' They eat up my people, as they eat bread,' Ps. xiv. 4, and ' they think they do God good service,' John xvi. 2. This is the state of all countries
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beyond the seas, except ours ; and shall not we have actions of sympafhy ? That member that sympathiseth not with the body is a dead member. And therefore we cannot make it good to ourselves, that wo are living members of a living and glorious head, except we sympathise with them. So that in regard of the body of Christ now in Europe, under the cross a long time, and under tyranny of crosses, we may say we are delivered to death continually. And it may be our portion and "lot, before we go out of the world, for anything we know, and for anything we discern. That is the truth of it.
But what speak I of delivering to death, when some nice* Christians will not endure a scorn, a frown, a reproach for Christ ? They will not part with anything for Christ ; how then will they part with their blood ? Are those likely men to be ' delivered to death for Christ's sake,' if times should be, that will not yield up an3-thing they have ?
Now that we be enabled to do it, I will not trouble you with many direc- tions. I will give but one. When a Christian cometh to be a Christian, let him think he is not a man for this life, farther than God will sutler him to live for the good of others, and to get assurance of interest in another world. He is estated in heaven, therefore lot him be at a point for this pre- sent life. And now he hath given himself to Christ, his life is Christ's, and let him think his life is not his own. ' If I live, I live to Christ ; if I die, I die to Christ,' Kom. xiv. 8, and be content that Christ should have what he hath bought so dearly, whensoever he will call for it. Be content with partial little deaths under them, for many of us die in times of peace, such partial deaths, as sickness, and infirmities. This life goes out many ways, sometimes by infirmities of body, sometimes by violence, at length by age. All partial deaths, we must learn to make use of them every day as we should, and in every of them some little part and glimpse of the light of Christ is manifested. And therefore labour every day to bear every day's cross comely, and as Christians should do ; and the bearing of par- tial crosses will enable us to bear the grand crosses. The undergoing of little deaths will make us able to undergo the grand death, when the time cometh.
To go on : * For we which live are always delivered to death for Christ's sake.' ' Always,' for anything we know. ' We die daily,' saith the apostle, 1 Cor XV. 31 ; in our expectation, and in our resignation of spirit ; we die daily in the designs of malicious spirits. God and Christ may challenge our right in our life, when he will, in regard of that disposition of soul answerable to Christ's dispensation, which we are ignorant of, and answer- able to the malice of wicked men, which we know not. When our humanity will vent itself, we are always ' delivered to death for Christ's sake.' It is not the life we are to make account of, not to reckon of. ' AVe are dead men,' as the apostle saith, Ptom. viii. 10, 11. We are dead in sin, not only dead to sin, but in regard of the sentence of mortality pronounced on us, which I shall have occasion to touch when I come to ' mortal bodies.'
' Delivered to death for Jesus' sake.' Jesus' sake ! What, will the enemies say so ? No ! it is for your heresy, schism, faction, unquiet spirit ; it is that you be troublers of state, but by no means for Jesus' sake. But the course of the enemy is first of all to be liars, and then to be slanderers, to take away the good name of God's people, and then to take away their lives. They be serpents and dragons for cunning, and then to be lions to devour. That is their method, and the devil's method, when they cannot with colour * That is, = delicate.— G.
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execute tlieir cruelty, but under lies and slanders. Therefore the course of [thej wicked is to devour them in their names, civilly* to devour them first ; and then thoy have afterwards better colour to shew all the malice they can. And all that be led with cursed spirits at all times, their fashion is to disgrace them, that by it they may blemish them all they can, and then they shall be counted excellent men, for pursuing such men for such sins ; they blast them, but in their reputation specially. Such as will take any leisure to examine things, may plainly see their malice against the life of Christ. And then they have glorious pretences to cany their malice, and cruelty which they list. But doth God interpret it so ? No ! He interprets it for Christ's sake ; Christ interprets it for his own sake. They • do for such and such ends, but Christ takes it as done for himself ; his religion, his profession, for the cause of religion, and a good conscience. Whoever therefore do sufi'cr for the discovery of a good conscience, if but in a civil matter, as John Baptist (it was not for a matter of religion), it is for God's sake, the truth of God, and justice of God ; and we may suffer in way of justice, and rather than not stand out in a civil matter for Christ's sake. Therefore we count John among the martyrs. For religion, in the profession of it in word, or the profession of it in life, or in discharge of a good conscience, any way, that is for Christ's sake. Christ will take it so, and that is our comfout ; and if he take it so, surely he will be partner with us, he will suffer with us ; and if he suffers with us, surely we shall be well borne out^ and he will glorify us hereafter. ' Blessed are ye when men persecute and revile 3'ou for my name's sake,' Mat. v. 11 ; so did their fathers the prophets before you. Whatsoever the world makes pretence to, their wisdom, folly, thinking to daub things as they may well enough with the world, yet God will take it out otherwise. It is for his sake. He will revenge it, as done against his children, and afterward crown them.