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for the faithful fail from among the children of men," Pfal. xii. 1.-Confider,

(2.) That we are like to fee trying times, in which the Lord will fet his furnace in Zion. God has appeared often feasonably and wonderfully for our deliverance; but the generation is not bettered, but rather growing worfe and worfe in all points. This is a forerunner of a fearful ftroke. Now, Sirs, a fhew of religion may do in a time of ease and peace, but when that trial comes, it will be hard to bear up without the reality.-Confider,

(3.) That death and judgement will try us all. We may put off the trial as we will for a time, there is however no fhifting of it altogether. God will not be mocked.- Confider,

Lafly, That it will be a terrible difappointment to be awakened out of dreams of heaven, by falling into hell. It will be no time to seek oil, when the Bridegroom is come, and hath fhut the door. We have in view an ordinance that calls to selfexamination : 1 Cor. xi. 28. " But let a man examine himself, and fo let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." Therefore beftir yourfelves, and confider your state. Study the fpirituality of religion, that you may thus approve yourselves to the heart-fearching God. Amen

THE

THE STATUTE-LAW OF DISCIPLESHIP *.

SERMON XXXIII.

LUKE, xiv. 26. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and fifters, yea, and his own life alfa, he cannot be my difciple.

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E is a fool who joins himself to any fociety, before he has weighed with himself how he can comply with the laws and rules of that fociety. In vain do we propofe to be a difciple to any perfon, if we are not difpofed, if we will not submit to his difcipline. Man is born like a wild afs's colt, naturally untractable and unteachable; the Son of God has fet up his fchool amongst us; many who externally belong to it stand at a distance from him, as rude and unpolifhed by grace as when they first came to it.. There is a folemn and awful entry into the school of Christ before us, and it cannot be unsuitable, efpecially on fuch a feafon as this, to ftand and .hear, Delivered at Selkirk, Saturday, Oct. 11. 1712.

Q3.

hear, out of the mouth of the great Master, the neceflary qualifications of all fuch as will be reckoned his difciples indeed. This we have in the text. In which there is obfervable,

1. A cafe fuppofed; and there are two things in it. For this cafe, though the cafe of many, is like the legs of the lame, which are not equal.In it, firft, there is a fair profeflion. The man cometh to Chrift, not in the way of believing on him, as this word is often ufed, the expreflion here can by no means be thus explained; but in the way of an outward profeffion, joining himself with his followers, taking on him the name of his party. The occafion of the words clears this. Multitudes went with him, and they were ready to value themselves because they kept good company. The Lord turns to them, and tells them, that it was another thing to be a disciple of his than most of them took it to be. He lays the matter fo plainly before them, as would make it easy to conclude, that most who followed him now would leave him afterwards; and that when it came to the trying pinch, he would have but a thin backing'; therefore they should in time confider what they were doing.-In the cafe there is, next, a foul and falfe heart. The man comes to Chrift, and brings not his heart with him, but leaves it at home with his father or mother, &c. or keeps it ftill hugging and embracing his dear self, his life, fo that he cannot embrace Christ, more than a man can take both heaven and earth in his arms at once. Chrift must be dearer to his difciples than what is dearest to them in the world. The deareft perfons are father, mother, &c. The dearest thing is life. That which makes this cafe fo bad is, that they are dearer to the man than Chrift. He hates not his father, mother, &c. He who taught us

in the law, to love our neighbour as ourfelves, does not contradict this here, but fpeaks out what was implied there, that we must neither love our neighbour nor ourselves as our God. It is not an abfolute, but a comparative hatred, which is here meant; that is, a lefs love: Gen. xxix. 31. " And when the Lord faw that Leah was hated;" that is, lefs loved than Rachel. Similar inftances occur, as in Deut. xxi. 15. John, xii. 25. And thus it is explained, Matth. x, 37. " He that loveth, father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me." A man muft leave father and mother to cleave to his wife; but he must leave his wife, yea, and his life alfo, to cleave to Chrift. Levi gave a practical commentary on this text, Deut. xxxiii. 9. "Who faid unto his father, and to his mother, I have not feen, neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children; for they obferved thy word, and kept thy covenant." And fo did that difciple-like refolution of Jerom: If my father fhould stand before me,' fays he, my mother hang upon me, my brethren prefs about me, I would break through my brethren, throw down my father, tread under feet my mother, to cleave to Jefus Chrift.' So faid a certain Dutch schoolmaster, being afked, if he loved not his wife and children? Yes,' fays he, if all the world were gold, and mine to difpofe of, I would give it all to live with them, though but in a prifon; yet is my foul and my Lord Chrift dearer than all.' But perhaps this is only the attainment of few. Miftake it not, but

hear,

2. Christ's verdict upon the cafe, and venture not to distinguish where the law makes no diftinction: "If any man come to me, and hate not, &c. he cannot be my difciple." Be he or she who

they

they will, they cannot be Chrift's disciples, f Christ be not dearer than what is dearest to them in a world. Nominal difciples they may be indeed, but real they cannot be, they cannot bear afflictions for Chrift, because they want fuch affections to him as are neceffary to make them go in the ftrait and narrow way which leads unto life.-From this subject I would take this

DOCTRINE, That no man can be a true disciple of Chrift, to whom Chrift is not dearer than what is dearest to him in the world.

FOR illuftrating this fubject, I fhall,

I. Speak to the nature of this necessary qualification of a true difciple of Chrift.

II. Confirm the doctrine of the text.

III. Offer some reasons why Christ is dearer to his true difciples, than what is dearest to them in the world. And,

IV. Conclude with fome improvement.

WE are then,

I. To speak to the nature of this neceffary qualification of a true difciple of Chrift.-There are in it,

1. An efteem of Chrift above all: Pfal. xlv. 2."Thou art fairer than the children of men, grace is poured into thy lips; therefore God hath bleffed thee for ever." Chrift is the highest and most glorious object in the practical judgement of alk his true difciples: Pfal. lxxiii. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I defire befide thee." They do not only think him the best portion, confidering things in the general, in which fenfe he has even the commendation of those who flight him; but they look

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