Cons. V.-That God doth sometimes make Enemies, and Persecutors themselves, to attest the Saints' innocency, when they suffer; and will surely avenge them upon their Adversaries.

GOD did so with Joseph's brethren, and they acknowledged his innocency, and God's justice.-Gen. xlii. 21. Pharaoh acknowledged he had sinned against Moses, &c. and begs forgiveness.-Exod. x. 16, 17.

He will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries: and will be merciful unto his land, &c.-Deut. xxxii. 43; Ps. x. 14.

When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.-Prov. xxix. 16.

When David had spared Saul, being in his hands, Saul said to David, Is this thy voice, my son David? &c. Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil; and thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me, forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not, &c.-1 Sam. xxiv. 16-19.

Again in the like case, Saul said, I have sinned, &c. Behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.-1 Sam. xxvi. 21; Exod. viii. 8. 19.

Haman, Mordecai's great enemy, forced to honour Mordecai.- Esth. vi. 7. 11.

Haman is hanged upon the same gallows he erected for Mordecai.— Esth. vii. 9, 10.

He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.-Ps. vii. 13; lxiv. 7. They have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves.-Ps. lvii. 6; vii. 15, 16; ix. 15, 16.

The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance, &c. so that a man shall say, &c. Verily he is a

God that judgeth in the earth.-Ps. Iviii. 10, 11.

The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.-Ps. ciii. 6.

Rob not the poor, &c. neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: for the Lord shall spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.—Prov. xxii. 22, 23.

Be not afraid, &c. for yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.-Isa. x. 24, 25; Jer. xxx. 16, 17. 20.

Lord, when thine hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see and be ashamed for their envy at the people, (or toward thy people,) &c.— Isa. xxvi. 11.

All that watch for iniquity are cut off: that make a man an offender for a word.-Isa. xxix. 20, 21.

Behold, your God will come with vengeance; with recompense he will come and save you.-Isa. xxxv. 4.

I was wroth with my people, &c. thou didst shew them no mercy, &c. therefore these two things shall come to thee in a moment, &c.-Isa. xlvii. 5-9.

Fear ye not the reproach of men, &c. for the moth shall eat them up like a garment: and the worm shall eat them like wool, &c. Thus saith the Lord thy God, &c. that pleadeth the cause of his people: behold, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury, &c. but I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee: which have said to thy soul, Bow down, &c.-Isa. li. 7, 8. 20. 22, 23.

Your brethren that hated you, &c. he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.-Isa. lxvi. 5.

God threatens several nations for their insolent insulting over his people the Jews, and for their cruel usage of them: and declares the vengeance he would take against them.-Ezek. xxv; xxvi; xxxv; xxxvi; Jer. 1. 11— 13; xxx. 16; xii. 14; Obad. 8, &c.; Micah ii. 1-3.

be cast into the burning fiery furnace, now said unto them, Ye servants of the most high God, come forth, &c. and the king promoted them.-Dan. iii. 21. 26. 30.

So did Darius, when Daniel, by the prosecution of the presidents and princes, was cast into the lions' den; he came and said, O Daniel, servant of the living God, &c. And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives, &c.— Dan. vi. 20. 24; Gen. xxvi. 27-29. God threatened the heads and princes of Israel, for their persecuting and oppressing his people.Micah iii. 1, &c.

I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, &c. therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, surely Moab shall be as Sodom. -Zeph. ii. 8-11.

I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.-Zech. i. 15. Edom sadly threatened, for his violence against his brother Jacob.Obad. 8, &c.

Whoso shall offend one of these little ones, which believe in me, it were better for him that a mill-stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea: woe unto the world, because of offences.-Matt. xviii. 6, 7. 10; Luke xvii. 1, 2.

I send unto you prophets, &c. and some of them ye shall kill, &c. that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, &c. All these things shall come upon this generation.-Matt. xxiii. 3436.

Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him? Though he bear long with them,

Pilate himself said of Christ, I have found no fault in him, &c. And the centurion said of Christ, Certainly this was a righteous man. - Luke xxiii. 14. 47.

King Agrippa and Festus both said. of Paul, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.—Acts xxvi. 30, 31; xxv. 25.

In nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, &c. and that of God.-Phil. i. 28; Josh. xi. 20.

They have persecuted us, &c. for wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.-1 Thess. ii. 15, 16.

