THE Occasion of these Words, was this: St. Paul had very lately Consecrated his belo­ved Timothy a Bishop, and sent him, as such, to preside over the Church of Ephesus: And foreseeing what Afflictions and Persecutions' he would there meet with, by a faithful Discharge of his Pastoral Office; he ve­ry [Page 8]prudently fortifies him against them, by re-minding him of Christ's Resur­rection; and very properly joins, with that Memento, that part of the Mes­siah's History, which declares him to be of the Seed of David: For by this, the Apostle inculcates, that if David (from whom Christ, according to the flesh, descended) did undergo so many Af­flictions by the frequent Persecutions of Saul, tho' he had both merited to be his Son-in-Law, and was also actually a­nointed King over Israel, by the express Command of God; and that, if Jesus Christ, who was King of Peace and Glo­ry over spiritual Israel, did meet with so many Indignites from those his own Country-men, the Jews, whom, in the highest Charity, He came to save; Then might Timothy, in all reason, patiently endure his expected, rough treatment; as remembring, that David, did at last, peaceably enjoy Saul's Crown; and that Jesus Christ, after all His Sufferings and Death, did triumphantly Rise from the Dead, and Ascended into Heaven, where He now sits in the Throne of his Glory, having made His Enemies His Footstool.

Thus much being premis'd, touching the occasion of the Words of my Text; before I enter upon the ensuing Dis­course, I shall take the liberty to say, That being desir'd to preach to the So­ciety for Reformation of Manners, late­ly set up in this Town; I thought, I could not fix upon a more seasonable or suitable Subject than the Text will af­ford. For this being Easter week, The Resurrection of Christ ought not, I con­cluded, to be pass'd over in silence: And the Text, which re-minds Timothy of that Grand Article of our Faith, suppo­sing him in a state of Affliction and Persecution, thro' a vigorous and cou­rageous performance of his Duty; I saw no reason why I might not directly ap­ply the Apostle's Words to you: For, now that you are engag'd, tho' in diffe­ing circumstances from Timothy, yet in the same commendable Design of beat­ing down the strong-holds of Satan, (the faithful discharge of which, will often expose you to danger and hazard) I see not, as I said before, any reason, why you should not, with Timothy, Remember, that Jesus Christ, of the Seed of [Page 10]David, was rais'd from the Dead.

In speaking to which Words, I shall do these two things:

I. Shew, that a state of Afflictions and Persecutions is highly consistent with a state of Christianity.

II. Prove, That a frequent Remem­brance of, and a serious Meditation up­on, the Resurrection of our Blessed Sa­viour, is the best preservative against the prevalency of Afflictions, and the most effectual Method to prevent our sinking and desponding under their weight.

First, I shall shew, That a state of Afflictions and Persecutions is highly consistent with a state of Christianity.

For the full clearing of which Point, it will be very sufficient, if I can shew, that Christianity, or a faithful Adhe­rence to the Rules of the Gospel, has ever yet been, and, by parity of Rea­son, will ever be attended with Suffe­rings. And this will abundantly ap­pear:

1. From the Holy Scriptures.

2. From the Examples of such as have suffered.

3. From the Reason and Nature of the Thing.

And First, The Holy Scriptures of the New Testament assure us, that Christi­anity will always be attended with Suf­ferings and Afflictions.

When our Blessed Saviour, St. Mark. 10.29, 30. promis'd His Rewards to them that forsook any thing for His sake, and the Gospels; He assures them indeed, that they should receive an Hundred-fold; but that they should not be exempted from Persecutions.

So again; St. Mark 13.9, 13. He tells some of the Apostles plainly, that, if they adher'd to his Doctrine, they should be delivered up to Councils; be beaten in the Synagogues; be brought be­fore Rulers and Kings; and be hated of all (wicked unchristian) Men.

The same thing is recorded, tho' in a different Case, yet in almost the same Words, St. Matth. 10.17, 18.

And that Christ might effectually pre­pare His Disciples to undergo those Per­secutions, with Courage, which he knew would befall them, after his Departure; He directs a great part of His dying [Page 12]Discourse to them this way, St. Joh. 14.15, 16. Chapters, that they should be evry severely dealt with on His Account, and be in almost constant Tribula­tion. And all along, the Apostolical Epistles, Christians are frequently warn'd to be, upon their guard, against their Ene­mies Assaults. All which Instances, with many more that might be easily produc'd, do abundantly prove, that the state of Christianity, must be a state of Suffering.

Secondly, This will be farther evi­denc'd by the Examples of Christ and his Apostles, as well as of others who have lived since Christ.

