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poral, to save life eternal. According to John,* our Lord says, "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that bateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." It is said of the martyrst that "they loved not their lives unto death;" and Paul declared, what his subsequent conduct proved to be no empty boast, that he was ready, not to be bound only, but to die"-" for the name of the Lord Jesus." We should be very thankful that our principles are not now put to the very same "fiery trial:" yet, if we are Christ's disciples indeed, we have that supreme and ardent attachment to him which would withstand that trial, were it to come.

In the same strain, our Lord adds, “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." We found almost the same words recorded as spoken by him, in the 9th chapter and 23d verse. There is here an allusion to the custom of condemned persons being made to carry the cross, on which they were to suffer, to the place of execution. This Jesus himself did; so that in bearing the cross, we follow him. "They took Jesus," says John, "and led him away. And he, bearing his cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha; where they crucified him." The cross of discipleship is here put for all the self-denial and suffering to which the Christian may be, in any way, exposed. There are the cross of humiliation, the cross of renunciation of self-righteousness, the cross of the crucifixion of sin, the cross of reproach for Christ's sake, the cross of bodily affliction, and many other crosses, which must be borne submissively and readily. And this must be well considered by all who would follow Christ.

The necessity of this is farther illustrated and enforced by two parables. The first is the parable of the inconsiderate builder. "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the.cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish." Such things do sometimes literally occur; and the folly of them is too manifest to require any proof. Such a piece of folly were men guilty of, when they began to build the tower of Babel: for, as well as the work appeared to proceed, for a time, as they counted without * John xii. 25. + Rev. xii, 11. See Lecture on,

God, he confounded their language and their scheme, and scattered them abroad, so that "they left off to build.” He who would build a tower, or stately house, for himself, must have a proper plan and site, and make suitable preparations, and have adequate means to carry through the work. "Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterward build thine house."* Nor are adequate means for persevering less necessary for those who enter on a religious profession. If they fail, and become apostates, the world, the very persons who contributed to their failure, will triumph over them, and mock them. The pious will not mock them; but they will pity them, and grieve over them. And they themselves will soon feel, and bitterly lament, the consequences of their folly. The state of such backsliders becomes worse than ever. "For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them." Let us think well, then, of this great building, so to speak, which we have to rear for eternity; let us understand the plan well, and lay our account with the cost. Let us be careful to rest it on the solid foundation, even that which is laid in Zion; for, other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, even Jesus Christ. Let us see to it, also, that we form the superstructure of good materials the gold, silver, and precious stones of holiness. Let us remember that we have not sufficient to finish the building of ourselves; and let us, therefore, look for our sufficiency to God, and depend on our Lord's strength, who hath said, "My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it." But, with his assistance, “the head-stone shall be brought forth with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it."

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As the first parable points out, chiefly, the folly of an in

* Prov. xxiv. 27.

Plato (Repub. x.) compares pretenders to moral worth to those who set out briskly in a race, but soon flag, and retire with shame; and goes on to recommend very serious and deliberate consideration. Epictetus employs the 15th chapter of his 3d book in recommending the most careful weighing of the difficulties, before assuming the character of a philosopher, lest the result should be a disgraceful failure.

considerate profession of religion; so the second, or the parable of the king going to make war, points out chiefly its danger. "Or, what king going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth, whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an embassage, and desireth conditions of peace." Solomon* thus instructs and exhorts: " Every purpose is established by counsel; and with good advice make war." —“ Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame." A prudent king would not go to war without the likely means, and some prospect of success. If he were conscious that a contest would be vain, he would endeavour to obtain the best terms of peace he could. Did this parable stand by itself, it might be understood to show the danger of contending with God; but its connexion proves the purport of it to be to show the danger of engaging rashly in the Christian warfare. Discipleship implies a state of war with sin, Satan, and the world. Now, though our case is quite different from that supposed in this parable, in respect of its being absolutely necessary for our safety that we should not decline this contest, whereas, no such necessity lies on a king, in all circumstances, to engage in war; yet, it is quite similar, in respect of its being a great and difficult struggle, which needs to be well considered at its commencement, that we may be prepared to bear its hardships, and to fight the good fight of faith, so as to lay hold on eternal life. We are undone, if we do not engage in this holy war; and we are undone, if we engage in it, and do not carry it on to a successful issue, nay, we are then worse than if we had never engaged in it at all, as those who are overcome because of their unskilfulness, or feebleness, or cowardice, are more bitterly taunted, and more cruelly oppressed by their conquerors, than if they had never made any resistance. Let us be fully aware, then, of the nature and severity of this contest. Let us sit down and consult. Let us not mistake as to the weapons we are to employ, the alliances we are to form, the resources on which we are to draw, or the strength on which we are to depend for success. Let us feel that we

