tages they may derive in the interim from this excellent virtue: and therefore not to let any keen resentment of injurious treatment too far transport them, nor make them too speedy in their demands or expectations of vengeance; but rather to bear, as well as they can, the ill usage they are likely to meet with from the common troubles and rencounters of life, as well as from malicious persecutions; remembering that it is written: "Wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger. Where you may observe, my

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brethren, that our Lord commands us to wait with patience for the day of vengeance. And in the book of Revelations he hath given out a farther order, saying: "Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be." Thus the martyrs who cried aloud for vengeance, and whose resentment made them somewhat too much in haste for it, were bid to wait for a little season, till the times should be fulfilled, and the number of those completed who should be killed as they

had been. Thus it is written: "When he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, how long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should be killed as

they were, should be fulfilled." When, in particular, vengeance shall be executed upon the shedders of innocent blood, the Spirit of God hath declared by the mouth of his prophet Malachi, saying: "Behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord." We read likewise to much the same purpose in the book of Psalms, where the coming of God in all the pomp of his majesty and solemn judgment is awfully set forth: "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his

righteousness; for God is judge himself." The prophet Isaiah hath likewise foretold the same thing, saying: "Behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh." And again:

"The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war; he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself; now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once." Who now is he who saith that he had long held his peace, but would not always do so? "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. 'The Lord God opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the smiters, and to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting." Even he, who, when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, answered nothing; and, to the great admiration of Pilate, persisted resolvedly in his patience and silence. This is the person whom the prophet alludes to, who, though he held his peace in suffering, will no

longer hold it when he cometh to take vengeance. This is our God, not the God of all, but of christians only, who believe and trust in his name. This is he who shall not keep silence when he shall appear again visibly to the world at his second coming; for as at his first coming his majesty was veiled by his humility, so at his second, he shall come with power and great glory.

16. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let us wait contentedly for him, as our judge and our avenger, who will be sure of doing justice to himself and to the members of his church, as well as to all righteous persons who have lived since the world began. And let every man, by the way, consider, who is so much in haste to have vengeance executed upon his enemies, that he who is to execute it hath not yet taken it of his own enemies. God the Father hath appointed that adoration should be paid to his Son; and the apostle St. Paul, in conformity to that appointment, hath expressly told us: "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." And in the book of Revelations we may observe the angel restraining St. John, who would have worshipped him, from doing it, saying: "See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings

of this book; worship God." How uncommon a person must this Jesus be, and with what extraordinary patience endowed; who, though he be worshipped in heaven, is not yet avenged upon earth? Let his patience therefore be our pattern, in all our sufferings and persecutions; and let us contentedly adjourn all our views and expectations of vengeance to his second coming. Let us not, who are his servants, be so unbecoming in our wishes or prospects, as to think of being vindicated till he hath been so; rather let us labour, with our best and most diligent endeavours, to be found constant and persevering in our obedience to all his commandments; that so when the day of wrath and retribution shall approach us, we may not be consigned to a state of punishment with the wicked and ungodly, but, with righteous men, who fear God, may enter upon the possession of our joy and crown.

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