A Man cannot but see, (tho' he only takes a cursory view of the Four Gos­pels) that the whole Life of our Blessed Saviour, from the vile Manger to the Bloody Cross, was one continued Scene of Sufferings and Afflictions.

The things which Men generally most esteem, are nobleness of Birth, Honour, Riches, and a fair Reputation. But which of all these was the portion of our dearest Redeemer?

'Tis true indeed, that the ever Bles­sed [Page 13]Jesus, (according to the flesh) de­scended from the Royal Line of David, both by Joseph, His supposed Father, and by Mary His true Mother, as St. Mat. Chap. 1. and Luke, Chap. 3. do attest in their Genealogies: But, besides that, this is not allow'd by the latter Jewish Rabbi's, wherein consisted that Pomp and Splendour that usually appears at the Birth of Princes. We know, 'tis true, that a Star appear'd to the Wise­men in the East, (Mat. 2.1, 29.) about the time of Jesus's Birth, by which they were directed to go to Bethlehem, to Worship Him; and that a Quire of Angels ( Luk. 2.8, &c.) proclaim'd Him, to the Shepherds, A Saviour Christ the Lord. And one might reasonably have expected, that the whole Jewish Nation should have been ready to accommo­date their Messiah with every thing, answerable to his Character; but on the direct contrary, not so much as a Lodging room can be procur'd for Him; no, He must be content with a Man­ger, instead of a Bed or a Cradle; and instead of a good Fire, to nourish His tender Body, and to defend it from cold, [Page 14]He shall feel no other heat, than what is emitted from the breath and dung of Beasts.

Honours, and Riches, and a plentiful Substistence, were but the just due of so welcome a Guest to the World: But instead of these, Christ himself tells us, that He had not so much as a resting place of His own: The Foxes have holes, and the Birds of the Air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his Head, St. Matth. 8.20. And yet as poor and miserable as He was, the Tax­gatherers demanded Tribute of Him at Capernaum, for the use of the Temple, and force Him to work a Miracle to pay it, St. Matth. 17.24, &c. A fair and unspotted Reputation (lastly) Christ might well have expected from his own Country-men, among whom He went continually about, doing good; but in­stead of more deserv'd Eulogies, they contemptibly call'd Him, the Carpenter's Son, a Galilean, a Gluttonous Man and a Wine-biber, and a friend of Publicans and Sinners.

But, besides that bitter portion of hunger and cold, poverty and disgrace, [Page 15]which the innocent Son of God shared; what Snares were there laid for His Life? How many Stones were taken up to throw at Him, for only telling the Jews necessary and seasonable Truths? What Sorrows and Agonies did He feel in the Garden? What unspeakable Tor­ments (lastly) did He undergo on the Cross?

If these were not Afflictions, I'm cer­tain there is then no such thing as [...] in humane Nature; and if the Captain of our Salvation suffered so much from a froward and perplexing World, must the Souldiers, listed under Him, expect no Scars in His Quarrel? No, no: His Apostles and Evangelis [...]s met with much the same usage, as He met with; for be­sides that contempt and hatred, those Stripes and Imprisonments they were constantly expos'd to: One was Stoned to death; another was Beheaded; a third was Crucified with his Head down­ward; some died one Death, others a­nother; and all of 'em (St. John only excepted, as the Ecclesiastical Histori­ans relate) were barbarously murdered for adhering to their Master's Doctrine: [Page 16]Not that St. John ended his days in an exemption from Persecutions; for be­sides that, he was banish'd into Patmos, as he says of himself, Rev. 1.9. for the Word of God, and for the Testimony of Jesus Christ: Tertullian vouches, that before his Banishment, he was accus'd to Domitian, and, by his Proconsul in Asia, sent to Rome; where, at the Em­perour's Command, he was cast into a Caldron of boyling Oyle; from which, notwithstanding he escap'd, as unhurt, as those Servants of God, who were cast into the Fiery Furnace, Dan. 3d. Ch.

Of this, I think, we may be very cer­tain, that only St. John, of all the Apo­stles, had that favour of God (maugre all the Spite of Men and Devils) that he died, without violence in a good Old Age, when he had lived about 72 Years after Christs Ascension into Heaven.

Nor did Persecution find a period with the Death of the Apostles, but ra­ther it might then be said to begin to bear date: For about five Years after St. John's peaceable Exit (as if that de­vilish Spirit of Malice would have an ample Satisfaction, for the escape of one [Page 17]Apostle out of its hands) that truly A­postolical man St. Ignatius Bp. of Antioch, was condemn'd by the Emperor Trajan, to the Lions; and being sent to Rome, was there torn to pieces by Brutes, less Savage than the Spectatours, in the Amphitheatre.