are utterly unable to meet those who are coming against us, in our own skill or strength; and let us, therefore, put ourselves under the command of Jesus Christ, as the Captain

* Prov. xx. 18, xxv. 8.

of our salvation. Let us take unto ourselves the whole armour of God, especially the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Having once drawn this sword, let us throw away the scabbard; and let us fight much on our knees, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, as knowing that the battle is not ours, but God's. If we begin and persevere in this manner, we shall be more than conquerors through Him that loved us, and, at the close of the war, shall sing, "Thanks be unto God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." "So

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Our Lord sums up this topic in the 33d verse. likewise," or rather, "Likewise, therefore,"* in which connecting particles he is to be considered as drawing an inference from the whole of what he has said from the 26th verse, Likewise, therefore, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." As if he had said, As every wise builder, before he begins to build, and every wise king before he goes to war, considers well; so, it is for you, who, by your attendance on me, in this way, give some signs of a desire to become my disciples indeed, to consider well also-to consider what discipleship implies, and what sacrifices it requires, lest the unexpected occurrence of trials and losses cause you to draw back. We are by no means to consider Christ as here enjoining, or encouraging, the needless and voluntary literal renunciation of the business, society, and possessions of this life. Every thing of that kind is unauthorized, and argues a superstitious and self-righteous spirit. But he here asserts the necessity, for all his true disciples, in every age, to be prepared to part with every thing for his sake, when duty calls. As applicable more immediately to those to whom he spoke at the time, his words intimated what soon took place, that many of his disciples should be actually stripped of all they had by their persecutors, and still remain faithful; and that some, who could not endure that trial, should thereby be proved to be hypocrites. "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world," said Paul. Though professing Christians are now but rarely tried by open persecution, they are still all tried, in this respect, in some degree. They must reject tempting opportunities of getting unlawful gain; and they must forego sinful pleasures, and break off hurtful intimacies. We must possess, * Ούτως οὖν.

and exhibit, according to circumstances, the spirit and courage of confessors, trusting that, if we are called to heavier sacrifices, the Lord will enable us to make them. Even now, we must so forsake all that we have, as to be weaned from it in our supreme affection, which must be placed on our God and Saviour, and things spiritual and eternal. If we have not attained already to this, we are not Christ's disciples, we have no true religion. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world," writes John. "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." And then, we must forsake, in our hearts, all that we have, so as to dedicate it to the glory of God, and the good of men, while we are in life; and so as willingly to leave it behind us, when we die. In short, a decided and habitual preference of Christ and of holiness to every thing else is absolutely necessary to our being Christians; and this should be considered well by all who profess to wish to become so.

The comparison with which this chapter concludes was employed by our Lord, in a somewhat similar way, in his sermon on the mount.* Its connexion here with what goes before is quite natural, as it very aptly represents the uselessness of a hollow and temporary profession. "Salt is good:" it is both useful and pleasant;-its employment to prevent food from corrupting, and to give it an agreeable taste, is well known. Salt was always employed in the sacrifices; for, the law said, "Every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt: neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt."+ To bring out the meaning fully, we must here consider our Lord as signifying what he expressly stated in his sermon on the mount, when he said to his disciples, "Ye are the salt of the earth." True Christians are like salt, inasmuch as, by their doctrine, conversation, labours, example, and prayers, they contribute, under God, to preserve society from total moral corruption, and even to season it with true piety. "Thanks be unto God," says Paul, "who always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place." This is true of Christian preachers especially, but also of all who speak and act as Christians, in their own proper sphere.

* Matt. v. 13.

+ Lev. ii. 13.