here promised, yet we may safely and easily gather from the descrip- tion of it that there shall be different degrees of glory in Christ's king- dom of glory. The apostles followed Christ through great tribula- tions and afflictions, and they continued with him in all his temp- tations ; they forsook all to wait on him ; and after they had faithfully, laboriously, successfully, and very eminently served him, they made themselves an offering for him, as I have formerly shewed you, and therefore Christ will at last in a more eminent way exalt them, and glorify them, than he will others that have never seen that of Christ, nor received that from Christ, nor done that for Christ, nor suffered that for Christ, as they have done. Degrees of glory shall at last be proportioned out answerable to those degrees of service which in this life men have been drawn out to. Such a thing as this the apostle Paul does more than hint, if I mistake not, in that 1 Thes. ii. 19, 20, ' For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming ? For ye are our glory and joy.' The crown that Paul speaks of here is not that common crown of righteousness, nor that common crown of life and immortality, nor that common crown of glory that all the saints shall be crowned with at last ; ^ but he speaks here of an apos- tolical crown, of a special, peculiar crown, that should accrue to him upon the account of his serviceableness to their souls ; and of this crown he speaks again in that Phil. iv. 1, ' Therefore, my brethren, my dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.' He calls the Philippians his crown, and that partly because their spiritual growth, constancy, and persever- ance was now his glory among other churches, but mainly because they should be his particular crown of rejoicing in the great day of our Lord Jesus. He knew that the Philippians' profit would be his crown and his advantage another day. The apostle alludes here to the custom of the Komans, who, as they had their common crowns of bays, ivy, and laurel, &c. — and these were such that their horses which won the race were often crowned with, which occasioned Theocritus to say. See what poor things the world glories in ; for, as their con- querors are crowned, so are their horses — so they had their peculiai-, their special crowns, that were the rewards of their conquerors that had done special service for their country: so there are common crowns that belong to all the saints, as saints, as the crown of righteous- ness, the crown of life, and the crown of glory ; and as there are these common crowns, so there are special and peculiar crowns, that they shall be crowned with that are exercised in more high and excellent services than others have been employed in ; and this is the crown that here the apostle speaks of. He knew very well that his reward should be answerable to his work, for though God never did, nor never will, reward men for their works, as if they were the meritorious cause of the reward, yet he will for degrees reward them according to their works. There are peculiar crowns, special crowns, for those that have done peculiar and special services for Christ on earth.
[6.] A sixth scripture is that Mat. v. 11, 12, * Blessed are ye, when
^ 2 Tim. iv. 8 ; James i. 12 j Rev. ii. 10; 1 Pet. v. 4.
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS, 373
men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake : rejoice, and be exceeding glad ; for great is your reward in heaven.' Suffering saints, persecuted saints, shall be sure of great rewards. Grod will reward upon his people, not only their innocence, integrity, patience, and courage under their suf- ferings, but the more their sufferings, revilings, and persecutions are multiplied in this world, the more shall their recompense and reward be multiplied in another world. It is true, Christ hath many lovers of his crown, but few bearers of his cross. All would rejoice with him, but few care to suffer for him ; but yet it is as true on the one hand — viz., that they who bear most of his cross shall be greatest sharers in his crown ; they that suffer most for him on earth shall be most blessed and rewarded by him when they come to heaven. Look, as the con- solation of the saints rises higher and higher in this world, even as their sufferings rise higher and higher, 2 Cor. i. 4, 5 ; so the glory of the saints shall rise higher and higher in the other world, as their sufferings rise higher and higher in this world. The persecuted Christians in TertuUian cries out, Crudelitas vestra gloria nostra, Your cruelty is our glory, and the harder we are put to it, the greater shall be our reward in heaven. One speaking of the martyrs said, look how many sufferings they have, so many crowns they shall have ; for every suffering God shall set a crown on their heads. By how much men's sufferings have been greater, saith Chrysostom, by so much the more their crown shall be bright and splendent. The greater conflicts and buffetings any saint hath endured, the greater shall be his reward, and the more ample shall be his glory, saith Austin. As Christ hath many crowns upon his head, suitable to the multitude of his sufferings and victories, so Christians at last shall have crowns suitable to the multi- tude of their sufferings, and suitable to those famous victories they have gained over a tempting devil and a persecuting world, Kev. xix, 7. Certainly it will be but justice, that they should receive the weightiest crown who have bore the heaviest cross, 1 John v. 4, and ii. 13, 14.
[7.] The seventh and last scripture that I shall produce is that Mat. X. 41, ' He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward ;' that is, say some, they shall be par- takers of the same reward that is laid up for the prophets. Without all dispute these two things lies fair in the text :
First, That there is some special and eminent degrees of reward ^ue unto a prophet above other men. And,
SecondlT/, That he that shall entertain a prophet, and perform any offices of love and favour to him under that name and notion, he shall be partaker of that reward. He that receives a prophet, as he is God's messenger, and employed in his service, and sent about his errand, and not upon any carnal or worldly respects, he shall receive a prophet's reward, that is, he shall receive either such a reward as the prophet himself shall receive at last, or he shall receive such a large, ample, and noble recompense as is meet for one to receive that received a prophet as coming from the Lord, and as acted by the Lord. Look, as such who give an honourable reception to the ambassadors of kings or princes, do highly raise themselves in the favour and esteem of those kings or princes that had sent them ; so those that receive the