befal me there save that the holy Ghost witnesseth in every city saying that bonds and afflictions abide me It is our wisdom thus to make an account of afflictions that when they come they may be no other then were expected before As is reported of Anaxagoras that when news came to him of the death of his Son and it was thought he would have been much troubled at it he answered I begat him mortal so when any troubles befal us we should entertain them with these thoughts I knew my condition was to be an afflicted condition I entred upon the ways of godlines upon these terms to be willing to be in an afflicted condition this is Gods ordinary way towards his people it is Gods mercy it is no worse I expect yet greater tryals then these If we make use of the Scriptures foretelling troubles beforehand we cannot for shame complain when we meet with those we acknowledge we were foretold of It is a good expression Augustine hath in one of his Epistles to Victorianus We must not be so contrary to our selves as to believe what we read and yet to complain when the same things are fulfilled If we make account of evils aforehand we may have time to gather together the forces of our mindes which being united are strong otherwise they will come upon us when our strength is scattered and so be very grievous unto us and likely to prevail against us Those evils says Seneca that others overcome by a long time suffering as being used to them the wise man overcomes by thinking before hand Secondly the rule of Christ that we have Matt. 16. 26. is of great use If any will follow me let him deny himself and so take up his cross Where self is renounced the cross is easily born it is self that makes the cross pinch things puft up with wind break when they come to the fire so those who are puft up and filled with self the soul emptied of its self is onely fit to suffer there is a six fold self that must be denyed First self-opinion We must be willing to lie quietly under the truth to be convinced and to be guided by it Secondly self-counsels and self reasonings must be denyed we must take heed of conferring with flesh and blood as it was the care of Saint Paul Gal. 1. 16. immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood if he had begun to do it he had been in danger Thirdly self-excellencies our parts our priviledges our credits and all those things that are great in our own eyes and that make us great in the eyes of the world Fourthly self-will We must not think it so grievous a thing to have our wills crossed we must not expect to have our conditions brought to our wills and therefore it is our wisdom whatsoever our condition be that we bring our wills unto them As it is reported of Socrates that when the Tyrant threatned death unto him he answered He was willing nay then says he You shall live against your will he answers again Nay whatsoever you do with me it shall be my will How much more ought Christians to have their wills bow to the holy and blessed will of God in every thing the providence of God discovers his will as well as his word Fifthly self-comforts Those who give liberty to themselves to satisfie themselves to the utmost although in lawful comforts will be unfit to suffer hardship when God shall call thereunto Tertullian hath such an expression in his Treatise de cultu foeminarum I fear that neck that is used to pearl chains that it will not give it self to the sword Sixthly self-ends must be denied we must aim at God and not at our selves in all our ways and then how easie will it be for us to bear crosses considering that Gods ends do go on though our ends be crossed Thirdly be sure to lay a good foundation in a through work of humiliation the more thou art willing to bear Gods hand in the work of humiliation for sin the lighter will all the burthens of afflictions be unto thee the seed that fell upon the stony ground withered and although for a while it was received with joy yet when tribulation and persecution ariseth by and by he is offended Mat. 13. 21. Mark the expression of the Holy Ghost there by and by he is presently offended and all because there was not depth of earth there was not a through work of humiliation We read Acts 9. 16. that God would shew S. Paul what great things he must suffer for his Names sake and how did God prepare his heart You shal finde in the former part of the Chapter that God smote him down to the ground his heart was smote lower then his body he comes trembling and astonished before the Lord saying Lord what wilt thou have me to do He was three days without sight and neither did eat nor drink this was a great preparation of his heart to those great things he suffered afterwards You think the burthens of afflictions great because you never felt what the weight and burthen of sin meant I dare pawn my life for that soul who constantly exerciseth it self in the work of humiliation for sin who burthens it self with the weight of its sins and is willing to lie under it for the further breaking of spirit that it shall be able to endure crosses and stand under strong afflictions and this must needs be so First because the soul is acquainted with the sense of an evil infinitely greater then any evil it can meet withal in afflictions the sense whereof must needs swallow up the sense of lesser evils as those who are acquainted with the pains of the stone and strangury and other dreadful diseases account lesser pains which yet are very grievous unto others as nothing Secondly a soul exercised in the work of humiliation by it is put under the power of Gods soveraignty dreadful authority and infinite majesty it is not man that can terrifie that soul from duty that lies under the power of these Thirdly this burthen of sin felt in the work of humiliation mortifies those inward lusts puls down the strength of them which are so ready to rise against and withdraw the heart from the truths and ways of God Fourthly this soul knows how dear comfort is if it hath any comfort it cost dear before it was got and therefore it will not easily be parted withal Fiftly where conscience by this is throughly wounded and deeply struck it cannot easily gather any such film upon it as not to remain tender but it soon feels the evil yea it is sensible of the danger of the least sin Sixthly if ever God hath manifested any love in Christ unto it the souls love to God and Christ must needs be exceeding great Fourthly be careful to preserve your inward peace
