256 SERMONS upon Serm,29 Scripture, as the publick Record for the trial of Dottrines. When Heirs wrangle, they go to the Lail Will and Teftament. (2) By Martyrdom. The Patience and Conftancy of the Martyrs, who have rati- fied this Truth with the tors of their deareft Concernments, yea, even of Life it fell. Rev. 12. II. They overcame by the Blood of the Lamb, and the Word of their Teffimony; and they loved not their Lives unto the Death. It is poffible that a Man may fuller for a falfe Religion, and facrifice a (tout Body to a flubborn Mind ; but becaufe there is counterfeit Coin, is there no true Gold ? The Devil's Martyrs are neither fo many for number, nor for temper and quality fo holy, fo wife, fo meek, as Chrift's Champions. The Chriftian Religion can thew you Perlons of all Ages, Young and Old ; of all Sexes, Men and Women ; of all Conditions of Life, Noble and of low Degree ; of Qu all alities,Learned and Unlearned ; Perlons that could not be fufpe&ed to be mopith or melancholy, or tired out with the Inconveniences of an evil World, but were in a capacity to enjoy temporal Things with the higheft delight and fweetnef, and yet counted not their Lives dear to them, to confirm the Truth of this Word : What is dearer to Men than Life ? And this, not out of any delire of vain Glory, their Death being accompanied with as many difgraceful as painful Circumfiances ; not out of any fenflefs ftupidity, or fiercenefs of Mind, they being of a meek Temper, and blamed for nothing elfe but their conftancy in afferting that Truth which they'profeffed ; not out of any confidence in their own ftrength, in bearing thofe horrible Cruelties that were intli&ed upon them, but humbly committing themfelves to God, and imploring his Strength, did deliberately and voluntarily give up themfelves to be cruelly butcher- ed and tormented, as a Teftimony of the Power of this Truth upon their Hearts; Come of them killing the Stake, thanking the Executioner ; others wreftling a while with Flefh and Blood, and natural delires of Life, yet ( the Love of the Truth pre- vailing) came at length to encounter the Horrors of a cruel Death, with a well-tem- pered Conflancy and Refolution ; which certainly in fo many thoufands, even to an incredible Number, could not be without fome Divine Power and Force upon their Souls. That all this fhould be done by Perlons otherwife of a delicate tender Senfe, and a meek and flexible Spirit ! what thould move them to it, but the Power of the Truth ? This being a Religion of little Reputation in the World, which the Philofo- phers, and Difputers of that Age, fought to batter down with Arguments; the Poli- ticians, with all manner of Difcouragements ; the Orators, with a Flood of Words ; the Tyrants, with Slaughters and Torments; the Devil, by all manner of Crafts and Subtilties. What had the poor Chriftians before their Eyes, but Prifons, and wild Beafts, and Gibbets, and Fires, and Racks, and torturing Engines more cruel than Death ? They had Flefh and Blood as well as others, a Nature that continually promp- ted them to fpare themfelves as well as others ; Life was as dear to them, and their care of their Families and Little -ones as great, their refile& to Parents and Friends as much in them as any ; yea more, Religion requiring natural Affe&ion in the higheft Exercife, and intendering their Hearts with a fence of their Duty : Yet rather than give their Bibles to be burnt, or be led away from their Religion, they could trample upon all. Certainly fuch an invincible conflancy could not be imputed to any rigid Sullennefs, or foolifh Obftinacy, or diftempered Stiffnefs, but meerly to the love of Truth, which prevailed over all other Concernments. Let it fhame us, that they could part with Life, and all their Interefts, for Chrift, and his Truth, and we cannot part with our Lulls ; they with their well-being, and we not with our ill - being. Could they fuller the Perfecutors to deftroy their Bodies ? and will not we fuffer the Fire of the Word to confume our Lulls ? Reafon and Confidence is calling upon us to quit there things, and yet we hug them to our great Prejudice ; we to whom a little Duty is fo irkfome, a little pains in Prayer fo tedious, what would we do if the Fires were kindled about us, and we were every day to carry our Life in our Hands, and could look for no- thing but Halters, and Stakes, and Inftruments of Deftru &ion ? Surely our Spirits are too filken and foft for fuch a Religion, fo abflra&ed from Eafe and Pleafure, and worldly Interefts. III. The Malignant World path owned it ; the deadly hatred of the Devil, and the conftant oppofition of wicked Men, is a proof of it. The Malignant World know it, and therefore they hate and oppofe it. The R.eafon of the Argument is, becaufe the Heart of Man is naturally . averle to God. t Cor. 2. 14. The natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foelifhnefs unto him : neither can be know them,
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