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DISCOURSE XVI.

MARK Viii. 38.

XXX

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me, and of my Words, in this adulterous and finful Generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the Glory of his Father, with the holy Angels.

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eT the thirty-fourth Verse of this Chapter our Lord, having called the People and his Disciples to him, declares openly to them what Terms the Profeffion of the Gofpel was to be undertaken. He allures them not by the Hopes of temporal Profperity, nor promifes any Countenance or Affiftance from the Great and Powerful; but foretels them of the Evils and Calamities that

fhould

fhould attend his Followers, and of the Sufferings prepared for them in this Life; against which the Providence of God stands not engaged for their Protection, since his Will is, that all the Faithful should, after the Example of the Author and Captain of their Salvation, be made perfect through Suffering. Whosoever, fays our Lord, will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his Crofs, and follow me. How ftrong the Expreffion of denying himself is, and how much it includes, we learn from the next Verse, where our Saviour himself extends it even to the parting with our Lives for his and the Gofpel's fake: Whofoever will fave his Life, fhall lofe it; but whosoever shall lofe his Life for my fake and the Gofpel's, the fame fhall fave it,

You fee, by comparing these Paffages together, that the Text immediately relates to the Times of Perfecution, and expresses the Duty of a Chriftian to resist even unto Blood in Maintenance of his holy Religion, whenever the Providence of God calls him to such Trial. This indeed is not our Cafe at prefent, and therefore I shall not spend the Time in fortifying your Minds against Terrors, removed, I hope, at a great Distance from us:

But

But it must be owned, that an adulterous and finful Generation has more Ways than one of making Men ashamed of Christ, and of his Words. Though our Eyes have not beheld any frightful Scenes of Perfecution, yet we have seen, and daily fee, many who are ashamed of Chrift. If the Temptation to this Crime be now lefs than in Times of Diftrefs, the Guilt is certainly greater, and in Equity the Punishment must be so too. Which Reason will bring the Threatening of the Text home to every Man, who, in Compliance with a corrupt Age, does either wickedly reject, or bafely diffemble the Faith of the Gofpel.

But that we may not rafhly accufe either the Age in general, or any Men in particular, of this great Crime, but rather open a Way by which Men may easily examine their own Confciences upon this Head, and avoid the like Evil for the future; let us,

First, Inquire into the Nature of the Crime of being afhamed of Chrift and of his Words; and,

Secondly, Into the feveral Temptations that lead to it.

The Duty opposed to this Crime is expreffed in the Language of Scripture by

confefing

confeffing Chrift before Men; and therefore to be ashamed of Chrift and of his Word, is to deny or difown Chrift and his Doctrine before Men. In this Language both Parts are expreffed in the tenth of St. Matthew: Whofoever, fays our Lord, fhall confefs me before Men, him will I confefs alfo before my Father which is in Heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before Men, him will I alfo deny before my Father which is in Heaven.

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If we were under no Obligation to confess Christ before the World, there would be no Iniquity in diffembling our Knowledge of him, we might keep our Faith and our Religion to ourselves, and by fo doing avoid Inconveniencies to which the open and fincere Profeffors of the Gospel are oftentimes expofed. There have not wanted some, in all Times, to justify the Prudence of concealing our religious Sentiments, and to encourage Men to live well with the World, in an outward Compliance with the Customs and Opinions of those about them, provided their Hearts be right with God, and fincere in the inward Belief of his Truth. To fupport this Doctrine, we are called upon to remember that Religion is, in the Nature of the Thing, internal, and has its Seat and Refidence

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Refidence in the Heart, and not in the Lips or Tongues of Men: That our Virtue and Obedience will be estimated by our Integrity, and not by the outward Shews and Profeffions which we make: That God, who knows the Heart, will judge us by it at the laft: That, confequently, the only Concern of Religion is to purify the Heart; and, fince the World has nothing to do with our Hearts, we owe it no Account of our Religion; and may lawfully keep from them all Knowledge in a Matter where they have, where they can have, no Cognizance.

To this Plea, another is likewife added, That to fuppofe it neceffary for Men to own the religious Sentiments of their Hearts at the Peril of their Lives, is making God a very hard Master, requiring of us a Service of no Value, at the Expence of all that is dear and valuable to us in this World. What does our Confeffion avail Him, who has a furer Way of judging us than by the Words of our Mouth? Or what does it avail the World, those especially to whom it is to be made, who are hardened and paft Conviction, and stand with the Sword uplifted to deftroy us the Moment we confefs the Truth?

It is no Wonder that Flesh and Blood fhould furnish fome plaufible Excufes for declining

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