The Way to True Happiness, Sermon 22
The two and twentieth SERMON.
MATTH. 5.10.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousnesse sake: for theirs is the kingdome of heaven.
GReat is the mysterie of godlinesse, that is, All things belonging to piety are carried in a mysterie. Here is strange doctrine delivered: viz. A mans happinesse begins in poverty, and ends in persecution.
Wee have passed through all the former steps to mans blessednesse, and now we are upon the last, where all goodnesse must end persecution. How farre persecution may carrie a blessing, and in what sense it is said to bee a blessed thing to suffer persecution, wee shewed you the last day: what time also wee commended unto you the maine point from the connexion; and that was, That every of Christs true disciples must looke for persecution. Though he exercise all the forementioned graces, which are such as a man might thinke would beare one through the world without persecution, yet they must reckon upon it, they shall be persecuted: and thereupon our Saviour here fals upon the doctrine of persecution, Blessed are the persecuted.
The words are spoken by way of preoccupation. Our Saviour here prevents an objection: for some might say, If I should apply my selfe to this method here set downe in the verses going before, I should be hated, reviled, persecuted, and how then could I be thus blessed as you speak of? Nay, saith our Saviour, notwithstanding all this, if you be such as is before described, poore in spirit, sorrowfull for sinne, pure, peaceable, meeke, &c. though you be persecuted, yet neverthelesse yee shall be blessed; So then another thing that we have to take up from the words is this.
Doctr. That persecution is not any perjudice or barre at all to a mans blessednesse. If a godly man be persecuted, hee is never a whit the farther from blessednesse, for that to bee persecuted and withall blessed, are not termes incompatible, they may and oftentimes doe meet in one and the same person. Hence it is, that they are here coupled by our Saviour, and exprest both in a breath. Blessed are the persecuted. Hence the Apostles often, as Saint Iames, cap. 1.12. Blessed, saith he, is the man that endureth temptation, (yea though it bee the firery triall) for after he is tried a while (that is all the hurt it shall doe him) at last hee shall be a blessed man, hee shall receive a crowne of glory: So Saint Peter: If yee be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are yee. 1. Pet. 4.14. So that it is a piece of a mans happinesse (at least an appendant) to be reproached for Christ. To the same purpose is that we reade, Revel. 14 13. I heard a voyce from heaven saying, unto mee, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth, yea saith the Spirit. If man had spoken it, the truth of it might have beene called into question, but now the Spirit hath said it, there is no place left for doubting. And of whom speakes the spirit here, that they are blessed, but of such as suffer'd in the quarrell of Christ under Antichrist? though they were persecuted to the death, yet were they in all this blessed men. So that you see blessednesse and persecution may agree in one proposition; they may also concurre in one and the same person; witnesse David, a man he was after Gods owne heart, and yet persecuted: witnesse the Prophets and men of God of old, So persecuted they the Prophets that were before you, as it is in the verse immediatly following the text: witnesse the Apostles of Christ, concerning whom Saint Paul testifies in the name of himselfe, and of them all, that they were persecuted, though not forsaken, &c. witnesse hee that is beyond all exception, Christ himselfe, God blessed for ever; and yet was hee persecuted in his owne person, and is still persecuted in his members, Saul, Saul why persecutest thou me? so that persecution, you see, doth no whit impeach the Christian mans happinesse.
The truth of this will be yet further apprehended, if you looke upon a Christian in his severall happinesses. First, subjective and formall, secondly, objective; thirdly, locall.
For the first of these: A Christians formall, inherent, inward happinesse, it stands in the image of God; in being like his maker.
Reas. 1. The creatures happinesse is his holinesse. Now persecution is no hinderance to a mans holinesse, whether you consider it in the roote or fruite.
Looke upon holinesse in the roote and habit, and it is no whit diminshed or obscured by persecution. Indeed persecution may take off the leaves with its violent blasts, as a storme: but the sap continues still. And as when corne is winnowed, the fanne disperseth and drives away the chaffe, but the wheat abides. And as when gold is cast into the fire, the drosse indeed is severed from it, and wasted, but the gold (if it be good) continues without diminution: So doe all the graces of the Spirit in time of persecution. S. Peter instanceth in one, and that's faith, 1. Pet. 1.7. The triall of your faith is much more precious than that of gold that perisheth, though it be tryed with fire, &c. What hee saith of faith, is true of the rest: humility, wisedome, patience, &c. they lose nothing of their life by persecution, but rather increase and gather lustre. One may be as wise a man, as humble a man, as holy a man, as patient a man every way in persecution, as out of persecution.
