911 / 1054
'Preparations
for
fuffering.
and
felf-
opinion, and
felf-will, and
felf-lufls,
we
muff
learn
to
deny
our
'elves,
and
to
be
as
nothing
in
our felves
:
What
is is
for us
to be
willing
to
{infer any
thing,that
are
wrerched,curfed
creatures in
our selves, when
as
any
man
or
woman can
come
to fee
themfelves
asvild,
as
nothing,
wo
fe
then nothing,
as
a
fire
brand
of
hell, I might
have fuffered
the eternall
coin
-ants
of
hell,
I
might
have
been
fuell for
the
anger of
God to burne
upon
to
all
eternity,
and what
is
it
for
me
to
be
call'd
upon
to
fufter for
his names
fake,this one
meditation
harts as
much pow
-
er
as
any
one
I
know,
both
toprepare
men
for futfering, and
to
help
them
in
their
fufferings, when
they
can
but
think
thus,"
Lord what
evills
can
men
mflió
upon
me that
shall
any
way
be
like
to thofe evils
that
I
might
have
fuffered from
the
wra:h
God
for my fin
?
I might
have
been
a
fire
-brand
of
hell,
a
beenunder thofe
eternal'
torments in tho
e
everlaffing
flames
of
hell roaring and crying with
Divils
and
damned fpirits to-all
is
eternity,
what
it
to
Puffer
a nick
name,
to
fuffer
prif
on, and
the lolle of
my
&ate,
or
to be
frown'd upon
by
great men, 6
let
us
labour
to be emptyed
of our
felves, and
let
us conclude-
thus,
that it
is
better
to
loofe' for
God
then to
enjoy for
our
felves
;
principle your felves
in
that
principle,
AbDundauce,
of
other
fuch means
might be named,
but
I would gladly
have
made
tome entrance
into the other
poynt
:
Bleffed
are
they
that
fuffer
perfecution
for
rihteoufneffe
fake,
Why if
men
fuller
perfecution for
their
wickednetfe,
then
they
are
curfed,
butwhen
they
fuffer
perfecution for
righteotfneffe, then they
are
bleffed.
You
will fay,for
righteoufneffe,
how
may
men fuller
perfe-
cution
for
righteoufuefle
?
I in
the
opening
of the
poynt,the
raft
day.
!hewed
you
forme-
thing,
about
it
:
But,
Firfl,
I
(hall
Phew yon
that all
fufferings
of men for
matters
of
Religion,is
not
fuffering
perfecution.
But-then
Secondly,
That
many
men
may
be perfecuted of o-
thers for righreouinefs fake, &
yet
little
think
of
it
rhemfelves.
Thefe
two things
I
efpeciálly
intended
in
the opening of this
poynt.
Fog
533