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cause_n call_v good_a think_v 1,468 5 3.8318 3 false
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A44765 A discourse on persecution, or, Suffering for Christ's sake clearing the notion of it, and making a discrimination of just from vnjust pretensions to it : and passionately recommending true Christian suffering to all those who shall be call'd thereto : occasionally representing the folly and sinfulness of illegal, arbitrary courses for the prevention of it, and the security of our church / by John Howell ... Howell, John, b. 1658? 1672 (1672) Wing H3130; ESTC R9661 29,187 50

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they did This as they ought they would find that there are as I shew in the Discourse certain Qualifications and Conditions requisite to True Christian Suffering and that without These no Man can justly pretend to It and if any should challenge the Title they would certainly miss of the Crown of the Martyr But enough of This I wish You do not think it more than enough howsoever it be I am satisfied of Your Candor and Goodness and depend upon These Your Patronage and Favourable Acceptance I do now stand in need of and do greatly value and do here beg I must confess I cannot be sorry for what I have done indeed I must have offer'd violence to my Nature and could not have easily excus'd my self had I not now that so fair an Opportunity presents it self us'd my Endeavours my Honest tho Mean Endeavours to convince Men of their Errours and let them see the Injustice of their Clamours against the Easiest and Best of Governments And why may not the Honesty of my Design bear me out as well as the bare Pretence of it does others I must needs say I see no Reason for it But indeed the Design is not only Honest it is Great and Noble Loud is the Noise and Many are the Complaints of Persecution and I fear of dangerous consequence they are Complaining of the Government being a kind of Libelling and Persecuting it So that to remove These is to Ease the Government to do something towards it is a proportionably Good and Laudable Office and even for him who endeavours it only his Design is as Good and Great though his Success be not That the several Persons by whom These Offences come may become daily more and more satisfied of the Guilt and the Vnwarrantableness of them and that You may long continue among us for This and other Excellent Purposes That we may long see as now we do the Happy Effects of Your Diligence and Faithfulness in Your Administration of Justice of Your Care and Prudence in a very Regular Family and of Your Excellent Example joyn'd to the vigorous Endeavours of the Worthy Pastor in a very Conformable Parish And that Heaven would Bless You and Yours with all Health and Happiness Spiritual and Temporal is the hearty Prayer of Honour'd Sir Your most Obliged and most Obedient Servant John Howell A DISCOURSE ON PERSECUTION OR Suffering for Christ's Sake WHatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just and of good report if they promise any thing of Satisfaction of Complacency and Delight they are readily observ'd they are chearfully obey'd upon the least Intimation or slightest Injunction Men hardly need the Exhortation of a Saviour or an Apostle to think of these things But where there is any thing that suits not with their Interest or their Natures where there is any thing clashes with their Temporal Designs or the Gratification of their Carnal Appetites here they are apt to cry with the Disciples in the Gospel This is a Hard Saying who can hear it or with Naaman the Syrian In This thing the Lord pardon thy Servant The truth is He that in stead of Reason consults only Flesh and Blood cannot very easily yield to the Hurting of the one or the Exhausting of the other To desire the Tortures of the Rack or the Scorchings of the Flames looks like a ridiculous piece of Gallantry an Extravagancy allowable only in Romance or Phrenzy I mean to the meer Carnalist to one that sees not beyond the Grave But whoso looks within himself and has an eye to the Recompense of Reward and perceives the Influence the Aids and Comforts of the Holy Spirit and expects more can if he would please defie his Executioner and dare him into a severer Treatment And indeed if we consider things as we ought we shall find that Happiness and Misery are not to be measured by the Enjoyments or Sufferings of this Life that a Man may in wisdom prefer a Gibbet to a Crown and be happy under the Severities even of an Inquisition For tho Pains and Tortures are uncouth and irksom though they grate upon the Flesh and grieve the Spirit yet Nature her self recommends them to us not only as Expedient but as extremely Desirable as those that will work for us a far Greater a more Certain and more Durable Good for Such they will always prove we may depend upon it when our God who desires our Happiness and is able to procure it appoints them for us We readily assent to our Physicians Prescriptions take Potions tho never so Vnpleasant suffer our Members to be Coup'd Cauteriz'd or otherwise Tortur'd and all in expectation or it may be but Deluding Hopes of an Vncertain Recovery And yet this is no more than what is reasonable no more than what Nature prescribes when she teaches us the Doctrine of Self-preservation when she enclines us to the love of our selves and to the pursuit of our Chiefest Good How much more reasonable therefore is it how much more a Dictate of Nature that we should bear a Light Affliction which is but for a Moment in order to a Great and Sure Reward in order to an Eternity of Happiness the Certain Recompence of Suffering here for Christ as I shall have occasion to shew before I have done with you At present it may suffice to observe That the Apostle looks upon it as an Instance of the Divine Favour which he could not well do if there were not a future Reward annex'd to it Vnto you it is given says he in the behalf of Christ not only to Believe on him but also to Suffer for his sake Phil. 1.29 I shall bring what I have to say into this Order 1. I shall inquire When a Man may be said to suffer for Christ's sake 2. I shall shew That those among us who renounce our Communion and suffer for it do very unjustly pretend to Suffering for Christ 3. I shall shew That all those Christians who suffer rather than they will conform to the Church of Rome do truly and really suffer for Christ Provided always that they do not allow themselves in any known Sins but that they equally heartily forsake them all 4. I shall consider the Excellency and Usefulness of true and real Suffering for Christ 5. And lastly I shall offer some Motives to a resolute and chearful Suffering at what time soever it shall please God to call us thereto 1. Then I am to inquire When a Man may be said to suffer for Christs sake And that will be found to be then and only then when these three Circumstances concur 1. When his Cause is good 2. When he has a Call 3. When he has heartily forsaken all his Sins 1. That a Man may be said to Suffer for Christ's sake 't is requir'd that his Cause be good As no Man ought to Die or think any Suffering acceptable but when 't is for a Truth so all kinds of