1. It must be a well-rooted Knowledge that will prepare us for suffering. Job tells his Friends, That the root of the matter, or, (as the original, will bear) the root of the wood was in him, Job 19.28. He was sorely afflicted by God and men, yet he held fast his integrity, because he was not a man of mere Leaves, but had a root of Knowledge and Grace in him. It is with Christians as it is with Trees, the more the Tree is rooted in the ground, the faster it stands in a storm; the more a Christian is rooted in Evangelical Truths, the firmer he stands in a time of Persecution. Those of the stony ground received the word with joy, but fell off in time of persecution because they had no root in them selves, Math. 13.21. The Heavenly Truth did but lye upon the face of their Hearts, and never sunk into them to become a virtual Principle in them. The Truth, that we would suffer for, had not need be a loose Notion, but Truth in the hidden parts, fastened there as a nail in a sure place, sealed up to the heart by the holy spirit, ingrafted and innaturalized in the mind that we may not let it go: We had need be grounded and settled in the faith, as the Apostle ⟨p. 48⟩speaks, Col. 1.23. Grounded as an house upon a sure Foundation, and settled as a man sitting fast in a Chair: We had need have a good Scripture bottom, and be firmly seated in the Truth, that we may be capable of suffering for Religion. The Scripture tells us, that there is but one God, one only to be worshipped and served, that his glory may not be given to another, nor his praise to graven Images; that Idols are silver and gold, the work of mens hands; that they have mouths and speak not, eyes and see not, ears and hear not, noses and smell not, hands and handle not, feet and walk not, that the Makers and Worshippers of them are like unto them, as stupid as the senseless Images are; that an Idol is nothing, a thing of no moment or power at all, a mere nothing to be it self made a God, or so much as to represent one. If such truths as these (of which St. Cyprian hath given a great Catalogue in his Exhortation to Martyrdom) be intimately radicated in the heart, they will strengthen it against Idolatry.1 The glorious Martyr Eulalia seemed to be full of them, when in her great sufferings she sung, that Isis, Apollo, Venus, were nothing, and Maximianus the worshipper of them was himself nothing:
1. It must be a well-rooted Knowledge that will prepare us for suffering. Job tels his Friends, That the root of the matter, or, (as the original, will bear) the root of the wood was in him, Job 19.28. He was sorely afflicted by God and men, yet he held fast his integrity, because he was not a man of meer Leaves, but had a root of Knowledge and Grace in him. It is with Christians as it is with Trees, the more the Tree is rooted in the ground, the faster it stands in a storm; the more a Christian is rooted in Evangelical Truths, the firmer he stands in a time of Persecution. Those of the stony ground received the word with joy, but fell off in time of perpersecution because they had no root in them selves, Math. 13.21. The Heavenly Truth did but lye upon the face of their Hearts, and never sunk into them to become a virtual Principle in them. The Truth, that we would suffer for, had not need be a loose Notion, but Truth in the hidden parts, fastned there as a nail in a sure place, sealed up to the heart by the holy spirit, ingrafted and innaturalized in the mind that we may not let it go: We had need be grounded and setled in the faith, as the Apostle ⟨p. 48⟩speaks, Col. 1.23. Grounded as an house upon a sure Foundation, and setled as a man sitting fast in a Chair: We had need have a good Scripture bottom, and be firmly seated in the Truth, that we may be capable of suffering for Religion. The Scripture tels us, that there is but one God, one only to be worshipped and served, that his glory may not be given to another, nor his praise to graven Images; that Idols are silver and gold, the work of mens hands; that they have mouths and speak not, eyes and see not, ears and hear not, noses and smell not, hands and handle not, feet and walk not, that the Makers and Worshippers of them are like unto them, as stupid as the senseless Images are; that an Idol is nothing, a thing of no moment or power at all, a meer nothing to be it self made a God, or so much as to represent one. If such truths as these (of which St. Cyprian hath given a great Catalogue in his Exhortation to Martyrdome) be intimately radicated in the heart, they will strengthen it against Idolatry.1 The glorious Martyr Eulalia seemed to be full of them, when in her great sufferings she sung, that Isis, Apollo, Venus, were nothing, and Maximianus the worshipper of them was himself nothing:
- 1Magd. Hist. Cent. 4. cap. 12.
