lane and such a craggy mountain though he would be glad they were not yet when he comes at them he is glad because they are signs of the way he must go Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life Master Bradford made use of that place when he came to the Stake and looked upon his sufferings as an evidence to him that he was in the right way Secondly they are an evidence to him of that difference that God hath made between others and him there was a time when as other men could close with me and agree with me now see what a difference there is they nothing but contemn me and despiseme I might have gone on and have been a scorner and a mocker as they are O the difference that God hath made between me and them that God should call me from them who was as vile as they and suffer them to be reproachers of godliness and make me a sufferer for godliness Jerome writ to Augustine that it was a great sign of glory to him that all Hereticks did hate him Thirdly it is an evidence of the sincerity and the power of his grace and his love that he bears to Christ and this is great riches for a gracious heart says Lord try me Lord prove me he would fain have an opportunity to manifest the truth of his love to Christ all the while I go on in a way of prosperity and have the desire of my heart wherein appears my love to Christ but now when I am called to suffering and to part with much for Christ here is an opportunity to shew I love Christ for himself that my love to him does not depend upon any thing that I gain by him in the world The Apostle says The tryal of your grace he speaks of faith is more precious then silver and gold and not onely your grace is more precious but the tryal of grace is more precious then gold and silver A gracious heart does rejoyce much in evidencing love to Christ as any dear friend rejoyces much in any opportunity of manifesting his love to another friend and the greater the opportunity is the more does he rejoyce And likewise the power of grace is manifested as David said to the King Achish Thou shalt know what thy servant can do and so a gracious heart thinks here is an opportunity to manifest the strength and power that is in grace Fourthly they are an evidence that much good is done that Satans kingdom is shaken in sufferings we see the rage of the Devil and he rages then most when he sends most opposition to his kingdom wherefore those against whom he rages most may have hereby evidence that they were most instrumental against him I rejoyce says Luther That Satan does so rage and blaspheme as often as I do but touch him he took it as an argument that much good was done otherwise the Devil would not have been so vexed he would not have raged so much Fifthly a gracious heart hath an evidence to it self that God will spare him when others shall suffer from his wrath Certainly the more any one is called to suffer in the cause of God and when he findes his heart ready and willing to yield to God in suffering the more evidence may he have to his soul that when others shall be called to suffer from Gods wrath he shall be spared and this is the bottom of the prayer of the Psalmist Psal 89. 50. Remember Lord the reproach of thy servants how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of the mighty people I read of one Escelus being condemned to be stoned to death and all the people were ready to cast stones at him and his brother came and run in and shewed that he had but one hand and the other hand he had lost for the defence of his countrey and then none would stone him and so the marks of the Lord Jesus are notable marks to safeguard thee in the time of trouble when the Lord goes out in his wrath he will set his mark upon those that he will save and none more notable marks then the reproaches and sufferings they bear for Christ This was Jeremiahs plea before the Lord chap. 15. ver 5. O Lord thou knowest remember me and visit me know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke Lastly it is an evidence of salvation Phil. 1. 28. not that all that suffer shall be saved but a gracious heart that suffers in a gracious Christian maner hath God sealing to him by his spirit in his sufferings his salvation Put these together and we see one cause why we should count the reproaches of Christ great riches yea this is greater riches then the riches of Egypt Secondly the reproaches and sufferings which we endure for Christ are riches of preferment It was a speech of Ignatius when he was to suffer It is better for me to be a Martyr then a Monarch Epist 12. ad Romanos Euseb l. 8. c. 7. To be preferred to honor is counted great riches now there is a preferment of Gods people here these three or four ways Basil upon that famous Martyr Bar-aam says he rejoyced in stripes as in honors he exulted in the severest punishments as if praeclara bravia acceperet First the Saints look upon this as high preferment because it is a testimony that God hath a high esteem of them God does not use to call those that are weak and mean to great sufferings but his servants that are most eminent God will dispose of the conditions of his people suitable to their dispositions therefore he will not call those to the strongest work that are weakest A Captain does not call out his mean Soldiers to a notable enterprize but he calls out his most able couragious Soldiers and the more desperate the enterprize is the more honor the Soldier thinks it to be called out so the greater work God calls one to the more preferment is in it and we have cause to admire that God should deal so with us his poor creatures rather then others as if we were fitter then ' others though we cannot say we are fitter because we are conscious to our selves of so much weakness but God honors us as if it were so Secondly by this we come to be honorable in the eyes of the Churches and the Saints of God nothing makes Gods people more honorable in the eyes of the Saints then when they are called to suffer much for God And so in the Primitive times they esteemed much of the Martyrs even too much Chrysostom speaking of Babylas the Martyr calls him a great man a man to be admired and says if I may call him a man and Tertullian writing to some of the Martyrs says I am not worthy to speak to you he writes that it was a custom of some in those times to creep to the Chains
sweetness in the activeness of them when the box is broken and the precious oyntment is poured forth then it sends forth its delightful savour so when the heart is broken with afflictions and the grace is poured forth then they give a sweet smell in the nostrils of God and men A tool that is daily used is kept bright and shining and so grace when it is most exercised it it is most beautiful The glory of the things of the world minishes in the use of them but grace is ever better for the wearing Fifthly in afflictions the power of grace does much appear the abiding strong against opposition is a true argument of strength this was the honor of Josephs strength in his blessing Gen. 49. 23 24. The archers have sorely grieved him yet his bow abode in strength It is nothing for a man to go on in the profession of Religion while all things are well about him while he feels no trouble but God hedges about his way if God should always prosper his people in outward things who would not be a professor of godliness When the people saw how Mordecai was raised then many became Jews I read of one Pamachius a Heathen that he said to the Pope Make me a Bishop and I will be a Christian Every bird can sing in fair sun-shine weather but here is the power of grace not to be offended in Christs sufferings Blessed are they who are not offended in me says Christ to desire to know nothing but Christ and him crucified To embrace Christ in his rags in his poverty in his shame in his afflictions and sorrows this argues a power of grace indeed it argues the power of love that much water cannot quench it It is a note that Josephus hath writing the History of the time of Christ At that time says he Jesus a wise man did many miracles and although he was condemned to the cross yet did not those that followed him from the beginning forbear to love him notwithstanding the ignominy of his death He notes it is an argument of great love in his followers as it was indeed that they did not forbear to love notwithstanding his ignominious death As it is a sign our love to sin is strong when we have many afflictions to quench our love when we meet with much trouble and opposition in a way of sin and yet our love to it is not abated so it argues our love to God and godliness is very strong when the greatest opposition cannot prevail against it to account Christ precious as a tree of life although we be fastened to him as to a stake to be burned this is love indeed It was the glory of Scipio in which he much boasted that there was not any of his Soldiers but would venture his life for him if it were to leap into the Sea to cast themselves from a high Tower or any other way that he should require of them this argued their strong love to him and it is the glory of the Lord in which the Lord delights that he hath a people whose hearts are closely knit to him in the most afflicted distressed condition that can befal them who are content to suffer any thing for him to submit to his blessed will to honor him any way that he shal please though it be in the loss of dearest comforts and suffering the sorest and hardest afflictions Sixthly by afflictions the graces of the Saints are much increased as Israel never increased so much as when Pharaoh most oppressed for two hundred and fifteen years before they increased but to seventy but in less time when they were oppressed they increased to more then six hundred thousand men fit for War besides women and children thus the spiritual increase of the true Israel of God is much in afflictions more usually then at other times Gods people to whom afflictions are sanctified never thrive so much in grace as when they are watered with their own tears The Rose is sweeter in the Still then upon the stalk Fish thrive better in cold and salt waters then in warm and fresh the largest fish are not in the fresh Rivers but in the coldest salt Seas The ground is most fruitful that is most harrowed The most plentiful Summer follows after the hardest Winter The face of Religion is never so beautiful as when it is washed with its own tears The Walnut tree is most fruitful when it is most beaten Camomel flourisheth most when it is most trodden on and pressed down suffering for truths does much confirm men in them that which a man hath bought at a dear rate he is loath to part with thus we finde it in men who suffer for errors they are ever the more stiff in them like the Merchants holding up their commodity because it cost them dear All oppositions if they do not overcome they strengthen that which they do oppose as water cast upon the fire it makes that fire burn hotter that it does not quench Wind shaking the tree makes it grow more steady Thus the tribulations of the godly and the persecutions they suffer do oppose their graces but because they cannot overcome them they strengthen them As we read Psalm 45. when the Church forsakes all when she leaves her fathers house and her kindred then doth the King greatly delight in her beauty her beauty is great then and exceeding delightful in the eyes of the Lord Cant. 2. 14. O my dove says Christ to the Church thy voyce is sweet thy countenance is comely let me hear thy voyce let me see thy countenance This is spoken of the state of the Church after her deliverance from great afflictions after her return from captivity before her captivity she was loathsom and vile in Gods eyes God hateth her as appears Jer. 12. 8. Mine heritage is unto me as a Lyon in the forrest it cryeth out against me therefore I have hated it but now she is delightful Christ bids her arise his love his fair one and come away God before cared not for her solemn meetings they were a burthen to him as appears Esay 1. 11 12 13 c. but now he expresseth his desire of their solemn meetings O my dove that art in the clefts of the rocks in the secret places of the stairs thou who worshippest me in secret places in holes and corners let me see thy face let me see thee assembled into the face of a Church in my Sanctuary let me hear thy voice let me hear thee there calling upon me singing praises unto me Psal 66. 12. We went through fires and through waters says the Church but thou broughtest us into a wealthy place Thus God deals with his Church spiritually by bringing them through the fire and water of afflictions he brings them to a wealthy place a wealthy estate The Church of Iudah before the Captivity was as a Vine that brought forth wilde Grapes upon whom the Lord
