ment; fo we cannot fufficiently admire the Divine Bounty for putting into our Hands the Opportunity of cancelling with fo much Eafe the great Debt we have contracted to him.

The third and last Reason is, because Chrift, who is the Pattern of all Chriftians, having been pleafed to choose a fuffering Life for himself; it is requifite that every Christian should be conformable to him in this Point: First, becaufe, as the Gospel tells us, the Perfection of a Difciple confifts in being like his Master: And Secondly, because, according to St. Paul's Doctrine, God has decreed that one Condition neceffary to prepare the Predeftinate for the State of Blifs, fhall be their Conformity to the Image of his Son. Whence it follows, that by their being Sufferers like him, they are perfected in this Life, and fitted for the Life to come: And fo it is no Wonder, that the Love God bears the Predeftinate fhould prompt him to furnish them with fuitable Means, to procure them this double Blefing.

Hence follows another comfortable Con fideration, wherewith I will end; to wit, that the Afflictions of this Life, entitle us to everlafting Joys: For the fame Divine Lips, that pronounced this terrible Sentence, Wo be to you who laugh, for ye Vol. III.

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fball weep hereafter, have alfo deliverd this comfortable Truth, Bleffed are they who weep, for they shall be comforted; and our Saviour had no fooner told his Apostles that the World Should rejoice, and they should be forrowful, but he immediately allay'd the Bitterness of this Sentence with the following Promife, but your Sorrow shall be turn'd into Joy. Our dear Redeemer calls us indeed to a Share in his Sufferings, but upon these advantagious Terms, that we fhall hereafter be Partners with him in his Glory; he invites us now to a Part of his bitter Cup, but upon Promife to admit us hereafter to the full Torrent of heavenly Delights. And is not this a folid Comfort to a Chriftian Soul? Is it not a Cordial to revive our Spirits under the heaviest Load of Afflictions? Can we be unwilling to fuffer upon Terms of fuch Advantage? To pass through fhort Afflictions to eternal Reft? To endure fome fmall Pain or Trouble, for a Happiness that will never end?

For, are not allSufferings fhort and small, when compared with Joys that are infinite and everlasting? St. Paul allows them in a Manner no Duration at all in the Comparison; but calls them light and momentary: Nay they might juftly be call'd momentary, tho' they fhould laft a Man's whole Life without Intermiffion; because

even the very longest Term of Years we can imagine, has lefs Proportion to Eternity, than one fingle Minute has to whole Ages. Now who of us all would not be willingly afflicted for fome Moments, upon Condition he were to be completely happy his whole Life after? And ought we not then even to rejoice in the Afflictions of this Life, fince a whole Eternity of Joys, may be purchased with them.

Hear how our Saviour preffes this Argument to his Apoftles. Bleed are ye, fays he, when Men fhall revile you, and perfecute you, and ball fay all manner of Evil against you falfely for my Sake; rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your Rewara in Heaven. You fee he pronounces them bleffed, when they fhall be under Perfecution and Affliction; and exhorts them to rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: And why fo? because their Reward is great Heaven. This has been the Comfort of all Saints that have gone before us: They have all paffed through many Tribulations to the Kingdom of Heaven. They were content to fow in Tears, because they were affured they should hereafter reap in Joy. Let this then also be our Comfort; let the Hopes and Expectation of those bleffed Joys, fupport us under the Sufferings of this Life; and when the Weight of any 0 2 Trouble

Trouble begins to prefs hard upon the Soul, let us reflect that Croffes and Afflictions are the kindeft Pledges of God's Love, the fureft Marks of Predeftination, and the Seeds of everlafting Glory.

These Confiderations, if often repeated, and deeply imprinted in the Mind, will by Degrees work Nature into a ready Acquiefcence to whatever Almighty God fhall ordain: Not that they will utterly ftifle all inward Disturbances, or prevent all fudden Surprises of Grief: For Flesh and Blood will have their Grains of Allowance; Conftitution and Temper muft alfo be confider'd; nor can the Workings of an unruly Imagination be altogether fupprefs'd: But the Purpose they are chiefly defign'd to be ferviceable to, is to keep the Heart at leaft in a steady Subjection to the Will of God, even whilft the fenfitive Part of the Soul feems to mutiny and rebel: If they have not Force enough to difpel all Clouds of Sadness, they will at leaft fo far hinder them from darkening the Soul, that the Light of Faith and Reafon will still have the chief Direction of her: Finally, they will moderate our Grief, and keep it under Restraint; tho' they cannot utterly deftroy it. This, I fay, is the Use they are intended for; and therefore when I faid that the forementioned Confiderations will

make

make us receive Afflictions, not only with Patience, but even with Joy; my Meaning is not, that we shall be delighted with the painful Part of our Sufferings; but that in fpite of their Difagreeablenefs to Sense and Nature, we shall find Motives enough to rejoice in them; not for their own Sake, but as the Will of God is confider'd in them, and for the Bleffings they intitle us to: So that whilft the Body is uneafy and finarting under the Scourge, the Soul may be filled with Comfort and Joy, in feeing herself in fo good a Way to the fecure and everlasting Poffeffion of the infinite Good for which She is Created.