the deepest dungeon, and fuch a life as is safe even in death itself; that life that is bid with Chrift in God, Col. iii. 3.

But if in other fufferings, even the worst and faddeft, the believer be still a happy man, then more efpecially in those that are the beft kind, fuffering for righteoufnefs: Not only do they not detract from his happiness; but,

2dly, They concur and give acceffion to it; he is happy even so by fuffering; as will appear from the following confiderations,

1. It is the happiness of a Chriftian, until he attain perfection, to be advancing towards it; to be daily refining from fin, and growing richer and ftronger in the graces that make up a Christian, a new creature; to attain a higher degree of patience, and meekness, and humility, to have the heart more weaned from the earth and fixed on heaven now, as other afflictions of the faints do help them in those their fufferings for righteousness, the unrighteous and injurious dealings of the world with them have a particular fitness for this purpose. Those trials that come immediately from God's own hand, feem to bind to a patient and humble compliance, with more authority, and, (I may fay), neceffity: There is no plea, no place for fo much as a word, unlefs it be directly and exprefsly against the Lord's own dealing; but unjust fuffering at the hands of men, requires fome uncommon degrees of refpect unto God, without whose hand they cannot move; fo that for his fake, and for reverence and love to him, a Christian can go through thofe with that mild evenness of fpirit, that overcomes even in fuffering.

And there is nothing outward more fit to perfuade a man to give up with the world and its friendship, than to feel much of its enmity and malice; and that directly venting itself against religion, making that the very quarrel, which is of all things dearest to a Chriftian, and in highest efteem with him.

If the world fhould carefs them, and fmile on them, they might be ready to forget their home; or at least to abate in the frequent thoughts and fervent defires of it, and to turn into fome familiarity with the world, and favourable thoughts of it, fo as to let out fomewhat of their hearts after it; and thus grace would grow faint by the diverfion and calling forth of the fpirits; as in fummer, in the hottest and faireft weather, it is with the body.

It is a confirmed obfervation, by the experience of all ages, that when the Church flourished most in outward peace and wealth, it abated most of its fpiritual luftre *, which is its genuine and true beauty; and, when it seemed moft miferable by perfecutions and sufferings, it was moft happy, in fincerity, and zeal, and vigour of grace. When the moon fhines brightest towards the earth, it is dark heaven-wards; and, on the contrary, when it appears not, is nearest the fun, and clear towards heaven.

2. Perfecuted Chriftians are happy in acting and evidencing, by thofe fufferings for God, their love to him. Love delights in difficulties, and grows in them: The more a Chriftian fuffers for Chrift, the more he loves him, and accounts him the dearer; and the more he loves him, ftill the more can he fuffer for him.

3. They are happy, as in teftifying love to Chrift and glorifying him, fo in conformity with him, which is love's ambition. It affects likeness and harmony at any rate. A believer would readily take it as an affront, that the world fhould be kind to him, that was fo harsh and cruel to his beloved Lord and Mafter. Canft thou expect, or would'st thou wifh, fmooth language from that world that reviled thy Jefus, that called him Beelzebub? Could't thou own and accept friendship at its hands, that buffeted him, and shed his blood? Or, art thou rather most willing to fhare with him, and of St Paul's mind,

* Opibus major, virtutibus minor.

who

who executed his embaffy in chains *, Eph. vi. 20.; and yet could boldly fay, Gal. vi. 14. God forbid that I bould glory in any thing fave in the cross of Christ, whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

4. Suffering Chriftians are happy in the rich fupplies of spiritual comfort and joy, that in thofe times of fuffering are ufual; fo that as their fufferings for Chrift do abound, their confolations in him abound much more, as the Apostle teftifies, 2 Cor. i. 5. God is speaking moft peace to the foul when the world speaks moft war and enmity against it; and this compenfes abundantly. When the Chriftian lays the greatest fufferings men can inflict in the one balance, and the leaft glances of God's countenance in the other, he fays, it is worth all the enduring of these to enjoy this; fays with David, Pfal. cix. 28. Let them curfe, but bless thou; let them frown, but fmile thou. And thus God ufually doth; refreshes fuch as are prisoners for him with vifits, that they would buy again with the hardest restraint and debarring of nearest friends. The world cannot but misjudge the ftate of suffering Chriftians; it fees, as Bernard fpeaks, their croffes, but not their anointings †. Was not Stephen, think you, in a happy posture even in his enemies hands? Was he afraid of the fhowers of ftones coming about his ears, that faw the heavens opened, and Jefus ftanding on the Father's right hand? fo little was he then troubled with the ftoning him, that, as the text hath it, in the midst of them he fell asleep, Acts vii. 55.60.

