mrincipfes for fuffering, ing principle When God gives me the ufe Of a creature, and I enjoy it in God, in the love and favour of God, then there's' force good in it, or if I can any way make ufe of it to improve it for the honour and praife of God, then there's comfort in it indeed, but now take away thefe two things:in any creature that any man in the world injoyes, and there is no good at all in it, it's but a meet empty (hell : As thus, Thou haft fuch and fuch comforts in the creature,but doll thou injoy any thin of God in them, or doll thou injoy them for God ? then they are good, but without this, they are nothing but emptinefle; there s nothing but wind in them: Now then. if I be call'd to futfer in the caufe of Chrill : Thi.s is as it were to me a loud voice from Heaven: This creature that now you are call'd ro part withall in.w.itneffe to my truth, you can injoy me no fur - ther in it, nor you can improve it no further in the injoymenr of ir, but in the parting with it, now that that had a goodneile ink before in the injoyment of it, ha v the goodneffe in it in parting from it ;- that's a futth principle, and were we principled aright in this, how 'eafie were it to part with any creature comfort in the caufe of Chrill. Seventhiy, The feventh fuffering principle is this, There's no futferings of any of the Saints that they are call'd unto at any time, but :they are ordered by God for the time pf the fuffering, for the kind of the fuffering, the continuance of the fuffering, the in(lruments of the fuffering,every thing in every fuffering, it is ordered by God before hand, determined by him how it (hall be,that at fuch a time fuch a man (hall futfer, and not fuch a man, and by fuch meads and not other means, and in fuch a kind, and fo long to continue and no longer;You know that in the Revelation, Satan (hall 4 fame of pas into Pri fon for ten dayes : He (hall caftbut forme of you, not all, and- he (hait but caPt you into pri fon, and not take away your lives, and'thii (hall be but ten dayes neither : Now this - confiderati- on is a mightyftrengthning confideration to the Ciiff27ings of the Saints, as it was to Chrill, that all his futfeiings were de- termined before hand ; It was a Freng,hning to him, fo cer- tainly it is to the Saints to confider _char all their.fiifferiñgs.are deter 557'
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