Chrift brings the trial clofe home to him, in his predominant, the love of the world, ver. 21. "Then Jefus beholding him, loved him and said unto him, One thing thou lackeft; go thy way, fell whatsoever thou haft and give to the poor; and thou fhalt have treasure in heaven; and come take up thy cross, and follow me." He had many good things that were lovely in him, but he wanted a heart weaned from the world, and knit to God in Chrift; and that want, he is told, behoved to be made up, if ever he would see heaven. Obf. 1. They may have many things good about them, where one thing lacking mars all. 2. Whoever would have a happy portion in another, must be ready to part with the good things of this world at Chrift's call, and fubmit to its evil things. Though this is hard to flesh and blood, it is a conftitution of heaven not to be altered.

The iffue of this trial was fad, he parted with Chrift and heaven; fince he could not have them on easier terms, he behoved to quit them; for these terms he could not digeft, ver. 22. "And he was fad at that faying, and went away grieved; for he had great poffeffions." His great poffeffions were his great fnare. The good things of this world part betwixt Chrift and many.

The ufe Chrift makes of this fad event, for the difciples inftruction, ver. 23. " And Jefus looked round about, and faith unto his difciples, How hardly fhall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!" Obf. 1. Tho' riches make an eafy life in this world, they make hard work for the party that has them to get into a better world. 2. The ruining effects faints may fee that world's wealth has on men generally, fhould make them fit down contented with the fmall hare of it which providence lets come into their hands, q. d. Now fee what world's wealth does. The difciples being furprised herewith, (1.) Chrift explains what he had faid, ver. 24. "But Jefus anfwer

eth

eth again, and faith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches, to enter into the kingdom of God!" Obf. It is hard for men to have world's wealth, and not to truft in it as their portion and happinefs, to bring out of it their fatisfaction, which they Thould feek in God. (2.) He confirms it by a proverbial faying of a thing of a difficulty next to impoffibility, ver. 25. "It is easier for a camel to go thro' the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." The gate of life is narrow, the world's wealth is like the burden on the camel's back.

The difciples are astonished at this, they might obferve what a great fnare poverty was to many, and if it was fo with riches too, they say; Who then can be faved? ver. 26. The confideration of the mischief the the world does, on the one hand with its frowns, and on the other with its fmiles, makes falvation appear very difficult.

Our Lord tells them, that what is impoffible to na. ture is poffible to God. The power of his grace can fo loose the heart from the world, that it fhall not be able to bewitch a man with all its fnares, nor hinder him from the kingdom of heaven. Witnefs Abraham, Job, Jofeph, &c. who, tho' rich men, were yet truly religious, and attained to heavenly happiness.

Follows the immediate occafion of the words of the text. Peter fhews how he and the reft had behaved in fuch a trial, as proved fatal to that man; they had left all they had in the world at Chrift's call, and followed him, ver. 28. See Mat. iv. 18,-20. It was not much they had to leave for him; but it was by the power of grace they were brought to part with it, little as it was. That is it that makes the difference. Now he is defirous to know the iffue of that, and what they were to expect at his hand; and Christ allows his people to perfuade themselves, that they fhall not be lofers at his hand. And therefore whatever weakness might be in Peter's question, our Lord directly

rectly answers it, in a liberal promife to all his followers of a fufficient upmaking of all that they lofe for him. In which we have,

1. The lofers to whom Chrift gives fecurity, for upmaking of their lofs. And here confider,

If, What kind of lofers they are. It is not every kind of lofers; fome lofe their worldly good things for their lufts fake, fquandering away the fame on their lafts, and by their criminal negligence; or they are juftly taken from them in an ill caufe for their trimes; these are not they. But they that quit with any thing for Chrift's fake, and the gofpel's; the Lord by his call bids them give up with it, and they at his call quit their grip; they cannot keep it, and keep the road of the gofpel too; and therefore that they may not go of the road of the gofpel, they quit what they have. Thefe are the lofers.

