But now a sincere Christian, he will hold on and hold out in the ways of the Lord, in the want of all outward encouragements, and in the face of all multiplied discouragements. When the eye of men, the favour of men, the bounty of men, and all other encouragement from men fails, yet then a sincere Christian will hold up, and hold on in his work and way. ' The righteous shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean
456 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. IV-
hands shall be stronger and stronger/ Job xvii. 9. The righteous man shall go on in a way of righteous [ness] to the end ; no multiplied cala- mities or miseries shall ever work him to decline the way of righteousness. From this way a sincere Christian will never be withdrawn, either by any hopes or advantages on the one hand, or by any fears or dangers on the other. Sincere Christians have not taken up religion on such slight grounds, as to be either flattered or frighted out of it. Sincere Christians reckon upon afflictions, temptations, crosses, losses, reproaches on the one hand, and they reckon upon a crown of life, a crown of right- eousness, a crown of glory on the other hand, and hereupon they set up their staff, fully resolving never to depart from the good old way wherein they have found rest to their souls, John xvi. 33 ; Acts xiv. 22 ; 2 Tim. iv. 8. Sincere Christians take Christ and his ways for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in prosperity and adversity ; they resolve to stand or fall, to suffer and reign, to live and die with him, Jer. vi. 16. When all outward encouragements from God shall fail, yet a sincere Christian will keep close to his God, and close to his duty. ' Although the fig- tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herds in the stalls ; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.' Hab. iii. 17, 18. When all necessary and delightful mercies fail, yet he will not fail in his duty. Though God withhold his blessings, yet he will not with- hold his sei'vice ; in the want of a livelihood, he will be lively in his duty ; when he hath nothing to subsist by, yet then he will live upon his God, and joy in his God, and keep close to his God. Though war and want come, yet he will not be wanting in his duty. Mark, there are three things in a sincere Christian that will strongly incline him to keep close to the Lord, and close to his ways in the want of all outward encouragements, and in the face of all outward discouragements. And the first is a for- cible principle, divine love ; the second is a mighty aid, the Spirit of God; and the third is a high aim, the glory of God, 2 Cor. v. 14; Philip.^ iv. 12, 13 ; Rom. xiv. 7, 8. Look, as Euth kept close to her mother in the want of all outward encouragements, and in the face of all outward discouragements,— 'And Ruth said. Whither thou goest 1 will go ; and where thou lodgest I will lodge, and nothing but death shall part thee and me,' Ruth i. 16, 17, —so saith a sincere Christian, I will take my lot with Christ wherever it falls ; I will keep close to the Lord, and close to my duty, in the Avant of all outward encouragements, and in the face of all outward discouragements. Though outward encouragements be sometimes as a side wind, or as oil, or as chariot wheels, means to move a Christian to go on more sweetly, easily, and comfortably in the ways of God, yet when this wind shall fail, and these chariot wheels shall be knocked off, a sincere Christian will keep close to the Lord and his ways. ' All this is come upon us ; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant. Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy ways,' Ps. xliv, 17, 18. But what do they mean by saying, ' All this is come upon us'? Why, that you may see in the foregoing part of the psalm : ' Thou hast cast us off, and put us to shame ; and goest not forth with our armies. Thou makest us turn back from the enemy ; and they which hate us
Chap. IY.] a cabinet of jewels, 457
spoil for themselves. Thou heust given us like sheep appointed for meat ; and hast scattered us among the heathen. Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price. Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. Thou makest us a by-word among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people/ vers. 9-14.^ Antiochus Epiphanes looked upon the Jews' religion as superstition; his wrath and rage was exceeding great, both against the Jews and against their religion ; he practised all manner of cruelty upon the miserable Jews, but yet there was a remnant among them wdio were faithful to the Lord, and to his covenant, and to his laws, and to his ways, even to the death. Though in the time of the Maccabees many revolted to paganism, yet some maintained their constancy and integrity to the last. That is a gi'eat word of the prophet Micah : ' For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever,' Micah iv. 5. This absolute and peremptory resolution to be really the Lord's, and for ever the Lord's, is of the essence of true conversion. It is not the world's flatteries that can bribe off a sincere Christian from the ways of God ; nor it is not the world's frowns that can beat off a sincere Christian from the ways of God ; but an hypocrite will never, an hypocrite can never hold it out to the end. His ground tackle will never hold when the storm beats strong upon him. An hypocrite is hot at hand, but soon tires and gives in. But,