by his prevailing intercessions ! Suppose the Christian to be instrumental to the salvation of one single soul ; the whole world is not equivalent to the good that he has done. Nor is it that individual soul only that shall acknowledge him as its benefactor; for, all the good that shall arise through the me- dium of that soul to the remotest posterity, shall be traced up to him as its author ; and shall occasion thanksgivings to God on his behalf to all eternity.
Let these inducements be duly weighed, and how light will the vanities of this world appear in comparison of them \~\
From a believing prospect of these benefits arose,
III. His ready obedience —
Notwithstanding all the obstacles in his way, he without hesitation obeyed the call —
[His friends and relatives wrould consider his conduct as an indication of consummate weakness and folly : especially, when he could not so much as tell them whither he was going, they would be ready to pity him as insane. But as, on the one hand, he valued not the comforts of their society, so neither, on the other hand, did he regard their contempt and ridicule : every consideration gave way to a sense of duty, and a desire of the promised blessings. He believed, firmly be- lieved, all that God had spoken. He believed especially that the Saviour of the world should spring from his loins ; and that, through the merits of that Saviour, he himself, together with all his believing posterity, should possess that good land, even heaven itself, of which Canaan was a type and shadow. Under the influence of this faith he was contented to forego all the comforts that he could lose, and to endure all the suf- ferings that could come upon hims.]
In this he was a pattern and example to all be- lievers—
[If we renounce the world for Christ's sake, and set our- selves in earnest to seek the land of promise, we shall be de- spised and hated, even as Christ himself was l. But this we are not to regard. We are " not to confer with flesh and blood;" but instantly and perseveringly to pursue our destined course. What though we have never seen heaven, nor can even tell where it lies ? it is sufficient for us to know that it is a land flowing with milk and honey, and that it is " kept for us until the time appointed of the Father." Nor need we doubt but that it will far more than counterbalance all the sufferings that we can endure in our way to it". Let us only exercise the
s Heb. xi. 8—10. t John xv. 18—20. " Rom. viii. IS.