2dly, What kind of lofs it is that Chrift puts his people to. It is not the lofs of spiritual benefits and privileges, and their portion in another world; but only worldly good things. (1.) He may call them to leave houfe and hold, and they must leave it for his fake, with all the conveniencies they had in their own houfe before. If they have not left them where to lay their head, he bids them not ride a ford he rode not before them, Matth. viii. 20. "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nefts; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." If they be forced to hide in dens and caves of the earth, they fare not worse than the worthies mentioned, Heb. xi. 38. (2.) Their relations, and the comfort they had in them, brethren, fifters, father, mother, wife, and children. He may carry away their relations from them by death, or otherwife providentially feparate them from them, or deprive them of the comfort of them though they be with them, and make them a crofs to them. Or he may carry them away from their relations, that they have not access to the com

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fort

fort they might otherwise have in them. In all these cafes they are lofers for Chrift that give up with them at his call to follow him. (3.) Their lands, and all the profits and advantages flowing from them. Even the king is ferved by the field; but Chrift must be served with the field itself given up to him, when he calls for it; whether it be theirs in property, or only in the ufe. They must give up their claim to him at his call. 2. What is secured to these lofers for Christ ? Double.

ift, Something in hand, a hundredfold now in this time. The term of this upmaking is in this world, now in this time. Our Lord does indeed referve the greatest upmaking to another world; but he does not put off his people with nothing in the time: No, there is a fettlement for the prefent made upon them, to bear the expence of their journey, and to bear up their hearts till they get their portion. And that is a hundredfold, namely, of what they loft for him, viz. houses, &c. It is plain, it cannot be meant of a hundredfold in kind; that is not poffible in the cafe of father and mother; but in value; i. e. they fhall get what will be a hundred times the value of all they loft for him. For inftance, do they lofe a house for him? they shall get what will be worth a hundred houfes, c. But there is an appurtenance of this hundred fold, that may keep from dreaming of world's ease for all that, with perfecutions. All times of the church are not times of public perfecution; but this fecures them, that go the times as they will, they fhall never get the good-will of the world lying in wickedness. Satan and his agents will always be at them, one way or other.

2dly, Something in hope. Here is, (1.) The term and place of it, in the world to come. (2.) What they will get there, eternal life. This plainly bears, [.] That there is a world to come, another world than this. The world properly fignifies an age, or

duration.

duration. And being in oppofition to the age of this world, or times of its duration, it fignifies the age of eternity. It is ufed alfo for the world itself, Heb. i. 2. And being to come, it differs from the prefent world. [2.] That the world to come is the place and time where and when men are to get the full reward of their works; and therefore men go into that world, when they have done with this; and are not done when dead. Laftly, That fuch lofers for Chrift fhall in that world get eternal life, when others shall get eternal death there; for if in that world were only eternal life, it had been needless to say more than that they fhould go into that world.

3. The fecurity itself, Chrift's own word, Verily I fay unto you, ver. 29. A fecurity that carnal men cannot truft, but all believers take it for good fecurity.

Before I come to the main thing intended, I will speak fomewhat to the hundredfold in this life, from the following doctrine, viz.

DOCT. Our Lord Jefus has given fecurity, for a bundred-fold with a burden in this life, to them who for bis fake and the gospel's, leave and give up with their worldly good things and enjoyments, at his call.

In difcourfing from this doctrine, we shall confider, I. The parties to whom the fecurity is made. II. The hundred fold fecured to fuch lofers. III. The burden going along with the hundred fold, with perfecutions.

IV. The fecurity given for the hundredfold to the lofers for Christ's fake and the gospel's.

V. Make application.

I. WE fhall confider the parties to whom the fecurity is made. Two things will fet this in due light; vix, An inquiry,

1. How Chrift calls people to leave and give up with any worldly comforts and enjoyments they have

had.