he will joy over thee with singing One word is heaped upon another to set out the abundance of delight that God takes in his people Hence the Church hath that name given her Hephzibah because God delighteth in her Isaiah 62. 4. And in Deut. 33. 3. it is said He loved his people there is a general love All his Saints are in his hand and they sate down at his feet that is more particular and in Cant. 4. 9. Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my Spouse c. One would think by the reading of the words they were rather the speech of the Spouse to Christ but it is the speech of Christ to his Spouse And so again in Cantic 5. 2. Open to me my sister my love my dove my undefiled these are the expressions of the delight that God hath in his people The Lord loves the gates of Zion more then all the ling places of Jacob that is God delights in the publike communion of his people more then in all their private dwellings If we be of Gods minde and have Gods Spirit our hearts must be where God is Gods bowels yern towards them I am afflicted with thee in all thy afflictions and how shall I give thee up There is a notable expression in Hosea 9. 10. where God sets out much of his delight in his Church I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness as a traveller wearied parched in the wilderness if he findes bunches of grapes O how sweet and refreshing are they to him so says God was Israel to me and further I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig-tree at her first time Fruit when it comes at the first and is dainty how is it prized some will give an incredible price for some kinde of timely fruit when it is rare at the first Thus God sets out his delight never Longer did delight more in some timely rare fruit then God does in his Saints God takes delight you see in his people above all others and therefore it is good to be with them Sixthly Consider the glorious titles that in Scripture are put upon the Saints in a way of Church communion as 1. They are Gods portion Deut. 32. 9. The Lords portion is his people 2. His pleasant portion Jer. 12. 10. They have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness 3. His inheritance Isaiah 19. 25. other people are the work of Gods hands but Israel is his inheritance 4. The dearly beloved of his soul Jer. 12. 7. He gave the dearly beloved of his soul into the hands of their enemies 5. His treasure his peculiar treasure Exod. 19. 5. Ye shall be a peculiar treasure to me above all people for all the earth is mine that is called peculium which the son and heir of the house hath of his own besides the right of his fathers inheritance which he may dispose of as he thinks good so though the earth be the Lord Christs by inheritance by right of creation yet he hath a special interest in his Church above all other God hath treasure in the works of nature and it is called his good treasure Deut. 28. 12. The Lord shall open to thee his good treasure but this is his peculiar treasure 6. His glory Isaiah 46. 13. I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory 7. The house of Gods glory Isa 60. 7. 8. A crown of glory Isa 62. 3. 9. The throne of God Exod. 17. 16. The words may be read thus because the hand upon the throne of the Lord and so by many they are translated and then the sense is because Amaleks hand was upon the Church the throne therefore God threatens war against them vea 10. The Throne of glory Jer. 4. 21. 11. The Ornament of God Ezek. 7. 20. 12. The beauty of his ornament Ezek. 7. 20. 13. The beauty of his ornament set in majesty Ezek. 7. 20. 14. A royal Diadem Isaiah 62. 3. Many other such expressions you may meet with in Scripture but put these together and you see it is desireable to be with the Saints in their communion Seventhly There is a special presence of God amongst them and to be there where God is in his especial presence it is worth the enduring of a great deal of affliction God is there in a special maner as in the last words of the prophesie of Ezekiel the Church is called by that name Iehova Shammah the Lord is there And the Lord filled his Tabernacle with his presence the Tabernacle was a type of the Church and did typifie his especial presence with his people in Church-communion And as God is there present so observe the expressions of his especial presence he is said to dwell there Psal 76. 2. In Salem is his Tabernacle and his dwelling place in Zion Now it is good keeping house with God You are his house saith the Apostle the Church of God is his house and it is good to be in Gods house But though it be his dwelling Is it a dwelling that is lovely to him Yes for it is that his soul desires to be in as if so be God counted it a kinde of honor as we may speak with holy reverence to have such a habitation Psal 132. 14. Here will I dwell for I have desired it as if he should say If I might have but a dwelling among my people I desire no better habitation in the world Now you that are fain to be put into mean holes for your dwellings if you may be with Gods people do not think it much for God dwells there and desires no better habitation It is strange that God that hath Heaven to be his habitation should desire to dwell with his people yet says he I desire to dwell there and I will dwell there If a man make a house to do some mean business in he does not take much delight there but in that house where the Kings Majesty is manifested that is the greatest place in the Kingdom now in Psal 26. 8. it is Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house where thy honor dwelleth as if this were the chief house that God had that God delighteth in this above all other dwellings his honor dwells here But will God stay here Yea it is the place that he will dwell in for ever Psal 132. 13 14. Surely our hearts may rest where God rests and we should not be weary where God is not weary And he does not onely dwell here but he hath his delightful walks here the walks of God are amongst his people 2 Cor. 6. 16. If a man have a house that he rejoyces in he will have his garden as near his house as he can that he may have some walks to delight in and so the Church of God is such a house as hath not onely room for God to rest in and set his honor in but he walks there and walks in them saith the Apostle Thus the
are glorious indeed and therefore high and honorable thoughts you ought to have of the Saints It is a great argument to shew Gods greatness that all the creatures in the world are his and for him What an argument then is it to set forth the greatness of a Christian that Heaven and God and Christ and all are his and for him and this hath been shewn in this glorious recompence of reward How great and honorable then should they be in our eyes Eighthly if there be such a glorious reward and great things prepared for Gods people then what love is due to Christ and to the Gospel and to the ways of godliness First love to the Lord Christ who is the cause of all this Secondly to the Gospel that reveals these things to us Thirdly to the ways of godliness that leads to all this great and blessed are the things of the Kingdom of Heaven from whence is all this It is the Lord Jesus Christ from whom all this comes another reward was due to us we were wretched guilty creatures fire-brands of hell children of perdition cast out unto an eternal curse but the Lord Christ who was the wisdom of the Father set his heart upon us and spake for us from all eternity and would not satisfie himself in delivering of mankinde from that miserable and lost condition in which they were but so set his heart upon them as he intended to make it his great work for the manifestation of the riches of his grace to raise this poor wretched creature to a height of happiness and glory that it might appear to Angels to the world yea to the blessed Trinity it self what the Son of God is able to do to raise a creature from misery unto glory and so his heart was set upon mankinde that though it must cost him the eclipsing of his own glory though he must come to be made a prey to the world and if a man a man of sorrows yea made a curse it self in the abstract that man might have this glory and happiness and yet he was content with all and at last this is all he prays for as a fruit of his sufferings and merits Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me as if he should say If I can but have this I am well I have enough for all the sufferings that I did endure This indeed is called a reward but it is the reward of another maner of righteousness then our own were it that there were no other righteousness but our own though our own should be true righteousness the reward would never come to this height but this is first the reward of the merit of the death of the blood and of the perfect righteousness of the Son of God and so in him it comes to be our reward therefore it is Christ that is our life and happiness and glory O let us joyn with those blessed Elders in Rev. 5. 8 9. that fell down before the Lamb having all harps in their hands and golden vials full of odours and sung Worthy art thou who wast slain and hast redeemed us unto God by thy blood to receive honor and blessing and glory and that we might joyn in that blessed melody that St. John heard in that Chapter in Verse 13. He heard all creatures in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the Sea saying Blessing honor glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever that we might say Amen to this If any man wish good to us we count it worthy of love but the Lord Christ having wrought such infinite good for us as this how should our hearts be enflamed to him and that none should be dear to us and prized of us in comparison of Christ Let us cry out with that blessed Martyr None but Christ none but Christ Again how should our souls love the Gospel and prize the Gospel that hath revealed all this to us In 2 Tim. 1. 10. it is said Life and immortality is brought to light by the Gospel These are the things that in comparison were kept hid from the beginning of the world before the manifestation of the Gospel but now they are revealed O blessed be God that we had the preaching of the Gospel amongst us to open the treasures of grace to us in this maner What poor low thoughts should we have had of the happiness of mankinde had not God made known these glorious things in the Ministery of the Gospel Many wise men by the light of nature have risen high in the contemplations of happiness that mans nature is capable of but how far beneath these things have their highest thoughts been It is a great part of the glory of the Gospel that it sets out unto us these high and glorious things And then the ways of godliness those we should love because those are the ways that lead and tend to all this godliness hath the promise of the life to come as well as the promise of this life annexed to it Were the ways of godliness never so hard and rough never so difficult yet they are glorious ways and to be loved because of the glorious end they tend unto Great is the gain of godliness if these things be believed You that are Merchants love and prize trading and merchandizing that brings in great gain as some in a way of trading and merchandizing by a bargain in a morning will bring in a hundred pounds when as many other poor people are fain to work hard to get a shilling or eighteen pence a day now you prize that trade that with a few words can get in so much O prize the trade of godliness then there is gain to be had I may compare all the works of morality and common grace to the poor mean trade of the laboring man that is fain to work hard for a shilling or eight pence a day they work and get but some few outward blessings from God but godliness is the trade of merchandising that brings in hundreds together and that our hearts should be upon God would have our hearts to be after great and glorious things It is an expression of Cleopatra to Marcus Antonius It is not for you to be fishing for Gudgeons but for Towns and Forts and Castles And so those that are acquainted with the ways of godliness it is not for them to be trading for poor things but for eternal life glory and immortality The ninth Use is an Use of Examination to know who those are that have interest in these glorious things to the answering of that question in Psalm 15. Who shall abide in thy Tabernable who shall dwell in thy holy hill I confess that Psalm does principally aim at communion with the Church of God such as are fit
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
