The reason of it, viz. the recompense of reward.—18. Isaiah no inconsiderable instance, who of a courtier, became a holy prophet.—19. These instances concluded with that of holy Daniel, his patience and integrity, and the success they had upon the king.—20. There might be many mentioned to confirm this blessed doctrine.—21. All must be left for Christ, as men would be saved.—22. The way of God is a way of faith and self-denial.—23. An earnest supplication and exhortation to all, to attend upon these things.
But fourthly, What is the great work and business of the cross respecting man?
Answ. I. This indeed is of that mighty moment to be truly, plainly, and thoroughly answered, that all that went before seems only to serve for preface to it; and miscarrying in it to be no less than a misguidance of the soul about its way to blessedness. I shall therefore pursue the question, with God's help, and the best knowledge He hath given me in the experience of several years' discipleship.
II. The great work and business of the cross of Christ in man is self-denial; a word of as much depth in itself as of sore contradiction to the world, little understood but less embraced by it, yet it must be borne for all that. The Son of God is gone before us, and, by the bitter cup He drank and the baptism He suffered, has left us an example that we should follow in his steps; which made him put that hard question to the wife of Zebedee and her two sons, upon her soliciting that one might sit at his right and the other at his left hand in his kingdom, "Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" It seems their faith was strong; they answered, "We are able." Upon which he replied, "Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with;" but their reward he left to his Father. (Matt. xx. 21, 22, 23.)
III. What was his cup he drank, and baptism he suffered? I answer, they were the denial and offering up of himself by the eternal Spirit to the will of God, undergoing the tribulations of his life and agonies of his death upon the cross for man's salvation.
IV. What is our cup and cross that we should drink and suffer? They are the denial and offering up of ourselves, by the same Spirit, to do or suffer the will of God for his service and glory, which is the true life and obedience of the cross of Jesus; narrow still, but before an unbeaten way. For when there was none to help, not one to open the seals, to give knowledge, to direct the course of poor man's recovery, He came in the greatness of his love and strength; and though clothed with the infirmities of a mortal man, being within fortified with the almightiness of an immortal God, He travelled through all the straits and difficulties of humanity, and first, of all others, trod the untrodden path to blessedness.
V. O come! let us follow Him, the most unwearied, the most victorious captain of our salvation; to whom all the great Alexanders and mighty Cæsars of the world are less than the poorest soldier of their camps could be to them. True, they were all great princes of their kind, and conquerors too, but on very different principles. For Christ made himself of no reputation, to save mankind; but these plentifully ruined people to augment theirs. They vanquished others, not themselves; Christ conquered self, that ever vanquished them; of merit therefore the most excellent Prince and Conqueror. Besides, they advanced their empire by rapine and blood, but He by suffering and persuasion; He never by compulsion, they always by force prevailed. Misery and slavery followed all their victories, his brought greater freedom and felicity to those he overcame. In all they did they sought to please themselves; in all He did he aimed to please his Father, who is King of kings and Lord of lords.
It is this most perfect pattern of self-denial we must follow, if ever we will come to glory; to do which let us consider self-denial in its true distinction and extent.
VI. There is a lawful and unlawful self: and both must be denied for the sake of him, who in submission to the will of God counted nothing dear that he might save us. And, though the world be scarcely in any part of it at that pass as yet to need that lesson of the denial of lawful self, that every day most greedily sacrifices to the pleasure of unlawful self; yet to take the whole thing before me, and for that it may possibly meet with some that are so far advanced in this spiritual warfare as to receive some service from it, I shall at least touch upon it.
VII. The lawful self which we are to deny, is that conveniency, ease, enjoyment, and plenty, which in themselves are so far from being evil, that they are the bounty and blessings of God to us, as husband, wife, child, house, land, reputation, liberty, and life itself; these are God's favours, which we may enjoy with lawful pleasure and justly improve as our honest interest. But when God requires them, at what time soever the lender calls for them or is pleased to try our affections by our parting with them; I say, when they are brought in competition with him, they must not be preferred, they must be denied. Christ himself descended from the glory of his Father, and willingly made himself of no reputation among men, that he might make us of some with God; and, from the quality of thinking it no robbery to be equal with God, he humbled himself to the poor form of a servant; yea, the ignominious death of the cross. (Phil. ii. 5, 6, 7, 8.)
VIII. It is the doctrine he teaches us in these words, "He that loveth father or mother, son or daughter, more than me, is not worthy of me." (Matt. x. 37.) Again, "Whoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple." (Luke, xiv. 33.) And he plainly told the young rich man that if he would have eternal life, he should sell all and follow him; (Mark, x. 21, 22;) a doctrine sad to him as it is to those that, like him, for all their high pretences to religion, in truth love their possessions more than Christ. This doctrine of self-denial is the condition to eternal happiness, "He that will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me." (Matt. xvi. 24.)
IX. This made those honest fishermen quit their lawful trades and follow him, when he called them to it, and others that waited for the consolation of Israel to offer up their estates, reputations, liberties, and also lives, to the displeasure and fury of their kindred and the government they lived under for the spiritual advantage that accrued to them by their faithful adherence to his holy doctrine. True, many would have excused their following him in the parable of the feast: some had bought land, some had married wives, and others had bought yokes of oxen, and could not come; (Luke, xiv. 18, 19, 20;) that is, an immoderate love of the world hindered them: their lawful enjoyments, from servants became their idols; they worshipped them more than God, and would not quit them to come to God. But this is recorded to their reproach; and we may herein see the power of self upon the worldly man, and the danger that comes to him by the abuse of lawful things. What, thy wife dearer to thee than thy Saviour! and thy land and oxen preferred before thy soul's salvation! O beware, that thy comforts prove not snares first, and then curses: to overrate them, is to provoke him that gave them to take them away again: come, and follow him that giveth life eternal to the soul.
X. Woe to them that have their hearts in their earthly possessions! for when they are gone, their heaven is gone with them. It is too much the sin of the greatest part of the world, that they stick in the comforts of it. And it is lamentable to behold how their affections are bemired and entangled with their conveniencies and accommodations in it. The true self-denying man is a pilgrim; but the selfish man is an inhabitant of the world: the one uses it, as men do ships, to transport themselves or tackle in a journey, that is, to get home; the other looks no further, whatever he prates, than to be fixed in fulness and ease here, and likes it so well, that if he could, he would not exchange. However, he will not trouble himself to think of the other world, till he is sure he must live no longer in this: but then, alas! it may prove too late; not to Abraham, but to Dives he may go; the story is as true as sad.
XI. But on the other hand, it is not for nought that the disciples of Jesus deny themselves; and indeed, Christ himself had the eternal joy in his eye: "For the joy that was set before him," says the author to the Hebrews, "he endured the cross;" (Heb. xii. 2;) that is, he denied himself, and bore the reproaches and death of the wicked; and despised the shame, to wit, the dishonour and derision of the world. It made him not afraid nor shrink, he contemned it; and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
