would be ready, and the Lord make me ready for fufferings; but few can fay, I am ready, my heart is prepared and fitted for such a work: yet this example shews us it is attainable: and what a bleffed thing it is to attain it, the following particulars will abundantly convince us. Firfl, Readiness for fufferings will bring the heart of a Christian to an holy rest and tranquillity, in a fuffering hour, and prevent that anxiety, perturbation, and distraction of mind, which puts the finking weight into afflictions. The more cares, fears, and troubles we have before our fufferings come, the more calm, quiet, and composed we are like to be when our fufferings are come indeed. It is admirable to confider with what peace and patience Job entertained his troubles, which, confidering the kinds, degrees, and manner in which they befel him, one would think they should at least have startled and amazed him, and put his foul (as gracious and mortified as it was) into great diforder and confufion; but you find the contrary: never did the patience of a man triumph at that rate over adversity; he worships God, owns his hand, and resigns himself up to his pleasure, Job i. 20, 21. And whence was this? Surely had his ! troubles come by way of furprize, he could never have carried it at that rate; but in the days of his peace and profperity he had prepared for such a day as this, Job iii. 25, 26. " I was not in fafety, neither "had I rest; yet trouble came; the thing that I feared (faith he) " is come upon me." He laid it to heart before it came, and therefore it neither distracted, nor brake the heart when it came. In like imanner the prophet Habakkuk stood upon his watch-tower, i. e. he made his observations by the word upon the probable events of providence, whereby he got a clear forefight of those troublesome days that were at hand; which though it made him tremble in himself, yet it gave him reft in the day of evil, Hab. iii. 16, 17, 18. There is a twofold rest in the day of evil, viz. 1. A rest of deliverance. 2. A rest of contentation. It is a fingular mercy to find rest in a man's own spirit; to enjoy inward peace, and tranquillity of mind, when there is no rest without; and the way to obtain this, is to foresee, count upon, and make due preparation for troublous times before-hand: evils that come by way of furprizal, are not only amazing, but very frequently deftructive evils; it is a fad aggravation to feel a mifery, before we fear it; those calamities that find men fecure, do usually leave them defperate; the enemy that comes upon our backs hath a great advantage to ruin us, yet this is the common cafe of the world. "For man knoweth " not his time, but as the fishes are taken in an evil net, and as the " birds that are caught in the snare; fo are the fons of men snared " in an evil time, when it falleth on them fuddenly," Eccl. ix. 12. Thus perished the old world; there was but one Noah provided for the flood, and he only, with his family, was preserved in it: all the VOL. VI. C i reft were eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the flood came and swept them all away, Matth. xxiv. 38. Men will not use their foreseeing faculties; but because it is all quiet to-day, they conclude it shall be so to-morrow. Those that are at rest in their habitation, and have got a fafe pillow under their heads, are apt to fall afleep in security, and dream pleasantly of continued reft and peace; and loth they are to interrupt their fenfual pleasure with melancholy thoughts of changes and sufferings. Philofophers tell us, that immediately before an earthquake the air is very quiet and ferene; and before the great rain falls, the wind is usually still: were the aspect of second causes much more favourable and encouraging than it is; yet there is cause enough, for all that are wife in heart, to fear and tremble, under the confideration of that national guilt which is treasured up, and will certainly produce distress and trouble. O Christians! look out for days of visitation; prepare for a storm, and provide you an ark, an hiding-place in Christ, and the promises, as ever you expect rest, and peace in your own spirits, when the earth shall be full of tumults, uproars, and desolations. Secondly, Our preparation for fufferings is an excellent argument of the honesty and fincerity of our hearts, in the matters of religion: he that makes account of fufferings, and is daily at work with his own heart, mortifying its corruptions, weaning its worldly affections, exciting and making ready its fuffering-graces, resolving in the strength of God, to take his lot with Chrift, wherever, and howsoever it shall it fall; this is the man that hath deliberately closed with Christ upon his own terms, and is like to be the durable and victorious Christian. As for hypocrites, (Christ's summer friends) they have either their exceptions against the severities of religion, and study to fecure to themselves a retreat from danger, or else they rush inconfiderately into the profession of Chrift, never debating the terms which he proposes to all that will follow him, Mark viii. 