Look to your selves therefore who ever you are that talk of leaving your Souls with God but do live loose idle profane and wicked lives God will not take care of such mens Souls they commit them not unto him as they should They do but flatter him with their lips and lie unto him with their tongue and think to deceive the Lord. But to no purpose He that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption 'T is he that sows to the Spirit that shall reap life everlasting Galat. 6.7 8. I shall come now to the second thing contained in the Text namely To give you a more distinct description of the men that are thus bid to commit the keeping of their souls to God And they are thus described They that suffer according to the will of God Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their Souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator Two things are here to be inquired into 1. What the Apostle here means by the will of God 2. What suffering according to the will of God is First For the will of God it is divers ways taken in the Scriptures as sometimes forelecting justifying sanctifying acts of God Sometimes for Faith good Life and sometimes for suffering for his name Rom. 9. Ephes. 1.11 Rom. 4.6 7 8. John 7.17 1 John 3.23 1 Thes. 4.3 Mat. 7.21 But by will of God here we must 1. Understand his Law and Testament 2. His order and designment First By his will I understand his Law and Testament This is called the revealed will of God Or that by which he has made himself and how he will be worshipped known unto the children of men Now I understanding these words thus must before I go further make this distinction to wit That there is a difference to be put betwixt them that suffer for the breach and those that suffer for keeping of this Law and Testament For tho' both of them may suffer by the will of God yet they are not both concerned in this Text. A malefactor that suffereth for his evil deeds the due punishment thereof suffereth as other Texts declare according to the will of God But I say this Text doth not concern it self with them For both this Text and this Epistle is writ for the counsel and comfort of those that suffer for keeping the Law and Testament of God that suffer for well-doing 1 Pet. 3.13 14 17. Chap. 4.13 14. The man then that is concerned in this advice is he that suffereth from the hands of men for keeping of the word of God And this is he that has licence leave yea a command to commit the keeping of his Soul to God in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator We will a little enlarge upon this He that keepeth the word of God is such an one that has regard to both the matter and manner thereof The matter is the Truth the Doctrine contained therein the manner is that comely godly humble faithful way of doing it which becomes a man that has to do with the Law and Testament of God And both these are contained in the Text. For first here is the will of God to be done and then secondly to be done according to his will Let them that suffer according to his will Which words I say take in both matter and manner of doing So then the man that here we have to do with and to discourse of is a man that in the sence now given suffereth That which makes a Martyr is suffering for the word of God after a right manner And that is when he suffereth not only for righteousness but for righteousness sake not only for truth but of love to truth not only for Gods word but according to it to wit in that holy humble meek manner as the word of God requireth A man may give his body to be burned for Gods truth and yet be none of God's martyrs 1 Cor. 13.1 2 3. Yea a man may suffer with a great deal of patience and yet be none of Gods Martyrs 1 Pet. 2.20 The one because he wanteth that grace that should poise his heart and make him right in the manner of doing the other because he wanteth that word of the Holy One that alone can make his cause good as to matter 'T is therefore matter and manner that makes the Martyr and 't is this man that is intended in the Text which is aforesaid described So then they that suffer for the Law and Testament of God in that holy and humble manner that the word requires they are they that by this word of God are commanded to commit the keeping of their Souls to God From this consideration two things present themselves to our sight First That a man may be a Christian and suffer and yet not suffer in the sense last given according to the will of God Secondly There have been and may yet be a people in the world that have and may suffer in the sence of the Apostle here according to the will of God A few words to the first of these namely that a man may be a Christian and suffer and yet not suffer in the sence of the Apostle in the Text according to the will of God He may be a Christian and yet not suffer as a Christian. He may want the matter or he may want the manner of suffering as a Christian. This is evident from what this Apostle suggests in several places of this Epistle For 1. Saith he If ye be buffeted for your faults chap. 2.20 This supposeth that a Christian may so be for he speaketh here to the same people unto whom he speaketh in the Text though he putteth them not under the same circumstance as suffering for well-doing If ye be buffeted for your faults for what Gods word calls faults What thank have you from God or good men tho' you take it patiently So again For