12. Twelfthly and lastly, I answer, That all the persecutions that you meet with on earth shall advance your glory in heaven.^ The more saints are persecuted on earth, the greater shall be their reward in heaven ; as persecutions do increase a Christian's grace, so they do advance a Christian's glory : Mat. v. 10-12, ' Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of
^ The learned judge that there were several others in Israel that kept other prophets of the Lord from Jezehel's fury besides those that Obadiah hid. Three years before Titus Vespasian besieged Jerusalem, there was a voice frequently heard, ' Go up to Pella, go up to Pella,' which very many of the Jews did, and were saved. — [Josephus, as before «. «.— G.I
* See Sibbes, vol. iv. 487, 488, note, for curious legends of the 'spider and cobweb.' — G.
'* Quisquia volens detrahU/amce mece nolens addit mercedi mece, saith Augustine.
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 299
heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Eejoice, and be exceeding glad ; for great is your reward in heaven : for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.' Luke vi. 22, 23, ' Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man s sake. Kejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy ; for, behold, your reward is in heaven, for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.' ^ They that are now opposed and persecuted by men, shall at last be owned and crowned by God ; yea, and the more afHictions and persecutions are multiplied upon them in this Avorld, the greater shall be their recompense in another world. The original words, ar/aXkLaade in Matthew, and a-KipTijaare in Luke, signifies exceeding great joy, such as men usually express by skipping and dancing ; let your hearts leap, and let your bodies leap for joy, for great is your reward in heaven. Look, as wanton young cattle in the spring, when everji^hing is in its prime and pride, do use to leap and skip for joy ; so says Christ, do you leap and skip under all the afflictions and persecutions that befalls you for righteousness' sake, for great is your reward in heaven. Bernard, speaking of persecutors, saith, that they are but his Father's gold- smiths, who are working to add pearls to the saints' crowns. It is to my loss, said Gordius the martyr, if you abate me anything of my present sufferings ; sufferings for Christ are the saints' greatest glory ; they are those things wherein they have divinely glorified.^ Crudelitas vestra gloria nostra : Your cruelty is our glory, say they in Tertullian ; and the harder we are put to it, the greater shall be our reward in heaven. Chrysostom liit the nail when he said, If one man should suffer all the sorrows of all the saints in the world, yet they are not worth one hour's glory in heaven. By the consent of the schoolmen, all the martyrs shall appear in the church triumphant, bearing the signs of their Christian wounds about them, as so many speaking testimonies of their godly courage, that what here they endured in the behalf of their Saviour, may be there an addition to their glory. 0 Christians, all your sufferings will certainly increase your future glory ; every affliction, every persecution will be a grain put into the scale of your heavenly glory, to make it more weighty in that day, wherein he will richly reward you for every tear, for every sigh, for every groan, for every hazard, and for every hardship that you have met with in the pursuit of holiness, &c. For light afflictions you shall have a weight of glory ; and for a few afflictions you shall have as many joys, pleasures, delights, and contents as there be stars in heaven or sands on the sea-shore ; and for momentary afflictions you shall have an eternal crown of glory, 2 Cor. iv. 16-18. If you have suffering for suffering with Christ on earth, you shall have glory for glory with Christ in heaven. Ah Christians, your present sufferings are but the seeds of your future glory, and the more plentifully you sow in tears, the more abundant wiU be your harvest of glory. Cyrus, in a great
^ Excommunicate and anathematise 3'ou as notorious, shameful, and abominable offenders. ' That is, ' gloried.' — G.
300 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
expedition against his enemies, the better to encourage his soldiers to fight, in an oration that he made at the head of his army, promised, upon the victory, to make every foot-soldier a horseman, and every horseman a commander, and that every officer that did valiantly should be highly rewarded ; but Christ our General promises more, for he promises a crown, Kev. ii. 10, and a throne, iii. 21, to all his afflicted and persecuted ones, which are the greatest rewards that a God can give or that man can crave. It troubled one of the martyrs when he was at the stake, that he was going to a place where he should be for ever a-receiving of wages for a little work. Aristippus being demanded in a storm why he was not as fearful as others were, answered that there was great reason for it ; for, saith he, they fear the torments due to a bad life, but I expect the reward due to a good life. Ah Christians ! shall not the hopes of that great reward that attends suffering saints bear you up bravely, and carry you out sweetly under all the storms that may beat upon you whilst you are sailing heaven- wards and holiness-wards ? Surely yes. I have read that Lycurgus could draw the Lacedemonians to anything by temporal rewards ; and oh then how much more should I draw all your hearts to a readiness and willing- ness to do anything, to be anything, and to suffer anything for Christ's sake, and holiness' sake, upon the account of that great reward, that sure reward, and that eternal reward, that attends suffering saints ! And let thus much suffice for answer to this fourth objection. I hope none of you will think that I have been too long in answering this objection, considering the present times. But,
Object 5. Fifthly, Others may object and say, We would labour after this holiness, without luhich there is no happiness, dtc. But if we should, then we must resolve to be poor, and mean, and beggarly in the tvorld, we must resolve then to fare hard, and lie hard, and labour hard, and live low in the ivorld, for we shall never raise an estate to ourselves by holiness and strictness, we shall never grow rich and great in the world by godliness ; nay, by driving this trade of holi- ness, we shall lose our trades, our customers, and those estates we have, and quickly bring a noble to ninepence, &c. Now to fence and arm you against this objection, give me leave to propose these six follow- ing considerations :