in the world have been acted on the stage of the church ; and the most inhuman massacres and butcheries committed on the liarmless sheep of Clirist. The first man that was slain in the world was a saint, and he for religion. And as Luther said, Cain will kill Abel unto the end of the world. The lire of persecution can never go out quite, so long as there remains a spark of hatred in the wicked's bosom on earth, or a devil in hell to blow it up. Therefore there is a second way of having truth girt about the Christian's loins, as necessary as the other ; and that is, in the profession of it. Many that coidd never be beaten fi-oni the truth by dint of argument, have been forced from it by fire of persecution. It is not an orthodox judgment will enable a man to suffer for the truth at the stake. Then that poor Smith, in our English Martyrology, would not have sent such a dastard-like answer to his friend, ready to suffer for that truth, which he himself had been a means to instruct him in, — that indeed it was the truth, but he could not burn. Truth in the head, without holy courage, makes a man like the sword-fish, which Plutarch saith, hath a sword in the head, but no heart to use it. Then a person becomes imconquerable, when from heaven he is endued with a holy boldness, to draw forth the sword of the Spirit, and own the naked truth, by a free profession of it in the face of death and danger. This, this is to 'have our loins girt about with truth.' So that the note, from this second kind of girding with truth, is,
Doct. That it is the saints' duty, and should be their cai'e, not only to get an establislied jiulgmcnt in the truth, but also to maintain a stedfast profession of the truth. This the apostle presseth, Heb. x. 23 : ' Let us hold fast the profes- sion of our faith without wavering.' He speaks it in opposition to those who, in those hazardous times, declined the assemblies of the saints, for fear of persecution ; he calls it a ' wavering.' And he that staggers is next door to apostasy. We must not spread ovir sails of profession in a calm, and furl them up when the wind riseth. Pergamos is commended. Rev. ii. L'3, for her bold profession : ' I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan hath his throne ; and thou boldest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas wa^ my faithful njartyr, who was slain among you.' It was a place where Satan sat in the magistrate's seat, where it was grande satis piaculum morfem mereri, Christianutn esse; matter enough to deserve death to be a Christian ; yea, some blood now was shed before their eyes ; and even in those days they denied not the truth. This God took kindly. It is a strict charge Paul gives Timothy, 1 Epis. vi. 11 : ' But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness,' &c. ; while others are prowling for the world, lay about thee for spiritual riches, pursue this with as hot a chase as they do their temporal. But, what if this trade cannot be peaceably driven ? Must shop windows then be shut up, profession laid aside, and he stay to be religious, till more favourable times come about? No such matter ; ver. 12, he bids him ' hght the good fight of faith ;' do not basely quit thy profession, but lay life and all to stake to keep this. And that he might engage him beyond a retreat, see ver. 13 : 'I charge thee in the sight of (Jod, who quickeneth all things, and Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, that thou keep this commandment;' as if he had said. If ever you will see the face of Christ with comfort at the resurrection, who chose to lose his life, rather than deny or dissemble the truth, stand to it, and flinch not from your colours. Augustine, in his Confess, lib. viii. cap. 2, hath a notable story of one Victorinus, famous in Rome for rhetoric, which he taught the senators. This man, in his old age, was converted to Christianity, and came to Simplicianus^ one eminent at that time for his piety, whispering in his ears softly these words, Etjo smn Christiunus ; ' I am a christian ;' but this holy man answered, Non credo, nee deputabo ie, inter Cliristianos nisi in ecclesia Christi ie indero ; ' I will not believe it, nor co\mt thee so, till I see thee among the Christians in the church ; ' at which he laughed, saying, Ergone parietes faciunt Christianum ; ' Do then those walls make a Christian ? cannot I be such, except I openly profess it, and let the world know the same?' This he said for fear, being yet but a young convert, though an old man ; but a while after, when he was more confirmed in the faith, and seriously considered, that if he shoidd continue thus ashamed of Christ, he woidd be ashamed of him when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels, he changed his note, and came
gl8 HAVING YOUR LOINS