off the dirt they throw upon thee, and sweetly entertain thyself with the com- fort which thy own conscience will bring to thee through the reproaches of thy enemies. Salvian saith, What others say or think of us, makes us not miserable : one repi'oof from a man's own thoughts, wounds more than the reproaches of all the world besides. When the Thessalonians were once satisfied of the cer- tain truth of Paul's doctrine, — ' For the gospel,' it is said, ' came to them in much assurance,' 1 Thess. i. 5, — then they could open their door with joy to receive it, though afflictions and persecutions come along with it ; ver. 6.
Section II. — Improve those scriptures which teach us to dread God more, and fear man less. Every man is most loth to fall into his hands whom he fears most : so that if God hath once gained the supremacy of thy fear, thou wilt rather leap into the hottest fire the persecutor can make, than make God thy enemy : ' Princes have persecuted me without a cause, but my heart standeth in awe of thy word,' Psa. cxix. 161. David had put, it seems, man's wrath, and that which God threatens in his word, into the scales, and finding God's hand to be the heavier, trembles at that, and ventures the worst that the other can do against him. Hence it is the Scripture is so much in depi-essing the power of man, that we may not be scared at his big look or threats, and representing his utmost rage to be so contemptible and inconsiderable a thing, as none that knows who God is, needs fear the worst he can do ; ' Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?' Isa. ii. 22. ' Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul ; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell,' Matt. x. 28. Children are afraid of bugbears, that cannot hurt them ; but they can play with fire that will burn them ; and no less childish is it to be frightened into a sin at the frowns of a man, who comes forth with a vizard of seeming dread and terror, but hath no power to hurt us more than oiu* own fear gives him ; and to play with hell-fire into which God is able to cast us for ever. Truly, this is to be scared with painted fire in the picture, and not in the fur- nace, where it really burns. What was John Huss the worse for his fool's cap that his enemies put on his head, so long as under it he had a helmet of hope, which they could not take off? Or how much the nearer hell was the same blessed martyr for their committing his soul to the devil? No nearer than some of their own wicked crew are to heaven, for being sainted in the Pope's Calen- dar. Melancthon said, some are Anathema secundum did, as Luther, and other faithful servants of Christ, whom the pope ciu'sed. But what saith David? * Let them em-se, but bless thou,' Psa. cix. 28. He that hath God's good word, needs not fear the world's bad ; nor need change his countenance for the rage of his persecutors.
Section III. — Be sure thou givest up thy lust to the sword of the Spirit, before thy life is in danger from the sword of the persecvitor. He is not likely to be free of his flesh for Christ, when called to suffer at man's hand, that is dainty of his lusts, and cannot bear the edge of the Spirit's sword when he comes to mortify them. Canst thou be willing to lay down thy life for Christ, and yet keep an enemy in thy bosom out of the hand of justice, that seeks to take away the life of Christ ? Persecutors tempt, as well as torture. They promise the honours of the court, as well as threaten the hardships of the prison, and cruelty of the devouring fire. Now, if thy love to the world be not moi- tified, it is easy to tell what choice thou wilt make, — even as Demas did, thou wilt embrace the present world, and leave Christ. Or if thou shouldst, through a natural stoutness, bear up under sufferings, even to give thy body to be burnt, rather than renoimce the true religion thou professest, yet if any lust should at last be foimd to have been fostered by thee, thou shalt have no more thanks at Christ's hands than he who in the law ofFei-ed up an unclean beast to God. It is possible for one to die in the cause of Christ, and not be his martyr. Thy heart must be holy which thou sufferest with, as well as the cause thou suf- ferest for. Thy behaviour must be gracious in suffering as well as the cause just, that brings thee to suffer. He alone is Christ's martyr, that suffers for Christ, as Christ himself suffei-ed : for he hath not only left us his truth to maintain unto blood, when called thereimto, by his example, but to follow also in our suffer- ings,— 'If, when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is accept- able with God ; for even hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered
AND THE SWOKD OF THE SPIRIT. 597