of Christ, and every thing else which belongs to them, to be treated thus ignominiously, basely, and criminally? Are we to do it that the kingdom of the devil might thereby stand, and be established and prevail, and the kingdom of God be oppressed and overcome? I would rather see with unconcern ten worlds perish ten times over, than see one Christian always remain in his sufferings-not to observe in the mean time how unworthy it would be of Christ himself, as well as of all Christianity, to remain long in such a state of contempt.

Therefore, it is ours to pray with an earnest and confident mind, 'Thy kingdom come.' And we ought moreover to desire and entreat with all diligence at the hand of God, that the world may perish and be utterly destroyed, and every thing that by its arrogance and blasphemy is contrary to Christ and his blood, and will not cease from raging against, contending with, and persecuting his miserable Christians.

Hence, the form of prayer prescribed by Christ teaches us, that we ought to pray earnestly and confidently that that day may come, and that we ought to call upon God without ceasing, that he would at length revénge, on those desperate and impious ungodly ones, the intolerable insult put upon his name, his blood, and all his other blessings; nor can, nor ought, any Christian to pray otherwise. And who ought to pray thus but the Christian, who is thus driven into straits and afflicted on account of his baptism and his Gopel, and on account of the kingdom and name of God, and who has no other refuge in this world but that of prayer? And he who has not these feelings, and that mind which may lead him to desire that day from his inmost soul, he by no means understands the Lord's Prayer, much less can he pray it from his heart. This I myself once very sensibly felt: and so much did I hate the Lord's Prayer, that I would rather be engaged in praying any other prayers. But this prayer becomes sweet when thou hast been tossed about by various sorrows and afflictions, and art suffering evils. When thou art under the pressure of calamities, thou wilt pray it

from thy heart. For which of us would not most ardently desire and pray, that we might be delivered from evil, and that all our miseries and vexations in the world might be brought to an end, when we see the world (which really is the case) willing to remain as it is, and not suffering its old habits to be altered, nor wishing nor desiring to amend its ways, but becoming daily worse and worse? For, as to myself, I do not live here otherwise than if I were placed in a den of robbers and murderers, where I could by no means defend and protect myself from violence. And here, I would try and do any thing to obtain the possibility of getting away or procuring to myself any one who could deliver me: as the good Cyprian says, Who can find any pleasure in living in such a filthy and turbulent state of things, where we are situated just as if we were placed in the middle of a circle, and darts and every kind of weapon were pointed at us on every side? And how can such an one be happy before he can behold some one who is able to rescue him from such a state?' So we also, when we seriously consider in what evils we are involved, and to what perils we are exposed; how the devil is laying snares for us in every direction, and attacking us with all his violence, whereby we are compelled to endure all his bitter weapons, and empoisoned darts; and how impossible it is for us ever to attain to any rest while death thus threatens us on the one hand, and calamities on the other; when we seriously consider these things, what can we desire with more earnest longings than that we may be delivered and rescued from such heavy calamities as soon as possible.

Wherefore, if thou be not filled with a desire after the coming of this day, thou canst never pray the Lord's Prayer, nor canst thou repeat from thy heart the Creed of Faith. For with what conscience canst thou say, 'I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting,' if thou dost not in thy heart desire the same? If thou didst believe it, thou must of necessity desire it from thy heart, and long for that day to come: which, if thou dost not desire, thou art not yet a Christian, nor

