ness, hating the light, yea, the very shadow of it; and the more the children of God walk like their Father, and their home, the more unlike must they, of necessity, become to the world about them; and, therefore, become the very mark of all their enmities and malice.

And thus indeed the godly, though the sons of peace, are the improper causes, the occasion of much noise and disturbance in the world, as their Lord, the Prince of Peace, avows it openly of himself in that sense, I came not to send peace, but a sword, to set a man at variance with his father, and the daughter against the mother, &c. If a son in a family begin to inquire after God, and withdraw from their profane or dead way, Oh! what a clamour rises presently, Oh! my son, or daughter, or wife, is become a plain fool, &c. And then is all done that may be, to quell and vex them, and make their life grievous to them.

The exact holy walking of a Christian really condemns the world about him; shews the disorder and foulness of their profane ways; and the life of religion, set by the side of dead formality, discovers it to be a carcase and lifeless appearance; and, for this, neither grossly wicked, civil, nor formal persons, can well digest it. There is in the life of a Christian a convincing light, that shews the deformity of the works of darkness, and a piercing heat, that scorches the ungodly, which stirs and troubles their consciences: This they cannot endure, and hence rises in them a contrary fire of wicked hatred; and hence the trials, the fiery trials. of the godly. If they could get those precise persons removed out of their way, think they, then they might have more room, and live at more liberty, as it is, a carousing [xação]. What a dance there was about the dead bodies of the two witnesses; the people and nations rejoiced and made merry, and sent gifts one to another, because these two Prophets tormented them that dwelt on the

earth. And from the same hearth, I mean the same wickedness of heart in the world, are the fires of persecution kindled against the saints in the world; and the bonefires of joy when they are rid of them. And as this is an infernal fire of enmity against God, it is blown by that spirit whose element it is. Satan stirs up and blows the coal, and raises the hatred of the ungodly against Christians.

But while he, and they in whom he powerfully works, are thus working for their vile ends in the persecutions of the saints, HE that sovereignly orders all, is working in the same, his wise and gracious ends; and attains them, and makes the malice of his enemies serve his ends, and undo their own. It is true, that by the heat of persecution, many are scared from embracing religion; such as love themselves and their present ease, and others that seemed to have embraced it, are driven to let it go and fall from it; but yet, when all is well computed, it is still upon the gaining hand. Those that reject it, or revolt from it, are such as have no true knowledge of it, nor share in it, nor in that happiness in which it ends; but they that are indeed united to Jesus Christ, do cleave the closer to him, and seek to have their hearts more fastened to him, because of these trials, that they are, or likely may be, put to. And in their victorious patience appears the invincible power of religion where it hath once gained the heart, that it cannot be beaten nor burnt out; itself is a fire more mighty than all the fires kindled against it. The love of Christ conquers and triumphs in the hardest sufferings of life, and in death itself.

And this hath been the means of kindling it in other hearts which were strangers to it, when they beheld the victorious patience of the saints who conquered dying, as their Head did; who wearied their tormentors, and triumphed over their cruelty by a constancy far above it.

Thus, these fiery trials make the lustre of faith appear most, as gold shines brightest in the fur

nace; and if any dross be mixed with it, it is refined and purged from it by these trials, and so it remains by the fire purer than before. And both these are in the resemblance here intended; that the fire of sufferings is the advantage of believers, both trying the excellency of faith, giving evidence of it, what it is, and also purifying it from earth and drossy mixtures, and making it more excellently what it is; raising it to a higher pitch of refinedness and worth. In these fires, as faith is tried, the word on which faith relies is tried, and is found all gold, most precious, no refuse in it. The truth and sweetness of the promises are much confirmed in the Christian's heart, upon his experiment of them in his sufferings; his God is found to be as good as his word, being with him when he goes through the fire; preserving him, that he loseth nothing except dross, which is a gainful loss, leaving only of his corruption behind him.

