to the E PH E SI AN S. whatever he doth to thee, as in relation to this World, and to thy worldly ends ~ and defires; yet in relation to that other World, and the thtngs thereof, thou Serm. IV:. obfervefl that he frill is fure to carry on that defign flrongly and hotly; and pur- ~ fucs it hard to make thee more fpiritual, and to bnng thee nearer to himfelt: Oh confide; that even this it is to blefs thee, to blefs thee mdeed, to blefs t)lee according to the tenure and difpenfation of bleiling men under the Gofpe! , this is to blefs thee tn Chnfl, and w1th Chnfl, and the ble!lings of Chnfl; wno wall fent to blefs us in things fpiritual in Heavenlies; and in thefe is the fpedal good will and love of God, as thy God and Father, and as the God ahd Father of Chrifl, laid forth and feen. Thus he blelTed Job, when he took all outward things from him, Bleffed be the namr of the Lord, fatd he then, when all was gone. He could not have bleffed God fo heartily as he the~ did, if he had not tound God ble!ling him mofl of all at that very ume: yea, Wtth thefe he bleffed his Son Chrifl himfelf, of whom it is faid, God blrffed htm for evrr, and yet had not a11 hole to hide his headill: With thofe the Apoflles, who had neither houfe nor home, fuffered 11akedJJeji, h11nger, and were at lafl appointed and fet forth to death, as P aut exprcffeth it; whenas other Chriflians in thofe times; lefs beloved, and lefs bleffed of him, as the CoriJJthia11s Babes in Chrifr, carnal, 'et in a great meafure were full, reigned, abounded in all earthly comforts. God allowed them thefe Rattles then being as Children: but take Paul's judgment, what thor~gh o11r outward ma11 perijh, that is, o~r bodies, and the; outward flare and condition of the whole man, as we are men of this world? What though we fuffor lofs in the things belonging thereto, fo in lieu thereof our iuw11rd mmt 6e re11ewed dai!y, and the things belonging to this inward mad are thcfc Spiritual ble!lings in things heavenly. Yea, we may well futfer the fpoiling of our goods, as the Hebrews d1d, tf wflead thereof an enduring fub~ fianceintheHeavenbeaddedunro; as if we obtain one degree of grace (the leaf!,} there is for certain withal fuch an addition to an infinite difproporrion id Heavenlies made. The Pnmmve Chnfltans bemg poffeffed Wtth fuch Princi– ples as thefe, cared not what they were to this World. If thou beef\ a Servant• care not; yea, if thou wafl of Servants a Slave (as fame then that were called were, for Paul fays, Whtther 6o11d or fret in Chrift, ~c. 2 ColofJ. there were therefore.fuch in Chrifr then :) and the condition of Serv~nts, efpecially Slaves in tbofe ttmes and places was hard, and outwardly mofr miferable, their Lords having power of life and death, and to ufe them as they lifted;) yet how flight. ly doth the Apoflle fpeak of that condition, and but in one lhort word? Care 11ot (fays he;) he fpends no more words about it, nor no higher; as a thing fo mucl; taken for granted not to be minded in com[>arifon, upon this conlideration which follows, v. 22. For he that is called ilt the Lord is the Lord's[ree-ma11; that is thy relation unto, and condition in, and priviledges by Chrifr are of fuch tran: fcendent value in comparifon of this other, as this lhould have no weight with thee to.beregarded. Thou art blefl in.Chrifl.with all ble!lings in another,world j fo that tt ts no matter what thy coildttton be 10 th1s Wor-ld; only becaufe outward things joyned with the favour of God, are in th~ir kind ble!lings from God not tobe contemned; yet fo fmall as they come not into the Gofpels Inventory; therefore he there adds, that tf fuch an one could be free, he lhould ufe it ra.· ther :. and fo if riches, or honours, or power be cafr upon thee, ufe them rather; yet fltll he~peaks fo flenderly of the difference between thefe, as if fo little, and t.hat wh1ch ts, whether tt be the good of the one, and evil that is in the other, to much fwallowed up by that frate and condition we have in Chrifr as neither is much worth confidering. Oh my Brethren, thefe men that talked' and lived at thts rate. (asthe Apofrlesand Chriflians then did,) how flrangely and mightily mufl the~r ~mds be f~j>pofed to have been filled and polfeffed with the valuatiod and admmmon of fpmtual and heavenly ble!lings; yea, infomuch as when they faw any man fuffer much, they efreemed it an happinefs, an addition of bleifed• nefs to that man, Behold, we account them happy that mdttrt orfuffer, faith the Apofrle .'!ames. He fpeaks it as the common thoughts and principle of the · , , , [Vs all,] that are, or then were Chriflians, and fpeaks it in oppolition to the Jam.,..t, though.ts of th~ world; they account them happy that have riches, have beaul!ful wtves, fa1r houfes, &c. but behold, we account them happy that endure; a 2 aild
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