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<DATE>2011-09-27</DATE>
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<NAME>Leah Yurasek</NAME>
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<P>THE Doctrine of the Cro&s;s, OR THE DUTY OF <HI>Chri&s;tian Suffering.</HI></P>
<P>As it is Nece&s;&s;ary and Sub&s;ervient in order to the Obtaining Eternal Salvation.</P>
<P>Delivered in a SERMON on <HI>Matth.</HI> 13. 20, 21.</P>
<P>By <HI>RICHARD STAFFORD.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Ye are they which have continued with me in my Temptations, and I appoint unto you a Kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me.</HI> Luk. 22. 18, 19.</P>
<P><HI>Confirming the Souls of the Di&s;ciples, and exhorting them to continue in the Faith, and that we mu&s;t through much Tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God.</HI> Acts 14. 22.</P>
<P><HI>Cau&s;a, non Poena, facit Martyrem.&mdash;</HI>Cyprian.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed in the Year. 1697.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="notice">
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<HEAD>ADVERTISEMENT.</HEAD>
<P>THe&s;e are to give Notice, That I have &s;eve|ral other Practical <HI>Sermons</HI> or <HI>Di&s;cour&s;es</HI> of mine own Compo&s;ing (which contain many Precious Truths) lying by me in Manu&s;cript. Which if they, who have the Plenty or Compe|tency of this World, would be <HI>ready to di&s;tri|bute,</HI> and <HI>willing to contribute</HI> towards the out|ward Labour and Charge of the Printing and publi&s;hing of them, it would be for the Glory of God, and for the Edification and Benefit of his Church and people; and con&s;equently it would be a <HI>good Work</HI> in &s;uch per&s;ons who &s;hall be help|ful and any ways a&s;&s;i&s;tant herein, for which &s;ame they would be Rewarded by God in the Life that is to come.</P>
<P><HI>Charge them that are rich in this world, that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to di&s;tribute, willing to communicate, laying up in &s;tore for them&s;elves a good foundation again&s;t the time to come, that they may lay hold on Eternal Life.</HI> 1 Tim. 6. 17, 18, 19. <HI>This is a faithful &s;aying, and the&s;e things I will that thou affirm con&s;tantly, that they which have believed in God, might be careful to maintain Good Works; the&s;e things are good and profitable unto men.</HI> Titus 3. 8.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE READER.</HEAD>
<P>WHil&s;t I was in the cour&s;e of my Ministry, as if I had &s;poken Prophetically, or ra|ther by way of anticipation on the Lords day fore|going, I had Occa&s;ion to mention how that when <HI>Eldad and Medad did Prophe&s;ie in the camp, Jo&s;hua the Son of Nun, the &s;ervant of Mo&s;es, one of his young Men an&s;wered and &s;aid, my Lord, Mo|&s;es forbid them,</HI> I did thereupon Remark in the&s;e very words, Tho&s;e who now a days get their living by the Trade of Preaching, do think and talk after the like manner, it is Pity &s;uch an one &s;hould be &s;uffered, the Ju&s;tices of the Peace, and civil Magi|&s;trates &s;hould forbid him, (which Temper and Di&s;|po&s;ition is coutrary unto that of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and of <HI>Paul,</HI> in <HI>Numbers 11. 28, 29. Phil. 1. 15, 16, 17, 18. 19.)</HI> and it &s;eems to have been literally fulfilled in the &s;ame following week: for as I have good Rea|&s;ons to believe and under&s;tand, that he was put in mind and In&s;tigated &s;o to do, by &s;ome of the out|ward and wordly Priesthood: (for there is al&s;o a wordly Sanctuary, <HI>Heb. 9. 1.</HI> and a wordly kind of Religion at this day; Behold there came a &s;udden and &V;nexpected order from the chief Man of the Pari&s;h to the owner of the Hou&s;e wherein I
<PB REF="3"> Preached, forbidding my Preaching or Prophe&s;y|ing any more in that place. But when I told my hear|ers thereof, I &s;aid and promi&s;ed that for my part, I would <HI>fear no more. nor be di&s;mayed nor be lacking.</HI> Jer. 23. 4. But if he had continued in forbidding, (which Ble&s;&s;ed be God for changing his heart he did not,) I would have came to the Hou&s;e neverthele&s;s at the time appointed, and there have appeared in Per&s;on for a &s;ign and witne&s;s, Ex|pecting whither only two or three would have came to enquire whither the Word of the Lord was Preached there or not; And if any one be&s;ides would have lent a Room el&s;ewhere, or if any People would have stood by, as Je&s;us &s;at on the Well. <HI>Joh. 4. 6.</HI> and did there talk the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God with the woman of <HI>Samaria.</HI> And as it &s;hall be &s;aid in the day of Judgment, that He <HI>taught in our &s;treets.</HI> Luk. 13. 26. which was either when the People would not admit him or Mini&s;ters in|to their Hou&s;es, (for Christ teaches by his Mini&s;ters at this day) or perhaps they did choo&s;e to <HI>Teach in the &s;treets,</HI> on Purpo&s;e for the more Publick manner, and Notification thereof, that it might <HI>turn to them for a Te&s;timony.</HI> Luk. 21. 13. and for the &s;ake of commonly a Greater concour&s;e of People, Or as Paul went to the Sea &s;hore, where Prayer u&s;ed to be made, and &s;everal re&s;orted unto him, and there he &s;at down and &s;poke unto the People. Even &s;o I had thought, purpo&s;ed and re&s;olved within my &s;elf, in &s;ome place or other, or &s;ome way or other, even in the most orderly manner as the nece&s;&s;ity of &s;uch a
<PB REF="3"> ca&s;e would have permitted, <HI>to read out of my writ|ten Roll.</HI> Jer. 36. 6. (from whence note that Reading of Sermons is both lawfull and acceptable with God,) and al&s;o to haue &s;poken without book, &s;uch words as the Lord and his Spirit had put into my Mouth, and furni&s;hed me withall.</P>
<P>And though what doth exceed common Appre|hen&s;ion, or what is &s;omewhat unu&s;ual, is E&s;teemed by the mixt Multitude and Generality of People for Madne&s;s or Cra&s;ine&s;s, (which would have con&punc;|firmed the Reproach that hath been &s;o common in the Mouths of many People, and perhaps &s;ome of mine Adver&s;aries would have been glad of my &s;hewing &s;uch an occa&s;ion thereof,) yet this is to think and talk after the manner of Men; for notwith&s;tanding that Reproach, yet what is exactly according to the me|thod of God, and the Scriptures of Truth in &s;uch a ca&s;e, I ought to have done it neverthele&s;s, and to have left the I&s;&s;ue and Event to God, who would have rehear&s;ed up the &s;ame, and have rolled off that Rebuke from his Servant and Mini&s;ter, in the day when he writeth up the people. It is a certain rule, and always to be ob&s;erved, that when we are in the way of Duty, we ought in no wi&s;e to leave that undone Out of <HI>fear of the Reproach of Men, and in being afraid of their revilings</HI> I&s;a. 51. 7. or for their &s;eve|ral, kind of &s;ayings, let them be what they will.</P>
<P>But the Proof and Tryal of this did not come &s;o far, for as <HI>Jacob</HI> &s;aid to <HI>Laban, God hath &s;een mine Affliction, and the labour of mine hands, and Rebuked thee ye&s;ter night.</HI> Gen. 31. 42. &s;o altho'
<PB REF="4"> he did &s;end &s;uch an order, perhaps in a fit of Pa&s;&s;ion <HI>(the wrath of Man worketh not the Righteou&s;|ne&s;s of God:)</HI> yet probably upon &s;econd thoughts and con&s;ideration of the exceeding Peril and Dan|ger of hindering the word of the Lord, it being no le&s;s then &s;huting out of Heaven, in as much as God will not &s;uffer them to Reign with him in Glory, who would not have him reign over them here on Earth, by his word, and tho&s;e whom He ordains and ap|points for the Preaching and Ministration thereof. for indeed unle&s;s I was &s;ent and ordained by God. I could no more Preach nor yet make and compo&s;e Sermons, then I can now &s;peak any the mo&s;t strange language which I understand not. But this is a call and evidence of <HI>Gods putting into the Mini&s;try, be|cau&s;e he hath enabled me.</HI> 1 Tim. 1. 12. for it. Here is an an&s;wer, to that vain objection and bare contra|diction of many People. Or perhaps God did &s;ee mine Affliction herein al&s;o, (for I was very much Afflicted at the hearing of &s;uch an order, and it was to me as if I had been cut or &s;truck at the heart,) and the labour of mine hands among ye, and he was willing to continue it a little longer, and therefore God rebuked him by &s;ilent and inward thoughts to his Soul, for &s;o it was that he did not continue to ut|terly forbid and hinder, but he &s;eem'd to intimate that I might again proceed on in my Mini&s;try as I do this day.</P>
<P>As this was the true occa&s;ion of my first compo|&s;ing this following Sermon, or di&s;cour&s;e: &s;o of the Publi&s;hing thereof, let this rea&s;on be a&s;&s;igned, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
