great is your Reward in Heaven. Thefe Words may either be understood concerning the heavenly Felicity in general, as if our Lord had faid, Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for ye shall have Heaven for your Reward; or it may be understood as a Promife of an high Degree of Glory in Heaven: As if he had faid, Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for proportionably to your great Sufferings for Chrift, and your Duty upon Earth, your Reward fhall be fo much the greater in Heaven. It is this laft, which feems to me to be the proper Scope and Meaning in this Place, chiefly for the following Reafons: 1. Because we have hitherto seen that the Promise annexed to each Beatitude has been fomething peculiarly adapted and fuited to it, and rifing indeed out of it. Now to whom can the Greatness of the Reward more peculiarly belong, than to them who undergo the greatest and most difficult Duties, fuch as that of Confeffors and Martyrs is? 2. The Expreffion not only points at Heaven as the Place and State, reprefenting to us the heavenly Felicity, but at an high Degree of Felicity in that State; it is not only faid, Your Reward is in Heaven, but Great is your Reward in Heaven. 3. The Comparison with the Prophets, which immediately follows, favours this Sense; So perfecuted they the Prophets which were before you. It is true, the Comparison runs upon the Likeness of their Sufferings, but if the Sufferings are equal, why not the Rewards? Now we find the Reward of a Prophet is elfewhere exprefly diftinguifh'd from the Reward of an ordinary good or righteous Man, and fet above it. It is a very remarkable Paffage in the 10th Chapter of this Gofpel, and deferves to be parti cularly [SERM. cularly confider'd, upon Occafion of this Subject; He that receiveth a Prophet, faith our Saviour, in the Name of a Prophet, fhall receive a Prophet's Reward; and he that receiveth a righteous Man, in the Name of a righteous Man, shall receive a righteous Man's Reward. And whofoever shall give to drink unto one of thefe little ones a Cup of cold Water only, in the Name of a Difciple, verily I fay unto you, be shall in no wife lofe his Reward, Mat. X, 41. Where there feem to be three feveral Degrees of Hofpitality recommended, and as many Degrees of Rewards defcribed and promised. The first, and the higheft, is, the Reception and Entertainment of a Prophet, which in Times of Perfecution (their ufual Lot) was attended with a great deal of Danger. And to this is promised A Prophet's Reward; which is an eminent Place in Glory. So we are told in the Prophecy of Daniel, that They who are wife, fhall fhine as the Brightness of the Firmament; and they that turn many to Righteousness, as the Stars for ever and ever, Dan. xii. 3. The fecond is the Reception and Entertainment of any good Man, which, as it was not attended with fo great Danger, fo a less Reward, called A righteous Man's Reward, is promifed to it. And the third is the leaft of all, the giving a Cup of cold Water to any private Chriflian, which, our Saviour tells us, fhall likewife be confider'd, and not lofe its Reward. Taking the Words, then, in this Senfe, there are thefe two Things will require to be accounted for from them. I. That there are different Degrees of Rewards in Heaven. II. Why II. Why fuch an high Degree of Reward is promised to them who suffer for Christ. I. First, The Words import, that there are different Degrees of Rewards in Heaven; Great is your Reward in Heaven. Now this being a Doctrine, the Truth of which is difputed by fome Divines, I shall firft briefly prove it from Scripture and Reason, and then endeavour to make fome good Ufe of it, for our Edification. As for Scripture Light in this Particular, there are these few Things I would offer to your Confideration: 1. The Parable of the Pounds, Luke xix. 12. in which we may obferve, that the Reward of the feveral Servants is proportion'd to their various Improvements of the Money entrufted with them: To him that with his Pound had gained ten Pounds, Authority was given over ten Cities; and to him whose Pound had gained five Pounds, Authority is given over five Cities. And left it should be alledged, that the Rewards pointed at in that Parable, are to be understood only of the feveral Measures of Grace which are increased according to our greater or leffer Improvements of them, this may be cleared from the Parable of the Talents, Mat. xxv. where it is plain the Proceedings there defcribed relate to the Day of Judgment; and the Words, Enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord, do plainly point at everlafting Happiness, as these other Words, Caft ye the unprofitable Servant into outer Darkness, where fhall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth, do point at Hell-Torments. 2. Another Paffage of Scripture, countenancing this Doctrine, is that of St. Paul, 2 Cor. ix. 6. where, exhorting the Corin [SERM. thians to a bountiful Charity, he ufeth these Words; But this, I fay, he who foweth sparingly, Shall reap alfo fparingly; and he who foweth bountifully, fhall reap alfo bountifully. Which Expreffions do plainly point at a more or less plentiful Harveft, according to our greater or leffer Degrees of Diligence in doing Good. 3. It is plain from Scripture, that there will be different Degrees of Punishment, and then why not, likewife, different Degrees of Rewards in the future State? Our Saviour acquaints the Cities, wherein most of his mighty Works were done, that as their Sin was greater, fo their Punishment fhould be more intolerable than that of Tyre and Sidon, and even Sodom itself. Wo unto thee Chorazin: Wo unto thee Bethfaida: For if the mighty Works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in Sackcloth and Afbes. But I fay unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Day of Judgment, than for you. And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto Heaven, fhalt be brought down to Hell: For if the mighty Works which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would bave remained until this Day. But I fay unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment, than for thee, Mat. xi. 20. Now by the Rule of Contraries, as higher Degrees of Sin fhall be more grievously punish'd, fo higher Degrees of Virtue fhall be more amply rewarded. 4. I obferve, when the future Reward in holy Scripture is promis'd, with the Addition of Words importing the extraordinary Greatness of it, it is commonly annex'd to very difficult Duties, and extraordinary Services; fuch as great Labours in the Work of the Gofpel, Martyrdom, Innocence, Love of Enemies, great Charities, and the like; as by the following Paffages may appear. Love your Enemies, and do Good, and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your Reward fhall be great, and ye shall be the Children of the Higheft, Luke vi. 35. Give, and it shall be given unto you, good Measure, preffed down, and fhaken together, and running over, fhall be given into your Bofom, Luke vi. 38. Lo a great Multitude, which no Man could number, of all Nations, and Kindreds, and People, and Tongues, food before the Throne, and before the Lamb, cloathed with white Robes, and Palms in their Hands. And afterwards, Rev. vii. 9. it is explain'd, that They who were arrayed in white Robes, are fuch as came out of great Tribulation, and have washed their Robes, and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb, therefore are they before the Throne of God, ver. 14. And elsewhere, They who fung the new Song before the Throne, are defcribed to be fuch as were not defiled with Women; and fuch in whofe Mouth there was no Guile, Rev. xiv. 3. Towhich we may add what St. Peter fays, Rejoice in as much as ye are Partakers of Chrift's Sufferings, that when bis Glory fhall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding Joy, 1 Pet. iv. 13. And right Reason is as confonant to Scripture in this, as in other Matters. For, 1. Since there are Degrees of Grace and Virtue so vastly different, why not, likewife, of Rewards in Glory? Is it reasonable that he who has taken but an ordinary Care in this fpiritual Negociation, fhould be equall'd with him who has used double Diligence? For tho' the Reward of all is far above what |