all with the Bereans to the touchstoneof the word.fhn Huffe was convertedby reading theScripture,then there was no en vifion. But the wordpreached is like the breast milke moft nourishing To reading adde meditation,meditate of the worth of this Pearle. What you read or heare labour to digeft by meditation, and to meditation adde conference, Mal..3. 16. fo those old Diltiples fpak: often one to anoth.r &c.

3ly. Seek the face of God by prayer. They that feek have a promife of finding Toaske for Chrift, and his grace is a Petition futeable to the will of God. And as king according to God's will wee have a promife of being heard.

Let us cry after Chrift, as hid treasures; Lord give me this pearle or elfe I am undone. Lets refolve with Bernard. Nunquam 17b.5. 14. difcedam à te, Domine fine te. Lets herein be importunate beggars take no nay, no repulfe, refolving never to be driven away from our Fathers doore.

4ly. Buy the truth, Prov: 23. 23. Bee at any coft, paines, or charges for the Purchase of truth, and whats the truth, xr, Joh. 14:6. I am the way, the truth, and the life. Give all dili gence to know the truths recorded in the word of God. Bee unwilfing to part with the smalleft truth. Take fuch a delight, and love to the truth, as thou wilt leave no meanes unattempted for the purchate of it. Every truth is gold, and the leaft fhaving of gold is precious. One truth is more worth than a world. Not an of truth fhall fall to the ground. Therefore thou muft ftudy the truth, read, pray, meditate, conferre, and hear to attain unto the knowledge of the truth.

sly. Laftly, buy this pearle of price, in the season and opportunity, when it's tendred. Take the benefit of the present time. To every thing there is a feafon, and a time to every purpofe under beaven, Ecclef. 3. 1. Let that excellent counfell make deep impreffion upon your fpirits, If.55.6. Seeke ye the Lord while he may be found, &c. And let ferufalems mifery be our warning peece, Luk, 19.42. If thou hadst known, even thou at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thy eyes.

Now is the market, it yet lafts (bleffed be God) other the opportunity. Neglect not these golden feasons now tendr'd to you. It's now day,fall a working, whilft its day,the night cometh, when no

man

man can work, Joh. 9.4. You have here a tender of the pearle of price this day; you know n' thether you fhall live to have a fecond tender, Lord of heaven fet home this word upon your confciences, and perfwade you speedily; readily, and cheerfully to fell all you have to purchase this Pearle of prioe,the Lord Jesus,who is of fuperlative value, rore worth then millions of worlds.

Elizbotch Whitmord Junior died may the "7" about ton 0 Clock in the forendonin 17582

σ

so faire

was so

My dafter War, that That god Lid, from my wife and I, are like to dis

us take

with groff and pain, our heach to ach

Ode beloved tender Child..

(96)

SERM. 5.
At St Maries

Oxon.
Decemb.24.
1648.

Thetext divided.

A Suffering Faith

Discovered from Philip. 1.29.

For unto you it is given in the behalfe of Christ,not onely
to believe on him, but also to suffer for his fake.

He Apoftle having encouraged the Philippians to contend for the faith συνθέντες ἐν τῇ σίτι verf. 27. prepares them for encounters with adversaries verf.28. And in nothing terrified by your adverfaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of falvation,and that of God:he tells them plainly what they must meet withall in the reafon of the Text. The words containe three generalls. A Duty, An Object, An Ability to performe the fame.

1. For the duty, and that is double, to believe, and to suffer, or it's but one,even a fuffering faith; 2. For the Object,its twice repeated, but one and the fame,on Chrift, and for Chrift: Chrift is the object of faith, and for his fake we must be willing to fuffer.

3. Here's the abilitie to performe both duties of believing, and fuffering: To you it is given: None can believe in Chrift, nor fuffer for Chrift, except it be given from above: Before I draw forth the Doctrine, I will infift a while in the explanation of the words: It's faid suir xapi, its gratia gratis data, e gratia gratum faciens. Faith is no hearb, that groweth in our gardens: but its a plant of our heavenly Father's plantation; Its an habit infuf'd by the spirit, the fupernaturall worke of God: No morali perfwafion, no principle of nature, no volumes of glimmering Philofophers can make difcovery of this pearle Nature is as dimme-fighted, as a mole, in divine myfteries: Its beyond the kenne of a naturall man to difcerne fpirituall things, 1 Cor. 2.14. But the naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishnee unto him: neither can he know them, because they are fpiritually difcerned. As John gave Testimonie

of

of Christ, John 3.27. That a man can receive nothing, except it be giv.n him from above, fo it may be faid of Faith, except it be given thee from above, thou canst not receive it. It follows are misdain. μεν το πιςεύειν

