permanently or unalterably holy as well sanctifying the duties therein performed as sanctified by them so I suppose that the appointed feasts or at least some of them are set apart by the Church to a state of like holiness I confess that as touching the dedication of such days and times as some of those are which are appointed by the Church I have not a clearness of judgment to determine for or against the warrantableness thereof Nor would I break with the Church upon this account but would make those days an occasion of joining in the unquestionable divine worship then celebrated But I know not how to declare an unfeigned assent and consent to the sanctifying of those days because in so doing I should not speak the truth while I doubt of the warrantableness thereof Of the Order for Morning and Evening-prayer THE second Rubrick before Morning-prayer is taken to enjoin the use of the Surplice Supposing that the use thereof is not in it self unlawful nevertheless I question whether I may lawfully consent to a Rule enjoining the use of it to such Ministers and in such Congregations by which the use thereof is judged unlawful or to which it is odious or greatly offensive by invincible or inveterate prejudice I enquire Whether a consent to the use of this Rubrick doth not imply a consent to the enjoining of this Vestment for the enjoined retaining and using of it so that sacred Ministrations shall not be performed without it is the subject matter of the Rubrick I enquire also Whether I may lawfully declare my consent to the use of this Vestment supposing that tho I do not scruple the bare lawfulness of using it yet I wish in my heart the use thereof were not retained but laid aside in regard of the great offence taken at it it being a thing unnecessary and the worship of God being as decently and profitably performed without it as with it Moreover what were those Ornaments in the Church which were in use by authority of Parliament in the second year of the reign of King Edward the sixth I do not well know Some say this Rubrick seems to bring back the Cope and other Vestments forbidden in the Common-prayer-book 5 6. of Edw. 6. to the use whereof I do not see it fit for me to declare my consent The Responsals of the Clerk and people the multiplied repetitions of the Gloria Patri and the Lords Prayer the omission of the Doxology in the Lords Prayer the composure of many short Collects instead of one continued prayer I can submit unto and declare my consent to them as to things passable But if the declaration of consent imply not only the simple allowableness but also the laudableness and comparative usefulness or expediency of these things I am not clear therein Of the Creed of St. Athanasius I Heartily own the whole Doctrine of the Trinity and of the incarnation of the Son of God as set forth in this Creed yet I am not satisfied to declare my assent to these assertions Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled without doubt he shall perish everlastingly Also This is the Catholick faith which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved Also he therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity This Creed doth contain deep mysteries as that the Son is not made nor created but begotten That the Holy Ghost is neither made nor created nor begotten but proceeding The difference between eternal generation and eternal procession being a mystery wherein the greatest Divines see but darkly we may be justly afraid to condemn all persons as uncapable of salvation who do not understand and explicitely believe these mysteries Likewise the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son being here delivered as a part of the faith concerning which it is asserted That except every one do keep whole without doubt he shall perish everlastingly the undoubted damnation of those Churches and Christians who hold that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father only seems to be thence inferred The best answer to these objections that I have seen I here transcribe out of a book lately written It is to be considered That in this Creed there be some things contained and expressed as necessary points of Faith and other things for the more clear and useful explication of the truth tho they be not of equal necessity to be understood and believed even by the meanest capacity Thus if we first consider the contexture of this Creed the Faith declared necessary concerning the Trinity is thus expressed in the beginning thereof The Catholick Faith is this That we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance After this follows an explication useful to set forth the true Christian Doctrine which begins For there is one person of the Father c. After which explication the same necessary doctrine to be known and believed is thus again expressed and distinguished from that explication in these words So that in all things as aforesaid the Vnity in Trinity and the Trinity in Vnity is to be worshipped he therefore who will be saved must thus think of the Trinity What is contained in this consideration is the more clear by the following observation That our Church doth both here and in her Articles evidently receive the Athanasian Creed and yet from the manner of using the Apostles Creed in the form of Baptism as containing the profession of that Faith into which we are baptized in the Catechism as containing all the Articles of the Christian Faith and in the Visitation of the sick as being the Rule to try whether he believe as a Christian man should or not it is manifest that no more is esteemed in our Church of necessity to salvation for all men to believe than that only which is contained and expressed in the Apostles Creed Hereunto I make this Reply In this point the question is not What the Church of England but what the Athanasian Creed appointed by this Church to be read on certain solemn days instead of the Apostles Creed declares to be of necessity to salvation Now the thing that is manifestly asserted in this Creed to be of necessity to salvation is the intire belief of the Catholick Faith as it is there expressed For it is said Which Faith except every one keep whole c. Wherefore to distinguish the summary of the doctrine of the Trinity set down in the beginning and the conclusion from the whole intermediate explication thereof as if the belief of the one but not of the other were affirmed to be necessary to salvation is a very forc'd and unwarrantable narrowing of the intendment of the Words The explication as well as the said Summary is set forth as that Catholick Faith which except every one keep whole and undefiled he shall without doubt perish everlastingly Yea it is expresly said in