And what we say for the roote, the same is altogether as true of the fruit of holines. A Christian hath never so much opportunity of exercising so many graces, or any grace so much, as in times of persecution. Some graces of the Spirit (like weapons of warre) in times of peace and prosperity lye and rust, which in time of warre, in dayes of persecution, are scowred up, and made fit for use. Then a man shall have occasion to improve all the wisedome, all the courage, all the patience, all the faith and goodnesse that hee hath, every of these will be used, and seene in their turnes.
Besides, now a Christian is put to it more than ever he was; therefore he must pray more than ever, search more narrowly into himselfe than ever, cling closer to God than ever hee did before. At other times he did good duties, but in jest, as it were, but now he comes to God, and stands before him in good earnest, &c. At other times he fights under Christ onelyonly as in a schoole of fence, but now he is put to it in the quality of a souldier, under his captaine Christ; hee comes, as it were, to the push of pike, he fights for his life, &c. So that persecution you see is no hinderance to a mans inward happinesse; for the more grace is exercised, the more it is brightned: it growes in a mans hands, as the loaves did in the hands of Christ.
Reas. 2. And secondly for that happinesse of the childe of God, which wee call objective, and outward.
A Christian man lives more in Christ than in himselfe, in him it is that he reignes and triumphs, his happinesse lyes in Christ. Now, can persecution make any separation betweene Christ and his members? Is Christ such a shepheard as doth desert his flocke in times of danger? Is hee such a parent as will renege his childe (as the blind mans parents had almost done him Ioh. 9.) when trouble comes upon them? Nothing lesse. The Apostle assures us the contrary, Rom. 8. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distresse, or persecution, or famine, or nakednesse, or perill, or sword? (As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheepe to the slaughter) Nay, in all these things, &c. For I am perswaded that neither life, nor death, nor Angels, &c. shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Iesus, our Lord. So wee see, that come what persecution can come, it shall not be able to make a divorce betweene God and us: God will love us still (and that's the life of the creature) he will favour us still; and it is a happinesse to be a favourite in heaven, if any where: but God will love his people as well at the barre, as if they were on the bench; as well in an iron chaine, as if they had about their neckes a chaine of gold. As the Goldsmith loves his gold as much when it is in the fire, as when it is in his purse: so God his children, he knowes their soules in adversity.
But what's love, without the fruits of love? Therefore God seales up his love to his people persecuted, more than at other times; then is hee specially present with them, as he was with Paul, Act. 18.9. when hee bad him, Bee not afraid, but speake, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee, &c. And indeed that man cannot be hurt, that hath God with him, and for him, as Paul had. If he be in Corinth, God is there; if in the dungeon, God is there too: If Daniel be in the lions den, his God will bee with him. Where-ever his people are, there will God bee also, and where God is, heaven is; and therefore happinesse.
Neither is God with his servants as an idle spectator of their sufferings; for what is company without assistance? but hee is with them by his power, and by his comforts to succour and support them in their greatest needes. Esay 43.1, 2. Feare not, for when thou passest through the waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not over-flow thee: when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burnt: neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. And it is certaine, that the Lord reveales himselfe then most comfortably to his people when the world and the devill discover their greatest malice. when hell opens her mouth against the first Martyr Stephen, then heaven opens over his head to receive him: And when the devill shewes himselfe against him in his owne likenesse, then Christ appeares unto him, standing at Gods right hand, for his defence; so that his comforts shall over-top his misery.
Now therefore for as much as persecution cannot keepe a Christian from the love, company, and comfortable assistance of God, it cannot hinder him from happinesse: Give a man God, and cast him into the sea, as the old proverb is; with him a man cannot miscarry.
But let us consider of a third happinesse of a Christian, which we call his locall happines, when he shall be and dwell with God in heaven.
