apostle is here upon the point of Christ's suffering; that is his theme, and therefore he is so particular in the ascending of Christ to his glory. Who, of those that would come thither, will refuse to follow him in the way wherein he led, he the author and finisher of our faith? And who, of those that follow him, will not love and delight to follow him through any way, the lowest and darkest? It is excellent and safe, and you see where it ends.

Again, think it not strange that the Lord brings a soul low, very low, which he means to comfort and exalt very high in grace and glory; that he leads it by hell-gates to heaven; that it be brought to this, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Was not the Head forced to use that word, and so to speak it, as the head speaks for the body, sweetening that bitter cup by his own drinking of it; O what a hard condition may a soul be brought unto, and put to think, Can he love me and intend mercy for me, who leaves me to this? And yet the Lord is preparing it thus for comfort and blessedness.

Further; turn your thoughts more frequently to this excellent subject, the glorious high estate of our great High Priest. The angels admire this mystery, and we slight it! They rejoice in it, and we, whom it certainly more nearly concerns, are not moved with it! We do not draw that comfort and that instruction from it, which it would plentifully afford, if it were sought after. It would comfort us against all troubles and fears to reflect, Is he not on high, who hath undertaken for us? Doth any thing befal us, but it is past first in heaven? And shall any thing pass there to our prejudice or damage? He sits there, who lrath loved us and given himself for us; yea, who, as he descended thence for us, did likewise ascend thither again for us. He hath made our inheritance there which he purchased sure to us, taking possession for us and in our name, since he is there, not only as the Son of God, but as our Surety and as our Head. And so the believer may think himself even already possessed of this right, inasmuch as his Christ is there. The saints are

glorified already in their Head. "Where he reigns, there I believe myself to reign," says Augustine. And consider in all thy straits and troubles, outward or inward, they are not hid from him. He knows them, and feels them.

Thy compassionate High Priest hath a gracious sense of thy frailties, and griefs, fears, and temptations, and will not suffer thee to be surcharged. He is still presenting thy estate to the Father, and using that interest and power which he hath in his affection, for thy good. And what wouldest thou more? Art thou one whose heart desires to rest upon him and cleave to him? Thou art kuit so to him, that his resurrection and glory secure thee thine. His life and thine are not two, but one life, as that of the head and members; and if he could not be overcome of death, thou canst not neither. O that sweet word, Because I live, ye shall live also!

Let thy thoughts and carriage be moulded in this contemplation, ever to look on thy exalted Head. Consider his glory; see not only thy nature raised in him above the angels, but thy person interested by faith in that his glory; and then think thyself too good to serve any base lust. Look down on sin and the world with a holy disdain, being united to him who is so exalted and so glorious. And let not thy mind creep here. Engage not thy heart to any thing that time and this earth can afford. Ó why are we so little where there is such a spring of delightful and high thoughts for us? If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where he sits. What mean you? Are ye such as will let go your interest in this once crucified and now glorified Jesus? If not, why are ye not more conformable to it? Why does it not possess your hearts more? Ought it not to be thus? Should not our hearts be where our treasure, where our blessed head is? O how unreasonable, how unfriendly is it, how much may we be ashamed to have room in our hearts for earnest thoughts, or desires, or delights, about any thing besides him?

Were this deeply wrought upon the hearts of those that have a right in it, would there be found in them any attachment to the poor things that are passing away? Would death be a terrible word? Yea, would it not be one of the sweetest, most rejoicing thoughts, to solace and ease the heart under all pressures, to look forward to that day of liberty? We shall not abide always here? Indeed is there any reason, when things are duly weighed, why we should desire it? Well, if you would be untied be

hand and so feel your separation from this world less, this is the only way-look up to him who draws up all hearts that do indeed behold him. Then, I say, thy heart shall be removed beforehand; and the rest is easy and sweet. When that is done, all is gained. And consider how he desires the completion of our union with him. Shall it be his request and earnest desire, and shall it not be ours too, that where he is, there we may be also? Let us expect it with patient submission, yet striving by desires and suits, and looking out for our release from this body of sin and death.

CHAPTER IV.

Ver. 1. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin.