it is better if the will of God be so that ye suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing Chap 3.17 Here 't is plainly supposed that a Christian man may suffer for evil-doing yea that the will of God may be that he should suffer for evil-doing For God if Christians do not well will vindicate himself by punishing of them for their doing ill Yea and will not count them worthy tho' they be his own to be put among the number of those that suffer for doing well Again But let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thief or as an evil doer or as a busy-body in other mens matters Chap. 4.15 These are cautions to Christians to perswade them to take heed to themselves their tongues and their actions that all be kept within the bounds of the word For it would be a foolish thing to say That these are cautions to perswade to take heed of that into which it is not possible one should fall 'T is possible for Christians to suffer
in the world God comforted Rachel concerning her children that Herod murdered in the stead and upon the account of Christ. He bids her refrain her self from tears by this promise that her children should come again from the land of the enemy from death And again saith he Thy children shall come again to their own border which I think if it be meant in a Gospel sence must be to the heavenly inheritance compare Jer. 31.15 with Matt. 2.18 And methinks this should be mentioned not only for her and their sakes but to comfort all those that either have had or yet may have their children thus suffer for righteousness None of these things as shall be further shewed anon happen without the determinate counsel of God He has ordered the sufferings of little children as well as that of persons more in years And 't is easie to think that God can as well foresee which of his elect shall suffer by violent hands in their Infancy as which of them shall then die a natural death He has Saints small in age as well as in esteem or otherwise and sometimes the least member of the body suffereth violence as well as the head or other chief parts And although I desire not to see these days again yet me thinks it will please me to see those little ones that thus have already suffered for Jesus to stand in their white Robes with the elders of the people before the throne to sing unto the Lamb. But to pass this and to come to that which is more directly intended to be spoken to namely to shew you who doth actively suffer for righteousness And 1. 'T is he that chuseth by his own will and consent to suffer for it All suffering that can be called active suffering must be by the consent of the will and that is done when a man shall have sin and suffering set before him and shall chuse suffering rather than sin He chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season and again They did not accept of deliverance that is of base and unworthy terms that they might obtain a better resurrection Heb. 11.25 ver 35. Indeed no man can force a Christian to suffer as a Christian without his own consent All Christians are sufferers of will and consent Hence 't is said they must take up their cross by which taking up an act of their will is intended So again take my yoke upon you which also intends an act of the will Mat. 10.38 Chap. 16.24 Chap. 11.29 This therefore is the first thing that I would present you with Not that an act of the will is enough to declare a man a sufferer for righteousness it standing alone for a man thorough the strength of delusion and the power of an erroneous conscience may be willing to suffer for the grossest opinions in the world But I bring it to shew that actual suffering for righteousness must also be by the consent of the will the mind of the man must be in it Secondly He that suffereth for righteousness thus must also have a good cause A good cause is that which is essential to suffering for righteousness A good cause what is that Why verily It is the truth of God either in the whole of it as contained in the Scriptures of truth or in the parts of it as set before me to believe or do by any part of that holy word This may be called the matter for which one suffereth or as it is called in another place the word of righteousness Heb. 5.13 It may also be called the form of sound Doctrine or the like Because without this word the Matter and nature of Gods truths cannot be known Pilate's question what is truth will still abide a question to those that have not or regard not the word the rule of righteousness John 18.38 See then that thy cause be good thou that wouldest know what it is to suffer for righteousness Step not an hairs breadth without the bounds of the word of truth also take heed of misunderstanding or of wringing out of its Place any thing that is there Let the words of the upright stand upright warp them not to the end they may comply in shew with any crooked notion And to prevent this take these three words as a guide in this matter to thee They shew men their sins and how to close with a Saviour they enjoyn men to be holy and humble they command men to submit themselves to authority And what ever is cross to these comes from ignorance of or from a wresting the rule of righteousness out of its place But more particularly the word of righteousness thy cause within the bounds of which thou must keep if thou wilt suffer for righteousness is to be divided into two parts 1. It