by this means he scatters his people abroad in the world to disperse his truth to spread his Gospel further then otherwise it would be as Acts 8. 3 4. it is said Saul made havock of the Church haling men and women committing them to prison therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the Word according to the prophesie of Daniel chap. 12. 4. prophesying of the times of the troubles of the Church he says Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased Secondly this God suffers for the manifestation of his glorious power and that four ways First in the continuing of his Church and the profession of his truth notwithstanding all the rage of men and devils Gods power was seen in preserving the bush from being consumed though it were all on a light fire to preserve a spark of fire alive in the midst of the waves of the sea and to keep a light set up in the midst of storms and tempests is a great work there appears as great a power of God in preserving his Church in the midst of so much opposition notwithstanding their grievous afflictions and persecutions as there did appear in the preservation of the three Children in the fiery furnace Eliah would have water poured upon the sacrifice he would have it covered with water that the power of God might more appear in the fire that came down from Heaven upon it so God will have afflictions persecutions troubles to befal his people that he may manifest his power so much the more in their preservation Secondly the power of God appears not onely in the upholding but in the raising the spirits of this servants in their afflictions with what courage holy magnanimity heavenly chearfulness that appeareth in them even weak women and children triumphing over the most sore afflictions and grievous distresses which made a Heathen one Calocerius beholding this break forth with this acclamation Of a truth great is the God of the Christians Bernard says Those whom God frees from troubles have experience how sweet the Lord is and those whom he exercises with many troubles have experience how strong the Lord is The glory of Gods power is as clear in the raising the spirits of his servants in suffering as if he should deliver them from suffering by miracle And therefore Rupertus saith that God did more gloriously triumph in St. Laurence his patience and constancy when he was broiled on the Gridiron then if he had saved his body from burning by a miracle 3. The power of God is glorious not onely in preserving his Church in raising the spirits of his servants in their greatest afflictions but in increasing his Church by them if it be a wonder to be upheld in them it is much more to be encreased by them the more we are cut down the more still we are saith Tertullian The Church never grew so fast as when it was under most affliction Sulpitius says of the Christians in the primitive times that they then were as greedy of Martyrdom as in his time men were greedy of Bishopricks The blood of Martyrs was the seed of the Church Pliny reports of the lilly that it is increased by its own juyce that drops from it so the Church which is the lilly that grows among the thorns the very blood that falls from them multiplies them the sufferings of one begets many to the love of the truth Mr. Knox in his History of Scotland reports of a Gentleman one John Lindsay familiar to Bishop James Bettoun that he said to the Bishop upon the occasion of the burning of Mr. Patrick Hamilton My Lord if you burn any more you will destroy your selves if you will burn them let them be burnt in hallow cellars for the smoak of Mr. Patrick Hamilton hath infected as many as it blew upon It is a report of one Cecilia a Virgin that by her constancy and exhortations before and at her Martyrdom was the means to convert four hundred people By blood and prayer the Church converts the whole world says Luther Fourthly God shews the glory of his power in doing such great things as he doth by a few afflicted distressed persecuted contemptible people The greatest things that ever God hath done in the world have been by these the more afflicted the more mean and despised they have been the more hath the arm of the Lord appeared in them Gods power is made perfect in weakness 2 Cor. 12. What great things hath God done by a few afflicted persecuted fishermen the Apostles What great things by St. Paul who many times had not rags to cover his nakedness who was whipped up and down and put into stocks and counted the basest and vilest of men the very off-scouring of men and the filth of the earth and yet never were such great things done in the world by those who had the greatest learning the most power the most valor the most glory in the world as was done by these they did even subdue the world unto them and that by preaching the Gospel a Doctrine so above nature so contrary unto nature Chrysostom in a Sermon upon the 10. of Matthew speaking concerning this argument calls forth Plato and Pythagoras and the rest of the Phylosophers and challenges them to shew what they had done in comparison of these But because some might say that amongst the Heathens there have been most famous Captains who have done great things as Themistocles and Pericles If you compare says he what they have done with what hath been done by these poor fishermen all their bravest acts will appear but childes plays and the enterprizes of simple men Thirdly that which God ayms at is the tryal of the graces of his people an afflicting condition is a trying condition Hence Dan. 11. 