A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

From the subject place of our afflictions also, we may confirm our patience, and increase our comfort. For God hath appointed us in this world to suffer afflictions, and to inherit happiness in the life to come; he hath made it for a place of trial and tentation, preparation and spiritual exercise; not for a Paradise of delight, but for a pilgrimage, and therefore we must look for pilgrims entertainment; for a place, not of triumph, but of warfare, and therefore we must expect conflicts, and the hard usage of poor Soldiers. Again, we may comfort our selves by considering the adjuncts of our afflictions, as their necessity, for we are preordained unto them, as being necessary for the effecting the great work of our salvation, and therefore it is in vain to struggle with them, seeing thereby we may gall our necks, but not shake off our yoke, their manifold profit, of which I have spoken, their shortness of continuance, and lightness in respect of that weight of glory, which they shall cause unto us. Finally, we may be comforted by considering the fellowship & assistance which we have in all our afflictions, for we have more with us then are against us; as innumerable numbers of holy Angels which pitch their tents about us, & watch over us to keep us safe in all our ways; Jesus Christ also, who as our yokefellow beareth greatest weight, & as our Head communicateth with us in all our griefs, and assisteth us in our crosses and calamities; and God himself who is all-sufficient, and no less ready & able to uphold us with the one hand, then to wrestle with us, and load us with the other.

From the subiect place of our afflictions also, we may confirme our patience, and increase our comfort. For God hath appointed vs in this world to suffer afflictions, and to inherite happinesse in the life to come; he hath made it for a place of triall and tentation, preparation and spirituall exercise; not for a Paradise of delight, but for a pilgrimage, and therfore we must looke for pilgrims entertainement; for a place, not of triumph, but of warfare, and therefore wee must expect conflicts, and the hard vsage of poore Souldiers. Againe, wee may comfort our selues by considering the adiuncts of our afflictions, as their necessity, for wee are preordained vnto them, as being necessary for the effecting the great worke of our saluation, and therefore it is in vaine to struggle with them, seeing thereby we may gaule our neckes, but not shake off our yoke, their manifold profit, of which I haue spoken, their shortnesse of continuance, and lightnesse in respect of that waight of glory, which they shall cause vnto vs. Finally, we may be comforted by considering the fellowship & assistance which we haue in all our afflictions, for we haue more with vs then are against vs; as innumerable numbers of holy Angels which pitch their tents about vs, & watch ouer vs to keep vs safe in all our wayes; Iesus Christ also, who as our yokefellow beareth greatest waight, & as our Head cōmunicateth with vs in all our griefes, and assisteth vs in our crosses and calamities; and God himselfe who is all-sufficient, and no lesse ready & able to vphold vs with the one hand, then to wrastle with vs, and loade vs with the other.