containeth a revelation of moral righteousness 2. It containeth a revelation of evangelical righteousness As for moral righteousness men seldom suffer only for that Because that is the righteousness of the World and that simply as such that sets it self up in every mans conscience and has a testimony for it self even in the light of nature Besides there is nothing that maketh head against that but that which every man is ashamed by words to plead for and that is immorality And this is that which Peter intends when he saith And if ye be followers of that which is good who will harm you 1 Pet. 3.13 If ye be followers of moral goodness But if it should so happen for the case is rare that any man should make you sufferers because you love God and do good to your neighbour happy are ye Though I do not think that the Apostles conclusion terminates there But more of these things anon For let a man be a good neighbour in morals let him feed the hungry cloath the naked give freely out of his purse to the poor and do that which he would another should do to him and stop there and not meddle with the name of Christ and he shall have but few enemies in the World For 't is not the Law but Christ that is the stumbling block and the rock of offence to men Isaiah 8.14 15. Rom. 9.31 32 33. Wherefore there is in Gods word a revelation of another righteousness a righteousness which is not so visible to yea and that suteth not so with the reason of man as that moral righteousness doth Wherefore this righteousness makes men righteous in principle and practise so as is foreign to natural men Hence 't is said to be foolishness to them And again Its praise is not of men Rom. 2.29 1 Cor. 2.14 This righteousness is also revealed in the Scriptures but the blind cannot see it It is the work of the holy Ghost in the heart and is therefore called the fruits of the spirit and the grace which in the head and fulness of it is only to be found in
keep not your soul in your own hand for fear of losing that with the rest For no man can keep alive his own soul Psal. 22.29 No not in the greatest calm no not when the Lyon is a sleep how then should he do it at such a time when the horrible blast of the terrible ones shall beaâ— against his wall The consideration of this was that that made holy Paul who was a man upon whom persecution continually attended commit his soul to God Acts 20.23 2 Tim. 1.12 God as I shall shew you by and by is he and he alone that is able to keep the soul and deliver it from danger Man is naturally a self deceiver and therefore is not to be trusted any farther than as the watchful eye of God is over him But as to hiâ— soul he is not be trusted with that at all that must be wholly committed to God left altogether with him laid at his feet and he also must take the charge thereof or else 't is gone will be lost and will perish for ever and ever Wherefore 't is a dangerous thing for a man that is a sufferer to be a senseless man as to the danger that his soul is in and a prayerless man as to the committing of the keeping of it to God For he that is such has yet his soul and the keeping thereof in his own deceitful hand And so has he also that stays himself upon his friends upon his knowledge the promise of men or the mercy of his enemies or that has set in his mind a bound to himself how far he will venture for Religion and where he will stop This is the man that makes not God his trust and that therefore will surely fall in the day of his temptation Satan who now hunteth for the precious soul to destroy it has Power as well as Policy beyond what man can think He has power to blind harden and to make insensible the heart He also can make truth in the eyes of the suffering man a poor little and insignificant thing Judas had not committed the keeping of his soul to God but abode in himself and was left in his Tabernacle And you by and by see what a worthy price he set upon himself his Christ and Heaven and all All to him was not now worth thirty pieces of Silver And as he can make truth in thy esteem to be little so he can make sufferings great and ten times more terrible than he that hath committed the keeping of his soul to God shall ever find them A Gaol shall look as black as Hell and the loss of a few Stools and Chairs as bad as the loss of so many baggs of Gold Death for the Saviour of the World shall seem to be a thing both unreasonable and intolerable Such will chuse to run the hazzard of the loss of a thousand souls in the way of the world rather than the loss of one poor sorry transitory life for the holy word of God But the reason as I said is they have not committed the keeping of their soul to God For he that indeed has committed the keeping of his soul to that great one has shaken his hands of all things here Has bid adieu to the world to friends and life and waiteth upon God in a way of close keeping to his truth and walking in his wayes having counted the cost and been perswaded to take what cup God shall suffer the world to give him for so doing Sixthly Another conclusion that followeth from these words is That God is very willing to take the charge and care of the soul that is committed unto him of them that suffer for his sake in the world If this were not true the exhortation would not answer the end What is intended by Let him commit the keeping of his soul to God but that the sufferer should indeed leave that great