And that very venerable Man, St. Polycarp, Bp. of Smyrna, was condem­ned to the Flames; to such Flames (I speak it by the Testimony of Eye­witnesses) as rather sought to guard, than to consume his Body; insomuch that the Executioner was forc'd to dis­patch him with his Sword, when but half burned.

To these two I might add Justin-Mar­tyr, Origen, and St. Cyprian Bp. of Car­thage, who all were put to Death for the Cause of Christ: Nay, I might fill A Sermon, with a bare recital of the single Sufferings of the great Athanasius, Bp. of Alexandria; only because he would not strike Sail to the Arians, and betray the Catholick-Faith; but that I intend not a Martyrology. What then shall I say more? The time would [Page 18]fail me to give you but a short Abstract of the frequent Banishments, the strange Tortures, and the various Deaths, that were inflicted, not on the Fathers of the Church only, but on Thousands of private Christians, during Ten bloody Persecutions.

Thus much only, I shall here add, that what the Author to the Hebrews says of the Patriarchs, Judges of Israel, and of the Prophets, Heb. 11.35, &c. was lite­rally true of the primitive Christian Martyrs; They were tortur'd, not accep­ting deliverance; that they might obtain a better Resurrection. And others had trials of cruel Mockings and Scourgings, yea moreover, of Bonds and Imprison­ment. They were Stoned, they were Sawn asunder, were Tempted, were slain with the Sword; they wandred about in Sheep­shins, and Goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, they wandred in Desarts, and in Mountains, and in Dens and Caves of the Earth.

All this they contentedly endur'd, for the sake of their most excellent Re­ligion, and for that warrantable Zeal [Page 19]which they shew'd, in asserting and holding fast the Heavenly Doctrine of God their Saviour.

By this time, I suppose, I have pro­duc'd Examples enough to shew, that Afflictions are to be expected in a zea­lous Profession, and earnest Practice of Christianity. I proceed now (Thirdly) to clear this Point yet further, by shewing the Reason and Nature of the thing it self.

The Religion of a Christian is esta­blish'd upon Principles, that are very contrary to the corrupted Inclinations of Mankind: Men sometimes feel in themselves such impetuous Desires af­ter sensual Enjoyments, and Nature eggs 'em on so fast to a compliance with its Dictates, that they no sooner yield, than they're tempted to think that, That Religion had not God for its Author, which so directly gain-says their Passions, and denies 'em the fru­ition of their strongest Longings.

Hence is it, that a Man cannot ven­ture to reprove Men for their Vices, or, with the most friend-like Essays, endeavour to convince 'em of their Mis­takes; [Page 20]takes; but immediatly he'l find an In­surrection of their malignant Spirits, and a strange Alteration in their very looks; and though they may then play the Sy­cophant so far, as to thank him for his kindness; yet they shall, it may be e­ver after, greedily catch at every op­portunity of venting their rancor and hatred, by a studious misrepresentation of all that he says or does; and the highest pitch of their Charity shall be found to center in his continual Defa­mation. Every serious and conside­ring Christian must needs attest this Truth on a too frequent Experience; and both Sacred and Church-Histories, furnish us with too many instances of the same Nature.

St. John Baptist might have kept his head on his shoulders, if he would but have let Herod alone, and not have reprov'd him for his Incest; so like­wise might the Apostles have died in their Beds, if they could have sate down contented, to see Judaism rampant, and the Worship of Idols prevalent: But no sooner do they pursue their truest Interest, in a faithful Execution of [Page 21]their Commission, than they are per­secuted for it, by Stripes, Stonings, Im­prisonments, and Death

And from the Transactions of those several Occurrences, in all Ages of Christianity, down to this present time; we may reasonably conclude, that the same game is to be play'd to the World's end: For the Reason of the Thing continuing for ever the same; and the Opposition that impious wretch­es will always make to Lectures and Examples of Piety and Vertue, stand­ing upon one bottom; we may certain­ly infer, without a Spirit of Prophecy, that as the state of Christianity has e­ver been, and in our Age is, a state of Afflictions; so that it will never cease to be so, till time is swallowed up by Eternity.

Having thus at large prov'd:

• 1. From express Texts of Scrip­ture.
• 2. From many Examples of perse­cuted Christians.
• 3. From the Reason and Nature of the Thing.

I. That a state of Afflictions is very consistent with a zealous and vigo­rous discharge of the Duties of Chri­stianity.

II. I proceed now to my 2d. Gene­ral Head, which was to shew, That a frequent Remembrance of, and a seri­ous Meditation upon the Resurrection of our Blessed Saviour, is the best Pre­servative against the prevalency of those Afflictions, that are entail'd up­on a Christian state.