34. The neceffity of a rational and well-advised clofure with Christ upon fuffering and felfdenying terms, is by himself fully fet forth in that excellent parable, Luke xiv. 25, 26, 27, 28. There was a great multitude that followed him at that time; Christ began to grow in request among them; they flocked from all parts to fee and hear him; but he forefaw, that if once a sharp trial should befal them, it would quickly thin, and diminish that great multitude, and reduce them like Gideon's host, into a little handful: and therefore he resolves to deal candidly and plainly with them; he propounds his terms, and fets down his conditions, which every one of them must subscribe, that will follow him; the sum of which is this, "Let him deny himself, take up his "cross and follow me." And to evince the rationality of these terms, he argues, from the most common and obvious practices of men in their civil affairs: no man, that exerciseth reason, will begin to build ! an house, and lay a large foundation, when he is not provided with a stock to carry up the walls, and complete the work: no man, in his wits would engage with a handful of men, against a great armed multitude; poffibly they may intend to face, but no man would think they intend to fight the enemy, on such a disadvantage. Just sostands the cafe in our profeffion of Christ; if we really intend to go through with the business of religion, we must fit down, and conipute the coft and charges of Chriftianity, think upon the worst, as well as the beft, reckon upon reproaches, prifons, and death for his fake, as well as the easier and more pleasant parts of active obedience; and having so done, if then we can be content to run all hazards, and forego all the refst upon his account, and accordingly manage ourselves in a day of fuffering, then we deal with Chrift, and clear ourselves from the danger of hypocrisy. It is for want of this, that so many profeffors faint, and fall away, in times of temptation, furnishing the devil with so many triumphs over religion, and the more upright profefsors of it. It was for want of depth of earth, (i. e.) a deep confideration, and well-rooted resolution at first, that the ftony-ground hypocrite so quickly withered away, when the fun of perfecution began to shine fervently upon him, Matth. xiii. 5, 6. And doubtless it is to prevent this fatal issue of our profeffion, that God makes such deep wounds by conviction upon his people's hearts at first; it is for our establishment in future trials, and fufferings, that he so distresses, and humbles them; that he makes sin so bitter and burdensome to them; as well knowing that all this is no more than needs, to prevent their returning again to fin, in the times of their temptation. O profeffor! if thou be one that art come to Christ in this way, and haft thus deliberately closed with him; if thou hast as well bethought thyself of bearing his cross, as of wearing his crown; thou haft then a fair evidence of the uprightness of thy heart, than which, the world affords not a sweeter comfort. Thirdly, The advantage of preparation for fufferings lies in this that it prevents, and cuts off the scandal and offence of the cross, with refpect both to ourselves, and others. First, It prevents our own offence at sufferings; and by Chrift's own testimony, that foul is blessed, that is not offended in him, Matth. xi. 6. Among the multitudes of professors, few are found that are no way offended at fuffering for Christ; they expected much peace, honour, and prosperity in the ways of religion, but finding their expectations frustrated, and their carnal interest rather exposed, than fecured by their profeffion of Chrift, they go back like those John vi. 66. and walk no more with him. And it is very remarkable, that Christ dates the offence that men shall take at him, from the first appearance of fuffering, Matth. xxiv. 8, 9. " All these are "the beginnings of forrows, and then shall many be offended." Sorrows and apoftacies commence together. But, reader, if thou be one that makest it thy business to forefee, 이 and prepare for an evil day, thou wilt have as good thoughts of Chrift, and his ways at the lowest ebb, as ever thou hadst in the greatest flourish, and time of profperity. "Great peace (faith the "Pfalmist) have they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend "them." O happy foul! whom no troubles, reproaches, or fufferings, are able to offend! thou mayest meet with prifons, death, banishments, yea, but more of these things shall offend, or stumble thee, but thou thalt peaceably and safely pass over them, because they are no more than thou expectest, and providest for. Secondly, And by this means thou wilt also prevent the offence and scandals of others at the ways of religion. It a sad, and dangerous thing to be an occasion of stumbling, either to the weak, or to the wicked. "Woe to the world because of offences, for it must needs " be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence " cometh," Matth. xviii. 