Christ Fifthly while I walk in these ways I shall be safe for eternity I shall not be in danger there and when the fear of eternity falls upon the heart it sees it is a most dreadful thing to miscarry to eternity the thoughts of eternity work mightily upon my spirit let me be safe for eternity whatsoever become of me in these ways It is reported of one Myrogenes when great gifts were sent unto him he sent them back I onely desire this one thing at your Masters hand to pray for me that I may be saved for eternity Now in these ways of godliness I shall walk with God I shall have peace of conscience I shall have that I have in love I shall enjoy communion with the Father with Christ and with the holy Ghost and I shall be safe for eternity surely there can be no evil that can countervail this good whatsoever I suffer whatsoever I endure in this world yet my soul shall say It is good for me to draw near to God sure I shall choose and like well of the ways of godliness whatsoever I endure But you look onely upon the best side of godliness but turn the other side you shall finde a great many afflictions that attend the ways of godliness and when you see them you will not be so in love with these ways A gracious heart is willing to examine both sides What are the afflictions you speak of that will discourage any from delighting in Gods ways First they are but such as are upon the body those things that do afflict the godly are bodily things they do therefore but bring pain and trouble to this carcase to this body of clay to this lump of earth to this body of sin to that body that is to be beaten down in this world to that body of vileness for so it is called Phil. 3. 21. Who shall change our vile body in the Original it is this body of vileness It was the speech of a Heathen when as by the Tyrant he was commanded to be put into a morter and be beaten to pieces with an Iron pestel he cryes out to his persecutors You do but beat the vessel of Anaxarchus you do not beat me You do but beat the Case and Vessel that contains another thing yea the word in the Greek that Clemens Alex hath relating the Story signifies a husk his body was to him but as a husk A Heathen counted his body but the Case the husk he counted his soul himself If a man had a precious Jewel in a Case and the Case was torn in pieces and the Jewel be safe it is no matter and so by all these afflictions a gracious heart knows it is but the Case that is torn in pieces the Jewel is safe Fear not says Christ those that can kill the body and do no more Christ would have us know afflictions that do but reach the body are but slight things And for these troubles let them be the most terrible that can be they are such as may stand with Gods love the dearest of Gods love such as the dearest of Gods people have met withal says God in Ieremiah I gave the dearly beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies Indeed if they were such as could not fal but from Gods hatred it were another matter but they may stand with Gods love yea with the very same love wherewithal God the Father did love Jesus Christ and would you have better love then that you may be sure that all your afflictions that you do endure for godliness and the ways of godliness they are not such but you may have them in the same love that God loved Jesus Christ and one would think that were enough to satisfie any soul in the world John 17. ult there Christ prays that his Disciples might be loved with the same love wherewith he was loved now notwithstanding the love of the Father to the Son he was afflicted and suffered as much trouble as you are like to suffer and if you in suffering may be in no worse case then he was and may have the same love that he had notwithstanding your sufferings sure your sufferings are no great matter there is no more evil in your sufferings then may stand with the love of God to your souls the same love wherewith God loved Christ and if a soul knows this it will not be discouraged from the ways of godliness notwithstanding afflictions indeed if in affliction there were the venome of Gods wrath and the curse of the Law it were something but the sting and venome is taken out and there is no great evil Again these afflictions that the world so speak of they may not onely stand with Gods dearest love but are such as may proceed from Gods dearest love as thus they may come as fruits of the love of God and therefore sure they are no great discouragements from the ways of godliness you heard what abundance of good God brought out of the afflictions of his people and therefore there may be abundance of love from whence they come they may be onely but to fit and square and fashion the soul to be fit to be laid in the highest place of new Jerusalem The stones that are laid below in some mean place are not hewed and hacked as the stones that are in the highest part of the building or the forefront of the building to the view of all those that are most for the beauty of the building are most hacked and framed and so those that God does intend to be the most beautiful stones in that glorious Temple that is in Heaven God suffers them here to be fashioned and hacked most afflicted and therefore they may come from love Besides they are no great matter take them at the worst they are but little things these light afflictions there is no such grievous burthen in them as the world thinks there is for there is the hand of Christ to hold them up in all their afflictions they are but such things as rather seem grievous then are grievous indeed as Heb. 12. 11. No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous they are things that are grievous in appearance and in shew onely rather then in truth as the prosperity of the wicked is but in shew so the affliction of Gods people are rather shews they do rather seem grievous then have any realty of grief in them and therefore they are not so much to be feared Again they are but for a little time but for a moment As it was the speech of Athanasius when he was banished and his friends came to bewail his misery says he It is but a little cloud and will quickly be gone All the time of the rage and malice of wicked men is but as an hour says Christ This is their hour and the power of darkness it is but an hour and is
and rules and have the same ends and affections hopes and desires and joys and where there is such a suitableness surely there must needs be a great deal of comfort for all comforts come from a suitableness between the heart and the object if the thing be never so good if there be not a suitableness between the heart and it there is no comfort but no such suitableness as between Gods people and therefore no such comfort Fifthly no such joy as is to be had in communion with them because of their entireness of love entireness of love is a lovely sight Dionisius seeing two entire friends together wished himself the third Cant. 6. 9. My Dove is but one and it follows the daughters saw her and blessed her an oneness of heart is a blessed thing no such entireness such oneness any where as amongst the Saints their love is spiritual and not upon base grounds as the love of others is there is not that base aiming at self as in others a carnal heart cannot love another but in some base respect to himself but now it is not self self that is the the ground of the love between those that are truly gracious and godly but God that is between them and with them the ground of their love is more spiritual and therefore it is a kinde of divine love and not so drossie as others Sixthly no communion so comfortable in regard of their faithfulness they dare trust one another They call themselves brethren and they will dye for another says Tertullian the men of the world cry out Of all men I would not trust those that are so precise Indeed if you do take all refuse that make profession you may say so but a gracious heart can savor who is godly and will not trust every one that talks of Religion but such as are truly godly they dare trust them and venture their lives with them no communion in which we can ease our selves of our burthens as where there are a company of true gracious humble Saints in communion one with another So that put these together and you see the second reason why it is worth the enduring so much affliction to have communion with the people of God Thirdly it is worth the enduring a great deal of affliction to have communion with them because it is in their communion in which the solemn worship of God is set up now it is worth the enduring of a great deal to be where that is In Judah is God known and his name is great in Israel he hath honor by others but his name is great in Israel in his Church What a comfortable thing is it and blessed and worth the enduring of much to have multitudes of Gods people joyn with one heart in setting out the praises of God sitting at his Table sitting before him lifting up the name of the great God making his praise glorious When the Saints are gathered together for this end in this work Christ is there present with them praising God he joyns with them in this work Heb. 2. 12. In the midst of the Church will I praise thee this is spoken of Christ it is quoted out of Psal 22. 22. which is prophetical of Christ who would not be in such acts of worship to joyn with such as Christ joyns with If God be our God and dear to our souls his worship is dear to us and if there be any people in the world among whom God is truly worshipped it is a great affliction not to be with them It is the observation of one Interpreter upon that place in Isa 6. where the Cherubims cryed Holy holy holy Lord God of hosts the earth is full of thy glory the Prophet cryes out Wo unto me I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips unfit to joyn with those that are praising of God howsoever the meaning of that place be yet thus we may make use of it to be a great affliction and cause there is to cry out Wo to our selves when we hear of Gods people crying out Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts if we be not amongst them though it be in the wilderness yet if Gods worship be set up the people of God have a feast When the Israelites were to go from Egypt into the wilderness Moses says they must go thither to keep a feast unto the Lord What was that feast in the wilderness but the setting up the worship of God Fourthly no communion no society in which there is so much profit and benefit as to be amongst these As Abigail said to David The Lord shall binde up the soul of my Lord in the bundle of life to be amongst Gods people is to be bound up in the bundle of life much good we enjoy in them and the more communion we have the more interest we have in all their gifts and graces and prayers and therefore we read of Daniel when he had a great work to do how he makes use of that interest he had in the prayers of the godly Daniel 2. 17 18. It is a great blessing to have an interest in the prayers of the Saints and so in all their gifts 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas c. all are yours and you are Christs as if he should say there need no such envying one at another to say I am of Paul and another of Apollos and another of Cephas for all are yours all the gifts and graces of all the worthies of the Lord are all yours they are all for your good and you have interest in them all in communion with the Saints there is watching over one another and quickning one another and admonishings and wholesome counsels and stirring up the graces of God that are in one another Have you not felt your selves when you have come away from a spiritual communion to come away with hearts raised and spirits inflamed for God and so strengthened that your resolutions have been up to do or suffer any thing for the Lord as in Mal. 3. 16. Those that feared the Lord spake often to one another quickned the hearts of one another and so in Acts 18. 5. And when Silus and Timotheus was come from Macedonia Paul was pressed in spirit and testified to the Iews that Iesus was Christ Certainly in their converse together S. Paul found his spirit wrought upon and refreshed so that the Text says when Timotheus was come Paul was pressed in spirit Fifthly it is good being with Gods servants though it be in suffering affliction because God takes so much delight in them if God takes delight in being with them certainly there is great cause we should take delight in them there are admirable expressions of Gods taking delight in them Zeph. 3. 17. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he will save thee he will rejoyce over thee with joy he will rest in his love
the Doctrine of it and golden in the holy conversation of it We must take heed that there be not so much as a dusting of this golden candlestick of the Lord by the least looseness or earthliness of our lives By scandals in the wicked lives of those that are of Gods people there is a stain and blot cast upon Church communion here the name of God is polluted others that are prophane pollute the creatures and their own consciences but Gods name is not so much polluted by them but Gods people do not onely pollute their consciences by their scandalous lives but pollute Gods name and it is worse to pollute Gods name then to pollute your consciences And therefore know that joyning to the Saints is an aggravation to every sin you commit afterward and though it be true that union with the people of God is a mitigation of every cross and affliction yet it is an aggravation to every sin Yea if men were born for no other end and purpose but to do mischief they could not do more then this to joyn with the people of God and then live scandalously O brethren let us pray to God that we may never live to that day to darken the great excellency of the fellowship of the Saints It were better that God should take a thousand of us out of the world then that we should live to darken the profession of Gods name in union with his people this does more mischief then all the persecuters under Heaven can do The Church of God hath never been in a better condition then when their persecuters have raged most the raging of persecuters have not darkned the excellency of the Church but the scandalous lives of members of a Church have darkned the glory of the Church though by persecution others may be afraid to make profession of the truth yet all the persecution in the world cannot take off mens consciences and cause them in their consciences to think such are not in the truth because they are persecuted but the scandalous lives of those that are Professors do make men think in their consciences that this way is not right and therefore make them think they do God good service in hating such men persecuting such men and there is more evil in this to be an occasion to make men think this way is not good then to make men afraid to venture upon this way And therefore consider what a great deal of mischief scandalous lives do and if you finde your hearts inclining to any sensual way that you are like to give scandal take heed of it for it is the greatest mischief that can be devised Those who joyn with the Church of God should walk so as to be an ornament to it not a stain a blot to cast filth upon it Isa 49. 