And to help resolution the more, let us have before our eyes the ex- amples of God's worthies, who (like unto David's worthies, who brake through the host of the Philistines for water, 2 Sam. xxiii. 16) have in all ages broken through all discouragements, and made a conscience more to please God, to hold commimion and fellowship with Christ, than to hold any correspondency with the world. Look to blessed Paul, ' \Vhat do ye vexing of me and breaking my heart ? I am ready not only to go to Jeru- salem, but to die for Christ's sake,' Acts xxi. 13. And look to Christ how he shakes oflf Peter, ' Get thee behind me, Satan,' &c.. Mat. xvi. 23. Look to Moses, how he shook off all the solicitations of a court, ' Because he had an eye to the recompcnce of the reward,' Heb. xi. 16. Look to Joshua, ' I and mine house will serve the Lord,' Josh. xxiv. 15. Let others of the world do what they wiU ; if others will go to the devil, let them ; for myself, I and my house, those that I have charge of, will serve the Lord. This was a noble resolution which was in good Nehemiah, ' Shall such a man as I flee?' Neh. vi. 11. What! shall I flee? shall I do this, yield to this base discouragement? shall I discourage others, like those spies of Canaan, by mine example ? Hence it is that Hebrews 11th, in that notable chapter, that little 'book of martyrs,' after the catalogue of those worthies set down there, that which we are exliorted and pointed to in the beginning of the next chapter, is unto the practice of the like virtues, in imitation, having before us ' such a cloud of witnesses,' wherewith being compassed, the ex- hortation is, ' Let us therefore shake oS" everything that presseth down, and the sin that hangeth so fast on,' &c., Heb. xii. 1 (i). As the cloud was a guide to them to Canaan out of Egypt, so the cloud of good examples is as it were a light to go before us to the heavenly Canaan.
Li this case above all, let us look to Christ, ' who is the author and finisher of our faith,' Heb. xii. 2. This vnll make us break through dis- couragements and resolve indeed. What could hinder him ? His love is so fierj', that nothing could hinder him to come from heaven to the womb of the virgin ; from thence to the cross, and so to the gi-ave, to be abased lower than ever any creature was. His love to us so carried him through all discouragements and disgraces. ' Consider him, who endured such speaking against of sinners,' Heb. xii. 3. The consideration of Christ's love and example will caiTy us through all discom'agements whatsoever.
4. And further, let us be able by sound reasons to justify the ivays of God, and to answer cavils ; to give account of uhat we do to ourselves and others, with reasons why we sanctify the Sabbath, have such commimion with God in prayer, neglect the fashions of the world, &c. To have reasons ready from Scripture is an excellent thing ; when we are able to justify whatso- ever we do by the word, against all the quarrels of our own hearts and others. "When we are led to do things only by the example of others, or by respects, then we are ofttimes put to it on the sudden by temptations, being not able to justify what we do. Let us labour therefore to do things upon good gi-ounds, and be able to justify all the ways of rehgion, as they are easily justified. For nothing in this world stands with so much reason, as exactness in the ways of God. There is so much reason for nothing in the world, as to be not only Christians, but exact Christians, as Paul saith
94 BOWELS OPENED. [SeRMON VJil.