Hence, dear friends, if we want to be of his servants, we must serve the Lord according to his divine will and demands. That is, we must suffer and bear here, and not resist; else we should live to ourselves, and not to the Lord, and so doing we should not follow the footsteps of Christ, for we must bless, and not curse, them that persecute us. As Paul teaches us: Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Rom. 12:17–21.
Hence, my dear friends, and all those that seek their salvation, learn from this to know the sheep from wolves, the doves from hawks. For Christ sent out his own like sheep in the midst of wolves, and admonished them, to be wise as serpents and simple as doves. Matt. 10:16. For all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Tim. 3:12,13.
But when I told it to our persecutors, they said that they also had been persecuted; whereupon I told them, that they only suffered persecution when they were too weak and feeble; but when they had the ascendancy again, they were persecutors themselves, and took our goods, and tormented and threatened us, so that there is fulfilled the prophesy of Esdras: “They shall be like mad-men, sparing none, but still spoiling and destroying those that fear the Lord. For they shall waste and take away their goods, and cast them out of their houses. Then shall they be known who are my chosen; and they shall be tried as gold in the fire.” 2 Esdras 16:71–73. Also Christ says: “These things have I spoken unto you, that you should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them.” John 16:1–4.
But, my dear friends, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us; for ear hath not heard, nor eye seen, what God has prepared for them that love him; for the righteous shall live forever; the Lord is their reward, and the care of them is with the Most High; therefore they shall receive a glorious kingdom and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand. Wis. 5:15,16. Hence let us with the eyes of the spirit look at the beautiful promises, and with Moses rather choose to suffer affliction with the children of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward, and esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt. Hebrews 11:25,26.
Herewith, my dear friends, I will commend you to the Lord, and to the rich word of his grace; that thereby you may in this time grow up, blossom, be fruitful and flourishing. By me,