I need not be tedious in an Argu­ment of this nature, after St. Paul himself has press'd it home in the Words of my Text.

I shall therefore only inforce the A­postle's Memorandum, by these Two Observations following. And

First, We may observe, that Men are generally so devoted to this World, and their Souls are so strongly bent to­wards sensible Objects, that, so long especially as their Sails are crowded with a prosperous Gale, they very rarely will afford one thought to the things that may or shall hereafter hap­pen. The present time is what they [Page 23]are for, and they thence resolve, as they falsly estimate things, to lose none of it; but with the blind Watchmen, whom the Prophet inveigheth against, Isa. 56.12. they solace themselves; Come ye, say they, I will fetch Wine, and we will fill our selves with Strong drink, and to Morrow shall be as this Day, and much more abundant.

But now, if God shall please to send a slight Affliction upon these Men; there's an immediate damp upon their Spirits, they're quite at their wits end; and they complain as much, at a little Head-ach, as if they were losing their Limbs or their Lives: The Reason is manifest; they don't think of Afflicti­ons till they feel their weight; and then, having made no provision against the Evil Day, by a regular Devotion and Meditation, they fret, they mur­mur and repine, and are still at a loss, how to be easy under the load that op­presseth them.

Whereas, on the contrary, if Men would but allow one Hour in a Day for thinking, and spend that very little part of their Youth and Health in a se­rious [Page 24]Reflection upon those many Evils and Disappointments, which the most Righteous and Innocent Son of God met with; what a scanty portion of worldly goods He enjoyed; what Hard­ships He encountred; and what Seve­rities. He was, all His Life, expos'd to: But that after all His Sufferings, even unto Death, He gloriously arose from the Prison of the Grave, after Three Days Burial, and Triumphantly Ascen­ded into Heaven, and Sate on the Right Hand of God: If, I say, Men would often and seriously meditate on these things; this would most effectually quell their peevish and impatient De­sires after the good Things of this Life; this would teach 'em to know them­selves to be but Men; this, lastly, would both prepare 'em for Sufferings, and make 'em contentedly undergo a few momentary Afflictions, that so they might at last partake of the same joyful Resurrection to eternal Pleasures and Delights, of which their great Fore­runner and Author of their Faith, has already been partaker.

Secondly, We may observe; That not only disappointments, crosses and losses, in things relating to the Body, but e­ven Afflictions of an higher nature, such as are peculiar to the Mind of Man, would sit more easy, by frequently re­membring, that Jesus Christ, of the Seed of David, was raised from the Dead.

How angry and churlish do some Men grow, when they fail of that re­spect, which they think to be their due? A Rich Man, with a proud Heart and towring Thoughts, believes, that every one affronts him, that does not pay him all the reverence, which is claim'd only by the Nobility, &c. it may be, by Princes of the Blood Roy­al: Nay, even a Man in narrow cir­cumstances, who has made it his great care to do his Duty to God and to his Neighbour, thinks it no small hardship to be expos'd to want and distress; he is inclin'd to think that Divine provi­dence neglects him, and, possibly, is tempted to forsake, or to grow more remiss in, his Christian Duty; by his best discharge of which, he meets with oppression, instead of encouragement; [Page 26]and instead of the love, he gains only the ill-will and hatred of his Neighbours.

In both these Instances, to which most other Cases may be easily reduc'd: The best method for the afflicted Man to take, will be to consider the exem­plary Humility, Patience, and Resig­nation of Mind, which appear'd so e­minently in Christ our Head: Our ever Blessed Redeemer was infinitely more innocent and inoffensive, than the best of Men either now are, or ever were; and yet, nothing but calamity and affliction, contempt and scorn, dis­grace and calumny were the Rewards of His Goodness and Charity: And if He, who was Lord and King of both Worlds, was willing, for our sakes, to endure all this, without one Murmur­ing word or Repining thought; shall we, that are sinful dust and ashes, complain and rail, and be at our wits end, meer­ly because we suffer some petty, short­liv'd evils? Better will it become us all, in prudence, to hold fast the profes­sion of our Faith, without wavering, and patiently and submissively to demean our selves, under all the calamities of [Page 27]mind that shall befal us: For if we do this willingly, we have our reward; we shall find such a calmness, sedate­ness, and composure in our Brests, as Words cannot aptly describe; and we shall hereafter be carried up to Heaven, where we shall be fill'd with such won­der and joy, as are only competible with our then enlarg'd faculties, and be compleatly blessed in those Mansi­ons of our God, which Jesus Christ, by His Death, has purchas'd, and is now going to prepare, for all His faith­ful and obedient Servants.