First,1 because the faith of such Christians, and their patience, was the faith and patience of Christ: That is to say, that which both fastened upon Christ, and bore witness unto Christ, and suffered patiently for Christ as did the Primitive Christians in the ten Persecutions: And it was such a faith, as by which they overcame the world, 1 John 5. 4. It was faith in Christ Jesus, even that faith by which they chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, Heb. 11. 24, 25. It was that faith by which they despised honour. Even the same case of Christ in Moses hand, and in their hands, and the point is of like nature: Roman Idolatry is but another Edition, and their Errors are as fundamental subversions to that which shou•d be the faith of Gods elect: And their Government is directly contrary unto the Gospel-government of Christ Jesus as light is to darkness. When their faith in the cause of Christ do carry them along in suffering for him, it is then the patience of Christ. It was the like faith and patience of Christ to suffer under Annas and Caiaphas, as under Herod. It is true, in the one he suffered as an enemy to Caesar, in the other as a blasphemer, but the case is all one. No matter what the persons ⟨p. 220⟩[…] Christian in profession; I• the cause be the […] of Christ, it is the patience and faith of Christ which is in his […] whomsoever they suffer.
First,1 because the faith of such Christians, and their patience, was the faith and patience of Christ: That is to say, that which both fastned upon Christ, and bore witnsse unto Christ, and suffered patiently for Christ as did the Primitive Christians in the ten Persecutions: And it was such a faith, as by which they overcame the world, 1 John 5. 4. It was faith in Christ Jesus, even that faith by which they chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season, Heb. 11. 24, 25. It was that faith by which they despised honour. Even the same case of Christ in Moses hand, and in their hands, and the point is of like nature: Roman Idolatry is but another Edition, and their Errors are as fundamentall subvertions to that which shou•d be the faith of Gods elect: And their Government is directly contrary unto the Gospel-government of Christ Jesus as light is to darknesse. When their faith in the cause of Christ do carry them along in suffering for him, it is then the patience of Christ. It was the like faith and patience of Christ to suffer under Annas and Caiaphas, as under Herod. It is true, in the one he suffered as an enemy to Caesar, in the other as a blasphemer, but the case is all one. No matter what the persons ⟨p. 220⟩〈…〉 Christian in profession; I• the cause be the 〈…〉 of Christ, it is the patience and faith of Christ which is in his 〈…〉 whomsoever they suffer.
- 1Reason 1.
