first followers of God. Set before you the rule of holiness, and withal, the best and highest examples of those that have walked according to it, and then you will be leading in it; and those that are under you, and bent to follow you in so doing, will follow that which is good". Lead and draw them on, by admonishing, and counselling, and exhorting; but especially by walking-Pastors, be [ro] ensamples to the flock, or models, as our apostle hath it", that they may be stampt aright, taking the impression of your lives. Sound doctrine alone will not serve; though the water you give your flocks be pure, yet if you lay spotted rods before them, it will bring forth spotted lives in them; either teach not at all, or teach by the rhetoric of your lives.-Ye elders, be such in grave and pious carriage, whatsoever be your years; for young men may be so, and, passibly, gray hairs may have nothing under them but gadishness and folly many years old, habituated and inveterate ungodliness.-Parents and masters, let your children and servants read in your lives the life and power of godliness, the practice of piety; not lying in your windows or corners of your houses, and confined within the clasp of the book, bearing that or any such like title, but shining in your lives.

2. You that are easily receptive of the impression of example, beware of the stamp of unholiness, and a carnal formal course of profesion, whereof the examples are most abounding; but, though they be fewer that bear the lively image of God impressed on their hearts, and expressed in their actions, yet study these, and be followers of those as they are of Christ. I know I know you will espy much irregular and unsanctified carriage in us that are set up for the ministry; and if you look round, you will find the world lying in wickedness; yet, if there be any that have any sparks of divine light in them, converse with those and follow them.

m 1 Thess. v. 15.

* Η μὴ διδάσκειν, ὴ διδάσκειν τῷ τρόπῳ.

n I Pet. v. 3.

P 1 Cor. iv. 16.

3. Aud, generally, this I say to all, for none are so complete, but they may espy some imitable and emulable good, even in meaner christians; acquaint yourselves with the word, the rule of holiness; and then, with an eye to that, look on one another, and be zealous of progress in the ways of holiness. Choose to converse with such as may excite you and advance you, both by their advice and example. Let not a corrupt generation, in which you live, be the worse by you, nor you the worse by it. As far as you necessarily engage in some conversation with those that are unholy, let them not pull you into the mire, but, if you can, help them out; and let not any custom of sin about you, by familiar seeing, gain upon you, so as to think it fashionable and comely; yea, or so as not to think it deformed and hateful. Know, that you must row against the stream of wickedness in the world, unless you would be carried with it to the dead sea, or lake of perdition; take that grave counsel given, be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, which is the daily advancement in renovation, purifying and refining every day.

Now, in this way you shall have sweet inward peace and joy, and some outward advantage too; that men, except they are monstrously cruel and malicious, will not so readily harm you. It will abate much of their rage; but, however, if you do not escape suffering by your holy carriage, yea, if you suffer even for it, yet in that are ye happy, as the apostle immediately adds.

Ver. 14. But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake, happy are ye; and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.

In this verse we may observe two things: 1st. Even in the most blameless way of a christian's life,

a Rom. xii. 2.

his suffering supposed. 2dly. His happiness, even in suffering, asserted.

1. Suffering is supposed notwithstanding of righteousness, yea for righteousness; and that not as a rare unusual accident, but as the frequent lot of christians; as Luther calls persecution, malus genius Evangelii. And we, being forewarned of this, as not only the possible, but the frequent lot of the saints, ought not to hearken to the false prophecies of our own self-love, that divines what it would gladly have, and easily persuades us to believe it. Think not that any prudence will lead you by all op positions and malice of an ungodly world; but many winter blasts will meet you in the most inoffensive way of religion, if you keep straight to it. Suffering and war with the world is a part of the godly man's portion here, which seems hard, but take it altogether, it is sweet; none in their wits will refuse that legacy entire, In the world ye shall have trouble, but in me ye shall have peace.

