thank thee for thy deferved Correction, even in the midft of my Trouble? Or, if thou fpare the Rod, and make my Darkness to be Light, I will then thankfully receive the Bleffing, and magnify the Favour which I cannot deserve.

Chrift.] This is indeed, my Son, the Difpofition and Deportment befitting the Character of my Faithful Children. And all, who profefs to walk with me in Piety and Virtue, muft bring themselves to a Soul fo even, fo refign'd, that Suffering and Joy, Poverty or Riches, may be entertain'd alike. The One, without Murmuring or Complaint; the Other, without the least Pride or Change of Temper. For both are equalBy the Appointment of My Providence, and, as fuch, fhould be met with Chearfulness and perfect Content.

Difciple.] Lord, I am willing to endure whatever thou art pleased to lay upon me. I do defire to receive Good and Evil, the Sweet and Bitter, the Comforts and the Croffes of this Life, with the very fame Refentments of Mind. Nay, not only to receive, but to be thankful for both, fince both come from thy own Hand, which cannot err in ordaining all my Events. This only I implore, that, in all Changes of Condition, thou would'ft in thy Mercy preferve me from Sin: For, while I keep my Innocence, and continue in thy Love, not Calamity, nor Death, nor Hell it felf, fhall make me afraid. However thou may'st exercise my Patience, or frown upon me at prefent; yet fo long as thou doft not caft me off for ever, nor blot my Name out of thy Book of Life, I am above all Danger; and the utmoft Powers, and Malice of Fortune, and Enemies, and Devils combined together, can never hurt me.

Снар.

CHAP. XX.

Chrift our Pattern of Patience in Affliction.

Cbrift.]M Heaven for thy Salvation; I bore the Μ

Y Son, remember I came down from

Punishment due to Thee, and all the Miferies, to which Human Nature is expofed. I bore them, not by Conftraint, but Choice, and urged by no Neceffity, but that which powerful Love impofed upon me. And One great End, for which I condefcended to do fo, was to teach thee Patience by this Example; and, that my willing Sufferings might dispose thee to submit to the neceffary Incumbrances of thy present Condition, without Reluctance and Murmuring. Sorrow became familiar to me; My constant Attendant from the Manger to the Crofs; for every Hour produced fome fresh Inftance of it. My Circumftances were low, and I contented my self with the Want of even the Neceffaries of Life; my Innocence was flandered, and daily Complaints and Reproaches were founding in my Ears; Shame and Contempt I entertain'd without Return or angry Refentment; my good Deeds were repaid with Malice and Ingratitude, my Miracles blafphemed, and my Doctrine traduced and vilely misreprefented.

Difciple.] Yes, Lord, I read the Story of thy invincible Meeknefs with Wonder and Astonishment; and cannot but infer from thence, that, fince thou wert pleased to give fuch amazing Proofs of an entire Obedience to thy Heavenly Father's Will; I, who am a wretched Sinner, and not only fubject to these Miseries by the Condition of my Nature, but one, who have deserved them as Chaftifements for my Tranfgreffions, am much more obliged, with a moft perfect Submiffion, to receive whatever thy Providence thinks fit to inflict; and must by no means grumble at the

