LETTER IX.

Of Predictions, relative to fincere Chriftians in Time of publick Calamities; fome of which are general, and others particular. In Regard,

1. To their Safety in Times of War. being provided for in Famines.

2. To their

3. To their Prefervation in Seafons of the Pestilence. 4. To their being kept from diftreffing Fears, when defolating Judgments are on the Wicked.

SHALL now take Notice of fome of the Predictions, relative to God's faithful People, in Times of publick Calamities; of Calamities brought on Cities and Coun

tries, by the righteous Providence of God, as Punishments for Sin,

There are Times when the all-wife God calls his People, his beloved People to Sufferings; and fuch are the Times when the Wicked are perfecuting the Saints of the moft high God.

Our bleffed Redeemer who went about from City to City, and from Town to Town; teaching the People the Doctrines they were to believe, and the Way for their Salvation foretold them;

not

not of worldly Profperity, not that they should gain Honours or Riches, if they would become his Difciples: No; but he plainly forewarned them of Troubles, and of great Troubles, if they would be his Difciples.

In Mat. xvi. 24, 25. Then Jefus faid unto his Difciples, if any Man will come after me, (and be my Difciple indeed,) let him deny himself, and take up bis Crofs and follow me: (in the Way of Sufferings.) For whofoever will fave his Life, (by forfaking me,) fhall lofe it, and whosoever will lofe bis Life (and fuffer Death) for my Sake, fhall find it, happily and joyfully in the next World.)

In Mat. x. 38. Jefus fays, He that taketh not bis Crofs, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. And in Luke xiv. 27. He fays, Whosoever doth not bear his Crofs, (when called to it by divine Providence,) and come after me, cannot be my Difciple. In Mark xiii. 9. But take Heed to yourfelves, for they fhall deliver you up to Councils; and in the Synagogues ye shall be beaten, and ye shall be brought before Rulers, and Kings for my Sake. In John xvi. 2. He fays, They shall put you out of the Synagogues, yea the Time cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doeth God Service.

Most frequently did our bleffed Saviour, inculcate the Expectation of Sufferings, and Troubles on those that would be his Difciples. In this World, ye shall have Tribulation. He faid in John xvi. 33.

The Apostle likewife teftified the fame: For they went about confirming the Souls of the Difciples, and exhorting them to continue in the Faith; and that we must through much Tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God. Acts xiv. 22.

And this Conduct is an evident Proof, that Christ was a Teacher come from God; and that the Gospel is no Imposture, but most certainly

rtue. Would-any Impoftor ever teach a System of Notions, and expect to make Profelytes by telling his Hearers, that if they will believe and profefs his Doctrine, they will be exposed to manifold Troubles, that it would bring on them the Hatred of Magiftrates, and occafion to them the Lofs of their Houses, their Lands, their Liberty and Lives.

No Impoftor ever talked in fuch a Strain: The Devil, the fubtile Devil, that he may keep Men in Bondage to himself, and prevail with them to go on in Unbelief and Difobedience to God, excites in them the Defire and Hope of fenfual Pleafures, or of Riches and Honours. When he tempted our Mafter and Lord, it was with the Things of this World: For when he had taken bim up into an exceeding high Mountain, and shewed him (a Reprefentation of) all the Kingdoms of the World, and the Glory of them. This lying Spirit faid unto him, All thefe Things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Mat. iv. 8, 9.

But our great Redeemer and his Apostles, in preaching the everlasting Gospel, propofed no worldly Advantages to induce their Hearers to believe and obey it, but gave undeniable Proofs of the Truth of it, and propofed fpiritual Bleffings in this World, and a Happiness in the Enjoyment of God for ever. They propofed to their Hopes thofe great Mercies which guilty miferable Sinners ftand in need of; they propofed Forgivenefs of their Sins, Peace, and Reconciliation with God, and eternal Life: Bleffings fuitable to the wretched Case of Men, under the Guilt of Sin, under the Condemna-tion of the Divine Law, obnoxious to the Wrath of God, and the Pains of Hell for ever. I may add, that the Preaching of the Gospel, was accompanied with the mighty Working of the

And.

Holy

Holy Ghoft; the Lord himself bearing Teftimony to the Truth of the Word of his Grace; for every Convert was a Seal and Evidence of the Verity of the Gospel.

But a Time of Perfecution of the Saints is not a Day of God's Vifitation for Sin: There is no Divine Wrath in the bitter Cup of their Suffer. ings: No; but there is wonderful Love in it.

In fuch Times, God gives his faithful Servants extraordinary Communications of Grace and Strength, and often fills them with Joy unfpeakable and full of Glory: He enables them to take joyfully the spoiling of their Goods, and to rejoice in Tribulation, and to count it an Honour to fuffer Shame and Death for the Name of Chrift, whom their Souls admire and adore, as the Author of Salvation, and everlafting Happiness to them.

And it is predicted, that they who have testified the Sincerity of their Faith in Chrift, and Love to him, by laying down their Lives for his Sake, fhall live, fhall live again before the general Refurrection; for it is faid, in Rev. xx. 4. I saw the Souls of them that were beheaded for the Witness of Jefus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshiped the Beast, neither his Image, neither had received his Mark upon their Foreheads, or in their Hands; and they lived and reigned with Chrift a thousand Years. And in the next Verfe it is added; But the rest of the Dead lived not again, till the thousand Years were finished.

They that fuffer Death in the Caufe, and for the Sake of Chrift, will have peculiar Rewards, and a more exceeding Weight of Glory.

St. Paul fays, If fo be that we suffer with him, that we may be alfo glorified together; for I reckon that the Sufferings of the prefent Time, are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be

revealed.

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revealed in us. Rom. viii. 17, 18. (It will be fo exceeding great.)

The Saints are always the Objects of the Love and special Care and Goodness of God. And in the Times of publick Calamities, various Predictions relative to them, do fhew the compaffionate and faithful Regards which our Father in Heaven, has for them while they remain in this World, even when he is executing his Judgments on wicked Cities and Countries.

Manifold are the Judgments of God for Sin: The most frequent are the SWORD of War, the Peftilence, the Famine and Fire.

But the mighty God takes Care of his People in fuch dreadful, fuch defolating Seafons.

There are in every Country, and in every City, a great Variety of Sorts of People, both among the High and the Low: But in God's Account, they are diftinguished only into two Sorts, viz. his faithful People, who know, and love, and serve him; who keep his Covenant and his Teftimonies; and those who live in a Course of wilful Difobedience to his holy Command

ments.

And when the Providence of God brings his destroying Judgments into any Nation or Town, it is to punish and destroy the Wicked; and it is a Day of the Lord's Vifitation for Sin.

We may be fure that the Lord has a Controversy with every Place into which he brings the Sword, the Miseries of War, or of the Peftilence, or of Famine, or of any other destructive Calamity.

And we know that in fuch dreadful Times, the Lord's Controverfy is not with the Righteous: The Vials of his Wrath are not intended to be poured out on them: No; God will take a fpecial Care of them.

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