18. Behold these that gather themselves to thee thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all as with an Ornament Consider how far many of you are from being an ornament to the Church are not your lives rather blemishes This is a sore evil Better it is to endure any misery then to do that which shall make Gods people ashamed of us The third thing that darkens the excellency of communion with Gods people is dissentions in judgement or affection this makes it appear to be black in the eyes of the world Sozomen reports of a Devilish policy of Julian to raise a scandal against the Church He sent for those Bishops that were banished in Constantius his time on purpose that he might cause dissention in the Church by them Take heed you have not a hand in darking this excellent condition no not in this way In the body solutio continui is more dangerous then the corruption of a humor Let us labor so far as possibly we can to make it excellent by peaceableness this is that which is prophesied of for the Church Isa 33. 20. Thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation And mark the blessing that follows upon this quietness A Tabernacle that shall not be taken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken but there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers streams c. In Zech. 14. ver 9. there is a Prophesie that the Lord shall be King over all the earth in that day there shall be one Lord and his name one We now profess one God but we do as it were call him by several names but that will be a blessed time when as there shall be but one Lord so his name shall be one there shall be a blessed agreement in the profession of his name oneness of heart is a blessing of the new Covenant I remember Eusebius reports in the life of Constantine that he was so much troubled for dissentions in the house of God as he could not sleep in the night and they did more disquiet him then all his wars yea he says they caused him to sob and sigh and so they should be disquietings to our spirits and we should study to make up breaches S. Augustine ep 15. hath this expression speaking of the divisions of some of the Church says he I would fall down at their feet and desire them with all the might I have they would not do thus and thus that they would not cast reproaches upon one another And observe the spirit of St. Paul Phil. 2. 1 2 3. If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfil ye my joy that ye be like minded having the same love c. Doves cannot endure to be amongst Ravens but where they see meekness and love there those of Dove-like dispositions love to be Isaiah 60. 8. Who are they like Doves that flie to their Windows Brethren if we would expect to grow up in the ways of godliness it must be by love and union together Colossians 2. 2. Being knit together in love unto all riches of full assurance When hearts are knit together in love then a Church thrives and grows up to all riches of grace As it is in the body of a man when the members of the body are out of joynt they can neither receive strength from the body nor be useful to the body And therefore the Apostle would have us be careful if any were out of joynt to set him in joynt again that is the propriety of the word Gal. 6. 1. If a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one set such a one in joynt that he may thrive as members in joynt thrive Christ is called the corner stone now a corner stone is that which joyns both sides together now Christ loves to be in the place of joyning where there is a joyning in mutual fellowship Although there be variety in gifts although the
bearing one anothers burthens As the curtains of the Tabernacle were joyned together by loops so should the members of the Church be joyned one to another by love In the Primitive times we finde the Heathens and enemies of the Church did acknowledge there were no people in the world did love one another so as Christians did The Church of Philadelphia is blamed for nothing Philadelphia signifies brotherly love when brotherly love rules in Churches they grow to a blameless conversation before God and man Sixthly be bountiful and liberal The men of the world having skill in these things and they seeing no eminency of these in you they say Let them make what profession they will in those things we have no skill in we believe them not they are a company of false hearted people Fifthly if you would walk so as to draw others in love to communion with you labor to manifest the power of godliness by doing such things as the men of the world cannot do if the men of the world can see that men that make profession of Religion are able to do that they cannot do they see now there is some reality in Religion You know how it was with Pharaoh and his Magicians all the while Moses wrought such things that Pharaohs Magicians could do Pharaoh was not convinced but when Moses did such things that the Magicians could not do this convinced them and so for you to do that the men of the world do or can do this does not convince them says Christ If I had not done such things as no man did you had had no sin What is it to do those things which the men of the world cannot do First the resisting of strong temptations every slight temptation overcomes them but when they shall see you stand out against powerful temptations they see you have a power beyond theirs When Nebuchadnezzar saw the three Children in the fiery furnace and they were not touched by the fire he was convinced so when the men of the world shall see you in the midst of prevailing temptations and you keep your selves untouched they will be convinced and say Surely there is a power with these that we have not Secondly the overcoming of strong passions this convinces them When as those you live withal shall know there was a time you were outragious and forward at every thing that did displease you and since God hath wrought on your hearts you can be meek and patient and those passions and temptations cannot overcome you now that did before When Christ commanded the winds and seas and they were still at his word they wondred and said Who is this that the winds and seas obey him And so when you have storms and passions arise in you and you by the word of God can make all quiet men will wonder and say Who is this Thirdly if you be able to deny your selves in your wills and ends this is a thing they cannot do but now the godly if there come any word of God to shew their wills are not right they do not only change the thing their will is upon but their will is bowed to Gods word And as it was with David when he had Saul at an advantage and might have had his own will upon Saul and yet spared him how did this convince Saul Who having his Enemy would have spared him As if he had said If I had had thee at an advantage at my own will I must have had my ends And so is there any thing that the men of the world can see you may have your ends in you should rather deny your selves in them Brethren Gods people are to strive and contend with the world above all people and that for God now then that we may manifest unto the world that when we do contend with them that it is meerly-for God when it comes to our selves and our own causes we should be the most yieldable people in the world There is a time when we must contend with the world our consciences put us upon it and the cause of God puts us upon it and then they say we are stubborn proud spirits now to take off this reproach and to convince them it is not self-will therefore when it is onely your own cause yield to the utmost you can and this will convince them when you do not yield that it is not for self but for God and conscience Fourthly do good for evil this is that which the men of the world cannot do We must labor to do some singular thing for God if you onely do good for good the Publicans can do so but we must do good for evil As it is reported of Bishop Cranmer they used to say of him If they would have Bishop Cranmer their friend let them do him some ill turn Do you not think how you may be even with them that have done you an ill turn but rather go home and all the way you are going be musing and studying how you may return some good to that man that hath done you wrong and so you shall not be even with him but above him by this you shall heap coals of fire upon his head This beseems the people of God that are the peculiar of God It was a notable speech that Balaam had in Numbers 23. 9. Lo the people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the Nations They are a people peculiar amongst themselves if they be such a people as are so peculiar as they must not be reckoned amongst the Nations then they must do such things as cannot be reckoned amongst the ways and works of the Nations If we should read all Authors of the Heathens yet we may finde such things in Gods people as we cannot finde in all the Authors Fifthly be joyful in affliction rejoycing in God and Christ then when all outward delight fails in very convincing If people speak so much of faith and living by faith on the promises and yet if they be crost in any thing in the world their hearts are as low and sinking as the hearts of any when men of the world see this they say Where is all their faith But if they see when affliction comes even such as would make their hearts sink and the people of God carry them out chearfully they will say Surely there is some real principle in them that we cannot see As Justin Martyr when he saw the Christians suffer such great things so chearfully says he Surely these men have more then the men of the world they have other principles and so he enquired what maner of people they were and so came to embrace the truth It is not so much to be merry and joyful over their cups the people of God cannot be merry and joyful in sensual delights but put them into afflictions and hardships and they can be chearful more then you they are not so dumpish
know what an eternal God is and what an eternal crown is and an eternal inheritance when it knows that God does intend to communicate himself eternally to his creature it cannot be satisfied unless it knows it shall live to enjoy those things that God shall communicate eternally Thirdly a gracious spirit hath received an eternal principle within it that does work the heart beyond things for a season that works the heart all to eternity for the work of Grace that is in the soul it is begotten of the immortal seed of the Word and it is an eternal principle that is infused by God into it and therefore it works beyond things that are for a season every creature works according to the nature of its principles as sensitive creatures according unto sensitive principles and rational creatures according unto rational principles but grace is beyond reason and is of an everlasting nature and therefore it works the heart beyond all that is but for a season Fourthly a gracious heart cannot be satisfied with things that are but for a season because God hath loved such a heart with an eternal love and there is the impression of the same love in the soul that carries the soul to God in some measure with that love wherewith it is loved that causes the soul to love God with an eternal love and not to be satisfied with any work of love that it can work in time and therefore grace must have eternity for to manifest the love again that it hath to God or else it hath not a love proportionable in its measure to the love wherewith God hath loved it but that is in every gracious heart Fifthly there is a kinde of image of Gods infiniteness in the souls of men and according to this print of Gods infiniteness the enjoyment of God is desired where the heart is gracious though it is true our souls are not infinite creatures in themselves yet having a print of Gods infiniteness upon them they manifest this in their infinite desires and because they cannot enjoy an actual infinite good in themselves therefore they desire an infinite good in duration at least let there be never so much good yea as much as an infinite power can let out for present good yet this does not satisfie the soul unless it can have it infinitely for duration for an enlightned soul knows that it is not capable to hold that good that an infinite God can and hath a purpose to communicate to his creature if it should come all together therefore it desires to enjoy communication of what good it is capable of to all eternity To receive good from God is not sufficient except it be received in an infinite way now it cannot receive any thing infinite for the present and therefore it must have it in an infinite way in regard of duration Sixthly there is nothing that is but for a season can satisfie a gracious heart but it must be some eternal thing because such a one hath received light from God to understand the infinite consequence of eternity to make any good to be infinite or any evil to be infinite When as one enjoys any good and knows it shall continue infinitely it makes that present good to have a kinde of infiniteness in it and and so for evil if there be any evil upon the heart though the evil should be never so little yet