35. Some shall fall and be tryed This is a prophesie of the times of the Maccabees under Antiochus Epiphanes in the 11. Heb. we have the History of this where verse 36. we have the like expression others had tryals of cruel mockings and scourgings We read of Queen Elizabeth in her sister Queen Maries days when she was locked up close in the prison at first she was much daunted but after she brake forth into this speech The skill of a Pilot is unknown but in a tempest the valor of a Captain is unseen but in battel and the worth of a Christian does not appear but in time of tryal and temptation Fire tryes mettals what dross is in them strong winds storms and tempests try what our foundation is whether we be built upon the rock or upon the sands they discover what sap the leaves have from the root withered leaves when the wind rises fall off the green leaves that have sap holds on they try what soundness is in us if you hang heavy weights upon the boughs of trees that are rotten they presently break but if upon sound
blasphemed it is no time to fear but to cry out yea he professes that he had rather be accounted any thing then to be accused of wicked silence in Gods cause Let me be reputed proud covetous an adulterer a murtherer an enemy to the Pope guilty of all kinde of vices so I be not found guilty of wicked silence when the Lord Christ suffers In Eusebius his History l. 5. c. 3. we finde a Letter that the Christians of Vienna and Lyons in France sent to their brethren in Asia and Phrygia in which they tell of a notable example of a brave Noble man Vetius Epagathus appearing in the cause of the Christians not being able to bear their unjust dealings against them when he heard those vile accusations against them and condemnations of them he desired that he might be heard to plead for the brethren but those at the Tribunal being utterly against it because he was a Noble man the President would not admit of his petition but onely asked him if he were a Christian he professed aloud that he was and so was taken amongst the number of Martyrs and called the Advocate of Christians Secondly appear for them by visiting them in their troubles that is a special duty that Christ looks for and will examine at the great Day whether it hath been performed be not shy of this lest you should be suspected to be one of them Chrysostom in an Oration upon the praise of two Martyrs says of Christians that they would not be kept from visiting the Confessors in Prison although it was forbidden with many threatnings terrors and it was great danger to them Thirdly we must be ready and willing to entertain such as suffer Fourthly we must use all the interest we have in any friends improve all opportunities for the relief of such as suffer Theodoret tells a famous story of one Terentius a Captain in the Emperor Valens his Army who returning from Armenia with a great Victory the Emperor bade him ask what reward he would he onely asked as a recompence of all his Service that there might be granted a Church to the Orthodox in Antioch that they might freely meet in publique this he knew could not but be exceeding displeasing to Valens the Emperor because he was an Arrian and so it proved for the Emperor tore his Petition and bade him ask something else but Terentius gathered up the torn pieces of the Paper and said This I ask as a reward of my Service and I will ask nothing else How few wil now improve such interest in great ones such opportunities for the relieving the persecuted Servants of God Fifthly we must improve all our gifts parts abilities for them in pleading for them Thus in the Primitive times God stirred up many of great learning of excellent parts to plead for the persecuted Christians who did much service this way as Justin Martyr in his Apologies and Tertullian and one Aristides an Athenian Phylosopher a man admirably learned and eloquent because the Emperor then was much delighted in learning he made use of his eloquence and learning for Christ and his Saints making eloquent Orations before the Emperor for them and another Quadratus Atheniensis when Adrian came to Athens he presented a Book to him pleading for Christian Religion God blessed the endeavors of these much for the mollifying the Emperors heart towards the Christians Sixthly we must be willing to suffer with them we must be willing to lay down our lives for the brethren much more suffer with the brethren we must be willing to have fellowship with them not onely in their priviledges but in their sufferings Rev. 1. 9. I John who also am your brother and companion in tribulation and in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ many are willing to be brethren and companions in the kingdom but not in tribulation and in the patience of Jesus Christ Heb. 10. 33. it was the commendations of those Christians mentioned there that they were companions of those that were ill used for the cause of Christ Wherefore for application let us know our duty and shew our selves more ready and forward to joyn with and shew our selves to the servants of God in their persecuted estate in the times of their prosperity there is not so much need we should manifest our selves to be for them this is the time wherein we are called especially to manifest our love to them our siding with them The greater their affliction is the more we must appear for them When the people of God were in a comfortable estate in Egypt as they were in Josephs time Joseph did not leave the Court to joyn with them but when they were in an afflicted estate as in Moses his time Moses left all to joyn with them here you have a tryal upon what side you will be now you have an opportunity to witness for God Those words Hosea 11. 12. Judah ruleth with God the old Latine hath it Testis descendit cum Deo He descends a witness with God and so the words will bear if the pricks be altered which may be being according to the opinion of many put in in latter times Ribera maintains this reading and hath two good notes upon it First Others leave the true worship of God but Iudah continues and so witnesses to his truth Secondly He descends he is content to be in a lower condition though he be fewer and not so flourishing as Israel yet if he may be Gods witness he is content Thus should we be willing to descend to witness for the truth to leave the flourishing people of the world and to joyn with the lowest and meanest Ordinarily men deal with the suffering servants of God as Demas dealt with St. Paul they forsake him embracing this present world but if you finde any inclination of heart that way conceive as if Christ were now speaking to you Will you also forsake me Take heed of flattering your selves of putting off this duty with any vain pleas or pretences or excuses God sees what lies at the bottom We read Iudg. 5. divers of the Tribes are blamed for not coming in to help to joyn with Barak and Deborah and in their rebuke their excuses are mentioned as some were to follow their business at sea they could not come and especially Asher he was to stand in his own breaches to defend himself ver 17. Reuben must follow his business and look to his sheep he could not come ver 16. yet these are rebuked but Zebulon and Nepthali are commended for a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death they are honored for this The people of God were now in a low condition in great affliction and no excuse could serve turn for their not joyning with their brethren whatsoever necessities inabilities we may pretend that keep us from appearing in the behalf of and joyning with Gods people in their afflicted estate
then ours No this should make us pity him then says he if as we go along we see the spirit of one more diseased and more distempered then ours should this make us fret at him it rather calls for pity and commiseration so if that be the thing that makes thee fret namely the malice of them from whom you suffer it should rather turn your vexation into commiseration and look upon his spirit as diseased and sickly and weak and bless God that hath given you a more strong and hail spirit Thirdly if Gods people account sufferings and reproaches greater riches then the treasures of Egypt then here we may see to what a heighth a gracious spirit is raised to how high above the world in that it looks upon the riches and glory and sweet contentment of the world as under the meanest and basest thing that does attend godliness namely as things under reproaches and under scorns and sufferings Gods people do not onely look at Christ and grace and heaven as above the riches and glory of the world that they are infinitely above them but mark how a gracious heart is raised above the world take the very dirt that is cast upon the ways of God and he counts that very dirt to be higher then all the riches and glory and dignity of the world surely then a gracious heart hath a very low esteem of the world and the riches and glory of it howsoever other men that know no better things esteem highly of them A man that hath rich Revenues plentiful comings in he blesses himself in this and counts himself a great man here but know while you are blessing your selves in these things of the world that do glitter in carnal eyes a gracious heart is so far from looking at that which you do so highly esteem of as great matters as he accounts the very baseness that attends the ways of godliness as a higher preferment by far then all your glory and rejoyces more in it and blesses God more for it yea blesses himself more in the very basest and meanest things that attend godliness then in all your riches so that a godly mans feet are where a wicked mans head is The head of a worldly man that is the chief of his desires and joys and endeavors it is in the riches of the world and there a godly mans feet stand and he counts them so low as he counts the dirt of his feet better Surely it is but a little room that riches have in the heart of a godly man when as the very reproaches of Christ are more to him then all the riches of the world The very filth that is cast upon him while he is in his way he does count better When we would express our most vile esteem of any thing we use to say We prize it no more then the dirt under our feet then surely a godly man must have a vile esteem of the things of the world for he does not so much prize it as the dirt that is cast upon him And so the Psalmist in Psal 119 118. speaking of the vile esteem that God hath of the wicked says he He treads them down under his feet and puts them away as dross Gods servants are compared in Mal. 3. 