Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace…

But they are resolved to obey God, and secure their everlasting portion, and bear all the injuries which they meet with in the way; especially from those whom God hath set over them. There is no Doctrine that ever ⟨p. 115⟩was received in the world, so far from be friending seditions and rebellion as the Doctrine of Christ; nor any people in the world so loyal as Christians, while Christianity retained its genuine simplicity; till proud, domineering, worldly men for carnal ends pretended themselves to be Christians, and perverted the Doctrine of Christ, to make it warp to their ambitious ends; suffering seemeth not so great a matter to a holy, mortified, heavenly mind, as to tempt him to hazard his salvation to resist it. No man is so likely to be true to Kings, as he that believeth that his salvation lieth on it, by the ordinance of God, Rom. 13.3. And Princes that are wise and just do always discern that the best Christians are their best subjects: Though those that are unbelieving and ungodly themselves, have ever hated them as the greatest troublers of the Earth. And it hath ever been the practice of the Enemies of Christ and Godliness, to do all they can to engage the Rulers of the Earth against them; and to persuade them that the most godly Christians are persons of disloyal and unquiet minds; and by vexing and persecuting them, they do their worst to make them such as they falsely called them: Even Christ himself was crucified as an enemy to Caesar, and Pilate driven to it by the noise of them that cried out, that if he let them go, he was not Caesars friend, Joh. 19.12. They first tempted him with the question, whether it were lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, Matth. 22.17. Luke 20.22. And though they could this way take no hold of him, yet this was the first article of his accusation, Luke 23.2. we have found this fellow perverting the Nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar. And how loyal would those rebellious Jews seem, when they ⟨p. 116⟩