communication of himself to them and all the glory of one another Look how many Saints shall be in heaven they shall rejoyce in every ones happiness as in their own their own happiness will cause joy but so many Saints as shall be happy so many times shall their joy be double and therefore it must be full joy Comfort proceeds from the suitableness between the faculty and the object now here is the greatest suitableness between the faculty and the object that can be because here is not onely good in the Concreat but goodness in the Abstract and union with goodness it self is more then union with a good thing Surely the joys of heaven must needs be great because a little taste of them here that the Martyrs have had hath made exquisite tortures grievous and dreadful pains not onely tolerable but comfortable And it is Divine joy It may be said to be Divine in three respects First it comes from God Secondly it is in God Thirdly it is with God First it comes from God being caused by the Spirit of God and that is another maner of joy then the men of the world have Secondly it is in God rejoycing in God and that is other maner of joy then rejoycing in meat and drink Look what difference there is between the excellency that is in God and the excellency that there is in meat and drink and idle sports so much difference is between the joy that Gods people have in God and the joy that wicked men have in the creature And it is divine in regard that it is joy with God it is the same joy that God himself hath carnal hearts rejoyce one with another in sensual things but God does not rejoyce in those things you rejoyce in but the Saints in heaven shall be exercised in the same joy that God himself hath and rejoyce in the same things that God shall rejoyce in to have the beams of our joy mingle with the beams of Gods joy and so to have Gods joy and ours put into one that must needs be admirable joy Notwithstanding this joy of the Saints shall be thus glorious yet the utmost happiness of man consists not in it though joy be a necessary concomitant to mans blessedness yet mans blessedness consists not in it We do not seek the enjoyment of God that we might delight in this enjoyment but we seek delight in the enjoyment because the enjoyment is the greatest good And besides all this there are some circumstances that serve to set out all that I have said yet further and to make the happiness of Gods people yet more glorious First it is a prepared happiness that happiness that God hath had his thoughts upon from all eternity and laid the ground of it from all eternity God hath been working from all eternity to provide this Secondly in that it comes to the people of God by such a glorious way as the purchase of Jesus Christ that I have it and that I have it by such a glorious way that will be exceeding comfortable Thirdly that we who are so vile and so wretched and so abominable as we are in our selves that we who by nature are but firebrands of hell and fuel for eternal wrath that we should be raised to such a height of happiness Fourthly that we are so few Not many wise nor rich nor noble but the mean ones of the world that there should be so many of the world and the great ones of the world cast out and a handful of poor contemptible people should be raised to this glory this is a mighty aggravation of the happiness of Gods people Fifthly that this should be a reward for that which we owe in a way of obedience we owe all our services in a way of obedience to God and we may say When we have done all we are unprofitable Servants and that we do we are bound to do as creatures and yet that God should reward that which we owe to him in a way of obedience this aggravates the happiness of the Saints as if a Master should give his Servant all his estate for doing that which he is bound to do We have more then wages here then how much more is that we shall have hereafter Again that which God is pleased to reward it is but poor mixt service take our duties at the best they are such as deserve Hell there is no one act but if God should observe what is amiss you deserve to be cast from God for ever for it now when we rather deserve that God should cast us down to Hell yet that God should reward us with all this glory what a glorious thing is this Again that the Lord is pleased to make this sure to us if God had left it to uncertainty and bidden us work it might be well with us and may be he will think of us this might have been a comfort to us but that God is pleased to binde himself thus and to make all sure As if a King should make his Crown Kingdom sure to a poor wretch in the way of reward for a poor service so does God he makes this glory ours by reward in a way of Covenant and Testament by Covenant such a Covenant as he does not only cause to be written in his word but in our hearts we have witness of this in heaven and earth three bear witness in heaven and three in earth and he gives us seals to confirm this Covenant and he confirms it by an Oath he swears by himself because there is no greater to swear by and he makes it sure by way of Testament Covenant we think we may break but that which is given by Testament and confirmed by the death of the Testator that is sure and thus hath God made it sure unto us Again all things that do befal us in this world and all the ways of Gods providence do but tend to the furtherance of us to our reward and to the encrease of our reward and that is the wonderful happiness of Gods people this should sweeten all conditions If I be in a meaner condition then another yet this is in order to my reward and this is more then if I had a Kingdom in the world if it were not in order to that but whatsoever I have in the world though never so hard to flesh and blood it is in order to this this satisfies Again this reward is near we shall not stay long for it If God required of us to be burning a thousand years and then to have it we had yet cause to rejoyce but it is at hand and nearer at hand to us in this latter age of the world then to our Fore-fathers God hath but a few things to do in the world to gather but a few more of the Gentiles and his own people the Jews and to pull down Antichrist and then all is done
