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5
26
Ends
that
God
bath
in
fuf
ering
his
Saints
to be
perfecuted,
lÿ
this oppofìtion between wicked andGodly men,
can
never
be
curd
in this world,
till God doth
take
away
the
Saints
from
them,
or them
from
the
Saints,as
there
is a
natural(
o¡
Edition
between the
fire
&
the water,even
fo
the Godly
and
the
wick-
ed
there
will be
an
oppoltion
between them,read the
z9.Pro:
ul
t: There
you
(hall fee
that
the
righteous is
an
abomination
to
the wicked,
and the
wicked
an
abomination
to
the righteous.
I
but
you
will
fay,
Though
the Devil
and wicked men
be
of
fuch
vild natures
as
they will hate the
Saints, yet
Both
not God rule
over
all
, doth not
the
Lord reigne
in the
world
?
I
he doth
fo,
and
there
is caufe of
rejòycing,for were
it
not
that
God
did
reigne
by
his
Allmighty
power,
wicked men
would never fuller
a
Saint
to
be alive
in
the world,
as
loon
as
ever
any
Godlineffe were but appearing,
the
father
would
not
fuller
it
in
his
child,nor
one
neighbour in
another,but it's
God
that
keeps
in
the
rage of
the Devil!
and
the
rage
of
wicked
men
But
yet God
fullers
his Saints
to
be under perfe-
cution,
and he hath many holy
ends
in
the
fuffering
of
it.
As
fir(},
To thew
forth that
great
power
of
his
in
carrying
forth poor weak
creatures,
through
all
the fuferings that
they
meet
wirhalt.
I
remember
a
Heathen,
looking upon
the
Chri-
ftians
in
the primitive times,
fuffering with
Co
much
courage
fuch
great tortures
and
torments,
he cryes
out,
Of
a truth
the
God
of
the
Chriflians
is
a
great
God,
A great
God,that
loth
in-
able thofe
that
are
his
worfhipers to go through
fuch
great
fuf-
ferings with
fo
much courage and
cheerfulnefie.
Gods great
power
is
feen
in
keeping the
graces
ofthe
Spirit
alive
in
the
hearts of the
Saints in
the midefI
of
perfecutions:
And
then
as
much
Of
the power
of
God is
feen,
fo
there
is
much of
the
exercife
of
grace
that God
aims at
;
therefore
in
his holy will and counfel
he fullers
his Saints
to
be
under per-
fecuion,
that their
graces may be exercifed
:
.
That their
love to
himfelf
may
be exercifed.
It
was
a'boalting of
Scipio a
Roman,
that
he
had
fo
many
Souldiers,
that
if
he
(hould bid
them
go up upon
the top of
fuch
a
Tower,
and
throw'them-
felves.downxhq
would
all.
be willing to loofe
their
lives,
meetly