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and the Subitance of Things hoped for, to which thofe Heroes of Faith and Patience owe their glorious Character, Hebrews 11. We are kept by the Power of God, through Faith unto Salvation: Wherein ye greatly rejoice; though now for a Seafon ye are in Heaviness, through manifold Temptations: That the Trial of your Faith being much more precious than that of Gold that perifbeth, though tried with Fire, may be found unto Praife, and Honour, and Glory, at the Appearance of Jefus Chrift; whom having not feen, we love: In whom, though now we fee him not, yet believing, we rejoice with Joy unspeakable, and full of Glory, 1 Pet. 1. 5. Grief fays, "The dear Creature is gone!" Faith fays, "Gone before, not loft; and that the Meet

;

ing again is certain; will be comfortable "and in a little Time; and infeparable for "ever."

It is of great Ufe to confider the Examples of Patience under Afflictions that are to be metwith in facred and common History. Take, my Brethren, the Prophets, who have Spoken to you in the Name of the Lord, for an Example of fuffering Affliction, and of Patience, James 5. And the firft he mentions is Job; ver. 11. Ye have beard of the Patience of Job. One Part of hist Eftate was plundered by the Inroads of his Enemies; another Part was burnt up with Lightning from Heaven: His Children were cut off at once by a violent Tempest, seven Sons, and three Daughters: His own Health

H 3

was

Sect. XI. was turned into Sickness and Corruption; from the Crown of the Head to the Sole of the Foot, were Boils and Sores. He takes a Bit of broken Potfheard to scrape himself withal, his Fingers being too fore for that poor Office. And he fat down among the Ashes ; nor could he there be quiet: He is infulted by one of the foolish Women, and teized with uncharitable Cenfures, and falfe Reasoning of Friends, who endeavoured to wrangle him out of all that remained of Comfort to him; namely, the inward Consciousness of his own Integrity. How great were his Trials! How glorious his Patience!

When Aaron loft his two Sons, it is faid, Aaron held bis Peace. When Eli heard the Prediction of the Death and Ruin of his Family, he answered, It is the Lord, let him do what feemeth good unto him. And David fays, I was dumb, and opened not my Mouth; because thou didft it. Abraham's offering his Son, with that Refolution, was a great Thing; and God eftimated it according to his Intention. The Mother of the Maccabees, who facrificed her feven Sons, and stood by the Execution, that fhe might help them through their Martyrdom by her Counsel and Comfort, has fomething in it extraordinary heroic; fhe alfo following them herself in the fame glorious Path.

Among the primitive Chriftians there are many fuch Inftances of Suffering and Patience; a Contempt of this World, and Eagerness after

another,

another; that may well make us afhamed for our Feebleness under leffer Trials, with much greater Advantages.

But above all, let us keep in our Eye the Pattern of our Lord Jesus Christ. Confider him that endured fuch Contradiction of Sinners against himself, left ye be weary and faint in your Minds, Heb. 12. 3. Looking unto Jefus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith; the Fountain of all our Supplies, and the Pattern of our Behaviour.

It is great Wisdom not to have thefe Principles to lay in when they are to be employed; nor thefe Supports to get when they should be used. It is no wonder People are at a Lofs in a Time of Affliction, when they are Strangers to those Things wherein the best Confolation doth confift. There are no fuch Cordials as the Chriftian Religion affords: But they are nothing, if, like Cordials, they are only used when a fainting Fit comes. They must be daily made our Food, eftablished Principles, and fettled Habits; practised into a fecond Nature: Or elfe, we fhall be like Soldiers unexercifed before the Attack; or Travellers unprovided at the Moment of the Journey. People, in other Cafes, do not pretend to perform what they have not learned to do; to play upon an Inftrument they have never practifed; to perform an Exercise they never made themfelves Masters of: But Chriftianity they think may be acted ex tempore, and upon a fudden, without ever learning it. But we fee that will

not

not do, where no Habit of Submiffion is acquired beforehand. Where the Mind is not prepared by the frequent Actings of Refignation, Men are to feek how to ufe, and how to apply the Principles of Peace and Comfort, if they have them: And much more ftill at a Loss, if those Principles are to be got at the very Time they are to be used. They are not then capable of the Confolation arifing from Principles and Profpects they are utter Strangers to. They wonder what you mean. They call for the dear Creature that is gone: They grieve, and grieve on; they teize themselves; they offend God; they have no Confort under present Calamity; they draw more Calamity upon themfelves by the Excefs or Continuance of their Sorrow; and all for want of preparing a good Foundation against fuch a Time to come.

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SECT.

I

SECT. XII.

The CLOSE.

Would not have you to be ignorant, Brethren, concerning them who are afleep; that you forrow not, even as others who have no Hope: For if we believe that Jefus died, and rofe again; even fo them also who fleep in Jefus, will God bring with bim: The Dead in Chrift fhall rife first, 1 Theff. 4. 13, 14. Let them that have no Hope have no Bounds to their Sorrow; and be as Heathenifh in the Manner of it as they are in its Cause and Rise; namely, the Want of Hope. The Righteous bath Hope in bis Death; therefore we will not despair in our Sorrows. Other People, how many foever in Number, or great in Figure, are not to be followed in any Excefs. A Christian neither lives or dies, rejoices or forrows, as others do; according to his own Character, forrows not as do others.

The Caution against immoderate Sorrow, is grounded upon the prefent Condition of the godly Dead; They fleep in Jefus. And upon the future Meeting we fhall have; God will bring them along with him. And the Certainty of thefe Things; as certain as that Jefus died and rofe again. If we believe one, we must believe the other. For if you believe that Jefus died and rofe again, as furely you do; you must also be

lieve,

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