behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.' The Apostle had just exhorted his brethren to let their conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ, that whether he came to see them, or should hear from them, he might hear, that they stood fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel, in this course they might expect a very considerable degree of persecution, but they should not be terrified by their adversaries, let their sufferings be as many or as great as they may; be not terrified, keep your minds in peace, and in patience possess your souls. And even this calmness, and quietness of soul in the midst of your sufferings will be to your adversaries an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God. Again, That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.' 'Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.'-Ch. iii. 10. 12. The Apostle here has reference to sufferings, concerning which as yet he had not been made perfect; he, therefore, exhorts all who had been made perfect in love, to press forward in the path of duty, and they would in the end be made conformable to the image, or death of Christ. We will now take into consideration the declaration of the blessed Jesus to the Mother of Zebedee's Children. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? she saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? they say unto him we are able. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.'-Mat. xx. xxi. xxii. xxiii. (see Mark x. 37, 38, 39, 40. Luke xii. 50.) What did our Lord mean, when he said, Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of? Did he mean to be understood literally, that they should drink out of the same vessel or cup that he did? Did he mean that they should be baptized in the same place and with the same water, with which he was baptized? or did he mean, that he would have to pass through severe trials and endure great sufferings, and that they, if they would be his disciples, must be conformed to his image? We think, Jesus meant to teach them that to be his disciples, they must make up their minds to suffer for his sake. To this one point, the Apostle would direct the minds of his Roman brethren, in saying God had predestinated them to be conformed to the image of his son. This leads us to notice PREDESTINATED, TO BE IV. To WHAT END, WERE THEY CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST? says, that he might be the first-born among many brethren.' Parkhurst says it signifies, the first, chief, and principal. Calmet says, it is not always to be understood literally, it is sometimes taken for the prime, most excellent, most distinguished of anything. Bildad the Shuhite said to Job, The first-born of death shall devour his strength.' Job. xviii. 13.—that is he shall die the most terrible of deaths. Isaiah says the first born of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety,'-Isaiah xiv. 30. Here the phrase, the first-born of the poor,' must mean the most miserable of the poor. The Apostle Paul uses the term first-born, in speaking of Jesus Christ, when he says, 'Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature.'-Col. i. 15. In his person, character, and offices he was and is the most excellent of all personages, the very image of God. Where can one be found whose sufferings have equalled the sufferings of the Messiah? It was in reference to him that Isaiah expressed himself in language like this, Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah ? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine fat? I have trodden the wine press alone; and of the people there was none with me.'-Isaiah xliii. 1, 2, 3. Suppose we look at the persecutions he endured; contradictions from sinners; misrepresentations by professors of truth; desertions of his friends in the hour of trial, and last of all the curse of God. Well may it be said Jesus is the first-born or the greatest sufferer that was ever on earth. But he suffered not for himself, but for us, even us, unworthy worms of earth. Now if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?'-Luke xxiii. 31. 'It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Be-elzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household ?' Matt. x. 25. Jesus is the first-born among his saints, and suffered that they might obtain a crown of glory. The apostle saith, For both he that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified, are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.' Jesus is the chief over all his saints on earth, and will be in heaven, and after they have suffered with him here awhile, he will say to them, come up higher; enter ye into the joy of your Lord, and sit down on his throne, even as he has on his Father's throne; blissful end! heavenly honor! V. IN WHAT WAY DOES GOD ACCOMPLISH THIS GRAND DESIGN? Moreover, that is, beyond, or more than what has been mentioned, the design, and the subjects of this design have been named, and now we will enter upon the way in which this is to be brought about consistently with his character and the agency of man. : C God has predestinated that his children should be conformed to the image of his son. Such, he calls for whom he did predestinate them he also called. He calls, but how does God call his people? By his word and spirit. The children of God are called by the word of God to come out from the world and touch not the unclean thing; 'to be clean as those that bear the vessels of the Lord.' He calls them to be holy in all their conversation, to live for God, to be humble, and faithful in the discharge of duty to God, to man and to themselves. He calls by his Spirit. By his Spirit he calls men to preach, to exhort, and to rebuke with all longsuffering. No man can thus live and be in friendship with the world; the world will, so long as the carnal mind governs, be opposed, both to God and holy living; for the Apostle saith, The carnal mind is enmity against God,'-Rom. viii. 7.-As it was in the days of Abraham, so it was in the time of the Apostle Paul, and so it is now: 'He that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.'