sight of them, and the senses recoil at beholding them? And, to what would God lead us by setting before us these pitiable objects of our flesh and brotherhood? but, that he might thereby open the eyes of our mind, to see how far more dreadful a spectacle the soul of the sinner exhibits, even though he himself should be clothed in purple and gold, and be even in the midst of roses and lilies, like a son of Paradise? And how many sinners are there in the world compared to one of these poor, filthy, and diseased creatures? It is when we think nothing either of the magnitude or multitude of these infinite evils in our neighbours, that we are led to imagine, that every little evil that comes upon us is the only, or the greatest, evil there is.

But farther-grant it to be necessary, that they should, as to corporal evils, be in a worse condition than ourselves: yet, supposing they had, and could obtain, all that they could wish for, what could they enjoy that is sweet or truly happy, while their conscience is unable to find rest? Is there any evil more dreadful than the biting sting of conscience? For Isaiah saith, chap. lvii. "The wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” In such, therefore, you may see fulfilled that scripture, Deut. xxviii. "The Lord shall give thee a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind. And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life. In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes wherewith thou shalt see."

In a word, if any man should see all the evils of the wicked whether they were his friends or his enemies, and rightly think of them, he would not only forget all his own evils, and consider his own afflictions as nothing, but would break out like Moses and the Apostle Paul, requesting" to die" for their sakes, and

to be "accursed from Christ," and to be "blotted out of the book of life," that they might be delivered. For it was with this zeal and ardent love that Christ died for us, and descended into hell; leaving us an example, that we should be so concerned for the evils of others, that we should forget ourselves, yea bring evils upon ourselves for their sakes.

VIEW VI.

OF THE EVILS ON OUR RIGHT HAND.

On the right hand are our friends: and, that our evils ought to be mitigated by theirs, Peter also teaches, 1 Epist. v. "Resist the devil strong in the faith; knowing, that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." Hence, the church requests in her prayers, that, being provoked to emulation by the examples of the saints, we should imitate their fortitude under sufferings. And she sings of what torments all the saints endured that they might obtain the martyrs' crown.

From the words and canticles of the church, we understand, that the festivals, memorials, churches, altars, names, and images of the saints were therefore held in honour and multiplied, that we might be animated by their examples to the enduring of those evils which they suffered. And, if they be held in honour to any other end besides this, the whole of that worship is nothing but superstition. For there are many who celebrate all these things to the intent that they might not endure those evils, which the saints, by their example and memory, teach us to endure; and that they might not become like unto those whose festivals they celebrate, that they might be made like unto them.

But the Apostle, Heb. xii. handles this part of our consolation most beautifully, where he says, "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the

chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth; and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastisement, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they, verily, for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holinsss. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby." Thus speaketh, Paul.

Who may not tremble at these words of Paul, where he plainly shews, that those who are without chastisement are not the sons of God? And again, who may not be most strongly confirmed and most effectually comforted when he hears, that those who are chastened are beloved of God, are the sons of God, are in communion with all the saints, and are not the only ones who endure affliction? This powerful consolation makes the chastisement even sweet!

Nor is there here any place for excuse, by saying, that the sufferings of some are lighter or heavier than those of others: for, every one has his temptation according to his measure, and that, not beyond his powers to bear: as in Ps. lxxx. "Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, and givest them tears to drink in measure." The same also does Paul say, 1 Cor. x. God is faithful; who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it.' And, where the evil is the greater, there is a greater provision also of the divine assistance; so that the differences of the sufferings are more in appearance, than

they are in reality. For might not John the Baptist, whom we at this day commemorate as beheaded by Herod, fill us with astonishment? that he, being so great a man, a greater than whom had not been born of women, and who was the intimate friend of the bridegroom, the forerunner of Christ, and the greatest of all the prophets, should be killed, not by the execution of any public sentence, nor even upon any false accusation, as Christ was, nor by the voice of the people, but in a prison on account of the dancing of an adulteress' daughter? Such an ignominious death of one saint, and a life thus vilely and most shamefully given into the hands of an adulteress who was his bitterest enemy,such an example, I say, should at once make all our evil to appear as nothing. He perished as though unknown either to God, to man, or to any creature! What do we suffer in comparison with the death of this saint! We may, I will not say glory in, but be ashamed of, all our sufferings, when we draw the comparison. If we wish to endure no suffering, where shall we appear when such great men suffered deaths so ignominious which they never deserved, and when their bodies, after they were dead, were exposed to the insults of the populace? For thus saith the Lord by Jeremiah, "Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup, have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it," Jer. xlix.

Right, therefore, was that eremite, who, when he had been usually sick every year, and during one certain year had not been sick at all, began to be sorrowful and to lament; saying, that God had forgotten him, and had denied him his grace.-So necessary and salutary is the chastening of the Lord for all Christians.

We see, however, how all our sufferings sink into nothing, when we consider the nails, the dungeons, the swords, the fires, the beasts, and numberless other torments of the saints: nay, even if we consider the temptations of those living immediately around us, who are

suffering the bitterest persecutions of the devil: for there are many who suffer, both in body and in spirit, far more heavy and bitter things than we do.

But here, perhaps, some will say-My distress is, that my suffering is not worthy of being compared with the sufferings of the saints; for I am a sinner and not worthy to be compared with them at all. They suffered for their innocence, but I suffer for my sins: therefore, it is not to be wondered at if they endured their sufferings joyfully. This is great folly; for if thou suffer for thy sins, thou oughtest to rejoice, in that thy sins are purged from thee. And were not the saints sinners?

But, thou wilt say again--I greatly fear, that I am like Herod, and the thief on the left hand of Christ.If thou art patient, thou art not like them. For, what distinguishes between the thief on the left hand, and him on the right, but patience, and impatience? If thou art a sinner, well: the thief was a sinner also: but his patience of justice was followed by the glory of holiness. Do thou then likewise. Thou canst not suffer, but for thy sins, or for justice and each suffering sanctifieth and rendereth happy, if thou love it. Hence, there is no place left for excuse. And, in a word, the moment thou confessest that thou sufferest for thy sins "justly," thou art just and holy; as was the thief on the right hand, For the confession of sin, as it is truth, sanctifies and justifies; and thus, from the moment of this confession, thou sufferest not for thy sins, but for thy innocence : for a just man cannot suffer but innocently: and thou art made just, upon thy confession of thy deserved sufferings and thy sins. And hence, thy suffering may really and truly be compared with the sufferings of the saints; even as, thy confession of thy sins may really and truly be compared with the same confession of the saints. For the truth in all, the confession of all, the suffering of all, are the same: and the communion of the saints is truly the same in all the saints and in all things.