940 / 1054
56z
what
blefedneffe
there
isinfuffertng for
rijhtioufneffe.
faith, he
was a
great deale more Glorious, then
when
he
was
lift
up
to
the highefl
heavens
:
when he
was
call
into prifon,
there
he
was
more Glorious, then
when he
heard
thofe
words:
that
were unutterable, and
fuch
kind
of
expreffìons he
bath
further
about him.
I
remember
in
the primitive times, read-
ing
of
Turtull,an
when he
was
to
fpeak
to
thofe
that fuffer'i
for Chr
it+
;
'Tis
not
for
me,
I
am nor
great
enough to be
able
to
fpeak
to
loch
Glorious creatures
as you
are
;
yea and they
were bound,
in honour
to
the Martyrs,
to
go
creeping to
their
very
chains, and kiffe
them
in
honour
to
them:.
When
ChraOome
was
fpeakìng
of
Tabelles,
a
Martyr,
he
fpeaks,
If
it
be
lawful./ to
call
him
a
man;
fo farce
they did
honour
thofe
that
flattered
for
Chrifl
;
O
it's
honourable before
men
and
.Angelis,
before
God
himielfe, before the
Churches, before all
the
Saints
;
SaithBafrl
i'peaking
in
his
Oration. about the for-
ty Martyrs,
Blefjéd
are
thole Tongues
that
fh"all con
feffeChrift
They
do
as
it
were
fantiïe
the
Aire,
while
they
"are
fpeakin
in
the
Confeffion
of
Chrifl
in
their
fuiferings.
Thirdly
,
It's
a bleffed
thing to
fuffer
for Righteoufneffe
"fake,
for
It's the
higheft
and
greatefi
Improvement of
mens
abilities, Graces, Comforts,
whatfoever
they Imoy;
It's
the
higheff
Improvement that
can
be for
them to
fuffer
:
Never
are mens Graces
fo
improv'd
as
in
times of
fuffering
:
The
peo-
ple
of
God
were never
fo eminent in
Grace,
as
an
perfeçutin¡r
times,
The
Church of
God
finelr fweeter
when
they were
as
it
were Rofes
oft
into
the Still,
and
had
the
fire of
perfecuti-
on
put under
them,
then
when they
grew flourühing
upon
-;he
ftalke
:
As
The
Spices have
a
more fragrant finell
when
they
are
beaten
to powder,
then
when they are whole
;
And
fo
the
Saints
Graces are more fragrant
in
the nofirills
of
God,
and
do
growup
more
in
the time
of
fuffering
then 'ever
;
O
what
breathings of holinetfe
was
there,
and heaven
upon earth,
that
the
Saints
injoy'd in the times
of
haltering, through the
emi-
nency à`
Grace in the Primitive times.
"--
Certainly
the
Chu;
ch was
never more fruitful
then
when
it
was
watred
with
her
own
blood,t
hen
i,
brought forth
more
fruit
to
Jefus
C'hri(l.
It's
the
higheQ Improv°enaeE
of
the
Grates
of
the
Spirit
et
Goci,