The crown & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…The crovvn & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…

The Romans being in great distress, were put so hard to it, that they were fain to take the weapons out of the Temples of their gods to fight with their enemies, and so they overcame them; so when the people of God have been hard put to it, by reason of afflictions and persecutions, the weapons that they have fled to, has been prayers and tears, and with these they ⟨p. 378⟩have overcome their persecutors, as is evident in the three Children, in Daniel, and many others, &c. But,

The Romans being in great distress, were put so hard to it, that they were faine to take the weapons out of the Temples of their gods to fight with their enemies, and so they overcame them; so when the people of God have been hard put to it, by reason of afflictions and persecutions, the weapons that they have fled to, has been prayers and teares, and with these they ⟨p. 378⟩have overcome their persecutors, as is evident in the three Children, in Daniel, and many others, &c. But,

Secondly, Persecutions do but raise, whet, and stir up a more earnest and vehement spirit of prayer among the persecuted Saints.¹ Rev. 6.9, 10. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the Altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, doest thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? The blood² of the persecuted cries aloud for vengeance upon the persecutors. By the souls under the Altar, you are to understand the persons of the Saints which were martyred and lay slain upon the ground, like sacrifices at the foot of the Altar, under the Roman persecuting Emperors. There is no blood that cries so loud, and that makes so great a noise in heaven, as the blood of the Martyrs, as the blood of butchered persecuted Saints. Persecutors, like these Roman Emperors, in all ages have causelessly and cruelly destroyed the people of God; they delight in the blood of Saints, they love to wallow in the blood of Saints, they take pleasure in glutting themselves with the blood of Saints, they make no conscience of watering the earth, nor of colouring the Sea, nor of quenching the flames with the blood of the Saints, yea if it were possible they would willingly swim to heaven through their hearts-blood, whom Christ has purchased with his own most precious blood, (as all Historians know, and as you may all know if you would but search a little into Ecclesiastical Histories) and therefore 'tis no wonder if the blood of the Martyrs cry aloud for vengeance upon such desperate persecutors: The blood and prayers of persecuted Saints, will first or last bring down wrath and ruin upon their persecutors. Persecution puts an edge, yea a sharp edge upon the prayers of the Saints;