canst thou boast of thy faith. Nay, thou canst not even perceive the meaning of the Ten Commandments. For what is the meaning of those words, where it says, I am the Lord thy God-thou shalt not take my name in vain?' And again, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not commit adultery,' &c.? Do not these very words shew, to what sins and iniquities our life is subject? that we are in that state, that we cannot live without sins and the greatest perils, because the devil is striving with all his might that God may not be God alone, and that we might not live among each other a peaceable, quiet, and divine life? and that, the devil is ever establishing mere idolatry, and inventing abuses and blasphemies of the divine name, and driving men with all his powers to disobedience, seditions, wrath, lust, uncleanness, rapines, thefts, and murders, and to the perpetration of every iniquity and enormity? As a remedy against which, and for the averting of which, the Lord's prayer was formed and instituted by Christ himself. If therefore we feel those dire evils, and desire to be delivered from them, nothing else remains but that, now the remedy is shewn unto us, we use it with all devotedness, and that we cry unto God that his holy name may be sanctified, that his kingdom may come, that his will may be done, and that he would at some time or other deliver us from all evil.-For as I have often said, no better or more holy state of life is to be hoped for in this world: and more especially in these times, when it seems to be come to the height of its depravity, and to be on the brink of the gulph of perdition. For it is filled with a generation of their father the devil, and with those fruits concerning which no hope can be entertained: and all labour in attempting to reform and ameliorate it, is spent in vain. This we see openly for the Word of God goes on to be despised more and more, and errors of every description, pestilential sects, and enormous iniquities, gain ground daily; by all which, it is continually growing worse and worse, and leaves us no room to hope for any repentance. Why then should we have any desires to live amid such mise

ries and calamities? Nay, what consolation should we find if we should consider, what would be the life of men and the state of things in the world that should be left behind us, if, while we who have the Gospel are alive, all things are turned upside down?

But, even if we should not desire this last day for ourselves, yet the perils and necessities of our brethren scattered every where throughout the world, ought to move us to expect earnestly that day. And in what a state their affairs are we plainly see; for they are not only compelled to see and hear those things that fill them with the greatest grief, but to endure every kind of insult, violence, and injury, and the most bitter persecutions. Some of them are killed and murdered with diverse and cruel torments. And how many, I pray you, have we, during our lifetime, seen carried off, some being openly burnt, some destroyed by one punishment and another, and some despatched treacherously and clandestinely. I make no mention now of those saints who have been killed before us, since the days of Christ down to our times, or rather, since the beginning of the world;-whose blood, yet unrevenged, expects with longing desire the coming of that day, wherein they shall at once be called to the enjoyment of their longexpected honours, and shall see vengeance taken on the world. This John (Revelations vi.) shews; where God comforts those saints by saying unto them," that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also, and their brethren that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." Hence both the living and the dead saints require of us, that we should be a help to them in praying unto God, that he would hasten their redemption.

And what could happen to Christians more calamitous, than the being compelled utterly to hold their peace while under oppression, and while the devil and the world ceased not to rage against and triumph over them with all ferocity and exultation, but only went on to murder the more of them? What! shall we cease to pray, in order that men may seduce the more, and go on

to commit more and more those sins which they found it impossible to commit before? By that means, we should have to endure the more evils and wounds, and that, from our own fault!

We now hear and see, that the Turk-as well as the Pope-antichrist, rages against and assails the name of Christ and the blood of Christians with the most cruel tyranny, and that many diverse sects contradict our Gospel. Should we then still be sitting down with our hands folded, and calmly looking on, while the devil is exerting with all his power, and without intermission, every species of his lust and temerity? Should we not rather call upon God concerning it without cessation? There can be no vein of the Christian nature in thy body, if thou dost not beg of God from thy heart, to be delivered from such miseries as soon as possible.

Wherefore, if we have any desire to be Christians, we must give all diligence to devote ourselves to prayer with all our heart; even as Christ has taught us, and as our necessities urgently require. For it ought to be unto us a source of the greatest grief, to hear the Gospel and the name of Christ so awfully blasphemed, to see Christians so cruelly destroyed with such bitter persecutions, the true doctrine so opposed, the kingdom of the devil, together with every species of malice, iniquity, and sin, so encouraged by impunity, and every saint lying neglected, ground to dust and powder by persecution, and cast to oblivion.

Let us then cry unto God with as loud a voice as we can, praying that he would display and vindicate his honour and glory in himself and his Christianity; that he would revenge his name, and the blood of his children, and would exalt and bring them to that glory which he has promised them, and has of old prepared for them. And if, on account of thy flesh, thou feelest thyself still filled with fear and alarm concerning that day, then fix carefully in thy mind the words of Christ, by which thy heart is to be fortified, and in which he commands thee to lift up thy head and to be of good courage, calling that day our redemption;' that is, not