2. And then in the next place, it is as evident that a man can ne- ver be fit to suffer hard things for Christ until his spirit be enlarged raised, and ennobled, so that he bo able to despise dangers, and look all difficulties in the face. That low and pri-vate spirit must be re- moved, and apuhlic spirit must possess him. If a man be of a feeble and effeminate spirit, every petty danger will daunt and sink him • delicacy and tenderness is as unsuitable to a Christian as toa soldier 2 Tim. ii. 3. They that mean to enter into the kingdom of God, must resolve to make their way through that break of troubles betwixt them and it, 2 Tim. iii. 12. They that will be crowned with victory must stand to it, and play the men, as that word imports, 1 Cor. xvi! 13. Look over all the sacred and human histories, and see if you can find a man that ever honoured Christ by suffering, that was not of a raised and noble spirit, and in some measure able to contemn both the allurements and threats of men. So those three noble Jews Dan. iii. 16, 17. So Moses, Heb. xi. 27. And so our apostle. Acts XX. 24. And the same heroic and brave spirit was found in the suc- ceeding ages amongst the witnessess of Christ. When Valence the emperor endeavoured to draw Basil from the faith by offers of prefer- ment, * offer these things (saith he) to children ;' v^'hen he threaten- ed him with torments, 'threaten these things (saith he) toyour pur- ' pie gallants that live delicately.' And the same Basil relatino- the story of the forty martyrs, saith. That when great honours and prefer- ments were offered them to draw them from Christ, their answer was ' Why offer you these small things of the world to us, (O emperor) ' when you know the whole world is contemned by us!' So Luther, money could not tempt him, nor the fear of man daunt him. ' Let ' me (said he in his letter to Staupicius) be accounted proud, covet- ' ous, a murderer, guilty of all vices, rather than of wicked silence ' and cowardice in the cause of Christ.' Thus you see to what an height, and holy greatness, the spirits of suffering saints in all a^-es have been raised.
But now it is grace that thus raises the spirits of men above all the smiles and honours, frowns and fears of men ; and no other princi- ple but grace can do it. There is indeed a natural stoutness and o-ene- rosity in some which may carry them far, as it is said of Alexander, that when any great danger approached him, his courage would rise, and he would say. Jam periculum par animo Alexandri ; Here is a danger fit for Alexander to encounter: So Pompey, when dissuaded from a dangerous voyage, answered, Necesse est ut eam, non ut vlvanu
g8 rUEPARATIONS FOR SUFFERINGS ; OH,
' It is necessary that I go, not that I live.'' But this being fed only by a natural spring, can carry a man no higher than nature, and will flag at last. If applause, and the observation of the world supply it not, it quickly ebbs and fails.
But as grace raises men much higher ; so it maintains it even when there is nothing to encourage without ; when forsaken of all crea- tures and visible supports, 2 Tim. iv. 10. And this it doth three ways: (1.) By giving him that hath it a view of far greater things, which shrinks up all temporary things, and makes them appear but trifles and small matters, Rom. viii. 18. 2 Cor iv. 18. By grace a man rises with Christ, Col. iii. 1. It sets him upon his high places, and thence he looks down upon things below as very poor and incon- siderable. The great cities of Campania seem but little spots to them that stand on the top of the Alps. (2.) By teaching him to value and measure all things by another thing than he was wont to do. He did once measure, life, liberty, riches, honours by sense and time ; and then they seemed great things, and it was hard to deny them, or thus to slight them; but now he values and measures all by faith and eternity ; and esteems nothing great and excellent but what hath a reference to the glory of God, and an influence into eternity. (3.) Grace raises and ennobles the spirit thus, because it is the divine na- ture ; it is the Spirit of Christ infused into a poor worm, which makes a strange alteration on him, transforms him into another manner of person ; as much difl'erence betwixt his spirit now and what it was, as betwixt the spirit of a child that is filled with small matters, and taken up with tovs, and of a grave statesman that is daily employed about the grand affairs of a kingdom.
3. A man can never suffer as a Christian till his will be subjected to the will of God. He that suffers invohintarili/, and out of neces- sity, not out of choice, shall neither have acceptance nor reward from God. Of necessity the will must be subjected ; a man can never say, Thi/ will be done^ till he can first saj^. Not my will.
But it is grace only that thus conquers and subjects the will of man to God's, Psal. ex. 3. This is that which exalts God's authority in the soul, and makes the heart to stoop and tremble at his commands. It is that which makes our will to write its^a^ at the foot of every command, and its placet under every order it receives from God. No sooner was grace entered into the soul of Paul, but presently he cries out, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?''' Acts ix. 6. The will is to the soul what the wheels are to the chariot ; and grace is to the Avill what oil is to those wheels. When we receive the Spirit of grace, we are said to receive an uncfmn from the Holy One^ 1 John ii. ^0. And when the soul is made as the chariots of Aminadab, Cant. vi. 12. Non tardat u7icta rota, it runs freely after the Lord, and cheerfully addresseth itself to the very service
4. A man can never suffer as a Christian until his heart be com- posed, fixed, and determined to follow the Lord through all hazards
THE BEST WORK IN THE WORST TIMES. 29