work and duty belonging to a Presbyter who is no bishop Not one place of Scripture doth set forth any Presbyter as less than a bishop Phil. 1 1. Paul makes mention of Bishops and Deacons in the Church at Philippi in the inscription of his Epistle but no mention of Presbyters that were not bishops And it seems by that Text that in the Apostles times there were more bishops than one placed in one city and 't is to be noted that Philippi was but a little City under the Metropolis of Thessalonica Thus bishop and elder in the places aforecited are names of the same office whatsoever it be and the Hierarchical Divines grant as much but are not agreed what office is there set forth by those names One part of them think that those Texts speak of or at least comprehend such Presbyters as are now so called The other part of them think they speak of such bishops as are now distinct from presbyters Now they that hold that the said Texts speak of or include such presbyters as are now so called must needs hold that such presbyters are pastors and bishops in the Scripture sence of those names and so an identity of the bishop and presbyter is confessed and it rests upon them to prove the divine institution of bishops of a higher order over such presbyters and they that hold that the said Texts speak of such bishops as are now distinct from presbyters must needs grant the qualification ordination and work of presbyters inferior to bishops is not set forth in Scripture If it be said that the order of inferior and subject presbyters is of divine institution and yet not defined or expressed in Scripture let a satisfactory proof be brought from some other authority of its divine institution and what its nature is If it be said that at first the function of a bishop and presbyter was one but afterwards it was divided into two and that the division was made by divine warrant the asserters are bound to prove it by sufficient authority To have the power of the keys of binding and loosing of remitting and retaining sins in Christs name as his commissioned Officer is to have Episcopal power and this power belongs to a Presbyter The Asserters of Prelacy answer this by distinguishing the power of the keys in foro interiore or the Court of Conscience within and foro exteriore in the exterior Court to wit that of the Church and say that the former belongs to the Bishop and Presbyter both and the latter to the Bishop only To which I reply 1. The Scripture makes no such distinction and where the Law distinguisheth not we may not distinguish 2. The distinction is vain for all power that belongs to the Pastors of the Church purely respects the conscience by applying to it the commands promises and threatnings of God and it respects the conscience as having the conduct of the outward man and that in reference to Church communion as well as other matters 3. If Presbyters may in the name of Christ bind the impenitent and loose the penitent as to the conscience in the sight of God which is the greater and primary binding and loosing then by parity of reason and that with advantage they may bind and loose as to Church-communion which is the lesser secondary and subsequent binding and loosing That Officer is a Bishop that hath power of authoritative declaring in Christs name that this or that wicked person in particular is unworthy of fellowship with Christ and his Church and a power of charging the Congregation in Christs name not to keep company with him as being no fit member of a Christian Society and also a power of Authoritative declaring and judging in Christs name that the same person repenting of his wickedness and giving evidence thereof is meet for fellowship with Christ and his church and a power of requiring the Congregation in Christs name again to receive him into their Christian fellowship For these are the powers of Excommunication and Ecclesiastical Absolution and a Presbyter hath apparently the said powers As he can undoubtedly declare and charge and judg as aforesaid touching persons in general so by parity of reason touching this or that person in particular all particulars being included in the general He hath undoubtedly a power of applying the word in Christs name as well personally as generally That a Presbyter hath the said powers is granted by the Church of England in the common usage of the Ecclesiastical Courts wherein a Presbyter is appointed to denounce the sentence of Excommunication tho the Chancellor doth decree it And the Excommunication is not compleat till a Presbyter hath denounced it in the congregation That the Apostles have no successors in the whole of their Office is confessed on all hands but if they have successors in part of their Office viz. in the Pastoral Authority in this respect the Presbyters if any are their successors Peter exhorting the Presbyters stiles himself their fellow-Presbyter which is to be understood in respect of the power of Teaching and Ruling The Pastoral Authority of Presbyters is further cleared in many passages in the publick forms of the Church of England touching