religion and loyalty are not well conſiſtent. Who-ever they be that ſeparates them, religion is not to be blamed but they. It’s true it’s the duty of every Chriſtian to be loyal; yet I think the order of things are to be obſerved as well as their natures; the order of religion as well as the nature of it. Religion muſt not be the cock boat, it must be the ſhip: God muſt have what is His, as well as Cæſar what is his; and theſe are the beſt ſubjects that are the beſt Chriſtians. And that I am looked on as a friend to reformation in my glory.
3. There is another ſort that are truly godly, and to them I muſt vay what I fear, and every one hath reaſon to fear (it’s good to fear evil), it’s true the Lord may prevent it; but if he do not, and truly I cannot foreſee any probability of it) times are like either to be very ſinning or very ſuffering times; and let Chriſtians make their choice. There is a ſad di-lemna in the buſineſs, ſin or ſuffer; and ſurely, he that would chooſe the better part will chooſe to ſuf-fer. Others that will chooſe to ſin, ſhall not eſcape ſuffering. They ſhall ſuffer, but it may be, not as I do [turning about and pointing to the Maiden] but worſe: Mine is but temporal, theirs ſhall be eternal; when I ſhall be ſinging they ſhall be howling Be-ware therefore of ſin, whatever you are aware of, eſpecially in ſuch times.
Yet I cannot ſay of my own condition, but that the Lord in his providence hath mind of mercy to me, even in this world; for if I had been more fa-vourable dealt with, I fear I might have been over-come with temptations, as many others are, and many more, I fear, will be; and ſo ſhould have gone out of the world with a more polluted conſcience than, through the mercy of God, now I have. And hence my condition is ſuch now as when I am gone, will be ſeen not to have been ſuch as many imagined.
