you 3. It is one thing for a Christian to rejoyce in persecution as it is a token of God's anger and displeasure another thing for to rejoyce in it as a means by which it pleaseth God to make the Soul of his Saints perfect unto glory The Apostle tells us that no affliction is joyous at present but grievous 3 Obj. The last Question which remains is What ground of solid joy and rejoycing hath a Christian under persecution I shall open this to you in several particulars I begin with those of the Text. 1. Because the Lord hath blessed them This is matter of joy Is it not matter of joy to a Christian that he is in such a condition as he is under a blessing yea not under a single blessing but under a treble blessing Is it nothing to you Sirs to be blessed of God to have him who knoweth the state of every Soul in whose hand are all blessings and cursings and whom he blesseth they shall be blessed and whom he curseth they shall be cursed Is it nothing for you to be in such a state that you are sure you are under the blessing of God that you are some of those he hath pronounced blessed thrice over blessed though you be here some of them who are hated reviled and persecuted and spoken evil of falsly for the Lords Name sake 2. Yours is the Kingdom of Heaven You have a phrase very like this which will come into consideration Great is your reward in Heaven I shall not at present consider it in that sense Our Saviour saith elsewhere The Kingdom of Heaven is within you The Kingdom of Heaven within us is the Throne of Christ set up in our hearts 1 Pet. 4.14 The Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon you So this shall be an evidence unto you that the Kingdom of God is set up in your hearts Thus the words of our Saviour are made good It shall be unto you for a testimony The Kingdom of Christ is then set up in any Soul when Christ ruleth and other things truckle under him and his Law when a Christian overcometh in a good fight when he is too hard for the World that they cannot flatter him into a disobedience to Christ nor frown him into a disobedience of Christ it is a sign that Christ sitteth as Lord and as King in that Soul and the Kingdom of Heaven is within that man it is a testimony of grace and that the Spirit of God resteth upon that man and the Spirit of Glory resteth on that man On your part saith the Apostle he is glorified 3. Great is your reward in Heaven The Papists make a great stir about the term of a reward as if it must needs be a correlative to a work but as there is a reward of debt as you reward a man that hath laboured for you and done you some valuable service so there is also a reward of grace The Father saith to the Child if you will do such a thing I will give you a new Coat here is a reward given upon the Child's obedience but yet the Child's obedience doth not earn it There is a reward of grace as well as a reward of debt there is a reward of a work which is not always a just reward for a work life everlasting is promised as the reward of them that suffer persecution But our afflictions are saith the Apostle but light and momentany afflictions though they work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory James 1.12 Is not this matter of rejoycing that the reward of a man is great in Heaven 2 Thes 1.7 It is a token to you of rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed 4. They persecuted the Prophets that were before you There is a great cause of rejoycing in this 1. It is no new thing to you it is but what hath been the Lot of the people of God formerly 2. As it is no new thing to men so particularly not to the most eminent Servants of God Such were the Prophets nay the more eminent they were in their Generation the more they have been brought under this Rod. 3. This administreth further comfort to Christians in suffering that those who have professed to the same Religion yet have persecuted those born after the Spirit The Jews owned the same God and the same Religion that the Prophets did yet they persecuted the Prophets Lastly 4. It speaketh you the true Members of the Church You partake of the common afflictions of the Members of it that our Lord might let them know that it was no new thing he saith They persecuted the Prophets which were before you that our Lord might let them know they were not too good for persecution he says So persecuted they the Prophets who yet were the best of the Servants of God lest it should be a trouble to them that persons owning the same Religion were their Enemies he saith So persecuted they the Prophets that he might shew them with whom they had communion in their sufferings namely with the Antient Church of God he saith For so persecuted they the Prophets 5. I must yet rise one note higher you are partakers of the afflictions of Jesus Christ this is a ground of rejoycing Rejoyce saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 4.13 in as much as you are partakers of Christs sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed you may be glad also with exceeding joy Phil. 1.20 Christ shall be magnified in my body Col. 1.24 Who now rejoyce in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh St. Paul Phil. 3.10 desired to know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his Sufferings being made conformable to his Death If saith the Apostle we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together Rom. 8.17 18. For I reckon that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us Thus far I have discoursed the duty of God s people relating to an hour of persecution whether imminent or already come upon them but in all persecution there must be an Agent as well as a Patient Last Vse Must this be the Lot of the Servants of God of all those that will live godly in Christ Jesus to suffer persecution take heed your hand be not upon them Offences must come saith our Saviour Luke 17.1 2. but woe unto him through whom they come It were better for him that a Milstone were hanged about his neck and he were cast into the Sea The will of God concerning an event will not justifie the proximate cause or agent in an action undoubtedly of all sins there is no sin that is greater in its kind than this 1. Consider with your selves by way of comparison if it be a great sin for a man to do hurt to those that are innocent how