-Gal. iv. 29. Such is the determined hostility of the carnal mind that, as the Apostle hath said, so we see it verified, All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.' As long as the professor of religion will satisfy himself with the mere form of godliness, he will find but little, or no opposition; but no sooner does he arouse from his slumbers, and obey the voice of his God, and come out from among them, and touch not the unclean thing,' and 'be separate that bear the vessels of the Lord; that will not suffer sin upon their neighbor,' than the strong arm of persecution will be raised and hurl its arrows at him as a child of God. This same spirit has been possessed by the ungodly in all ages of the world; we will notice a case or two. First, we will fix on Joseph, (see the 37th of Genesis). He was the beloved of his father, but by his brethren, he was envied and hated-put into a pit to die-taken up and sold to a stranger as a slave. After having been faithful and useful in his master's service, his master's wife sought to make him sin against God, and then conspired to destroy him. Thus we see him pursued step after step by the enemy of his soul as if bent on his final ruin, and why? because he was faithful, humble, diligent, and obedient in the cause of his God, having an eye single to his glory. If we examine the lives of the Apostles, we shall find, they were not entirely free from per secution. Indeed, the blessed Saviour promised them this in the commencement, that they might not be alarmed when it came upon them. Let us listen, for one moment to the blessed Jesus on this point. Mark x. 29. 30. 'Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel, but he shall receive a hundred fold now in this time, houses and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life.' Here the Saviour promises his disciples friends in the labor of love, yet he assures them, that they should meet with opposition from the ungodly, as also from false brethren, as did the great Apostle Paul. Or in the faithful discharge of their duty they should be made conformable to the image of Jesus. The Apostle, intent on his business, after having preached the gospel in Derbe, returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium and to Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must, through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God,'-see Acts xiv. 22. The spirit of the gospel and the spirit of the world cannot unite, therefore, they who are living in the faithful discharge of their duty, are destined to a life of persecution, by which means they are conformed to the image of the suffering Jesus. It may be asked, if the Christian is to have a life of suffering, how is his life desirable or happy? It has often been said, and truly said, that the Christian's life is the happiest on earth. Yea, there are none this side heaven, so joyful as the saint of God, even in the midst of all his sufferings. The sum of the whole matter is, that God justifies him, as the Apostle saith, see Rom. viii. 33. 34. It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth?' for whom he calls them he also justifies,' as saith our text. The phrase, to justify, sometimes signifies, to pardon sin, as in Luke xviii. 14. This man went down to his house justified rather than the other.' This man found the favor of God in the remission of his sins, while the unhumbled pharisee was looked upon with an eye of disapprobation, and held guilty before God. The Apostle saith, By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified,'-see Rom. iii. 20. No soul can have his sins remitted by the most strict attention to the law of Moses, for it is said again,-Rom iv. 2. If Abraham our father was justified by works, he had whereof to glory,' that is, restored to the favor of God by works, he had whereof to glory. He was introduced into the favor of God, not by any works of the law, but by an act of God's free grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. There is yet another sense in which the phrase is used, it signifies, to declare or pronounce one just or righteous. As it is said of 6 Jesus, that he was justified in the spirit.'-Tim. iii. 16. As Parkhurst hath said, to acknowledge, or declare to be just or righteous : He was justified by the Spirit; that is, his high claims of being the son of God, the Redeemer of mankind, was justified, or proved to be true by the descent of the Holy Ghost at his baptism, and the miracles he wrought. God by his Spirit in the hearts of his saints declares to them that they are acquitted from the charges brought against them by the ungodly, and consequently have joy and peace. It signifies, to approve, or commend,-as Mat. xi. 19. • Wisdom is justified of her children.' Every child of God, approves or commends the wisdom of God in the plan of salvation, and in reference to the Pharisees, Jesus says, Luke xvi. 15. 'Ye are they which justify yourselves before men.' They approved of themselves before men. God approves of all who put their trust and confidence in him, and his favor makes their paradise. Were it not that God justifies them, in the deep waters through which they are called to pass, they would sink to rise no more. They are conscious, that faithful is he who hath called them, and hath said, he will be with them in six troubles, and in the seventh he will not forsake them. The great Apostle to the Gentiles, could say in the midst of his frequent and most severe sufferings, None of these things move me; neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.'-Acts xx. 24. It is often said in reference to the godly man, who is the subject of great persecution, how is it that he gets along with so much joy, and to all appearance is so remarkably happy? I am sure, say they, I should faint in my mind, and give up the cause. Yea, surely, but why? Because thou knowest not the secret of this matter. The fact is, God justifies him. Had this saint of God, as many enemies to encounter, as he has hairs upon his head, or as there are sands on the sea shore, and all of them marshalled under one head, and all united as the heart of one man, and all bent on his destruction, yet, in the midst of all he would possess his mind in peace, and joy in the rock of his salvation; for it is God who justifieth-our God is a strong God, mighty to save-and not a hair of the head shall fall to the ground without his notice. If God be for us, who can be against us? The omnipotence, the truth, the goodness, the holiness, yes, every perfection of God is enlisted in behalf of the saint: as well might poor, feeble, frail man think, with his faint breath, to blow the sun from his orbit, as to destroy the enjoyment of the saint, while God justifies him. When we take this view of the subject we shall not be at all surprised that they joy in tribulation, that they count it all joy, that they are worthy to suffer reproach for the name and Gospel of Jesus. How |