Ralph Erskine (The Vanity of Earthly Things, etc.), Sermons 1:249:
The godly are no losers, though they should lose all things in the world for Christ’s sake. What makes them venture the loss of all for the cause and interest of Christ? Why, they know Christ to be all, and the world nothing but vanity. They may easily forsake all things and follow Christ; for they lose but vanity, and reap solid comfort, solid happiness. We see this abundantly clear from Mark 10:29, 30, “Jesus said, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an 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.” This seems to be a contradiction: but, though they lose their houses and lands, etc., yet they shall reap them equivalently. Yea, what is more than the equivalent; they reap true comfort here and true happiness hereafter. So that their light afflictions work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
The godly are no losers, though they should lose all things in the world for Christ’s sake. What makes them venture the loss of all for the cause and interest of Christ? Why, they know Christ to be all, and the world nothing but vanity. They may easily forsake all things and follow Christ; for they lose but vanity, and reap solid comfort, solid happiness. We see this abundantly clear from Mark 10:29, 30, “Jesus said, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an 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.” This seems to be a contradiction: but, though they lose their houses and lands, etc., yet they shall reap them equivalently. Yea, what is more than the equivalent; they reap true comfort here and true happiness hereafter. So that their light afflictions work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
