Answ. But that it is more I will put you to one place, which I desire you to consider seriously: that is, Mar. 10.28.29.30. Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said; verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or Brethren, or Sisters, or Father, or Mother, or Wife, or Children, or lands for my sake and the Gospels; but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, Houses, and Brethren, and Sisters, and Mothers, and Children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life. When it is said here, he shall receive the very same; why doth the Holy Ghost repeat them in particular; He shall receive houses and Brethren &c. with persecution? that is, you shall be stripped of all these things by persecution, yet at the same time, you shall have them all. At that time when he is in a close prison, & driven from ⟨p. 189⟩all these, he shall receive them for this present. The meaning is this: let a man have communion with GOD, let the Lord reveal himself to a man; if he be once pleased to come to a man, and sup with him, if he will but communicate to a man the consolations of the spirit, and fill him with joy and peace through believing: I say, though he be in a close prison, yet he shall have the comfort of houses, Brethren, Sisters; Mothers &c. That is, that comfort which they would yield him, he shall find them altogether in GOD. So that if one should come and say to him, what if you should have Father, Mother, and friends restored to you, that you may enjoy them; I say, a man that hath a near communion with GOD, to whom GOD says, that he will come and sup with him, at such a time; he will say, I do not care one jot for them, for I have that which is better than them all. For example: you see this in the Apostles, that rejoiced in prison. What do you think they would have said to men that offered them riches? Would they not have slighted them? They did slight imprisonment: and in that they did slight shame, and prison &c. they would have slighted the other by the rule of contraries. Therefore labour to be content with GOD alone.
Answ. But that it is more I will put you to one place, which I desire you to consider seriously: that is, Mar. 10.28.29.30. Then Peter began to say unto him, Loe wee have left all, and have followed thee. And Iesus answered and said; verily I say vnto you, there is no man that hath left house, or Bretheren, or Sisters, or Father, or Mother, or Wife, or Children, or lands for my sake and the Gospels; but hee shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, Houses, and Bretheren, and Sisters, and Mothers, and Children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternall life. When it is said here, hee shall receive the very same; why doth the Holy Ghost repeat them in particular; Hee shall receive houses and Bretheren &c. with persecution? that is, you shall bee stript of all these things by persecution, yet at the same time, you shall have them all. At that time when he is in a close prison, & driven from ⟨p. 189⟩all these, hee shall receive them for this present. The meaning is this: let a man have communion with GOD, let the Lord reveale himselfe to a man; if hee be once pleased to come to a man, and sup with him, if hee will but communicate to a mā the consolations of the spirit, and fill him with joy and peace through beleiving: I say, though hee be in a close prison, yet he shall have the comfort of houses, Brethren, Sisters; Mothers &c. That is, that comfort which they would yeeld him, he shall finde them altogether in GOD. So that if one should come and say to him, what if you should have Father, Mother, and friends restored to you, that you may injoy them; I say, a man that hath a neere communion with GOD, to whom GOD saies, that hee will come and sup with him, at such a time; hee will say, I doe not care one jot for them, for I have that which is better than them all. For example: you see this in the Apostles, that rejoyced in prison. What doe you thinke they would have said to men that offered them riches? Would they not have slighted them? They did slight imprisonment: and in that they did slight shame, and prison &c. they would have slighted the other by the rule of contraries. Therefore labour to be content with GOD alone.
