Look not upon the sufferings of God’s people for their religion, to be tokens of God’s great anger.  It is, to be sure, as our heavenly Father orders it, rather a token of his love; for suffering for the gospel and for the sincere profession of it, is indeed a dignity put upon us, a dignity that all men are not counted worthy of.  Count it therefore a favor that God has bestowed upon thee his truth, and grace to enable thee to profess it, though thou be made to suffer for it.

Let God’s people think never the worse of religion because of the coarse entertainment it meeteth with in the world.  It is better’to choose God and affliction, than the world, and sin, and carnal peace.

It is necessary that we should suffer, because we have sinned; and if God will have us suffer a little while here for his word, instead of suffering for our sins in hell, let us be content, and count it a mercy with thankfulness.

The wicked are reserved to the day of destruction, they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.  How kindly, therefore, doth God deal with us, when he chooses to afflict us but for a little, that with everlasting kindness he may have mercy upon us.

Since the rod is God’s as well as the child, let us not look upon our troubles as if they came from and were managed only by hell.  It is true, a persecutor has a black mark upon him; but yet the Scriptures say that all the ways of the persecutor are God’s.  Wherefore as we should, so again we should not, be afraid of men:  we should be afraid of them, because they will hurt us; but we should not be afraid of them as if they were let loose to do to us and with us what they will.  God’s bridle is upon them, God’s hook is in their nose; yea, and God hath determined the bounds of their rage; and if he lets them drive his church into the sea of troubles, it shall he hut up to the neck; and so far it may go and not he drowned.  Isaiah 8:7, 8.

“May we not fly in a time of persecution?  Your pressing upon us that persecution is ordered and managed by God, makes us afraid to fly.”

Thou mayest do in this even as it is in thy heart.  If it is in thy heart to fly, fly; if it be in thy heart to stand, stand.  Anything but a denial of the truth.  He that flies, has warrant to do so; he that stands, has warrant to do so.  Yea, the same man may both fly and stand, as the call and working of God with his heart may be.  Moses fled, Moses stood; Jeremiah fled, Jeremiah stood; Christ withdrew himself, Christ stood; Paul fled, Paul stood.

But in flying, fly not from religion; fly not, for the sake of a trade; fly not, that thou mayest have care for the flesh:  this is wicked, and will yield neither peace nor profit to thy soul, neither now, nor at death, nor at the day of judgment.

The hotter the rage and fury of men are against righteous ways, the more those that love righteousness grow therein.  For they are concerned for it, not to hide it, but to make it spangle; not to extinguish it, but to greaten it, and to show the excellency of it in all its features and in all its comely proportion.  Now such an one will make straight steps for his feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way.  Heb. 12:  13.