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sea of joy. Now it is joy, but more reserved, then they shall leap for joy. Yet, even at present, rejoice in trial, yea, in fiery trial. This is possible; the children of God are not called to so bad a life as the world imagines; besides what is laid up for them in heaven, they have, even here, their rejoicings and songs in their distresses, as those prisoners had their psalms, even at midnight after their stripes, and in their chains, before they knew of a sudden deliverance: True, there may be a darkness within, clouding all the matter of their joy; but even that darkness is the seed-time of after joy, and light is sown in that darkness, and shall spring up; and not only shall they have a rich crop at full harvest, but even some first fruits of it here, in pledge of the harvest.

And this they ought to expect, and seek after with minds humble and submissive, as to the measure and time of it, that they may be partakers of spiritual joy, and may by it be enabled to go patiently, yea, cheerfully, through the tribulations. and temptations that be in their way homeward; and for this end ought they to endeavour after a more clear discerning of their interest in Christ, that they may know they partake of him, and so, in suffering, are partakers of his sufferings, and shall be partakers of his glory.

Many afflictions will not cloud and obstruct this so much as one sin; therefore, if ye would walk cheerfully, be most careful to walk holily. All the winds about the earth make not an earthquake, but that within its bowels.

Now this joy is grounded on this communion; 1. In sufferings; then, 2. In glory. 1. Even in sufferings themselves: It is a sweet joyful thing to be a sharer with Christ in any thing; all enjoyments wherein he is not, are bitter to a soul that loves him, and all sufferings with him sweet. The worst things of Christ are more truly delightful than the best things of the world; his afflictions sweeter than

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their pleasures; his reproaches more glorious than their honours, and more rich than their treasures, as Moses accounted them. Love delights in likeness and communion, not only in things otherwise pleasant, but in the hardest and harshest things, which have not any thing in them desirable, but only that likeness: So that this thought is very sweet to a heart possessed with this love. What does the world by its hatred and persecutions, and revilings for Christ, but make me more like him, give me a greater share with him, in that which he did so willingly undergo for me? When he was sought to be made a king, he escaped; but when he was sought to the cross, he freely yielded himself. BERN. BERN. And shall I shrink and creep back from what he calls me to suffer for his sake; yea, even all my other troubles and sufferings I will desire to have stamped thus, with this conformity to the sufferings of Christ, in the humble, obedient, cheerful endurance of them, and the giving up my will to my father's.

The following of Christ makes any way pleasant; his faithful followers refuse no march after him, be it through desarts, and mountains, and storms, and hazards, that will affright self pleasing easy spirits: Hearts kindled and actuated with the Spirit of Christ, will follow him wheresoever he goeth.

As he speaks it, for warning his Disciples, If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; so he speaks it for comforting them, and sufficient comfort it is, If they hate you, they hated me before you'.

2. Then add the other; see whether it tends, He shall be revealed in his glory, and ye shall even overflow with joy in the partaking of that glory. Therefore rejoice now in the midst of all your sufferings: stand upon the advanced ground of the promises and Covenant of Grace, and by faith look beyond this moment, and all that is in it, to that day wherein ecerlasting joy shall be upon your heads, a crown of it, and sorrow and mourning

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is won.

shall fly away. Believe this day, and the victory Oh! that blessed hope, well fixed and exercised, would give other manner of spirits: What zeal for God would it not inspire? What invincible courage against all encounters? How soon will this pageant of the world vanish, that men are gazing on, these pictures and fancies of pleasures and honours, falsely so called, and give place to the real glory of the sons of God, when this blessed Son, who is God, shall be seen appearing in full majesty, and all his brethren in glory with him, all clothed in their robes? And if you ask, Who are they? Why, these are they that came out of great tribulation, and washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.

Ver. 14. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

15. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a busy-body in other mens matters. 16. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

THE Word is the Christian's magazine, both of instructions and encouragements, for doing or suffering, and this epistle is rich in both. Here what the Apostle had said concerning suffering in general, he specifies in the particular case of suffering reproaches; but this expression seems not to come up to the height of that which he hath used before; he spoke of fiery trial, but this of reproach seems rather fit to be called an airy trial, the blast of vanishing words. Yet, upon trial, it will be found. to be (as here it is accounted) a very sharp, a fiery trial.

First, then, let us take a view of this particular kind of suffering. And, 2dly, Of the comfort and advice furnished against it.

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If we consider both the nature of the thing and the strain of the scriptures, we will find that reproaches are amongst the sharpest sort of sufferings, and are indeed fiery trials. The tongue is a fire, says St. James, iii. 6. and reproaches are the flashes of that fire; they are a subtle kind of flame, like that lightning which, as naturalists say, crusheth the bones, and yet breaks not the flesh; they wound not the body, as do tortures and whips, but, through a whole skin, they reach the spirit of a man, and cut it. So Psal. xlii. 10. As with a sword in my bones mine enemies reproach me. The fire of reproaches preys upon and dries up the precious ointment, to which Solomon compares a good name. A good name is in itself a good, a prime outward good; and, take us according to our natural temper and apprehensions, (according to which we feel things), most men are, and some more excessively, too tender and delicate in it. Although, truly, I take it rather to be a weakness than true greatness of spirit, as many fancy it, to depend much on the opinion of others, and feel it deep, yet, I say, considering that it is commonly thus with men, and that the remains of this, as of other frailties, are to be found in the children of God, it cannot well be but reproaches will ordinarily much afflict men, and to some kind of spirits, possibly, will be more grievous than great bodily pain or suffering.

And as they are thus, the scripture accounts them so, and very usually reckons them amongst sufferings, and names them rather more than any other kind of suffering, and that with good reason, not only for their piercing nature, (as we have said), but withal for their frequency and multitude; and some things we suffer do (as flies) more trouble by their number than by their weight.

Now, there is no one kind of suffering of such constancy, and commonness, and abundance, as reproaches are. When other persecutions cease, yet those continue; when all other fires of martyrdom

a Eccles. vii. 1.

.

are put out, these burn still. In all times and places, the malignant world is ready to revile religion; not only avowed enemies of it do so, but the greatest part even of those that make a vulgar profession of it: They that outwardly receive the form of religion, yet are many of them inwardly haters of the power of it; and Christians, who are such only in name, will scorn and reproach those that are Christians indeed.

And this is done with such ease by every one, that these arrows fly thick; every one that hath a tongue can shoot them, even base abjects; and the drunkards make songs, as Jeremiah complains; the meanest sort can reach this point of persecution, and be active in it against the children of God: They that cannot, or dare not, offer them any other injury, will not fear, nor spare, to let fly a taunt or bitter word; so that whereas other sufferings are rarer, these meet them daily; While they say daily unto me, where is thy God?

We see how justly reproaches are often mentioned amongst, and beyond other trials, and accounted persecution: Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. In the history of the casting out Hagar and her son', all we find laid to Ishmael's charge was, Sarah saw him mocking. And as he that was born.after the flesh did then in this manner persecute him that was born after the Spirits, even so it is now. And thus are reproaches mentioned amongst the sufferings of Christ in the gospel, and not as the least; the railings and mockings that were darted at him, and fixed to the cross, are mentioned more than the very nails that fixed him. And Heb. xii. 2. the shame of the cross, though he was above it, and despised it, yet that shame added much to the burden of it; so ver. 3; He endured the contradiction of sinners.

b2 Tim iii. 5.
e Mat. v. 10, 11.

Psal xxxv. 15.
f Gen. xxi. 9.

d Psal. xlii. 10.

8 Gal. iv. 29.

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