^ Kissing was an outward token — (1.) Of great and entire affection ; (2.) Of submissire reverence ; (3.) Of willing and ready subjection.
WITH HIS PEOPLE IN THEIR GREATEST TROUBLES. 497
Idolaters used not only to bow and kneel before their idols, but also to kiss them, according to that Hosea xiii. 2, ' Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.' Cicero saith that the chin of the image of Hercules was much worn with the kisses of them that adored him. Now God had several thousands of true Israelites indeed that had not in the least kind polluted themselves with the idolatry of Baal. The denial of bowing the knee and kissing with the mouth shews that God's faithful servants were so far from setting their hearts upon Baal, as that they would not make the least show of any affection or subjection to him. These good souls had too great spirits to be conformable to the idolatry of the times. Jeroboam with his eight hundred thousand chosen men, his popish priests, and his golden calves, could not bring Judah to his bow, 2 Chron. xiii. 3, 20. Nebuchadnezzar, nor his princely informers, nor his fiery furnace, could never bring the three children to his bow ; the three champions would be Nonconformists, tliough court, city, and country were violent for conformity, Dan. iii. Neither Darius, his presidents, nor princes, could ever bring Daniel to their bow, Dan. vi. ; Daniel would keep off from idolatry, and keep close to his God, and close to his duty, let all his enemies do their worst. The rulers and elders of Israel charged the apostles, and threatened the apostles, and beat the apostles, and commanded the apostles, that they should not speak in the name of Jesus ; but they could never bring them to their bow. Acts iii., iv., v. For 'they de- parted from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name, and daily in the temple, and in every house they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ,' Acts v. 41, 42. Pharaoh by all his oppressions could never bring Israel to his bow ; nor Saul by all his persecutions could never bring David to his bow ; nor Haman by all his plots and designs could never bring Mordecai to his bow ; and Paul will rather die upon the spot than be brought to his enemies' bow, Acts xx. 21-24, and xxi. 13. The ten persecuting emperors could never bring the primitive Chris- tians to their bow ; nor the bloody, fierce, and fiery papists could never bring the martyrs to their bow, as you may see throughout the books of martyrs. Among the many hundred instances that are there, I shall only refresh your memory with this one : There were endeavours to bring Hawkes to their bow, but all in vain. At last some of his Christian friends desired him, for their encouragement and confirma- tion, to give some token when he was in the flames ; a strange time one would think to attend upon signs by friends, whether the pains were tolerable or no. He was bound to the stake, fire put to the wood, it burns, it flames, it consumes his flesh, his eyes start out of his head, his fingers are consumed with the fire ; and when every one thought him dead, expecting the fall of his body : lo, suddenly he lifts up his stumps, and thrice as a famous conqueror he claps them over his head. In this he was more than conqueror.!
In former times the sense of the love of God made the martyrs esteem tyrants as gnats and fleas, and torments as fleabitings. Ter- tullian, speaking of his times, saith, That to be accused was the wish ^ [Foxe,] Acts and Mon., page 1447.
498 THE SIGNAL PRESENCE OF GOD
of Christians, and punishment for Christ they counted felicity.! A certain woman, running in all haste with her child in her arms, being asked the cause. Oh, saith she, I hear a great sort of Christians are appointed to be martyred, and I am afraid lest I and my little one come too late. When the Emperor Valens banished Basil, and the tribune threatened his death, I would, said Basil, I had anything of worth, I would bestow it on him that should cut Basil's windpipe. And when he had that night given him to deliberate, he answered, That he would be the same man to-morrow, and wished that the tribune should not be changed. Chrysostom, being in banishment by the means of Eudoxia the empress, wrote to a bishop called Cyriacus, and, upon occasion, tells of his resolution before he was banished : I thought with myself, saith he, that if she will banish me, the earth is the Lord's ; if she will saw me asunder, I remembered the prophet Isaiah ; if drown me, Jonas came to my mind ; if stone me, I thought of Stephen ; if behead me, of John Baptist ; if take away my goods, ' Naked came I out of my mother's womb.' By all which you may clearly see, that let the wicked do their worst, they can never bring the saints to their bow. But,
[5.] Fifthly, ' If God be with us, who can be against us?' I an- swer, None, so as to hinder the operation of all things for our good. When men and devils have done their worst, all the great troubles, deep distresses, and most deadly dangers, that do attend the saints, shall work for their good: Rom. viii. 28, 'And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose.' 2 In this verse there are two things observable : First, A proposition, or a glorious privilege : * All things work together for good.' This word, avvepyei ek, ' work to- gether,' is a physical expression. Several poisonful ingredients put together, being tempered by the skilful apothecary, make a sovereign medicine, and work together for the good of the patient. They work together, not invicem, between themselves, but together with God ; not of their own nature, for so they do not co-operate, but contra- operate, but being sanctified by God. And therefore one takes the verb passively, are ' wrought ;' for, indeed, take away God, and afflic- tions work for our hurt ; but all God's providences, being divinely tempered and sanctified, do work together for the best to the people of God. When the worst of men have done their worst against the saints, all things shall sweetly concur, yea, conspire for their good. Second, The proof, which is double. (1.) From the experience of all saints, ' We know ; ' it is not a matter pendulous or doubtful. The apostle doth not say, ' We think,' but ' We know.' Nor he doth not say, * We hope,' but ' We know.' Nor he doth not say, ' We guess,' ' we conjecture,' but ' We know.' Nor he doth not say, ' We desire that all things may work together for good, but ' We know all things work together for good.' Nor he doth not say, ' We pray' that all things may work together for good, but ' We know all things work
^ Accusatio votum est, et poena felicitas. — Tert. advers. Gent.
* 1 have read of a Jewish rabbin, who would still say it was good whatever befell him. When he met with a cross, he would say it was good ; when he met with a loss, he wjuld say it is good.