Principles for- fuffering. S 59 Tenthly, That there is more evil in the leaf{ fin, then in the greatef+ adiietions, 'cis an ill choife to ch iofe the leaf+ fm rather then the greateft affliction, if fufferings be prefented ro thee, and thou art afraid of them, thou thinkef+ them ter- rible, why the leaf+ vain thought of thy mind is a greater evil then all the'torments that all theperfecùtors in the world can inflkt upon you. -You will fay, this is hard: -- This is a riddle indeed to carnali hearts, a riddle, why my Text it f.:lf is a rid- dle, and therefore no mervail though weffeak things that carnal hearts ¿annoy underi+and, but certainly thofe tb whom God hatte ever made known the dreadfull evil that there is in fin, they cannot but be, and are in fome meafure fenfible of ir, that there is more evil in any one fin, then in any aflli &ions whatfoever, and therefore they had rather to indure the grea- tei+ fufferings then willingly to commit the left known fin, it may be force of youaccount light of fin, and can upon every little temptation be drawn to the commiifon of it ; wel, but how lightly foever you make of fin, thoe that are the Saints of God that knowwhat fin means, they had rather indure all the torments that can be devifed in the world, then to commit any one know fin wilfully : certainly there's a great deal of dif- ference between thy apprehenfron and theirs ; I befeech you brethren lay up this tenth fut£ering principle(for,fo I cal them) Lay up as many as you can remember,, and+ defire thole that do remember, or take them, to help you with them, that you may lay them to your hearts, and lay them up by you againf+ the time that God may calf you to futter fog' his tru -h But that in the Text bath much in it ; Bleffed are they that Are yerfecuted for Righteoufneff ' fake: There is a great bl e ?ing in fufferina , -- That we may add as a eleventh That fuffer- ing for Chrif+ is a great bleiling, and that's-the point in the text ; Its a gift of God ; Its given to you, not onely to beleevei but to Puffer : It's a greater gift to be Inabled ro (lifer for Chrif+, then to be Inabled to do any thing in -he world for him :, If Chrif+ fhould Inabie you to work miracles, it were no fo great a Gift, if you were Inabled ro raife the dead out of their graves , as for Chrilt to give you a, fuffering heart, heart
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