Look about you, and see if there be any estate of man, or course of life, exempted from troubles. The greatest are usually subject to greatest vexations; as the largest bodies have the largest shadows attending them. We need not tell nobles and rich men, that contentment doth not dwell in great palaces and titles, nor in full coffers; they feel it, that they are not free of much anguish and molestation, and that a proportionable train of cares, as constantly as of servants, follows great place and wealth. Riches, and trouble, or noise, are signified by the same Hebrew word; and kings find that their crowns, that are set so richly with diamonds without, are lined with thorns within.

And, if we speak of men that are servants to unrighteousness, besides what is to come, are they not often forced to suffer, amongst the service of their lusts, the distempers that attend unhealthy intemperance; and poverty that doges luxury at the heels; and the fit punishment of voluptuous persons

a John xvi. ult.

b Compare Job xxxvi. 19. with xxx. 24.

in painful diseases, that either quickly cut the thread of life, or make their aged bones full of the sins of their youth? So that, on the whole, take what way you will, there is no place nor condition so fenced and guarded, but public calamities, or personal griefs, find a way to reach us.

Seeing then, we must suffer, whatever course we take, this kind of suffering, to suffer for righteousness, is far the best. What Julius Cæsar said ill, of doing ill, we may well say of suffering ill; if it must be, it is best to be for a kingdom. And those are the terms on which Christians are called to suffer for righteousness; if we will reign with Christ, certain it is we must suffer with him; and, if we do suffer with him, it is as certain we shall reign with him. And therefore such sufferers are happy.

But I shall prosecute this suffering for righteousness, only with relation to the Apostle's present reasoning. His conclusion he establishes: 1. From the favour and protection of God. 2. From the nature of the thing itself. Now, we would consider the consistence of this supposition with those reasons.

1st, From the favour or protection of God. The eyes of the Lord being on the righteous for their good, and his ear open to their prayer; how is it, that, notwithstanding all this favour and inspection, they are so much exposed to suffering; and, even for the regard and affection they bear towards him, suffering for righteousness? These seem not to agree well, yet they do.

It is not said that his eye is so on them, as that he will never see them afflicted, nor have them suffer any thing; no: But this is their great privilege and comfort in suffering, that his gracious eye is then upon them, and sees their trouble, and his ear towards them; not so as to grant them an exemption (for that they will not seek for), but seasonable deliverance, and, in the mean while, strong sup

c Job. xx. 11.

d Si violandum est jus, regnandi causa violandum.

e 2 Tim. ii. 12.

port, as is evident in that xxxiv. Psalm. If his eye be always on them, he sees them suffer often, for their afflictions are many'; and if his ear be to them, he hears many sighs and cries pressed out by sufferings; And they are content; this is enough, yea better than not to suffer; they suffer, and often directly for him; but he sees it all, takes perfect notice of it, therefore it is not lost. And they are forced to cry, but none of their cries escape his ear; he hears, and he manifests that he sees and hears, for he delivers them; and, till he does that, he keeps them from being crushed under the weight of the suffering; He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken,

He sees, yea appoints and provides these conflicts for his choicest servants; he sets his champions to encounter the malice of Satan and the world, for his sake, to give proof of the truth and the strength of their love to him for whom they suffer, and to overcome even in suffering.

He is sure of his designed advantages out of the sufferings of his church and saints for his name; he loses nothing, and they lose nothing: but their enemies, when they rage most, and prevail most, are ever the greatest losers. His own glory grows, the graces of his people grow, yea, their very number grows, and that sometimes most by their greatest sufferings; it was evident in the first ages of the Christian churches: where were the glory of so much invincible love and patience, if they had not been so put to it?

2dly, For the other, that argument from the nature of the thing: It is certain that, when it is intimated that the said following of good would preserve from harm, it speaks what it is apt to do, and what, in some measure, it often doth; but then, considering the nature of the world, its enmity against God and religion, that strong poison in the serpent's seed, it is not strange that it often proves otherwise; that, notwithstanding the righteous car