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"LORD of all, had not where to lay his head," who SER M. "being rich, for our fakes became poor, that we, through his poverty might be made rich." To be deftitute of worldly accommodations cannot feem fo difmal and despicable a fight, when we confider whofe lot it was to live in a low and indigent condition; the very confideration whereof doth not only make poverty tolerable but even glorious.

So likewife, when we are "perfecuted for righte"oufnefs fake," and exercifed with fufferings and reproaches; when we are ready to be difcouraged in well-doing by the oppofition we meet withal from the ingratitude of men, and the malicious interpretation of our good actions, perverting the best things, done with the best mind, and to the best end, to fome ill purpose and defign; let us "look to JESUS," and "confider him who endured fuch contradiction of "finners against himself," and this will help to abate the hideous apprehenfion of these things.

2. The fufferings of the Son of GoD are a demonftration to us, that the love and favour of GOD, wherein the chief happiness of man confifts, are not to be eftimated and measured by outward profperity in this world; much lefs can it be concluded from temporal afflictions and sufferings, that God hath no favour and kindness for those whom he thinks fit to exercise with them. For we fee plainly, by this inftance of the grievous sufferings of his Son, that God may moft deeply wound and afflict thofe whom he moft dearly loves and if we can be fecure of the favour of GOD, and his loving-kindnefs, why fhould "our hearts be troubled" and difmayed at the apprehenfion of any evil that can befal us?

GOD may love his children, and yet chaften them very feverely nay that he does fo, is rather an argu

SERM.ment that they are his children, and that he loves CCXVII. them, and is concerned for them. So, I am fure, the

apostle teacheth us to argue, Heb. xii. 6, 7, 8. "For "whom the LORD loveth, he chafteneth, and scourg"eth every fon whom he receive th. If

ye endure chaftening, GoD dealeth with you as with fons: "for what fon is he whom the father chafteneth not? "But if ye be without chaftifement, whereof all are "partakers, then are ye baftards, and not fons." The heaviest and moft grievous load of fufferings that ever was laid on any man, GoD permitted to be laid on "his only begotten Son, the dearly beloved of his "foul, in whom he was well pleafed." The greater our afflictions are, and the more we fuffer for "righ"teoufnefs fake," fo much the liker are we to the Son of GOD, and fo much the more likely to be the fons and children of GOD. It is true, as the apoftle tells us, that "no affliction for the present is joyous, "but grievous:" but furely it is a great mitigation of it, to confider what a glorious example and argument of patience our religion propofeth to us, for our encouragement under fufferings; that the best man that ever was, lived in the most afflicted condition; and the greatest sufferer that ever was, or can be, was the dearly beloved Son of God."

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3. In the victorious fufferings of the Son of GOD, we fee the world conquered to our hand, all the terrors and temptations of it difarmed, and all it's force baffled and broken. This confideration our SAVIOUR makes ufe of to fupport the faint fpirits of his difciples, under the melancholy apprehenfions which they had of fufferings, John xvi. 33. "In the world ye "fhall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I "have overcome the world." The great work is done to our hands; affliction and death are vanquish

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ed and overcome by him. That conqueft which the SER M. “ captain of our falvation" hath already made of all CCXVII. "the powers of darkness," renders our victory over

them cheap and easy.

4. The temptations and fufferings of our LORD were greater than ours are or can be: for he bore the heavy and infupportable load of all the fins of all mankind, and of the wreath and vengeance due to them. "The LORD hath laid on him," faith the prophet, Ifai. liii. 6, 7. "the LORD hath laid on him the ini"quity of us all; he was oppreffed and afflicted." And well might he be oppreffed with affliction, who had fuch an intolerable burden as the fins of all mankind to prefs him down. That paffage is commonly applied to him, and well might he cry out in that manner, "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pafs by? "behold and fee if there be any forrow like unto my "forrow, wherewith the LORD hoth afflicted me in "the day of his fierce anger." Such were the fufferings of our LORD, fo great and fo grievous, as none of us are in any degree able to undergo. That weight under which he crouched, would crush us; that which he was hardly able to fuftain, would certainly fink us and do we complain and "faint in "our minds," when but a very little part of the punishment due to us only for our own fins is inflicted upon us? The confideration of the heavy and unknown fufferings of the Son of GoD, fhould make all our afflictions not only tolerable, but light.

5. And yet we have in effect the fame fupport that he had. We are apt to be very much difheartened and difcouraged at the apprehenfion of fufferings, from the confideration of our own weakness and frailty but the Spirit of CHRIST dwells in us," and the fame "glorious power that raised up Jesus from

SER M." the dead, works mightily on them that believe." CCXVII. St. Paul ufeth very high expreffions in this matter, Eph. i. 19, 20. "That ye may know," fays he, fpeaking in general of all Chriftians, "what is the "exceeding greatnefs of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in CHRIST, when he “ raised him from the dead, and fet him on his own "right hand." So that every fincere Chriftian is en"dowed with a kind of omnipotency, "being able," as St. Paul fays of himself, " to do all things through "CHRIST ftrengthening him." We are of ourselves very weak, and the temptations and terrors of the world are very powerful: but there is a principle refiding in every true Christian, that is able to bear us up against the world and the power of all it's temptations. "Whatfoever is born of GOD," fays St. John, "overcometh the world: for greater is he that is in

you, than he that is in the world." The holy Spirit of GOD, which dwells in all true Chriftians, is a more powerful principle of refolution, and courage, and patience under the fharpeft trials and fufferings, than that evil fpirit which rules in the world is to ftir up and fet on the malice and rage of the world against "Ye are of GOD, and have overcome the world; "because greater is he that is in you, than he that is "in the world."

us.

6. Let us confider farther, for whom and for what our bleffed LORD fuffered. Not for himfelf; but for our fake: not for any fault of his own; for he had "no fin," but for our fins. He was perfectly innocent, but we are great and grievous offenders. We fuffer upon our own account: but he only for our fakes, and for our falvation. So that the example of our LORD's fufferings hath an irreftible force and

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virtue in it, to argue us into patience and fubmiffion. SERM. Did he bear the load of our fins fo willingly? did he "who had no fin" fuffer fo patiently, to free us from eternal fufferings? and fhall we who are guilty think much to bear a small part of that burden which he fo chearfully underwent for us, and which falls fo much fhort of the due punishment of our faults? The penitent thief upon the crofs urged the equity and force of this argument to patience to his fellow criminal, that they who had been guilty of fuch great crimes, and were justly condemned for them, ought to be patient under their fufferings. "We indeed," fays he," are justly condemned; for we receive the due reward of "our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amifs."

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7. and lastly, if we confider the tranfcendent excellency and dignity of the perfon, who underwent fo great fufferings with fo much meekness and patience, and with fo even and undisturbed a mind, this will calm and allay our paffions, and mitigate the troubles which befal us pitiful and inconfiderable creatures, in comparison of this prince of glory, and heir of everlafting blifs. When we confider the meeknefs of this excellent perfon, the eternal Son of GOD, and with what fubmiffion and ferenity of mind he demeaned himself under fo great and continual provocations from his own creatures and beneficiaries, thofe whom he had made, and whom he came to fave; fhall we think much to bear the indignities and affronts of our fellow-creatures? When we behold how contented this great perfon was in the meaneft condition, how he welcomed all events, and was fo perfectly refigned to the will of his heavenly father, that whatever pleafed Gon, pleafed him; fhall we murmur at any condition which the providence of God allots to us, and repine at any event whatsoever.