Doe persecutions beare the keyes of heaven and hell, to let in and shut out at their pleasure? No such matter: A Christians happines lyes not so loose; it is in Gods keeping, hee beares the keyes, and opens and no man shuts, and shuts againe, and no man opens. It is certaine, that a Christian is as neere heaven when he suffers for righteousnesse sake, as at any other time: for heaven comes to him while hee is here, Angels guard him, Christ smiles upon him, a comfortable influence from heaven will come upon him, in the mid'st of all his trouble; and hereafter, when his soule is let out of his body, it flyes to heaven without opposition or hinderance, (as Bernard speakes of S. Ambrose when he was persecuted) and there takes the crowne laid up for it from all eternity. Now therefore, sith persecution cannot hinder a man from holinesse, from society with God, from the happines of heaven, what remaines, but that wee conclude the point, That persecution is no barre at all to a mans true blessednes?
There is one objection to bee answered, and then we come to the Use.
Object. Blessednesse (may some say) is made up of many simples, and particulars. The Philosopher tells us, that to blessednesse there must be a confluence and concurrence of all comforts; but persecution strips and deprives us of many of these, therefore how can it stand with true happinesse?
Answ. For answer hereunto, wee must distinguish of a two-fold blessednesse: First, Naturall, and Philosophicall to the making up whereof there must bee a meeting of many finite goods. which must bee pieced and patch'd together to make up a sorie happinesse, because they are all poore. Secondly, supernaturall, and Theologicall; and here God is all in all, there being in God all things desireable, and that in a most excellent degree and manner, so that communion with him perfects out happinesse: if a man have this, though he bee abbridged of all other comforts, hee is a right happy man. Againe that Philosophicall and naturall happinesse is weake and imperfect, and so can convey no blessednesse to the meanes used for the attainment thereof: but the Theologicall hath a strong influence into all the meanes and wayes that tend thereunto. Hence it is, that every step to this blessednesse hath the blessing, for blessed are the poore, the persecuted, &c. In truth, my brethren, grace is of it selfe so excellent, God so amiable, heaven so transcendent, that a man cannot possibly give too much for it (as you shall heare more hereafter) hee need not care what hee loseth for Gods kingdome; though hee buy it deare, yea with sharpe persecution, even to the losse of all he hath, yet 'tis a good bargaine.
Vse. 1 If this be a truth, that persecution is no barre to a mans blessednesse, then let all novices learne from this point, not to stumble or strange at persecutions (as we were speaking the last day) For your selves know, saith the Apostle, that thereunto we are appointed. 1. Thes. 3.3. Why then should any man thinke it strange: A religious man must looke to heare evill,Act. 28. This fact is every where evill spoken of: Marvell not therefore if true Religion suffer, 'tis nothing new. Stumble not, secondly, at the persecution of Gods Church and servants, to thinke the cause bad, or the party bad, or his cariage bad, because hee suffers persecution. The man may be good, his cause good, and his carriage good, and yet he may passe through many persecutions; witnesse David, witnesse Paul, witnesse Christ himselfe; he was no way to be taxed as indiscreet, rash, sinfull, & yet he was set as a Butt-marke for every one to aym at; he was traduced, and maligned, and most despitefully dealt withall, &c. Iudge not therefore any man or cause according to the appearance, but judge a righteous judgement: for otherwise you may curse those whom Christ blesseth, you may condemne the generation of Gods Saints, and adde affliction to the afflicted, who ought to be comforted rather, and not censured, as Iob, Ieremy and our Saviour were. It is true indeed, that the cause and not the suffering makes the martyr (as shall be said anon) but yet, as not every one that suffereth is to be commended, so neither is every such a one to be condemned, but we must judge wisely of both.