fight and indeed in this piece of it was more a Conquerour then I ever knew any who was so long ingaged in it and at last died the ordinary death of men quietly in his Bed surrendring his Soul into the hands of him that gave it 2 For the finishing of his course how he walked in and out before you I need not tell you you knew the man and observed his conversation For the duties of his Relation as a Minister while he had a publick liberty he was no indiligent Preacher when he was restrained as to that you were also some witnesses of his readiness to that work For his Domestick Relations let his Widow rise up and call him blessed let his Daughter praise him He spent no small proportion of time in opening Scripture and praying with his Family and other exercises of Religion proper to a Family He rather erred by excess then by a defect in those exercises 3. As to his keeping the faith As he was known to all that conversed with him to be sound in the Doctrine of faith So two things spake the exercise of the habit of that Grace in him 1. He was much in prayer It was almost his whole work for some years before he died he did little else but read and pray When he could no longer Pray himself he would continually be solliciting others to the performance of it and when he hardly regarded either Wife or Child coming to him yet he was so regardful of this that he missed Prayer if at any time any of us had come to him and gone away having not prayed with him 2. Much holiness speaketh faith His scrupulosity in his actions lest he should by any of them sin against God was such as indeed was a great part of his Affliction Indeed the latter part of his life being very Melancholick and that disposing him to too many fears and God having for some weeks before he died allowed him but a very incertain use of his reason and much deprived him also of a liberty of speech we had not that lightsome evidence of his desire to be dissolved which we might have expected from such a conversation But his quiet bearing Gods severe hand upon him his free submission to his will without any murmuring or repining added to the former spending of his life in a constant preparation for death may satisfy us that he was one who loved the appearance of our Lord Jesus Now I say if we have a sufficient evidence to hope that he was indeed one who fought the good fight who had finished his course who kept the faith and who loved the appearance of our Lord Jesus what reason have we to mourn Nay if we consider what a man of griefs and sorrows he was in his latter time what an ill habit of body he had contracted what a variety of diseases he was incumbred with and how improbable it was that by the use of any art his body should be recovered to a state of comfort to himself or usefulness to others We have great cause to rejoice in hope That he is crowned with that Crown of Righteousness which the Righteous God hath prepared laid up and will give out to those who love his appearance In ordinary cases where there is no cause of sorrow from a reflection upon the eternal state of the deceased yet there may be some cause of sorrow upon the account of the Churches loss and never was there a greater cause of mourning for Godly Ministers then at this day We have cause upon all such losses to cry out as Psal 12.1 Help Lord for the Godly man ceaseth and the faithful fail from the children of men But in the present case we have not that cause God by his Providence had made him dead to us before he died and except in a miraculous way we could not reasonably have expected a Resurrection a recovery I mean to any degree of usefulness So then if there remaineth no cause of mourning either from the consideration of our friends eternal state or our own loss What remains but that we should lay our hands upon our mouths or if we will open them bless God who hath granted us to see him after so long a scuffle with the great Enemy of Mankind depart in peace that he might see the Lords Salvation and be ever with the Lord as the Apostle expresseth the state of those that sleep in Jesus in another life I shall conclude as the Apostle doth that Chapter wherefore comfort yourselves with these words SERMON III. Deuteronomy 8.18 For it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth THis fifth Book of Moses is called Deuteronomy qu. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a second law because it for the most part containeth a repetition of the law of God formerly given unto this people by Moses Moses having in the former Chapter given them an account of some precepts that God formerly delivered to them he here presseth them to obedience and to make reflections upon what God had done for them he declareth a great tenderness for this people who had been brought up by him and lived upon his hand and an exceeding jealousy lest when they came into the land of Canaan they should forget the great God who had done so much for them and lest they should say in their hearts my power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth but saith he in the words I have read unto you Thou shalt remember the Lord thy God for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth The Doctrines of the Text are two Doct. 1. That it is the Lord who giveth unto people a power to get wealth Doct. 2. That the consideration of this should oblige men when they have gotten estates not to forget but to remember the Lord their God Prop. That it is the Lord who giveth unto a people a power to get wealth There is nothing in the Doctrine that needeth any explication we all know what is meant by wealth my whole business will lie upon the demonstration of this truth that it is the Lord that giveth men power to get wealth and to shew what influence God hath upon men as to their gaining of outward estates 1 Sam. 2.7 The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich Eccl. 6.2 A man to whom God hath given riches wealth and honour chap. 9.11 the race is not to the swift nor the battel to the strong 2. By way of Application to shew what influence this meditation should have upon us I shall spend all my time in answering these two Questions Qu. 1. What influence hath God upon men as to their gaining or keeping their outward estate All wealth and outward estate cometh to a man by inheritance or marriage or by gift or by labour let me shew you a little the influence God hath upon all these I will joyn the two first together 1. It is the Lord that maketh Heirs and
that unlikeness that is betwixt a man in the state of nature and a Holy God a natural man is quite contrary and unlike unto God our Saviour giveth this very reason John 15.18 If the World hate you you know that it hated me before it hated you 3. A third reason of it is because the works of the people of God do condemn the works of the World The Apostle Rom. 1.30 Describeth the Heathen as under the notion of such as are haters of God so under the notion of proud persons they are proud the proud man cannot endure to think that any should be better or do better or be in a better case or condition then he is now there is a light of holiness by which the Child of God doth outshine wicked men and even to rational eyes doth appear more beautiful and comely as John 7.7 The world cannot hate you but me it hateth because I testifie of it that the works thereof are evil Iohn 3.20 Every one that doth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved John 17.14 the world hath hated them because they are not of the world the men of the world have so much corruption as will not suffer them to be as good as the Disciples and Servants of God but they have so much pride as will not let them be patient to think them better then themselves or that they should be reported better then they the truth is every good man is a Preacher of righteousness to a sinful world he preacheth by his conversation and they will not endure the Sermons that are made by a good example any more than that which is made by word of mouth 4. A fourth great reason of the persecution of the people of God by the men of the world hath been the liberty they have delighted to take in the things of God and their ambition to bring all others into a Subjection to their humours in it This upon search will be found to have been one of the most universal causes of persecution at all times this caused the persecution of the three Children which threw them into the Fiery Furnace this was that which threw Daniel into the Lions Den There was a Law made that no man should pray but only to the King and Daniel could not be tied up to this Law he is thrown therefore into the Den of Lions This was the cause of Christ and his Disciples persecution they did not observe the Tradition of the Elders The Apostles could not abide by the Decrees which commanded them straitly that they should preach no more in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ this hath been the cause of all the Popish persecution in short this always hath been and always will be a root of violence and persecution of the people of God the conscience of a man in things of God is a thing that will not or cannot be controuled by a humane Law it is matter of Life and Death of Salvation and Damnation and a Christian must act according to the dictate of his Conscience when it doth not sute with the Conscience of the men of the World then they fall upon him and this I say hath continually been a fountain of blood and persecution I come now to the Application Use 1. This may let us see the favour of God to persons whom the Lord hath spared more than others from this bitter Cup Some particular periods of time there have been and some particular Christians there may be in all times whom the Lord doth more favour than others I would have such understand that the Lord useth them as Benjamins he sendeth them out a double Mess the ordinary portion of those that own the Gospel is persecution God hath promised his people no more Mark 10.30 Houses and Brethren and Sisters and Mothers and Children and Lands with persecution 2 Tim. 3 12. All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution 2 Tim. 1.8 Hath the Lord hid thee in the