Paramuthion, or, A word of comfort for the church of God

2.¹ The suffering of any particular Church, is for their good, Jer. 24. 5. Them that are ⟨p. 20⟩carried away captive of Judah, I have sent into the Land of the Chaldeans for their good. God makes use of the wicked for the good of his Church. He sometimes suffers his people to be cast out in the open field, and lets the wicked pour waters of affliction upon them, but he is all this while laying his people a whitening, Dan. 12. 10. Many shall be tried, and made white; the wicked are flails to thresh off the husks of his people, files to brighten their graces, leeches to suck out their noxious blood. Tully makes mention of one Phereus, whom his enemy running at with a Sword, accidentally opened his impostume, and so cured him^*. The enemies of the Church, only cure the impostume of pride; Isa. 31. 9. Gods fire is in Zion. This Fi•e is not consuming, but refining. The Church is Gods House^*, the enemies think to break down the Walls of this House, but they shall only purge the floor. They think to crucify, they shall only clarify Gods Church, and take it off from its fulsome lees. Thus God turns all the sufferings of his people to their good. He stretcheth the strings of his Viol, to make the music better.

2.¹ The suffering of any particular Church, is for their good, Jer. 24. 5. Them that are ⟨p. 20⟩carried away captive of Iudah, I have sent into the Land of the Coldeans for their good. God makes use of the wicked for the good of his Church. He sometimes suffers his people to be cast out in the open field, and lets the wicked pour waters of affliction upon them, but he is all this while laying his people a whitening,