The maine use of this point that concernes us Vse. 2 all, is to teach us not basely to feare persecution, sith it cannot hinder us of true happinesse. But I will shew you what you shall feare: Feare sinne, for that layeth us naked to Gods fierce indignation, and the malice of our enemies: feare indiscretion, that creates unto us many needlesse troubles: feare superstition and ignorance, for that makes a man to mistake his cause: feare boldnesse and presumption, so as to rest upon our owne sufficiencie; take heed of selfe confidence, as if wee could beare any thing of our selves. For what are we at our best, but as old bottles that can hold nothing (as our Saviour speakes in the Gospell) or as old garments, not able to beare any stresse at all? These things we have just cause to feare: but for the thing it selfe, if it be but a meere persecution, feare it not, little flocke, saith our Saviour, it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome: and that is wages enough. So Rev. 2.10. Feare none of those things that thou shalt suffer: behold the Devill shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation tenne dayes, &c. You may be throwne into prison, you may bee put to the sword, &c. yet feare none of all these things: the Devill shall doe all this, but God sits at the sterne, and hath an over-ruling hand in all. The enemy is malicious, but withall hee is bounded. First, for persons; he shall cast onelyonly some of you into prison: his fingers itch to be doing with all, but Christ saith, No. Secondly, for quality, hee shall cast some of you into prison: He would have taken away their lives, no doubt, but he might not. He that sets bounds to the waves of the sea, doth also set bounds to the rage of his enemies, saying, So farre you shall goe, and no farther. Thirdly, for the end: Satan wills the undoing of Gods people in all their sufferings, but God their triall onelyonly. Satan minds us not so much hurt, as God meanes us good in all our tribulations. Fourthly, for the time that is set downe, ten dayes saith the text, and no longer. He reckons not the yeares onelyonly, but even the dayes of our sufferings, beyond which our enemies cannot goe. Fifthly, the event, or wages; Be thou faithfull to the death, and I will give thee a crowne of life; therefore feare not to be persecuted.
Our Saviour here tells us in the text, that the persecuted are blessed, for theirs is the kingdome of heaven. Do you feare to be blessed? to receive the crowne? to inherit the kingdome?
Ob. Oh no: this is not the thing wee stand in feare of, but to part with such things as persecution deprives a man of, oh this is tedious.
Answ. What? to part with drosse for gold? to lose a little trash at Gods bidding, and for it to receive an hundred fold here, and everlasting life hereafter?
Object. Yea but liberty is sweet, and we may be deprived of that, and shut up into a close and lothsome prison.
Answ. Yea, but what said the Martyrs? there is no stockes to an evill conscience: and the Martyrs, we know, were never so much enlarged in their joyes, in their apprehensions, in their prayers and thanksgiving, as when they were most of all confined, and abbridged of their liberty. And why should not wee be of the same minde concerning Christ; as those souldiers were concerning their Captaine, which said, they had rather be in prison with him, than at liberty without him?
Ob. I, but a man may suffer in his name, he may be traduced and slandered by malicious tongues, and a man had better bee dead (as wee usually speake) than have an ill name among men.
Answ. For this, remember, first, that if you should be called to suffer in this kinde, yet you are not alone herein, but your betters have beene so used before you. Secondly, Christ the Iudge will one day cleare you before all the world, and bring forth your innocencie as the noone-day at his second comming.
Ob. Yea, but a man may be so hard put to it, as that he must lay downe his life also, and that is tedious.
Answ. Here consider, first, that you must dye once howsoever; and if you bee prepared for one death well, the matter will not bee great what death you shall dye: All the feare is, because men are not prepared to dye at all, else there would be but little difference whether the fire burne us without, or the feaver or some such like disease burne us within. Secondly, however is it not better to sell our lives as deare as wee can, to bee paid for dying?
Ob. Yea, if it were an ordinary death they will put us to, but famine is insufferable, they may starve us, as they have done some before us, &c.
Answ. Remember what a Martyr said once to them that threatned her with such a death as this: If you take away my meate, God, I trust, will take away my stomacke. Did not he stay the stomacks and stop the mouthes of the very lions when they should have devoured Daniel &c?
Ob. Oh, but they may put us to most exquisite torments, so as wee reade they have done to some in the Church-monuments.
Answ. Feare none of all this, but remember still who sits at the sterne, even God who appoints our afflictions, knowes our strength, comes himselfe along with the crosse hee layes upon us, beares a part in our sufferings, and hath such strong comforts for his people in their deepest distresse, as can over-top all the miseries and torments wee can here be put unto; for these are but finite, but his comforts are infinite: And as men are more malicious toward us, hee will be by so much more mercifull, and comfortable unto us, therefore feare none of these things; onelyonly bee prepared for the worst, the best will save it selfe.
