But this objection has no real weight, as our Lord plainly shews us : " He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me : and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." Let any man judge in this matter for himself. Can a person who,
1346.1 Christ's procedure in the last day. 331
from fear of his parents, or love to his children, proves un- faithful to his conscience, and violates his duty to his Lord, be worthy of Christ? Can the Lord Jesus Christ ever confess such an one before his Father, and say, ' Here is one who has served me faithfully, and is worthy of partaking with me in my kingdom and glory ? ' Must he not rather say, ' Here is one who feared and loved his earthly relatives more than me ; and therefore must look for his reward from them ; for he is un- worthy of any recompence from me?' Again: supposing the person to maintain his steadfastness till matters came to the greatest extremity, and he were called, like the Roman crimi- nals, to carry his cross, as our Lord and Saviour did, to the place of execution, in order to die upon it ; still could he be deemed worthy of Christ if he drew back then ? May not the Lord Jesus say to such an one, ' Wherefore hast thou drawn back ? Did I not bear my cross for thee ? Did I not come from heaven on purpose to bear it? Did I not bear it under circumstances ten thousand times more dreadful and appalling than any that thou wast ever called to encounter ? And did I not do this for thee, when thou wast an enemy ? Did I not drink to the very dregs the cup of bitterness, of which thou hast been called only to take the slightest taste ? How, then, can I confess thee before my Father, when thou wouldest not endure such a transient pain for me ? When thou hast loved thine own ease or interest more than me, how can I account thee worthy of my kingdom and glory ? Thou art unworthy of me ; and canst not but know that thou art so. Hadst thou " been faithful unto death, thou shouldst have had awarded to thee a crown of life :" but seeing thou hast turned back from me, my soul can have no pleasure in thee?' Who must not subscribe to such a sentence as this ?]
This rule, thus fully vmdicated by our Lord^ is yet further,
in. Confirmed —
[" He that findeth his life, shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake, shall find it." A person may imagine himself a gainer by avoiding persecution, and regarding his present interests. But, " what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" If but the life of the body were at stake, who would accept a momentary possession of the whole world in exchange for it ? How much less, then, would any person act thus, when the everlasting welfare of his soul was to be the price of his transient enjoyment ? On the other hand. Who does not submit to a momentary pain, when he is assured that it shall be productive of permanent and per- fect ease ? and how much more may any momentary sacrifice