17. to jewels that are scattered up and down in the dirt for so the phrase does intimate but the dirt that is upon his jewels is highlier esteemed by Gods people then all the jewels of the world The scrapings and washings that come from the trenchers of men is the sweetest food unto a Swine so that which is the sweetest and most delightful things of the men of the world it is meaner then the basest thing that does belong unto the sufferings of Gods people O the advantage that the Saints have above the men of the world Were there any great matter in the things of the world howsoever esteemed by men it could not be that the very reproaches of Gods people could be counted better but whatsoever esteem the men of the world have of them it appears by this there is no great matter in them Riches in Scripture are compared to thorns there are five or six things wherein they are like thorns First thorns are the vilest plaints so riches are to a gracious heart Secondly in regard of the suddenness of their passing away if the fire do but touch them they are quickly gone so riches soon pass away it is said They have wings and fly away Thirdly in regard of their unfruitfulnes thorns bear nothing fit for man so riches are very unfruitful they make men unfruitful Fourthly in regard that thorns are such hindrances to better things and therefore the Scripture says the seed of the word that was sown among thorns it was choaked they will not let better things grow by them so the riches of the world and cares about them choak up all and hinder other things that are good Fifthly they are compared to thorns in regard of the prickly nature of them So there are many snares in riches says the Holy Ghost They pierce themselves through with many sorrows It is hard for a man to go through thorns and not to pierce himself he may be in the outside of them and not pierce himself so though a man be busie in the world he may keep himself from pricking but if he be over head and ears in the world he will be pricked as the sheep that is got into the thorns will lose part of her fleece so Gods people will lose part of their good amongst the world Lastly many venomous creatures as Snakes and Toads and the like are creeping and crawling in the thorns so many venomous lusts are hidden by riches an outward glorious estate does hide many filthy lusts These arguments may for ever teach us to look upon these things as very mean and low Fourthly if sufferings and reproaches for Christ be greater riches then all the riches in the world O how are they mistaken how are they deluded that look upon these things as the greatest evils that are so shy of sufferings and reproaches for Christ as that they will lose the greatest riches rather then they will be enriched by them rather then they will endure them when as they are so great a good As first is not peace of conscience a rich jewel more then all the riches of the world and yet how many are there that will lose the rich jewel of peace of conscience rather then endure reproaches rather then be enriched by reproaches though they be convinced in their conscience such ways are according to Gods minde that they are bound to do them such things ought to be done and such things ought to be left undone yet rather then they will endure reproaches they are content to part with the riches of the peace of conscience Secondly is not the truth of God a rich jewel a precious
happiness at all but besides it hath a kinde of infinite capacity whereby it is made capable of the highest happiness that belongs to the capacity of a Creature and certainly God hath not made this in vain God does intend to fill this capacity You will say An infinite capacity of happiness how is that Thus for there are two things in the rational part of man his understanding and his will now the capacity of this part must be judged according to the objects that are suitable unto these two faculties in mans soul For the understanding it is not any particular thing that is the object of it but truth in general take truth in the utmost latitude of it in the universality of it that is the object of mans understanding and therefore the understanding is infinite because it is not satisfied in this or that particular but truth in the utmost extent And for the object of the will it is good in the general it is not this or that particular good but good in the universality of its nature and therefore till it come to enjoy God that does eminently contain all good in him it can never come to have full satisfaction And here observe the difference between the capacity of mans nature and the capacity of other Creatures as for other Creatures their faculties can extend no further then some particular good and they are limited within the narrow bounds of their own nature and therefore if so be the eye have colour it goes no further and if the ear have sound it goes no further and so taste it goes no further then some particular good but the intelligent soul the rational soul goes beyond all particulars Now God having made mans nature of such a capacity for good and happiness certainly God intends great things for the children of men other maner of things then there are in this world and if for any surely for the righteous Thirdly surely there is a reward because it is the great design that God had in the making of the world in all his works to lift up and advance the glory of the riches of his mercy and grace now if this be Gods great design to advance the