Too many imagine this life to be something that is valuable for its own goods; and look upon religion as something that is added to it, to make a worldly life more easy, regular and happy: And so embrace religion only as it complies with the ease and order of that way of life in which they live.
Our Saviour has fully confuted this opinion, by teaching us, that there is but one thing needful. If then we can take his word, the grievousness of self-denial is struck off at once.
For what though meekness and patience may make us sufferers; yet if by such sufferings we lose only such things as are not needful for us, where is any ground for complaint?
VI. But farther, such sufferings not only do us no real hurt, but they are blessings and matter of solid joy.
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil of you [♦]falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven.
[♦] ‘falsly’ replaced with ‘falsely’
Christ does not comfort us in this, as if it were an hard or melancholy state, which we must bear, because it is made easier by patience. But he looks at it in quite another view, not as needing comfort, but affording matter of congratulation.
What Christians then are they, who reckon those things among the hardships of religion, which Christ recommends to us as reasons of rejoicing, yea of being exceeding glad?
VII. The whole of the matter is this: if our sufferings, our injuries or hardships be such as we undergo, because we dare not depart from that meekness and patience, and charity, which Christ hath taught; because we had rather love our enemies than be revenged on them; rather suffer like Christ, and be full of his Spirit, than avoid sufferings by a contrary temper; such sufferings are our greatest gains.
Now, be these sufferings what they will, if they make us more like Christ, they have done more for us than all the prosperity in the world can do. And he that defends himself at the expence of any temper, that was the temper of Christ, has done himself an injury greater than the most powerful of his enemies can bring upon him.