if it be an evil and the soul knows it must continue infinitely it puts a kinde of infiniteness to every moment and that is the principal thing that makes the misery of the damned to be so miserable and the happiness of the godly so happy they are not onely happy and miserable because they shall be happy and miserable for ever but because they know there is continance in happiness and in misery their knowledge of this is that which puts infinite weight upon every moment Suppose a beast should have happiness suitable to its nature for eternity that would come infinitely short of the happiness of a rational creature that knows wherein happiness consists and what eternity is for the beast enjoys nothing but the present happiness but a reasonable creature it hath happiness for the present and it can by the thoughts of the minde fetch in the infiniteness of the duration and put it upon the present content it receives and so have infinite satisfaction every moment And so for misery it were not so much if God by his power should hold a brute beast in the fire eternally as if a man were in misery because though it hath pains yet it hath no thought of future pains but what it now feels But if a rational creature be in misery by the thoughts of his minde he can fetch all the pains that shall be in hundred thousands of years and put them upon that instant and this makes it to be miserable indeed in a kinde of infiniteness beyond that which any other creature is capable of You think to be tortured with fire is miserable and to be so eternally is miserable but there is something more every instant you shall be in misery there shall be a kinde of infiniteness because you shall by your thoughts bring whatsoever is to come and put it upon the present moment and nothing can swallow up a mans spirit so much as this if he understands eternity Now then a gracious heart that knows this that knows what the consequence of eternity is cannot be satisfied except it hath made good provision for eternity whatsoever it enjoys for the present cannot satisfie the soul unless it hath made good provision for that which it understands to be of such infinite consequence as it is A soul that understands the consequence of eternity sees it as an infinite Ocean that it is lanching into and must for ever swim in Now if a man were to go a voyage in the vast Ocean that he must go thousands of miles could he be content that he had made provision of such a Vessel that he could make shift to get over some narrow water with so it is here yea this similitude comes short of the expression of the folly of any that knows any thing concerning eternity to think to satisfie themselves in any thing that is but for a season for any thing that is but for a season let it be for as long a season as you will if it were for Methuselahs season that is but as some small Brook and what is this to the going of many thousand miles in the infinite vast Ocean and therefore a gracious heart knowing the vastness of it except it hath made some provision for it can never be quieted with what it can enjoy for a season Seventhly a gracious heart cannot be satisfied in any thing that is but for a season because there is nothing that is but for a season but it can make the end of it as really present If so be that
running up and down from one witness to another but a gracious heart hath other ways to help it self it cryes to God most high and looks for help from Heaven God sends forth his mercy and truth to help and there is help indeed Fifthly another help is this if you can but get your hearts quietly and kindely to lament the condition of your reproachers this will be a marvellous means tosweeten the heart and to help to bear reproaches It was the answer of Socrates to one who wondred at his patience towards one who reviled him If we should meet one says he whose body were more unsound then ours should we be angry with him and not rather pity him why then should we not do the like to him whose soul is more diseased then ours The folly of our reproachers should cause us to pity them to be patient towards them and pass by the wrong they do unto us this was one of the arguments that Abigail brought to David to quiet his spirit that was so stirred against Nabal because of that reproach he cast upon him Nabal saith she is his name and folly is with him it is his folly rather pity him it is too low a thing for such a spirit as Davids is to be stirred with it Instead of being troubled with the reproaches that are upon you your spirits should be most troubled for their sin Now there is infinite cause we have to be troubled for their sin more then for any evil that befals us An evil tongue devours and is an abomination and in Prov. 8. 13. God says The froward mouth he hates Now if you have any love you should think thus This poor man what hath he done he hath brought himself under the hatred of God now this should mightily affect the hearts of the godly As he is an abomination to God so he is an abomination to men Prov. 24. 9. The scorner is an abomination to men scornful spirits love to cast shame and ignominy upon others And in Prov. 18. 7. A fools mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul we should think he hath but ensnared his own soul and so fall a lamenting of his wretched condition And so in Isa 33. 10. Your breath as fire shall devour you If the breath of any man devours him the breath of revilers and reproachers and slanderers does The Heathens called a reproacher A three tongued man because he hurts three at once he hurts him that he reproaches and him that heard the reproach and himself worst of all do but get power over your hearts to bewail this sin and your reproach will not be so troublesom Trilinguis Gallesius a writer upon Exod. 22. ver 28. observes the exceeding patience of those three Emperors Theodosius Honorius Arcadius towards those who spake evil of them they would have them subject to no punishment for they said If it comes from lightness of spirit it is to be contemned if from madness it is worthy of pity if from injury it is to be pardoned wrongs are to be forgiven Again labor to possess your souls with the reality of the sweet of and the honor there is in the ways of God so no reproach will be grievous to you As it is said of the covetous man when some told him Such and such hiss at thee but says he I care not I rejoyce in what I have at home that I have so much money in my chest So it should be with a gracious heart he should say I have sweet enough in my own heart what need I trouble my self with what others think or say Seventhly labor to satisfie your souls in the glory of God and Christ Though my name be cast out as filth yet the name of God and Christ is blessed and glorious and so shall be for ever let Devils and wicked men do what they can against it It was a good speech of Luther writing to his friend Spalatinus bemoaning his condition to him because of the scorn and contempt he suffered yet comforting himself in this that Christ lived and reigned Luther is accounted even a Devil but Christ lives and reigns he addes his Amen to it Thirdly it is not enough to bear reproaches patiently but we must bear them fruitfully a christian should think he hath not done that which belongs to a christian unless he hath got some good by them a christian should not think it enough to free himself from the scorn of the tongue but he must improve it for good by it First consider what ends God aims at by it and labor to work them upon your selves that you may attain to those ends Secondly labor to draw what good instructions you can from the reproaches of others As namely thus when I hear men reproach and revile O what a deal of evil is there secretly in the heart of man that is not discovered till it have occasion I did not think that such and such could ever have been reproachers if they had not been provoked Again do I see another so vigilant over me to finde me out to reproach me how vigilant should I be over my self to finde out what is in me to humble me Again is there so much evil to be under the stroke of mans tongue what a great evil is it to be under the stroke of Gods justice Lastly to be fruitful that is set upon what duty God calls for at the present surely this is one great general duty that the less credit I see I have in the world let me labor to have the more credit in Heaven I see there is a breach of my name here let me seek to make up my name in Heaven 4. And then they must be born joyfully but we shall speak of that afterwards in the third point that a gracious heart is not onely willing to bear reproach when God calls unto it but in the cause of CHRIST to triumph and rejoyce in his reproaches 5. Lastly we should return good for evil then you come to the top of Christianity This is a sign of great progress in Religion If I be weak saith Ambrose perhaps I may pardon one charging me falsly but if I have profited although not altogether perfect though he flows in upon me with reproaches I hold my peace and answer nothing but if I be perfect I then bless him that reviles me according to that of St. Paul Being reviled we bless If you can do thus if you can heartily pray for your reproachers and desire good to them and be willing to take notice of any good in them to clear up their innocency where there is iust cause if you can be ready to offer any offices of love and respect and kindeness to them and so heap coals of fire upon them this is a great sign of grace you have made a good progress indeed in Gods way Mat. 5. 44
reproaches of Christ then certainly Christ is wonderfully reproached in the world none so reproached as Christ is because he is not onely reproached himself but all the reproaches that fall upon all his people in the world not onely since Moses time but from the beginning of the world they are all the reproaches of Christ none suffers so much as he consider we then with our selves how we can love this Christ a reproached Christ Is Christ notwithstanding all his reproaches dear and precious to us howsoever he be to the world yet can your souls say with the Church He is altogether lovely as the Apostle Peter says 1 Pet. 2. 7 8. He is a rock and a stone of offence to those that do not believe but to you precious and so Christ though he be a reproached Christ yet to you he is precious to a godly and gracious heart how precious is Jesus Christ There is a notable place concerning the reproaches of Christ and yet of the high esteem that Gods people have of him notwithstanding he is reproached Isa 52. 14 15. His visage was so marred more then any mans and his form more then the sons of men what then is there none therefore that shall prize him yes at the fifteenth verse So shall he sprinkle many Nations the Kings shall shut their mouthes at him for that which had not been told them shall they see and that which they had not heard shall they consider that is there shall yet come a time when as the Lord shall sprinkle many nations by the work of his Spirit and draw many Kings so as they shall shut their mouthes whereas they contemned him and despised him now they shall shut their mouthes in a way of admiration that that had not been told them which they see as St. Paul he knew Christ onely after the flesh but when he came to know him after another maner he thought otherwise of him So when God does sprinkle any with his Spirit that they know Christ though his visage he marred more then any mans and he is reproached more then any man yet they shall prize him and delight in him and the more he is reproached the more they shall delight in him It is a notable speech of Bernard By so much the more Christ is vile for me by so much the more he is dearer to me CHAP. XXXV Sixteen several Consolatións arising to the Saints from this consideration That their sufferings are Christs sufferings SEcondly the consideration of this point is of admirable use for the consolation of all the people of God in all their sufferings and reproaches If reproaches and sufferings be the reproaches of Christ Christ is engaged in them more then you there may be many branches of comfort to Gods people from hence That Christ is so engaged in all their sufferings as they are accounted Christs own it is a great matter when any one suffers any thing if they know this that any great man is engaged in their sufferings if a subject should have a King so engaged in any thing he undertakes that he can say Whatsoever I suffer in this is the suffering of the King this is a great comfort to him so here there are several branches of comfort that may be drawn from this Our sufferings are the sufferings of Christ First it is a great deal of comfort that God does take notice of our reproaches This was the comfort of the Psalmist in Psal 69. 19. Thou hast known my reproach and my shame and my dishonor my adversaries are all before thee If a man suffer reproach and disgrace and trouble for his friends while he is abroad from them O says he Did but my friends know what I suffer and suffer for them it would comfort me If it be comfort to be known much more when they shall be accounted their own Christ is acquainted with all the sufferings of every member and therefore do not say I am a poor creature who takes notice of my sufferings Heaven takes notice of your sufferings Christ takes notice of them better then your selves Secondly if they be the sufferings of Christ they are no other but such as are predetermined for you from the beginning of the world for certainly the sufferings of Christ are determined It may be said of these sufferings as truly as of those he suffered in his own person Act. 2. 