glory of his infinite mercy then certainly there must needs be a glorious condition for some of the children of men for that is not yet done though there be something of Gods mercy manifested that we have cause to admire at yet certainly God does not reveal that in the world whereby he should attain to the great design of lifting up of the glory of his great Name Fourthly the chief of the deep infinite counsels of God and the works of his wisdom that have been from all eternity have been and are yet exercised about this especially namely to bring mankinde to his eternal estate and to communicate unto the children of men that glory that he hath appointed for them that it might be in the most glorious way that can be now if God have set his infinite wisdom on work from all eternity about this namely what might be the most glorious way of communication of himself in the riches of his goodness unto mankinde certainly when this comes to pass that God should communicate himself as much as he does intend it must be infinitely glorious certainly there are great things and glorious things to be communicated hereafter Fifthly the power of God hath been already exercised in subserviency to other attributes of his to make known his wisdom and his bounty and his general goodness the power of God have been wonderfully manifested in the works of creation and providence now certainly the power of God is as well to be put forth in a way of subserviency unto his grace and mercy now if there be such a time as Gods infinite power is to be let out and work unto that end that it might be subservient unto the infiniteness of his mercy then certainly there are glorious and great things to be revealed and made known Sixthly certainly there are glorious and great things for mankinde in that God hath raised the nature of man unto such a heighth as he hath done in Christ namely to unite mans nature unto himself unto the second person of the Trinity and that with the nearest union that possibly can be namely an hypostatical union certainly then God intends great things for the children of men for that nature that is one person with the Divine nature This is such a great work of God as all other of the works of God are darkned in the honor of this great work Seventhly the great purchase that Jesus Christ hath made in that he hath been content to leave so much glory certainly this was to purchase great glory and in that he was content to be made a curse for mans-sin and to shed his blood and to give his life for man surely this was not onely to purchase outward comforts in the world it was to purchase higher things and therefore great must needs be the fruit of the purchase of the blood of Christ and therefore great are the things that are to be revealed hereafter Eighthly there are in Scripture many glorious promises which yet are not fulfilled abundant rich and glorious promises that have infinite treasures of good in them there must be a time of fulfilling of them all to the utmost extent of them and therefore certainly there are great things to be revealed hereafter Thy word O Lord is setled for ever in Heaven Psal 119. 89. Ninthly the great things that God hath done for his enemies is a demonstration that there is a glorious condition for Gods people afterward in that God hath filled their bellies with his hid treasure what treasures hath God to fill the souls of his own people with when as he does fill the bellies of the wicked whom he does intend to cast out as accursed Tenthly it appears there are great things for the people of God hereafter because of the great hopes that are wrought in the hearts of Gods servants by the power of the Holy Ghost Now surely such hopes as are wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost they must attain unto glorious things Rom. 15. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost the hope of Gods people is that which is not onely wrought by the Holy Ghost but by the power of the Holy Ghost and such an hope as God is pleased to stile himself the God of this hope and therefore certainly glorious things are to be revealed Another demonstration is this the very natures and excellency of grace is to take off our hearts from these present things in the world and from all the good that is here in the creature God does give grace for this end now then I reason thus if the chief excellency
but as a little drop of the sea and a little spark of the great furnace Those good things of eternal life are so many that they exceed number so great that they exceed measure so precious that they are above all estimation Augustine in one of his Epistles hath this relation That the very same day wherein Jerome dyed he was in his study and had got pen ink and paper to write something of the glory of heaven to Jerome suddenly he saw a light breaking into his study and a sweet swell that came unto him and this voyce he thought he heard O Augustine what doest thou doest think to put the sea into a little vessel when the heavens shall cease from their continual motion then shalt thou be able to understand what the glory of heaven is and not before except you come to feel it as I now do this therefore is beyond the expression of man Fifthly all the desires of all the souls of Gods Saints in the world they come infinitely short of that which shall be hereafter We are straightned here in our spirits in our desires if we could enlarge our desires in a spiritual way it would hereafter adde much to our glory our desires are not onely straighter then that we shall have but the straightness of our desires here hinders much the capacity of the good that hereafter is to be revealed and communicated and therefore Christians should labor in a spiritual way to enlarge their desires to the utmost to get their hearts to be working after great things here so that they may by them engreaten their hearts and extend their hearts to prepare them for the great things that are to be revealed I may say concerning our straight desires as the Prophet did to Joash 2 Kings 13. 