care with him but if God be not willing to be concerned with such a charge what bottom is there for the exhortation But the exhortation has this for its bottom therefore God is willing to take the charge and care of the soul of him that suffereth for his name in this world The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate 1 Sam. 25.28 29. Psal. 34.22 None not one that committeth his soul â—o Gods keeping in a way of well doing but shall find him willing to be concerned therewith Ay this saith the sufferer if I could believe this it would rid me of all my fears But I find my self ingaged for God for I have made a profession of his name and cannot arrive to this belief that God is willing to take the charge and care of my soul. Wherefore I fear that if Tryals come so high as that life as well as estate must go that both life and Estate and soul and all will be lost at once Well honest heart these are thy fears but let them fly away and consider the Text again Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him as unto a faithful Creator These are Gods words Christs words and the invitation of the holy Ghost When therefore thou readest them be perswaded that thou hearest the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost all of them joyntly and severally speaking to thee and saying Poor sinner thou art ingaged for God in the world thou art suffering for his word leave thy soul with him as with one that is more willing to save it than thou art willing he should act faith trust God believe his word and go on in thy way of witness-bearing for him and thou shalt find all well and according to the desire of thy heart at last True Satan will make it his business to tempt thee to doubt of this that thy way may be made yet more hard and difficult to thee For he knows that unbelief is a soul-perplexing sin and makes that which would otherwise be light pleasant and easie unutterably heavy and burdensome to the sufferer Yea this he doth in hope to make thee at last to cast away thy profession thy Cause thy Faith thy Conscience thy soul and all But hear what the Holy Ghost saith again He shall spare the poor and needy and shall save the souls of the needy He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence and precious shall their blood be in his sight Psal. 72.13 14. These words also are spoken for the comfort of sufferers ver 12. For he shall delivor the needy when he crieth the poor also and him that hath no helper Wherefore let them that are Gods sufferers pluck up a good heart let them not be afraid to trust God with their souls and with their eternal concerns Let them cast all their care upon God for he careth for them 1 Pet. 5.7 But I am in the Dark I answer never stick at that
compass of Gods word hurts no man gives just offence to no man Though he complyeth not with all that are modes and ways of worship in the World Nor can this appeal be judged injurious if it be not attended with intercessions against them that hate us But we will pass this and come to a second thing Secondly As he that suffereth for righteousness must have a good cause So he that suffereth for righteousness must have a good call A man though his cause be good ought not by undue ways to run himself into suffering for it nature teaches the contrary and so doth the Law of God Suffering for a truth ought to be cautiously took in hand and as warily performed I know that there are some men that are more concerned here than some the Preacher of the word is by Gods command made the more obnoxious man for he must come off with a wo if he preaches not the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.16 He therefore I say doth and ought more to expose himself than other Christians are called to do Yet it behoveth him also to beware because that Christ has said to him Behold I send you forth as Sheep or Lambs in the midst of Wolves be ye therefore wise as Serpents and harmless as Doves Mat. 10.16 Luk. 10.3 A man is not bound by the Law of his Lord to put himself into the mouth of his enemy Christ withdrew himself Paul escaped the Governours hands by being let down in a basket over the wall of the city 2 Cor. 11.32.33 And Christ hath said If they persecute you in one City flie ye to an other If they will not let me preach here I will take up my Bible and be gone Perhaps this is because I must preach in some other place A Minister can quickly pack up and carry his Religion with him and offer what he knows of his God to another people Acts 13.44 45 46 47. Nor should a Minister strive I think with the Magistrate for place or time But let him hearken to hear what God shall say by such opposition Perhaps the Magistrate must drive thee out of this place because the Soul is in another place that is to be converted or helped by thy Sermon to day We must also in all things shew our selves to be such as by our profession we would that men should believe we are to wit meek gentle not strivers but take our Lord and our Brethren the Prophets for our examples But I will not here presume to give instructions to Ministers but will speak a few words in the general about what I think may be a sufficient call to a man to suffer for righteousness First Every Christian man is bound by Gods word to hold to or stand by his profession his profession of Faith and to joyn to that profession an holy godly life because the Apostle and high Priest of his profession is no lâ—ss a one than Christ Jesus Heb. 3.1 chap. 10.23 This by Christ himself is expressed thus Let your light so shine No man lighteth a Candle to put it under a bushel Let your loyns be girded about and your lights burning And Paul bids the Philippians hold forth the word of life Mat. 5.16 Luk. 12.35 Philip. 