23. They are by the determinate counsel foreknowledge of God therefore it is not in the liberty of man to reproach you as he pleases but all is by the fore-determinate counsel of God Thirdly certainly you do not want compassion in your sufferings neither for one to suffer much and to be reproached and no body to have compassion is grievous but surely you have compassion enough Christ must needs take compassion on you and it is not a forced compassion but a natural compassion was there ever any that was not sensible of the sufferings of his own flesh unless it be dead Indeed if you be a dead member of a Church it may be Christ does not compassionate your sufferings but if you be a living member Christ does compassionate your sufferings and pity you in every lye and slander that is told of you many times when we hear of the servants of God and especially those we know to be godly to have such strange reports of them our hearts begin to break and to yern towards them If one member have compassion of another much more the head the head is more sensible of the evils done to the body then the other members are Fourthly all these reproaches and sufferings do not argue your rejection they may stand with the infinite love of God many of Gods people are ready to draw sad conclusions from their reproaches surely God would not suffer this if he loved them they may stand with the same love wherewith the Father loved the Son for they are the reproaches of the Son Fifthly they must needs be sanctified to you those that are the sufferings of Christ are fanctified sufferings certainly Christ will not suffer them to go away unsanctified Christ is so holy that if they come near to him he will make them holy and therefore your bodies and souls having union with Christ they come to be sanctified so all your conditions and sufferings come to be sanctified by union with Christ he is the blessed one of God and therefore all your sufferings must be blessed from him Sixthly if they be the reproaches of Christ then you are not left to bear the burthen of them alone you have but the lighter end of the staff if a burthen be never so heavy at one end and a strong man is under that and the other be light though a weak man be under that he does not care so the weight and burthen of reproaches lie upon the shoulders of Christ and therefore when you think it is hard
let out immediately from God and this is indeed the special difference of all from whence flow many excellent consequences which would even require a particular of it self I may hereafter enlarge my self in this in some other Treatise And thus you may see the blessed condition of Gods people when they come to the recompence of reward We have something here and we rejoyce in it and bless God for it but those ways that God hath to communicate himself to his people hereafter are glorious ways O that our hearts were raised to look after that communication of God that we shall have hereafter O those base and drossie spirits that we have Because we receive some goodness of God here we are ready to be quieted here and rest here as if God had nothing to communicate to the Children of men but that we have here See the vileness of our hearts we are here ready to rest upon the lowest things that God communicates and do not so much as rise in our hearts to the highest things that are communicated here but a christian heart should rise higher then the most excellent things that are here in the world namely to the most blessed things that are hereafter let us shew our selves that we are men of hopes to enjoy God after another maner then here Many do not desire enjoyment of God let them have the creature they never think of any communication of God so much as through the creature whereas a true Christian that hath grace he receives nothing in the world but he thinks with himself how have I God here how does God communicate himself to me in meat and drink and cloathes and friends and the like it is well if you go thus far but you must go higher are there not choyce mercies O yes there are blessed things communicated through the ordinances through prayer and the word and sacraments there are blessed things few mens hearts look so high as to look to the communication of Gods choyce mercies in this world but a gracious heart rises higher does as it were bathe it self with those refreshments that are to come through Gods mercy I have the creature and the communication of God through that and I have the ordinances and Gods choyce mercies communicated through them but there are glorious things to be communicated hereafter and those my soul rejoyces in Now God does communicate himself onely in that way which is suitable to our condition now we are but narrow vessels and have but narrow mouthes and are not capable of that greatness of Gods communication but time will come when as God will communicate himself in a more glorious maner and in that I bless my self and therefore I will not regard any of Gods communication of himself to me here but in order unto that glorious communication of God to me hereafter And thus we have seen something of the recompence of reward comparing it with what we have here Now secondly we are to compare it with the condition of Adam in the estate of Innocency As for the estate of Adam in Paradise it was a blessed condition yet far under the happiness of the Saints in the recompence of the reward For Adams body was but natural and his Paradise was but a natural Paradise and a possibility there was he might lose his happiness and if he should have stood there should not have been that glorious distinct working of the three Persons of the Trinity about mans happiness that there now is and therein especially lies the difference Thirdly compare it with the Angels and you shall finde in Scripture some expressions of the happiness of the Saints beyond the happiness of the blessed Angels themselves For the union that the Saints shall have with the Deity is a nearer union in divers respects then the union that the Angels have with the Deity and the righteousness wherewith the Saints stand righteous before the Lord is an higher righteousness then Adam or the Angels should have been in First the union that the Saints have with the Deity is a nearer union then that of the Angels First the humane nature in general that is advanced to an higher dignity then all the glory of the Angels put together Because there is an Hypostatical union between the humane Nature and the Divine in Christ Again we have many expressions in Scripture of the union of Saints with the Deity whereby it appears their union is nearer then the union of the Angels They are called the friends of Christ They are said to have fellowship with Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 1. 9. They are the Brethren of Christ They are Co-heirs with Jesus Christ There are no such expressions of the Angels And yet there are nearer expressions of their union they are the Spouse of Christ the Bride the Angels are but as the servants They are the members of Christ and are made one with Christ They are those that are to be one with the Father as the Father and the Son are one Iohn 17. 21. Christ there prays As thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us he never prayed so for the Angels Lastly they are said to be loved of the Father with the very same love wherewith he loved the Son now though God loves the Angels yet it is not said that he loved them with the same love that he loved his Son These are the expressions we finde in Scripture concerning the near union that the Saints have with the Deity in some respects beyond the Angels but of the union of the Saints with the Deity we shall speak of more when we come to speak of the reward positively And then the righteousness wherewith they stand righteous before God is greater then the righteousness of Adam in Paradise or the Angels because it is the righteousness of the second Person of the Trinity and that is of an higher nature and a more glorious righteousness then the righteousness of any meer creature Now the righteousness of the Angels though it be perfect in its kinde yet it is not a righteousness of such an high nature as that righteousness which is the Son of God And thus of this recompence of reward comparatively CHAP. XLIII The perfection of the bodies and souls of the Saints in glory NOw thirdly let us consider it positively now in this positive consideration these things are to be followed First the perfection of their natures that they shall be raised to Secondly the glory that shall be put upon them at the day of Judgement Thirdly the possession of Heaven Fourthly the having God to be their Portion Fifthly their blessed communion with Jesus Christ Sixthly their communion with the Saints and Angels Lastly the eternal Sabbath that they are to keep in Heaven Under these seven heads all that we have to say concerning the positive reward of the Saints may be contained First the perfection that their
God and my soul are somewhat united and that God and my soul shall have a glorious union hereafter O that God would raise our hearts to these things that we may know what is the business we have to do in the world If you do not know these things shall be your portion never give satisfaction to your selves in the flesh till your know these things shall be your portion CHAP. XLVIII The blessedness of communion with God NOw we come to the fourth thing Communion with God and this is more then the other three things Union is the ground of communion communion is that which riseth from both parts being united and the Saints shall have a glorious communion with God and the Trinity in this life there is a communion that the Scripture speaks of that we have with God the Father and the Son and the Spirit 1 John 1. 3. Our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and in 1 Cor. 13. 14. The communion of the Holy Ghost be with you says the Apostle so that there is a fellowship with the Father and the Son and communion with the Holy Ghost but certainly it shall be another maner of communion that the Saints shall have with God in the world to come Now this communion it stands either in regard of the work of God upon and towards the Saints or the work of the Saints upon and towards God for communion is on both sides and that in these four things First in the delight they have one in another Secondly in wishing all good to one another Thirdly in the communication of themselves one to another Fourthly in the blessed familiar converse that they have one with another First communion consists in the delight they have in one another There is a full actual mutual everlasting delight between God and the Saints in heaven First there is a delight Secondly full Thirdly actual Fourthly mutual Fifthly everlasting First there is a delight God here rejoyces in them the Scripture says He rejoyces in the habitable parts of the earth and his delight is with the sons of men Prov. 8. 31. why does God delight in the habitable parts of the earth there are other glorious works of God that are not in the habitable parts of the world but God delights in the habitable parts of the world because there are rational creatures there but he hath more delight in his Church in this world then in any other part of the habitable parts of the world as Isa 19. 25. Assyria is the work of Gods hands but Israel is his inheritance but there will be a delight far higher The delight that God hath in heaven it self is in regard of the Saints that are there without which heaven were not heaven First it is delight in their persons God takes infinite delight and content in the persons of the Saints howsoever their persons are mean here yet as they shall be hereafter God will take an infinite delight in them Secondly he delights in conferring blessedness upon his people there is much delight in the communication of good as well as in the enjoyment of it what good hath a man who hath a great estate more then another but that he may communicate more good then another Thirdly he delights in the glory that he hath conferred upon them As those that have true communion one with another delight in any good that one another hath God delights in the glory that is in his Saints and takes much pleasure in it his soul is satisfied in the glory that he sees upon his own people and that because he loves them The former arose from the pleasure in himself in the act of communicating this from the love to his people to see their good Fourthly God delights in their presence to have them with him and by him as the Father delights in the presence of his Children to have them round about him Fifthly God delights in their love that he hath these creatures to love as a man delights to have love from others What pleasure could a man have in all the world if none loved him If he should live in a Family or Town and none loved him he could have no pleasure in his life but if a man live where he is loved it makes up a great many wants so God is not contented in any thing else he hath to delight himself in but that which must make up all in that he hath his people to love him Sixthly God delights the more in his own glory because his Saints are partakers of it it is so much the more sweet unto him because they have a share in it thus it is between entire friends who have intimate communion one with another their own happiness pleases them the more because the other hath a part in it Secondly it is a full delight that God takes in his people It is said of his people in this world in Zeph. 17. 