should feel no difficulty in pronouncing him honoured and glo- rified, who should be irradiated with a glory, like Moses, or have the Holy Ghost lighting visibly on him, as once he did on the Apostles : with equal confidence then may we pro- nounce him glorified, who bears his cross after Jesus ; for " the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon him1." Remember then, brethren, that these are the terms on which Christ acknowledges you as his ; and " arm yourselves with the mind that was in him." Be content to " suffer with him ; and then you shall also be glorified together."]
* 1 Pet. iv. 12—14.
John xii. 26. If any man serve me, let him follow me ; and where I am, there shall also my servant be : if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
THE Christian's life is certainly a life of difficulty and self-denial, not only as being contrary to our natural inclinations, but as exposing us to the con- tempt and hatred of an ungodly world. From the very days of Cain to this present moment, the wicked have hated, reviled, and persecuted the just. The pro- phets were all, without exception, treated with great malignity. The Apostles were deemed as " the very filth of the world, and as the off-scouring of all things," both by their own people the Jews, and by the Gentiles in every place. Our blessed Lord him- self, in whom no fault whatever could be found, was an object of " abhorrence to his whole nation," and was put to death by them as the vilest and most odious of malefactors. And we also are taught to expect similar treatment at the hands of those amongst whom we live. Nor are we at liberty to shun the cross by any relaxation of our principles, or by any deviation from the path of duty. Our Lord tells us plainly, that " he who loveth his life shall lose it ; and that he only who hateth his life in this world, shall keep it unto life eternal a." But if this appear
a ver. 25.