SPIRITUAL PEACE AND COMFORT. 377 selfobliged to own, and bear out, and reward those that hazard estate, and credit, and life, for you. And if you cannot obey God in such a trial, it is a sad sign of a false-hearted hypocrite, except your fall be only in a temptation, fromwhich you rise with renew- ed repentance and resolutions, which will conquer for the time to come ; as Peter, who, being left to himself foran example ofhu- man frailty, and that Christ might have. no friend to stick by him when he suffered for our sin, yet presently wept bitterly, and af- terwards spent his strength and time in preaching Christ, and laid down his life in martyrdom for him. So, perhaps, many a poor servant, or hard laborer, hath scarce any time, except the Lord's day, to pray or read. Let such pinch the flesh a little the more; (so they do not overthrow their health) and either work the harder, or fare the harder, or be clothed the more meanly, or especially break a little of their sleep, that they may find some time for these duties ; and try whether the peace and comfort will not recompense it. Never any man was a loser for God. So private Christians, cannot conscionably discharge the great plain duty of reproof and exhortation, joyingly, yet plainly telling their friends and neighbors of their sins, and danger, and duty, but they will turn friends into foes, and possibly set all the town on their. heads. But is it a duty, or is it not ? If it be, then trust God with the issue, and do your work, and see whether he will suffer you to be losers. For my part, I think that if Christians took God's word before them, and spared the flesh less, and trusted themselves and all to Christ alone, and did not balk all the troublesome and costly part of religion, and that which most crosseth the interest of the flesh, it would be more ordinary with them to be filledwith the joys of the Holy Ghost, and walk in that peace of conscience which is a con- tinual feast; and to have such full and frequent views bothof the sincerity of their evidencing graces and of God's reconciled face, as would banish their doubts and fears, and be a greater help to their certainty of salvation, than much other labor doth prove. If you flinch not the fieryfurnace, you shall have the companyof the Sonof God in it. Ifyou flinch not the prison and stocks;you may be able to sing as Paul and Silas did. If you refuse not to be stoned with Stephen, you may perhaps see heaven opened as he did. If you think these comforts so dear bought, that you will rather venture without them, let me tell you, you may take your course, but the end will convince you to the very heart, of the folly of your choice. Never, then, complain for want of comfort ; re- member you might have had it, and would not. And let me give you this with you; You will shortly find, though worldly pleasures, riches and honors, were some slight salves to your molested con- VOL. I. 48
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