storms and tempests hath he provided for thee that thou dost not meet with these trials that others of the Servants of God have met with thou hast more abundant cause to bless the name of the Lord thou seest what severity befalls thy Brother and the goodness that attends thee Use 2. This speaketh unto all the people of God to be preparing for trials And Secondly To study their duty under them that they may as the Prophet speaketh glorifie the Lord in the Fires this is a word in season and therefore I shall take liberty to speak more fully to both Branches and that under these two Questions Qu. 1. What is the duty of the people of God in reference to Persecution not come upon them or not to that degree which it is posble it may come to Qu. 2. What is the duty of the people of God in reference to Persecution already come either upon themselves or upon others Qu. 1. What should the people of God do in reference to Persecutions that are not yet come upon them or at least not to that degree which they may expect or fear or which are come upon other Churches or people of God I answer 1. Live in a dayly expectation of them we never worse encounter any evils then those that surprize us what we live in a dayly view of usually when it cometh doth not take so much impression upon our Spirits as the evils that fall upon us at unawares 1 Pet. 4.12 Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery Tryal do not look upon it as a thing that shall not come there is nothing so much prejudiceth any man as putting the evil day afar off and saying with David I shall never be moved when God hideth his face in the least then we are troubled look for a time when your goods shall be rifled when you shall be put into Prison when you shall be brought to die for the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ there is nothing so pernicious to you as security is Job puts a case to himself if the Lord should kill me saith he yet I will trust in him say sometimes to your selves what should I do if God should strip me naked If I should be put to wander in Sheep-skins and Goat-skins be destitute and forsaken You have all the reason in the world to expect this at the world the world hateth you as much as it hated all the Prophets all the Servants of God in former Ages who met with this usage from it why should you not expect it when the Lord hath said That all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution I say when the Word hath said that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution what reason hast thou to say to thy self I will live godly in Christ Jesus and yet I shall not suffer persecution You have not in this Age yet resisted unto blood
desire of more than we have it is something strange but an old observation that the most of men the more they have the more greedy they are to have more the Apostle telleth us the love of mony is the root of all evil none are under greater temptations to love it then those that have the most considerable portions of it there is a kind of bewitching quality in the good things of this life and our heart naturally cleaveth to them and in regard that when we have a competent portion we have the better foundation and are at better advantages to get more commonly as our estates encrease so our love to things of this life doth more increase and covetousness is so great an evil that the Apostle calleth it Idolatry 4. Beware of Luxury Luxury is an excess in meat drink or apparel buildings houshold-stuff or any thing of that nature an affectation of an undue use of them the poor man hath no temptation to it being exercised sufficiently in getting his dayly bread they are only men of estates that are exposed to and ordinarily brought under the power of this temptation this is that which the Apostle often cautioneth us against that we should beware of Chambering and Wantonness that we should not mind high things c. Our Saviour pressing Christians duty to watch and pray expoundeth it by a taking heed we be not overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness 5 Beware of Cowardliness in the cause of God it is an usual Observation that Cities though never so populous yet if full of riches seldom make any good defence against an enemy their love of riches prevailing against the love of their liberties and they are very rarely men of great estates that will venture themselves in the cause of God though this be to prefer the love of riches before the love of Christ which whoso doth our Saviour saith is not worthy of him these are those ordinary temptations to sin to which men of great estates are exposed and by which many often fall I shall only say unto you let him that standeth take heed lest he fall 2. If you look upon your selves as Stewards of these good things and make use of them to the end for which God hath given them to you God hath betrusted him that is rich with many talents not to be hid up in a Napkin but to be laid out 1 Tim. 6.17 18. Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in incertain riches but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate This is the best acknowledgment that we can make unto God that by his power we have gotten our wealth when we are willing to lay it out at his command when we are ready to do good and distribute for with such sacrifice the Lord is well pleased and certainly if the Heathen who knew nothing of the mind and will of God yet thought themselves concerned to look upon their estates as given them for other uses then meerly their own Christians that have so many directions from God in the case should know much more SERMON IV. Luke 12.15 For a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth THE words are the words of our Saviour brought by him as an argument against Covetousness you have the exhortation take heed and beware of Covetousness these words are the reason For a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth The whole discourse as you may see cometh in upon occasion of one that came to our Saviour desiring him to divide his inheritance as v. 13. Or to speak to his Brother to divide his inheritance with him which our Saviour refused v. 14. As having no call from God to be a Civil Magistrate a Ruler or a Judge from whence we may learn two things 1. That the business of meum and tuum of dividing and setling inheritances is the work of Rulers not of the Ministers of Christ they may have commission from men for such employments but they have no commission from God it is a work that belongeth unto the Ruler 2. That the Disciples of Christ should be afraid of medling with things out of their callings it hath pleased the Lord to establish an order in the world as an order in Creatures that they do not enter into one anothers station and works so an order amongst men appointing unto every man what his work is and he ought to keep to that and not to turn aside from it but this impertinent solliciting of our Saviour to this eccentrick work giveth him a fair opportunity to press a spiritual exhortation upon them and that is to beware of covetousness the reason is in the Text for a mans life lieth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth I shall need no other Doctrine then the words of the Text. Doct. A mans life doth not lie in the abundance of what he possesseth This Doctrine will need 1. Explication 2. Confirmation I will open it in two things 1. The continuance and preservation of a mans life doth not lie in the abundance of what he possesseth In this sense life is taken Gen. 45.5 For God did send me before you to preserve life Gen. 42.2 and buy for us from thence that we may live and not die And so often in Scripture life signifieth the preservation and continuance of life the continuance of the life of man doth not lie in the abundance of what he possesseth abundance is not necessary to preserve life the greatest abundance that we have will not lengthen out our lives beyond the bounds God hath set Natura paucis contenta we see the lives of those preserved to whom God hath not given such an abundance in this life and preserved to as great an advantage as they who have the most Daniel fareth as well with pulse as those that did eat of the Kings meat 2. Oftentimes we see it that those who have the greatest abundance of the things of this life do not only die as it is appointed for all men but also they die sooner and preserve their lives but a little while the continuance of this life doth not lie in the abundance of that which a man possesseth 2. Life sometimes signifieth happiness because the most of men count their great happiness to lie in this life therefore you shall find frequently in Scripture life is taken for a state of felicity Prov. 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life Prov. 6.23 Reproofs and instruction are the way of life Prov. 16.15 In the light of the Kings countenance is life that Text is to be understood of happiness for to understand it strictly of life it is not true Prov. 18.21 Death and life are in the power of
due respect to those to whom he giveth his Testimony and who agreeth and doth not contradict himself and yet is bold and couragious speaking with freedom hence you shall find that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is often used about the testimony that the Apostles did bear to the truth a free bold testimony in any cause doth it great service while the stammering lisping Witness that useth no freedom in his Speech rather hurteth a cause than doth it good the Scripture speaketh much of and commendeth a Christians boldness a boldness in Faith and Prayer and a boldness in a bearing testimony to our Lord when we are not afraid of the Faces of men that would outface the truths of God a Christian should be bold in the Faith bold in Prayer and bold in his Confession 7. Let your Testimony be a hearty testimony a free ready chearful testimony God loveth a chearful giver saith the Apostle indeed in all our Gifts unto God it is so God loveth a freedom and chearfulness of Spirit we should not be subpoena'd into a Testimony to our Lord Jesus Christ indeed we are subpoena'd by that dreadful Text Matth. 9. A Christian should give a Testimony freely not to provoke and challenge danger and dare a Trial but when he seeth suffering at hand so that God calleth him to give a testimony to him and to the truths of the Gospel then chearfulness becometh a Christian chearfulness as it is opposed to grudging 8. I will add but one thing more it should be a patient Testimony Rev. 19 St. John giveth this Character of himself I John who also am your Brother and Companion in tribulation and in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ Patience under evils is what is often called for in Scripture and pressed upon the Servants of God with a great variety of Arguments by a patient Testimony I understand three things 1. A patient continuance in the Testimony of Christ a flitting and incertain Christian in the truths of God who is of one