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<P><HI>The Lord God hath given me Tongue of the Learned, that I &s;hould know how to &s;peak a word in &s;ea&s;on. I&s;a. 50. 4<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> So the en&s;uing Treati&s;e is a <HI>Word in Sea&s;on,</HI> that is, proper and &s;uitable unto the pre&s;ent Generation. For as heretofore, Chri&s;t Cru|cified, was to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks fooli&s;hne&s;s: &s;o even now we live in an Age and Country, wherein the Doctrin of the Cro&s;s, and the Du ty of Christian &s;uffering hath been ex|ploded. and e&s;teemed folly and thereupon to little Practi&s;ed even by &s;uch as hold fa&s;t the name of Chri&s;t but they have denied his Faith. Which hath &s;o come to pa&s;s, becau&s;e of, the Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions and contrary doings of Men, who have made their choice, rather to Sin, then to Suffer; but notwith&s;tanding that, yet &s;till it is expected from &s;uch who are indeed the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and Stewards of the My&s;teries of God, <HI>He that hath my Word, let him &s;peak my Word Fiath|fully,</HI> Jer. 23. 28. <HI>Moreover it is required in Stewards, that a Man be found faithful.</HI> 1 Cor. 4. 2.) e&s;pecially in &s;uch a Time, when People are &s;o very much corrupt and gone a&s;ide from the &s;ame, (for this would be to &s;hew unto them, the paths of Life: O, that they would walk therein,) neverthele&s;s to Teach and affirm con&s;tantly <HI>the Truth as it is in Je&s;us.</HI></P>
<P>If Peradventure, God would give unto &s;uch Repentance to the Ackowledging of the Truth; and that they recover them&s;elves out of the &s;nare of the Devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.</P>
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<BIBL>Matth. 13. 20, 21.</BIBL>
<Q><P>But he that receiveth the &s;eed into &s;tony places, the &s;ame is he that heareth the Word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet he hath not root in him&s;elf, but dureth for a while, for when Tribulation or Per|&s;ecution ari&s;eth becau&s;e of the Word, by and by he is offended. <HI>Or as it is in another Evangeli&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Afterwards when Affliction or Per&s;ecution ari&s;eth for the Words &s;ake, immediately they are offended. <HI>Mark</HI> 4. 17.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>TRuly, there are but few now a days of that mind, who care to go to Heaven that way, <HI>That ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which ye al&s;o &s;uffer.</HI> 2 The&s;. 1. 5. (By the way, It is one thing to be worldly Wi&s;e, but another to be wi&s;e unto Salvation.) But the Opinion of the worldly Wi&s;e, and outward Wor&s;hippers, yea, and of mo&s;t who are called Chri&s;tians at this day, is, That if they only &s;hall be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God who &s;uffer for it; or if they <HI>mu&s;t enter therein through much Tribula|tion.</HI> Acts 14, 22. God may keep his Kingdom to him&s;elf as to them; for they do not care to go to Heaven that way: But it is truly &s;aid of &s;uch in the Book of <HI>Job,</HI> which is fulfilled at this day, and in this Country of ours, <HI>Take heed, regard not Iniquity, for this thou ha&s;t cho&s;en rather than Affliction,</HI> Job 36. 20. When they &s;ee, orperceive, or do but apprehend, yea, in mo&s;t ca&s;es, fal&s;ly &s;urmi&s;e, that the Cro&s;s of Per&s;ecution is coming upon them; as when they took hold of the young Man
<PB N="2" REF="6"> by his Cloaths, he left his Cloaths, and fled away nak|ed. Even &s;o now too many will <HI>deny Chri&s;t</HI> (as the denying of any part of the Word and Commandment of God, is denying of Chri&s;t, ina&s;much as Chri&s;t is the Word of God) to avoid Shame, the Cro&s;s, and Per&s;e|cution. Now if any deny Chri&s;t before Men, or re|fu&s;es to to own and confe&s;s any part of God's Word, &s;uch an one denies Chri&s;t; and him will Chri&s;t deny before his Father which is in Heaven. Truly and in &s;ad earne&s;t, &s;uch people will never be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which they do not care, nor will they &s;uffer. If any are of this mind, who &s;hall Hear or Read the&s;e Lines, I am to declare and make known to &s;uch, That there is &s;omewhat wanting in them, which is ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary to Salvation. I mean, a willingne&s;s to take up and &s;ubmit unto the Cro&s;s when we are in the way of Duty, and of &s;erving God, as the Hearing of his Word certainly is. Saith Chri&s;t, <HI>He that taketh not up his Cro&s;s, and followeth aftar me, is not worthy of me.</HI> Mat. 10. 38. <HI>If any man will come after me, let him deny him&s;elf, and take up his Cro&s;s daily and follow me.</HI> Luk. 9. 23. So that it is not &s;ufficient to be a par|taker of the Afflictions of the Go&s;pel once in our Life|time (O my Soul, con&s;ider this throughly, and act ac|cordingly.) But the Cro&s;s is to be taken up <HI>daily,</HI> at all Times, and throughout our Life, if we would indeed follow Je&s;us in the Regeneration, and if we would have our Souls when we die be where he is, even in Hea|ven above. <HI>Father, I will that they al&s;o whom thou ha&s;t given me be with me where I am,</HI> John 17. And then we &s;hould follow him now, <HI>That as Je&s;us was, &s;o we may be in this World.</HI> 1 Joh. 4. 17.</P>
<P><HI>The fearful and all lyars &s;hall have their part in the Luke, which burneth with Fire and Brim&s;tone.</HI> Rev. 21. 8. The fear|ful and all lyars. That is, &s;uch as are afraid to &s;peak out, and bear Witne&s;s unto the Truth, for fear of di&s;|plea&s;ing
<PB N="3" REF="6"> Men, or of Temporal Inconveniences and Pu|ni&s;hment. And Lyars, the&s;e here meant are &s;uch as di&s;|&s;emble, prevaricate, and <HI>pervert the Thing that is right.</HI> Who &s;peak contrary unto, or different from their own Con&s;ciences, and the Sentiments of their own Mind at the very time to plea&s;e rich People, and to &s;ay as they &s;ay. Which is a &s;inful and wrong thing, although it be never &s;o much practi&s;ed abroad in the World, even by the Religious al&s;o, to the &s;hame and &s;candal of pure and undefiled Religion. To &s;et our Souls in order be|fore we die, is to endeavour that there be nothing want|ing in them. But in the Souls of &s;uch here &s;poken a|gain&s;t, there is wanting the Spirit of Boldne&s;s, Tru&s;t, and the Spirit of Knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord.</P>
<P>1. They want that <HI>Boldne&s;s,</HI> which we read &s;everal times in the <HI>Acts</HI> of the <HI>Apo&s;tles,</HI> was in them the fir&s;t Preachers of the Go&s;pel, and of tho&s;e who did A&s;&s;em|ble to Hear them. Notwith&s;tanding the Heathen did rage, and the Rulers of the Earth did &s;et them&s;elves a|gain&s;t the Lord, and again&s;t his Anointed <HI>Be ye there|fore very couragious to keep and to do all that is written in the Law of Mo&s;es, that ye turn not a&s;ide there from to the Right hand, or to the Left.</HI> Jo&s;h. 23, 6. So at this very day, and in this Countrey of ours, which is called Chri&s;tian, but too many Anti-chri&s;tian Practices do abound there|in, I &s;ay and te&s;tify, that people mu&s;t be very <HI>courageous</HI> to keep and to do all that is written in the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, that they turn not a&s;ide there from to the right|hand, nor yet to the left: that is, not to one wrong Extream, nor yet to the other. If they will indeed fulfil his la&s;t Commandment which he is recorded to have given in Commi&s;&s;ion unto his Di&s;ciples, <HI>To preach unto all Nations, teaching them to ob&s;erve all things what&s;o|ever I have commanded you.</HI> Mat. 28. 20. But if people are for the keeping &s;ome of the Commandments of God and
<PB N="4" REF="7"> of Chri&s;t, and not of others, as this is the manner and u&s;age every where; and this is the very Rea&s;on, by their <HI>con&s;enting with the Deed of them</HI> (which is to par|take of the &s;ame Sin and Guilt. <HI>P&s;al. 50. 18. Luk. 23. 57. 1 Tim.</HI> 5. 22.) and by their <HI>over-pa&s;&s;ing the Deeds of the Wciked.</HI> Jer. 5. 28. That the Churches have Re&s;t, and Liberty of outward Wor&s;hip. This is one thing want|ing in them. But at the la&s;t Day of Judgment, God will not accept of meerly Acts of outward Wor&s;hip, nor yet a partial Ob&s;ervation of his Law; for this will not be a Religion to the &s;aving of the Soul. But as long as People are in this ignorant corrupt World, they are for keeping &s;ome of the Commandments of God, and neglecting others, the Devil holding all people by one catch or another. And to do this, there is not &s;o much need of Courage, as of Cunning; That is, to know and di&s;cern, which of the Commandments of God are fit for them to ob&s;erve, and which to neglect, in order to plea&s;e Men, get Gain, or &s;erve a worldly Intere&s;t to them|&s;elves. However &s;uch are called or counted Wi&s;e in their Generation, yet in the end of Time, and at the Di&s;tribution and Re&s;titution of all things, they will be both pronounced, and al&s;o found Fools. And &s;o con|trariwi&s;e it is, as heretofore Chri&s;t crucified was to the Greeks Fooli&s;hne&s;s; &s;o even at this day, that Appen|dix to it, the thing of Lo&s;s and Inconvenience is reckon|ed Folly by tho&s;e who hold fa&s;t the Name of Chri&s;t. For they &s;ay of &s;uch an one who hath &s;ubjected him&s;elf to Lo&s;s, Trouble and Suffering, by following the Gui|dance of God's written Word, and the Dictates of his own Con&s;cience, this or that Man is a Fool in his Reli|ligion. But them&s;elves do rather hereby &s;hew, that notwith&s;tanding they do hold fa&s;t the Name of Chri&s;t, yet they have denied the Faith; for if they had but Faith, they would never think or talk after that manner, That when God promi&s;es, <HI>For your &s;hame you
