The Excellency of Holy Courage in Evil Times, Chapter 6
CHAP. 6.
The Point proſecuted more ſtrictly.
BUt now we come to the point more ſtrictly: After you have obſerved theſe rules, and made uſe of theſe directions, you are to go on in your way reſolutely and comfortably, and cheerefully, whatſoever falls out, not to baulk your way at all in the leaſt degree that God requires at your hands, but to go on without feare.
The Scripture ſaith concerning a righteous man, In Prov. 28.1. He is as bold as a Lion: if a man know he is in the way of God, he is to go on boldly like a Lion; and in Prov. 30.30. not to turne out of his way for feare of any creature. We find in ſcripture how the Godly are commended for their reſoluteneſs and courage of ſpirit, that they would not fear man and the creature.
As thoſe three Prophets. in 1 Kings. 18.17.18. Elijah, Eliſha, and Micaiah. When Elijah met Ahab, Saies he Art thou he that troubleſt Iſrael? No ſaith he, it is thou and thy fathers houſe. And ſo Eliſha, when thoſe three Kings came down to him, the King of Iſrael, and Jehoſophat, and the King of Edom: ſaies he; 2 Kings, 3.14. Were it not that I regard the preſence of of Jehoſhaphat King of Judah, I would not look towards thee nor ſee thee.
And ſo Micaiah, when they would have had him propheſie good things, ſayes he, 1 Kings. 22.14. What the Lord ſayth unto me, that wil I ſpeak. I might give you many inſtances in Job and David of their courage, not fearing the wrath of man. Job hath a notable expreſſion. Job. 31.34. Did I feare a multitude, or did the contempt of families terrifie mee? that I kept ſilence, and went not out of the door? he was not affraid though he lived amongſt thoſe that were vile and wicked.
And great courage you have in David in Pſal. 23. and others, Though he walked in the ſhadow of death, and whatſoever befel him he would not be affraid. And ſo the Church of God ſayth in Pſal. 46.2.3.4. verſes, Therefore we wil not fear though the earth be removed, and though the mountaines be carried into the middeſt of the Sea. Though the waters thereof roare, and be troubled, though the Mountaines ſhake with the ſwelling thereof, There is a river the Streams whereof ſhal make glad the City of our God. We enjoy the ordinances of God, and we wil not fear though there are ſuch tumults abroad in the world.
And ſo that which is ſaid concerning Jeremiah in Chap. 15.12. Shall iron breake the Northern Iron and the ſteele? though they were as Iron that reaſoned aagainſt Jeremiah, yet Jeremiah was to be as ſteel when Iron Strikes againſt Steel. It doth not break it, but brighten it; and ſo al the oppoſition that Jeremiah had from all the great ones was but as the ſtriking of Iron againſt Steel, it did not break his ſpirit but brighten it. And that of the three Children in Dan. 3.16. Shews the magnanimous ſpirit that they had. We are not careful to anſwer thee in this matter. And ſo that ſpeech of Saint Paul. Acts, 21.13. What meane you to weep and break my heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but to dy at Jeruſalem for the name of the Lord Jeſus.
And ſo many expreſſions we have of the Martyrs in the Primitive times. Juſtin Martyr making his apologie for the Chriſtians to Antonius Pius, ſaith he; we do not ſpeak to diſſemble to you, but for our own right, we can be hurt by no man, you can kill us, but not hurt us, if you like mad men will obſerve the cuſtoms of men before the truths of God, do then, we wil not.
I do not name every ſpeech of thoſe ſervants of God as imitable, becauſe we do not know what ſpirits they were carried on with, but to ſhew the ſtrength of their ſpirits.
And ſo that of Ambroſe, ſpeaking to the Emperor do not lift up thy ſelf O Emperor, if ſo be you would rule, be ſubject to God. And ſo Odoſius, that was a good man, when he had been croſſed with the people of Theſſalonica, he cauſed many of them to be murdered; upon that Ambroſe refuſed to give him the Sacrament, though he came to the Temple door, and deſired it of him, and fell down upon the ground, yet Ambroſe ſtood and reſiſted him till there was through repentance manifeſted to the Church.
And ſo Chriſoſtome. The Empereſs Eudoxia had taken by wrong the vineyard of another; Chriſoſtome forbad her the Communion.
And likewiſe Baſil, he writ to Julian the Apoſtate: Cr…tainly if you underſtood what we writ, you would not oppoſe that we writ. But (ſaith he) when I conſider the dignity and crown you have, and the uſe you make of them, I tremble, for they are for your honor but they make you more diſhonorable.
And Julian meeting Pagmelius, ſaith he I thank God I ſee you, and when he replyed you cannot ſee, ſaith he, I thank God I can not ſee, you are an Apoſtate.
And that is a notable ſpeech of Luther, when he was to go to Worms to anſwer for his faith, ſaith hee, though al the tiles of the houſes of worms were Devils yet I would go. And ſo divers women that were weak in regard of their ſex, yet when faith came what abundance of courage had they.
And thus you ſee by many examples both out of ſcripture and likewiſe out of Eccleſiaſtical hiſtories the magnanimous ſpirits of Beleevers.
That we are to do now, is to open the point in theſe three particulars.
Firſt to ſhew, Wherein lieth the power of faith to help againſt the ſinful feare of authority, and of man or any other creature.
Secondly, to ſhew, The difference between audaciouſneſs of ſpirit, and that courage which proceeds from faith.
Thirdly, Though we are not ſinfully to fear man, yet to ſhew how far we may lawfully fear him.