5. If thofe fufferings be fo fmall, that they are weighed down even with prefent comforts, and fo the Chriftian be happy in them in that regard, how much more doth the weight of glory, 2 Cor. iv. 17. furpafs, that follows thefe fufferings? They are not worthy to come in comparison; they are as nothing VOL. II.

* Πρεσβεύω εν άλύσει.

C

Vident cruces noftras, unctiones non vident. St Bern.

to

to that glory that shall be revealed, in the Apostle's arithmetic. That, his expreffion, imports, [λoyCoμai], when I have caft up the fum of the sufferings of this present time, this inftant now, [To ], they amount to juft nothing in refpect of that glory, Rom. viii. 18. Now, thefe fufferings are happy, because they are the way to this happiness, and pledges of it, and (if any thing do) they raise the very degree of it; however, it is an exceeding excellent weight of glory; the Hebrew word that fignifies glory, fignifies weight, 733; yet the glories that are here are all too light, ro sλappey, except in the weight of cares and forrows that attend them, but that hath the weight of complete blessednefs; fpeak not of all the fufferings, nor of all the profperities of this poor life, nor of any thing in it, as worthy of a thought, when that glory is named ; yea, let not this life be called life, when we mention that other life, that our Lord, by his death, hath purchafed for us.

Be not afraid of their terror.] No time, nor place in the world, is fo favourable to religion, that it is not ftill needful to arm a Chriftian mind against the outward oppofitions and discouragements he shall meet with in his way to heaven. This is the Apostle's scope here; and he doth it, ift, By an affertion; 2dly, By an exhortation. The affertion, that, in fuffering for righteousness, they are happy. The exhortation, agreeable to the affertion, that they fear not, Why fhould they fear any thing that are affured of happiness, yea, that are the more happy by thofe very things that feem moft to be feared?

The words are in part borrowed from the Prophet Ifaiah, who relates them as the Lord's words to him, and other godly perfons with him in that time, countermanding in them that carnal diftruftful fear, that drove a profane king and people to feek help, rather any where than in God, who was their strength; fear not their fear, but fanctify the Lord, and let him be your fear, &c. Ifa. viii. 12, 13.

This the Apostle extends as an univerfal rule for Chriftians in the midst of their greatest troubles and dangers.

The things oppofed here are, a perplexing troubling fear of fufferings, as the foul's diftemper, and a fanctifying of God in the heart, as the fovereign cure of it, and the true principle of a healthful found conftitution of mind.

Natural fear, though not evil in itself, yet, in the natural man, is conftantly irregular and difordered in the actings of it, ftill miffing its due object, or measure, or both; either running in a wrong channel, or overrunning the banks. As there are no pure elements to be found here in this lower part of the world, but only in the philofopher's books, (they define them indeed as pure, but they find them no where), thus we may speak of our natural paffions as not finful in their nature, yet in us that are naturally finful, yea, full of fin, they cannot escape the mixture and allay of it.

Sin hath put the foul into fuch an univerfal diforder, that it neither loves nor hates what it ought, nor as it ought; hath neither right joy, nor forrow, nor hope, nor fear; a very fmall matter ftirs and troubles it; and, as waters that are ftirred, ragaxInts, fo the word fignifies, having dregs in the bottom, become muddy and impure; thus the foul, by carnal fear, is confused, and there is neither quiet nor clearnefs in it. A troubled fea, as it cannot reft, fo, in its reftlefnefs, it cafts up mire, as the Prophet speaks, Ifa. lvii. 20. Thus it is with the unrenewed heart of man, the leaft blafts that arife difturb it, and make it reftlefs, and its own impurity makes it caft up mire; yea, it is never right with him; either he is afleep in carnal confidence, or, being fhaken out of that, he is hurried and tumbled to and fro with carnarl fears; either in a lethargy, in a fever, or trembling ague: When troubles are at a diftance, he folds bis hands, and takes eafe as long as it may be; and

then,