M 2

Weight,

Weight, or the Continuance of any Burthen thou fhalt lay upon me in the prefent World. If any Thing here feem heavy, yet it is rendred much eafier and more fupportable, by the Affiftance of thy Grace, by the Contemplation of thy Example, and by the many Patterns of Conftancy and Virtue, which thy now glorious Saints, but once afflicted Servants, who travelled the fame rugged Journey of Life, have in all Ages fet for my Imitation and Encouragement. I plainly fee, under this Gofpel-ftate, a mighty Support, which even thy own peculiar People wanted under the Old Law. For then the Way to Heaven was dark, and the Profpect at their Journey's End lefs glorious and inviting. Few then applied themfelves with Zeal to feek a Future and Spiritual Kingdom; nor could they do fo with equal Encouragement, till thy Meritorious Death had opened an Entrance into the High and Holy Place. But how contentedly, how thankfully, ought I to tread in thy Bleffed Steps, fuftained by the Affurance of Eternal Rewards, and directed in the right Way by the Light of thy Doctrine? For thou art the Way, the Truth, and the Life; Thy Afffictions have taught Me, and all Believers, that Tribulation is the Paffage to thy Heavenly Kingdom; and that the proper Method of attaining thy Crown, is being made a Partaker of thy Crofs. Had'ft thou not gone before us, who would have the Heart to follow? Who could perfevere in a Courfe of Sufferings? Nay, though thou haft thus fhewed us the Way, yet how loth, how backward are we to follow till? And, if neither thy Miracles, nor thy Precepts, thy wondrous Humiliation, nor thy glorious Exaltation, can warm us into greater Zeal and Refolution, than by lamentable Experience we daily fee and feel they do; How wretchedly flothful, alas! how cold, and motionlefs, fhould we have ftood; had not thy Grace and marvellous Condefcenfion vouchfafed to grant us the Advan

John xiv.

tage

tage of fo clear a Light, and the powerful Motive of fo bright an Example?

Of bearing Injuries; and how we may judge of

Christ.

true Patience.

Afflictions threaten to attack thee, call

Eafe thy Complaints, my Son, and, when

to remembrance what I endured for thy Sake: Nay, not what I endured for thine only, but what so many brave and generous Saints have fince courageoufly endured for mine. Alas! thy Tryals yet are fmall, nor haft thou refifted unto Blood, as I and They have done. Their Difficulties were greater, their Temptations fharper, their Sorrows more piercing, their Exercifes more fevere; and yet in all these they were more than Conquerors. It will therefore be of great Service to the confirming thy Hope and Patience, if thou diligently compare thy very light, with their much heavier Burthen; and reproach thy felf for finking under a Weight, which they wou'd fcarce have felt. But, if thy own Load feem fo unfupportable, and thou canst hardly be brought to think the Cafe of others fo much more deplorable; confider, whether this falfe Eftimate do not proceed from partial Affection, Tenderness to thy felf and a fretful Impatience, rather than from the true Nature and Reafon of the Thing. For Thefe corrupt Men's Judgments, and make them fee their own and other Peoples Circunftances with very different Eyes. But be thy Ideas true or miftaken, yet ftill the greater and the lefs Calamities call equally for Submiffion and Conftancy. And it is not the Degree or Meafure, but the Author and the Confequence

of fuffering, which is the proper Motive to Patience.

Now the better thou art compofed under any Trouble, the more commendable is thy Wisdom, and the larger will be thy Recompence. Nay, not only fo, but the eafier will be thy Lot too. For Confideration will reconcile thee to it, and Time and Experience make the Thing familiar. Nor matters it much, who are the immediate Inftruments, or from what next Hand thy Afflictions come. For thofe are very Idle Pretences, which Men ufually labour to cover their want of Temper withal: "Had this been done by an Ene“ my or a Stranger, I could have born it; but from "a Friend, a Relation, one whom I have highly "obliged, and have a Right to expect better Ufage "from, what Flesh can brook fuch Bafenefs and In"gratitude? Had I given any juft Occafion for that

difparaging Report, it would never have vex'd me; "but to be flander'd and abused, without any ground, "without the leaft Fault or Provocation of Mine, " methinks 'tis very hard: The Thing it felf I could away with; but the Perfon or the particular Cir"cumstances, put me out of all Patience". Alas! thefe are nice and frivolous Diftin&tions; fuch as are altogether foreign and impertinent to the Matter in Hand; and what the Virtue of Patience is no way concern'd in. For this takes Injuries and Affronts by the great, without entering into any particular Examination of their Nature and Quality, and peculiar Aggravations; nor does it at all regard the Person by whom it is exercised; but confiders that Perfon only by whom it is to be crowned.

No Man hath yet arrived to a due Perfection in this Grace, who is not content with any kind of Tryal, from any Hand whatsoever. The Differences of Friend or Foe, of Superior, Inferior, or Equal; of a goodnatur'd and confcientious, or a wicked, perverfe, vexatious Man, are of no confideration at all. But, let

the