38 A Sermon Preach'dJan. 3 I. 1669. ·--------------~~~--~----- [elves, ·who never thought of any other Crown· but of Martyrdom, and th:it which followed upon it, of Glory. They were not fuch martial and fighting Chriftians, :ts the .!\fen of our Times. And we may well wonder, if this GeneratiOn, who have been fo hot and fiery about littl e Circnmfrances, and th9ught the Debate of a Rite, or the !\'lode of Difcipline, caufe enough to warrant Arms, and Blood, and the Ruins of,Ringdoms.; I.ft~ey had lived in thofe Primitive and Apoftolical Days, how they wonl~ have cqmported themfelvcs tmder the Tyranny arid Cruelty of their Heathen Emperoufs. Certainly, if only a Conceit ~nd Fan€y of Snperftition, could now levy Aimies, and draw out theSword again(l:,..thofc, 'vho were acknowledgedly of' the fame Doctrine and Fa ith with thernfelves, wl1o held the fame Prafcjfion, the fame Baptifin, the fame Head,, the fame Gad, the Father of all, and agreed in all the Subfi:antials of one and the fame Religion; we may well think they would have flown out into all the Extremi ties of Blood and Violence, when no other choice lay before t~em, but either D-eath, or. Idolatry . T'hofe who could now think. i t lttwful · todepofc and murther a Chriftian King, would no doubt have thm1ght it meritorioUJ to arfaffinate a Pr~gan Perfocutor. The Church had been then Miiitant in another fenfe than it was: and Chrift might have had many Heaors, but few Martyrs . No, rhe mild and calm Spirit of the Gofpel taught them otherwi!C. Flying or dying were their only Refuges, and Prayers and Tears, their only Weapons. To read the Hifrori es of thofc firft Days of the Church is but to wade fo far in Blood. Such mul- •titudes perifh'd, of each Sex, of·all Ages, by wild Beafts, by Fire, by the Crofs, by the Sword, by all the witty * Cnrelties that rage could in- • QJ.tid {entislh lo~rnt mm fopplitiU t rggatnr, tnifa midtrl ('/JTijfo 1JiW1J m~rimdi pro ipfo, & qu1dtm ptr tandem eruum J~· · pt, 1Jtdum plr IJI•odorn qutqru m· gmia pa.•marwm? Ttrt11l. dt Rtfi,mll. t Ugt~b~Jutur , indudtba•tur, ~=~e~:::;;;~;,;:,cbt:~~~J.i:t:t~t: & multipliMbantltr. Aug. de Civ ic. Dei, /. 2 ~. t . 6. ~ Hinc>n. EpijM. ad ChTI· m:~tium & Htliodorum. vent, or power execute, that it is a wonder there were Perfecutonrs enough to deftroy them, and a far greater wonder that there were any left to fi1cceed in the Profeffion of the Gune Faith. But it was here true, what one of then,l faid, Sanguis Martyrum eft Semm Ecclefi.e : The Blood of Martyrs is the Seed of the Church : ·f· whence fprung up fi1ch a nnmerons Company of Confcfibu rs, as by their invincible Pat ience, not by Oppolition and Refiftance, wea~ ried ont.th,eirTonnenters, who had not ftrength enough to infliEt, wha'tthc Chriftians Jmd ftrcngth enough to foffir. ·Yea,, fo th ick was this Seed fown, that * St.;Jervm affigns no lefs than the Blooct of five thou{and Martyrs to every Day in the Year; only excepting the firfr o( 'January from. fo deep a Rubrick. And that which I cannot but account the hardefr and foreft tryal of the ir Patience, was , that whenfocver i t pleafed Almighty God to fend any notable Plague upon the World, as Sicknefs, or Drought, or Famine; whenfoever the Sea, or Rivers broke out, or a worfe Deluge of Barbarous and Savage Nations broke in upon the Romau Confines, !height the Ou~cry of the Rabble was, Chriflianos ad Lebnrs, Away witJJ the Chriftiam to the Lions, as Tertullian witneffeth in his .Apolagetick: ftrci ght the :mger of the God:> mull: be appeafed with the Blood of Chriftians, who for refuting to Sacrifice muft themfelves be made Victims. Now though it be a great provocation to become T urbulent and Seditious, when Men are cauflefly fufpeCted, and punifh'd as fi1ch already: Yet, fa ith our Apoftlc; though you arc fo dealt with, fpoken againft, and perfecuted as evil-doers, herein fhew your felvcs to be Chrift ians, that aim at greater Matters than what your EmpermlrS are jealous you will attempt to take from them; and be not only viaoriom in )'our O.m{fancy under Suffirings, but loyal alfa in your Obedience~ n_ndcr Sufpicious, and falfe Accufations. 'Tho~gh they [peak againft you M Evil-doers) as It lS v . 12. Yet fubmit your [elves to ~very Ordmance of Man, for the Lonfs fake . The words contain in them ; I. Firft1 An Authoritative Oimmand of Obedience. Submit your {elves. Jl. &condly, The Obj<rl to which this Obedience mull: be yielded. Every Ordinan" of Man. lii. Thirdly, The Divifion of this OrdiDance of Man i~to Suprtam ~nd Subordinate. Submit ;o the ~ng 114 SuprMm., and to Govemaurs font by b1m1 at fubordmate . Fourthly,
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