preparative for a better ftate; fuch as want, contempt, reproach, loffes, perfecution, imprisonment, undeserved punishment, and, which more particularly concerns yourself, bodily pains and infirmities, and the most uneasy and wafting diseases; and, in a word, whatsoever serves to mortify the old man in us, and to wean our minds from the world, and to raise up our affections to, and make us diligently inquifitive after, another and a better state.

Anchith. I fincerely own God's power and authority. But yet, it seems very hard for me to conceive, that thefe fevere vifitations are inflicted by God upon his beloved children and favourites; and are not rather a token of his heavy difpleasure, and that those who labour under them, are to be looked upon as objects of his wrath. And, to deal plainly with you, all I fuffer at this time in my body, is not more grievous to me, than the apprehenfion I labour under, and cannot fhake off, that this fevere treatment is too plain an evidence of God's being eftranged from me, or rather that he hates me.

Theoph. Not fo fast, my dear friend; think again. Have not the faithfuleft and beft fervants of God been conftantly observed to meet with their fhare of afflictions here, and many times far beyond divers of the moft vicious and profligate wretches? So that were it not for the inward comfort and fupport they find in themselves in this life, and their hopes and expectations of a better at their departure hence, a great part of them, at least, might juftly be faid to be, as St. Paul fpeaks, (g) of all men moft miferable. Remember the cafe of Abel, of Jacob, of Jofeph, of Job, Mofes and David, of St. John Baptift, St. Stephen, St. Peter, St. James, St. John, and the reft of the apostles and evangelifts, and innumerable other martyrs and confeffors. Were not these the favourites of heaven, and fingularly interefted in the divine protection and kindnefs? or were they without their croffes or trials? Were they not all greatly (g) 1 Cor. xv. 19.

afflicted,

;

afflicted, and abundance of them barbarously put to death? What numbers do we read of, of the holieft and beft of men, fuch (b) of whom the world was not worthy, who yet had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, bonds and imprisonments; were stoned, were fawn afunder, were tempted by terrible cruelties, were fain with the fword! As others alfo were in wants and diftrefs, and fear, and without any certain habitation not knowing where to hide themselves, but being forced to wander about in deferts and mountains, and dens and caves of the earth, covering themselves with sheep-fkins and goat-fkins, being deftitute, offlicted, tormented. Can you poffibly deny these to have been God's undoubted children, and truly beloved of him? And on the other hand, do you imagine, Anchithanes, that your fufferings may in any wife be compar'd with theirs? If not, confider feriously whether it becomes you to be diffatisfied at your prefent condition; and be invited to greater humiliation by reason of your fins, which call aloud for thefe, and much heavier chaftifements, and fhew yourfelf more fubmiffive and refigned to the divine will, and that infinite wisdom and goodness which brings them upon you. Set before your eyes that admirable patience of Job (i), under a series of fucceffive affictions of divers kinds. Call to mind how pitiable and difconfolate his forlorn eftate was, when, from one of the richest of all the eastern part of the world, he was fuddenly stripp'd of all. His (k) oxen and his affes were feiz'd by the Sabeans, and his servants flain, who fhould have faved them out of the hands of these invaders. His (1) fheep, and others of his fervants, were confum'd by fire from heaven. His (m) camels were carried away by the Chaldeans, and the remainder of his fervants were destroyed by them. And, to add to fuch his heavy calamities, in the last place comes fluctus decumanus, the surest stroke of all; his (n) children, both fons and daughters, were all of them kill'd by the fall of

(b) Heb. xi. 36, 37, 38. (i) Job i. 3. (k) Ver. 15, (1) Ver. 16. (m) Ver. 17. (2) Ver. 18, 19.

the

the house, where they were feafting together. So that now he was all of a fudden become as poor, as he had been rich but a few hours before; and as great an object of pity, as he might have been before of envy. Yet durft he not murmur at God for fo woful a change. He remembered by whofe good providence it came about, and would not fuffer himself to break forth into any discontented and undutiful language. On the contrary, He (0) arofe, and rent his mantle, and shaved his bead, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and faid, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked fball I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord bath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. As much as to fay, (p) I am but what I was at firft, and what I muft have been again at laft; and he that hath stripped me of all before I die, hath taken nothing away but what he gave. Let him therefore be praised, who is the donor of all good things, and the disposer ⚫ of all events.' (q) In all this Job finned not, nor spake one harsh or unbecoming word, when all thefe evils came fo thick upon him. He did not bemoan himself as one rejected by God, and who must never more expect his favour, because he found himself at prefent in fuch calamitous circumftances. No, he freely refigned himself to the divine difpofal, and bleffed and praised the Almighty, whom he knew to be the fole author of all he had loft, and to whom he ftood indebted for the enjoyment of it hitherto. And can you now, good Anchithanes, think it reasonable to behave yourself after a contrary manner? Ought you not rather to labour, that your present sickness may make you the more fenfible of the true value of that health you now want, and the more thankful for the long enjoyment you have had of it? And what if you are now deprived of it? May not this be for your good? and fo far from a token of God's difpleasure, and a fign he is irreconcileable to you, that it may be taken from you out of kindness, and fo may require not your (0) Job i. 20, 21. (p) Bp. Patrick on the Words. (9) Job. i. 22.

