An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…

Thus also all those who suffer for Christ, and in some sense may be said to fight the battles of the Lord, it is their duty to arraign themselves for their sins, and to pray, That this washing of them, may take away their spots and filthiness.

Thus also all those who suffer for Christ, and in some sense may be said to fight the battels of the Lord, it is their duty to arraigne themselves for their sinnes, and to pray, That this washing of them, may take away their spots and filthinesse.

Secondly, These afflictions for Christ, do much promote our salvation, ¹Because they are a School to every believer, whereby to know more of God and Christ, of his grace and power then ever they did before. These sufferings lead us into much experimental knowledge of God, and his ways These see the wonders of God in the depths. A man not afflicted knoweth not what the experiences are that usually the godly find in such exercises. Hence as David acknowledged, Psal. 119. Before he was afflicted, he went astray. Those afflictions did him more good than his mercies. Thus also the godly, who as Joh, come like gold out of the fire, they can truly say, They would not be without those teachings, those experiences they have had, not for all the world: especially, this they are experimentally to observe, How the power of God, as Paul speaketh, was perfect in his infirmities; that the more his troubles did grow, the more were the supports and comforts of God: Insomuch that the afflicted soul wondereth, and is amazed to see and feel the presence and power of God with it: It hath that comfort, that courage, which it thought had been impossible for him ever to enjoy. For (as formerly you heard) as afflictions abound, so also do consolations and supports. So that you must not expect God should give such extraordinary discoveries of himself, but in extraordinary cases: As we read of a notable instance of a woman Martyr in the primitive Heathenish persecutions, who being great with child, was delivered the day before she was to suffer, and in her travail sending forth great and grievous groans: The Jailer reproved her, saying, That if she did