<PB N="5" REF="7"> &s;hall have double</HI> (that is, double Honour) <HI>and for confu|&s;ion, they &s;hall rejoyce in their Portion: therefore in their Land they &s;hall have their Double, everla&s;ting joy &s;hall be up|on them.</HI> I&s;a. 61. 7. This is to Recompence and make Amends for whatever Lo&s;s, Grief, or Sorrow they here|tofore &s;u&s;tained in &s;erving of God.</P>
<P><HI>And Je&s;us an&s;wered and &s;aid, verily I &s;ay unto you, There is no man that hath left Hou&s;e, Brethren, or Si&s;ters, or Fa|ther, or Mother, or Wife, or Children, or Lands for my &s;ake. or the Go&s;pel.</HI> (Now what is for the &s;ake of the Word of God, is both for Chri&s;t's &s;ake, and al&s;o for the Go&s;pel.) <HI>But he &s;hall receive an hundred fold now in this time,</HI> (that is, the &s;ame or like &s;hall be made up unto him in this World: Behold herein the Goodne&s;s of God, but there is need of Tru&s;t and Faith on him for it, or otherwi&s;e it will not be had) <HI>Hou&s;es, and Brethren, and Si&s;ters, and Mothers, and Children, and Lands</HI> (God will at pre&s;ent &s;upply all this by his other Creatures. I have by Experience found it &s;o, when my Father did for&s;ake me, the Lord did take me up and provide for me by the Mini&s;tration of his other Servants. Ble&s;&s;ed be his Name for it, &s;o that I am become an experiment|al Witne&s;s, which is the be&s;t and mo&s;t &s;atisfactory kind of any) <HI>with Per&s;ecutions;</HI> (the&s;e al&s;o have continued, but they were al&s;o much &s;weetned) <HI>and in the World to come Eternal Life.</HI> Mat. 10. 29, 30. As when <HI>Samuel</HI> a|nointed <HI>Saul,</HI> he confirmed the &s;ame by foretelling of three Signs. <HI>And let it be</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>When the&s;e Signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occa&s;ion &s;hall &s;erve thee, for God is with thee.</HI> 1 Sam. 10. 7. Which Signs exactly &s;o came to pa&s;s, and were fulfilled according as he had foretold, as may be &s;een throughout that Chapter. Even &s;o it is a certain Rule, to be &s;urely believed, and con|&s;tantly depended upon, That where God promi&s;es to do &s;ome things in this Life, and &s;ome things in the Life to come, as this precious Promi&s;e of <HI>Mark</HI> 10. 29, 30. is
<PB N="6" REF="8"> made up of both, then if God performs and doth ac|cording to the things promi&s;ed in this Life, this is an Earne&s;t and Pledge in hand, that his other words will be al&s;o <HI>fulfilled in their &s;ea&s;on.</HI> Luk. 1. 20. And God having already done this for me (Ble&s;&s;ed, and ever ble&s;&s;ed be his Divine Goodne&s;s for the &s;ame.) This is a comforta|ble and a&s;&s;med evidence unto me, that he will give me in the world to come Eternal Life. As al&s;o it doth confirm me abundantly, and &s;atisfy me clearly, that notwith&s;tanding I do bear in my Bo&s;om the Reproaches of the Mighty People, that I have been and am indeed a doing the Work of the Lord all along. <HI>By this I know that thou favoure&s;t me, becau&s;e mine Enemy doth not triumph over me.</HI> P&s;al. 41. 11. By this I know that thou, O God, ha&s;t had a work for me to do in the Great and Populous City of this Nation, becau&s;e that I have lived there upon thy Providence, and Providing, and the Mini&s;tra|tion of thy Servants, when I had not in my Pur&s;e and Scrip, as from my Kindred according to the Fle&s;h, what would maintain or provide for me three Weeks, or three Days. It is agreeable to the method and doings of God, to &s;end out his Extraordinary Me&s;&s;engers and Di&s;ciples with a <HI>Provide neither Gold, nor Silver, nor Bra&s;s in your Pur&s;es.</HI> Mat. 10 9. And when I went out, I had not &s;ufficient both for my Journey and Stay there, tho' I can withal make the &s;ame Return, that when God and Chri&s;t &s;ent me out thus, Lacke&s;t thou any thing? Tru|ly nothing ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary, for I have fed to the Full, and to the &s;atisfying of my Soul, and yet much more to the Peace of my Con&s;cience, that when I have been at my Father's Table. I do on purpo&s;e here re|late and make known what Lord hath done for my Soul. <HI>And he hath put a new Song in my mouth, even prai&s;es unto our Lord; Many &s;hall &s;ee it, and fear and tru&s;t in the Lord.</HI> P&s;al. 40. 23. That they who &s;hall hear or read this, may learn and remember from &s;uch a poor and
<PB N="7" REF="8"> mean Example as now writeth this, whom God hath carried through and pre&s;erved all along, <HI>He brought me al&s;o out of an horrible Pit</HI> (where in a Litteral &s;en&s;e Men did ride and trample over mine Head) <HI>and out of the mi|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ry Clay</HI> (although the deliverance is not yet through and perfect) for I hope that he <HI>will &s;et my feet upon a Rock, and e&s;tabli&s;h my Goings.</HI> But this I do the more willingly rehear&s;e, to encourage others to have Faith in God, and to tru&s;t in God, as they are &s;erving him faithfully and truly in that Work he hath &s;ent them here on Earth for to do.</P>
<P>The Sixth Chapter of <HI>Daniel</HI> throughout is mighty full, pertinent, and expre&s;s to this purpo&s;e, where the Devil had a mind to rai&s;e Per&s;ecution again&s;t <HI>Daniel.</HI> Which the Great God over all &s;uffered, to prove his Servant. And thereupon Satan frames a Device to af|frighten <HI>Daniel</HI> from praying unto God, by threatning him with the Lions Den. <HI>But when Daniel knew that the Writing was &s;igned, he went into his Hou&s;e, and his window being open in his Chamber towards Jeru&s;alem.</HI> (One would think he might have &s;hut it then, and Prayed &s;oftly to him&s;elf, and lock'd his Chamber door, that none &s;hould &s;ee or hear him to give the lea&s;t Information. But Bold|ne&s;s, and Tru&s;t, and the Fear of God made him to do thus. For it is here Recorded, <HI>He kneeled down upon his Knees three times a day, and Prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.</HI> Ver. 10. Well, what is the Con&s;equent hereof? He is put in the Lions Den, yea, and taken out of it again alive, &s;afe and &s;ound: The Text going going on to add in an ob&s;ervable manner, <HI>So Daniel was taken out of the Lions Den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, becau&s;e he believed on his God.</HI> Ver. 23. Mark, and remember the rea&s;on hereof, for it is worthy to be written in Letters of Gold, <HI>BECA&V;SE HE BELIEVED ON HIS GOD.</HI></P>
<PB N="8" REF="9">
<P>The Promi&s;es of pre&s;ent Comfort, Stay and Support, and al&s;o of the future Recompence are &s;o full and many throughout the whole Book of God, which are annexed to the &s;u&s;taining any Lo&s;s or Suffering for his &s;ake, his Word, and Wor&s;hip, that we may be per&s;waded of them, and embrace them, yea and act accordingly (if all along we do according to the revealed Will of God, and <HI>we &s;ee to it that our matters are good and right.</HI> Sam. 15. 3.) &s;o that if we fall into them, and thus come in for Sharers and Partakers both of the pre&s;ent and future Benefits, which God that cannot lye, hath promi&s;ed to them that Suffer, or are Per&s;ecuted for his &s;ake, his Name or Word, In all this and the like, <HI>the Spirit of God and of Glory re&s;teth on us, and let us not be a&s;hamed, but let us glorifie God on this behalf.</HI> 1 Pet. 4. 16.</P>
<P>Sirs! Mi&s;take not, nor yet deceive your &s;elves. The way to Heaven is the very &s;ame as it was in the Days of Old, or antient Times. <HI>No Cro&s;s, no Crown,</HI> no reigning with God hereafter, unle&s;s we Suffer for him here. The Scripture is expre&s;s to this Purpo&s;e. <HI>But if ye be without Cha&s;ti&s;ement, whereof all are Partakers, then are ye Ba&s;tards and not Sons.</HI> Heb. 12. 8. <HI>Yea, and all that will live godly in Chri&s;t Je&s;us &s;hall &s;uffer Per&s;ecution.</HI> 2 Tim. 3. 12. Who&s;ever even in the&s;e days will &s;trictly and uni|ver&s;ally ob&s;erve all his Laws and Directions; who is ful|ly re&s;olved to keep a good Con&s;cience in all things; Who will reprove Sin in his Brethren and Neighbours, ac|cording to what is commanded in <HI>Levit.</HI> 19. 17. and do this indefinitely, without Re&s;pect of Per&s;ons, not thinking that rich People &s;in more excu&s;eably than o|thers, nor yet are they allowed to tran&s;gre&s;s, but they ought to obey the Word of God all one as the Poor&punc; yea and <HI>reprove them &s;harply.</HI> Not mincing or &s;oftning the Matter, as the Reproof of old <HI>Eli</HI> was to his Sons; for which the Holy Gho&s;t &s;aith, <HI>He re&s;trained them not.</HI> But who&s;oever is zealous for his God, and will approve him to
<PB N="9" REF="9"> him&s;elf only, and not as unto Men, &s;uch even in our hypocritical Times &s;hall endure Per&s;ecution or Re|proach, and other worldly Lo&s;&s;es and Inconveniences. But as for tho&s;e that &s;eem to be Religious, and make a fair &s;hew in the Fle&s;h, who may ob&s;erve &s;ome of the Laws and Directions of Chri&s;t, but not all of them; and who are for keeping a good Con&s;cience in &s;ome things, but not in all things; who are for plea&s;ing and flattering rich People, and walk according to the cour&s;e of this World, and in the way of the Multitude, and they are of that Phari&s;aical Temper, as to <HI>ju&s;tify them|&s;elves before men.</HI> Luk. 16. 15. and they make it their Chiefe&s;t care to &s;eem outwardly Religious and Righte|ous; &s;uch indeed and the like may (as the fal&s;e Prophets were of old, to whom a wo was pronounced for this Rea&s;on) <HI>Be well &s;poken of by all men,</HI> or at lea&s;t by the Generality of the world; although they will not be well thought of by the Saints of the mo&s;t High; for the&s;e know and di&s;cern their Hypocri&s;ie and partial Goodne&s;s.</P>
