CHAP. I. ' . upon"the Epifl/e of JAM ! L faith weak in danger; which we thought to be firong ou~ofdange.r; as the blade in the frony ground was green~and made afatr lhew,ull the heighth ofSummen ·Peter thought his faith impregnable, till that fad tryal in the high PrieilsHall,Mat.26.69. In pinching wea– ther weak perfons feel the aches and bruifes of their joym.s. Some– times we difcern the livelinefj ofgrace; fiars iliine in the night that lie hid in the day : ·ns faid, Rev. I~ .1 o• . Here u the patience ~nd faith of the-Saints; that is, the time when thefe graces are exer- . , cifed,, and difcovered in their heighta and glory 1 : Spices are moll: 1 fragrant when burnt and bruifed;fo have faving-graces their chicfefi fragrancy in hard times: T(le Pillar that condud:ed the Jfraelites . appc;>ared as acloudby day,but as a fire by night j ithe excellency of faith is beclouded, till it be put upon a thorough tryal: Thus for our felves,that we may know either the fin~<erity; or the weak..nefs, , or the livelinefs of the grace that is wrought inus. 2. Or for the worlds fake ; And fo, I. for the prefent to convince them by our ' conl.l.ancy, that they may be confirmed in.the faith,ifweak_and fiag– gering, or converted, ifaltogether uncnlleJ; ~rwasa notable faying ofLuther, Ecclefi" totum mundum con"(!ertit fanguine d: orati– one: The Church convertech the whole world bybloodandprayer. • We are proved, and Religion is proved, when we are called to fulfetings: Pauls bonds made for the furtherttnce of the Gofpel ; Phi!. I. 12,1 3• .Many of the brethren waxed confident in my bonds, ~tnd are much mor:e bold to jpeak_, the word without fear. Inpro~ fperous times Religion is u(ually fiained with the fcandals of thofe that profefs it, and then God bringe,th on gre.at tryals,to honour and cl~ar the renown of it again to the world; and ufually thefepre– vail. Juftine Martyr was convened by the confiancy of the Chri{hans, Niceph.lib.3.cap.z6. Nay h.e hi;nfelfconfeffeth it; when Juflin. Mart~ he faw the Chril.l.ians fo willinglychoofe death, .he reafoned thus i~ Apol. 2.. within himfelf, Surdy thefe men mtJft be honeft, and there u fome- mea fin.ern. what eminent in their pri;:Jciples. So I remember the Author of the Cou~celof Trent faith, concerning Anne du Burg, aSenatour SeeHifi.ofthe ofP~~,ru,- who was burnt for Proteftanti[m, That the death and Councel of conft~ncy ofa man fo con fjicuom, did mak§ many curiom to know Ttmt. pag: wha.t ReligifJn that wM for which he hPid couragiou~y tNdured .p8. 2. Ed1t. punifoment, and fo the number wM much mcreajed. 2. We are tryed with a refped: to the day of Judgment ·; 1 Pet.Iq. That the tr]~ilofyourf,aith m.~-y be found tD prai[e ~tnd honour ii'J the day ·D 3 . of \, ,
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