..;. , , 11. . ' God's [ompaflion,to bis pe&ple in affli8ion, - ~ and rhey llull come out refined,as Gold and Silver I is -refined, loofe nothing but their droffe, fo as hee , would fufi:aine them, hold them up. And thi~ hee ' cloth by doing of two things, 1 by moderating their affiittion , · 1 by fo framing and £1lhioning \ their hearrs , fo as they 1hall bee ablet?~~ar~them. 1 Hee moderates them; they are Sttll "tnme4/i1re, : artd not beyond their firtngth, Revel. ·2:. to. faith ChrifttotheChurchof Smyr~:aa, Fearenone.o(t'/iofe things which thou {halt foffer ;'behold Sath~njlutll cafl fome if you itJto prifon, that yo!lmay flee tri(d, and JOIS Jha!i have trjbulationsten d~yet .· as if hee Thould ·have faid,I wil fuoderate this p·erfecution,lnd-do meafure out the t im/eto you, but ten clayes and no·more; and therefore-feare not:fo as you lhall nt>t'have fo much as Sathan would , for hee would never give over; nor fo little as ·you would, fonhen youlhouldnot :be afllid:ed at all. If youaske now.whatit iseobe affiiet:ed ~ in rneafure ~ I anfwer, ifnfflltl:ionslye[o .ppon his chilaren·as· to ~a:ufe th'eni;'to put fc5tth their hands to wickedhcffe, then it is 'above meafure, but if fo ·as they ·never fret nor faint under it, it is no_t: npw·he harhpromifed,tpat'he wil fo accommodate afHidions, as they thall notworkc fti\~irh his peo– ple, Pfalm.I25. 3· T.he rodQ{ the wickecl' fh4Unptdfl Docl. 2 upon the lot oftherighteous, leaf/ hu;utforth hiJ jhand w it1iquity 5 it fball ·not bee.fo long as to.caufe a dif– temper in the fpirit ofthem , fo ,as they lhould not car'ry them!elves 'in .,a rneel(e manner under it : I 1 'meane not fo' but that ;at the fidl: it m1y caufea buftHng·iri ~heir fpi rits, as it did in lub,,vheri it grew 1 ihat-pe; an·d hee fpake unadvifet1iy, yet hot a fub 1 L ~ _, ilandall , . .
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