our accustomed delights and dearest interests, whether we shall en- deavour to please God in all things, though never so much against our bent and humour ; whether we will entertain afflictions and persecu- tions with all joy. if the}' come upon us for Christ's sake. If we flow in wealth, can we live as having nothing, and rejoice that God hath made us low ? If indeed we have nothing, can we be satisfied with the favour of Christ and our preferment by grace, use all things not as our own but God's, and be guided by Christ in our whole course, and be contented to be anything or nothing so we may promote his glory ?
2. Because Christ hath deserved this esteem — (1.) By what he is to us ; (2 ) By what he hath done for us.
[l.J By what he is to us, more excellent, more necessary, more bene- ficial than all things else.
(1.) He is more excellent ; the rarest contentments of the world are but base things to his grace, all as dung and dross to one drachm of grace or comfortable experience of the love of God. This world's good things are not only uncertain, but vain and empty as to any solid and real good, such as is hope toward God and peace of conscience : Job xxvii. 8, ' For what is the hope of the hypocrite when God taketh away his soul ? ' On the other side, Christ is incomparably more excellent : ' If thou knewest the gift,' John iv. 10 ; 'If thou hast tasted that the Lord is gracious/ 1 Peter ii. 3. All the world could not keep you from him.
(2.) Christ is more necessary, for the soul cometh to him under a deep want and broken-hearted sense of misery. If we want and lose the world, God can easily supply it to us, or give us more than this ; and he will save us at last without these things. To want clothing or food is not so bad as to want grace ; and to be exposed to temporal ruin is not so great a danger as to be obnoxious to eternal flames.
(3.) More beneficial to a poor guilty sinner ; in him alone true peace and happiness is to be found : 1 Cor. i. 30, ' But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.' Therefore trample upon all things rather than offend God and lose a saviour, and come short of his grace.
[2.] Consider what he hath done for us. Christ requireth not so much at our hands as he himself hath voluntarily performed, and that for our sakes ; he pleased not himself that he might promote the glory of God and our salvation : ' He became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich/ 2 Cor. viii. 9; 'He was obedient to death, even the death of the cross,' Phil. ii. 7 ; ' Made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him/ 2 Cor. v. 21 ; * Made a curse for us, that we might have the blessing,' Gal. iii. 13. Doth he require so much of us ? Surely those who would have benefit by Christ must imitate him : 1 Peter iv. 1, ' Forasmuch as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind.' It is grievous to the flesh to be crossed, but he hath suffered great sorrows. How can we manifest our thankfulness to him who by these bitter sufferings hath procured pardon of sins and eternal life for us ?
Use. Is to press us to reflect upon ourselves. Have we such an esteem of Christ as to count all things but loss and dung, and to be
VER. 8.] SERMONS UPON PHIL1PPIANS IIL 19
ready to forsake all for his sake ? It is a temper essential to Chris- tianity. A man's heart is not sincere to Christ unless he doth prefer him before all the world. Now this esteem will show itself by these things —
1. In labouring to get Christ above all, and with the hazard of all ; this must be the prime care : Mat. vi. 33, ' First seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness ; ' Ps. xxvii. 4, ' One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord/ And it must be carried on whatever it cost us ; the bargain will abundantly recompense the charges we are at : Mat. xiii. 45, 46, ' The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant-man seeking goodly pearls ; and when he hath found one pearl of great price, he sold all he had and bought it ; 3 Prov. iv. 7, ' Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom > and with all thy gettings get understanding.' Every man is in the pursuit of happiness ; it lieth only in communion with God by Christ. This must be minded whatever is neglected. Now how few have this care to get Christ above all! Their time and labour is laid out upon unsatisfying vanities ; if they may be rich, if they may live a life of pomp and ease, this taketh up their minds. But if indeed this be the business you look after, to be acquainted with God, to have an interest in Christ, and you are still attending upon this work as the great busi- ness of your lives, you may take comfort you have got that disposition which is essential to Christianity.