to inflic upon themselves.

Now if they are called thus to deny themselves, and fubject themfelves to a voluntary crofs, in order to be Chrift's difciples, it will be hard to fhew, that felf-denials are not as lafting terms of Christianity, as Baptifm and the Lord's Supper.

WATER-BAPTISM is neceffary, because our Saviour has inftituted it, and the reason for continuing it is the fame as for obferving it at firft. But ftill it is but an external rite, or facrament, which in its own nature hath nothing relating to holiness and purification of the foul; but has all its excellency from the inftitution of Chrift.

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