z, hence its evident that every faith is not a suffering faich: when the fonne of man comes fhall he find faith on the earth? A temporary, verball, dogmaticall, or hiftoricall faith are every where to be found like the Sycamores in the valleyes for abundance: Eut a true,faving, juftifying faich that will follow the Lamb where ever he goeth, be it to mount Calvary, as well as to mount Tabor, this is rare to be found. Here then is Shibboleth and Sibb leth, a note of diftin&tion between a common and a fpeciall faith, the faith of the world, and the faith of the faints to be found in the text, not only to believe but to fuffer. Then heres the object fpecified exps, s aur: Its a true obfervation, but not more common then true: Non poena fed caufa facit Martyrem, there are fufferings for our faults mentioned, 1 Per.2.20. For what glory is it, if when ye be buffetted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if when ye doe well, and fuffer for it,and take it patiently, this is acceptable with Ged: If fo we may thank our felves. But to die in Chriít, and for Chrift makes the fuffering glorious. Now how we may know, whether we fuffer for Chrift, you fhall heare anon in the particular Application.

From the words thus divided and expounded, I fhall collect this entire point of Doctrine, which I lay for the ground worke of my enfuing meditation.

Method

That its the duty of true believers, not onely to believe on Chrift, but Doctrine. likewife chearfully and readily to fuffer for him, when he calls them thereunto. I interpofe on purpole this limitation, when Chrift calls; Because we may not create evill to our felves nor run without a calling, fo farre as we have a lawfull calling in doing or fuffering we may expect a blefling and no farther. Now that I may handle this Doctrine(as I defire)in a profitable method, I fhall ufe all pla ineneffe,and perfpicuity of fpeech. I fhall onely propound three Heads of difcourfe, fomething by way of 1lluftration, fomething by way of Confirmation, and fomething by way of Application.

propound d.

1. First for Illuftration, time would faile me to inlarge my felfe. 1 For Illustrain fo great a cloud of witneffes. The 11 of the Hebrewes is an Epi-ion. tome of a larger Booke of Martyrs. Abraham did not onely believe but fuffer for Chrift, Heb.11.8,9,10. By Faith Abraham when he was call: d to gee out into a place,which he should afterwards receive for an in

beritance,

heritance,obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whither he went: by Faith be fojourned in the land of promife, as in a strange country, dwelling in ta bernacles with Ifaac and Jacob, the heires with him of the fame promise. For he looked for a City which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God: Mofes did not onely believe but fuffer, Heb. 11. 24, 25. By faith Mofes, when he was come to yeares, refused to be called the Sonne of Pharaohs daughter, chufing rather to fuffer affliction with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of finne for a feafon, verf. 37. They were Stoned, they were fawn asunder, were tempted, were flain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins, and goat skins,being deftitute, afflicted, tormented: Paul makes a catalogue of his fufferings; 2 Cor.1.23, 24. Are they the Ministers of Jefus Chrift? Ifpeake as a foole, I am in labours more abundant: in ftripes above measure: in prifons more frequent: in deaths oft: Of the fewes five times received I fourty stripes fave one. Paul's fufferings were abounding sufferings, 2 Cor. 1.5. for as the fufferings of Christ abound in us, fo our confelation alfo aboundeth by Chrift. Review his proteftations, Acts 21. 13. Then Paul answered, what meane je to weepe, and to break mine heart, for I am ready, not to be bound only, but also to die at ferufalem for the name of the Lord Jefus and fee what Doctrine he teacheth, Acts 14. 22. Confirming the foules of the Difciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdome of God and fee the confirmation of his doctrine, Acts 20.22,23. And now behold I goe bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Jave that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every City, faying, that bonds and afflictions abide me. Through all Centuries we read of the sufferings of the Saints, Abel was the Protomartyr in the old Testament. Stephen in the new: Noahs arke toff'd up and down upon the furface of the waters was a Type of the militant Church, David was hunted as a Partridge in the wilderneffe; fee Acleth fhabar the infeription of Pfal. 22. The paffage of the Ifraelites through the hind of the red fea to Canaan was a type of the afflicted condition of the the morning. Church of God; Elias was perfecuted by Jezabel. The Prophet

Efaiah was fawn afunder: fer my was put into a dungeon,and afterwards fton'd to death in Egipt: Ezekiel was flaine in Babylon: Micah thrown down a fteep place, and his neck broke. All the Apofties (as Ecclefiafticall writers mention )were put to death, excepting John, that was banished into the Isle of Patmos. Peter, Andrew, and Philip were Crucified: James was flaine by the fword of Herod. Bartholomew