Page:Saints' duty in evil times (2).pdf/10

 without you, and in the world. Take heed to this, ye who care not though a tyrant possess his throne, and as it were, spoil him from his princely robes; take heed to this, ye who stand, not to hold down his kingdom, by upholding his enemies.— 3dly, Ye must (if ye would enter into these chambers) close with all the inconveniences that follow him, his cross must be taken up, Luke ix. 23, 24. ''If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it. But whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it''

Whatever he calls you unto must be embraced: your heart must subscribe to the reasonableness and desireableness of every one of these inconveniences; but let us change their names, and call them conveniences and Christian advantages, and so we may; for they are of special good use to Christians; these are a part of the discipline of Christ's School; and some say this is David's meaning, Psalm cxvi. 13. where he says, I will take the cup of salvation. That is, as they say, the cup of affliction, as that whereby the Lord works the salvation of his people; and so indeed the cup of affliction may be called the cup of salvation. Now that is the way ye must go.

Use. O come away, let us hear what ye say to it. Are ye willing to enter this way? Think upon it. This is the way ye must enter, and in our telling of it, we may tremble to think upon this generation, who will not close with these (so called) inconveniences. We have no skill of people's closing with Christ, who will not close with these. But Oh, What say ye unto us? What is your reply? Is it not this, That neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor heighth, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.