The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb.…

To thank God for the fruit of past afflictions, as the most necessary mercies of our lives (as some of us have daily cause) and at the same time to be impatient under present afflictions, or inordinately afraid of those to come, is an irrational as well as unbelieving incongruity.

Are we derided, slandered, abused by the ungodly? If we repine that we have enemies and must fight; we repine that we are Christs soldiers, and that is, that we are Christians. [Quomodo potest imperator militum suorum virtutem probare, nisi habuerit hostem] saith Lactantius. Enemies of God do not use to fight professedly against himself, but against his souldiers [Non qui contra ipsum Deum pugnent, sed contra milites ejus inquit idem] If the remnants of goodness had not been a derision among the Heathens themselves, in the more sober sort, a Heathen would not have said, [Nondum faelix es, si non te turba deriferit: si beatus vis esse, cogita hoc primum contemnere, & ab aliis contemni. Sen.] Thou art not yet happy, if the rabble deride thee not: If thou wilt be blessed, learn first to contemn this, and to be contemned of others.] No body will deride or persecute us in Heaven.

Are we derided, slandered, abused by the ungodly? If we repine that we have enemies and must fight; we repine that we are Christs souldires, and that is, that we are Christians. [Quomodo potest imperator militum suorum virtutem probare, nisi habuerit hostem] saith Lactantius. Enemies of God do not use to fight professedly against himself, but against his souldiers [Non qui contra ipsum Deum pugnent, sed contra milites ejus inquit idem] If the remnants of goodness had not been a derision among the Heathens themselves, in the more sober sort, a Heathen would not have said, [Nondum faelix es, si non te turba deriferit: si beatus vis esse, cogita hoc primum contemnere, & ab aliis contemni. Sen.] Thou art not yet happy, if the rabble deride thee not: If thou wilt be blessed, learn first to contemn this, and to be contemned of others.] No body will deride or persecute us in Heaven.