Ob. Oh, but there is something yet stickes heavier than all the rest, they may put us not onelyonly to a tormentfull, but to a shamefull death, as women to be ravish't, virgins deflour'd, abus'd &c.
Answ. Leave this to God: trust him with thy soule, with thy body, with thy name, with all. As for the shame of such a thing (if it ever should befall thee) it rests on the agents part, and not at all on the patients. And against the feare of this, oppose one shame to another: remember what Christ hath said, Hee that is ashamed of mee before men, of him will I be ashamed before my Father which is in heaven &c.
Therefore be sure to settle this resolution with your selves; For duties enjoyned me by God, I'le doe them, not standing to cast perils, or feare what evill may follow thereupon. Whatsoever God bids me doe, I'le doe it; what God bids mee professe, I'le professe it; when God bids mee speake, I'le speake, whatsoever come of it. Bee as resolute here as he in the story, of whom it is said, that a man might assoone put the Sunne out of his course, as move him to pervert Iustice. And as for good, so likewise for evill, put on the same resolution, that nothing shall byasse you aside, to the committing of any sinne, come what can come, be you at a point for that matter: Resolve as those Martyrs of old, who when there was incense put into their hands, and no more required of them than that they should sprinkle upon the Altar in honour of the Idoll, they would rather dye than doe it: And when there was a Bible put into the hands of some others of them, that they should damne it to the fire, they would rather into the fire themselves, than commit any such wickednesse. Let this bee the constant resolution of our soules, that no hard measure in the world shall drive us to sinne against God.
Quest. But how shall wee come to this, may some say?
Answ. First, put out one feare with another. Consider a while of that place: Rev. 21.8. The fearefull, that is, those that will eate their words, and for feare of danger renege their Saviour, shall have their parts in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. And, Hee that is ashamed of mee, saith Christ, before men, of him will I be ashamed &c. Presse these places upon your selves, drive this nayle home to the head.
Secondly, set your faith aworke upon the precious promises. It was by faith that all those Martyrs, mentioned Heb. 11. overcame and prevailed. If wee can but as they did, see him by faith that is invisible, even God, then shall wee looke upon all the creatures, as upon so many Mise. Look up also by the same eye of faith to the recompence of reward, to Iesus the authour and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the crosse, despising the shame &c. Heb. 12.2, 3.
Thirdly, get a great deale of love: For love is as strong as death. Much water cannot quench love. Cantic. 8.6, 7. If we love God much, we shall not thinke much to dye in his cause. Come fire, come sword, come elephants, come lions, come whatsoever can come, said that holy Martyr of old, so I may have my Christ I will never stand upon it, or refuse to suffer any misery.
Vse. 3. Comfort to all such as shall suffer for righteousnesse sake; they are blessed men notwithstanding all their sufferings. Earth and men may deride and curse them, but God blesseth them in the meane whiles, and heaven honours and commends them.
Ob. Oh, but I lose many comforts.
Answ. Yea, but thou gainest more, an hundred fold here, and hereafter eternall life, Mark. 10.
Ob. I suffer more than ordinary.
Answ. All this is nothing to that the ancient Prophets suffered; thy sufferings to theirs are but as flea-bitings.
Ob. My sufferings are many.
Answ. Not yet so many as Pauls were: looke a while on his catalogue, as Saint Bernard bids you, and see how he was beaten, whipt, stockt, &c. In perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils in the City, in perils in the wildernesse, &c. 2. Cor. 11. and then tell me how often hast thou been whipt, stockt, stoned, ship-wrackt, &c. Alas wee be but strangers to such kinde of sufferings: what talke we of persecution? Therefore learne to see Gods mercy in tendering you so much leave of complaining, and take your part in this comfort: only see to it, that your conscience be good, and your cause good, that it be for righteousnesse sake that you suffer. And so we come to a second thing.
For righteousnesse sake.