mind to day and another mind to morrow is no good Witness in the cause of Christ semper idem is the true Motto of every Christian of every such Witness he that is one day of one mind another day of another like a Wave of the Sea tossed about may possibly get to Heaven at last as through fire but he is no good Witness for Christ you know amongst men a good Witness must abide by his testimony if he varieth his testimony is weakned Therefore Christians are highly concerned to examine Propositions well before they profess them and when they profess them to think well with themselves before they part with them a man never is a good witness for the Lord in that point wherein he hath been incertain himself 2. It must be a patient testimony with respect unto those affronts which he may suffer from men while he is giving his Testimony a good and steady Witness in your Courts is not moved by the affronts of any Lawyer that setteth himself to baffle him out of his Testimony he that is a good Witness in the cause of Christ must not be affected at the affronts of Men that would baffle him out of his Testimony he must be patient both as to the flatteries and enticements of enemies and also as to their frowns and menaces 3. A patient Testimony must be a Testimony attended with that patience which they had need of who may suffer for giving their Testimony for though no Man ought to suffer for bearing Witness to the truth yet there is nothing more ordinary then for men and women to suffer for giving a Testimony unto truth and thus now I have shewed you what kind of Testimony it is that every good Christian is bound to give unto the Lord. I have but two things more to do first to encourage you to it by some Arguments then to direct you in the fulfilling of it now for Arguments to perswade you not to be ashamed of the Testimony of Christ you have heard enough already I have shewed you a Ten-fold Obligation lying upon you 1. It is the Will of God 2. Remember Christ is your Lord 3. You cannot otherwise shew your gratitude to him for that Testimony which he gave for you 4. Thus you shall be conformable unto Christ and what is behind of the suffering of Christ shall be filled up in you 5. Remember the nature of the Gospel and of the truths of it 6. Consider the Station which you take up in the World of a Witness a Souldier a Child to our Heavenly Father a Servant to a Heavenly Master 7. Remember the private Law that you have laid upon your selves 8. Remember the duty which lieth upon you to be conformable to your fellow members 9. Remember the danger of forbearing and the reward of your giving this Testimony 10. Consider your oneness with the Members of Christ after all these what need any further Arguments yet because we are of our selves not forward unto this our Hearts are awk and backward to the partaking of the affliction of the Gospel and averse to the giving of this Testimony let me by way of a further Argument in this cause name to you and press upon you the Arguments which the Apostle useth in this place and by which he himself presseth this Exhortation 1. The first lieth in those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the power of God One great discouragement that is upon our Spirits to keep us in a day of Testimony that we should not testify is the fear we should never be able to speak and to give our Testimony To give a Testimony for our Lord is a noble thing to receive a Crown the Crown of Martyrdom is a great dignity But when the Lord by his providence seeketh out for us to set this Crown upon our Heads we too frequently hide our selves and the reason is we distrust our selves but Christian fear not we shall have the power of God it is a wonderful thing to observe that the power of God hath been so seen in no other thing as in this you read of a Testimony that Stephen gave to the Gospel First a vocal then a real Testimony Acts 6.9 10. And they were not able to resist the Wisdom and the spirit by which he spake Stephen had then a dispute with the Libertines The power and presence of God from the beginning of the Gospel hath been seen in nothing more than in Gods assistance of his Witnesses you have a promise Luke 12.12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say Matth. 10.19 20. But when they deliver you up take no thought how or what you shall speak for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak For it is not you that speak but the spirit of your heavenly Father which speaketh in you Luke saith When they bring you unto the Synagogues and unto
good to any particular Souls supposing the promise for deliverance one way or other in one method or another to hold sure we may well leave it to the good providence and wisdom of God how he will fulfil it and make it good to us 4. Lastly It is not possible that the same Servants of God should every way experience the presence of God with them If he manifesteth his presence to his people in a way of power or wisdom preserving them from dangers or delivering them out of their Enemies hand how should he manifest his presence in giving them a liberty of spirit while they are in their custody or in giving them courage or ballancing their afflictions with the consolations of his Spirit Bishop Ridley exercised Faith no further than saying Either God will asswage the flame or strengthen us to bear it All the people of God cannot exercise a particular Faith in God as to this or that manifestation of his presence but as to some influence which may