<P>The rea&s;on why the &s;everal Churches, and the People of different Per&s;wa&s;ions at this day have external Re&s;t and free Liberty of outward wor&s;hip, is becau&s;e they con&s;ent and partake with other Men's Sins; and becau&s;e they do not &s;tand up and are zealous for all the Com|mandments of God. But if they once did thus, or if they did but once begin to Reprove Spiritual wicked|ne&s;s, Sin, Iniquity, Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and Hypocri&s;ie in High Places, the Devil would quickly go out again <HI>to make war with them which keep the Commandments of God</HI> Rev. 12. 17. And he would rai&s;e Strife, Oppo&s;ition and Per|&s;ecution again&s;t them. For the nature of that Infernal Spirit is not changed, nor doth cea&s;e at this day; no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> yet hath God ty'd him up, as appears by tho&s;e manifold Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions and mighty Sins, which are now done abroad in the world.</P>
<PB N="10" REF="10">
<P>It is reported of <HI>Ambro&s;e,</HI> who was a Saint and Ser|vant of God in his Generation, that in his journeying he came to an Inn, where calling for the Inn-keeper, and beginning to di&s;cour&s;e with him (by the way, the Talk of people was then more Divine, &s;erious and edi|fying than it is now a days) when the Inn-keeper told him he had never any Affliction in his Life, <HI>Ambro&s;e</HI> thereupon immediately remov'd his Quarters from that Hou&s;e, concluding within him&s;elf, that &s;uch an one was no good Man, nor yet had the favour of God. He judged otherwi&s;e than the world judgeth now; for they would look upon this to be an e&s;pecial mark of the fa|vour of God. But truly herein the people of the world do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the manner of God's dealing towards the Children of Men; For in|deed if we look into the gla&s;s of the Word, we &s;hall there &s;ee and find, that pre&s;ent Impunity and Pro&s;perity are rather &s;igns that &s;uch, who have them, are Ba&s;tards, than the Children of God; That they <HI>are men of the world who have their portion in this Life.</HI> P&s;al. 17. 14. from whom <HI>David</HI> prays by the Spirit, that his Soul may be delivered, and not be with them. Which is al&s;o the de&s;ire of tho&s;e who have Faith, and true Un|der&s;tanding in the Things and Di&s;pen&s;ations of God. Better is afflicted Innocency than pro&s;perous Iniquity; <HI>and a little that a righteous man hath, is better than the rich|es of many wicked.</HI> P&s;al. 37. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">6. As for my part, when I &s;ee or hear of any who have the Name or Character of very religious and hone&s;t People; and yet they never did, nor do lie under Per&s;ecution or Reproach; if they be not afflicted one way or another, nor yet &s;poken a|gain&s;t by &s;ome or other, verily I do &s;uppo&s;e and con|clude &s;uch to be either Hypocrites, or rather partial Chri&s;tians, &s;uch as keep &s;ome of the Commandments of God, and neglect others. The rea&s;on whereof is this, becau&s;e I know not how to reconcile the State of &s;uch
<PB N="11" REF="10"> People unto the Scriptures of Truth. For if any be with|out Per&s;ecution or Reproach, Affliction or Cha&s;ti&s;ement (whereof all the Servants of God in all Generations and Countries have been Partakers.) Either the Scriptures are not true which &s;peak univer&s;ally of &s;ome kind of Affliction or Hatred to all God's people (which would be horrid bla&s;phemy to affirm; for Heaven and Earth &s;hall pa&s;s away, rather than one tittle or jota thereof &s;hall fail, until all be fulfilled) or rather, which is the very Truth, &s;uch people who thus e&s;cape &s;cotfree from any Trouble or Vexation from the World, are none of the People, Saints, and Servants of God; al|though they outwardly &s;eem or pretend never &s;o much to be &s;o. After that our Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t (who had the Character from God, that he was his beloved Son) had with excellent Arguing, &s;hewed the unrea&s;onable|ne&s;s thereof, that the World &s;hould hate Him or his Di&s;ciples in <HI>John</HI> 15. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23&punc; 24. He &s;ums up, and concludes that whole Di&s;cour&s;e with this ob&s;ervable Truth, <HI>But this cometh to pa&s;s that the Word might be fulfilled, which is written in their Law, they hated me without a cau&s;e.</HI> Ver. 25. And &s;o it comes to pa&s;s even now (for the Scriptures hold alike true as to all Per&s;ons, Times, and Places) That there is no going to Heaven, or entring into the Kingdom of God without &s;ome tribulation or other. Yea, it mu&s;t be of that kind of tri|bulation al&s;o which ari&s;es from matters of Duty, and from true Serving of and obedience to God. For if it were not, or &s;hould not be &s;o, the Scriptures would not be fulfilled and found true. Good God! what a &s;trange kind of ignorant and corrupt World do we live in? Many of my Countrey Men and Neighbours <HI>(I was a re|proach among all mine Enemies, but e&s;pecially among my Neighbours, and a Fear to mine Acquaintance.</HI> P&s;al. 31. 11.) have been, and are offended at him, who writeth this, meerly becau&s;e he hath gone through a con&s;idera|able
<PB N="12" REF="11"> deal of Trouble, as if he was therefore an Hypo|crite, a Deceiver, or deceived in his Religion. Which was the very &s;ame Surmi&s;e and Reproach, that tho&s;e his two called Friends had of, and fa&s;tened on <HI>Job.</HI> As to which, God him&s;elf witne&s;&s;eth on his behalf; <HI>They have not &s;poken of me the thing that is right, as my &s;ervant Job hath.</HI> Job 42. 5. And &s;o it is as to the aforementioned Imagination and Saying, That &s;uch an one is an Hypo|crite, or Deceived, or &s;illy and fooli&s;h, as to the Ma|nagement of his Religion, becau&s;e his Religion hath occa&s;ioned Suffering and Trouble unto him. Whereas in deed and in truth this Reproach turns upon them&s;elves. For if judgment be made hereof by the &s;ure Word of God, This argues, yea and demon&s;trates them&s;elves to be Hypocrites or deceived; as certainly all tho&s;e are who obey but a part thereof, and not the whole Law of God Yea and fools, in that they lo&s;e the future Re|compence, promi&s;ed unto Suffering for Well-doing&punc; Who &s;o order their Religion, that it co&s;ts them nothing of Expence, Trouble, or Inconveniency. Who&s;e Religion &s;its &s;o lo&s;e upon them, that they fa&s;hion, and turn, and change it according to every wind of Temptation and Trial; that they may have it always in their back, and to blow with them. Who love to &s;wim with the &s;tream, although it tends to the bottomle&s;s Pit Who are for walking all along, or for the mo&s;t part according to the cour&s;e of this World, and to do as mo&s;t do, altho' as &s;ure as Scripture is true, this is the ready way to be condemned with the World. True indeed, that many times it is mo&s;t for the pre&s;ent &s;afety and ea&s;e of the Fle&s;h, To walk in the way of the Multitude, and ac|cording to the cour&s;e of this World, but only this is not the right way to Heaven. Of which they will not be counted worthy by God, or by Chri&s;t now, nor will they be admitted by them hereafter who are afraid, or certainly tho&s;e will not who refu&s;e to Suffer for his Name, and for the Te&s;timony of his Word, or for the Hearing or Receiving thereof.</P>
<PB N="13" REF="11">
<P><HI>2dly,</HI> In that kind of People, who when Tribulation or Per&s;ecution ari&s;eth for the Word, either before, or immediately afterwards they are offended, there is ano|ther wanting in them (and &s;o their Souls are not &s;et in order as yet, before the time draws nigh, that they mu&s;t die, and go out of the&s;e Bodies.) That is, they want the <HI>Tru&s;t on God.</HI> Now this Word, <HI>Tru&s;t,</HI> is a relative Term, and pre&s;uppo&s;es &s;ome Danger or Difficulty. For as the <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> proves, that the Object of Hopes is un&s;een things, by this kind of Arguing; <HI>For what a man &s;ees, what doth he hope for?</HI> Intimating thereby, as if &s;eeing was a kind of Knowledge and Certainty of &s;uch things; which is &s;omewhat more, and another di&s;tinct thing from Hope. So here in like manner it may be Rea&s;oned, if there was no Danger or Difficulty in &s;uch a thing, How could we tru&s;t on God concerning it? For the tru&s;t on God is not altogether &s;o much to be exerci&s;ed when we are walking in a Room, or when we are at Ea&s;e in our Hou&s;e, at a full Table, or in the mid&s;t of Health, Plen|ty and Pro&s;perity; or when we are in a whole Skin, and have the World at will. I wi&s;t that mo&s;t, yea all People can tru&s;t on God then. But herein is the true Excellency and Benefit (for only thus the pre&s;ent and fu|ture Good thereof are to be had) of tru&s;ting on God, <HI>When the fig-tree &s;hall not blo&s;&s;om, neither &s;hall fruit be in the Vine, the labour of the Olive &s;hall fail, and the Fields &s;hall yeild no Meat, the Flock &s;hall be cut off from the Fold, and there &s;hall be no Herd in the Stalls, yet I will rejoyce in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my Salvation.</HI> Hab. 3. 17, 18. And &s;o this is the Prai&s;e and Reward of tru&s;ting on God (for it goes beyond that kind of Tru&s;ting on God which the people of the world have) when we can tru&s;t on God in deep Poverty, Sickne&s;s, or Impri&s;onment, under Lo&s;&s;es, and the Oppo&s;ition and Hatred of the World again&s;t us for our Duty, and for our Faithfulne&s;s unto and &s;erving of God, then if we can &s;ay, yea, and
