The Loss of all Things

for Christs sake . There are inward things of which we must suffer loss . The loss of all our fancied holiness , of all our vaunted strength , of all our natural or acquired wisdom , of all our boasted knowledge ; in a word , of everything in creature religion , of which the heart is proud , and in which it takes delight . All , all must be counted loss for Christs sake ; all, all must be sacrificed to his bleeding ,dying love ; our dearest joys , our fondest hopes , our most cherished idols , must all sink , and give way to the grace , blood , and love of an incarnate God . And not only must they be counted as "loss" but lower still must they sink , worse still must they become ; they must be counted as dung , as street offals , or according to the literal meaning of the word , as garbage of the slaughter house cast to the dogs . What a strong expression of the Apostle ! How great the grace , how ardent the affection , that made him so abhor himself and love Jesus .

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