Reason 4. If we regard ourselves, we have always in ourselves good and bad. That which is good, we have need of sufi'erings to exercise it and to know it ; for if there were no sufferings, how should we know what good we have ?
(1.) Is it not a great comfort to a Christian, when he knows by suffering that he hath more patience than he looked for, that he hath more faith than
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he thonglit no had, that he hath more love to God, that ho can endure to suffer more for God than over ho thought he could, that ho hath more re- signing of his heart and giving up of liimself than ho thought of, that he can deny the world, which ho thought he could not have done ? What a com- fort is it to a Christian when ho knows by suffering what ho can do and what ho cannot do. It is good, therefore, and necessaiy in regard of our- selves, that wc may know our strength.
(2.) In regard, likewise, of the evil that is in us, suffer we must. For there must be a daily purging ; and the best instruments to scour us are wicked men, the devil's instruments. It is unlit for God's children to take that base office on them, for one Christian to fall upon another. It is good there should bo an opposite faction in the world, that there should be wicked men, in regard of the ill that is in us. There is somewhat to be scoured and purged out. So we see, whether we look upward or dowTaward, to God, or to the devil, or to the faction of the devil in the world, or to ourselves, for good or evil, it is necessary that there should be some afflictions.
And to speak a little more home to us, there must be sufferings in this regard, because the church alway hath corruption and soil, especially in prosperity. If a man look to the churches in Germany, that have suffered much of late,"- and mark what reports hath been given of them, how cold and dull they were in the possession of the gospel, how indifferent they were, how they valued not that invaluable pearl, a man shall see that suffering was needful to scour them. If a man look to the state of this city, though there be many good people (the Lord increase the number of them), yet, if a man consider with what cold affections the blessed truth of God is entertained, which I say is above all, what is all that we enjoy ? "What is our peace to the gospel of peace ? What is our prosperity, and what is all, to the blessed truth of salvation ? If we had not that, wherein were not the Turks as good as we ? For all other things, were not other nations as good as we ? Certainly yes. For policy, and other beauty, and ornaments, and rarities, ■what have we to lift up our excellency but the continuance of the blessed doctrine of salvation, whereby our souls are begotten to God, to ' an in- heritance immortal, undefiled, reserved in the heavens?' 1 Peter i. 4. Now, the cold esteem of this certainly will enforce in time a national suffer- ing, unless there be a national repentance. It is true of every particular Christian. As we see, when the rain and the heat join together, they breed as well weeds as corn, so prosperity and the blessings of God, they have brought up in us much weeds as well as good corn ; and there must be a time of weeding and pm'ging in regard of our state in this world. We are gathering soil every day. There must be a suffering one time or other.
Obj. But some will say. What ! do you talk of suffering ? Now is a time of peace. We live among Christians, and not pagans and Turks ; and for our adversaries, though they be many, yet they do not shew themselves.
Ans. St Austin answers this in himself. Do but begin to live as a Christian should, and see if thou shalt not be used unchristianly of them that are Christians in name, but not in deed. A suffering from Christians is more sharp than that of enemies. Those that are fleshly will be ready to be injurious ; those that are carnal, formal professors, will be ready to offer some disgrace or other to those that are more spiritual than themselves.
There is a threefold suffering in the church since Christ's time. The first was of doctrine concerning the natures of Christ. There was persecu- tion about that ; for there were Arians that denied the Godhead, and others * That is, 1G24-5. Cf. note o*.— G.
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that denied the manhood of Christ,* and such Hke gi*cat enemies of the church. Afterward, in popery, they set on Christ's offices, and divided his kingly and priestly and prophetical office, to the pope, to saints, to works, and such like, encroaching upon them, and persecuting with fire and fiiggot all those that gave all to Christ, and did not sacrilegiously give anything to the creature.
But there is a persecution as ill as any of these, where the nature and offices of Christ are well enough understood, where the power of religion is opposed by others, when so much religion as is necessaiy to bring a man to heaven is opposed ; for it is not the knowledge of the nature, and offices, and benefits by Christ, but it is a knowledge that hath obedience with it that must bring us to heaven, a knowledge with self-denial, a knowledge with selling and parting with all our lusts and wicked courses, that will not stand with the gospel.