<PB N="14" REF="12"> a&s;&s;ent unto it in our Hearts, it is a good God whom we &s;erve. When we find and perceive from within our &s;elves all tho&s;e outward Evils &s;weetned unto us by the Holy Gho&s;t the Comforter. And when all this is come upon us, we have not, nor yet will we deal fal&s;ly in thy Covenant, nor put forth our hands unto Ini|quity, nor commit Sin, nor yet omit Duty, if we might be redre&s;&s;ed and relieved from out of all of it. Truly, there is Faith and Tru&s;t in this. Faith, that God hath provided better things for us if we hold on in our Inno|cency and Integrity. And tru&s;t, that although the&s;e out|ward evils by their pre&s;&s;ing and &s;itting heavy upon us, do well <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">igh con&s;ume and de&s;troy us (&s;aith the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, I am almo&s;t con&s;umed, but I have not forgotten thy Law)</HI> and make us to peri&s;h, yet we know and hope, that God will make a way for our e&s;cape (without our &s;inful complian|ces, or con&s;enting with the deed of them) and work out deliverance for us by &s;ome means or other; or if we &s;hould die and lo&s;e our Life in them, that he will rai&s;e up this Life, and we &s;hall again find this &s;ame Life in the Re&s;titution of all things, to which will be further graft|ed on Life Eternal. When we can tru&s;t God &s;o far be|yond the Grave (for this is further than we can now &s;ee him) that if we &s;hould die &s;ooner in his &s;ervice, and by doing his Work, for po&s;&s;ibly he might &s;uffer us to live longer in neglecting of it.) But then to hold on, and be verily per&s;waded &s;o as to act accordingly, That it would be better for us, if the Will of God &s;o be, than to have a longer Re&s;pit and Reprieve. This in very deed &s;eems to be the &s;uperlative and highe&s;t Degree of all, and the greate&s;t In&s;tance of tru&s;ting on God, which can be, when we love not our Lives unto the Death; But we are content|ed to be of the Number of them who are <HI>&s;lain for the Word of God, and the Te&s;timony which they hold.</HI> Rev. 6. 9.</P>
<P>I have heard &s;ome talkative Chri&s;tians u&s;e this follow|ing Scripture-Phra&s;e in their Mouth, <HI>That God may be
<PB N="15" REF="12"> glorified in them, whether it be by Life, or by Death.</HI> But herein is the Labour and Bu&s;ine&s;s, this indeed is the Ex|cellency and Prai&s;e thereof, and in truth it is a real tru&s;t on God, to undergo and &s;ubmit to the &s;ame. The Apo|&s;tles and fir&s;t Chri&s;tians did ju&s;t mention that Saying, but they did al&s;o &s;et their Seal to it, even the Seal of their Blood. So they were doers of that Word, more than talkers thereof. Whereas tho&s;e, who now a days &s;eem to be Religious, do al&s;o u&s;e this Saying in their Mouth, but for them&s;elves to experience and witne&s;s the &s;ame, if an hour of Trial &s;hould come, they would endeavour as much to excu&s;e or decline it; although it be by the way of Sin, or omi&s;&s;ion of Duty. But give me the Man that is for doing, is mo&s;t certainly the mind of God, as we may gather from his written Word, and and we al&s;o learn the &s;ame, becau&s;e &s;uch is the mind of his Rea&s;onable Creatures, who come mo&s;t near to the likene&s;s of God in Knowledge and Under&s;tanding, and of being without fear.</P>
<P>I might make a whole Sermon in Quoting and Ama&s;|&s;ing together tho&s;e manifold Scriptures (as indeed there are very many of them throughout the whole Book of the Lord) which explain and confirm that Great Duty of Tru&s;t on God, in the &s;ame Sen&s;e and Meaning afore|mentioned. As indeed the very Nature of the thing is &s;uch, That there can be no proper Tru&s;t, unle&s;s there is &s;ome Hazard, or &s;eeming and appearing Danger and Difficulty. But that place of <HI>Habakkuk.</HI> 3. 17, 18. aforecited, is &s;ufficient to confirm the truth of this Ob&s;ervation. How exceeding full is the whole Book of P&s;alms in the Bible Tran&s;lation e&s;pecial|ly) of Promi&s;es to this thing of tru&s;ting on God. <HI>The Lord al&s;o will be a refuge for the oppre&s;&s;ed, a refuge in Times of Trouble, and they that know thy Name will put their Tru&s;t in thee, for thou Lord ha&s;t not for&s;aken them that &s;eek thee.</HI> P&s;al. 9. 9. 10. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is that man that maketh the
<PB N="16" REF="13"> Lord his Tru&s;t, and re&s;pecteth not the Proud, nor &s;uch as turn a&s;ide to Lyes.</HI> P&s;al. 40. 4. By the latter part of which Ver&s;e, we may &s;ee and learn, that to have re&s;pect unto Per&s;ons, or to give deference unto Man, or to give way unto Sin, or to turn a&s;ide to Fal&s;hood; all this and the like is quite oppo&s;ite and contrary unto the making the Lord our Tru&s;t. But that that Man is ble&s;&s;ed, who maketh the Lord his Tru&s;t, we have it not only af|firmed here, but almo&s;t in every one of the <HI>Hundred</HI> and <HI>Fifty P&s;alms.</HI> E&s;pecially yet more in tho&s;e who have the <HI>Title</HI> and <HI>In&s;cription</HI> of, <HI>A P&s;alm of David.</HI> Therein is more &s;aid hereof (con&s;idering the like Quantity and Proportion of Words) than in the Books of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> or in the Writings of the <HI>Prophets, Evangeli&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Apo&s;tles.</HI> Though all the&s;e al&s;o are &s;ufficiently fraught with Ble&s;|&s;ings and Promi&s;es, made and annexed to the tru&s;ting on God. Why did <HI>David</HI> the &s;weet Singer of I&s;rael harp more upon that String than others? For indeed both the <HI>Book of P&s;alms,</HI> and al&s;o the whole Book of God&punc; and the Matter thereof is a well tun'd Cymbal. The rea&s;on hereof &s;eems to be this, becau&s;e that <HI>David</HI> wrote and penn'd the&s;e <HI>P&s;alms,</HI> during the time he was under con|tinued Affliction. <HI>(Saul became David's enemy continually.</HI> 1 Sam. 18. 23.) and the Per&s;ecution of <HI>Saul.</HI> And God being all along with him then (for as God was with <HI>Jo|&s;eph</HI> in the Pri&s;on, &s;o he is much, or rather more by his Spirit with his Servants in <HI>Trouble,</HI> than when they are out of it.) By the &s;ame Spirit he made known unto <HI>Da|vid</HI> tho&s;e his manifold precious Promi&s;es and Truths concerning <HI>Trouble, Affliction,</HI> and &s;uch like. How we &s;hould behave our &s;elves under it until God gives De|liverance, and what good things he will give to &s;uch as have been exerci&s;ed thereby, to make amends for the evil they have had. For this very &s;ame Rea&s;on, the <HI>Pro|phets who have &s;poken unto us in the Name of the Lord, are &s;et forth for an Example of &s;uffering Affliction, and of Pa|tience.</HI>
<PB N="17" REF="13"> The Lord God in his manifold and wonderful Wi&s;dom having on purpo&s;e &s;uffered Affliction to be laid on their Loins, that they might the better &s;peak forth in the Name of the Lord his <HI>Truths</HI> and <HI>Promi&s;es</HI> concern|ing it. The belief whereof made them&s;elves to be emi|nent Examples of Patience under it. For there is no &s;uch Speaking or Preaching of any thing; as experimental Speaking or Preaching, when what we have &s;een with our Eyes, we have looked upon, our Hands have hand|led; yea yet further, what we have experienced and felt from within and in our &s;elves, we declare unto ye. <HI>Behold we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the Patience of Job.</HI> James 5 11. who for this Cau&s;e al&s;o &s;eems to have undergone all tho&s;e Great Sufferings, that he might the better hereby &s;peak and declare true Words and right Words concerning tho&s;e &s;ame Suffer|ings, and of that <HI>Tru&s;t</HI> on the invi&s;ible God, which is proved and exerci&s;ed therein; which he hath accord|ingly &s;o done. Let us hear &s;ome of his excellent Words. <HI>My righteou&s;ne&s;s I hold fa&s;t, and will not let it go; my heart &s;hall not reproach me &s;o long as I live. Though I die, I will not remove mine Integrity from me; Though He</HI> (viz. <HI>God) &s;lay me, yet will I tru&s;t on him.</HI> This again confirms the truth of what was afore&punc;&s;poken concerning what tru&s;t on God means. And what &s;hall we &s;ay more on this Subject? <HI>Ye have &s;een the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender Mercy.</HI> By the Examples of <HI>David</HI> and <HI>Job,</HI> both who&s;e latter End was more than their Beginning; Yea, I will add yet furher that by the end of the <HI>Pro|phets</HI> who were kill'd, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span">, and &s;awn a&s;under, as they &s;poke in the Name of the Lord. When we &s;hall &s;ee (which is yet to come) at the very end and di&s;tribu|tion of all things, how graciou&s;ly and bountifully God will deal with all tho&s;e who have &s;uffered or died for his Name, Word or Truth; when all the great Pro|mi&s;es of Scripture &s;hall be turned into Performances,
<PB N="18" REF="14"> and all tho&s;e things which he hath there &s;poken of, &s;hall be made good, verified and fulfilled; then it will be found true and returned, <HI>That the Lord is very Piti|ful, and of tender Mercy.</HI></P>
<P>And how little, yea, no Rea&s;on at all they had, who heretofore believed not in God, and tru&s;ted not on his Salvation; but when Per&s;ecution or Tribula|tion did ari&s;e for the Word, they were offended. For hath God &s;aid, and &s;hall he not bring it to pa&s;s? That whatever Trouble, Hard&s;hip, Inconvenience or Lo&s;s any one &s;hall endure for his &s;ake, or for his word, he will make it up unto them more than an hundred fold, in the time of the Re&s;titution of all things. Yes, mo&s;t a&s;&s;uredly he &s;hall; <HI>and ble&s;&s;ed are tho&s;e that believe, for there &s;hall be a certain Performance of tho&s;e things which are told us from the Lord.</HI> This will be &s;o clearly &s;een at the Di&s;tribution and Re&s;titution of all things, that even the Souls of tho&s;e very &s;ame People who hereto|fore were offended, when Per&s;ecution or Tribulation did ari&s;e for the Word, will wi&s;h and exceedingly de&s;ire that they had not been offended, but that they had cleaved and &s;tuck unto that &s;ame Word &s;till, and herein followed the Lamb whether&s;oever he goes; al|though this &s;ame Lamb of God was at la&s;t <HI>brought to the Slaughter,</HI> I&s;a. 53. 7. For they might have Rea&s;o|nably, yea, and gainfully re&s;t in what is called the Fooli&s;h Doctrine, of &s;uffering according to the will of God, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 4. 19. and have tru&s;ted on his &s;tay, &s;upport and invi&s;ible Protection therein, and for tho&s;e future good things which God <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> lie, hath promi&s;ed and re&s;erved for &s;uch.</P>
<P><HI>King</HI> Agrippa, <HI>believe&s;t thou the Prophets, I know that thou believe&s;t,</HI> Acts 26. 27. So I now put you all to it, that &s;hall hear or read the&s;e Lines, do you believe the Scriptures, I know that &s;ome of ye do believe them. And to &s;uch of ye who do believe them, I have made
<PB N="19" REF="14"> known &s;uch things from out of the &s;ame Scriptures (which &s;hall be certainly fulfilled in their Sea&s;on, con|cerning the exceeding benefit and &s;weetne&s;s of &s;uffer|ing for God and his Word, that &s;ome of ye may be in love with Suffering, and ye could almo&s;t wi&s;h and de&s;ire to experience, and be Partakers thereof your &s;elves, whil&s;t you are in well-doing, as hearing his Word certainly is, or any way for the Word and Truths &s;ake. But as we are unwilling to tru&s;t the i&s;&s;ue and main event of a Battel, only to raw, fre&s;h and newly di&s;ciplined Souldiers, (there &s;hould be much teaching and exerci&s;e, before they come to real Blows and Fight|ing) although perhaps the&s;e may &s;eem to &s;hew more Heat and Forwardne&s;s, more Earne&s;tne&s;s and Courage than old Beaten Souldiers; yet &s;till there is not &s;o much dependance to be had on the former &s;ort, as on the latter. So notwith&s;tanding, what warm Affections or Willingne&s;s to take up, and bear the Cro&s;s, may ari&s;e in your Minds, yet I freely declare, that I &s;hould be loth to tru&s;t to your &s;tanding unto it, if once Con|&s;tables or Officers were coming to di&s;mi&s;s this A&s;&s;embly: For when once the Shepherd is &s;mitten, or begun to be &s;mitten, the Sheep will be &s;oon &s;cattered. <HI>I have trodden the Wine-Pre&s;s alone, and of the People there was none with me,</HI> I&s;a. 63. 3. &s;aid the Captain of our Salvation. For when once they begin to be broken. and the Sparkles of Blood to fly, then the People will be &s;ure to keep far enough off.</P>
<P>According to the Rules and Directions of God's written Word, and according to the Examples of the Primitive Chri&s;tians, who&s;e Behaviour was when they were di&s;turbed and interrupted in their A&s;&s;embling of them&s;elves together, they did not for all that, refrain or neglect the a&s;&s;embling of them&s;elves together, al|though they did not act by way of Violence or out|ward Noi&s;e or Confu&s;ion; &s;o ye ought to &s;tand to it
<PB N="20" REF="15"> &s;till: Although after all that can be &s;aid to per&s;wade ye unto it; yet &s;everal Hearers at &s;uch a time of Trial, are like the Children of <HI>Ephraim,</HI> who being harne&s;&s;ed, and carrying Bows, turned them&s;elves back in the day of Battel.</P>
<P>As God &s;aith in <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> (which is to be under&s;tood of Chri&s;t and his Mini&s;ters) <HI>Behold, I have made thee a Witne&s;s, and a Leader unto the People:</HI> So in a day of &s;uch kind of Battel or Trial, the Mini&s;ters and Preachers of the Word, are the Captains and Leaders who fir&s;t &s;tand in the Brunt; for commonly the Per&s;ecution fir&s;t begins with, and is levelled again&s;t them.</P>
<P>My God who hath trained and exerci&s;ed me on by little and little, hath now at length taught and in&s;tru|cted me how to behave my &s;elf, even by <HI>Preaching in Pri&s;on</HI> (&s;ee 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 19.) (which I did not under&s;tand &s;o well at fir&s;t, as I have done more lately: But by my former Ignorance of this kind, I have lo&s;t ground, and I have not gained &s;o much by Suffering as I might have done) and by &s;peaking out, and proclaiming the very &s;ame Words in Pri&s;on, for which I have been impri&s;oned, Day after Day, and Night after Night, and by laying before them, and mentioning unto them, the exceeding &s;infulne&s;s, unrea&s;onablene&s;s, and dan|ger thereof, as to futurity, which my Per&s;ecutors &s;ub|ject them&s;elves unto, in dealing thus injuriou&s;ly, and opre&s;&s;ively, and cruelly with me, only for my opening and alledging &s;uch and &s;uch things out of the Scrip|tures, the Law of the Mo&s;t High God; that I hope by this time, the Sinners and Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors are &s;ome|what afraid, le&s;t they &s;hould be tormented yet more, when the time of their Puni&s;hment, and the day of their Calamity is come; &s;o that my Per&s;ecutors are well nigh wearied out (for &s;ometimes even their Hearts and Con&s;ciences do recoyl within them) to put me much more, or hold me long in Pri&s;on; &s;o that I hoped I
<PB N="21" REF="15"> should have tru&s;ted on God in a way of Duty. I have &s;een a mighty and powerful effect of this my Preaching in Pri&s;on: When the Goaler or Me&s;&s;enger's Wife hath <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">een &s;ent to interrupt and forbid me in it, &s;he hath trembled like an A&s;pen Leaf; and I have thereupon immediately asked her the cau&s;e of her fear, for &s;he was a&s;&s;ured beforehand, that I would not fight, nor u&s;e violence: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ut an inward Rebuke of God in the Soul and Con&s;cience, as al&s;o an Apprhen&s;ion that there will be a Calling for, and an Hearing of the &s;ame things over again, When the great Day of his Judgment is come, will make any one that hath the Faith and Knowledge thereof (as &s;he had &s;ome) to tremble like the Leaves of the Forre&s;t; e&s;pecially, when they do &s;uch things to obey Man, which in duty to the Great God over all, they ought not to do.</P>
<P>Ble&s;&s;ed be God for it, this Scripture hath been lit|terally fulfilled in me, <HI>The Mouth of the &V;pright &s;hall deliver him,</HI> Prov. 12. 6. For my Mouth, whil&s;t I was in Pri&s;on, only by &s;peaking words of Uprightne&s;s and Truth, hath cau&s;ed, yea, and commanded Deliverance for me. And &s;o I who under&s;tood thus much, and al|&s;o I who had experienced &s;o much of the Divine Good|ne&s;s, Protection and Deliverance herein; for I am now become an Old Souldier, who&s;e Talent lies in Suffering, and not in outward Fighting; or rather in Fighting with the Sword of my Mouth, than with any outward Weapon; for I handle not Sword, Pike or Spear, but only the Pen of a ready Writer; I hope I &s;hould have committed my Soul unto God in well-doing (which the Preaching and Mini&s;try of the Word is) as unto a faithful Creator, not tru&s;ting in my &s;elf (Remembring well the Story of that Boa&s;ting P&s;eudo Martyr in Queen <HI>Mary</HI>'s Days) but in God who giveth &s;trength and power unto <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> and who would <HI>in the day I &s;hould cry unto
<PB N="22" REF="16"> him for it, &s;trengthen me with &s;trength in my Soul,</HI> P&s;al. 138. 3. Who hath delivered us already from Five Troubles, and doth deliver, in whom we tru&s;t that he will yet deliver us.</P>
<P><HI>3dly,</HI> In tho&s;e who when Per&s;ecution or Tribula|tion ari&s;eth for the Word, are offended, there is an|other thing wanting; and &s;o their Souls are not &s;et in order before they die. That is, they want the fear of God. <HI>And of whom ha&s;t thou been afraid, or feared, that thou ha&s;t lied, and ha&s;t not remembred me, nor laid it to thy heart. Have not I held my Peace even of old, and thou feare&s;t me not,</HI> I&s;a. 57. 11. The Holy Gho&s;t hereby intimating, that &s;uch who are afraid of Man, &s;o that they do lie, or di&s;&s;emble, or commit any other &s;in for to plea&s;e and comply with Man, who&s;e Rewards and Puni&s;hments are pre&s;ent and vi|&s;ible; but they do not remember God, nor lay it to Heart; that is, think throughly and deeply of him. Becau&s;e God keeps &s;ilence, and holds his Peace now, all this is becau&s;e they fear not God. <HI>I, even I, am he that comforteth you: Who art thou that thou &s;houlde&s;t be afraid of Man that &s;hall die, and of the Son of Man which &s;hall be made as Gra&s;s? and forgette&s;t the Lord thy Maker, that hath &s;tretched forth the Heavens, and laid the Foundations of the Earth, and hast feared con|tinually, becau&s;e of the fury of the Oppre&s;&s;or, as if he were ready to de&s;troy, and where is the fury of the Oppre&s;&s;or?</HI> I&s;a. 51. 13, 14. Per&s;ecution or Tribulation, could ne|ver have its de&s;igned Effect, which the Devil intends in rai&s;ing and &s;tirring it up, unle&s;s the People on whom it falls, did fear Man the vi&s;ible In&s;trument and Inflicter thereof, or &s;ome outward Evil to their Body or E&s;tate, which that &s;ame Per&s;ecution or Tribulation might bring on them. Now the intended effect of Per|&s;ecution is, either to affrighten from Duty, or to put
<PB N="23" REF="16"> a &s;tumbling Block, and occa&s;ion of falling, in the way of tho&s;e who are Per&s;ecuted, as by committing of Sin, putting forth their Hands unto Iniquity, con|&s;enting with the Deed of them, partaking with their Per&s;ecutors Sins, or &s;uch like. But if in all the&s;e, and the like ca&s;es and in&s;tances of Trial and Temp|tation, People did not fear neither the Per&s;ons of the Oppre&s;&s;ors and Per&s;ecutors them&s;elves, nor yet that pre&s;ent Evil and Inconvenience they would lay upon them, than as Chri&s;t Je&s;us their Forerunner, <HI>(who in that him&s;elf hath &s;uffered, being tempted, he is al&s;o able to &s;uccour them that are tempted)</HI> &s;aid upon an|other not much unlike Occa&s;ion; ina&s;much as every Per|&s;ecutionis a temptation: <HI>The Prince of this World cometh, and findeth nothing in me:</HI> So although the Devil is com|ing to rai&s;e a &s;torm of Per&s;ecution, Affliction and Tribulation again&s;t us, by &s;uch of our Fellow-Crea|tures, his incarnate In&s;truments, yet &s;eeing we know and are provided, and our Minds are armed before|hand again&s;t the wor&s;t he or they can do, let him be never &s;o wroth, and go out to make war with the Remnant of the Seed which keep the Com|mandments of God, and particularly. that his Com|mandment in <HI>Acts 4. 19. We ought to hearken unto, and obey God more than Man;</HI> and &s;o we ought to fear God more than Man, according to <HI>Luke</HI> 12. 4, 5. As long as we have this inward Grace and Know|ledge, this Strength and Re&s;olution of Soul, which is to <HI>have the Testimony of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> here it is im|po&s;&s;ible that the Devil &s;hould overcome them, or at lea&s;t not totally and finally.</P>
<P>The Knowledge and Wi&s;dom of God in the Scri|ptures, goes to the very bottom and Rea&s;on of things; whereupon it may be ob&s;erved, that the Exhortation which therein is given, to confirm the Souls of the Di&s;ciples and Servants of Chri&s;t, touch|ing
<PB N="24" REF="17"> this matter, that through much Tribulation they mu&s;t enter into the Kingdom of God; I &s;ay, all that Exhortation runs and &s;peaks on this wi&s;e, name|ly, that we &s;hould <HI>fear God more, and fear Man le&s;s.</HI> This is the drift and de&s;ign of tho&s;e two great Places in <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 51. 13. and 57. 11. as al&s;o of that Command of Chri&s;t, in <HI>Luke</HI> 12. 4. 5. Mind diligent|ly what excellent Rea&s;oning and Truth, is couched and contained in tho&s;e Words, <HI>Who art thou, that thou &s;houlde&s;t be afraid of Man that &s;hall die? and of the Son of Man, which &s;hall be made as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ra&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> Do but &s;ee him, and narrowly look upon him. Is not Man a weak frail Lump of Clay, ju&s;t enlivened? And what a fluid and uncertain peri&s;hing thing, is that puff of Breath which is in his No&s;trils? Think throughly hereof, and then tell me, is this poor thing of Dying Man, a fit Object to make thee or any one to tremble, or thy Heart to &s;hake? when perhaps, yea probably (for this is often the ca&s;e of Per&s;ecutors) him&s;elf trembles, and his Heart &s;hakes at the apprehen&s;ion of what God will do unto his Soul, when his Body &s;hall drop as a Carca&s;e into the Earth? Is this little and dying Man more to be plea&s;ed, than the Great and Ever-living God? in no wi&s;e, far be it from us. Ye do all now a&s;&s;ent at the Hearing thereof, but they only do labour and endea|vour to plea&s;e God more than Man, who fear him and think on his Name.</P>
<P>Let them who commit Sin, or omit Duty to plea&s;e &s;uch a Rich Man, or the like, take a Shovel or Spade, and go to the Grave of that Per&s;on after he is dead (in ca&s;e the other &s;urvives him) and dig there, to behold his Corps, and &s;ee what an ugly med|ly of Stink, Corruption and Bones he made his Idol to plea&s;e, whil&s;t it was in Life. A &s;inful and ungrateful Wretch, that I &s;hould ever di&s;plea&s;e the Glorious
<PB N="25" REF="17"> and Immortal God for to plea&s;e, gratifie, or comply with &s;uch a little, vile and ugly Lump as this is. Or if we do but &s;ee and narrowly look upon, and con&s;ider Man, as he lies upon his Dying-Bed, ga&s;ping for the la&s;t Breath, almo&s;t choaked with Flegm, and when the &s;hadow of Death &s;its upon his Eye-lids, coughing and panting, and groaning, and fetching his Breath &s;hort, till he breaths out the very la&s;t. And &s;urely then &s;uch mu&s;t be a&s;hamed that ever made Man his Defence (who cannot pre&s;erve and deliver his own Soul from flying out) or who to plea&s;e, gratifie, comply with, or to get the favour and good Will of this dying Creature, hath contracted &s;in and guilt in his Con&s;cience, incurred the wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure of the Lord God, which will re|main and abide on the guilty Soul, when all the gifts and benefits had from Man do peri&s;h with him, and come to an utter and fearful End. This is certain, the more one knows of God, and of his infinite exceeding Greatne&s;s; All Nations before him (taken all together and much more &s;o, then is a &s;ingle Per&s;on) are as Gra&s;|hoppers: The more we know or con&s;ider of this, the le&s;s regard or re&s;pect we have unto Man. And there|fore it is ob&s;ervable, that when the Prophet &s;peaks of the fear of the Lord, and of the glory of the Lord when he ari&s;eth to &s;hake terribly the Earth, it is there|upon immediately &s;ubjoyn'd, <HI>Cea&s;e ye from Man who&s;e Breath is in his No&s;trils, for wherein is he to be accounted of?</HI> I&s;a. 2. 21, 22. intimating thereby, as if we &s;hould draw off utterly, and quite ab&s;tract from Man, in order to better apprehend and know the Greatne&s;s and Glory of God. As al&s;o his Spirit doth here tacitely reprove that Deference and over E&s;timation which hath been given unto Man in former Generations, and continues at this day. I &s;peak to your &s;hame, for &s;ome have not the knowledge of God. But now in the latter days, very near drawing on, when the Lord ari&s;eth to &s;hake terri|bly
<PB N="26" REF="18"> the Earth, people will then know better, that the Lord alone may be exalted in that day. That though Man who hath abounded in Riches or Power, hath heretofore been much &s;et by and accounted of by a par|cel of their Fellow-Creatures. But this was their Ig|norance; for the Riches, Power or Authority were not Man's but God's, even at that very time, altho' worldly People do not di&s;cern as much. And al&s;o there is &s;o very little of intrin&s;ick Good in worldly Riches, Ho|nour and Rule, that even thereupon al&s;o Man is not to be accounted of. Chri&s;t will at length <HI>put down all Rule, and Authority, and Power,</HI> according to what is written. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15. 24. notwith&s;tanding now a days people make &s;uch a &s;tir and contention about it in the World.</P>
<P>This is certain again, That the more like to God and to Chri&s;t any one is (this is true Religion to imitate him whom thou wor&s;hippe&s;t, &s;aid one of the Antients) The le&s;s Regard or Re&s;pect he hath to the Per&s;on of Men. <HI>And &s;uch have not the faith of our Lord Je&s;us Christ, the Lord of Glory with Re&s;pect of Per&s;ons.</HI> James 2. 11. which Title, <HI>the Lord of Glory,</HI> is mo&s;t appo&s;itely, and proper|ly there put, becau&s;e &s;uch of his faithful People who di&s;cern the Glory of Chri&s;t, that &s;o infinitely much ex|celleth, will not much value any Glory of Men. It is thus written of Almighty God, <HI>He accepteth not the Per|&s;on of Men, nor regardeth the Rich more than the Poor, for they are all the work of his hands,</HI> Job 34 19. and of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; <HI>Ma&s;ter, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, for thou regarde&s;t not the Per&s;on of men.</HI> Mat. 22. 16. Let this mind be in you, which was in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, who did not regard the Per|&s;ons of Men; That is, he would not commit Sin, nor neglect his Father's Bu&s;ine&s;s for the &s;ake of them. E|very one may, yea they ought &s;o far not to regard the Per&s;ons of Men, as not to con&s;ent unto Sin or Evil out of Re&s;pect unto, or to plea&s;e Men, nor yet to neglect