that Order The form of Ordaining Presbyters in this Church lately was Receive the Holy Ghost whose sins thou remittest they are remitted and whose sins thou retainest they are retained and be thou a faithful dispenser of the word of God and of his holy Sacraments in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Amen Now the former part hereof is intirely the words used by our Saviour John 20.21 22. towards the Apostles expressing their Pastoral Authority And the latter part is no derogation or diminution from the power granted in the former part If Presbyters are not partakers with the Apostles in the Pastoral Authority how could they have Right to that Form of Ordination Likewise this Church did in solemn form of words require the presbyters when they were ordained to exercise the discipline of Christ as the Lord hath commanded and this Realm hath received the same according to the commandment of God And that they might the better understand what the Lord hath commanded therein this Church did appoint also That at the ordering of Priests there be read for the Epistle that portion of Acts 20. which relates St. Paul's sending to Ephesus and calling for the Elders of the Congregation with his exhortation to them To take heed to themselves and to all the flock whereof the Holy Ghost hath made them overseers to rule the congregation of God Or else 1 Tim. 3. which sets forth the Office and due Qualifications of a Bishop These portions of Scripture this Church appointed to be read to the Presbyters as belonging to their Office and to instruct them in the nature of it And afterwards the Bishop speaks to them that are to receive the Office of Priesthood in this form of words
the close So that in all things as aforesaid the Vnity in Trinity and the Trinity in Vnity is to be worshipped He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity What less than the whole doctrine aforegoing can the said words in all things as aforesaid refer to For ought doth appear no one part of the doctrine or explication is made more necessary to be believed than another Besides in the Nicene Creed in the doctrine of the Person of Christ why may not the summary thereof expressed in these words and in one Lord Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God be distinguished in like manner from the following explicatory words begotten of the Father before all worlds God of God light of light c. as if the one but not the other were thereby intended as necessary to be believed Moreover if the sense of this Creed in the said Assertions be not to exclude from salvation all such as do not so distinctly know nor so explicitely believe concerning the doctrine of the Trinity as its sets forth in the explication thereof yet certainly it can be taken for no less than the excluding of such as apprehend and believe in any point contrary thereto which is the case of the Greek Church in denying the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Son Admit the said Assertions are to be restrained to those that believe not as is expressed only in the summary of the doctrine I then make this query Whether none of those who being of very low capacities do not distinctly apprehend and explicitely believe one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity so as in their apprehensions neither to confound the persons nor divide the substance can truly and savingly fear God and believe in Christ Here let it be no offence to make the following Queries 1. Whether it be certain by the word of God that all those of the Christian profession whose apprehensions of the Trinity were not fully conformable to the Faith of the Homousians as the Orthodox were called in those times did perish everlastingly 2. Whether it be certain by the Word of God that all those who so apprehended of the union of the natures in Christ as was exprest either by the Nestorians or Eutychians did perish everlastingly Furthermore I enquire Whether it be certain by the Word of God That all Pagans who have lived since the times of Christianity and to whom the Gospel was never published are damned In the aforesaid Assertions the form of words being unlimited and universal seems to import so much Now the case of such who live in meer negative infidelity being without the revelation of the Gospel is different from theirs who by wilful perverseness overthrow the Faith against the evidence of that Divine testimony in the Holy Scripture which they profess to believe Without doubt none of the whole stock of Mankind can be saved but through the Redeemer Jesus Christ But it is not so certain that all are damned who live and dye without the knowledg of Redemption by him I certainly know That without holiness no man shall see the Lord and that no man can be holy without the sanctifying operation of the Holy Spirit But that none of them are sanctified who are without the knowledg of Christ and his Gospel is not so evidently and certainly known to me either from Scripture or Reason The sum of the matter is That I am afraid in the solemn rehearsal of a Creed in the midst of Divine Service to adjudg those to eternal damnation that are not so adjudged by the word of God yet I heartily and entirely assent to the doctrine of the Trinity and of the Incarnation of Christ according to the explication thereof as set forth in this Creed and I would not give my suffrage that any should be allowed in the publick Ministry who holds in any point contrary to the said doctrine Of the LITANY THE manner of the composure of the Litany and more especially that the formally petitioning words are in great part uttered by the people only I judg not so inconvenient but that I may comply therewith yet I had much rather and do heartily wish that it were otherwise framed Now I enquire Whether being thus minded I may justly declare my unfeigned consent to the use thereof Of the COLLECTS c. IN the Collect