and troubles God shall appoint for me, and which I cannot avoid or escape without sin ; and I must follow Christ, follow liim whither- soever he goes. I know not what religion may cost me before I die ; all this it hath cost others ; and there is no bringing down Christ's terms lower than he hath laid them. I must come up to them, they will not come down to me : if I hke them not as Christ hath left them, the treaty between him and me is ended ; Mat x, 37, 38. " He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not " worthy of me ; and he that loveth son or daughter more than " me, is n6t worthy of me, and he that taketh not his cross, and " foUoweth after me, is not worthy of me." Where, by worthiness, we are not to understand the meritoriousness of these acts, but the necessary qualification of the will, and due qualification of a comer unto Christ; these previous consultations and debates in the mind prepare and enable the Vvill to make a serious and well-advised choice of Christ ; and for want of this, there are sucli swarms of hypo- crites and apostates in tlie world.
2. It implies such a sense of misery in us, and of the necessity and excellency of Christ, as determines the will to the choice of him, notwithstanding all those difficulties and troubles which have fallen, or can fall under consideration and debate in the mind. When the soul sees that in Christ which preponderates all sutferings, all losses, all reproaches, &;c. and then determines, I will have Christ, though I sacrifice all that is dear to me in the world for him, this is to be truly willing to open to Christ. It is true, the enjoyments of this world are understood by Christians as much as other men ; they have a feeling sense of the sweetness and comforts of earthly enjoyments ; their souls have as much affection to the body as other men ; they understand the charming language of the world, and their dear relations in it, as well as others ; only they see a greater necessity of Christ, and a greater worth in Christ than they do in these things. You read. Lam. i. 11. that in the famine of Jerusa- lem they gave their pleasant things for meat to relieve their soul ; jewels, bracelets, gold, silver, any thing for bread : they understood the worth of those things, knew the price and cost of them ; but away they go to preserve life. So it is here, no earthly enjoyment, of what value soever it be, hath such an excellency in it, such an absolute necessity of enjoying it as Christ hath.
Object. But oh ! saith the poor soul, who can do this ? I am willing to have Christ, and to come up to every term he hath laid down in the gospel ; I am willing to part with every sin, and to endure any suffering for Christ : But oh ! I tremble to think, if it should come to a prison, to a stake, to an actual separation from all the comforts and relations in the world, what shall I do for strength to go through such hard and difficult work as this .' Here
is the great rub in the way of many souls ; they find a wilHngness, but fear the want of strength.
Answ. How or where you shall find strength to endure and suf- fer these things for Christ, is not the question now before you : God will take care for that, and it shall be given you in that hour, and so others have found who have had the very sanie fears you have. I say, the question is not whether you be able, but whether you be heai'tily ^nlling ? Christ asks but your will, he will provide ability : The greatest believer in the world cannot say, I am able to suffer this or that for Christ ; but the least behever in the world must say, I am willing, the Lord assisting me, to endure and suffer all things for his sake. And this is the second thing included in opening to Christ.
3. The third thing which perfects and consummates the whole act, is an entire choice of Jesus Christ upon all those terms prescribed by him ; the entireaess of the choice, without halving or dividing^ excepting or reserving, making the consent full and effectual. There is a twofold consent of the will to Christ. (1.) One partial, and with exception. (2.) The other entire, and ^vithout any reservation.
(1.) There is a partial consent, which is always hypocritical, de- fective, lame, and ineffectual ; thus the hypocrite consents to the offer of Christ : He is really wilhng to have the pardons of Christy and the glory purchased by Christ ; but to part with his beloved lusts, and to give up his earthly enjoyments, that his will cannot consent to.
(2.) There is a full and entire consent of the will, called, A be- lievlng with all the heart, Acts viii. 84. Now this integrity and fulness of the will's choice, is that which closeth the match betwixt Christ and the soul, and frees a man from the danger of hypocrisy. And there are three things which make the consent to, and choice of Christ complete and full.
1. When we give up all we are and haVe to him.
2. When we derive and draw all we want from him.
3. When we are ready to deny any thing for his sake.
1. We do then heartily consent to be Christ's, when we give up all we are and have to him ; so that after this choice of Christ, we look upon ourselves thenceforth as none of our own, but bought with a price, to glorify God in our body and soul, which are his, 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. Soul and body are all that we are, and both these parts of ourselves do now pass, by an act of our own con- sent, into the Redeemer's right ; we are not to have the dispose of them ; that belongs to him that purchased them. You know in all purchases, property is altered : You did live as your own, fol- lowed your own wills, lusts, passions, were under the dominion.
and at the beck of every lust ; but now the case is altered; Tit. iii. S. " We ourselves were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving " divers lusts and pleasures." So many lusts, so many lords. But now the case is altered, we have given ourselves to Christ, no more to be swayed this way or that against his word, and the voice of our own consciences. Thus our souls and bodies are his, hallowed^ dedicated things to Christ, temples for God to dwell in. And then all other things follow of course ; if I am the Lord's, then my time, my talents, and all that I have are his.