<PB N="27" REF="18"> Duty, and in all things pertaining to God, <HI>to do as we u&s;ed to do aforetime.</HI> Dan. 6. 10. according as his written Word, and the Dictates of our Con&s;cience being guid|ed thereby, do in&s;truct us. Let men give what Com|mandments, Orders, or Forbiddings they will in Mat|ters pertaining to Religion, in and amid&s;t all the&s;e, the I&s;rael, that is, the true People of God know what they have to do.</P>
<P>To preach again&s;t having Re&s;pect of Per&s;ons, or Ido|lizing Man is not improper and un&s;ea&s;onable, as the World &s;tands at this Day.</P>
<P>For in the Souls of &s;uch who have the Faith of Je&s;us Chri&s;t with Re&s;pect of Per&s;ons, or who have re&s;pect of Per&s;ons, there is &s;omewhat wanting, <HI>viz.</HI> That God-like Mind, and Chri&s;t-like Mind, as not to accept Per&s;ons, nor regard the Rich more than the Poor, for they are all the work of his hands; for they are all Creatures of the &s;ame God. But this is one of the mo&s;t abounding and &s;preading Sins of this Age and Nation, to re&s;pect Per|&s;ons and idolize Man, which is crept in among the Re|ligious al&s;o, to the Shame and Scandal of their Holy Profe&s;&s;ion, and of their High and Heavenly Calling in Chri&s;t Je&s;us; For almo&s;t all the Talk and Conver&s;ation abroad in the World, which the Underlings have with their Superiors, the Sub&s;tantial and Rich People, com|monly called Gentlefolks, is to &s;ay as they &s;ay, and as they would have it, although it be in them to flatter, lye, and fain. It continues to be fulfilled at this day, <HI>They &s;peak vanity every one with his Neighbour.</HI> (Doth not al|mo&s;t all the Talk and Conver&s;ation abroad in the World amount to much more than Vanity) <HI>with flattering lips, and with a double heart do they &s;peak.</HI> P&s;al. 12. 2. in the Margent there; for a <HI>double heart,</HI> is, an heart and an heart; That is&punc; one heart in one &s;ort of Company, and another in another. But what doth all this tend unto? Or what will be the hurt and ill con&s;equent of it. It is &s;o
<PB N="28" REF="19"> much Sin in the mean while, and will be puni&s;hment hereafter, according to what the Spirit of Truth &s;aith, <HI>The Lord &s;hall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that &s;peaketh proud things.</HI> Ver. 3.</P>
<P>As it was &s;aid, the more any one knows of God, and the more like any one is unto God, the le&s;s regard he hath to Man; So this &s;tands upon Rea&s;on, for the Le&s;s mu&s;t give way unto, and be &s;wallowed up by the Great|er. One that is afraid of the roaring and devouring of a Lion, is not altogether &s;o much afraid of the humming of a Stinging Bee; And &s;o one who is afraid to &s;tand in the Mouth of, and then to hear the Report of a Cannon loaden with Powder and deadly Bullet, yet he is not al|together &s;o much afraid of a Popgun. Even &s;o it is here, &s;hould not his Excellency make us afraid? Should not the infinitely exceeding Greatne&s;s of God over Man make us much more fear God than Man; and &s;o accordingly all they do as much fear him proportionably, who know and apprehend him by Faith.</P>
<P>But &s;ay what thou wilt on this Subject, here is one Ob|jection again&s;t it &s;till, for it is evident, that the Gene|rality of People fear Man more than God, becau&s;e the Puni&s;hment of Man is pre&s;ent and &s;en&s;ible, but the wrath of God is future and invi&s;ible. Indeed the wrath of God in this Life is intelligible, and a little &s;en&s;ible and perceivable; but people do make a &s;hift to harden and render them&s;elves in&s;en&s;ate again&s;t it. Neverthele&s;s, con&s;ider the thing throughly, take the wrath of God as it will be in the length, &s;everity, and duration thereof, and then it is as much more to be feared than the Wrath and Di&s;plea&s;ure of Man, who&s;e Fury &s;oon vani&s;heth in|to nothing, and the utmo&s;t he can do is <HI>to kill the Body,</HI> which is only to break the Husk or Shell, but not to touch the Man him&s;elf) as the va&s;t Fabrick of the World doth exceed in Dimen&s;ion the Bulk of one &s;ingle Man. When the Soul &s;hall depart from the Body, then the
<PB N="29" REF="19"> <HI>judgment written. P&s;al.</HI> 149. 9. to be executed the vials of wrath will be then poured out. Then is it that the Souls of the Sinners and of the Guilty, will have a more terrible and la&s;ting apprehen&s;ion of the dreadful Maje&s;ty and Pre&s;ence of God in coming <HI>near to them in judgment.</HI> Mal. 3. 5. and Puni&s;hment than the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> had of the appearance of his Angel on Mount <HI>Sinai,</HI> or as the con&s;ternation and fear we are now in amid&s;t the mo&s;t dreadful Thunder and Lightining, in an horrible Tempe&s;t or Earthquake. For then the Soul will be <HI>Magor mi&s;&s;abib, Terrour round about,</HI> all &s;hivering and ex|ceeding trembling and quaking; when al&s;o the torment|ing Pa&s;&s;ions &s;hall be &s;tretched out to the utmo&s;t, and &s;he will fear as much as is po&s;ible to fear. What &s;hall I &s;ay more? Even this, The more we fear God in this Life, the le&s;s we &s;hall &s;lavi&s;hly fear him in that which is to come, with that kind of fear which gendreth Bondage; which only will be the Portion of the Sinners, Wicked, and Ungodly&punc; <HI>&V;pon whom he &s;hall rain &s;nares, fire and brim&s;tone, and an horrible tempe&s;t; This &s;hall be the portion of their Cup.</HI> P&s;al. 12 6. And we cannot <HI>fear God greatly</HI> in this Life, as <HI>Obadiah</HI> did, That is, above and more than all things be&s;ides, unle&s;s we know and apprehend him by Faith. <HI>And this is the victory that overcometh the World, even your faith.</HI> 1 John. 5. 4. This is the very Rea&s;on why &s;ome Elect People (The Lord add unto them how few &s;oever they be, an hundred fold) do fear God more than Man, even their Faith; for &s;uch be|lieve, that he is the Great Law-giver, able to &s;ave and to de&s;troy, that as he doth good, &s;o he can puni&s;h. That he can, and al&s;o will, where he hath threatned &s;o, inflict wor&s;e, and more terrible, and evil things, than what Man now doth in his utmo&s;t rage and malice. <HI>But I will forewarn you, whom you &s;hall fear; Fear him which af|ter he hath killed, hath power to ca&s;t into Hell; Yea, I &s;ay
<PB N="30" REF="20"> unto you, fear him.</HI> So I &s;ay again, and te&s;tify the &s;ame over and over, <HI>fear God more, and fear Man le&s;s;</HI> and then ye will not be of that kind of Hearers, who when Affliction on Per&s;ecution ari&s;eth for the Words &s;ake, immediately they are offended: Which Temper and Di&s;po&s;ition the Lord having &s;hewed unto me by his Spirit, that mo&s;t People are of; accordingly he hath directed, and put the foregoing Words into my Mouth, to fill and make up what is yet lacking and wanting in them, even the inward qualifications of Boldne&s;s, and Tru&s;t on God, the Spirit of Knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. Let therefore the <HI>Spirit of the Lord re&s;t upon us,</HI> and let him&s;elf give unto us the <HI>Spirit of Wi&s;dom and &V;nder&s;tanding</HI> (whereby we &s;hall be enabled to tru&s;t on him) the <HI>Spirit of Coun&s;el and of might</HI> (therein is included Courage and Boldne&s;s) the <HI>Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.</HI> Repent and do the fir&s;t Works, that none of tho&s;e things afore|&s;poken of, be found wanting in ye, le&s;t your Souls be not &s;et in order before ye die, and they go out of the&s;e Bodies, as to which the time approacheth near, and is ju&s;t at hand.</P>
<P>As for my part, rather than go out all my Days in a cour&s;e of Perfunctory outward Wor&s;hip, or World|ly Pro&s;perity, I had rather be ranked among the number of tho&s;e to whom Chri&s;t &s;hall &s;ay at the la&s;t Day, <HI>Ye are they which have continued with me in my Temptations, and I appoint to you a Kingdom, as my Father hath appoint|ed to me,</HI> Luke 22. 28, 29. And I would to God, that your Minds have been worked into &s;uch a good and re|&s;olved frame, by the things that have been &s;poken unto you out of the Book of the Lord, that ye will al&s;o a|vouch your &s;elves unto Chri&s;t, who is the word, (&s;o that he who doth it for the Words &s;ake, doth it for Chri&s;t's &s;ake.) <HI>Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into Pri&s;on, and to Death,</HI> Ver. 33. And then there is a&s;&s;ured
<PB N="31" REF="20"> and well-grounded Hope, if this firm, con&s;tant mind be in you; (for <HI>Peter</HI> who &s;aid and boa&s;ted this, his Faith did fail, and him&s;elf did flag and deny, when it came to an up&s;hot and Trial) that &s;uch Men and Wo|men, who are <HI>willing to continue with Chri&s;t in his Tempta|tions</HI> (it is &s;aid in the Plural Number, for the manifold kind of them) will inherit the Kingdom which he hath appointed. It is better (if the will of God be to &s;uf|fer it &s;o far) to die in a Pri&s;on upon a Bed of Straw, and from thence go to Heaven, than to be <HI>cloathed in Purple and Fine Linnen, and to fare &s;umptuou&s;ly every day,</HI> Luke 16. 19. or to die on a Damask Bed in a Pa|lace, and to go to Hell.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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