.... :DireEfions ag.1inft tl>e Fear of Sujferings for [hrift. 349 hi1 name. Acts 16. 2)· Paul andSilas[ang praifis to God at mid~i~ht in the ['rifo~ and. flock.! when their backs were fore with ftrtpcs. Its written of Come of the Chrtlhan:; that. were tmpnfoned by Julun, that they would not forbear in the Emperours hearing as he paffed by, to fing, Let God arifl, and bit euemirt jhall be {cJ.ttercd. . . . 9· 7 • Dircct·7· Lo•ehetter the holy Imagto[God "Ponyour feuls, and t!mtyou ,.,y be glado[the D.rc(/.7• gretit btlps to boliHe[s wbicb fujfcrin;u do ajfl.7rd. Who findeth not that adverfity is roore fafC and pr~~ fitable to the foul than prolperiry? .Elpecially tlw adverjity which Chrifi is en~aged to blcfs. to hiS fervants, ·as being undergoue for h1m? Rorn. 10. 3, 4, 5· We glory m trJbttlauon alfo; Jtnorvmg tiJ..lt tribul4tion wor~etb patience, and patience cxp"erience, and cxpcrie~tce bope, and bopc malzeth not ajh.nned. God ch<~Jlneth tll for cur profit that we may be p.Jrlltkerr of hir holinc[s; Now no chajliflmcnt for tbe prcjent JCmwh joyozu, bttt grievouJ ; neverthelefr afterward it y__ie!deth the peaceable fruit of righttott[- nefi to tbem tbat are· cxcrcifid thereby. Heb. 12· 10, ll· Moles cjlcemed th~ ve~y reproach fJ[Cbrijt grcaler richet than the trcafuru of A'gypt: and therefore rather cho{e to fuffc~ "JJlzWon witb the people ofGod, than to tnjfl)' tbc pleafitrer of {in for a fo40n. Hcb. II• 25, 26. It IS but now for a feafim, and if need be, that we are iu /Jtavinefi througb manifold tcmptaiionr, th:zt the tryal of our faith beint mttch more pretious than of Gold thiJt perijhctb ~ig!Jt be {o:1nd unto fraife, and IJoHottr, and glory at the •ppearing oj' ]<[us Chrijl, 1 Pet. 1· 6, 7· Who IS 1t that kno-xcd~ h,m[df, that fecle1h not a need of (ome affiid:ions ? to awake us from our drowfincfs , and qutcken us from our dulnefi, and rehne us from our drofs, and wean us from the wodd, and help us to mortilie the fl.e(h, and Cave us from the deceits of fin ? §. 8. 'Direct. 8. Remember tba# {ufferings art the ordinary way to Heaven. Love Htaven better and Dire8. S. yo:~r fuffering,r will ftem lighter, and your fear ~f tbtm will be leji. Chrifi hath rcfolvcd on it, that An4cl!atfi$ ( i~: if auy man come to ~im, an~ hate not hi-1 Fatlur, an~Mo!h~·r, andTf~ife, ~nd Children, and Breth~en, and ~~~l:~d :~~= Sifterr, J'e~, u11d hu own life alfo, be camwt be lm difczple: And WtJo ever dotb not be.Jr hu Croft n.1m dfc:t fe– a~td follow him, canuot be hir difciple: aild whoever he be of J'OU that forfak,!t~J not all that he b.Jtb, cunffi11u nJ.~ be c.mnot be his di{ciple, Luke 14· 26, 27, 35· In the world we foall have tribulation, but pe.Jce in him. vil_: ~.a in-. John 16. 33-· 1hrottgb much trib1tlation we mujt enter into the Kingdom of God. Ad:s I4· 22· If fo be 'l~lt, qu:e m that we JUjfer rrith IJim that we may be alfo glorified with him. For I reck._oH that the [uffcriugs 9/ ~r~ui7; ;:;ae: this prt{ent time are not worthy to be compared to tiJe glory that jhaU be revealed in Uf : Rom. 8. vcn we fiull 17, 18. 1herefore we both labourand {ufferreproach, becaufe we truft in tbe living God, I Tim. 4· 10. In b7 quiet from preaching theGofpcl, PiJu/ faith, he [uffcred aJ aH. evil doer even unto bonds, bttt the TJTord of God it a,l,thefe tl1"'", not bound, 2 Tirn. 2. 9• I {uffer thefe thingr, faith he, neverthclcfr I 4m not ajh:Jmed; for I k.,norv wiJJm mu.ts. I have believed, a1td I am per{waded that be if able tok,_eep that which I have committed to bim ag.Jinjt that day, 2 Tim. r. 12. Tea, and alltbt will live godly in Chrijt Je[ui jhaU fuffcr perfccutiJJt, 2 Tim. 3· 12· Our patience in flt./ferings is the joy of our friends, and therefore they are not .wo much to .. . be feared ; 2 Theff. I. 4, 5• So that we our filves glory in yott in the Clmrchu ofGud, for J'Oltr patience ~ng~~!~ P~~Ioand fuitfJ in all your perflczttion.r and tribulatiMJ tbJt ye tndJ,re : A mani.fifl tok..,en of the rigbteuM i~fm\~o:ume~ j~tdgement of God, that y~ nuy be caunted wort~y of the Kingdom ofGod, fur which ye alfo fiiffer. odio ~ec~rpe~ Therefore take the concluiJOn of all from God, Rev. 2. 10· Fear none of tho[t thi;zgJ whicb thou jhJlt re a\Jqutd . fujfer : Behold the DeviljhaJl caft [ome of yo:~ into ptifon, that ye may be trycd: and ye }hall b.Jvt tri- ~uod v~n~t 10 llulatiM tW d:JyeJ; Be thozt f.zith[ttl untodcrzth, and I will give thee a Crown fl] life, Phd. r. 28, 29, 30, ;~~~7. s;;~g~1• And in nothing terrified by your adveifuriu, w!Jich U to them an evident tokpt of perdition, bHt t~ you p. 7!8. of {alvaticm, and that ofGod~ .For to y:m it is givm in the bebalfofCbtijl, 1101 only to belitvt on him) but al{o to fi•ffrr j'or hi< f•ks· And ilnll we fear Co great a gij'tl . ~ 9· Direct. 9·. Remembrr how fmaU andjhort the fuffering wiU be, and how great and l011g the glo· Direll· 9• no1u reward. lt IS but a l1ttle wh1le and the pam and fhame wzU a)l be pafi ; but the glory will be ncv' r paft: What the wmfe now is Stephen for his fioncs, or J ohn BApti}t for being beheJ.ded ; or Paul for his bond.r and a.filil1i()m which did CVLry where abide him, or any ho!y Mlnyr for rhe torment and death which ~hey underwent? 0 how the cafe is altered with them, now God hath wiped awa.y all tears from the1r eyes! Ar~~e fo tc.:ndcr that we· cannor endure the grief that is but for Pfai. 30. S'• " mgbt, when we know that JOY wtll come in the morning l 2 Cor.4. 16, 17, 1S. For thir ca:iff we fai~tt .1101 ; ~ut t~ougb our ouhPard man perifh, yet the inner manU remwed. day by day. Fer vur light E~cin8_us!ml~ tJffit.Eho1t, whtch tJ b11t for a.moment~ work,.eth for us a far more exceeding and etcr,zal weight tJf glury: b1tur 1Jcm~ wb~le Jl!e look.. not at tbe thmgr wbzch ar~ [ten, ~ut at tbe things which are not fcen : for the thing.r whtch ar~ feen are temporal, but the th~ngJ whzch are not [een are etcrnJl, Heb. tc". 35, 36, 37,38. Cajl not away therefore your con~den~e, whJCh bath great rtc;Jmpence ofreward: For )'t have need ofpatience, that after ye have.done the wtll oj God, ye might receive the prornife: For yet a little while, and be that }hall come, wzll come, and wzU 1tot tarr)'· Now the Jujt jhaU live by faith: but ifany man draw baci(,, 11ry foul jhaU have no pieafore in him. §· IO· .D~rett. IQ. When ) 10U are delivered from the power of the Devil hirN{t/f, what caufe bave you Dire&. IO• to fear hzr mflrumentJ ? Can they do more than he ? If Goliah the Champwn, ana the: General be overcome, the common Souldiers are not like toovercome us. §. •.I·. Di~ed-. I I· Are.you better than your Lorell Look._ to him, and be confirmt_d, Mltth. zo. 24· DirtlJ. I r. '1be difozple. u not above hu Maflcr, nor the fervant above hU Lord. It ir enough for the di[ciple that he be as hu M•ffer, and th< Jirvant as hit Lord. If they haw caUcd the M•Jier of the ho•fi Beelzcbub, #Jow n:uch more jhaU they .call them ofhu bottfhold? Hl~·.U· r., 2, 3• Llf UJ run rrith pa:icnce the race that tJ fit .before IY, /ookmg to JefM. the autbcr and ftnijher of our faith , t1 ho for the j~y that war fit before btm, endt<red the Crnfs dcjpijing tbejhame, and is fit dllTI>n al theright h>ndof the throne of God:
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=