for Christmas-day these words And as at this time to be born are to be considered That our Saviour was born on or about the 25th of December is a matter of great uncertainty and little probability and contrary to the most rational Chronology It is therefore questioned whether the said words may be statedly used in a solemn prayer of the Church Tho this be a small matter yet the question is VVhether one may declare an assent and consent to the use of it while he doth not believe it to be true Of the Order for the Ministration of the Holy Communion IT is liable to exception That a great part of the Communion Service as it is called which makes a great part of the Morning-prayer for the Lords day is appointed to be read at the Communion-Table when there is no administration of the Sacrament If the declared consent hereunto import no more than that it may be complyed with in submission to authority I shall not refuse it In the Fourth Commandment it is appointed to be read The Lord blessed the Seventh day instead of the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day It may well be questioned whether one may consent to the changing of God own Words in this Commandment into other words of mans chusing But if the declared consent respect not the changing of one word for another but only the simple using of that word which stands in the Liturgy I shall not utterly refuse it seeing it hath nothing that is false or evil nor any so considerable inconvenience that I discern as to necessitate to a non-compliance Yet I dislike the retaining of it In the Exhortation preparatory to the Sacrament it is declared That it is requisite that no man should come to the Holy Communion but with a full trust in Gods Mercy and quiet conscience Here it is said not only that it is a duty to be so qualified in coming but that it is requisite that no man should come but so qualified This seems to mean that the said qualification is so necessary that none may lawfully come without it It is hereupon to be considered whether a godly Christian under doubts and fears touching his own estate towards God and apprehensive of Gods displeasure towards him may not have that Grace which may enable him to come acceptably to this Sacrament Tho I do not scruple the lawfulness of kneeling in the act of receiving the Sacramental Bread and Wine yet it is hard to consent to a Rule that debars from the Lords Supper all Christians who through unfeigned scruple of conscience refuse this gesture especially considering
Name of God baptizeth the party in the name of the Father c. but acting in the name of the Church he signeth him with the sign of the Cross This sign is not any tender of Grace received from God nor any proper consecration to God in his Name and Authority and as by his Symbol but a declarative token of duty and engagement to God The Israelites were circumcised kept the Passover and had their Sacrifices all which were tokens of the Covenant between God and them Yet Joshua did solemnly engage them to God by setting up a Stone as a Witness thereof The Objection and Reply I leave for a while to further consideration I have somewhat more to say touching this point The Stone of Witness set up by Joshua was a meer professing or witnessing-sign of the Israelites acknowledged Relation and Obligation to God and the erecting or using of it was not for their Dedication to God as by an Act of solemn Worship The using of the Cross in Banners and Coyns c. is no Act of Religious Worship but a professing-sign or signal Action to testifie to the World that they who use it do believe in Christ crucified And surely it is not unlawful to profess by other signs as well as by words that we are Christians But the sign of the Cross in Baptism is a solemn and stated Symbol of a Divine Mystery Its usage therein is not a meer circumstance but a very important Act of Divine Worship It is a compleat Institution of it self added to the Ordinance of Christ appearing to be of the same nature and end It is evidently used as a rite of solemn Dedication to God upon the terms of the Covenant of Grace and in this regard it is plainly Sacramental and it seems a Dedication added by way of supplement to the Baptismal Dedication and in that regard derogatory from the sufficiency of Baptism to that end It is also performed by a Minister of Christ acting as his Minister towards one of his Flock Moreover it is a rite not of private arbitrary use but of publick institution and it is made a matter not of occasional temporary Observance but a perpetual Ordinance of Worship of the same reason with those Ordinances which God hath instituted to be universally and perpetually observed by his Church Sacred rites of this nature more than those which God hath instituted are not of that rank of things which are necessary in genere and need to be determined in specie and being not necessary they may be matter of scruple to those who think that unnecessary rites of Worship should not be ordained or statedly used in conjunction with the Holy Sacrament That God hath reserved some things in Religion to his own appointment and left other things therein to humane Determination is not to be questioned But to discern exactly and throughly between the one and the other sort I want a sufficient clearness of Judgment That the sign of the Cross in Baptism as now used is to me a puzling difficulty I am not ashamed to confess tho it may be thought a weakness in me If the sign of the Cross were lawful I am not satisfied to declare an assent and consent to the imposing of it as a bar against the Baptism of the Children of those Parents who judg it unlawful and a sin in them to permit the signing of their Children therewith To this it may be answered That it is not the injoyning but the using of this ceremony that is consented to But here also I inquire Whether I may lawfully declare an unfeigned consent to the