Heaven upon earth, or, The best friend in the worst of times. Delivered in…

Now the man scaping clear with his main treasure, is so joyful that he takes no notice of what was stole from him. Thus a child of God, if he lose his estate, his liberty, and all his outward enjoyments, he counts all these but inconsiderable, as long as his Soul is safe, his great treasure is out of their reach. Tell him of torments, racks, flames, or what the policy of Hell can invent, he is not ignorant of this, that the more he suffers for Christs sake, the greater cause he hath to rejoice, to be exceeding glad, for great shall be his reward in heaven, and while they add to his sufferings, they add to his glory; and, though against their will, while they would injure him, they do him the greatest kindness; this light affliction works for him, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. As long as his torments want that dreadful Epithet, Eternal, he doth not much pass; the thoughts of Gods love makes mans hatred inconsiderable? O how sweet are the thoughts of his Friend, when his enemies are most bitter. Blessed be God as for those intolerable torments, he knows it's beyond mans power, and far from Gods will to ⟨p. 113⟩inflict them upon him, and so long he cares not much. All other tortures are but a Flea-bite to the pains of Hell, and an enraged Conscience; he can almost dare the world & the devil to do their worst, as being confident of this, that as long as he is dear to God, his Soul is out of their reach. Threaten him with banishment, he remembers, that he hath a friend that will find him out, and bear him company wheresoever he is. Tell him of the barbarous unkindness and treachery of former Friends; he reads that his betters have been worse handled by their pretended Friends; above all, this cheers him, to think that all his Friends will not serve him so, he hath one Friend that will never forsake him, never be unfaithful to him. Now bring a wicked man upon Earth, that is without his sorrows, I know there is none, no not one; there is none of them all, but if he were within the sight of those devouring flames, would tremble. Those that have wickedness enough to dare God, will not have courage enough to look him in the face, when he shall appear in flaming fire, to execute vengeance upon the ungodly; he that will not now be troubled at the doing of wickedness, will be troubled hereafter at the suffering for it.

Now the man scaping clear with his main treasure, is so joyful that he takes no notice of what was stole from him. Thus a child of God, if he lose his estate, his liberty, and all his outward injoyments, he counts all these but inconsiderable, as long as his Soul is fafe, his great treasure is out of their reach. Tell him of torments, racks, flames, or what the policy of Hell can invent, he is not ignorant of this, that the more he suffers for Christs sake, the greater cause he hath to rejoyce, to be exceeding glad, for great shall be his reward in heaven, and while they add to his sufferings, they add to his glory; and, though against their will, while they would injure him, they do him the greatest kindness; this light affliction works for him, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. As long as his torments want that dreadful Epithite, Eternal, he doth not much pass; the thoughts of Gods love makes mans hatred inconsiderable? O how sweet are the thoughts of his Friend, when his enemies are most bitter. Blessed be God as for those intolerable torments, he knows it's beyond mans power, and far from Gods will to