7. The apostacies and finful compliances of ungrounded profeffors, and weak Chriftians, in times of temptation, are the woeful occafions of prejudicing others against religion, and shedding the blood of fouls. Ah! it were much better never to be in the ways of profeffion, than to be there only as a stone of ftumbling, and a rock of offence to others: but all this mischief will be prevented, by thy ferious expectation of, and provision for the evil day. Fourthly, A fourth excellency of preparation for fufferings lies in this, that it hath a tendency to convince and awaken the drowsy world. O! if the Lord's people would but engage in this work in earnest, and live as people that are providing for a storm, and refolve, in the strength of God, to run all hazards and hardships for Christ, I am perfuaded it would be of more use, to startle, and convince the world, than all the fermons that ever they heard: for here is that which dashes and cuts the throat of all our labours. We preach up felf-denial, and contempt of life, and liberty for Chrift: now though they hear us preach the neceffity, and excellency of these things, and hear you profefs them as your principles; yet when they look upon the lives of profeffors in times of danger, and find no proportion betwixt profeffion and practice; when they fee us cling to the world, and are as loth to give it up as others; when they observe prifons and fufferings affright and terrify us as much as those that make no profeffion; when they fee us start, like hares, at every found, and that we live not loose from the world, as men prepared to let it go and give it up for Chrift: why then they conclude that we dare not truft our own principles, when it comes to the push. And how can they be perfuaded to believe that which they think we ourselves do not really believe, although we perfuade them to believe it? My friends, the world hath eyes to see what you can do, as well as ears to hear what you can fay; and as long as they fee you do no more than others, you may talk your hearts out ere they will believe your way is better than others, 1 But now when perfecution ariseth, did they fee you providing yourselves for it, and putting on your harness to enter the lifts, carry your dearest enjoyments in your hands, and put on the shoe of preparation, to fellow the Lord through the roughest ways of sufferings; this would convince to purpose, and preach the excellency of Christ, the vanity of the creature, the rationality and certainty of Christian principles, in a more intelligible and rouzing dialect to them, than all our cheap and easy commendations of them did. And hence it is that Noah was faid to condemn the world, Heb. xi. 7. " By faith " Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet," i. e. of the deluge that was coming, though no appearance of it yet, the heavens being as clear as ever; yet believing the threatening, “He was movfed with fear." The fear of God, an effect of his faith in the word of God, moved (i. e.) impelled him to his duty; fet him about his preparation work to provide an ark, and this was it by which he condemned the world, left them excuseless. For they not only heard of an approaching flood by his ministry, but now faw he himself believed what he preached, by his daily preparations against it came. 0 Iconsider this, how much it would tend to the world's conviction; now they will fee that you are in good earnest, and that there is a reality in godliness: this will induce them to search into the matter more than ever, and remove those prejudices they have taken up against the good ways of God, as if they were but phantasms and conceits. 5. In the next place, this forefight and preparation must needs be an excellent thing, because the Spirit of God every where sets an honourable character upon it, and always mentions such persons with some singular commendation and respect. These only were wife men in the judgment of God, and all the rest (wha: great politicians foever they are famed to be among men) are accounted fools, Prov. xxii. 3. Ecclef. ii. 14. "The wife man's eyes are in his head; that is, he is a fore-feeing man; " but the fool goes on, and is punished;" Rushes on without confideration, suspecting no danger that he at present fees not, and so smarts for his folly. Beloved, there are figns of the times, as well as of the weather, Mat. xvi. 3. You may fee the clouds of judgment gathering, before the storm falls upon you. And this is the meaning of Zeph. ii. 1, 2. "Gather yourselves together, "before the decree bring forth, and the day pass as the chaff." Where there is a conception of judgment there will be a birth, unless the reformations and prayers of the faints cause it to miscarry. But it requires wisdom to difcern this; they must be men of much observation that can defcry it at a great distance; yet this may be done by confidering what God hath done in like cafes in former ages, when nations have been guilty of the fame fins as now they are: For God is as just now as then, and hates fin as much as ever he did; and partly by attending to things present, to what fulness and maturity the fins of a nation are grown, Joel iii. 16. or what beginnings of |