[3.] Compare temporal good with eternal evil. As suppose men do pretty well with their worldly portion ; ay, but what will become ot them for ever ? Job xxvii. 8, ' What is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul ? ' Put the supposition, every hypocrite doth not make a thriving bargain in the world ; ay, but what if he hath gained, what will it avail him when he hath forfeited his soul into the hands of God's justice ? He is loth to let it go, but God comes and takes it away : Mat. xvi. 26, ' What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the wdiole world, and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? ' The merry life of w^orldings, if it be compared with endless torment, alas ! it will be no temptation to us ; or if we compare the pleasure of sin for a season with the pains and torments of the soul which are for ever ; when we see the hook in the bait, we shall not be so willing to catch at it.
[4.] There is another way of comparison in scripture ; compare temporal bad things with eternal good things. This is the case here in the text, ' the reproach of Christ,' and ' the recompense of reward.' And so in many other places : Heb. x. 34, ' Ye took joyfully the spoil- ing of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.' They were brought before tribu- nals and exposed to outrage ; now he compares their loss with their gain ; their goods were spoiled by envious neighbours, but they had an enduring substance : 2 Cor. iv. 17, ' For this light affliction, that is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory/ There is the temporal evil compared with the eternal good. Afflictions here are hreves et leves, short and light afflictions, but there is an eternity of blessedness and a weight of glory.
470 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL [SeR. LXL
[5.] Another way of comparison is by comparing the evils of Chris- tianity in the present state, and the happiness of worldly men in the present state. This is the full case in the text, ' He counted the re- proach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt.' Take them with their adjuncts and concomitants ; take the world's best now, and a clu'istian's worst now. The world's best, it is but a sorry por- tion, it lies in treasures, pleasures, and honours. Now all these Moses miglit have enjoyed, which were vast and magnificent to a carnal heart, but it was accompanied with sin ; it was irpoaKaipo^ airoXavcrt^ dfxapria<;, the pleasures of sin for a season ; for though it be spoken but of one thing, of j^leasures, yet it must be referred to every one of the temptations, to honours and treasures as well as to pleasures; here is a worlding's best. Now, where a man lives in sin, he can never have any solid pleasure in what he enjoys, for no complacency can be sincere where Grod is angry, and the soul is in danger of his wrath every moment ; it is ill dancing about the brink of hell ; here is all the pleasures, treasures, honours of worldly men. But on the other side, take a christian's worst, ' the reproach of Christ,' take it' as it is now abstracted from ' the recompense of reward.'
(1.) It hath a relation to Christ. Now everything is sweetened and made honourable to us by its relation to Christ. It is sweetened by our love to him. If we love Christ, iiis work will be sweet to us ; and it is made honourable because Christ is 'the Lord of glory,' James ii. 1, he is the proper fountain of honour. If there were no more in it but its relation to Christ, it were honourable. When the apostles were whipped, and scourged, and disgraced for Christ's sake, they looked U})on it as their honour: Acts v. 41, ' They departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.' Disgrace for Christ's sake is an honour. Thuanus tells us of a French nobleman that was condemned to die with other protestants, and because of the dignity of his birth he was not bound as they were, and that he called to the executioner, Cur non et me quoque torque donas ? &c. ; give me my chain and rope too, and make me a knight of this excellent order. I bring it for this, to show that those which love Christ, and are possessed of Christ, every- thing that relates to Christ is honourable to them ; so that if the godly might have their choice, they had rather be miserable with the people of God, than happy with his enemies.
(2.) Take the other concomitant that goes along with ' the reproach of Christ,' viz., the strong supports and consolations of the Holy Spirit: 2 Cor. xii. 10, ' I will take j)leasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake ; for when I am weak, then am I strong.' Nay, I will rejoice in the worst of Christ, because of the miglity supports of the S[)irit ; there is a more liberal allowance of the supports and comforts of the Holy Ghost given to God's afflicted people than to others, or given to them then more than at other times ; they have rich consolation in their afflic- tions. The Lord proportions comfort to their troubles, that as the affliction doth abound, so doth the comfort : 2 Cor. i. 5, ' For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.' God's wrestlers, when called to conflict, he anoints them