fury of the world is the ignorance of God,
and that men think that God is but an idol; and that there is no knowledge
above, that beholds their tyranny; nor yet justice that will, nor power
that can, repress their impiety. But the Spirit of truth witnesses the
contrary, affirming, that as the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and
as his ears are ready to receive their sobbing and prayers, so is his
visage angry against such as work iniquity; he hateth and holdeth in
abomination every deceitful and blood-thirsty man, whereof he has given
sufficient document from age to age, in preserving the one, or at least in
avenging their cause, and in punishing the other.

Where it is said, "That the Lord will come from his place, and that he
will visit the iniquity of the inhabitants of the earth upon them, and
that the earth shall disclose her blood;" we have to consider, what most
commonly has been, and what shall be, the condition of the church of God,
namely, that it is not only hated, mocked, and despised, but that it is
exposed as a prey unto the fury of the wicked; so that the blood of the
children of God is spilt like unto water upon the face of the earth.

The understanding whereof, albeit it is unpleasant to the flesh, yet to us
it is most profitable, lest that we, seeing the cruel treatment of God's
servants, begin to forsake the spouse of Jesus Christ, because she is not
so dealt with in this unthankful world, as the just and upright dealings
of God's children do deserve. But contrariwise, for mercy they receive
cruelty, for doing good to many, of all the reprobate they receive evil;
and this is decreed in God's eternal council, that the members may follow
the trace of the Head; to the end that God in his just judgment should
finally condemn the wicked. For how should he punish the inhabitants of
the earth, if their iniquity deserve it not? How should the earth disclose
our blood, if it should not be unjustly spilt? We must then commit
ourselves into the hands of our God, and lay down our necks; yea, and
patiently suffer our blood to be shed, that the righteous Judge may
require account, as most assuredly he will, of all the blood that hath
been shed, from the blood of Abel the just, till the day that the earth
shall disclose the same. I say, every one that sheds, or consents to shed
the blood of God's children, shall be guilty of the whole; so that all the
blood of God's children shall cry vengeance, not only in gene