use of this Rubrick if I dissent from the injunction of the things thereby injoyned The use of this Rubrick doth include such an Obligation upon the Minister as hinders his Baptizing of the Children of such Parents as are before described Further I inquire Whether I may declare my unfeigned consent to the use of this ceremony if I be perswaded that it is not in it self unlawful yet wish in my heart that the use thereof were not retained in regard it is necessary and an occasion of stumbling to many I may submit to the use of a thing not simply evil when I may not declare a hearty consent to it The saving Regeneration of all baptized Infants and their undoubted Salvation if they dye before actual sin being asserted in the Liturgy is to be considered In the prayer after the Child is Bapt zed are these words We yield thee hearty thanks most merciful Father that it hath pleased thee to regenerate this Infant with thy Holy Spirit c. At the end of publick Baptism there is this Rubrick It is certain by Gods word that Children which are baptized dying before actual sin are undoubtedly saved Admitting that the injoyned Declaration doth not respect this Rubrick as being not a matter of practice but a doctrinal assertion Nevertheless the form of thanksgiving for all baptized Children aforcited is unquestionably contained under it and I am ingaged to examine the truth and lawfulness thereof The extent of the efficacy of Baptism is a point much controverted by Protestant Divines among themselves and the state of Infants seems not to be so fully and clearly express'd in Scripture as the state of adult persons and I acknowledg my self unable to dertermine thereof in the manner here required The Question is not Whether there be any saving-benefit to Infants by Baptism But whether every Infant admitted thereunto be regenerated by the Holy Spirit and received of God for his own Child by Adoption c. That an Infant be a partaker of these saving-benefits besides his being baptized this condition is requisite that he be duly qualified for Baptism and have right thereunto in the sight of God Be it granted that the Sacrament hath its effect where the receiver doth not set a bar against it yet it must be supposed that the receiver is one who hath right to Baptism in the fight of God and to whom the promise of Salvation doth belong But I do not find that the promise of Salvation belongs to Children whose Parents Proparents or proprietors are impious or infidels under the Mask of the Christian profession or that such have right before God to Baptism whatsoever right they may have before the Church while the impiety or infidelity of the Parents c. is not discovered It is not enough to say that the Infants title to Baptism is founded in Christ Institution of the Sacrament For as there must be an Institution of the Sacrament so there must be a due qualification of the subject that receives it The Infants of Jews or Mahomitans or Pagans do not actually set a bar against the efficacy of the Sacrament yet it cannot be said of such Infants in case they were baptized that they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit The Parents infidelity doth put a bar to the efficacy of the Sacrament towards his Infant and this bar
is established in the external form sincere worshippers are liable to be persecuted by formal worshippers as in those times of the Jewish Church wherein the true prophets were slain for their testimony by a wicked prevailing power Matt. 23.37 Gal. 4.29 Lâ—t this be improved that upon this account trouble in the world may be the less grievous Set a due value upon peace in Christ and you will set less by trouble in the world Indeed if you live in the enjoyment of that peace you will quietly bear the worlds trouble The soul that is lodged in Christs peace is in a strong hold or incompassed with a strong guard and kept safe and sute against all assaults Phil. 4.7 Secure your selves in this peace by considering what it is It is a peace that passeth all understanding that is the worth of it is incomprehensible for the benefits whence it flows pass all understanding There is included in it pardon of sin deliverance from the wrath to come the favour and friendship of God and fellowship with him and an unchangeable good estate a Kingdom that cannot be shaken and everlasting consolation This is enough to quiet the mind and stablish the heart as it is written 2 Thes 2.16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father who hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work You see what is included in Christs peace Oâ—â—rize it according to the worth of it and secure your selves in it as in a strong hold by delightful meditation Solace your selves in this peace as in a kind of Paradice For it is that Paradice which God lets his people into upon earth and it is some foretaste and pledg of the Celestial Paradice The Worlds trouble cannot drive you out of this strong hold out of this Garden of God but it is well consistent with it Paul sets forth this inward peace in outward trouble 2 Cor. 4 8. We are troubled on every side yet not distressed we are perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed The second head of consolation is that there remaineth a rest to the people of God Heb. 4.9 a perfect and everlasting rest This God will bring his suffering-people to in his righteousness and great faithfulness 2 Thes 1.6 7. It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you that are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven This Rest is in your Fathers House in the Heavenly Mansions in the Regions of perfect light and joy the habitation of Angels and blessed Spirits and the residence of the Divine Glory where sin and temptation cannot enter where all danger and fears all suffering and sorrow are shut out for ever Where there is no variableness nor shadow of turning in the Saints felicity