138 SERMONS UPON 1 CORINTHIANS XV. 19.
shall ensue. Their joy is suspended while the glory of Christ is under a veil, but when lie is manifested to the world, they shall be manifested to be the chiklren of God. Alas ! otherwise what would become of the best servants God hath in the world, when they are hooted at by the clamours of the wicked rabble, and ])ui'sued with sharp laws, and exposed to great difficulties and hardshi])s, if they had no life to live but this ? The bare sense of our duty would not support us in this state of imperfection if tliere were not a great recompense of reward set before us ; so that the persuasion of another life is necessary to seen re our duty.
[2.] Man is bound to be upright and sincere in God's service, or to get such a constitution of soul as to resolve to adhere to God, what- ever temptations he hath to the contrary. Our Lord describeth the good ground to be 'that good and honest heart which, having received the word, keeps it, and brings forth fruit with patience,' Luke viii. 15. This was a principle not denied by many heathens, who esteemed the love of honesty and goodness better than this mortal life with all its appurte- nances, and thought that a man was never sincere nor thoroughly honest till he did abhor the practice of any villany and impiety more than death, and those things which were ra aifkoyi dja6a, absolutely good, a man ought to love them more than life, and lose life rather than omit their practice. Now such principles, whether they saw it, yea or no, do necessarily conclude and infer a life after this much better than this is, and an estate of torment much worse than death to those that have lived and died dishonestly ; for everything that hath a being doth by an indispensable law of nature desire the continuance of its being, but most of all its well-being, or the bettering of its present estate. Therefore every man (if tliere be not a life after death) is bound to seek the preservation and continuance of this life above all things in the world besides ; and to do that, no device would be dishonest or practice amiss. But all they that have ever heard of the name of virtue abhor this principle as base and odious, that a man should make what shift he can, though never so base and wicked, to maintain and save his life. No means used to this end are to be accounted foul, for no- thing is so ill as death, nothing so good as life. But if this would destroy all honesty and virtue, then certainly we have hopes and fears of another life. If you will say. No ; virtue is a sufficient recompense to itself, at what rate soever it be purchased and maintained ; yet what is there to countervail all the losses and grievances it exposeth us unto, such as the loss of life and limbs ? Virtue is a sufficient reward to itself, spe, non re, in hope, not in the thing itself, but so far as it is the only way to everlasting communion with God, who is our exceeding great reward, or so far as the assured hope of a better life after death is inseparably connexed to the constant practice of godliness in this life. And to do good merely for goodness' sake, without any eye or respect to the reward, is a strain of devotion contrary to that doctrine which is taught us by Christ and his apostles.
[3.] With respect to man's comfort and solace in his troubles, which ariseth from reflecting on our future reward when all things go cross to us here : ' Comfort one another with these words,' saith the apostle, 1 Thes. iv. 18. Now what words were those ? The belief of a blessed
SERMONS UPON 1 CORINTHIANS XV. 1ft 139
resuiTection of those that died in or for the Lord ; that is, by occasion of the faith of Christ. lie thought that consideration sufficient to yield matter of comfort or support to them. These are consolations proper to christians, because they are sure, as depending upon Christ's word ; and they are congruous and suitable, because tiieir hearts are set upon these things ; not upon a vain world, but a blessed and glorious estate that Christ hath offered, and himself is entered into; and when we get thither, our affections will be satisfied, desires granted, and hopes fulfilled. So that still the apostle's reasoning is strong :^ ' If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miser- able ; ' for our consolations, which are fetched from the other world, are our proper consolations.
[4.] With respect to the credit and esteem of God's servants in the world. It is neither for the glory of God nor the safety of his people that the most eminent virtue and goodness should lie under perpetual infamy. God's servants do not only suffer hard things, but their names are cast forth as evil. Now this is not for the honour of God, because it reflects upon him when the children of wisdom are represented as sons of folly, in checking their lusts, venturing their interests, and renounc- ing their all for their fidelity to Christ, as if they did foolishly in running into such inconveniences, when they might spare themselves, and sleep in a whole skin. Now it is a great dishonour to God that his wisest and most faithful servants should be accounted fools, and an humorous odd sort of men, that needlessly trouble themselves and others. This hardeneth the world in sin, and would quench and destroy all zeal for God, if there were not a time coming when the wisdom of the woi-ld shall be seen to be the greatest folly, and that there are no such fools as those that employ their greatest abilities in attaining present pleasure, profit, and preferment ; but those are the wisest adventurers who have sold all to promote the glory of God and gain Christ, who look not upon things as they appear now to the sensual and deluded world, but as they will be found at the last day, when all things shall be seen in their own proper colours. Neither is it for the safety of the saints, who, though they seek nothing but the public good, are traduced as the troublers of Israel, and. their way condemned as factious singu- larity. Therefore it is a great satisfaction that we have hopes that things shall be reviewed, and that which is good be restored to its public honour, and the godly, who prize a good name above all earthly interests, shall have their faith found to praise and honour and glory : 1 Peter i. 7, ' That the trial of your fliith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried \vith fire, might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ.'