A Christian Library, Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Minister. I Grant there is no such rub in the way to Heaven as this; Satan hath not such a tried shaft in all his quiver: he gets more now by such discouragements, and the reproaches that are cast upon Religion, then he did formerly by fire and faggot; for then the blood of the Martyrs, was found to be the seed of the Church: Others (Phaenix like) springing out of their ashes: Whereas now, multitudes of souls are scoft out of their Religion by wicked men; many being apt with Peter to deny their Religion, when they come in company with Christs enemies; and with David to dissemble their faith when they are amongst Philistines, lest they should be mockt, have so many frowns, and frumps, and censures, and scoffs; be branded with that odious and stigmatical name of an hypocrite, &c. Yea S. Austin confesseth, that he often belied himself with sins which he never committed, lest he should be unacceptable to his sinfull companions; which makes our Saviour pronounce that man blessed that is not offended in him, Matth. 11.6.
But for all that, a wise man will not be scoft out of his Money, nor a just man flowted out of his Faith. The taunts of an Ishmael shall never make an Isaac out of love with his inheritance. Yea for a man to be scoft out of his goodness by those which are lewd, is all one, as if a man that seeth should blindfold himself, or put out his eyes, because some blinde wretches rev…le and scoff at him for seeing. Or as if one that is found of limbs, should limp or maim himself to please the criple, and avoid his taunts; And know this, That if the barking of these currs, shall hinder us from walking on our way to Heaven, it is a sign we are most impotent cowards: Yea if our love be so cold to Christ, that we are ashamed for his sake, to bear a few scoffs and reproaches from the world, it is evident we are but counterfeits, such as Christ will be ashamed of before his Father and his holy Angels at the latter day, Mark. 8 38. For, for the comfort of all that are single and honest-hearted, notwithstanding all the scoffs and scorns of Atheists and careless worldlings, all their perswasions and persecutions, they shall both lose their labours, and themselves too in the end. Well may they intend, and also do their utmost to flout us out of our Faith, that so they may slay us with death eternal, and speed thereafter; (As God that regards not so much what is performed, as what was intended, and measures what we do by what we meant to do; as in the case of Abrahams offering up his son, and those Iews who only thought they had killed Paul, Acts 14▪19.) but they shall be no more able to hinder the salvation of any one … God hath chosen to his Kingdome of grace and glory, then Saul with his … could hinder David from attaining the promised Kingdom of Israel, … Rev. 13.8. The windes may well tosse the ship wherein Christ … overtur… it. If Christ have but once possest the affections, there is no dispossessing him again. The League that Heaven hath made, Hell wants power to break. Who can separate the conjunctions of the Deitie? Whom God did predestinate, saith Paul, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified, Rom. 8.30. They shall sooner blow up hell with trains of powder, then break the chain of this dependent truth. No power of men or devils is able to withstand the will of God, it shall stand firmer then the firmament.
A fire in the heart overcomes all other fires without: as we see in the Martyrs, which when the sweet doctrine of Christ had once got into their hearts, it could not be got out again by all the torments that wit and cruelty could devise.