8. Eighthly, Imitate lier in her constancy in the loays of God, icith or notioithstanding all the hazards, storms, dangers, and troubles that has attended those ivays, especially in those latter days of ajjostasy, ivherein God had cast her lot. She was not a reed shaken with every wind ; she was unchangeable in changeable times. Whatever storms beat upon the ways of God, or the people of God, she remained firm and immovable in the ways of the Lord, Ps. xliv., and cxix. 112; and doubtless such souls as are truly good, they will be good in the worst of times, and in the worst of places, and amongst the worst of persons. Principles of grace and holiness, they are lasting, yea, everlasting. They are not like the morning cloud nor the early dew, 1 John iii. 9 ; Hosea vi. 4. Let times and places and persons be what they will, a sincere Christian will not dishonour his God, nor change his Master, nor quit his ways, nor blemish his profession, nor wound his conscience to sleep in a whole skin, or to preserve liis safety, or lo secure his liberty ; and was it not thus with her in the most trying times ? An upright man is a right man. So lli-'^ jashar, is rendered by the Septuagint, Judges xvii. 6. He is one that won't be bowed or bent by the sinful customs or exnmples of the times and places where he lives. Gen. vi. 9 ; Rev. xiv. 4, and iii. 4 ; Job xvii. 9. Let the times be never so dangerous, licentious, superstitious, idolatrous, and erroneous, yet a sincere, plain-hearted Christian will keep his ground, and hold on in his way; as might be made evident by a cloud of witnesses, Heb. xii. 1 ; Ps. cxxv. 1, 2. The laurel keeps its freshness and greenness in the winter season ; a sincere Christian is seiiqKr
444 Tllli EPISTLE DEDICATUKY.
eadem; lot the wind and the world and tlie times turn which way the}'^ will, a sincere soid, for the main, will still be the same. He will be like mount Zion, which cannot be removed ; he will stand his ground and hold his own under all changes ; he is like the philo- sopher's good man, T€Tpayovo<;, four-square ; cast him where you will, like a die, he falls always square and sure ; so cast a plain- hearted Christian where you will, into what company you will, and into what condition you will, yet still he w'ill fall sure and square for God and godliness. Let the times be never so sad, nor never so bad, yet a plain-hearted Christian will still keep close to God and his w\ays, and will i-ather let all go than let his God go, or his religion go, or his integrity go, or ordinances go. Lapidaries tell us of the Chelydonian stone,i that it will retain its virtue and lustre no longer than it is enclosed in gold — a fit emblem of an unsound heart, who is only good while he is enclosed in golden prosperity, safety, and felicity. An unsound Christian, like green timber, shrinks when the sun of per- secution shines hot upon him. The heat of fiery trials cools the courage of unsound Christians ; but a sincere, plain-hearted Christian is like a massive vessel of gold, that keeps its owm shape and figure at all times, in all places, and in all companies. When one of the ancient martyrs was greatly threatened by his persecutors, he replied, ' There is notiiing,' saith he, ' of things visible, nothing of things invisible, that I fear ; I will stand to my profession of the name of Christ, and contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, come on it what will, in these evil days wherein multitudes have turned aside into crooked paths.' She kept close and constant to the ways of the Lord so long as her natural strength lasted. And oh that all you, her children, would make it your business in this, as well as in other things, to write after your mother's copy ! remembering that if you are not faithful unto death, you shall never receive a crown of life, Eev. ii. 10 ; and that if you do not continue to the end, that is, in well- doing, you shall never be saved. Mat. xxiv. 13. But,
9. Ninthly, Imitate Jier in her high valuations of Jesus Christ. What low and little things were her own graces, duties, services, and mercies, when she cast her eye upon Christ, when sire fell into dis- courses of Christ ! Phil. iii. 8-10 ; Mat. xiii. 44. Christ was her summum honum, chiefest good. What was all the world to a sight of Christ, to a day, yea, to an hour's communion with Christ ! They are no believei-s that do not value Jesus Christ above all the world and all things in the world ; ' for unto every one that believes he is precious,' 1 Pet. ii. 7 — most precious, only precious, and for ever pre- cious. They value him (1.) Above their lusts. Gal. v. 24. They can pluck out right eyes for Clirist, and cut off right hands for Christ. They value him (2.) Above the world. Witness David, Ps. Ixxiii. 25, and Dan. vi. ; and the disciples. Mat. xix. 27 ; and Moses, Heb. xi. 25, 26 ; and tlie primitive Christians, and the martyrs of a later date. They value him (3.) Above their lives: Rev. xii. 11, 'They loved not their lives unto the death.' So Paul, Acts xx. 22-24, and xxi. 13. So the martyrs. They value him (4.) Above all their relations. ' If all the world were a lump of gold,' said the Dutch ' As before ; see Index, f.v- G.
THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY. 445