The crown & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…The crovvn & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…

Fourthly, The troubles, afflictions, and persecutions that §4Christians meet with in their pursuit after holiness, will further the increase and growth of their grace; grace never rises to so great a height as it do's in times of persecution; suffering times are a Christians Harvest times.¹ Let me instance in that grace of zeal: I remember Moulin speaking of the French Protestants, saith, When Papists hurt us for reading the Scriptures, we burn with zeal to be reading of them; but now persecution is over, our Bibles are like old Almanacs, &c. All the ⟨p. 404⟩reproaches, frowns, threatenings, oppositions, and persecutions that a Christian meets with in a way of holiness, doth but raise his zeal and courage to a greater height. Micah's scoffing at David did but inflame and raise his zeal:² If this be to be vile, I will be more vile. Look as fire in the winter burns the hotter (by an Antiperistasis) because of the coldness of the air; so in the winter of affliction and persecution, that divine fire, the zeal of a Christian, burns so much the hotter, and flames forth so much the more vehemently and strongly. In times of greatest affliction and persecution for holiness sake, a Christian hath, first, a good Captain to lead and encourage him; Secondly, a righteous cause to prompt and embolden him; Thirdly, a gracious God to relieve and succour him; Fourthly, a glorious heaven to receive and reward him; and certainly these things cannot but mightily raise him and inflame him, under the greatest opposition and persecution; These things will keep him from fearing, fawning, fainting, sinking, or flying in a stormy day; yea these things will make his face like the face of an Adamant, as God promised to make Ezekiels: ³Now an Adamant is the hardest of stones, 'tis harder then a flint, yea 'tis harder then the nether-millstone. The Naturalists observe, that the hardness of this stone is unspeakable; the fire cannot burn it (nor so much as heat it through) nor the hammer cannot break it, nor the water cannot dissolve it, and therefore the Greeks call it an Adamant from its untameableness; and in all storms the Adamant shrinks not, it fears not, it changeth not its hue; let the times be what they will, the Adamant is still the same; in times of persecution, a good cause, a good God, and a good conscience will make a Christian like an Adamant, 'twill make him invincible, and unchangeabl.