2.16 And more particularly by all this this is intended that we should hide our faith in Christ from no man but should rather make a discovery of it by a life that will do so For our profession thus managed is the badge and the Lords livery by which we are distinguished from other men So then if while I profess the truth of Christ and so walk as to make my profession of it more apparent I be made a sufferer for it my call is good and I may be bold in God and in my profession This Peter intends when he saith But and if ye suffer for righteousness sake happy are ye and be not afraid of their terror neither be troubled But sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear 1 Pet. 3.14 15. Here then is a call not to meddle with the other but to mind our own business to walk in our Christian profession and to adorn it with all good works and if any man will meddle with me and ask me a reason of the hope that I have to give it him with meekness and fear whatever follows thereupon This Peter should have done himself there where he denied his Master thrice The reason is for that Christianity is so harmless a thing that be it never so openly professed it hurts no man I believe that Christ will save me what hurt is this to my Neighbour I love Christ because he will save me what hurt is this to any I will for this worship Christ as he has bid me what hurt is this to any body I will also tell my neighbours what a loving one my Christ is and that he is willing to be good to them as he has been good to me and what hurt is this to the Governour of a Kingdom But and if any man will afflict me for this my cause is good and also my call to stand full godly to my profession Secondly There is sometimes a call to suffer for righteousness even from the voice of necessity That is either when by my silence the truth must fall to the ground or when by my shrinking the Souls of other men are in danger This I say is a call to suffer even by the voice of necessity The case may be when Gods ways may be trodden under foot Yea his Word and Ways and Name and People and all Thus Goliah did do for several days togetoger 1 Sam. 17. and vaunted in his doing and there was not a man no not in Israel that durst answer him a word And now was the spirit of David stirred in him and he would put his life in his hand and give this man an answer and he saw there was reason for it necessity gave him a call Is there not a cause saith he lies bleeding upon the ground and no man of heart or spirit to put a check to the bold Blasphemer I will go fight with him I will put my life in my hand if I die I die Consider also what Daniel did when the Law was gone out to forbid for thirty days petitioning any God or man save the King only At that time also not a man of Israel â—eeped Dan. 6.7 Now neâ—â—â—sity walks about the streets crying who is on the Lords side who c. And Daniel answers I am by opening of his window and praying as at other times three times a day with his face towards Jerusalem verse 10. He heard this voice of necessity and put his life in his hand and complyed with it to the hazzard of being torn in pieces by the Lyons Much like this was that of the three
think it a strange thing that those that fear God should suffer indeed 1 Pet. 4.12 But we should not for we suffer by the will and appointment of God Hence they under the Altar were bid to rest for a while even until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed mark that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled Revel 6.11 Wherefore suffering for righteousness and for righteousness sake is by the will of God God has appointed who shall suffer That 's the first Secondly as God has appointed who shall suffer so he has appointed when they shall suffer for his truth in the World Sufferings for such and such a man are timed as to when he shall be tryed for his faith Hence when Paul was afraid at Corinth that the Heathens would fall about his ears the Lord spake to him by night in a vision saying Be not afraid Paul but speak and hold not thy peace for I am with thee and no man shall set upon thee to hurt thee Acts 18.7 8 9 10. His time of suffering was not yet come there It is also said concerning Jesus Christ that even then when they sought to take him no man laid his hands on him for his hour was not yet come John 7.30 The times then and the seasons even for the sufferings of the people of God are not in the hands of their enemies but in the hand of God as David said my times are in thy hand By the will of God then it is that such shall suffer at but not until that time But Thirdly as God has appointed who and when so he has appointed where this that or the other good man shall suffer Moses and Elias when they appeared on the holy Mount told Jesus of the sufferings which he should accomplish at Jerusalem Jerusalem was the place assigned for Christ to suffer at also there must the whole of his sufferings be accomplished Luke 9.30 31. The Saints are sprinkled by the hand of God here and there as Salt is sprinkled upon meat to keep it from stinking And as they are thus