SECT. XII.

Obj. These are remove Comforts; but my House is on fire, I am undone.

Sol. Undone in outward appearance to the Eye of the World, but safe in inward appearance to the eye of God, for the World to Come.

I have said all I can, I have no better. If you like this Counsel, take it; if not, let it alone; but let me not cast Pearls before Swine.

I offer Peace, if you take it, well; if not, it returns to me again. Liberavi animam meam; I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you: I have saved my own Soul, your blood be upon your own Heads. I have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; I have mourned unto you, and ye have not wept: Your destruction is from your selves, but in God is your help, if you will take it. Do what you will; I and my House will serve the Lord. Go away with such of your Comforts as you can yet, make the best of them you can, but behold I shew unto you a Page  49more excellent way. You shall perish with all your Pro∣visions; but we that trust in God, shall be as Mount Sion, which shall never be removed. We may fear as well as you in this Life, or we may suffer as well as you, or if ye be saved here, we can but suffer; but we have a better hope than you, your Gold and Silver shall cancker, and your Garments rot with the Moth.

We are Men as well as you; we have some wit in our Passions as well as you, some courage too as well as you; and are not idle neither to look out for help, as well as you, and are resolved to try and lawful means, as well as you; but we will not trust in them, as you do, we hope we trust in better means than the World hath to trust un∣to: We have Meat and Drink which you know not of; the carnal man understandeth not the things of God, nei∣ther can he, because they are spiritually discerned. When ye have done all you can, without God, you must come to a Recantation at last. The Righteous man shall stand in great boldness,* before the face of such as have afflicted him, and made no account of his Labours. When they see it, they shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed at the strangeness of his Salvation, so far be∣yond all that they looked for; and they repenting and groaning for anguish of Spirit, shall say within themselves, This was he whom we had sometimes in derision, and a Proverb of Reproach: We Fools counted his Life mad∣ness and his End to be without Honour. How is he num∣bred among the Children of God, and his Lot is among the Saints! Therefore have we erred from the way of Truth, and the Light of Righteousness hath not shined unto us, and the Sun of Righteousness rose not upon us. We wearied our selves in the way of Wickedness and de∣struction, yea we have gone through Deserts, where Page  50there lay no way; but as for the Way of the Lord, we have not known it. What hath Pride profited us? Or what good hath Riches with our vaunting brought us? All those things are passed away like a Shadow, and as a Post that hasted by; and as a Ship that passeth over the Waves of the Water, which when it is gone by, the trace thereof cannot be found, neither the Path-way of the Keel in the Waves; or as when a Bird hath flown through the Air, there is no token of her way to be found; or like as when an Arrow is shot at a Mark, it parteth the Air, which immediately cometh together again, so that a man cannot know where it went through. Even so we in like manner, as soon as we were born began to draw to our End, and had no sign of Virtue to shew, but were consu∣med in our Wickedness. For the hope of the ungodly is like Dust which is blown away with the Wind, like a thin Froth, that is driven away with the Storm; like as the Smoak which is dispersed here and there with a Tempest, and passeth away like the Remembrance of a Guest, that tarrieth but a Day. But the Righteous live for evermore, their Reward also is with the Lord, and the Care of them is with the Most High. Therefore shall they receive a Glorious Kingdom, and a Beautiful Crown from the Lords Hand, for with his Right hand shall he cover them, and with his Arm shall he protect them.

Obj. All these are vain Hopes, there is no certainty in them.

Sol. So the Heathens derided the Christians, for rely∣ing on a Crucified God, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a Staked Sophi∣ster. So did the Jews deride Christ himself, He saved others, he cannot save himself: If thou be the Christ come down from the Cross, and we will believe. He trusted in God, let him deliver him if he will have him. So did the Devil, If thou be the Son of God, cast thy self down headlong: Command these Stones to be made Bread, &c. But for all this, Christians glory in nothing so much as in Page  51the Cross of Christ. This is Spes sola Christianorum: The only Hope of Christians, even the Hope of the Resur∣rection; that being crucified with Christ, we shall be glo∣rified with him;* for it behoveth us to suffer and be made conformable with Christ, Crucifixa Membra, sub Cruci∣fixo Capite; Crucified Members correspond with a Cruci∣fied Head. Delicate Membra non decent sub Crucifixo Capite, But Delicate Members no way agree with a Head crowned with Thorns: Ridemur Debacchamur. We are counted Fools for Christs sake; but being reviled, we bless, being persecuted, we suffer it, being defamed, we intreat; we are made as the Filth of the World, and are as the off-scouring of all things, a Spectacle of Angels and Men. Our Faith and Patience in all the Persecutions and Tribulations that we endure, are a manifest token of the Righteous Judgment of God, that we may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which we suffer; seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompence tri∣bulation to them that trouble you, and to you that are troubled, Rest. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels, in flaming Fire ta∣king Vengeance of them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; where shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the Glory of his Power; when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints, and to be admired in all them that believe on that Day. God will render to every man according to his Deeds, Tribulation and An∣guish upon every Soul of Man that doth evil; of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile: But glory, honour, and peace to every man that doth good, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; for there is no respect of persons with God. This is an Account of the Hope that is in us.

