christianity, and to be anti-christian without, provided they be christians within. 1. But, if their pretences be well-grounded, what mean these express decisions of our scriptures? Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father, which is in heaven: But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father, which is in heaven. He, that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of mo. And he, that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He, that findeth his life, shall lose it; and he, that loseth his life, for my sake, shall find it. Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels, Matt. x. 32. Mark viii. 38. 2. If there be any ground for the pleas of temporizers, why do the scriptures set before us the examples of those believers, who walked in paths of tribulation, and followed Jesus Christ with heroical firmness in steps of crucifixion, and martyrdom? Way record the example of the three children of Israel, who chose rather to be cast into a fiery furnace, than to fall down before a statue, set up by an idolatrous king? Dan. iii. 19. Why that of the martyrs, who suffered under the barbarous Antiochus, and the courage of that mother, who after she had seven times suffered death, so to speak, by seeing each of her seven sons put to death, suffered an eighth, by imitating their example, and by crowning their martyrdom with her own? Why that cloud of witnesses, who through faith were stoned, were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword, wandered about in sheep-skins, and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented? Heb. xi. 37. 3. If the pretences of time-servers be wellgrounded, what was the design of the purest actions of the primitive church; of those councils, which were held on account of such as had the weakness to cast a grain of incense into the fire, that burned on the altar of an idol? Why those rigorous canons, which were made against them; those severe penalties, that were inflicted on them; those delays of their absolution, which continued till near the last moments of their lives? 4. If these pretences be allowable, what is the use of all the promises, which are made to confessors and martyrs; the white garments, that are reserved for them; the palms of victory, which are to be put in their hands; the crowns of glory, that are prepared for them; the reiterated declarations of the author and finisher of their faith, To him, that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown, Rev. iii. 21. 5. If these pretences be reasonable, would God have afforded so much miraculous assistance to his servants, the martyrs, in the time of their martyrdom? It was in the suffering of martyrdom, that St. Peter saw an angel, who opened the prisondoors to him, Acts xii. 7. In suffering martyr dom, Paul and Silas felt the prison, that confined them, shake, and their chains loosen and fall off, ver. 14. In suffering martyrdom, St. Stephen saw the heavens opened, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, chap. xvi. 26. and viii. 56. In the suffering of martyrdom, Balaam sang this song, Blessed be the Lord, who teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight, Psal. cxliv. 1. It was during their martyrdom, that Perpetua and Felicitas saw a ladder studded with swords, daggers, and instruments of punishment, that reached up to heaven, at the top of which stood Jesus Christ encouraging them. And you, my brethren, in participating the sufferings of primitive believers, have you not partaken of their consolations? Sometimes providence opened ways of escape, in spite of the vigilance of your enemies. Sometimes powerful protections, which literally fulfilled the promise of the gospel, that he, who should quit any temporal advantage for the sake of it, should receive an hundred fold even in this life. Sometimes deliverances, which seemed perfectly miraculous. Sometimes a firmness equal to the most cruel tortures, an heroical courage, that astonished, yea, that wearied out your executioners. Sometimes transporting joys, which enabled you to say, When we are weak, then are we strong. We are more than conquerors, through him that loved We glory in tribulations also. So many reflections, so many arguments, which subvert the pretences of Nicodemites: and which prove, that, with the greatest reason, we place them among those, who betray the truth. us. But, great God! to what am I doomed this day? Who are these time-servers, who are these Nicodemites, whose condemnation we are denouncing? How many of my auditors have near relations inveloped in this misery? Where is there a family of our exiles, to which the words of a prophet may not be applied; My flesh is in Babylon, and my blood among the inhabitants of Chaldea, Jer. li. 35. Ah! shame of the reformation! Ah1 fatal memoir ! just cause of perpetual grief! Rome! who insultest, and gloriest over us, do not pretend to confound us with the sight of galleys, filled by thee with protestant slaves, whose miseries thou dost aggravate with reiterated blows, with galling chains, with pouring vinegar into their wounds! Do not pretend to confound us by shewing us gloomy and filthy dungeons, inaccessible to every ray of light, the horror of which thou dost augment by leaving the bodies of the dead in those dens of the living: These horrid holes have been changed into delightful spots, by the influences of that grace, which God hath shed abroad in the hearts of the prisoners, Rom. v. 5. and by the songs of triumph which they have incessantly sung to his glory. Do not pretend to confound us, by shewing us our houses demolished, our families dispersed, our fugitive flocks driven to wander over the face of the whole world. These objects are our glory, and thine insults are our praise. Wouldst thou cover us with confusion? Shew us, shew us the souls, which thou hast taken from us. Reproach us, not that thou hast extirpated heresy; but that thou hast caused us to renounce religion: not that thou hast made martyrs; but that thou hast made protestants apostates from the truth. This is our tender part. Here it is that no sorrow is like our sorrow. On this account tears run down the wall of the daughter of Zion like a river day and night, Lam. ii. 18. What shall I say to you, my brethren, to confort you under your just complaints? Had you lost your fortunes I would tell you, a christian's treasure is in heaven. Had you been banished from your country only, I would tell you, a faithful soul finds its God in desert wildernesses, in dreary solitudes, and in the most distant climes. Had you lost only your churches, I would tell you, the favor of God is not confined to places and to walls. But, you weeping consorts ! who shew me your husbands separated from Jesus Christ, by an abjuration of thirty years; what shall I say to you ? What shall I tell you, ye tender mothers! who shew me your children lying at the foot of the altar of an idol? O God! are thy compassions exhausted? Hath religion, that source of endless joy, no consolation to assuage our grief? These deserters of the truth are our friends, our brethren, other ourselves.Moreover, they are both apostates and martyrs : apostates, by their fall; martyrs, by their desire, although feeble, of rising again: apostates, by the fears, that retain them; martyrs, by the emotions that urge them: apostates, by the superstitious practices, which they are constrained to perform; martyrs, by the secret sighs and tears, which they address to heaven. O may the martyr obtain mercy for the apostate! May their frailty excuse their fall! May their repentance expiate their idolatry! or rather, May the blood of Jesus Christ, covering apostacy, frailty, and the imperfection of repentance itself, disarm thy justice, and excite thy compassion! IV. We have put Judges in the fourth class of those, to whom the text must be addressed; Sell not the truth. 1. A judge sells truth if he be partial to him, whose cause is unjust, on account of his connections with him. When a Judge ascends the judgment-seat, he ought entirely to forget all the connections of friendship, and of blood. He ought to guard against himself, lest the impressions, that connections have made on his heart, should alter the judgment of his mind, and should make him turn the scale in favor of those, with whom he is united by tender ties. He ought to bear the sword indifferently, Rom. xiii. 4. like another Levi, against his brother, and against his friend, and to merit the |