3. Moreover, When the case falls out that a man cannot follow God and his duty, and be true to his soul, but he is like to lose his friends; how commonly is God denied, that friends may not be denied, and conscience wounded, and duty baulked, that the favour of friends may not be lost. O saith one, they are the friends that I live by, my livelihood is in their hands, I am undone if they cast me off! Well! take them, and make thy best of them, and keep them as long as thou canst; if thou canst live better without God than them, or canst spare Gods favour better than theirs, and they are better friends to thee than Christ is, and would be, take thy course, and judge at last whether the friend that thou didst choose, or that thou didst neglect and abuse, was the better, and would have stood thee in more stead in thy deepest extremities. Christ hath resolved you once for all, that he that loveth Father, or Mother more than him, is not worthy of him, and cannot be his Disciple: Nay if he hate not Father, Mother, and all; that is, If he will not cast them all away, and forsake them as men do hated things, rather than forsake Christ and the glory which he hath promised, Luke 14. 26. 33. And therefore seeing Christ hath thought meet to instance in the forsaking of carnal friends for his sake, as a duty of all that will be his Disciples, you may see that this is a very considerable part of your self-denial. And doubtless it is a point that Christians are usually put to the trial in or else Christ would not have instanced in it. Few turn to Christ, but their carnal friends will turn from them. No greater enemies to a man in the matters of his salvation (except carnal self) than carnal friends: and therefore either God or they must be denied. For when God ⟨p. 203⟩is for holiness and they against it; when they are for sinful pleasures and gain, and God against it, both cannot be pleased; and therefore one of them must be denied, God or they.
3. Moreover, When the case falls out that a man cannot follow God and his duty, and be true to his soul, but he is like to lose his friends; how commonly is God denied, that friends may not be denied, and conscience wounded, and duty bawk'd, that the favour of friends may not be lost. O saith one, they are the friends that I live by, my livelihood is in their hands, I am undone if they cast me off! Well! take them, and make thy best of them, and keep them as long as thou canst; if thou canst live better without God than them, or canst spare Gods favour better than theirs, and they are better friends to thee than Christ is, and would be, take thy course, and judge at last whether the friend that thou didst chuse, or that thou didst neglect and abuse, was the better, and would have stood thee in more stead in thy deepest ex•remities. Christ hath resolved you once for all, that he that loveth Father, or Mother more than him, is not worthy of him, and cannot be his Disciple: Nay if he hate not Father, Mother, and all; that is, If he will not cast them all away, and forsake them as men do hated things, rather than forsake Christ and the glory which he hath promised, Luke 14. 26. 33. And therefore seeing Christ hath thought meet to instance in the forsaking of carnal friends for his sake, as a duty of all that will be his Disciples, you may see that this is a very considerable part of your self-denial. And doubtless it is a point that Christians are usually put to the tryal in or else Christ would not have instanced in it. Few turn to Christ, but their carnal friends will turn from them. No greater enemies to a man in the matters of his salvation (except carnal self) than carnal friends: and therefore either God or they must be denied. For when God ⟨p. 203⟩is for holiness and they against it; when they are for sinful pleasures and gain, and God against it, both cannot be pleased; and therefore one of them must be denied, God or they.
