The Marks of the Children of God and their Comforts in Affliction, Chapter 11
Other fruites of the afflictions for the name of Ieſus Chriſt.
CHAP. 11.
BEſides theſe,1. Fruit, honor to be a Martyr of Chriſt. both excelent & eternal good things, which the ſufferings for the name of Ieſus Chriſt doth bring vsus, there is yet the honor that he doth vsus, to bring vsus foorth to be witneſſes of his truth. In regard whereof, although all they that preach the Goſpell are called witneſſes of Ieſus Chriſt, yet this title of Martyr or witnes, is after a more particular maner, and by excellencie attributed vntounto ſuch, as to maintaine the truth of the doctrine of the Goſpell, ſuffer conſtantlie perſecution, and eſpecially vntounto death. So we read that S. Paule gaue to S. Stephen this title of honor,Act. 22.20 calling him the Martyr of Ieſus Chriſt. And S. Iohn maketh mention of Antipas, Reu. 2.13.whome hee calleth a faithful Martyr of Chriſt. And in the ſame booke of the Reuelation, he ſaith, that he ſaw the great whore drunk with the bloud of the Saints,Reu. 17.6. & with the bloud of the Martyrs of Ieſus. In like manner the apoſtle to the Hebrues, hauing recited how many faithful had bin mocked, ſcourged, cut in peeces, ſtoned,Heb. 11. & 12. & otherwiſe perſecuted, he addeth, that in them wee hauehave as it were a cloude of martyrs or witneſſes cōpaſsing vsus round about, and exhorting vsus to follow conſtantly their exāple. The Apoſtles did well vnderſtand and confeſſe this honor, who after they had been publikelie whipped for the name of Ieſus Chriſt,Act. 5.40. they went before the councel, reioycing that they had this honour to ſuffer reproach for his name. And indeed when when we indure perſecution, to maintaine the glorie, the authoritie, and the truth of Chriſt, againſt Antichriſt and his ſuppoſts, it is as if Ieſus Chriſt ſhuld borrowe our goods, our renowme, our bloud, our life, to ſerue for autenticall ſeales, & moſt ſure witneſſes that cannot faile, of the right and the glorie that appertaineth vntounto him. And what are we poore wormes of the earth, that the eternall Sonne of GOD, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, ſhall doo vsus this honor, to put his glorie (as it were) into our handes, to bee the keepers and defenders of it, againſt thoſe that would ſpoile him of it? And heere let vsus conſider the incomprehenſible wiſedome and goodnes of God towards vsus. The moſt perfect offend God daylie, and one onelyonly ſinne, be it neuer ſo little to our iudgement, deſerueth death, and euerlaſting condemnation, then it is yet more than the loſſe of our goods, & the corporall life. Now in ſtead of exerciſing his iuſt iudgements vponupon vsus, hee doth vsus this honour, that it which wee endure (which is not the thouſand part of that wee hauehave deſerued) chaungeth the nature, and inſtead of beeing the puniſhment of ſinne, God imputeth it, as a moſt excelent ſeruice for the maintenance of his glorie. But yet there is more.2. Frute, the glorie of God, declaclaring and accompliſhing his power in our infirmitie, and ſhewing his goodnes, and the trueth of his promiſes: firſt toward eueryevery faithfull. For what are wee to ſuffer willinglie? The louelove of riches, ambition, the pleſure of fleſhly commodities, the affectiō toward father, mother, wife, children, & aboue al to this life, is ſo ſtrong and vehement in vsus, that in ſtead of renouncing them for Chriſt, we renounce Chriſt, and his Kingdome to entertaine vsus. And experience ſheweth this too much. We are alſo ſo very impatient and daintie when there is any queſtion of ſuffering, that if we ſhould but onelyonly ſnuffe a candle with our fingers, we wet them with our ſpittle, that wee might not feele the fire of that ſmall ſnuffe, which yet we throw from our fingers in al haſte: and how then ſhould we abandon our bodies to the death, entring quicke into the fire to be there conſumed, if God did not ſtrengthen vsus ſupernaturally? Howe ſhoulde wee maintaine his trueth againſt the