THE main of a Christian's duty lies in these two things, patience in suffering and avoidance of sin, and they have a natural influence each upon the other. Although affliction simply doth not, yet affliction sweetly and humbly carried doth purify and disengage the heart from sin, wean it from the world and the common ways of it. And again, holy and exact walking keeps the soul in a sound, healthful temper, and so enables it to patient suffering, to bear things more easily; as a strong body endures fatigue, heat, cold, and hardship, with ease, a small part whereof would surcharge a sickly constitution. The consciousness of sin and careless unholy courses, do wonderfully weaken a soul, and distemper it, so that it is not able to endure much; every little thing disturbs it. Therefore the apostle hath reason, both to insist so much on these two points in this epistle, and likewise to interweave the one so often with the other, pressing jointly throughout the cheerful bearing of all kinds of afflictions and the careful forbearing all kinds of sin; and out of the one discourse, he slides into the other, as here. No. VII.

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And as the things agree in their nature, so in their great pattern and principle, Jesus Christ; and the apostle still draws both from thence; that of patience, iii, 18; that of holiness, here.

The chief study of a Christian, and the very thing that makes him to be a Christian, is conformity with Christ. Consider here, I. the high engagement to this conformity; II. the nature of it, III. the actual improvement of it.

I. The engagement lies in this, that he suffered for us. Of this we have treated before. Only, in reference to this, had he come down, as some have imagined, only to set us this perfect way of obedience, and give us an example of it in our own nature, this had been very muchthat the Son of God should descend to teach wretched man, and the great King descend into man, and dwell in a tabernacle of clay, to set up a school in it, for such ignorant, accursed creatures, and should, in his own person, act the hardest lessons, both in doing and suffering, to lead us in both! But the matter goes yet higher than this. O how much higher hath he suffered, not simply as our rule, but as our surety and in our stead! He suffered for us in the flesh. We are the more obliged to make his suffering our example, because it was to us more than an example; it was our ransom.

This makes the conformity reasonable in a double respect. It is due, that we follow him, who led thus as the Captain of our Salvation; that we follow him in suffering and in doing, seeing both were for us. Besides that our Lord and Leader is so great and excellent and so well deserves following for his own worth, this lays upon us an obligation beyond all conceiving, that he first suffered for us, that he endured such hatred of men and such wrath of God the Father, and went through death, so vile a death, to procure our life. What can be too bitter to endure, or too sweet to forsake, to follow him? Were this duly considered, should we cleave to our lusts or to our ease? Should we not be willing to go through fire and water, yea, through death itself, yea, were it possible, through many deaths, to follow him?

Consider, as this conformity is due, so it is made easy by his suffering for us. Our burden which pressed us

to hell being taken off, is not all that is left to suffer or to do, as nothing? Our chains which bound us over to eternal death being knocked off, shall we not walk, shall we not run, in his ways? O think what that burden and yoke was which he hath eased us of, how heavy, how unsufferable it was, and then we shall think, what he so truly says, that all he lays on is sweet, his yoke easy and his burden light. O the happy change, to be rescued from the vilest slavery, and called to conformity and fellowship with the Son of God!

II. The nature of this conformity, to show the nearness of it, is expressed in the very same terms as in the pattern: it is not a remote resemblance, but the same thing, even suffering in the flesh. But that we may understand rightly what suffering is here meant, it is plainly this, ceasing from sin. So that this suffering in the flesh, is not simply the enduring of afflictions, which is a part of the Christian's conformity to his Head, but it implies a more inward and spiritual suffering. It is the suffering and the dying of our corruption, the taking away of the life of sin by the death of Christ: the death of his sinless flesh works in the believer the death of sinful flesh, that is, the corruption of his nature, which is so usually in scripture called flesh. Sin makes man base, drowns him in flesh and the lusts of it, makes the very soul become gross and earthly, turns it, as it were, to flesh; so the apostle calls the very mind that is unrenewed, a carnal mind.

Ceased from sin. He is at rest from it, a godly death, as they who die in the Lord rest from their labors. He that hath suffered in the flesh and is dead to it, dies indeed in the Lord, rests from the base turmoil of sin; it is no longer his master. As our sin was the cause of Christ's death, his death is the death of sin in us; and that, not simply as he bore a moral pattern of it, but as the real working cause of it; it hath an effectual influence on the soul, kills it to sin; I am crucified with Christ, says St. Paul. Faith so looks on the death of Christ, that it takes the impression of it, sets it on the heart, kills it unto sin. Christ and the believer do not only become one in law, so that his death stands for