The child's portion, or, The unseen glory of the children of God asserted and…

1. That this Truth may satisfy us in the great reason why the People of God are not now known, nor esteemed by the World; it is because ⟨p. 103⟩the time of their manifestation is not yet come: we are often ready to think in our selves, if we are his Children, why doth he suffer us so little to be taken notice of, and so much contemned? and are hence prone to judge and censure his Providence in this respect: whereas it is his Wisdom and good pleasure that it should be so: Christ had his mean and obscure state upon Earth, and so must his followers: if we would be like him in glory, we must be conformable to him in obscurity: God hath his appointed seasons; Men do not as yet know God nor Christ, how then should they know his Children? but they shall know him, they shall see him and be astonished at him; and they shall see and know his People, and it is our duty to think Gods time the best.

1. That this Truth may satisfie us in the great reason why the People of God are not now known, nor esteemed by the World; it is because ⟨p. 103⟩the time of their manifestation is not yet come: we are often ready to think in our selves, if we are his Children, why doth he suffer us so little to be taken notice of, and so much contemned? and are hence prone to judge and censure his Providence in this respect: whereas it is his Wisdom and good pleasure that it should be so: Christ had his mean and obscure state upon Earth, and so must his followers: if we would be like him in glory, we must be conformable to him in obscurity: God hath his appointed seasons; Men do not as yet know God nor Christ, how then should they know his Children? but they shall know him, they shall see him and be astonished at him; and they shall see and know his People, and it is our duty to think Gods time the best.

2. How miserably mistaken shall the Saints Persecutors ere long find themselves to have been, about the Children of God, whom they persecuted? they think if they can but get the People of God under ground, if they can but see an end of them in this World, there is then an end for ever, and now they can triumph over them, and promise themselves henceforward never to be troubled with them any more; they have their wills and hearts desires, and are apt to boast over them, and say, where are now your great confidences, your faith, your hope? what is become of all your Prayers, and resolute