452 SERMONS UPON JOHN XVIT. [SeR. XXIX.
thousands, even to an incredible number, could not be without some divine power and force upon their souls. That all this should be done by persons otherwise of a delicate, tender sense, and a meek and flexible spirit ! what should move them to it but the power of the truth ? This being a religion of little reputation in the world, which the philosophers and disputers of that age sought to batter down with arguments, the politicians with all manner of discouragements, the orators with a flood of words, the tyrants with slaughters and torments, the devil by all manner of crafts and subtleties. What had the poor christians before their eyes but prisons, and wild beasts, and gibbets, and fires, and racks, and torturing engines more cruel than death ? They had flesh and blood as well as others, a nature that continually prompted them to spare themselves as well as others ; life was as dear to them, and their care of their families and little ones as great, their respect to parents and friends as much in them as any ; yea, more, religion requiring natural affection in the highest exercise, and en- tendering their hearts with a sense of their duty ; yet rather than give their bibles to be burnt, or be led away from their religion, they could trample upon all. Certainly such an invincible constancy could not be imputed to any rigid sullenness, or foolish obstinacy, or distempered stiffness, but merely to the love of truth, which prevailed over all other concernments. Let it shame us, that they could part with life, and all their interests, for Christ and his truth, and we cannot part with our lusts ; they with their well-being, and we not with our ill- being. Could they suffer the persecutors to destroy their bodies, and will not we suffer the fire of the word to consume our lusts? Keason and conscience is calling upon us to quit these things, and j^et we hug them to our great prejudice ; we to whom a little duty is so irksome, a little pains in prayer so tedious, what would we do if the fires were kindled about us, and we were every day to carry our life in our hands, and could look for nothing but halters, and stakes, and instruments of destruction ? Surely our spirits are too silken and soft for such a religion, so abstracted from ease and pleasure, and worldly interests.
Thirdly, The malignant world hath owned it ; the deadly hatred of the devil, and the constant opposition of wicked men is a proof of it. The malignant world know it, and therefore they hate and oppose it. The reason of the argument is because the heart of man is naturally averse to'God : 1 Cor. ii. 14, ' The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.' Now that which all wicked men do universally and constantly oppose and malign, certainly that is of God. As Christ saith of his own disciples, John XV. 19, 'If ye were of the world, the world would love its own ; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hatetli you.' So may we reason : If the scriptures were of men, if devised by them, and suitable to their lusts and humours, the men of the world would receive them with a great deal of stillness, flesh and blood would love its own. But carnal men have constantly and universally opposed the doctrine of God, and always have been afflicting the church, and seeking to oppose the people of God, because of their professing the truth. Mark it, before Christianity
VeR. 17.] SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. 453
began to be generally propagated in the world, the Jews were the mark and butt of malice, whereat all nations did shoot tlieir envenomed arrows of malice and rage ; and therefore it is very notable that the Eomans, though they conciuered many nations, yet they never put down the idolatry of the nations, as they put down the religion of the Jews, and sought to oppose that and molested that ; and when the christians began to be discovered, then all their malice was turned off from the Jews to christians. Certainly it was not merely because of the difference of worship, for they tolerated the Epicureans, but took away all the worship of God ; yea, they burnt the christians, and made them to be torches, to give light to Rome in a dark night. Therefore there was so special a spite at the ways of God.
Secondly, I am now to prove the truth, or divine authority of the word by intrinsic arguments, or such arguments as are taken from the scriptures themselves : either —
1. From the manner and form of these writings ; or else,
2. From the matter of them.
1. In the manner and form of these writings yon may observe these things : —
[1.] The majesty of the style. Look, as there was a difference be- tween Christ's teaching and the teaching of the pharisees : Mat. vii. 29, 'He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes ; ' such a sovereign majesty is there in the scriptures. They speak, not as conscious of any weakness, and so begging assent, but as command- ing it. ' Thus saith the Lord.' It is the great argument in scripture ; hear it, or you are lost for ever. Pray mark, it is not said, ' not as the prophets,' but ' not as the scribes ; ' they had nothing but what was human out of the Jewish rabbis, but Christ speaketh like an extraor- dinary messenger, as one that came to increase the canon and rule of faith, with such an awe that the high priest's officers were afraid to meddle with him : John vii. 45, 46, ' Why have ye not l^rought him ? The officers said, Never man spake like this man,' with such an infal- lible spirit. ' Ye have heard,' saith Christ, but ' I say ; ' and his great argument is, ' I say unto you ; ' Mat. v. 21, 22, ' Ye have heard that it hath been said of old time. Thou shalt not kill, &c. ; but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause,' &c. So ver. 27, 28, 33, 34, 38, 39, 43, 44. There is such a majesty breathing forth from one end of the scriptures to another. Men can only beg assent, not command it by their own authority ; and therefore in all matters which they would enforce, they use insinuation and argument ; but the prophets say, 'Thus saith the Lord;' and Christ, who had original authority in the Church, ' I say unto you.' With what a majestic contempt doth Christ scoi-n his opposers ! ' He that hath ears to hear, let him hear; ' ' He that is filthy, let him be filthy still.' God will not regard the loss of such, that do not regard to understand and obey his word. Longinus, a heathen, admired the majesty of Moses his writings, ryevr]6}]T0i koX i<yev6To, ' Let it be done, and it was done ; ' the style of mighty princes and emperors.