and Jesus Christ it seeing that the bottom and ground of all this glorious recompence of reward is in the free and eternal love of God in Jesus Christ that did work about this before the foundation of the world was laid this does mightily enflame the heart with love to God and therefore it wishes as that Martyr did O that I had as many lives as I have hairs on my head to lay down for Christ And it is sorry that it hath no other opportunity to testifie its love to God the soul says I have but this little time to testifie my love to God and I can but testifie little in doing O what a happiness is it that that which I want of testifying my love in doing I have it in testifying my love in suffering Shall a dog that hath but a few crums or bones from his Master be willing to venture his life in defence of his Master and shall not a gracious heart that expects not crums and bones but Crowns and unconceiveable glory in Heaven be willing to venture life for God in the cause of God Ninthly there is a great deal of power in having respect to the recompence of reward to carry on a soul in suffering because according to the things that are apprehended there is the like impression left upon the spirit As a gracious heart apprehending holy things is made holy and apprehending spiritual things is made spiritual and apprehending great things is made great thee is a holy gracious magnanimity put into the heart A man that is lift up on high upon a high Tower or a high Mountain he looks upon things below as little things The apprehension of this glory lifts the soul on high and puts an impression of greatness and glory upon the heart and so causeth an heroical spirit in the heart to look upon all things below as small as the Martyrs though they were weak spirits by nature even women and children yet apprehending such great things they had heroical magnanimious spirits and looked upon their sufferings as small things because they had an impression of the object they beheld left upon their spirits and in some measure were made like it Lastly there is a mighty deal of power in looking to the recompence of reward to help in sufferings because it hath much power to cleanse the heart every one that hath this hope purgeth himself 1 Iohn 3. And hence the Christians in the Primitive times fering Those that write the stories of Egypt report that there is no country in which there are more venemous Creatures then in Egypt and also they write there is no Country hath so many Antidotes to help against poyson so godliness brings with it many troubles and sufferings but then godliness hath much in it to help against troubles and sufferings Thirdly hence we come to see the reason why so many are overcome in a way of suffering and do yield and so basely Apostatize rather then they will go on in a way of suffering for God they have not an eye to look up to Heaven and to see all the glory that is revealed they do not know within themselves that there are such things as it is said of those in Heb. 10. 34. They knew within themselves what they had in Heaven they look upon these things as conceits and imaginations In Phil. 3. 18. the Apostle speaks of some that were enemies to the Cross of Christ but what were they They were men that minded earthly things but says the Apostle Our conversation is in Heaven What was the reason that Demas forsook Paul It was for this present world he was not acquainted with the powers of the world to come and therefore he forsook Paul rather then he would suffer in the cause of God with Paul Certainly those that fall off in the time of suffering are such as never had a taste of the powers to come or have lost it this dew of Heaven hath not faln upon their hearts to moisten them and therefore every suffering does scorch up the root If the root be kept moist though scorching heat come it does not dry up the plant but it is green and flouwere so able to suffer because they had their hearts so purged by faith Acts 15. 9. Take a man that was strong if he have many ill humors in his body all his strength is gone but if the Phisitian gives him something to purge out his ill humors though hee have no Cordials given him to strengthen him yet he is strong and he is able to endure and to do more then before So those spirits that are full of distempered humors that are unsound they can bear nothing undergo no difficulty but when there is any thing to purge the heart and make it clean then it is able to do or suffer more sin lies rotting at the heart and by rotting does weaken a rotten rag hath no strength to bear any thing so those that have old sins lie rotting they can bear nothing The spirit of power and of a sound minde is put together 2 Tim. 1. 7. now the hope of this glorious reward purges the heart and makes it sound and so carries it on in power Now put all these together and no marvel that Moses by having an eye to the recompence of reward could suffer so much many are afraid of suffering hard things in the cause of Christ but you see what will enable you to endure all Now I should apply this in many particulars First If there be such power in this to help to suffering then surely there is power in this to help to service you that know what these things mean be ashamed to complain of any difficulty in any service Secondly hence we see cause much to bless God that reveals such things to us to carry us through sufferings though godliness brings much suffering yet it brings that which will strengthen against sufrishing still It is the dew of Heaven the hope of the glory of Heaven that keeps our root moist and so we shall hold out in the time of suffering It is given as the cause of the seed in the stony ground not come to perfection Luke 8. 6. Because it wanted moisture many froward people in Religion prove like the stony ground they have not moisture this dew of Heaven lies not at their hearts And the reason why many do not hold out is because they want the Anchor of hope In a tempest if there be not an Anchor well fastened the ship will be carried upon the rocks or the sands Now Hope is the Anchor that must hold the soul in all affliction if that hold let storms and winds be never so loud yet the heart will be kept from being split upon the rocks and swallowed up in the sands but many have but a paper Anchor a conceited hope not a strong hope fastned upon the infallibility of God in his word and promises and