ſuppoſts of Antichriſt, if the ſpirit of his father, the which he promiſed vsus,Mat. 10.19 20 did not worke mightily in vsus? Then when we ſee theſe veſſells ſo fraile and weake, to ſurmount the threatnings of kings, the apprehenſion of fire, the aſſaults of Antichriſts ſuppoſts, and the temptations proceeding from father, mother, wife, and children; are not theſe ſo many teſtimonies of a wonderfull and mighty grace and power of God, which fortifieth them, and maketh them victorious againſt Sathan, the worlde and the fleſh? I can doo all things (ſayth Saint Paule) through Chriſt who ſtrengtheneth me.Phil. 4.13 2. Cor. 12 10 And in an other place, I reioyce (ſayth he) in infirmities, in iniuries, in neceſsities, in perſecutions, in anguiſhes for chriſt. For whē I am weake, then am I ſtrong, euen thorough the might and power of Chriſt, which ſhewed it ſelfe, and was made perfect thorough his weakneſſe, as hee had ſaide before. So then this conſtancie, this faith, this zeale, & other vertues which God communicateth (by his free goodnes) to his elect, are manifeſt by perſecutions, which otherwiſe ſhoulde bee hid. As in running the courſe, the agility or ſwiftnes of the horſe is known, the ſtrength of a mā in the combat, the ſauour of many drugges, in rubbing, or bruſing of them, or caſting them into the fire, as we ſee in the incenſe. The Starres (ſaith Saint Bernard) which appeare not by day, ſhine in the night,Bernar. in Can. ſo the vertue that is hid in proſperitie, ſheweth it ſelfe in aduerſitie. Now,2. Toward the body of the church. this which wee hauehave ſaide of the power of GOD, ſhewing it ſelfe in the infirmitie of his children to his glorie, is ſeene alſo in the bodie of the Church, which ordinarily is ſo poore, ſo weake, ſo little holpen, at the handes of men, that if GOD did not ſuſtaine it, it ſhoulde quickly be ſwallowed vp. Then when we ſee it ſo mightelie aſſailed, by the potentates of this worlde, conſpiring her ruine, by ſo many forces and ſlights, and by ſo many heretiks, doth not God in the guiding, deliuering and preſeruing of it, ſhewe that it is hee himſelfe, and he alone, which maintaineth and defendeth it? And that his power and wiſedome is woonderfull, in preſeruing it againſt ſo many enemies, and that his truth is certaine, in accōpliſhing that, which he hath promiſed vsus, of being with his Church vntill the end of the world? And that it is he which is the ſtone cut out without hand, which hath broken,Mat. 28.29 Dan. 2.34 and dooth ſtill breake the great image repreſenting the empires, and kingdomes of the worlde: Which to ſhew vntounto vsus more liuely, oftentimes he ſo diſpoſeth, that leaning vponupon the ſtrength of men, ſhe hath beene throwen downe, and being throwen downe, God hath lift her vp againe without meanes, and beyond all hope of man, that all men may know, that the preſeruation of the Church is not the worke of Man, but indeede the very worke of God.Iudg. 7.2 As alſo the Lord declareth to Gedeon this his intent, commaunding him to abate his army. There is too many people with thee (ſayth the Lord) that I ſhoulde giuegive Madian into their handes, leaſt peraduenture Iſrael would glory in themſelues againſt mee, ſaying:3. Fruit, the aduāce ment of the church. My hand hath deliuered me. See alſo howe it commeth to paſſe, that when the Deuill thinketh quite to ouerthrowe the Church by perſecution, God quite contrary, hath aduanced and increaſed it: Saint Luke hauing recited that the high Prieſtes and the chiefe rulers of the Temple,Act. 4 & the Sadduces laying hands vponupon the Apoſtles, put them into priſon, he addeth by and by, that many of thoſe that heard the word, beleeued, and the number was about fiue thouſand perſons. When Saint Stephan was put to death,Act. 8. & 11 19 the Church at Ieruſalem was quite diſperſed: but by the faithfull diſperſed, there were as many more newe Churches ſet vp. And it is as if GOD tooke, at the handes of his enemies, corne into his Garner to ſowe, whereof ſhould follow a goodlie