Armatura Dei, or, A preparation for suffering in an evil day showing how Christians…Armatura Dei, or, A preparation for suffering in an evil day shewing how Christians…

1. Pious Sufferers do glorify God in a very signal eminent manner: What is said of St. Peter's death, That it was a glorifying of God, Joh. 21.19. The same may be said of the death of all other Martyrs; we glorify God by offering Praise; much more by offering our lives for him: We glorify him by giving some of our Estates in Charity, much more by giving our blood ⟨p. 134⟩for his Name: We glorify, him, when we present our Bodies a living sacrifice to him in Active Obedience, much more when we present them a dying one in Passive: Much of the glory of God breaks forth in his Suffering Saints; Free-grace shines out in the raising up Witnesses to his Truth in a contradicting persecuting World; Power admirably appears in bearing of them up with holy Joy and Pleasure in the midst of all the Torments, which men and Devils can invent against them. Excellent is that of the Apostle; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness, Col. 1.11. Gods power is glorious in other things, but in his suffering Saints it lets out itself in a most illustrious manner: The Persecutors have all Torments, all kinds of Death, but the Martyrs have all might, all patience, and long-suffering with joyfulness: As it was with Christ, his Power appeared in Miracles, but above all, in that he triumphed over Principalities and Powers upon the Cross; so it is with Christians, the Divine Power appears in other Graces, but above all in that patient suffering which overcomes the World: The Truth of God is in Martyrs practically proved to be exceeding precious. The Fathers, in the first ⟨p. 135⟩general Councils, were so earnest for the Truth, that they would not exchange a letter or syllable of it. The Arian [Greek or Hebrew] would not pass instead of [Greek or Hebrew], nor the Nestorian [Greek or Hebrew], applied to Christ as man, instead of [Greek or Hebrew] applied to the blessed Virgin: All Believers seal up the Evangelical Truths by Faith, but the Martyrs seal them up by their blood also: Plainly showing, that the least jot or tittle of truth is more worth than life, and not to be sold for a World. It was the preciousness of truth, that made Athanasius stand it out against an Arian World, and Luther stand it out against a Popish one. Moreover Divine Worship is by Martyrs maintained to be a Prerogative due to God alone.