pa

patience only, but your unfeigned gratitude, for being thus dealt with?

Eufeb. You ought to remember, that God is infinitely wifer than you; and knows what is fittest for you, or any of his fervants, far better than you or they do.

Theoph. There is nothing more common in the world, than for the best of men, and of Christians, to meet with croffes and afflictions whilft they remain here. This was most remarkably notorious, during those fevere times of perfecution, wherein fuch multitudes of our Lord's disciples were called to feal their profeffion with their blood. (r) Some were burn'd alive, fome were flain with the fword, and others were expofed to ravenous wild beafts, and were devour'd by them; and (s) even those of the higheft rank were tortur'd, put in chains, and crucified; fome were banished, fome had the foles of their feet dried up by a gentle flame, fome had torches applied to all parts of their bodies, till their skin cracked and fhrivel'd up, and the fire came at length to their very bowels. (t) Some were broiled, fome empaled, fome beheaded. (u) Some were put in boats, and turned afloat in the fea to be drowned. (x) Others had their limbs forced out of joint, and their bodies torn with whips, were pulled in pieces, were hung up by a hand, or a foot, or stretched upon the rack, or were carbonadoed, and bafted with falt and vinegar. In a word, divers forts of unknown punishments were invented for them; and no age or fex were fpared, but men, women, and children, were all adjudged to the most barbarous, most abufive, and most painful death. And that they might not be too eafily dispatched, the execution was fometimes ftopped in the midft, and the martyr remitted to prifon, not out of kindness, but that, having recovered a little breath, he might be enabled for a new conflict. And all this

(r) Tertull. Scorp. c. 1. Eufeb. Hift. Ecclef. 1. 1. c. 7. (s) Lactant. de Mortibus Perfec. c. 21. (t) Clem. Alex. Str. 1. 2. (x) Eufeb. 1.

(z) Euseb. Hift. 1. 8. c. 6. Sozom. 1. 6. c. 14. 8. c. 9, 10, &c. Socrat. Hift. 1. 3. c. 16.

merely

as

merely for the fake of their Chriftianity. Yet were thefe holy martyrs fo far from looking upon themselves abandon'd by God, because they fuffered fuch things, (y) that they rejoiced rather, and gloried in them, efteeming it as a favour, that God would call them in fo fignal a manner, to follow their bleffed Saviour, and be baptized with the baptifm that he was baptized with. And in the more quiet and halcyon times of the church, it was never known, that the faithfuleft and beft Chriftians were exempt from their portion of temporal calamities. When not harraffed, and perfecuted, and treated as the refufe and off-fcouring of all things, they have yet been fubject to fick neffes and diseases, and the other inconveniencies usually incident to this ftate of mortality and mifery. So that in them is verified, as it is alfo in the rest of the world, that (z) man that is born of a woman, bath but a few days to live, and full of trouble; that (a) he is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward, and that his (b) days are evil, as well as few. Mankind in general are all obnoxious to grievances and croffes, and divers forts of difafters and misfortunes; and the good man among the reft. Such an one has, undoubtedly, better fupports under his troubles than others have; but he is not totally fecured from them in his best estate. I cannot perfuade myself, that his religion does not intitle him to, and procure for him, divers worldly bleffings and advantages; fince we all know (c) godliness has the promise of the life that now is, and not only of that which is to come: befides that, religion and a right government of ourfelves, tends naturally very much to abate and take off the edge of whatfoever calamity, and difpofes the fufferer to bear it to the best advantage. But yet, fo long as good men confift of flesh and blood no less than others, and not only are

(y) Martyr. S. Ignat. c. 2. S. Polycarp. Ep. ad Philip. c. 1. S. Polycarp. Martyr. c. 2. Juft. Mart. Apol. 1. B. Cypriani Paff. &Ep.30. & 31. Sulpic. Sever. Hift. Sacr. An. 304. (≈) Job xiv. 1. (a) Chap. v. 7. (b) Gen. xlvii. 9. (c) 1 Tim. iv. 8.