Seasonable counsel, or, Advice to sufferers

That there have been such a people in the world, I think no body will deny, because many of the Prophets, Christ, and his Apostles thus suffered. Besides, since the Scriptures were written, ⟨p. 74⟩all Nations can witness to this, whose Histories tell at large of the patience and goodness of the sufferers, and of the cruelty of those that did destroy them.

And that the thing will yet happen, or come to pass again, both Scripture and reason affirm.

First for Scripture. The Text tells us, that God hath put enmity betwixt the woman and her seed, and the Serpent and his, (Gen. 3.15.) This enmity put, is so fixed that none can remove it so, but that it still will remain in the world. These two seeds have always had, and will have that which is essentially opposite to one another, and they are the spirit of truth, and the Spirit of error; sin and righteousness, light and darkness. (1 John 4.6. chap. 3.7, 8. 1 Thes. 5.5. Hence an unjust man is an abomination to the just, and he that is upright in the way, is abomination to the wicked (Prov. 29.27. So that unless you could sanctify and regenerate all men, or cause that no more wicked men should any where be in Power for ever: you cannot prevent but that sometimes still there ⟨p. 75⟩must be sufferers for righteousness sake. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (