L Literally expressed — ' For thy sake we are killed all the day long.' Where—
(1.) Tlie cause — ' For thy sake ;' out of love to him, and zeal for his glory, and the purity of his worship. This instance showeth, partly, that the true religion is ever hated in the world ; and partly, that for the love of God we ought to endure all manner of extremities. Partly, that it is a blessed thing when our death is not occasioned by our own crimes, but merely for God's sake ; when a man doth not ' suffer as an evil doer,' but for righteousness' sake.
2. The grievousness of the trial — ' We are killed ; ' not spoiled only, but killed. It is further set forth : Heb. xi. 37, ' They were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, slain with the sword;' that is, put to death several ways. Some think it should not be iTreipda6'q<jav, but eirvpa.- aOrjaav, were burnt, or tempted by some cruel kind of death to forsake God. The whole signifieth that the lives of the saints were most cruelly taken away by several kinds of tormenting deaths.
3. The continuance — ' All the day long.' Either the church speaketh as a collective bodj', for a single person can be killed but once — now one, then another made away ; all hours of the day tiiey were taking or killing some of the bretliren ; yet the rest were not discouraged ; or else ' killed all the day long ' must bear this sense, that they were always in fear of death ; it did continually liang over their heads, they
Vers. 36, 37.] sermons upon Romans viii. 385
were no time free, as the apostle saith, 1 Cor. xv. 31, ' I die daily.' He did daily run the hazard of death.
2. By a similitude — ' We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.' Some take the allusion from sheep appointed for sacrifice. The wicked thought they did God good service in killing the godly, John svi. 2 ; and the godly themselves yielded up themselves as a sacrifice to God : 2 Tim. iv. 6, ' I am ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand ; ' but this is forced, npopara a(f)ay)j<; rather implieth sheep destined to the shambles. (1.) The similitude importeth, partly, the contempt of the enemies ; they made no more reckoning of them than of sheep : Zech. xi. 4, 5, ' Feed the flock of the slaughter, whose possessors slay them, and hold themselves not guilty ; ' that is, they care no more for their death than they do for the killing of a sheep. (2 ) It noteth their own imbecility ; they had no power to resist ; as Mat. x. 16, ' Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.' Sheep have no power or means to preserve themselves. (3.) Their meekness ; they did no more resist than sheep : Isa. liii. 7, ' He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before the shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.'
Boct. Such as resolve upon the profession of Christianity must prepare to give their life for the maintenance of it, when God calls them thereunto.
This seemeth hard ; but,
1. Christ requireth it of all : Luke xiv. 26, ' If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life, he cannot be my disciple.' It is too late for us to interpose for an abatement when the terms are thus fixed by Clirist himself. So our Lord, when he openeth the doctrine of self-denial, he showeth it must extend to life : Mat. svi. 24, 25, 'He that saveth his life shall lose it.' There is nothing so dear to us as life ; nothing which nature doth so highly value, and tenderly look to, and so unwillingly let go. Many that can yield in other points cannot yield in this, but then they are not sincere with God ; for you must not look upon it as a note of excellency, but the disposition of those who have the lowest measure of saving grace ; as appeareth by these clauses, ' If any man will come after me ; ' and ' He cannot be my disciple.' You will say, What can the strong and eminent christian do more than part with life? This is not the difference between the strong and the weak christian, that one can part with a few things for Christ, and the other can part with all ; no, all must part with all. Not this, that one can part with his ease, profit, and credit, and the other can part with his life ; no, both must part with life. The difference is not in the things to be parted with, but in the degree of the affection ; the strongest christians can die with greater zeal, love, readiness, joy, and so bring more honour to God by their death than weak christians do, who offer up themselves to God with greater reluctancy and unwillingness.