This second person in the Trinity, who is God-man, the mediator of the new covenant; he, my brethren, hath virtue enough, in his blood, to atone for the sins of millions of worlds: As man he died, he was crucified, nailed to, and pierced on the accursed tree: This was the love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST for you; and will you then have low and dishonourable thoughts of JESUS CHRIST, after his having done so much for you? O my dear brethren, don’t be so polite as to deny the Deity of CHRIST; though you may be counted fools in the eye of the world, yet in GOD’s account, you shall be esteemed wise, wise for salvation.
You may now be looked upon as fools and madmen, as a parcel of rabble, and, in a short time, fit for Bedlam. They may say you are going to undermine the established church; but GOD, who knows the secrets of all hearts, knows our innocency; and I speak the truth in CHRIST, I lie not, I should rejoice to see all the world adhere to her articles; I should rejoice to see the teachers, the ministers of the church of _England_, preach up those very articles they have subscribed to; but those ministers who do preach them up, they esteem as madmen, and look on them, as the off-scouring of the earth, unfit for company and conversation.
The evil things they say of me, blessed be GOD, are without foundation; I am a friend to the church homilies; I am a friend to her liturgy, and if they did not thrust me out of their churches, I would read it every day.
My brethren, I am not for limiting the spirit of GOD, but am for uniting all in the bonds of love; I love all that love the LORD JESUS CHRIST: This will make more christians, than will the spirit of persecution.
The Pharisees may think it madness to mention persecution in a christian country, but the spirit of persecution resides in many: their will is as great, but blessed be GOD, they want the power; if they had that, my brethren, fire and faggot is what we must expect, for the devil’s temple is shaken. Many are coming unto JESUS, I hope many of you are already come, and many more coming; this must make Satan rage, to see his kingdom weakened; he will stir up all his malice against the people of GOD. We must expect, that a suffering time will certainly come; it is now hastening on, it is ripening a-pace; then it will be proved, to a demonstration, whether you are hypocrites or not; for suffering times are always trying times. O my brethren, do not be afraid of a little reproach, but look on it as a fore-runner of what will be the attendant upon it: Therefore let me, by way of application,
Exhort all of you, high and low, rich and poor, one with another, to come unto the LORD JESUS CHRIST, that he may give you strength to undergo whatsoever he, in his wisdom, calls you to. Come, come, my brethren, to JESUS CHRIST, and he will give you grace, which will make you willing and ready to suffer all things for JESUS CHRIST.
It is not being pointed at; it is not being despised and looked on as mad, and a deluded people: Alas! what does this signify to a soul who has JESUS CHRIST? Do not be afraid to confess the blessed JESUS; dare to be singularly good: Don’t be afraid of singing of hymns, or of meeting together to build each other up in the ways of the LORD: Shine ye as lights in the world amidst a crooked and perverse generation.
It is necessary that offences should come, to try what is in our hearts, and whether we will be faithful soldiers of JESUS CHRIST or not: Be not content with following CHRIST afar off, for then we shall, as _Peter_ did, soon deny him; but let us be altogether christians. Let our speech and all our actions declare to the whole world, whose disciples we are, and that we have determined to know nothing but JESUS CHRIST, and him crucified. O then, then, will it be well with us, happy, unspeakably happy, shall we be, even here; and what is infinitely better, when others that despised us shall be calling for the mountains to fall on them, and the hills to cover them, we shall be exalted to sit down on the right hand of GOD, and shine as the sun in the firmament, and live for ever with our Redeemer. And will not this be a sufficient recompence for all the sufferings you have undergone here? Therefore, do not strive to have the greatness, the riches, the honour, and pleasures of this world, but strive to have JESUS CHRIST.
Your friends and carnal acquaintance, and, above all, your grand adversary the devil, will be persuading you not to have CHRIST until you are grown old; he would have you lay up goods for many years; to see plays, play at cards; go to balls, and masquerades; and to make you the more willing, to draw you in, he calls sinful pleasures, innocent diversions.