refolution of the divine will; that hath no by-ends, or felf-will, but ready to part with all for the honour of God, maintenance of truth, and common good.

Now if ye will be chriftians in good earnest, thus you must be, and with St. Paul be able to say, for whom I have fuffered the lofs of all things. And thus it was with our Saviour; he made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a fervant, Phil. ii. 6, 7. faying, not my will, but thine be done, Luke xxii. 42. And thy law is within my heart: and this commandment have I received from my father, and this is a law to me, and this I will fulfil, though it coft me my life. Thus it was with our Saviour, and thus it must be with us. For will any one expect falvation from a Saviour, that he will not imi. tate? He doth as truly relieve the world by his life and fpirit, as by his death and paffion. And we must be partakers of the virtues of his life, and follow his example; as we must expect relief by his death and fufferings.

2. You must part with other things fo far as they are prejudicial. With those above named, you must part abfolutely for I may fay of these, that if they stay, you cannot be faved; these exclude from heaven. If you have thefe, fo as to live under the power of them, you are in another ftate. For these principles are contrary to God, and reason, and to truth, and the life of chriftianity. But then for other things that may be retained and kept, you must not keep them so far forth as they are prejudicial, and inconfiftent with religion.

V o L. II.

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3. Any

3. Any thing that is truly ours, must be parted withal, if any one receive a special command. But whether there be any special command now-a-days I will not say, and I am very hard to think that there are any. But formerly there have been many, and I instance in this purposely, to take away for the notion I am now many mens mistakes ; upon will fweep away the foundation of many mens divinity. I fay many in the times before us, had particular commands, which they were under the obligation of, that received them; and no body elfe. As I will give you an inftance: Andrew and Peter are called off from their attendance upon their father, to follow our Saviour, and to mind another bufinefs, Matth. iv. 18. But now there is no fuch thing; to call a man from his particular calling. But thefe men were called to it; and it had been great difloyalty in them, not to have obferved this call. And fo Matthew was called from the receipt of cuftom. And the apoftles tell our Saviour, that they had followed him in the regeneration ; and ask what they should have? Our Saviour commends them for what they had done, and tells them of a great reward they should have for it, Matth. xix. 27, 28. From hence I observe, that all the precepts and commands that are in fcripture, are not general ; but when they are given upon a common reason, and fuch as will hold in all times, and circumftances of life. But that which is accommodated to a particular time, or commanded upon a particular occafion, or for fome particular fervice only; doth oblige for that time, and these particular persons to

whom

whom the command was given; and others are unconcerned. To give you another inftance; when the young man came to our Saviour for direction, in that which all of us ought to make enquiry after, viz. what fhall I do to be faved? our Saviour bids him keep the commands; to which he replied, that he had done that from his youth: and our Saviour doth not deny it, but tries him by a particular command; go, faith he, and fell all thou haft and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treafure in heaven, Matth. xix. 20, 21. Now this is not a general command or direction; for we are not required to alienate all our poffeffions, and make diftribution to the poor. Here was a fpecial command, which did oblige this particular person, as much as any command obligeth us ; but it obliged no body else. And fo was the alienation of property in the apoftles time; Acts iv. 32. you fee this commanded to them, and how fatal this was to Ananias and Sapphira, Acts v. 5. &c. who pretended to fell all their eftate, and to bring in the money to the apostles, that distribution might be made, as there was need. Although I do not find

in

any facred ftory, that those that were converted of the nations, did alienate their poffeffions; but Jews only. And they were facilitated fo to do, because their common-wealth was to be diffolved, and by that means their eftates in a fhort time, would be nothing to them. But these were fpecial commands, and the reason is not general, and therefore they are not generally obligatory.

Neither is it safe for us, to follow particular practices, where men did things in an extraordinary

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way,

way, and by special warrant. Therefore we pretend not to follow the example of Phineas, though he was commended for his act. Nor will I advise any man to do as Ehud did, or as Jael, or as Sampfon. For general commands only are to be general rules and common principles of reason, and the established laws of the country where we live. These are to be our rules; therefore no private person now is to pretend the example of Phineas, to take upon himself to be a magiftrate, or to venture upon an act of publick juftice, from that inftance. Nei ther is any man from the practice of Ehud, to pretend a commiffion from God; nor from Jael, to violate a truft; for this would deftroy the foundation of human fociety. Nor laftly, may any from the example of Samfon, revenge himself upon his enemies, or destroy himself; for there is no such thing warranted now. Therefore if we would find a right judgment, we must distinguish between particular commands, and occafional directions, or fimple practice. For general rules and commands are only obligatory; for we are not under the power either of particular commands, or particular practice.

4. We lose all in a diminutive fense, when we lefs care to keep and retain, when we lefs value and efteem. And this is a scripture fenfe; for a man is required to hate his father and his mother, Luke xiv, 26. which cannot be understood in any ether sense absolutely, but comparatively, less to love, value and esteem them than Chrift Jesus. So a man may be faid to lofe all for Christ, when a man doth lefs efteem, lefs value, and ftand upon his e

ftate,

a

ftate, than his judgment and conscience. When man prefers his religion, and the concernments of it before his worldly advantage. And fo I lose them in a diminutive fenfe, i. e. I lefs care to keep them, less value and esteem them. And I take this to be

:

:

the meaning of that place, where it is faid, Jacob have I loved, and Efau have I hated, Rom. ix. 13. i. e. I have less loved Efau, than Jacob; for I have chofen Jacob to be progenitor of the Messiah, and I have not taken Efau. And this is often in fcripture to hate, viz. lefs to love and fo to lofe, is less to care to keep. And in these respects we suffer lofs for Chrift; and this may be done in times, when there is no perfecution for Chrift; this is indefinitely practifed in the best times we may be all martyrs in refolution and intention, in the preparation of our mind, and purpose of heart. So we may be lofers for Chrift, though we live in happier times, than good people formerly lived in ; both in the preparation of our hearts, and bent of our minds and difpofition of our fouls. That is when we account not ourselves fure of them, and only so long continue them in our poffeffion, as we may retain our loyalty to God, and faithfulness to truth, and uprightness and integrity, and safety of our own judgments. And I fhall tell you in four cafes, wher

this is done.

1. When we retain our enjoyments upon lawful terms, i. e. when we will rather not have them, than do any unrighteous act. This man lofeth all things for Chrift, because he is prepared, he is free