438 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. LIX.
shows how imich more sure a child of God is of God's love ; he hath a greater interest in his love, and hath a dependence upon a God that is uncbangeahle, that will never fail. Now faith seeing all this, it mightily prevails upon the heart.
3. Faith sees that nothing is lost that is quitted for God's sake. The gospel way to lose is to save, and the way to save is to lose. Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; but he lost no honour by it, for he grew 'mighty in words and in deeds,' Acts vii. 22, It may be his name was lost in the Egyptian annals and records among their potentates, or buried in deep silence, or branded with ignominy. Oh, but what a mighty name hath he in all the world to all ages ! And therefore there is nothing lost, no, not many times as to this world, to be sure not in the next. A man, when he is to part with anything for God, he doth it huckingly, and is apt to say as the disciples to Christ, ' Behold we have forsaken all, and followed thee ; what shall we have therefore ? ' Mat. xix. 27. Christ answers fully, ver. 28, 29, ' Ye which have followed me in the re- generation, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold,' — either in kind or in value, — ' and shall inherit eternal life.' It is notable to take notice of that passage in 2 Chron. xxv. 9, 'Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which 1 have given to the army of Israel ? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this.' It is better to obey God with the greatest inconveniences, than to sin against God with the greatest advantages ; for he is able to give us more than this. You remem- ber the story of Theodoret, in his third book, chap. xxv. He speaks of Valentinian that had accompanied Julian the apostate to the temple of the heathens; and when the priest came 'to sprinkle water upon those that came to worship, he, by office being a captain, called to attend the emperor to the heathen temple, seeing the water upon him, cried out, I am defiled, and threw away his belt, for I am a christian, and so protested against the impious rites there used. Within a little while, as the reward of his obedience and faithful dealing, the Lord advanced him to the empire ; therefore there is nothing lost for God. Xow faith goes upon this, to take off the heart from anything that cannot be kept without sin. And though fliith doth not determine he will do so, yet usually he gives a hundredfold.
4. Faith resigns to God what we first received from him, when we can keep it no longer with fidelity to him. It is the ground of submission, Job i. 21, ' The Lord hath given, and the Lord hath taken.' And so it is a great principle of self-denial, — of submission when God takes, of self-denial when we yield it up to God, and he doth not take but what he first gave. An honest debtor will not deny the sum when it is called for again, but says. Here it is ; so when God doth by his providence call, he will interest us in the act ; we must give it up, and say, I had it in God's wvay, and upon God's call I will give it to him again.
5. Jesus Christ hath denied greater things for us. Now faith goes
VeR. 24.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL 439
upon this, Shall I not deny myself for Christ ? For a time he did lay aside his glory, because it was Grod's will he should sacrifice him- self upon the cross : 2 Cor. viii. 9, ' You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich.' How was he rich ? In the fulness of the glory of the godhead, and yet he did by an unspeakable dispensation abscond his glory, and leave it for a while, that he might sacrifice himself upon the cross. Shall it be irksome to you to leave a little glory and honour here in the world for Christ ? The Son of Grod left his glory ; therefore he prays, John xvii. 5, ' And now, 0 Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with that glory which I had with thee before the world was.' He had it before the world was, but now it was obscured, it was hidden, as a candle in a dark lanthorn, by the veil of his flesh ; but now he prays that it might be restored. If the sun of righteousness went back so many degrees, shall it be grievous to us to go back a few degrees ? Faith doth not work altogether out of spiritual interest, and with respect to the great honour and immortality God will put upon us hereafter, but out of love ; it not only looks forward, but backward, it shows us how infinitely we are engaged to Christ, who made himself of no reputation for us ; and shall 1 not be willing to deny a little honour in the world ? By all these considerations and reasonings, faith, through the blessing of God, doth convey such a noble and excellent spirit into the hearts of believers, so that they are carried above themselves, that they are willing to quit all the glory of the world for a good conscience, and that they may stdl keep their peace with God, and may be faithful with him.