therefore, if he will learn this lesson, he must make choice of better masters; and listen in the first place to the advice of Solomon : "Trusta in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding:" and to that oracle of the Son of God himself: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Then must he raise up his thoughts to the height of that beatitude, which our Saviour's own mouth hath given assurance of to all such as will be ruled by him herein: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the prophets" which were before you. Where, for the recompence of the reward, he is to weigh with St. Paul how "ourd light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory:" and for the precedent of the prophets, to give ear unto that exhortation of St. James: "Take, my brethren, the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction," and of patience; and withal to cast his eye not only upon that "great cloud of witnesses" in the time of the Old Testament, of whom some "were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection; others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, of bonds and imprisonment; were stoned, were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword," &c. but also upon that innumerable company of confessors and martyrs in the time of the New: the former of whom," after they were illuminated, endured a great fight of afflictions, partly whilst they were made a a Prov. chap. 3. ver. 5. c Matt. chap. 5. ver. 10, 11, 12. Heb. chap. 12. ver. 1. b Matt. chap. 16. ver. 24. e James, chap. 5. ver. 10. gazing stock, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly, whilst they became companions of them that were so used, and took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance:" the other lovedi not their lives unto the death, but laid down their "heads for the witness of Jesus," and by that glorious "death' of theirs glorified God." But above all we are to "lookm unto Jesus" himself, the author and "finisher of our faith: who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." With which highest example (of him, who "thought" it no robbery to be equal unto God," and yet "humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross") St. Peter closeth up those "forcible words" of his, wherewith he thus presseth the performance of this passive obedience whereof now we speak: "This is thank-worthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." But those stiff spirits, that will not stoop unto this passive kind of obedience, if they can help it, think they have stricken the matter dead by proposing this case unto us: "Suppose," say they, "the king should command us to worship the Devil. Would you wish us here to lay Rev. chap. 12. ver. 11. John, chap. 21. ver. 19. n Phil. chap. 2. ver. 6, 8. * Ibid. chap. 20. ver. 4. Job. chap. 6. ver. 25. "How forcible are right words?" P 1 Pet. chap. 2. ver. 19, 20. &c. down our heads upon the block; and not give us leave to stand upon our guard, and to the utmost of our power repel the violence of such a miscreant? If not, what would become of God's Church, and his religion?" As if this had been a new case, never heard of before: and the apostle had not sufficiently declared unto us, that "the things which the Gentiles sacrificed, they sacrificed to devils and not to God." And yet when this devil-worship was so vehemently urged by the cruel edicts of the persecuting emperors, did the Christians ever take arms against them for the matter? or betook themselves to any other refuge but fervent prayers unto Almighty God, whom they acknowledged to be their prince's only superior, and patient suffering of what disgrace or punishment soever should be imposed upon them? To the cheerful undergoing whereof, see how St. Peter, in that fore-cited epistle, doth animate and encourage them: “Beloved', think it not strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice, in as much as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth on you: who on their part is evil spoken, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." Lo, "there is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Here are they that stuck not to "resist' unto blood, striving against sin:" and yet make conscience of resisting the power of their prince; as having learned that their obedience to God might well stand with their subjection to the authority placed by him in man. 1 Cor. chap. 10. ver. 20. Rev. chap. 14. ver. 12. 1 Pet. chap. 4. ver. 12, 13. &c. Whereby so far off was it that "The" gates of hell (or death) did not prevail against the Church," that the blood of this noble army of martyrs became the fruitful seminary thereof. For "the Christian faith, for many ages together, being distressed every way by nations, kings, laws, slaughters, crosses and deaths, and yet no manner of way repressed; yea, in the midst of these, and by the means of these, it grew," saith Paulus Orosius. "The world raged," saith St. Augustine, "the lion lifted himself up against the lamb, but the lamb was found stronger than the lion. The lion was overcome by shewing cruelty, the lamb did overcome by suffering.' And St. Hierome: "By shedding of blood, and by suffering rather than doing injuries, was the Church of Christ at first founded: it grew by persecutions, and by martyrdoms was crowned." 99 But if men's hands be thus tied," will some say, "no man's state can be secure: nay, the whole frame of the commonwealth would be in danger to be subverted, and utterly ruined, by the unbridled lust of a distempered governor." I answer, God's word is clear on the point: "Whosoevera resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist, shall receive to themselves damnation:" and thereby a necessity is imposed upon us of being "subject, even for conscience' sake;" which may not be avoided by the pretext of any ensuing mischief whatsoever. For by this means we should have liberty given unto us to "speak" evil of the law, and to judge the law. "Matt. chap. 16. ver. 18. * "Christiana fides per multa retro secula, sævientibus undique adversum se gentibus, regibus, legibus, cædibus, crucibus ac mortibus, reprimi nullo modo potuit; imo inter hæc et per hæc crevit." P. Oros. histor. lib. 6. cap. 1. y "Fremuit mundus, erexit se leo adversus agnum: sed fortior leone inventus est agnus. Leo victus est sæviendo, agnus vicit patiendo." Augustin. in Psalm. 149. z "Fundendo sanguinem, et patiendo magis quam faciendo contumelias, Christi fundata est Ecclesia: persecutionibus crevit, martyriis coronata est.” Hieron. adversus errores Johan. Hierosol. epist. 39. op. tom. 4. pag. 338. a Rom. chap. 13. ver. 2. 5. b James, chap. 4. ver. 11. But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge," saith St. James. It becomes us in obedience to perform our part; and leave the ordering of events to God, whose part only that is. સ Again, the ground of this objection is exceeding faulty; and standeth not with the rules of humanity or divinity, either of sound policy or true piety. For in the one, who of us have not heard of that common rule of our common law, that "a mischief is better than an inconvenience?" Not that our common lawyers were so void of common understanding, as to imagine that a mischief, in itself formally considered, should be preferred before an inconvenience but that an inconvenience, the consequence whereof would reach unto the general, should much more be prevented than any mischief which might fall out in any particular case, or tend to the greatest detriment of any person individual. Thus, for the determining of matters of fact, and the judgment depending thereupon, the law established by God himself is this: "At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death." By the subordination of false witnesses it falleth out here that Naboth who is not worthy of death, is yet put to death. The shedding of innocent blood, a very great mischief in that particular; but yet was to be given way unto, rather than the inconvenience should be admitted in the general, that nothing should be determined upon the testimony of two witnesses. So, in the defining of matters of right, sometimes it so falleth out, that by the unskilfulness, negligence or corruption of the judge, the cause of the righteous is overthrown, and judgment quite perverted: and yet is he, notwithstanding his miscarriage in such particulars, accounted still in the number of the gods; and his tribunal graced with the honourable title of "the place of judgment and the place of righteousness." And therefore, as our Sa Deut. chap. 17. ver. 6. • Psalm 82. ver. 1, 2. 5, 6. d Kings, chap. 21. ver. 13. |