3. he will rejoyce over them with joy and with singing the delight that God hath with his people in Heaven must needs be full First in regard of the near relation that his people have to his Son and because he takes such infinite delight in the Son and they being one with him thence flows that full delight Secondly because he shall see so much of his own Image now that is infinitely delightful that is the reason why the father or mother does delight in their children because they see themselves in them so God shall see himself in his people and that will cause full delight Thirdly because of the glorious works of God upon the souls of his people because he shall see his own handy-work to be so glorious and full in them As a man that makes a work that is very curious and glorious he takes abundance of delight to look upon it and if the work be full and perfect then his delight is full and perfect Now the great work of God is in the glory of the Saints God loves to look back to the creatures therefore when he had made the world he looked upon what he had made and saw it was good As a workman when he hath brought his work to some perfection he will look upon it Now when God shall see what he hath done in raising such a poor worm to such high excellency God will take full delight in viewing this full work he hath done And this is more then all the former for besides the delight in the act of communication and delight because of the love to those to whom good is communicated This is the delight in his own work done in the beholding the beauty and glory of it Fourthly the delight of God must be full because in them God attains his highest end the highest end of his greatest design the highest end of his deepest councels the highest end of his most glorious work It is a great
means that are used to attain this end and rest as namely the work of God in sending the second person in the Trinity to take mans nature upon him and all the works of God in Election in Redemption in Adoption in Justification in Sanctification yea all the works of God in creation in providence the designing the Holy Ghost to that office he is designed to and all the Ordinances of God look what preciousness is in all these works of God and means it sets out unto us the preciousness and excellency and glory that there is in the last end whereunto Gods people shall attain and that rest they shall have The seventh and last thing in having God to be their portion is the enjoyment of themselves in God as they shall enjoy God and God in themselves so they shall enjoy themselves in God living in God continually the fish does not more truly live in the water and move in the water then the souls of the Saints shall live in God and move in God Col. 3. 3. Your life is hid with Christ in God the life of Saints here is an hidden life and it is hidden in God but then it shall be a revealed life and revealed in God and enjoyed in God Hence is that Phrase Enter into your masters joy that enters not into you but you must enter into it it is your masters joy not onely that joy that your master gives but the same joy your master hath that you shall enter into and live in It is said of Saint John in Rev. 1. that he was on the Lords day in the Spirit it is not said that the Spirit was in him but it is said he was in the Spirit that was as a beginning of the glorious condition of the Saints of God that they shall be in the Spirit of God not onely God in them but they in God as a drop of water in the Sea swallowed up in it Put a drop of wine into the Sea it is changed into the nature of the Sea and so though we cannot be changed into the Divine Nature yet we shall be swallowed up in God so as we shal not any further minde our selves our own good as a created thing nor our selves as creatures but altogether God our mindes shall be so wholly upon God as if they were wholly emptyed of any created good and had nothing to do but with an increated good it shall not will any thing to it self nor to any other creature but all to God and so wholly taken upon with God and upon that ground because they have that likeness unto God and partake of the Divine Nature Here we do good to others because of their likeness to our selves But the Saints shall will all good to God not because God is like them but because they are like to God so that they shall love themselves for God There are three degrees of love to God loving of God for our selves and loving God for himself and loving our selves for God the one is but a natural love the second is a gracious love the third is a love of the glorified Saints First to love God for our selves so an hypocrite may love God because he hath gifts and many blessings from God this is but a natural love But grace goes further then nature that is to love God for himself though we should never have any thing yet if we be gracious we love God for himself but the glorified Saints go further then grace and that is to love themselves for God whereas heretofore we did onely love God for our selves or for himself now we come to love our selves for God and in this kinde of love of God and enjoyment of our selves in him the soul shall be ravished with God and be in a kinde of extasie eternally Now there is a twofold extasie one that is through the weakness of the inferior faculties of the soul when the minde of a man is taken up about an high object seriously the other faculties being weak they fail and so men come to be in a trance and extasie many have had great joy that they have even dyed with it the heart hath so dilated it self as the vital spirits have flown out But there is an extasie comes from the excellency of the object that the minde is busied about but without any weariness of any inferior faculty If then we put all together that hath been said about God and the enjoyment of God and having God to be the portion of the Saints you see the principal part of Heaven and the spiritual part of the glory of the Saints Here is faith called for and why should not our faith go beyond reason to rectifie reason as reason rectifies sense these things be high and great mysteries When as reason says How can this be as when Christ was speaking of the new birth says Nicodemus How can this be let but faith get as far above reason as reason hath got above sense and we may easily see how they can be by sense If a man look up to the Firmament and see the Sun shine he would think it were little bigger then a Bushel or the like now reason will tell men otherwise reason that tells men that this creature that appears to be but in this bigness it is many hundred times bigger then the Earth now if reason can rectifie sense so far Why should not faith go beyond reason as far Now reason will tell us of much happiness that may be had We may conceive by reason by understanding that the rational creature is capable of abundance of glory but when you hear things delivered by the word which are more then reason can conceive let us get faith to rectifie reason and we shall not call those truths into question and yet know that our glory will be beyond our faith as our faith is beyond our reason Here you may see that most people in the world mistake Heaven and look at Heaven in a sensual maner when we speak of Heaven where have we a man or woman that looks at Heaven in these spiritual excellencies about enjoying God in this maner As the Jews looked for a carnal Messiah whose Kingdom should be in the earth and whose glory should be external not considering the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ so most in the world look but for a carnal Heaven It is a good evidence of the truth of grace if you can look to Heaven with a right eye in a right maner to look at the spiritual part and spiritual excellency in Heaven But that which makes people to call these things in question is first because they are not acquainted with God but are sensual their hearts are acquainted with nothing but sensual and earthly things and therefore their hearts are not raised to these things but they look at them as notions but that soul that is acquainted with God and the counsels of God and
laid in water reserved till we shall come to be planted in Heaven and there to flourish There is much difference between Gods people what they are here and what they shall be in Heaven as there is between a plant that is bound up and laid in water to be kept alive and when it is in the Orchard green and flourishing and bringing forth fruit Fourthly to have communion with them when we shall know one another perfectly It is an opinion of Thomas as you heard That the bodies of the Saints shall be so transparent that they shall be able to see through one anothers bodies as through a glass Howsoever that be yet the souls of one another and the graces and goodness of one another shall be fully made known to one another If now we did converse with a company of people that we knew certainly had all true grace and were all elected from all eternity what an admirable comfort would this be our communion is comfortable because we have some hopes of their election and we see some signs of grace but if we were certain of this if God should speak from Heaven concerning the poorest member of a Church and say This man or woman is the man or woman that I have had thoughts upon from all eternity and have elected to everlasting glory would we not prize such a one and rejoyce to have such a one in our families and houses Now when we come to Heaven we shall certainly know every one was elected from all eternity and so shall live with us to eternity we shall never have any fears or suspitions of them lest they should be hypocrites as there are fears and suspitions given of one another now And then to have communion with them when there shall be perfect love and union of heart to one another that one shall love another as well as himself and rejoyce in the glory and prosperity of one another as well as his own If one have more glory then another he that hath least glory shall rejoyce in him that hath more glory as if it were his own and therefore there shall not be any want of glory to any says Anselm Every Saint shall love God above himself and love one another as himself and God shall love them all more then they either love themselves or one another and he gives the reason of it says he They love both themselves and one another for God and by God and God loves himself and them for himself and by himself and therefore as they shall love God above themselves so they shall love one another like themselves and rejoyce in the happiness of another as in their own happiness Now what an heaven upon earth is it to have brethren live together in unity if it be in family communion or in Church communion to have entire love without any breaches this is a blessing but howsoever while we are in this world there will be breaches yet there is an heavenly Jerusalem coming where we shall live without breaches And then likewise to have communion one with another always in holy exercises To have communion one with another in our civil converse to eat and drink at one anothers tables and in recreating our selves this is sweet but communion in holy ordinances and holy duties that is sweetest Men love communion and society here that they may play together and eat and drink together indeed if it be in a moderate Christian way there may be some delight in it but know it is an evident sign of a carnal heart when as thy chief affections shall be let out in the exercising thy self that way If the chief joy of your hearts be not in exercising your selves in holy duties your hearts are carnal There is a great deal of difference between that day in which a company of gracious men have communion with one another in recreating themselves and that day wherein they shall have communion with one another in exercising themselves in holy ordinances in praying together and hearing the Word together and therefore examine whether you finde a day of communion with Gods people in holy exercises better then a day of communion in outward society Again it is such a communion as we shall never part with such a communion as we shall always enjoy Here we have communion but it is often darkned because we are often in our dumps and many times there is an occasion of sorrow given but to have communion where there shall be always joy continual being at the feast the supper of the Lamb that must needs be sweet Therefore that Text you have of Lazarus in Abrahams bosom sets out the continual feast of the Lamb that the Saints shall have because that was the maner of the Jews feasting to lean in the bosom of one another and therefore John when he sate to eat with Christ he leaned in his bosom noting that the Saints shall be always as the children of the Bride-Chamber There is a question made by some of the knowing of one anoanother in heaven It is reported of Luther the night before he dyed he was reasonable well and sate with his friends at the Table and the matter of their discourse was Whether they should know one another in heaven or no whether the father should know the childe or the childe the father Luther held it affirmatively and this was one reason he gave As it was with Adam as soon as he saw Eve he knew what Eve was not by discourse but by the Spirit of God telling him what she was and so we being filled with the Spirit of God we shall come to know one another we shall sit down with Abraham Isaac and Iacob we shall have communion with them not onely as godly men but as with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and if with them why not with others This we have in Scripture that spiritual relations shall adde much to the glory of the people of God in Heaven though natural relations shall be taken away as the Father if he know the childe there shall not be that natural affection to the childe as is now yet the Scripture seems to speak of spiritual relations that they shall continue even in Heaven for the glory of the Saints and therefore St. Paul says to the Philippians You are our crown and our rejoycing in the day of Christ It shall be known who were converted by such a Ministery and it shall be a crown to a Minister that such were converted and edified and built up by him But we need not trouble our selves about this question because we have one thing that will satisfie us about all questions that are not clear Either we shall have all that happiness we do think in our thoughts or can think or else we shall have that we being our own judges and choosers that shall be as good or better so that if a Parent thinks what an happiness were it for me
