the gospel's sake ? He that shall attempt to save his life by crossing his light, by shifting of the truth, or by forsaking of Christ, shall lose it. It is a gainful loss to suffer for the truth ; it is a lossful gain, by time-serving and base complying with the times, the lusts, the wills, the humours of the men of this age, in whom the spirit of Cain and_Esau works so furiously, to provide for our present safety, security, plenty, peace, and ease, &c., either by denying the truth, or by betray- ing the truth, or by exchanging the truth, or by forsaking the truth : Mat. X. 39, ' He that findeth his life shall lose it.' This is a strange expression, a riddle to the world, a seeming contradiction, such as natural reason can never reconcile. ' He that findeth his life;' that is, redeemeth it with the forfeiture of his faith, with the shipwreck of his conscience, 1 Tim. i. 19, 20, makes a loser's bargain ; he makes more haste than good speed, whilst in running from death as far as he can, he runs to it as fast as he can. See it in some great instances. When Henry the Fourth of France had conquered his enemies, he turned papist, and gave this reason of it, that he might settle himself in peace and safety. Bavaillac, who slew him as he was riding abroad in his coach to refresh himself, confessed that the reason why he stabbed him was because he was of two religions ; and thus, by his sinful endeavours to save his life, he lost it.i There was one Philbert Hamlin in France, having converted a priest to the profession of the truth, was, together with the priest, apprehended, and cast into prison at Bourdeaux ; but after a while, the priest, being terrified with the prison and fear of death, renounced Christ, and was set at liberty. Whereupon Philbert said unto him, 0 unhappy and more than miser- able man ! is it possible that, to save your life for a few days, you should so deny the truth ? Know, therefore, though you have avoided the corporal fire, yet your life shall not be prolonged ; for you shall die before me, and you shall not have the honour to die for the cause of Christ ; but you shall be an example to apostates ; and accordingly, as he went out of the prison, two gentlemen, that had a former quar- rel with him, met him, and slew him ; and thus, also, he lost his life by endeavouring sinfully to save it.^ The Angrognians that yielded to the papists, and complied with them, that they might sleep quietly in a whole skin, were more sadly and cruelly handled by the papists than those that continued stout, courageous, and resolute for the truth.^ Under the fourth persecution there were some Christians who, for fear of torments and death, denied their faith, and sacrificed to idols, yet did not their bloody persecutors spare them ; and it was observed that, being full of guilt, they went to their deaths with dejected and ill- favoured countenances, so that the very Grentiles took notice of it, and reproached them as base apostates, and as such who were worthy to suffer as evil-doers. West, that was chaplain to Bishop Kidley, re- fusing to die in Christ's cause with his master, said mass against his conscience, and soon after pined away with sorrow and grief. A smith in King Edward the Sixth's days, called Kichard Denton, was a for- ward professor of religion, and, by his Christian instruction, the happy
^ French History. [As before. — G.]
^ Non potest, qui pati timet, ejus esse qui passus est. — Tertul.
* [Foxe] Acts and Mon., fol. 885.
422 A GENERAL EPISTLE
instrument of the conversion of a young man to the faith. After- wards, in the reign of Queen Mary, this young man was cast in prison for his religion ; who, remembering his old friend and spiritual father, the smith, to whom he always carried a reverent respect for the good he had received by him, sent to know whether he was im- prisoned also, and finding that he was not, desired to speak with him ; and when he came he asked his advice, whether he thought it best for him to remain in prison, and whether he would encourage him to burn at a stake for his religion. . To whom the smith answered, that his cause was good, and that he might with comfort suffer for it ; but for my part, said the smith, I cannot bum. But shortly after, he that could not burn for religion, by God's just judgment was burned for his apostasy ; for his shop and house being set on fire, and he over- busy to save his goods, was burnt in the flames, i ' They that will not burn for Christ when he calls them to it, shall burn whether they will or no. He that will not suffer for Christ, shall be sure to suffer worse things from Christ than ever he could have suffered for Christ. And therefore Dr Taylor, the martyr, hit the nail when he said. If I shrink from God's truth, said he, I am sure of another manner of death than Judge Hales had, who being drawn, for fear of death, to do things against his light and conscience, did afterwards drown himself.'' Cyprian, in his sermon, De Lapsis, makes mention of divers who, for- saking the profession of their faith, were given over by God to be possessed by evil spirits, and so died fearfully and miserably, making good that word that is more worth than a world, John xii. 25, 'He that loveth his life shall lose it ; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.' ^ A man that is sparing of his life when Christ calls for it, doth take the ready way to lose it ; and he that doth hazard it for him at his call, is sure to live eternally. Christ approves of no followers who are not resolved on the loss of what is dearest to them, yea, even of life, for his sake ; therefore doth he mention our life to be hated, which is not to be understood abso- lutely, as if it were a sin to love life, as it is the gift of God, or that they should be weary of it, but comparatively, that they should not love it more than Christ, his word, his worship, his ways. He that resolves to save his temporal life upon any terms, he takes the shortest cut to lose both temporal and eternal life also. ' He that loveth his life shall lose it.' He that prefers the honour and service of Christ above his own life, he takes the surest way to preserve both body and Boul into eternal life ; for ' he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.' Though life be sweet, and every creature makes much of it, from the highest angel to the lowest worm, yet woe, woe to him that is set upon saving of it when Christ calls upon him to lay it down for his sake, or the gospel's sake. No fool to him that thinks to avoid a less danger by running himself into a greater danger, who thinks to save"his body by losing his soul, and to save his temporal life by losing eternal life. There is no loser to him
1 [Foxe] Acts and Mon., vol. iii. p. 960. " Jbid., 1382.