because they are before the throne of God and see his face And they shall perfectly know love and enjoy God their Father and J sus their glorified Saviour and they shall dwell for ever at the Fountain of Life and Light and Joy Hallelujahs and triumphant praises shall be their constant employment with such other Services or Ministeries as are proper to the Heavenly state Let this be improved By the eye of Faith look to this everlasting Peace and Joy and set you hearts upon it and then you will be above the tribulation of this world Do this in imitation of your blessed Redeemer of whom it is said Heb. 12 2. that for the joy that was set before him he endured the Cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God For the joy that was set before him Look unto this future joy by a lively act of faith as it is the evidence of things not seen and as Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season because he had respect to the recompence of reward so let us do and consider with Paul how this light affliction that is but for a moment worketh out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 Wherefore stir up your faith in the promises of Christ that it may act in a lively manner A lively faith hath a reaching sight it can see into the third Heaven And the more you fix upon this object the clearer sight you will have of it A fixed meditation on the heavenly glory strengthens the eye of faith While we look at the things which are not seen 2 Cor. 4.18 The word imports As Shooters look at the mark with a fixed earnestness As we should look to this blessed and everlasting rest by the eve of faith so we should labour to ensure our right and tâ—tle to it to have such good evidence for it as will not fail and to have it as clear as it can be had This assurance will set our hearts at rest in all the shakings of this world and we shall thereby be quiet from the fear of evil and shall have patience in the greatest trials This will set us above the tormenting fear of death and free us from that bondage Being assured of that blessed state to come we may welcome death in its approaches And in case we be above the slavish fear of death what can we not bear For we know the time is but short and we are waiting for the end Then bodily sickness and pains will signifie to us our approaching blessedness then bloody persecutions and fiery trials do but call us up from earth to heaven then poverty and nakedness bonds and imprisonments banishments and all kinds of distresses and dangers tell us we are thereby hastening to our final state and the nearer it comes the more we may rejoice as knowing that we are the nearer to our salvation The third Head of Consolation follows viz. That the tribulation to which believers are liable is but in the world it is confined to this world and terminated in this life Should we think it hard to suffer in such a world as this In a world all the glory whereof is but as grass and the flower of the field and as a scene or shew that passeth away and all the state of it is at the best but vanity and vexation of spirit In a world which lies in wickedness which for the greater part of it is led by the wisdom that is earthly sensual and devillish which in respect of the malignity prevailing in it is as the suburbs of Hell and in which so many men are as Devils one to another In a world which God hath appointed for a purgatory to the best of men that are in it and to whom at the best it is but a state of trial to humble them and to prove them that they may be fitted for a better world In a world wherein the children of God are maligned and scorned wherein they of whom the world was not worthy were destitute afflicted and tormented and wherein the Prince of Life and Lord of Glory himself was crucified In a world where n hypocrites and false Christians reproach the Name of Christ by their unchristian conversation and open the mouthâ— of his professed enemies to blaspheme him and wherein sincere Christians through weakness of grace and strength of corruption and by yeilding to temptation too often grieve the Holy Spirit and dishonour the Name of God and lay a stumbling-block before others Should we think it hard usage to have a share of sufferings appointed us in such a world as this Let this be improved Consider we what is the true state of this vain and evil world that we may comfort our selves in that we do not receive our good things in it but undergo hardships and so have the lot of Lazarus and not of Dives to whom it was said Luke 16 25. Remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things and Lazarus evil things now he is comforted and thou art tormented Let it comfort us I say that God hath not given us our portion of good in such a wretched world but hath reserved it for us in a better and that here amidst our sorrows he hath given us the first fruits of happiness Let it be considered That if tribulation were not most expedient in this present world he that is infinitely powerful wise and good would not appoint it for his dear children If the present state of things and the condition of this world did not require it as best all things considered it would not be Therefore concerning this appointment look not to your own thoughts but consider as the heaven is high above the Earth so is Gods thoughts herein above your thoughts and his ways above your ways Isa 55.9 His understanding is infinite and his mercy hath no end and his faithfulness reacheth beyond our comprehension Be comforted that in this dark World you are in his hand who wishes better to you than you to your selves and who knows better how to dispose of you than your selves do Tho we are now in darkness He will bring us forth to the light and we shall behold his righteousness Mic. 7.9 We are under afflictive providences but in a dark and dismal World light of perfect joy is reserved for us in the regions of light