Doctr. It is the cause that makes the martyr, and not every suffering. That which gives interest into the blessing is, when a righteous man miscarries in his righteousnesse. And therefore is it (as Austin observes against the Donatists) that our Saviour speakes here in the text with limitation both to men, and matter: for he saith not simply, Blessed are all that suffer; But, Blessed are such as are persecuted for righteousnes sake. So S. Peter, If yee suffer for righteousnes sake, happy are ye; Againe, If ye suffer for wel-doing according to the will of God, &c. And, If any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, &c. 1. Pet. 4. This is it that makes a martyr indeed. Hence is it that the servants of God have hereby justified their sufferings, as David, speaking of his persecutors; They hate me foreign saith hee, that is, without all cause or reason on my part, they have no motive for it from me, it is for mine innocency that they pursue me. So Paul, being cursed, saith he, wee blesse, and being reviled, wee pray. And this is that which Ieremy meaneth, when protesting his innocency, hee saith, I have neither given nor taken upon usury, that is, I neither meddled nor made with them, but kept me within the compasse of mine owne calling, and yet the people curse me. Hence also Abels innocency is justified by S. Iohn, Cain, saith he, was of that wicked one, and slew his brother: And why slew he him? but because his owne workes were evill, and his brothers righteous? 1. Ioh. 3.12. Hence he is called Righteous Abel in the Gospel. And the Apostle, speaking of those Worthyes, Heb. 11. saith, They were exellent persons, such as the world was not worthy of. He judges of the case by the person and cause. So that you see, it is necessary that hee should suffer for a good cause, that would have comfort in his sufferings. For we must tell you, that there is a wide difference betweene punishment and persecution.
First, punishment is an act of justice, but persecution is an act of malice, or ignorance, or both: that's exercised upon sin and disorder, this against truth and righteousnes.
Thirdly, punishment falles on delinquents and offendors, but persecution on those that are innocent and harmelesse. So that unlesse the act of the persecutor bee bad, and the act of the persecuted good, and his cause good, and not good onelyonly, but publike too, it amounts not to a persecution. For not every act of injustice is persecution presently, if the injury be but personall and private; but the cause must be publike, &c. to wit, Religion, and (in that name) the person too in a degree. There was a shadow of it in that kind of punishment they called Ostracisme, as there was a shadow of righteousnes in Aristides. But persecution is confined (as the Authour of that booke, De duplici martyrio, hath well observed) first to one speciall subject, the Church and the members thereof: secondly to one speciall cause, the Gospel and matter of Religion. And this is it that makes the Martyr, and denominates a man persecuted.
Vse. 1. Learne here by this point to arme your selves against the clamors of offendors, who when they are justly punished for their misdemeanour, doe many times like unto swine, take up a hideous noyse, and cry out that you persecute them. There bee whole heards of these swine abroad in the world, they abound and swarme every where. Thus if a Minister suspend a vile person from the Sacrament, or present him for drunkenesse or other misbehaviour, wee shall bee said to persecute him presently. So if a Magistrate offer to stocke or whip a malefactor, a vagrant, or the like; if hee pursue an offendor, and give him condigne punishment, he shall be termed a persecutor, he seeks his bloud, goes about to undoe him, hee would hang him if he could. Thus they make long complaints, as if they had received no small injury. But this is all one, as if the wolfe should hold himselfe wronged, because he is not suffered to worry and devoure the sheepe: or the Dog because he is muzzled, and not suffered to flye in the face of passengers: or the Beare because chain'd up short, that he may not doe mischiefe. Against all these out-cryes you must stop your eares, and stiffen your courage: for it is better that idlenesse suffer than frugality, that sinne should smart rather than vertue; for mercy to the wolfe, is cruelty to the sheepe, &c. it is no injustice to smite wickednesse. But then onelyonly a man is persecuted, and not else, when hee suffers in a good cause, for righteousnesse sake.
The same we may say for such as suffer for their opinions, as your Brownists, Familists and the like: Their language, you know, is persecution altogether; and when they suffer for their opinions, they are persecuted, they say, for their consciences: as if every conceit were Conscience, every groundlesse opinion, Religion. Men must not measure the cause by the sufferings, but the sufferings by the cause, as Augustine hath it. For unlesse a mans cause be good, his conscience good, and his carriage good too, his sufferings will amount to no more than a condigne punishment.
