prepared the fame glory for you, that he prepared for them = O that fuch confiderations might provoke you to fhew as muchcourage and love to Chrift, as any of them ever did. Rule 7. If ever you will get above the power of your own fears in a fuffering day make hafte to clear your intereft in Ghrist, and your pardon in his blood before that evil day come. The clearer this is, the bolder you will be; an affured Chriftian was never known to be a coward in fufferings: it is impofsible to be clear of fears, till you are cleared of the doubts about intereft in, and pardon by Chrift. Nothing is found more Strengthning to our fears, than that which clouds our evidences; and nothing more to quiet and cure our fears, than that which clears our evidences. The fhedding abroad of God's love in our hearts, will quickly fill them with a spirit of glorying in tribulations, Rom. v. 5. When the believing Hebrews once came to know in themselves that they had an enduring fubftance in heaven, they quickly found in themfelves an unconcerned heart for the lofs of their comforts on earth, Heb. x. 34. and fo should. We too. For, 1. Affurance fatisfies a man that his treasure and true happiness is fecured to him, and laid out of the reach of all his enemies; and fo long as that is fafe he hath all the reafon in the world to be quiet, and chearful, "I know (faith Paul) whom I have be"lieved, and am perfuaded that he is able to keep that which I "have committed to him against that day," 2 Tim. i. 12. And he gives this as his reafon why he was not ashamed of Christ's fufferings. 2. The affured Chriftian knows that if death itself come, (which is the worst men can inflict) he shall be no lofer by the exchange; nay he shall make the best bargain that ever he made fince he first parted with all his afflictions, to follow Christ. There are two rich bargains a Chriftian makes; one is, when he exchanges the world for Chrift in his first choice at his converfion, in point of love and eftimation: the other is, when he actually parts with the world for Chrift at his diffolution; both these are rich bargains, and upon this ground it was the a poftle faid, "To me to live is Chrift and to die is gain," Phil, i, 21. The death of a believer in Chrift, is gain unfpeakable, but if a man would make the utmost gain by dying, he fhall find it in dying for Chrift, as well as in Chrift: and to fhew you wherein the gain of fuch a death lies, let a few particulars be weighed, wherein the gain will be cast up in both; he that is affured he dies in Chrift, knows, I. That his living time is his labouring time, but his dying time is his harvest time, whilft we live we are plowing and fowing in all the duties of religion, but when we die, then we reap the fruit and comfort of all our labours and duties, Gal. vi.. 9. As much therefore as the reaping time is better than the fowing and plowing, time, fo much better is the death than the life of a believer. 2. A believer's living time is his fighting time, but his dying, time is his conquering and triumphing time, 1 Cor. xv. 55, 56. The conflict is fharp, but the triumph is fweet; and as much as victory and triumph are better than fighting, fo much is death: better than life to him that dieth in Jefus. 3. A believer's living time is his tiresome and weary time, but his dying time is his refting and fleeping time. Ifal Ivii. 2. Here we fpend and faint, there we reft in our beds, and as much as refreshing reft in fleep is better than tiring and fainting, so much is a believer's death better than his life. 4. A believer's living time is his waiting and longing time, but his time of dying is the time of enjoying what he hath long wifhed and waited for, Phil. i. 23. here we groan and figh for Christ, there we behold and enjoy Christ, and so much as vifion and fruition are better and fweeter than hoping and waiting for it ; fo much is a believer's death better than his life. 2. As the advantage a believer makes of death is great to him by dying only in Chrift; fo it is much greater, and the richest improvement that can be made of Death to die for Christ, as well as in Chrift: for compare them in a few particulars and you you fhall find, 1. That though a natural death hath lefs horror, yet a vio lent death for Christ hath more honour in it. To him that dies united with Chrift, the grave is a bed of reft; but to him that dies as a martyr for Chrift, the grave is a bed of honour. "To you (faith the apoftle) it is given in the behalf of Christ, not " only to believe, but also to fuffer for his fake," Phil. i. 29. To you it is granted as a great honour and favour to fuffer for Chrift; all that live in Chrift have not the honour to lay down their lives for Chrift. It was the great trouble of Ludovicus Marfacus, a knight of France, to be exempted because of his dignity, from wearing his chain for Chrift, as the other prisoners did; and he refented it, as a great injury, "Give me (faith he ་་ "to his keeper) my chain as well as they, and create me a knight of that noble order." Cur me non quoque torque donas, et illuftris illius ordinis militem non creas? 2. By a natural death we only fubmit ourselves to the una voidable confequence of fin, but in dying a violent death for Chrift, we give our teftimony against the evil of fin, and for the precious truths of Jefus Chrift. The first is the payment of a debt of juftice due by the fall of Adam; the fecond is the payment of a debt of thankfulness and obedience due to Chrift, who redeemed us with his own blood. Thus we become witnesses for God, as well as fufferers upon the account of fin: in the firft, fin witneffeth against us, in this we witness against it; and indeed it is a great teftimony against the evil of fin: we declare to all the world that there is not fo much evil in a dungeon, in a bloody ax, or confuming flames, as there is in fin: that it is far better to lofe our carnal friends, eftates, liberties, and lives, than part with Chrift's truths and a good conscience, as *** Zuinglius faid, "What fort of death fhould not a Chriftian "chufe, what punishment fhould he not rather undergo; yea, "into what vault of hell fhould he not rather chufe to be caft, "than to witness against truth and conscience." 