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Now this great and fudden increase of the faithful, is that which doth fo exceedingly trouble the World, and makes them angry at the very heart. For, if they were but a few, mean, contemptible and inconfiderable Perfons, whom they might easily fupprefs and destroy, they would be pretty quiet; but when they begin to increafe in the Land, as Ifrael did in Egypt, and notwithstanding all the burthens of their Task-mafters, wherewith they are afflicted and grieved, do yet increase abundantly, and multiply, and was exceeding mighty, till they begin to fill the Land; and when they confult to deal wifely with them, leaft they multiply too much, do yet fee them grow and multiply the more, that they know not at what Country, or City, or Town, or Village, or Family, to begin to fupprefs them; this is that which doth fo exceedingly vex and inrage the world, and makes them even mad again, as we fee this day. For the increase of the faithful, as it is the glory of the Church, fo it is the grief and madness of the world. But these Men in vain attempt against this increase of the faithful, as the Egyptians against the increase of the Ifraelates; for none can hinder the increase of the Church, but they that hinder God from pouring out his Spirit, and according to the measure of God pouring forth the Spirit, is aud muft be, the increase of the Church, in defpight of all the oppofition of the world.

And thus much touching the firft promise of the Churches increase.

Now in the words I read to you, the Lord comes to another promife; fo that the Lord because of the Churches weakness, adds one Promise to another; and these Promises are nothing but the out-goings and manifestations of his

Love, through the Word Chrift. But to look more neerly upon the words.

Verf. 11. Oh thou afflicted.

tual

Church.

Affliction in the World,doth fo infeparably attend The affli the Church,that the Church even takes its denomina- tion of tion from it. Oh thou afflicted. The condition of the the Spiri Church, is an afflicted Condition. For the Church being born of God, and born of the Spirit, is put into a direct contrariety to the world, which is born of the flesh, and is also of its father the De vil. And fo, the whole world is malignant, against the Faithful and Spiritual Church; and all that are not regenerate, fet their faces, yea their hearts and their hands against the Saints; and the unregenerate world, is against the regenerate; and the carnal world, against the Spiritual; and the finful world, against the righteous; and all the People and Nations in the world, are against that People and Nation, which the Apostle calls a holy Nation, and a peculiar People.

As the world cannot endure God in himself, fo neither can it endure God in the Saints; and fo the more God dwells in the Saints, the more doth the world afflict the Saints; for they oppofe not the faithful for any thing of flesh and blood in them, but because that flesh and blood of theirs is the habitation of God, and the very prefence of God himself is there, as he faith, I will dwell in them, and walk in them. Agreeable to this, is that of Christ, where he faith, All this shall they do to you, for my names fake; that is, when the Name of Chrift is called upon us, and we are taken into his Name, that is, into his righteoufnefs, and life, and truth, and wisdom, and holiness, and into his Nature, which comprehends all this; then, when the world perceives the Name of God in the Sons of Men, and the Nature of God in the Natures of Men, then presently they fall a perfecuting

Church is

perfecuting the Saints, for this Name and Natures fake; and he that ftrikes at God in his Saints, would if he could, ftrike at God in himself. And therefore let the world take heed what they do in this point; for while they perfecute the Saints, they are found fighters against God himself, becaufe God is one with them, and they are one with God in Chrift. And let the Saints be admonished, fo to hide and retire themselves into God through Chrift, that whoever is an Enemy to them, and opposes them, may rather be an Enemy to God, and oppose God than them, they living and acting in God, and not in themfelves.

Now this affliction the Church meets with in the world, is profitable for the Church; it is good for it, that it fhould be afflicted; for the more it is afflicted in the flesh, the more it thrives in the Spirit; this affliction ftirs us up to the exercife of our Faith and Prayer; yea, then is our Faith moft active and vigorous, and our Prayers moft fervent, till they fill the whole Heavens again; then are we moft in the use of the Word; Then are we set off furtheft from the world; then do we keep closest to God; then have we nearest intercourfe and communion with him; fo that we could better want Fire, and Water, and the Sun, than want Affliction, which God out of his meer love, through his over-ruling power and wisdom, causes to work unto us for good. So that we who are placed in the hand of Chrift, are fet in fuch a Condition, wherein nothing can do us any harm for ever, but Evil it felf must work Good unto us. But we proceed.

Toffed with Tempeft.

The Spi- Where we fee that the Church is not only ritual afflicted, but violently afflicted; one wave comes violently against it after another, as in a tempeft; and the afflicted.

more

more Spiritual the Church is, the more doth the world become as a raging Sea against it; because the more Spiritual the Church is made, it is fet in the more contrariety to the world, and the world to it. The Pfalmift describes this temper in the world against the Church; They came upon me like a ramping and a roaring Lyon: And again, They came upon me, to eat up my flesh, as they would eat bread. When the Saints have appeared in the Spirit, and acted in the Spirit, how violent and enraged hath the world been against them? It would tofs them, as in a tempeft, from place to place, from poft to pillar, as they fay, till it hath quite toft them out of the world. Yea, men naturally meek and moderate,how fierce have they become against the Saints, when there hath appeared any glorious discoveries of Chrift in them? For the enmity, that is in the Seed of the Serpent, against the Seed of the Woman, will be still breaking forth: And though it may for a time be covered, under many Moral Vertues, and a forni of Godliness, yet when God leaves them to them felves, and lets them act outwardly, according to their inward Principles, how cruelly, and maliciously, and fiercely, and defperately do they act against the Saints of God? Yea, there is not that enmity between Turk and Jew, as there is between Carnal Gofpellers, and Spiritual Chriftians; the former hating thefe, and being angry against these to the very death. And when ever the Lord fhall fuffer thefe, to exercise their enmity against the Church, then fhall the Churches Condition, become fuch as it is here defcribed, afflicted, and toffed with tempeft.

And not comforted.

The SpiritualChurch in afflicti

The Church of God in all the evil it meets on,bath no withal in the world, hath not one drop of com- comfort fort from the world; it hath affliction, tribula-from the

world.

tion, perfecution from the world, but no comfort.

This we fee in Chrift the Head; you know what he suffered in the world in the days of his flesh; he was defpifed and rejected of men, and fo full of forrows, that he took his name from them, and was called, A man of forrows, and acquainted with grief; At laft, out of meer envy and malice, they apprehended him, bound him, buffeted him, fpit on him, crucified him; and all this would have been but a fmall matter, to have fuffered from the Heathen, but he fuffered all this from the only visible Church of God in the World, who put him to the most painful and fhameful death of the Crofs, between two malefactors, to bear the world in hand, that he was the third, and the chief. And in all this evil, he had no body to pitty him, or have compaffion on him; but they laughed at him, and derided him, and mocked and jeered him, but no body comforted him.

And as it was with Chrift the Head, fo it is with Chrift the Body and Members; they in all the evils, and woes, and forrows, and oppofitions, and perfecutions they have from the world, have no body to comfort them, or take compaffion on them. Refuge failed me (faith David) no man cared for my Soul. Lover and friend haft thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darknefs, faith Heman, Pfal. 88. 18.

Brethren and Beloved, ye that are partakers of the Heavenly Calling, and of the Divine Nature, if ever the Lord fuffer the World to prevail against you, to afflict you, and toss you, from one evil to another, as in a tempeft, to reproach you, throw you out of your comforts, banilh imyou, prifon you, &c. you fhall find no body to comfort you, no body will take notice of you, or regard you, or own you, or pitty yon, or be fo

fenfible

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