fons good, and you may manage your Caufe well, and yer fuffer for all that, And therefore prepare for fufferings, T

Fourthly, And then liftly, If Righteoufnefie muff be perfecuted, Let thofe that profeffe righteoufnelle, take heed they give no other occafion of perfecution but their righteoufnelle, The world will perfecute you doe you what you can, be you never fo Righteous, you must meete with troubles; Therefores feeing you must meete with oppofition in the world,take heed you doe not fuffer as evill doers ; Let not your fufferings 6 POP fuch things as your Confciences thall tell you you have not done well in: O the people of God had need wilk Very exact! ly in the mid'ft of the world, for there is fomething they mult fuffer, Oh let them not add to their fufferings. I have of en thought this, That when fuch as are profellors of Religion live among men that are carnall and wicked, because they must keep conftarit unto the principles of Religion, and refolves to futfer for them, therefore they had need of all other things, walk the moft inoffenfively of any; And be willing to be the fervants of all men fo farre as they can with a good confcience, that thereby they may declare that when they doe any thing in way of oppofition unto thofe that they five among, it's s nothing but meerely Confcience puts them upon it, whereas to if men that profeffe Religion have a fower fubborne fpirit in ᎥᏝ things that they may yeeld too, then when they out of Cons fcience are put upon the ftanding out against thofe that they five withall and cannot yeeld, yet fuch as they live among will judge, that the reason why they doe not yeeld, it is not out of Confcience, but Itubbornneffe: And therefore that they may convince the world that when they doe ftand to any thing that is against them, that it is not out of ftubbornneffe, but meerely out of Confcience,and it conceres all the profeffors of Religion, in what ever they are able to yeeld to others, to be willing even to be fervants to them, and to be as plyable to them to do any good unto them; And thereby to Convince them, that if there be any thing wherein they doe not yeeld, it is because they Cannet, not because they will not.

But

men

But to come to that which is the maine.

Perfecuted for righteoufuefle.

You will fay, how can that be, is there any that will oppofe

for doing well? Surely there's fomewhat elfe in it. Swetomias reports of Tiber us, that having a mind to have a virgin to be strangled, fome come to him and tell him, That it is agamit the Law of the Romans that any virgin thould be fo ufed; upon that he gave order to have the virgin Defloured, and then the might be put to death; fo doe the men of the world ddoe with fuch as are righteous, and righteous caufes; It's true, they having fomerning in their Con ciences that tells then they muft not oppofe that that is righteous, therefore they will defloure it, and labour to pur mifs-apprehenfions up on it, that then they may oppofe it with the more freedome. But certainly men may perfecute Righteoufneffe that are and a not awar of it themselves: Many men that if they were ce tainly and fully Convinct that this is righteousnefle righteous Caule, they would not oppofe it, yet they may oppole Righteouineffe. There may be that colour put uron things whereby they may think themselves free, and yet God fees their hearts are against righteousnefle.

As firft, Certainly all men in the worl naturally have their hearts oppofite to Righteoufneffe,therefore where there is not a new nature there is an oppofition to Righteoufnelle: Now moft men are ftill naturall, therefore they do oppofe righte oufneffe; If we thould come into the vileit place that is, and you hare righteoufnette? why what do peak with every man, they would defie you: I believe there is not one in all this City from one end to the other, but if you aske then the QueftiDo you hate Righteoufneffe? they would abhorr yet this is a certaine truth, that all men naturally are enemies to Righteousnetle, therefore furely there are fone that are againff righteouineffe, that know nor of it themselves.

on

you

Secondly, Men of great parts that are able to understand things very farr, yet they may be orrofers of Righteoufnelle: Say many coore people, what? Scholls, Learned Men, rhey know whether it be good or no, and if they knew that it were

good,

good, they would never oppofe it: O you are much mistaken, for fome men may goe againt their very Con ciences: But alwayes men of the greatest parts do not underftand molt of the mind of Chrift; The Scribes and Pharifees were the most knowing men in the time of Chrift, and yet the greatelt oppofices to Jefus Chrift.

Yea, thirdly, Men very civilly Righteous, yet may oppofe Righteoufnefle; As now, the Scribes and Pharifees, they were civilly righteous; So it's faid concerning Pail, That he perfe cuted the Church, and was mad against them; what was this Paul when he was fuch a perfecutor he was no drunkard, he was no whore-mafter, he was no Blafphemer, according to the apprehenfion of the times then: But he faith of himselfe in the third of the Phil 6. 7. That concerning the Law he was blamelele. Paul before his Converfion walked in fuch a civill way,as no man could accufe him of any way of evill,he walkedblameleffe, and yet a mid perfecutor of Righteouineffe. And it's faid of Trajan which caufed the third of the ten primitive perfecutions, Trajan of all the Emperours he was one that was the most tivill, juft and righteous of any; And I remember thefe two or three things are faid of him,that when he was an Emperour he did behave himfelfe towards his Subjects, as if he had been a Subject, he would have had his Prince behave himfelfe towards him; that's the firft thing is faid of him Secondly, That being Emperour, when he gave the Sword into the hand of an Officer,he had this fpeech; when (faith he) that I doe Fuftice, ufe this Sword for me, if you fee that I doe Injuftice use it against me, (to his own Officer.)