3. A natural death in Chrift may be as fafe to ourselves, but a violent death for Chrift, will be more beneficial to others; by the former we fhall come to heaven ourselves, but by the latter we may bring many fouls thither. The blood of the martyrs is truly called the feed of the church. Many waxed confident by Paul's bonds, his fufferings fell out to the futherance of the gospel, and fo may ours in this cafe a Christian, like Samplon, doth greater fervice against Satan and his cause, by his death, than by his life. If we only die a natural death in our beds, we die in possesfion of the truths of Chrift ourfelves: but if we die martyrs for Christ, we fecure that precious inheritance to the generations to come, and those that are yet unborn fhall bless God, not only for his truths, but for our courage, zeal, and conftancy, by which it was preferved for them, and tranfmitted to them. By all this you fee that death to a believer is great gain, it is great gain if he only die in Chrift, it is all that, and a great deal more added, if he alfo die for Chrift: and he that is affured of fuch advantages by death either way, muft needs feel his fears of death fhrink away before fuch affurances; yea, he will rather have life in patience, and death in defire; he will not only fubmit quietly, but rejoice exceedingly to be used by God Quas non oportet mortes praçeligere, quod non fupplicium potius ferre, imo in quam profundam inferni abyssum non intrare, quam contra confcientiam atteftari? in fuch honourable enjoyment*. Affurance will call a bloody death a fafe paffage to Canaan through the red fea. It will call Satan that inftigates these his inftruments, and all that are employed in fuch bloody work by him, so many Balaams brought to curfe, but they do indeed blefs the people of God, and not curse them. The assured Christian looks upon his death as his wedding-day, Rev. xix. 7. And therefore it doth not much differ, whether the horse fent to fetch him to Christ be pale or red, fo he may be with Chrift, his love, as Ignatius called him. He looks upon death as his day of enlargement out of prifon, 2 Cor v. 8. and it is not much odds what hand opens the door, or whether a friend or enemy close his eyes, so he have his liberty, and may be with Chrift. O then give the Lord no reft, till your hearts be at rest by the affurance of his love, and the pardon of your fins; when you can boldly say, the Lord is your help, you will quickly fay what immediately follows, I will not fear what man can do unto me, Heb. xiii. 6. And why, if thy heart be upright, mayst thou not attain it? Full affurance is poffible, elfe it had not been put into the command, 2 Pet. i. 10. The fealing graces are in you, the fealing Spirit is ready to do it for you, the fealing promises belong to you; but we give not all diligence, and therefore go without the comfort of it. Would we pray more, and ftrive more, would we keep our hearts with a stricter watch,. mortify fin more thoroughly, and walk before God more accurately; how foon may we attain this bleffed affurance, and in it an excellent cure for our diftracting and flavifh fears. Rule 8. Let him that defigns to free himself of diftracting fears, be careful to maintain the purity of his confcience, and integrity of his ways, in the whole courfe of his converfation in this world. Uprightnefs will give us boldnefs, and purity will yield us peace. Ifa. xxxii. 17. "The work of righteoufuefs fhall be peace, and the effect of righteoufnefs, quietnefs and affurance for ever." Look as fear follows guilt and guile, fo peace and quietnefs follow righteoufnefs and fincerity, Prov. xxviii. 1. The wicked flee when no man purjueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion. His confidence is great, becaule his confcience is quiet, the peace of God guards his heart and mind. There are three remarkable fteps by which Christians rife to the height of courage in tribulations, Rom. v. 1, 2, 3, 4. First they are juftified and acquitted from guilt by faith, ver. 1. Then they * They are rather delights to us than torments. Bafil. are brought into a state of favour and acceptation with God, ver. 2. Thence they rife one step higher, even to a view of heaven, and the glory to come, ver. 3. and from thence they take an easy step to glorying in tribulations, ver. 4. I fay, it is an easy step; for let a man once obtain the pardon of fin, the favour of God, and a believing view and profpect of the glory to come; and it is fo eafy to triumph ia tribulation, in such a station as that is, that it will be found as hard to hinder it, as to hinder a man from laughing when he is tickled. Chriftians have always found it a fpring of courage and comfort, 2 Cor. i. 12. "For our rejoicing is this, the teftimony of "our confcience, that in fimplicity, and godly fincerity, not "with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had 66 our converfation in the world." Their hearts did not reproach them with by-ends in religion; their confciences witnessed that they made not religion a cloak to cover any fleshly design, but were fincere in what they profeffed; and this enabled them to rejoice in the midst of fufferings. An earthen veffel fet empty on the fire will crack and fly in pieces, and fo will an hypocritical, formal, and mere nominal Chriftian; but he that hath fuch fubftantial and real principles of courage as thefe within him, will endure the trial, and be never the worfe for the fire. The very Heathens discovered the advantage of moral integrity, and the peace it yielded to their natural confciences in times of trouble. Nil confcire tibi, nulla pallefcere culpa. It was to them as a wall of brafs. Much more will godly fimplicity, and the fprinkling of the blood of Christ upon our coníciences, fecure and encourage our hearts. This atheistical age laughs confcience and purity to fcorn; but let them laugh, this is it which will make thee laugh when they fhall cry. Paul exercifed himself, or made it his business, "To have always a con"fcience void of offence, both towards God, and towards man,” Acts xxiv. 16. †. And it was richly worth his labour, it re *Nil confcire, &c. Englished thus, Be this thy brazen bulwark of defence, t'Aoxa meditor, operam do, |