Ipse aspectus boni viri delectat 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Apellant se fratres mori voluÌ„t prose invicem Tertul apud â—uel Ser. in Luc. 10. 23. 3. Why it is worth enduring of affliction to enjoy the communion of Saints 4. 5. 6. The glorious titles of the Saints Abulensis in Exod. 19. Quest Answ 1. Wherein the presence of God with his people appears more then with others 2. 1. 2. 3. 4. Universitate decoris 8. 9. Tolerabili us fuisse si sol radios suos retraxisset obscuratus quà m quòd â—s JohaÌ„nis tacuit T. 5. ep 3. 10. 11. 12. Ecclesia est locus Angelorum Regia coelâ— coelum ipsum Chry. Hom. 36 in 1. ad Cor. Use 1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Obj. 1. Answ Obj. 2. Answ Obj. 3. Answ Obj. 4. Answ Obj. 5. Answ Obj. 6. Answ 1. 2. 3. Qui contentionum gratia Christinam vituperabit doctriuam iste etiam Socraticam Platonicam colem nomine rejicit Graecae superstitiones cultores pluribus dissentionibus quà m ecclesiae membra laborare Use 2. 1. Men dicato pane hic vivamus annon hoc pulchrè sarcitur in eo quòd pascimur pane cum Angelis et vita aeterna Christo Sacramentis Luth. in Ps 132. 3. How the excellency of the Saints communion is darkned Malo miserandum quam erube secudum Tert. de fuga pers 3. Episcopos regnante Constantio exilio addictos domuÌ„ revocavit eo tantum fine ut ipse ob mutuam inter se contentioneÌ„ bello intestino oppugnarent ecclesiam Ad pedes prociderem flerem quantum possum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In veste varietas sit scissura non sit Religio à religando Jubeat vita persuadeat liugua AthaÌ„ exhort ad Monachos Nec aliunde noscibiles quaÌ„ de em endatione prestinoruÌ„ Tertul. ad Scapulam Quest. Answ Quest Answ What singleness of heart is 3. 4. 1. 2. Ut non praestet sides quod praestitit infidelitas 3. 4. 5. 6. Quest Answ 1. Wherein a Christian outstrips the men of the world 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 5. 6. What hinders our profiting by the Saints communion Danger of solitariness 1. 2. 3. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. O praeclarum diem cúm ad illud animoruÌ„ Concili um coetumque proficiscar cum ex hac turba colluvione discedam proficiscar enim non ad cos solum viros de quibus ante dixi sed etiam ad Catonem meum c. Cicero de senectute Doct. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No temporal thing can satisfie a spiritual heart 2. 4. 5 6. 7. No love can be satisfying when I love tanquam osurus 8. 9. Use Pecuniam da quae permaneat ac coÌ„tinâ—ò duret gloriam quae semper floreat Basil in 40. Martyrs 2. Nulla res longa mortalium est omnisque foelicitas seculi dum tenctur amittitur Hieron in Esay 38. Inter peritura vivimus Cur cae quae ad usum diuturna esse non possunt ad supplicium diuturna deposces Ambrose in Luc. 4. T. 5. Abulenfis in 2. ReguÌ„ c. 15. Q 20. in c. 17. q. 21 Quoties juxta sepulchrum divit is transit is rogo vos ut diligenter inspiciat is Ubi sunt eoruÌ„ divitiae vel ornamenta ubi gloria ubi luxuriae ubi voluptas c Attende ad me et intellige considera me vel fic tibi horreat luxuria tua vel araritia tua hoc quod tu es ego fui et quod ego sum modo tu eris vide pulvereÌ„ meum relinque defiderium tuum Aug. Serm. 66. ad fratres in Eremo O Dii quaÌ„ brevis voluptatis gratia ex rege me feci servum Qui aeternitaten mente concepit nul los horret exercitus non terretur turba null is ad timorem minis agitur Sen. ep 103. Hic ure sc ca Ibi parce 1. Motives to minde eternity Hos 14. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1. 2. De civ Dei lib. 9. c. 10. 3. Ut ipsae ibi forent semper ubi est anima mundi Aug. de Civ Dei l 9. Ca. 10. 4. How to get eternal things to be our portion Quest 2. 1. 2. 3. Aeternitati pingo 4. Quest Answ Prov. 7. 16 Gen. 13. 1. 2. 3. 4. Point 1. 1. 2. 3. Ps 44. 13. Psa 31. 1. The reproaches of Professors the bitterest Ier. 20. 28. Publici hostis Cyprianus Co prianus NonduÌ„ foelix es si nonduÌ„ te turba deriserit Si beatus vis esse hoc cogita primuÌ„ contemnere ab aliis coÌ„temni Sen. lib. de moribus Why Gods people are so reproached â—n the world 2. 3. 4. Euseb eccl hist l. 4 c. 13. 1. Malice is fruitful in inventing reproaches 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Neh. 6. 7. 7. 8. Iudubiis melior est conditio possessoris 9. 10. Fortiter calumniare aliquid haerebit 5. 6. The sins of Gods people oft punished by Reproaches 1. 2. 3. 4. Si quid simile aliis tu unquam fecisti Si libenter alios talia Aicentes audisti quod absque culpa esse non potest 5. 6. 7. 8. 2. The benefit Gods people reap by reproaches 3. 4. Use 1. Ut si non horreret servitutem horreret saltem ignominiam publicam Ut multos habeat inspectores testes Use 2. The evii of a reviling tongue Use 3. Use 4. How to carry our selves under reproaches 1. 2. 3. The evil of being Passionate under reproaches 1. 2. 3. 4. Qui vocem nisi querelas animi nauseantis Sen. 5. 4. Innocency seeks not revenge The danger of reviling again I. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Neque prudentiae quicquam in se esse nec fiduciae obstendit qui contumclia afficitur Sen. in Sap. non cad injur 7. Quest Answ Nolim teâ—uÌ„ in hoc genus certamiais descendere in quo qi vincitur ipso victore est melier 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epict. Enchirid. c. 27. 1. Derident te At ego non dtridcor Sapiens à nullo connemnituditem suamnovit Sen. in Sap. non cad injur The evil of much stirring when Reproaches are upon us 1. 2. 3. Est enim Satanae pectus faecundissimuÌ„ mendaciis Luth. 4. 5. Plutarch in vita Peric Object Answ Convitia si trascare agnita videntur spreta exlescuÌ„t Tacitus lib 4. Qui cito injuria movetur fecit se digâ—uÌ„ videri contumelia suÌ„ vult ca indignus probari melior est itaque qui conteÌ„nit injuriam quaÌ„ qui dolet Ambros de offic l 1. c. 6. Psal 51. 4. Nec prudentiae quicquaÌ„ in se esse nec fiduciae ostendit qui contumelia afficitur Sen. in Sap non cad injur 1. Obj. 1. Answ Obj. 2. Answ Ier. 38. 15 Obj. 3. Answ Why reproaches should be born patiently 1. Sapiens à nullo concemnitur magnitudinem suam novit omnes bas quas non miscrias sed molestias dixerim non vincet sed ne sentit quidem Sen in sap non cad injur c.
Quia ergo illa viso excludit omnem defectum tum erroris tum considerationis circa res agend as ideo facit voluntatem impeccabilem Suarez de Bear Disp 10. Sect. 1. N. 6. * Visio est delectabilis dupliciter uno modo ex parte objecti in quantum id quod videtur delectabile est alio modo ex parte visionis in quantum ipsum videre delectabile est delectamur enim cognosendo mala quam vis ipsamala nos non delect ent quia ergo visio beati fica est perfectissima ideò utroque modo delectabilis est Tom. Aquin. 3. 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. * Impossibile est Deum uniri speciali modo substantiae animae nostrae nullo interveniente domo vel effectu ereate quem Deus in anim â efficiat ratione cujus dicitur specialitèr esse in illà essentiâ Divinitatis intimè Est in essentiâ animae vi immensitatis now this presence of God cannot be greater or less sed so lum ratione alicujus novi effectus Suar. tract de beat Sect 1. 1. 2. 3. 4. * Impossibile est sensum corporeum elevari ad Deum prout in se est quia nullo modo comprehenditur Deus sub objecto ejus hâc enim ratione non potest visus elevari ad percipiendum sonum nec auditus ad percipiendū colorem fic de aliis potentiis in quo multum differt intellectus à sensu nam intellectus absolutè continet Deum sub objecto suo ideò elevare potest ad percipiendum illum perfectius quà m naturalitèr posset quia tota illa elevatio est intra latitudinem objecti intellectus Suarez de Beat. Disp 6. Sect. 3. 3. 4. 5. 1. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 2. 4. 5. 3. 4. 5. 5. 2. Amor amicitiae Amor bene volentiae 3. 2. 3. 4. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. Videbit Deum ad voluntatem habebit ad voluptatem fruetur ad jucunditatem Ber. Serm. de Tripl Gen. Bon. 3. 4. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Domine fecisti nos pro te inquietum est cor nostrum donec veniat ad te August 7. The discovery of our love to God Spiritual extasic how discerned The great mistake of Heaven whence it arises 2. 3. 4. 5. Iohn 17. Rev. 14. 4. 6. 2. 3. 4. 5. Iusti diligunt Deum plusquam seipsos anvicem tanquam seipsos Deus illos plusquam illi seipsos quia illi illum se invicem per illum ille se illos per seipsum Anselm in prosol c. 25. 7. 7. 1. Psa 145. 6 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. O gaudium super gaudium gaudium vincens omne gaudium extra quod non est gaudium Aug. Sol c 35. The excellency of the Saints joy in heaven 1. Usque adcò nulia cst sincera volupts Sclicitumque aliquid lae tis interve ait 2. 3. Non gustabunt sed satiabuntur implebuntur 4. 1. 2. 3. Si delectatio sit ultimus finis tum actus aliquis elicitus voluntat is potest esse ultimus finis sed non Nam objectū voluntatis est finis sicut objectum visus est color it a ut impossibile est quòd primum visibile fit ipsum videre quia omne videre est alicujus objecta visibilis ita impossibile est quòd primum appetibile quo◠est finis sit ipsum vell◠Tho. 1. 2. q. 1. Art 1. ad secund Apprehensio sensitiva non attingit ad communem rationem boui sed ad aliquod bonum particulare quod est delectabile ideo secundum appetitum sensitivum operationes sunt propter delectationem sed intellectus apprehendit universalem rationem boni ad cujus consequutionem sequitur delectatio unde principaliùs intendit bonum quà m delectationem Thom. 1. 2. q. 4. Art ad 2. second 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 10. Italiam Italiā primus conclamat Achates Italiam socii laeto clamore salutant 11. Semper erunt quòd sunt aternae gaudia vitae Gaudenti quoniam causa erit ipse Deus Prosper in Epigram 1. Mala vitae presentis tanto duriùs animus sentit quāto pensare bonū quod sequitur negligit Greg Moral l. 10. c. 1◠2. Non sunt condignae passiones ad praeteritam culpam quae remittitur ad presentis consolation is gratiam quae immititur ad futuram gloriam quae promittitur Bern. Pericula non respicit Martyr coronas respicit plagas non horret praemium numerat non videt lictores inferuè dagellantes sed Angelos superne acclamantes Bas Hom. de Barluā Martyr 4. 5. Hic sat lucis Clapping his hand upon his breast 6. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 9. 10. 3. 1. 2. Noli attendere quam poenam habeas in flagello sed quem locam in testamēto August in Ps 102. Nec illa nos insurgentis pelagi debet terrere tempestas cum ventura nostra sit nunquā finienda tranquillitas Hiero ad Virg. in exilium missam Non per istas transire angustias Noluit Deus hominem ad immortalem illam beatitudinem delicato itinere pervenire Lactant. de Officio Dei c. 19. Use 2. Vale lumen amicum Non tanti emam Poenitere Use 3. The good of all things here consists in subordination to the supreme good hercister Use 4. 1. A gracious heart follows Christ for Christ Natural conscience a spur to duty 1. 2. 3. 2. 3. Use 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1 Cor. 2. 10. Object Ans Object Ans 7. 8. 1. 2. 3. What love is due to Christ 3. How we should love the ways of godliness 9. Quest Ans 1. 2. 3. Phil. 3. ul◠Fox Acts and Monuments de Edvardo primo 4. 5. 6. How to discern the truth of our hopes for heaven 1. 1. 2. 7. 8. Quest. Answ What a supernatural work is 2. 3. 10. 1. 2. 1 Thess 2. 11 12. Cogita te Caesarum esse Quo tendat non quid passura sit cogitat Sen. de gubeanat mundi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Use 11. 12. Fugiendū est ad clarissimam patriam ibi pater ibi omnia Plotinus apud August lib. de Civit. 9. c. 16. Gods people are satisfied with no worldly good for their portion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nec Christus nec Coelum patitur hyperbolem Res secundae Non licet in bello his peccare Quest Ans I. 2. 3. 1 Cor. 9. 26 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. 5. 6.