sprinkled that they may season the earth so accordingly where they must suffer is also appointed for the better conforming of the truth Christ said It could not be that a Prophet should perish out of Jerusalem Luk. 13.33 But why could it not be that they should perish other where Were there no enemies but in Jerusalem were there no good men but at Jerusalem No no that was not the reason The reason was for that God had appointed that they should suffer there So then who when and where is at the will of God and they accordingly are ordered by that will Fourthly As God has appointed who when and where so he has also appointed what kind of sufferings this or that Saint shall undergo at this place and at such a time God said that he would shew Paul before hand how great things he should suffer for his sake Acts 9.16 And 't is said that Christ did signifie to Peter before hand by what death he should glorifie God Joh 21.19 When Herod had beheaded John Baptist and when the Jews had crucified Christ 't is said that they had but fulfilled what was written of them Mark 9.13 Acts 13.29 Our sufferings as to the nature of them are all writ down in Gods Book and though the writing seem as unknown characters to us yet God understands them very well Some of them they shall kill and crucifie and some of them they shall scourge in their Synagogues and persecute them from city to city Mat. 23.34 Shall God think you say some of them they shall serve thus and some of them they shall do so too and yet not allot which some to this and which to that and which to the other tryal Doubtless our sufferings fall by the will of God unto us as they fell of old upon the people of Jerusalem 'T was appointed by God who of them should die of hunger who with the sword who should go into captivity and who should be eaten up of beasts Jer. 15.3 So is the case here Namely as God has appointed who when where and the like so he has also what manner of sufferings this or that good man shall undergo for his Name Let it then be concluded that hitherto it appears that the sufferings of Saints are ordered and disposed by the will of God But Fifthly As all this is determined by the will of God so it is also appointed for what truth this or that Saint shall suffer this or that kind of affliction Every Saint has his course his work and his testimony as is alloted him of God Mark. 13.34 John had a course a testimony to fulfil for God and so had holy Paul Acts 13.25 2 Tim. 4.6 7. and so has every Saint also he that is to suffer has his truth appointed him to suffer for Christ had a truth peculiar to himself to bear witness to in a way of suffering John had a truth peculiar to himself to bear witness to in a way of suffering Stephen had also a truth divers from them both to which he bare an holy testimony and for which he bravely died Mark 14.61 62. chap. 6.17 18. Acts 7.51.52 53. If you read the Book of Acts and Monuments you may see a goodly variety as to this and yet in all a curious harmony Some are there said to suffer for the Godhead some for the manhood some for the ordinances of Christ and some laid down their lives for the brethren And thus far we see that he that suffers for righteousness sake suffers in this sence according to the will of God Sixthly As it is appointed who when where what kind and for what truth by the will of God this and that Saint should suffer so also it is appointed by whose hand this or that man shall suffer for this or that truth It was appointed that Moses and Israel should suffer by the hand of Pharaoh And for this very purpose saith God have I raised thee up that is to be a persecutor and to reap the fruits thereof Exod. 9 13-13 It was also determined that Christ should suffer by the hand of Herod and Pontius Pilate For of a truth said they against thy holy child Jesus both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the children of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done Acts 4.27 These are great instances from which we may gather how all these things are ordered from thence down hitherto For if a sparrow falls not to the ground without God she shall not be killed without God not by he knows not who And if a Christian man is better than many sparrows It follows that God concerns himself more with for and about him than with for or about many sparrows It follows therefore in right reason that as the person who is appointed
that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die Isa. 51.12 God says the wise man hath set the one against the other the day of adversity and the day of prosperity to the end that man should find nothing after him to complain of For as certainly as there is a time to mourn so certainly there is a time to rejoyce set I say for them that suffer for Gods cause according to Gods will Eccles. 