84 COMMENTARY ON
banner, we are like to Christ. Wo are conformable to him. He went before, and wo follow his steps ; ' and if we sufler with him, we shall be glorified with him,' Rom. viii. 17.
Therefore be not discouraged. That which wo think to be matter of discoui'agement, it should be our crown. It is our crown to suffer reproach in a good cause. It is a sign God favours us, when he takes our credit, our goods, or our life to honour himself by. Is it not an honour to us ? Doth he take anything from us but ho gives us better ? He takes our goods, but he gives us himself. He takes our liberty, but he gives us enlargement of conscience. He takes our life, but he gives us heaven. If ho take anything from us, for to seal his truth, and stand out in his quarrel, as Christ saith, he ' gives an hundredfold' in this world, that is a gracious spirit of contentment and comfort.
We have God himself. Hath not he more that hath the spring than he that hath twenty cisterns ? Those that have riches, and place, and friends, they have cisterns ; but he that suffers for God, and for Christ, he hath Christ, he hath God, he hath the spring to go to. K all be taken from him, he hath God the spring to go to. If all particular beams, he hath the sun. It is durable, wondrous comfort to suffer for Christ's sake.
Therefore, let it encourage us in a good course, notwithstanding all the opposition we meet with in the world ; let us here leam what is our duty. Let the malicious world judge, or say, or do what they will ; if God be on our side, ' who can be against us ?' Rom. viii. 33, 34. And if we suffer anything for Christ, he suffers with us, and in us, and he vdW triumph in us over all these sufferings at last.
I will add no more, to set an edge upon that I have said, than this, [asj ' they are the sufferings of Christ,' we should be many ways encouraged to suffer for him. For did not he suffer for us that, which if all the creatures in heaven and earth had suffered, they would have sunk under it, the -wrath of God ? And what good have we by his sufferings ? Ai'e we not freed from hell and damnation ? and have we not title to heaven ? Hath he suffered in his person so much for us, and shall not we be content to suffer for him, and his mystical body, that in his own body suffered so much for us ?
Again, when we suffer in his quarrel, we suffer not only for him that suffered for us, but we suffer for him that sits at the right hand of God, that is glorious in heaven, ' the lung of kings, and Lord of lords.' Our sufferings are sufferings for him that hath done so much for us, and for him that is so able now to over-rule all, to crush our enemies ; for him that is so able now to minister comfort by his Spirit. This is a notable encouragement, that they are the sufferings of Christ, that is, so glorious as he is, and that will reward every suffering, and every disgi-ace. We shall be paid well for every suffering. We shall lose nothing.
And will not this encourage us likewise to suffer for Chiist's sake, because he will be with us in all our sufferings. He will not leave us alone. It is his cause, and he will stand by his own cause. He will maintain his own quarrel. He will cause comfort to increase. Is it not an encouragement to defend a prince's quarrel in his own sight, when he stands by to abet us? It would encourage a dull mettle. When we suffer for Christ's cause, we have Christ to defend us. He is with us in all our sufferings to bear us up. He puts his shoulder under, by his Holy Spirit, to support us.
We cannot live long in this world. We owe God a death. We owe nature a death. The sentence of death is passed upon us. We cannot enjoy the comfort of this world long. And for favour and applause of the world,
2 COEINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 5. 85
we must leave it, and it will leave us, we know not how soon. And this meditation should enforce us to be willing, however it go with us, for any- thing here, for life, or goods, or friends, or credit and reputation, or what- soever, to be willing to seal the cause of Christ with that which is dearest to us. ' If we suffer with him, we shall be glorified with him,' Kom. viii. 17.
The very sufferings of Christ are better than the most glorious day of the greatest monarch in the world that is not a Christian. It is better to suffer with Christ, than to joy Avith the world. The very abasement of St Paul was better than the triumph of Nero. Let Moses be judge. Ho judged it the best end of the balance, Heb. xi. 26. The very sutferings and reproach of Christ, and of religion, is better tlian the best thing in the world. The worst thing in Christianity, is better than the best thing out of Christ. The best thing out of Christ is the honour of a king, the honour of a prince, to be a king's son, &c. But the reproach of Christ for a good cause is better than the best thing in the world. I say, let Moses be judge, if we will not believe it ourselves till we feel it. The worst day of a Chris- tian is better than the best day of a carnal man ; for he hath the presence of God's Spirit to support him in some measure.