It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, &c.-2 Thess. i. 6.

He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword, must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of saints.-Rev. xiii. 10.

Babylon is fallen, &c. here is the patience of the saints.-Rev. xiv. 8— 12; xviii. 2.

Thou art righteous, O Lord, &c. because thou hast judged thus: for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. Rev. xvi. 5, 6; xviii. 19, 20. 24; xix. 2.

Rejoice over her, ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her.-Rev. xviii. 20; xix. 2.

Cons. VI.-That God will comfort, uphold, and preserve his, in all their Troubles; and not lay more on them than they can bear. IN that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.-Heb. ii. 18; iv. 15; v. 2.

Although with hatred they shall persecute him, &c. yet shall his bow remain in his strength.-Gen. xlix. 23, 24.

And it came to pass, when Pharaoh

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me; thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies. Ps. cxxxviii. 7.

The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish.-Prov. x. 3. Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress a refuge from the storm; a shadow from the heat; when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.-Isa. xxv. 4; 1.4, &c. He stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.-Isa. xxvii. 8.

A king shall reign, &c. and a man shall be as an hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest: as rivers of water in a dry place; as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.-Isa. xxxii. 1, 2; 1. 4.

When the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst; I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them: I will open rivers in high places, &c. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.-Isa. xli. 17-19.

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee: for I am the Lord thy God.-Isa. xliii. 2, 3.

When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.-Isa. lix. 19.

Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, &c.—Isa. lxvi. 5.

Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, &c. yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. Ezek. xi. 16; Ps. cvi. 45, 46.

God preserved the three children in the fiery furnace, and Daniel in the lions' den.-Dan. iii. 25; vi. 22.

I will allure her, and bring her unto the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.-Hosea ii. 14.

How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? &c. mine heart is turned within_me, my repentings are kindled together: I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger: for I am God, and not man, &c.-Hosea xi. 8, 9.

Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.-Micah vii. 8.

The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him.-Nahum i. 7.

When they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.—Matt. x. 19.

Thus saith the high and lofty One, &c. I dwell in the high and holy place; with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones: for I will not contend for ever, neither

Blessed be God, &c. the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulations, &c. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.— 2 Cor. i. 3-5. 7.

We are troubled on every side, &c.

Judges x. 16.

We were troubled on every side, &c. Nevertheless, God that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us, &c.-2 Cor. vii. 5, 6.

I besought the Lord thrice, &c. and he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.-2 Cor. |

xii. 8-10.

Every where and in all things I am instructed, both to be full and to be hungry, &c. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.-Phil. iv. 12, 13.

At my first answer no man stood with me: notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me, &c. And the Lord shall deliver me, &c.-2 Tim. iv. 16-18.

Be content, &c. for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee: so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, &c.-Heb. xiii. 5, 6.

Cons. VII. That the Righteous are near and dear to God in Christ, so that he takes special notice of their Afflictions and Troubles, and is said to be persecuted and afflicted in their Persecutions and Afflictions. AND the Lord said, Surely, I have seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, by reason of their taskmasters: for I know their sorrows, and I am come down to deliver them, &c. Exod. iii. 7-9; ii. 23-25; 1 Sam. ix. 16.

The Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance: he found him in a desert land, &c. he led him about, (or encompassed him about:) he instructed him: he kept him as the apple of his eye, &c. -Deut. xxxii. 9, 10.

They served the Lord, and his soul

For the Lord saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter.— 2 Kings xiv. 26.

Thou hast considered my trouble, thou hast known my soul in adversities.-Ps. xxxi. 7.

Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee.-Ps. lxix. 19.

The Lord will not cast off his people: neither will he forsake his inheritance.-Ps. xciv. 14.

He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.—Ps. cv. 14, 15.

They provoked him, &c. nevertheless he regarded their affliction when he heard their cry: and he remembered for them his covenant: and repented according to the multitude of his mercies.-Ps. cvi. 43–45.

I was wroth with my people, I have given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy: upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid the yoke.-Isa. xlvii. 6.

Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will not I forget thee: behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands: thy walls are continually before me. Isa. xlix. 14-16.

Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed, &c. for thy Maker is thine husband, the Lord of hosts is his name: and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel.-Isa. liv. 4, 5.

For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour: in all their afflictions he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them, &c.-Isa. lxiii. 8, 9.

Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a