Obj. These are but words, and words are but wind.

Sol. Such words as will prove deeds at last; whither you think so, or no, you will be convinced of them when you see them.

Obj. Let us alone till that day, for we shall never see it.

Sol. What if you do live to see that day of deliverance? And what if you do not live to see it? It may be because you have not deserved to see it, because you will not be∣lieve it.

Obj. Shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us, to come to our help.

Sol. He that hath seen Christ, hath seen the Father.

Obj. All things turn about as from the beginning. We are born at all adventure, and we shall be hereafter, as if we had never been; our Body shall be turned into Ashes, and our Spirit shall vanish as the soft Air. Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we dye. Our time is a very Sha∣dow that passeth away; and after our End, there is no returning; for it is fast sealed, so that no man cometh a∣gain. Come on then, let us enjoy the good things that are present, for it is our portion and our Lot, &c.

Sol. Be not deceived, God is not mocked; Evil Com∣munications corrupt good Manners. Awake to Righte∣ousness and sin not, for some have not the Knowledge of God; I speak this to your shame. Such as perfect A∣theists, let them alone. More Evidences and Demonstra∣tions of Gods Providences here, and his Rewards hereaf∣ter, cannot be given, than have been given: And therefore they that will not believe upon such grounds and foun∣dations as are laid in Reason and Religion from the Scrip∣tures and Experiences of Faithful Men, will never be∣lieve.

As for us that do believe, if we be deceived, as we are not, God hath deceived us, as he hath not, nor cannot.

Therefore we hope we have taken the surest and safest side for God, in the ways of Righteousness. Because if we be delivered, it is his Mercy; if we be not delivered, it is his Justice, yet▪ we dye in a good Cause, and it is better to suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. We dye in a good Cause, we dare venture, our Faith is such, For us Page  53to live is Christ, and to dye is gain, but whether we live or dye, we are the Lords.

The Jews have a great Faith in their Messiah to come, and they dye in it.

The Turks have a great Faith for their Mahomets com∣ing, and they dye in it.

The Millenaries have a great Faith for Christs Tempo∣ral Kingdom, will the Saints alone for a Thousand years, and they dye in it.

If these men have such hope upon such slender Grounds, shall not we much more, upon a surer word of Prophecy, that hath hitherto come to pass, and hath been fulfilled in every tittle? This is our Comfort, we will not let go our hold, though Satan hath sifted us, as the Wheat is sifted; yet Christ hath prayed for us, that our Faith shall not fail, nor the Gates of Hell prevail against it; and we will live and dye in this Faith, by the Grace of God.

Obj. The Prophet is a Fool, and the Spiritual man is Mad, much Confidence as well as Learning hath made him Mad. What will this Babler say? He seemeth to be a setter-forth of strange things, and he speaketh of a Re∣surrection.

Sol. We preach Christ Crucified, to the Jews a stum∣bling Block, and to the Greeks Foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God: Because the Foolishness of God is wiser than Men, and the weakness of God, is stronger than Men; God hath chosen the Fool∣ish things of the World, to confound the things which are mighty, and base things of the World, and things which are despised, God hath chosen; yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things which are; that no flesh should glory in his Presence. I am not ashamed of the Gos∣pel of Christ, for it is the Power of God unto Salvation, to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Ob. Every Tub shall stand upon its own bottom.

Sol. Provided it have a good Foundation, not else.

Ob. I must answer for my self, take you no care.

Sol. Keep there, but reject not a charitable care, and see that your Cause be good.