19 The Bleffednefi of Good Menafter Death. Vol. 1. fired me : I was in prifon, ;andye came unto me. Then (hall the righteous anfwer him, Paying, Lord,' whenfaw.we thee in any of thefe circum/lances ; hungry, or thirfly, or afiraniger, or naked, or fick, or in prifon. and minred unto thee ? And the Kingfhall anfwer andfay unto them, Verily Ifay untoyou. In as much asye have done it unto one of the leaf of thefe my Brethren, ye have done it unto me. Who would not be ambitious and glad to ferve fuch a Prince, who will fo be- nignly Interpret, and fo bountifully Reward the leaft Servicewe do to him III. The Confderation of this lhould likewife be a great Argument and Support to our Patience, under all thofe Evils, and Sufferings, and Perfecutions, which ma- ny times attend Good Men in this World. They are for the prefent perhaps very heavy and grievous : But there is a time fhortly coming, when we fhall be at cafe, and perfeétly freed from them ; when we : fhall find refi"from our labours and fufferings ; when we fhall enter into peace, and reff inour beds, every one walking in his uprighrnefs ; that is, reaping the Comfort, and enjoying theRewardofhis Sin- cerity towards God, and conftant Suffering for his Caufe andTruth. And therefore it was well faid ofa GoodMan, Bleffedbe God thatwe are to die ; becaufe to Good Men, that is a certain Remedy of all the Evils of this Life, and will unqueftiona- bly put an end to them. TheGrave is a place of Reft, and difcharge from all Trouble, as yob elegantly defcribes it, Chap. 3. 17, 18, 19. There the Wicked ceafefrom troubling : there the wearybe at ref. There the prifoners reff together, they hear not the voice of the'oppreffour. Thefmall and the great are there, and the Servant isfree fromhis Maffer. So foon as we enter into the other World, we are fecure againft the Purfuit and, Danger of all thofe Evils which affii &ed us in this World; and nothing will re- main but the joyful remembrance of our Sufferings, and the plentiful Reward of our Conflancy and Patience under them. And the more our Tribulations and Per- fecutions have abounded, the greater will our Comfort and Happinefs then be, which ( faith St. Paul) is a manifefi token, a clear demonftration, of the righte- ous judgment of God, that ye may be accounted worthy of the kingdom of God, for whichye alfofuffer ; feeing it is a righteous thing with God, to recompence to you whoare troubled, Reff with us, when the Lord yefus (hall be revealedfrom Heaven with bis mightyAngels, 2 Theff.. i. g, 6, 7. IV. TheConfederation of the extream Sufferings, which are to fall upon the faithful Servants ofChrift in the left times, and which feem now to be begun in theWorld, fhould make us very contented to leave this World, and glad of any fair Opportunity and Excufe, to take our leave of it, and to be out of the reach and danger of thofe violent and more than. humane Temptations, with which our Faith and Conftancy may be aifailed : Nay, to efteem it a particular Grace and Favour of God to us, to be taken awayfrom the Evil to come, and to prevent (if God fees it good) thofe Extremities of Sufferings which are coming upon the World: Thefe feem now to be begun in fome part of it : They in our Neighbour Nati- on have a bitter Cup put into their hands; a Cup of A/lonifhment to all thofe that hear of it. Whether this be that lac and extream Perfecution fpokeu of here by St. john, I (hall not pretend pofitively to determine. It is plainly diflinguifh'd in the Vifaons, from that under thefa"rf Beau, defcribed Rev. 13. from, Verfe the firft, toVerfe 11. And Chap. i7. there is a defcription of the Beaf upon which the woman litteth, on whofe forehead is a name written, fr[fetp, ')Babylon the Ogat t And this Beaji is there faid to have feven heads and ten horns, which are thus explained by St. John, Chap. 17. 9, so. And here is the Mind which bath Wifdom; thefeven Heads are feven Mountains upon which the Woman fit- teth ; and there are fevenKings, that is, ( as is generally agreed by Interpreters) a fucceffion of feven Governments : And Verfe 12, 13, 14. And the ten horns which thoufawe`f are ten Kings, which have receivedno Kingdoms asyet ; but re- ceive power as Kings one hour with the Beau. Thefe have one mind, and (hall give their power andfirength unto the Beall ; and'hall make,war with the Lamb. And Verfe 18, And the woman which thou fawefl, is that great City which reign- eth over the Kings of the earth. So
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