18 19. where the Prophet bade him strike upon the earth and he struck thrice the Prophet was angry and said You should have struck five or six times and so often shouldst thou have smitten thy enemies So according to the truth and spiritual working of our desires here shall we be made capable of glory hereafter but now if we be straightened in our hearts and we desire to be in heaven and to have some good thing there but our hearts are not after great things not enlarged in our desires it will be in some measure in some proportion according to our desires and therefore it is an evil thing for Christians to have their desires straightned here There are glorious things to be had in God and therefore our desires should be more enlarged then they are It is an excellent expression of Basil It grieves it irks it is tedious to our most munificent great glorious King he hath one word that expresses as much as all these if we ask any thing little of him he would have us ask great things of him Again they are beyond all our hopes It is said of Abraham He believed above hope we cannot believe above hope in this sense that is above the great things that are hoped for and yet God loves to have his people raise their hopes high Yea lastly it is beyond all imagination if men and Angels should set themselves to imagine what they would have they would think if such and such things were that would be a glorious condition this reward shall be beyond imagination we may imagine that which we could not almost desire but whatsoever you can invent or imagine you shall have that happiness or that which is beyond it sometime we think what a sweet thing will it be in Heaven to meet our Father our Mother our Brother or Sister our Husband or Wife these relations shall cease there but we may conclude though we have not that there we shall have that which shall be better and that which we would rather chuse But then if it be thus that all the world be but a dark shadow if that which is revealed in the word be but a glimpse if all the comforts of the Saints here be but the first-fruits if all the expressions of men come beneath if all our desires come short if all our hopes reach not to it if all be above the imagination of men and Angels what is it then what is that which is thus great we can tell you somewhat of this recompence of reward negatively and somewhat comparatively but very little of it positively yet somewhat that way too First negatively There shall be no evil there shall be such an estate of Gods people wherein they shall be fully absolutely everlastingly free from all kinde of evil in this world evil sticks to every Christian but there they shall be in an estate beyond all evil When the Sun is got to the heighth there is no shadow so when Gods people come to the top of their blessedness there shall be no shadow of any evil at all that God that is infinite in good certainly will not suffer evil to be always in his people Freed from all evil of sin and that is the greatest evil of all never troubled with any hard heart any more never pestered with an unbelieving straightned heart any more never dull and heavy in Gods service any more there shall never be any more blindeness and ignorances any unconstancy any mistake any weariness in Gods service delivered wholly from sin yea delivered not onely from the sin that we have but from the very savor of sin and from all the remainders of sin A man may be delivered out of prison but he may smell of the prison men may be healed of a wound and yet have a scar remain so it is with Gods people here they are delivered from the guilt and power of their sin but they smell of their prison garments and there are some scars upon them but all the smells and scars of our sin shall be taken from us yea delivered from the very possibility of sin To be in an estate without sin is a blessed estate but to be in an estate wherein there shall be no possibility to sin that is a blessed condition indeed It is a kinde of misery that a godly man counts himself to be in not onely that he does sin but that he may sin that he hath a possibility to sin but to be free from that that is a blessed condition And this is the happiness of God himself that there is no possibility that he should do any thing in the least degree to sin And as they are delivered from sin so from sorrow for that is the immediate consequent of sin All tears shall be wiped from their eyes And as from moral evil so from natural evil from external and internal evil from all weakness of parts and from all pains and sickness and deformities from all labors all incumbrances here in the world freed from the company and madness and opposition and tyranny and injustice of wicked men they shall be above Satan and above