For the first: Gods people, although dear and precious in his eyes, yet they have usually been an afflicted people in all generations unto this day. When God was making his Covenant with Abraham, Gen. 15. 12. at the going down of the Sun a deep sleep fell upon him: and lo, a horror of great darkness was on him, and ver. 17. a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp passed between his sacrifice, and the Lord tells him of the bondage of his seed in Egypt. The afflicted condition of Gods people who were to come from Abraham, was shown by the horror of darkness, and the smoking furnace: And this is observable, As at the first great Promise that was made for Gods choosing of a people to himself ⟨p. 10⟩out of Abraham's loins, their afflicted estate was set out; so where we have the great promise of the Gospel, the largest of any in the Gospel, for the encouragement of those who are willing to part with any thing for Christ, even there persecution is annexed▪ for so the words are, Mark 10. 29, 30. There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my sake, and the Gospels, but he shall receive a hundred fold now in this life, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life; Persecutions come in amongst all those great things that are there promised. Israel is a people afflicted from their youth, Psal. 129. 1. When God appeared to Moses, to send him a deliverer of his people, he appeared to him in a burning bush, to set out the afflicted estate of his people.
FOr the first: Gods people, although dear and precious in his eyes, yet they have usually been an afflicted people in all generations unto this day. When God was making his Covenant with Abraham, Gen. 15. 12. at the going down of the Sun a deep sleep fell upon him: and lo, a horror of great darkness was on him, and ver. 17. a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp passed between his sacrifice, and the Lord tells him of the bondage of his seed in Egypt. The afflicted condition of Gods people who were to come from Abraham, was shewn by the horror of darkness, and the smoking furnace: And this is observable, As at the first great Promise that was made for Gods choosing of a people to himself ⟨p. 10⟩out of Abrahams loyns, their afflicted estate was set out; so where we have the great promise of the Gospel, the largest of any in the Gospel, for the encouragement of those who are willing to part with any thing for Christ, even there perfecution is annexed▪ for so the words are, Mark 10. 29, 30. There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my sake, and the Gospels, but he shall receive a hundred fold now in this life, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life; Persecutions come in amongst all those great things that are there promised. Israel is a people afflicted from their youth, Psal. 129. 1. When God appeared to Moses, to send him a deliverer of his people, he appeared to him in a burning bush, to set out the afflicted estate of his people.
