0 2 Agamfifpiritual wickedneffe. re- inforc't in his faith, and indued with power from above, was able within the ipace of a ,N Z!i. atter that lad foile, to die at the ftakectie,,i-tully pro noba mortem learnt vicit, lover in no- bid vincit: He that ()ace overcame death for us, 'cis he that always overcame death in us. And who fhould be thy Song, but he that is thy firength ? applaud not thy felfe, but blefle him. 'Tis one of Gods Names, be is cana the glory of his pea. piesfirength, Plat. ao. z 7. The more thou glonefl in God that gives thee flrength to fuffer for him, the leffe thou wilt boaft of thy fell: A thankful heart and a proud cannot dwell together in one bolome. Thirdly, confider what a foule blot pride gives to all thy fuf- lerings,where it is not bewailedand refifted,it alters the cafe. The old faying is, that 'cis not the punifhment,but the caufe makes the Martyr ; we may fafely fay further, it is not barely the caufe, but the fincere frame of the heart in fuffering for a good caufe, that nukes a man aMartyr in Gods fight. Though thou should- eft give thy body tobe burnt, if thou haft not an humble heart of a iiufferer for Chrift, thou turneft Merchant for thy fell. Thou denieft but one fell to set up another , runnel the hazardof thy eftate and life to gain force applaufe,may be, and reare up amo- nument to thy honour in the opinions of men ; thou doeft no more in this cafe then a fouldier, who for a name of valour will venture into the mouth ofdeath and danger, only thou thew- eft thyprideunder a religious difguife, but that helps it not, but makes it the worfe. If thou wilt in thy sufferings be a facrifice .acceptable to God, thou muff not only be ready to offer up thy life for his truth, but facrifice thy pride alto, or elfe thou mayeft tumble out of one fire into another, fuffer here from man, as a teeming champion for the Gofpel, and in another world from God, for robbing him of his glory in thy fufferings. SECT. III. A third priviledge is, when God Bowes in with more then ordinary manifeftations of his love, then the Chriftian is in dan- ger of having his heart fecretly lift up in pride. Indeed the genuine and natural effeet, which fuch difcovericc ofdivine love have
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