But of all the rest, commend me to our neighbours of Rome, who give out and report of us among their owne, That we of this Church are no better than savages, that we stocke, whip, burne up those of their Religion amongst us; yea, that our Countrey is all on a blaze with flames and bone-fires made of their bodies. One of them in an Epistle of his concerning the English persecution, is not ashamed to say, I verily thinke that no Turkes, Gothes, Saracens, or other barbarous people in the world, could possibly deale so scornefully, spightfully, cruelly with the Catholike cause, as these new Gospellers doe. Thus you see what they would make of us: And for themselves, they will tell you, that they are those that passe through good report and evill report, and all that which the Apostle speakes of those Worthyes, Heb. 11. as, that they had triall of cruell mockings, and scourgings, yea moreover of bonds and imprisonment, &c. all this they apply to themselves. The summe is, wee are grievous persecutors, and they on the other side are glorious Confessors while alive, and Martyrs when they are dead.Vid. August. lib. 1. contra epist. Parm. cap. 7. But the answer is Augustines (after Cyprian:) Not every one that suffers is a Martyr presently, unlesse hee can prove and make good the point he suffers for, and unlesse he can justifie both his cause and his carriage to the Magistrate. How often shall wee be forced to tell them, that it is not for religion that they suffer amongst us, but for rebellion, not for the truth but for treason? They present us with a large catalogue of Martyrs;Vid. Rabadiner. Catal. and …heir Martyr. as Martyr Becket, Martyr Garnet, Martyr Campian, Martyr Walepoole, and Oldcorne: And why not aswell Martyr Faux, Martyr Catesby, Martyr Percy, &c. if some Catholike would doe as much for Catholikes, as the Iesuites for their friends? But what's all this to Martyrdome? Doth our Saviour here intend to blesse those that hatch treasons, absolve subjects from their allegeance, stabbe Princes, blow up Parliaments, &c.? When they are punished for these, doe they suffer for righteousnes sake? &c.
Vse 2. For a second Use of the point: Would wee be blessed of God, and have comfort in our sufferings? Learne we then to proceed wisely and warily in the businesse. It is certainely a great honour to suffer for the truth; but no man taketh this honour to himselfe, but he that is called thereto of God.
We will not stand to censure those of the Primitive times, that offered themselves to persecution, by professing themselves Christians; we are content with a charitable opinion, as, that they might bee carried with I know not what heroicall spirit.Wigand. de persecutione. But every thing that is matter of admiration, is not also matter of imitation. We must have a calling to suffer, or else we shall neither be good Martyrs, nor good Christians. It is not for us to rejoyce in our sufferings barely, but we must looke to something else, that there be a good cause for the which we suffer. It is not every good meaning, giddy opinion, superstitious conceit, scrupulous conscience, that will beare a man out, or suffice to make him a Martyr; but it must bee for the Gospels sake, for righteousnesse sake that hee suffers. Nay, hee must bee able to prove it the truth for which he is persecuted, he must render a reason of his faith, &c. and hope, as S. Peter saith. Persecution is a matter of great weight, and he must have good ground of Gods word under him that shall thinke to undergoe it.
Secondly, he must looke to his conscience, as well as his cause, that in suffering he ayme not at his owne ends, seeke not his owne credit, or to get him a name; but the name of God must be sought for, his glory must be set forth. It is not for a man to suffer in a good cause because he hath once profest it, or out of desire to carry the conquest. It must not be studium partium, but pacis, as Augustins rule is; and in a right cause hee must see that hee hath not a wrong end.
Thirdly, his carriage must be good: hee must manage Gods cause with Gods weapons: hee must have a great deale of wisdome, a great deale of patience, a great deale of courage, constancy, zeale and humility, so shall hee doe many good things at once, so shall hee credit his profession, muzzle the Adversary, follow Christ, shew forth his vertues, put himselfe under the blessing here pronounced upon the persecuted; so persecuted, that suffer rightly both for matter and manner: so shall the cause grace him, and he the cause, when thus hee suffers in a right manner, for a righteous matter.
FINIS.