7.14 chap. 3.4 There are several degrees of suffering for righteousness there is the scourge of the tongue The ruin of an estate the loss of liberty a Gaol a Gibbet a Stake a Dagger Now answerable to these are the comforts of the holy Ghost prepared like to like part proportioned to part only the consolations are said to abound 2 Cor. 1. But the lighter the sufferings are the more difficult it is to judge of the comforts of the spirit of God for 't is common for a man to be comfortable under sufferings when he suffereth but little and knows also that his enemy can touch his flesh his estate or the like but little I say 't is common for such a man to be comfortable in his sufferings from the consideration that his enemies can touch him no further And this may be the joy of the flesh the result of reason and may be very much if not altogether without a mixture of the joy of the holy Ghost therewith The more deep therefore and the more dreadful the sufferings are the more clearly are seen the comforts of the spirit when a man has comfort where the flesh is dead stirreth not and can do nothing When a man can be comfortable at the loss of all when he is under the sentence of death or at the place of execution When a mans cause a mans conscience the promise and the holy Ghost have all one comfortable voice and do all together with their Trumpets make one sound in the Soul then the comforts are good of the right kind of God and his spirit I told you before that there are several degrees of sufferings wherefore it is not to be expected that he that suffers but little should partake of the comforts that are prepared for them that suffer much He that has only the scourge of the tongue knows not what are the comforts that are prepared for him that meets with the scourge of the whip And how should a man know what manner of comforts the holy Ghost doth use to give at the Gaol and the Gibbet when himself for righteousness never was there But whether this or the other Christian knows it God has his consolations for his suffering people and those too such as are proportioned to the nature or degree of their sufferings The which shall assuredly be made appear to them that shall after a godly manner stick to his truth and trust him with their Souls Joseph was cast into Prison but God was with him John was banished into the Isle called Patmos for the word of God But what revelations of God had he there even such as he was a stranger to all his life before this therefore is to be well heeded For it is a demonstration of the faithfulness of God to those that suffering according to his will do commit the keeping of their Souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator Fourthly He will also be faithful to us in this He will not let the sharpness nor keenness nor venom of the arrows of the enemies of his people reach so far as to destroy both body and Soul at once but he will preserve them when what can be done is done to his eternal Kingdom and Glory Thus being preserved to his eternal Kingdom and glory is a mâ—rvellous thing But it must be so because God has called them to it Wherefore after Peter had told them that the Devil their adversary sought to devour them and had bidden them resist him stedfast in the faith he saith But the God of all grace who hath called us unto his eternal Kingdom and glory by Christ Jesus after ye have suffered a while make you perfect strengthen stablish settle you 1 Pet. 5.8 9 10. The truth is persecution of the godly was of God never intended for their destruction but for their Glory and to make them shine the more when they are beyond this valley of the shadow of death Indeed we oft-times when we are perscuted do feel the terrors of our adversaries in our minds But 't is not because they can shoot them thither nor because they of themselves have power to reach so far but we like fools by our ignorance and unbelief do admit them thither No suffering nor inflicter of suffering can reach the peace of the sufferer without his own consent This is provision of Gods making Yea and if thorow our folly their terror is admitted to touch us yet since we are not our own but are bought with a price we are not so at our own dispose but that God will have the butting and bounding of their rage as also a power to uphold and support our spirits When I said my foot slipped thy mercy O Lord held me up And the reason why by Gods ordinance the spirit is not to be touched in suffering is because that is it that is to sustain the infirmity of the sufferer therefore God will have the spirit of his servants kept sound and in good health Prov. 18.14 Isaiah 57.16 The room therefore and the ground that the enemy has to play upon is the body and outward substance of the people of God but the spirit is reserved for the reason hinted before and also that it might be capable of maintaining of communion with God And how else could they obey that command that bids them rejoyce in tribulation and glorifie God in the fires as it is Rom. 12 and Isaiah 24.15 But I say if they have not power to touch much less to destroy body and Soul for ever The body is Gods and he gives that to them to destroy the spirit is Gods and he keeps that to himself to shew that he has both power to do with us what he pleases and that he will recover our body also out of their hand for if the spirit lives so must the body when men have done what they can therewith This is the argument of our Lord Jesus Christ himself Luke 20.37.38 Therefore the faithfulness of God not only is but also will be seen by them that dare trust him till the next World to his glory and their eternal comfort We will now conclude with a short word by way of use you see how I have opened the Text and what hath naturally followed thereupon from the whole of which may be gathered First that the people of God are a suffering people a people subject to trouble for their faith and profession The reason is besides what hath been said already because the power of truth is in their