amount to a deliverance of them from the evil or from the Evil of the Evil they may Fifthly Nor is it impossible but there may be some particular instances of God's people but those very rare whom God for the punishment of their sins may have let fall and abide into and in their Enemies hands and may not have found these manifestations of the Divine presence either in the freedom of their spirits or in a boldness or courage nor yet in the consolations of his Spirit but if they go to Heaven as all such shall tho' it be as thorow fire they shall there certainly have his presence and in it joy and fulness of joy and that for evermore I come now to make some practical application of the preceeding discourse VSE 1. I shall begin with that of the Apostle 1 Pet. 4.12 Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery tryal which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you The things that have been are and shall be and there is nothing new under the Sun You cannot be the first who have been troubled on every side perplexed persecuted cast down It is no new thing There hath no temptation of this nature there can no temptation befall you but such as is common to man 1 Cor 10.13 Ever since Cain rose up against Abel and slew him because he was more righteous then he and offered up to God a more excellent Sacrifice nay ever since God put an Enmity between the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent Gen. 3.15 this hath been in the World So persecuted they the Prophets which were before you saith our Saviour Matth. 5.12 Trouble distress persecution are things so far from being such as Gods people are exempted from that they are almost entailed to the preaching and profession of the Gospel If you indure chastening God dealeth with you as with sons for what Son is he whom the Father chasteneth not at least with the rod of the wicked But and if you be without chastening whereof all are partakers then are you Bastards and not Sons Heb. 12.8 9. Seeing then you have but neighbours fare and indure no temptations but what are common to men seeing you have but Godly mens fare that the Prophets have been thus treated before you seeing you have but Christians fare for so they dealt with Christ his Apostles seeing you have but the fare of the People and Children of God Why should you think it strange if any such thing should happen to you and not rather rejoyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy 1 Pet. 4.13 Wherein are you better or how can you challenge a further priviledge to your selves then Paul then the Apostles then the Saints and Servants of God in all ages of the World VSE 2. Secondly Learn hence That Persons are to be judged not from their straits and sufferings but from the having or wanting the presence of God in or under their Sufferings Indeed there is another more certain way of judgment because more evident to others that is the cause of mens sufferings But upon this doth the presence of God in mens sufferings depend for though men may pretend to comforts and make a shew of courage and talk of a liberty of Spirit in their Sufferings as evil doers yet they are but bravadoes there can indeed no such thing be God never incouraged any in a sinful act by one single promise nor by one single act of providence except barely permissive which is an incouragement taken by a naughty heart never given by an holy God VSE 3. See here the vast difference betwixt a Child of God and another man in an hour of trial Man as man is born to trouble as naturally as sparks fly upward And though indeed there be some afflictions that are proper to the Gospel such as suffering for the owning of the great Truths of it or adhering to the Righteous ways prescribed and directed in it yet troubles do not bubble up only from this fountain but from the generally debauch'd and corrupt Nature of man which renders hominem homini Lupum every man an Enemy to his neighbour and makes men like the Fish of the Sea where the greater devour the less or like Birds and Beasts which we see pecking and butting one at another though no cause be given But that which this Text prompts us to observe is the difference betwixt the Child of God and another man in the hour of trouble Both are troubled on every side or may be so Sometimes perplexed hunted and pursued by their Neighbours or their Enemies cast down sometimes Where is the difference Hitherto all things fall alike to all men Here 's the difference others when they are troubled on every side are distressed when they are perplexed they are in despair when they are hunted and pursued they are forsaken also when they are cast down they are destroyed the Child of God is not so Let us see it in an instance let us take that of Saul and David There was a time when Saul was in trouble and distress enough You have the story 1 Sam. 28.15 where you find him representing his own case to the Devil raised up by the Witch in the likeness of Samuel What saith he I am saith he sore distressed for the Philistines make war against me and God is departed from me and answereth me no more neither by Prophets nor by Dreams He was troubled on every side Before him were the Philistines and round about him Saul seeth them v. 5. He was afraid and his heart greatly trembled he was not troubled only but distressed Perplexed he was enough he would never else have gone to a Witch when v. 9. he had before cut off them who had familiar Spirits and the Wizards out of the Land but he was in despair The