We ufually

requires at the hands of every one of us. indeed diftinguish the times of the Church into times of Peace, and times of Perfecution; the truth is, to a true Christian Man the times are always the fame: Habet etiam pax fuos Martyres; faith one, there is a Martyrdom even in time of peace; for the practise of a Christian Man in the calmeft times, in readiness and refolution, muft nothing differ from times of Rage and Fire. Fofephus writing of the Military Exercises practifed amongst the Romans, reports, that for ferioufnefs they differed from a true Battel only in this, The Battel was a bloody Exercife, their Exercife a bloodless Battel ; Like unto this must be the Chriftian Exercife in times of Peace, neither muft there be any difference betwixt thofe days of Perfecution, and thefe of ours, but only this, Thofe yeilded Martyrs with Blood, ours without. Let therefore every man throughly examine his own Heart, whether upon fuppofal of times of Trial and Perfecution, he can fay with David : My Heart is ready: whether he can fay of his deareft Pledges, All thefe have I counted Dung for Chrifts fake? Whether he find in himself that he can, if need be, even lay down his Life for his Profeffion? He that cannot do thus, what differs his Faith from a Temporary Faith, or from Hypocrifie Mark, I beseech you, what I fay, I will not affirm, I will only leave it to your Chriftian Difcretion: A Temporary Faith, that is, a Faith refembled to the Seed in the Gofpel, which being fown on the ftony Ground, whithered as foon as the Sun arofe, a Faith that fails as foon as it feels the Heat of Perfecution, can fave no man. May we not with fome reafon think, that the Faith of many a one, who in time of peace, feems to us, yea, and to himself too peradventure, to die poffefs'd of it, is yet notwithstanding no better than a Temporary Faith, and therefore comes not fo

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far, as to fave him that, hath it? Rufus, a certain Phidofopher, whenfoever any Scholars were brought unto him to receive Education under him, was wont to use all poffible force of Argument to diffwade them from it; if nothing could prevail with them, but needs they will be his Hearers, this their Pertinacy he took for a fure token of a mind throughly fetled, and led as it were by inftinct to their Studies. If God fhould ufe this Method to, try who are his, and bring on us thofe Temptations, which would make the Man of a Temporary Faith to fhrink; think we that all thofe who in thefe times of Peace have born the Name of Chrift unto their Graves, would have born unto the Rack, sunto the Sword, unto the Fire? Indeed to Man who knows, not the Thoughts of his Friends, fome Trials fometimes are very neceffary; But, he that knew and foretold David what the Refolution of the Men of Keilah would be, if Saul came to them, knows likewife what the Refolution of every one of us would be, if a fiery Trial fhould appear. Who knows therefore whether God hath numbred out the Crowns of Life, according to the number of their Souls, who he foreknew would in the midft of all Temptations and Trials continue unto the end? For what difference is there betwixt the Faith that fails upon occafion, or that would fail if occafion were offered? for the failing of Faith is not that that actual makes it temporary, it is only that which detects it, which bewrays it unto us to be fo. The Faith therefore of that man which would have funk as faft as St. Peter did, if Tempefts had rifen, nothwithftanding that through the Peace of the Church he dies poffefs'd of, is no better than a Temporary, and cometh fhort of a faving Faith. Durus fermo, it is a bard Speech, fome man may fay; but let him that thinks thus recount with himself, that Dura via, it

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is a hard way that leads to Life. Beloved, deceive not your felves, Heaven never was, nor will be gotten without Martyrdom: In a word, my Brethren, try therefore your felves, whether you have in you true Refolution: fummon up your Thoughts, furvey, every Path in which your Affections are wont to tread; fee whether you are prepared to leave all for Chrift: If you find in your felves but one Affection looking back to Sodom, to the things of this Life, te member Lot's Wife, her cafe is yours you are not yet fufficiently provided for the Day of Battel.

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CHRISTIAN OMNIPOTENCY.

Philip. IV. 13.

I can do all things through Chrift,[that enableth, or] that ftrengthneth me.

F

ROM henceforth let all complaint concerning the frailty and weakness of Man's Nature for ever cease: For behold our weakness swallow'd

up of Strength, and Man is become Omnipotent 3 I can do all things, faith my Apoftle. The strongest reafon, which the fubtileft above all the Beafts of the Field could invent, to draw our firft Parents from their Allegiance, was this, Te fhall be like Gods: Our Saviour, who is infinitely wifer to recal us, than our adversary was to feduce us, takes the fame way to reftore, as he did to deftroy, and ufes that for Phyfick which the Devil gave for Poifon : Is this it, faith he unto us, that hath drawn ye from me, that je would be like unto Gods? why, then return again, and ye fhall be like Gods, by a kind of Cammunicatio idiomatum, by imparting unto you fuch Excellencies, as are proper unto my felf: As I my felf do all things, lo fhall you likewife be enabled to do all things through me. Fallo queritur de Natura Jua Genus humanum, quod imbecillis fit; It was the obfervation of the Heathen Hiftorian, That it is an Errour in Men, thus to complain of the Infirmities and weakness of their Nature; For Man indeed is a Creature of great ftrength, and if at any time he find himfelf weak, it is through his Fault, not through his nature: But he that fhall take into Confideration thefe

words

words of my Text, fhall far better than any natural Man be able to perceive, that Man hath no caufe to complain of his weaknefs. φασί γδ δυσβολίαν τῷ δὲ τῇ πολεί προσεῖνας, ταῦτα μέντοι τὲς θέος ἀντ ̓ ἂν ὑμεῖς ἐξα μάρτητ', ἐπ ̓ τὸ βέλτιον τρέπειν, faith Ariftophanes. It was a Tale that paffed among fome of the Heathen, that Vulcan offended with the men of Athens, told them that they fhould be but Fools; but Pallas that favoured them, told them they fhould be fools indeed, but fol- • ly fhould never hurt them. Beloved, our cafe is like to that of the Men of Athens; Vulcan the Devil hath made us fools and weak, and fo we are indeed of our felves: But the Son of God the true Pallas, the Wif dom of the Father hath given us this gift, that our weakness fhall never hurt us: For, look what ftrength we loft in Adam, that with infinite advantage is fuppled in Chrift. It was the Parable of Iphicrates, that an Army of Harts, with a Lion to their Captain, would be able to vanquish an Army of Lions, if their Captain were but an Hart. Beloved, were Mankind indeed but an Army of Harts, were we Hinnuleo fimiles, like unto the fearful Hinde upon the Mountains, that starts at every leaf that fhakes; yet through Chrift that ftrengthneth us, having the Lion of the Tribe of Judah for our Captain and Leader, we fhall be able to vanquish all that force, which the Lion that goeth up and down, feeking whom he may devour, is able to bring against us. Indeed we do many times fadly bemoan our case, and much rue the lofs, which through the wrechlefnefs of our firft Parents hath befallen us; Yet let us cheer up our felves, our fear is greater than our hurt. As Elkanah fpeaks unto Hannah in the first of Samuel, Why weepeft thou? am not I better unto thee then ten Sons? So will we comfort our felves in the like manner; Let us forrow no more for our lofs in Adam; for is not Chrift ten-fold better unto us then all the good of Paradife?

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