Again, This administereth comfort in regard of the. affllctinns of the church. When the church is under any abasement, at the lowest, it hath a glorious
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Lend in heaven ; nnd what ! doth he sit there and do nothing ? No. Ho sits 'at the rij^ht hand of God,' and rules his church, even in the midst of his enemies. 11" he do give the chain to them, it is for special ends. His people stand in need of all that they endure, and he measures it even to a drachm, whatsoever his church sutlers ; for they are his members, and he is sen- sil)le of their sutlerinf^^s. Ho is ' a hi<,'h priest that is touched with our intirmities,' Heb. iv. 15. Therefore nothing can befall his church without his government. He lets loose the enemies thus far, and then he restrains them, and subdues and conquers them, making them his ' footstool.' The enemies seem to domineer now, and trample on the church ; but ere long they shall become the church's ' footstool.' Christ will govern his church tilfall his enemies 'be under his feet.' He is ascended into heaven for this purpose ; and he is fitting his church by these afflictions, for greater grace in this world, and for eternal gloiy in the world to come.
Therefore, let us not take scandal* at the present sight of things. We stand amazed to see the state of Europe at this time ; but for our comfort let us consider that Christ is taken ' up to glory,' and he sits in heaven and rules his church, and will guide all these wars to a good and gracious end. He sits at the stern. The ship may be tossed where Christ sleeps, but it can- not be drowned. The house that is built upon a rock, it may be blown upon, it shall never be overthrown. The bush wherein the fire is, it may burn, but it shall never be consumed. The church, wherein Christ rules and governs, it may be tossed, it shall never be overcome and subdued. Nay, by all these things that the church suffers, Christ rules, and exerciseth his church's graces, and mortifies his church's corruptions. It is neces- sary there should be some change. Standing waters breed frogs, and other base creatures ; so it is with Christians. If there be not some exercise by afllictions, what kind of vices grow ? As we see in these times of peace, what kind of li" cs most men live, that we may take up an admirationf that God should be so merciful to continue his truth to a company of proud base carnal persons, that lead lives, under the gospel, no better than if they were in paganism. Therefore we cannot look for any good, without further abasement. And certainly, if troubles come, we should many of us be better than we are now : afflictions would be so far from doing us harm, that they would refine us. We shall lose nothing, but that that doth us hurt ; that, that we may well spare ; that, that hinders our joy and comfort.
But, I say, let us comfort ourselves in respect of the present state of the church. Christ rules in the midst of his enemies, in the midst of crosses and persecutions, not to free us alway from them ; but he rules in turning them to good, in strengthening and exercising our gi'aces ; and he rules in the midst of his church at this time by turning his enemies' cruelty to the good of the elect. As he ruled in the Israelites when he suffered Pharaoh to go on in the hardness of his heart, but he had a time for Pharaoh's ruin ; so Chr.st hath a time for the persecutions of the church, as he had for all the ten persecuting emperors, that came to base and fearful ends. ' Was there ever any man fierce against God and prospered?' saith Job, chap. ix. 4. Was there ever any that set themselves against the church of God and prospered? No, no. It is with the church as it was with Christ ; to have looked on Christ hanging and bleeding on the cross, to have seen him grovelling on the ground in the garden, men would be ready to take ofience. What ! he the Saviour of the world ? But stay and see him in the text, * That is, ' be offeuded.'— G. t That is, ' wonder.'— G.
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assumed to glory, and then there would be no offence taken at Christ. So it is in the church. You see the church suffers persecutions, but lay one thing with another. See the church in heaven with the Head of the church. See the church advanced. See it in glory ere long. See it refined and fitted by suflerings, to come better out of afflictions than it went in, and then none will take scandal at the afflictions of the church, as they ought not at the abasement of Christ. For though he was ' God manifest ' in weak ' flesh,' yet we see he ' ascended up in glory.'
There is a comfortable speech, Jer. xxs. 7, 'It is even the time of Jacob's trouble ; but he shall be delivered out of it.' So we may say, this is the time of the church's trouble, but the church shall be delivered ouf,of it. The enemies have their time to afflict and trample upon the church ; but Christ hath his time to trample on them. Let us wait and expect with comfort better times. The kingdoms of the world will be known to be the Lord Jesus Christ's. There will be a further subjection to Christ's kingdom than ever there was since the first times, when the fulness of the Gentiles and the conversion of the Jews shall be. Let us comfort ourselves with the times to come. Christ is in glory, and he will bring his church to further glory even in this world, besides eternal glory at the latter day. ' Rejoice not over me, 0 mine enemy : for though I be fallen, yet shall I rise,' Micah vii. 8. Let not the enemies of the church insult* over much ; though the church be fallen, yet she shall rise again ' after three days,' saith the prophet. Mat. xxvii. 63.t Christ, though he were abased as low as possible he could be, yet after three days he arose ; so the church shall rise out of her troubles after three days ; that is, after a certain time that we know not ; but the exact time is only in the hands of Christ. But cer- tainly there are glorious times of the church coming.