and plentifull harueſt. It is a fruit that Saint Paule noteth in his afflictions,Phil. 1.12 ſaying, Brethren, I woulde hauehave you to vnderſtand, that the things which hapned to mee, came to the aduauncement of the Goſpell: ſo as my bandes were made famous in Chriſt, through all the Iudgement hall, and in all other places: And many of the brethren (made bolde by my bandes) durſt ſpeake of the worde more freely. Iustine in his communication with Triphon writeth that the ſame thing hapned in his time. It may appeare (ſayth hee) eueryevery day, that wee which beleeue in Chriſt, cannot be aſtoniſhed nor daunted of any, if they cut off our heades, if they crucifie vsus, if they caſt vsus vntounto wilde beaſts, or into fires, or vntounto any other torment; the more they torment vsus, ſo much the more increaſeth the number of the chriſtians, neyther more nor leſſe, than as men cut their Vines, to make them the more fruitfull. So the Diuell is greatly beguiled. For in perſecuting thoſe which profeſſe the Goſpell, hee thinketh to ſtoppe men from beleeuing in Ieſus Chriſt, to be ſaued. But it falleth out quite contrarie. For the poore ignoraunt men ſeeing the conſtancie of the Martyres: gather twoo pointes, firſt, that there is no hypocriſie in them, nor any fleſhlie paſsion which maketh them to followe this doctrine, which to maintaine they vtterly abandon all the commodities of the fleſh, the honours of the world, and life it ſelfe. Next, they are induced to thinke, that the doctrine for which they ſuffer, is of GOD, ſeeing it is by no humane, but by very diuine power, that they ſuffer conſtantly and willingly ſo many reproches, diſcommodities and cruelties. And ſo is this Sentence ſo famous verified: That the blood of the Martyres is the ſeede of the Church. In like manner thoſe that hauehave alreadie the knowledge of the doctrine, are confirmed as wel to perſeuere in it, as to take corage and ſtrength to ſuffer in like manner for the maintenance of it. For, ſeeing that GOD forſaketh not his ſeruants in the conflict, but is with them, and in them, making them victorious: we take thereof aſſuraunce, that GOD will alſo ouercome in vsus all temptations, threatnings and torments: And beholding them, thorough death to enter into life, and by the Croſſe to aſcend into the Kingdome of Heauen, wee feele our ſelues inflamed with deſire to be their companions both in the troubles, and in the triumph of glorie. The which thing maketh vsus to perſeuere conſtantly in the trueth of the doctrine, which ſetteth (as it were) before our eyes this ſoueraigne felicitie, euen the heauens open, and Ieſus Chriſt ſtretching out his hand, to drawe vsus vp into the fellowſhippe of his ioye, and glorie incomprehenſible and eternall.
The people of the world cannot vnderſtand theſe ſo excellent fruites of the afflictions for the name of Chriſt, which we hauehave ſet downe heere aboue, being therein like to the Philiſtins the companions of Sampſon, which coulde not comprehend this propoſition that hee made them; Out of the eater came meate,Iudg. 14.14 and out of the fierce came ſweetneſſe: But wee, that are taught in the Schoole of Chriſt by his Spirite, wee vnderſtand and beleeue that as Sampſon hauing vanquiſhed the Lion, found in the bodie of it honnie, ſo we hauing conſtantly ouercome all the perſecutions and troubles of this life, which are like vntounto fierce and cruell Lions, readie to deuoure vsus, wee ſhall finde this honnie ſo excellent of the fruites of the croſſe of Chriſt, which ſhall make vsus bleſſed for euermore. Seeing then, that the perſecutions and afflictions that we ſuffer, ſerue ſo abundantly and ſo manie waies and manners to the glorie of god, and the edification of our neighbors, & doo alſo turne to ſo great good and honour vntounto vsus: let vsus conclude boldlie, that we beeing ſo afflicted for the name of Ieſus Chriſt, ought to bee confirmed in the aſſurance that wee are the members of the true Church, and that God compteth vsus for his welbeloued Children.