Oh how much worth is it, and how doth it endear the heart to God, to have found him sensibly present in the times of trouble, to have found him refreshing the soul with dews of spiritual comfort, in the midst of the flames of fiery trial!

One special advantage of these fires, is the purging of a Christian's heart from the love of the world and of present things; it is true, the world at best is base and despicable, in respect of the high estate and hopes of a believer, yet still there is somewhat within him, which would bend him downwards, and draw him to too much complacency in outward things, if they were much to his mind: Too kind usage might sometimes make him forget himself, and think himself at home, at least so much, as not to entertain these longings after home, and that ardent progress homewards that become him: It is good for us certainly to find hardship, enmities and contempts here, and to find them frequent that we may not think them strange, but ourselves strangers, and think it were strange for us to be otherwise enh Isa, xliii. 2. Q

VOL. II.

tertained. This keeps the affections more clear and disengaged, sets them upward. Thus the Lord makes the world displeasing to his own, that they may turn in to him, and seek all their consolations in himself: Oh! unspeakable advantage.

2. The composure of a Christian in reference to sufferings, is prescribed in these two following, resolving and rejoicing; 1. Resolving to endure them, reckoning that he shall meet with them, think it not strange, un evlerde; 2. Rejoicing in them, xaífils, be glad in as much, &c.

Be not strangers in it.] Which yet naturally we would be: We are willing to hear of peace and ease, and would gladly believe what we extremely desire. It is a thing of prime concern to take at first a right notion of Christianity, which many do not, and so either fall off quickly, or walk on slowly and heavily; do not reckon right the cost, take not into the account the duties of doing and suffering; but think to perform some duties, if they may with ease, and have no other foresight; they do not consider that self-denial, that fighting against a man's self, and vehemently with the world, these trials, fiery trials, which a Christian must encounter with. As they observe of other points, Popery in this is very compliant with nature, which is a very bad sign in religion; we would be content it were true that the true Church of Christ had rather prosperity and pomp for her badge than the Cross, much ease and riches, and few or no crosses, except they were painted and gilded crosses, such as that church.hath chosen, instead of real ones.

Most men would give religion a fair countenance, if it gave them fair weather; and they that do indeed acknowledge Christ to be the Son of God, as St. Peter did, yet are naturally as unwilling as he was to hear the hard news of suffering; and if their advice might have place, would readily be of his His good conmind, Be it far from the Lord. fession was not, but this kind advice was, from i Matth. xvi. 22, 23.

flesh and blood, and from an evil spirit, as the sharp answer tells, Get thee behind me, Satan, thou art an offence unto me.

You know what kind of Messiah the Jews generally dreamed of, and therefore took offence at the meanness and sufferings of Christ, expecting an earthly king, and an outward flourishing state; and the disciples themselves, after they had been long with him, were still in that same dream, when they were contesting about imaginary places; yea, they were scarce well out of it, even after his suffering and death; all the noise and trouble of that had not well awaked them; We trusted it had been He which should have restored Israel.

And, after all that we have read and heard of ancient times, and of Jesus Christ himself, his sufferings in the flesh, and of his Apostles and his saints, from one age to another, yet still we have our inclinations to this, of driving troubles far off from our thoughts, till they come upon our backs, and fancy nothing but rest and ease, till we be shaken rudely out of it.

How have we of late flattered ourselves, many of us one year after another, upon slight appearances! Oh! now it will be peace, and, behold, still trouble hath increased, and these thoughts have proved the lying visions of our own hearts, while the Lord hath not spoken it'. And thus, of late, have we thought it at hand, and taken ways of our own to hasten it: That, I fear, will prove fools haste, as you say.

You that know the Lord, seek to him earnestly for the averting of further troubles and combustions; which, if you look aright, you will see do threaten us as much as ever: And withal, seek hearts, prepared and fixed for days of trial, fiery trial; yea, though we did obtain some breathing of our outward peace, yet shall not the followers of Christ want their trials from the hatred of the un