mind,' saith the apostle, 'to be ready to every good work ;' be it active or passive, they must be ready for it, or else all they do is to no purpose. The word there is the same with this in the text, and is taken from a vessel that is fashioned and fitted for the use the master puts it to ; we do not like, when we are to use a vessel, cup or pot, to have them out of the way, or to mend, and scour at that time we call for them, hut look to find them at hand on the shelf, clean and fit for present use, or our servants shall hear of it. Thus God ex- pects we should keep our hearts clean from the defilements of sin, and our affections whole and entire for himself; that they be not lent out to the creature, nor broken and bartered by any inordinacy of delight in them, lest we should be to seek when he calls us to do or suffer ; or be found very unprepared, with- out much ado to set us right, and make us willing for the work ; as the same apostle, 2 Tim, ii. 21 : ' If a man therefore purge hiinself from these he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.' Now, as God commands this readiness in all, so especially in suffering- work, Luke ix. 23 : 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.' These words may be called the Christian's indenture : every one that will be Christ's ser- vant must seal to this before he hath leave from Christ to call him Master; wherein you see the chief provision Christ makes is about suffering-work, as that which will most try the man. If the servant can but fadge with that, no fear but he will like the other part of his work well enough. Now I pray ob- serve how careful Christ is to engage the heart in this work ; he will have his servants not only endure the hardships of his service, but shew their readiness in it also : four remarkable passages are put in for this purpose. First, ' He must deny himself,' that is, deliver up his own will out of his own hands, and from that day that he enters into Christ's service acknowledge himself not to be siti juris, at his own disposal : whatever Christ bears, he cannot bear to hear his servants, when sentby him onany business, say, ' I will not.' Secondlj', He tells them the worst at first, and chooseth to speak of the cross they must bear, rather than the crown they shall at last wear ; and withal, that he expects they should not only bear it, (this the wicked do, full sore against their wills,) but also ' take it up.' Indeed he doth not bid them make the cross, run themselves into trouble of their own head, but he will have them take that up which he makes for them ; that is, not step out of the way by any sinful shift to escape any trouble, but to accept of the burden God lays for them, and go cheerfully under it, yea, thankfully, as if God did us a favour to employ us in any suffer- ing for him. We do not take so much pains as to stoop to take up that which is not worth something : Christ will have his people take up the cross, as one takes up a pearl that lies on the groimd before him. Thirdly, This they must do every day, ' and take up his cross daily.' When there is none on his back, he must carry one in his heart ; that is, continually be preparing himself to stand ready for the first call, as porters stand at the merchants' doors in London, waiting till their masters have any burden for them to carry. Thus Paul professeth he died daily : how, but by a readiness of mind to die ? He set himself in a posture to bid God's messenger welcome, whenever it came. This indeed is to take up the cross daily, when our present enjoyments do not make us strange to, or fall out with the thoughts of future trials. The Jews were to eat their passover with their loins girded, their shoes on their feet, and their staff in their hand, and all in haste, Exod. xii. 11. When God is feasting the Christian with present comforts, he must have this gospel-shoe on ; he must not set to it as if he were feasting at home, but as at a running meal on his way in an inn, willing to be gone, as soon as he is refreshed a little for his journey. Fourthly, When the cross is on, what then? then he must follow Christ : not stand still and fret, but follow ; not he drawn and haled after Christ, but follow, as a soldier his captain, voluntarily. Christ doth not, as some gene- rals, drive the country before him, and make his servants fight whether they will or no, but he invites them in, Hos. ii. 14 : 'I will allure her into the wil- derness.' Indeed a gracious heart follows Christ into the wilderness of afflic- tion as willingly as a lover his beloved into some solitary private arbour or bower, there to sit and enjoy her presence. Christ usetli arguments in his word and by his Spirit so satisfactory to the Christian, that he is very willing
THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE. 4()5