And then a third thing is this, That when an Emperour was made, they did ufe to with the happineffe of Auguftus to him; the uprightneffe of Trajan; and yet this man a most deadly enemy to the Chriftians, and a moft abominable perfecutor, fuch a man as this, yet fo civill, morrally juft and honeft,

I but you will fay, he was of a hard nature, though he were fo civill, juft, &c.

Therefore I add in the Fourth place, that a man may be of a very sweet nature, and yet be a great perfecutor; Though of a

very loving fweet nature otherwife, yet when he comes to op

pofe righteoufnelle, he may be very fierce and furious; Delitia generio It's faid of Tius Vefpatian that he was the very delight of hu- bamani.

mane kind, and yet a very great enemy to the people of

God.

I but he was of another Religion, though he were of a sweet

nature.

Fifthly, But further then, A man or woman may be very devour in the profeffion of Religion, and yet a great perfecutor; and fontimes the greateft; Thofe that are very devout in their own way,if any go another way that they do not apprehend,they will perfecute them moft, and for that you have a Text in the 113 of Act's 50. Paul he preached, and was much oppofed,but by whom? How did the people come to oppofe Paull? · But the Jewves faith the text,ftirred up devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the City, and raifed perfecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their Coafts.

I but can you tell us any one example, that ever any godly man perfecured another?

Iconfeffe if you ask me the queftion whether ever you find any godly man, that had true godlinefle, to perfecute others that were godly,you put me to a great ftand; I had need fearch from Generation to the Revelation to find you an example; And I think I can tell you of one, that in one paffionate act did it, and that was king Afa, when the Prophet came to him and told him the mind of God, his heart was inraged against him, and struck him, and put him into prifon. I confefle I remember not any other example but him, & the Scripture speaks of hin to be a godly man: Therefore thisis more dangerous for thefe that do perfecute.

Secondly, It's more grievous to thofe that are perfecuted; because their perfecution is fuch as hath no former example Indeed when I come to the next verfe, I fhall shew you how it hath been the condition of the people of God to be perfecu ted, But I cannot few you that it ever was theit lot to be perfecuted by godly men; Therefore if ever we fall into an age wherein godly men fuffer by godly men, it is a time unparalel'd, Aaa a

that

that never was in the world before, that we read of: We never read in all the book of God that godly men tuffered in a conftant way, but only that perticular act; And therefore that perfecution is the foreft.

if you will fay, how may we difcover men, that they do oppofe righteoufnetfe, though they do not know it themfelves. First, Ile tell you that the Scripture is plaine that men may op pole righteouineffe, and godly men; and yet they may thinke that they do God good fervice. In 15 Job. 2. Chrift foretells concerning his Difciples, they muft make account to fuffer fuch things from men, that fhall think that they do God good fervice that kills them. But you will fay, how may it be discove

red?

I would discover it firft by this: When men fhall oppofe that that comes under the name of righteoufneffe, before they have examined it, and come to understand it, there is a kind of fhew of righteoufneffe in it, and affoon as ever there appears a fhew of it, before they have examin'd the thing, whether it be reall or no, they fly out upon it, and againft it: Truly here's a dangerous figne that the heart is against righteoufneffe: As I would inftance in this fimilitude; Suppofe a man fees the broid feale, and without any more adoe, before he hath examined whether it be it yea or no,he takes and ftamps it under his feet, will not this man be charged for fellony, if not treason? It may be he will day, I knew not what it was, I but it will be answered, you should have examined whether it was it or not And fo certainly when any thing comes under the name of righteousneffe, and hath a fhew of religion in it, it's true it may be it is not right, but how ever, ftay till you examine it: for the thing that a man oppofes, that hath but a pretence of righteousneffe in it,a man had need be very fure that it is but a pretence and that it is not righteoufneffe, a man muft take heed when he is to do a thing that he knowes wha he doth,if I were to doe an action, if it had any kind of doubtfullnetfe in it, I am bound in confcience to examine ftrictly before I do it; But if I come to make another man fuffer for not doing fuch a thing, or for doing it, I had need be very fure then indeed. Obferve this rule