A TREATISE CONCERNING denial OF CHRIST: A Subject of most high concernment for all those who intend to follow CHRIST.  
Written by Christopher Blackwood, an unprofitable Servant of JESUS CHRIST.  
{αβγδ}.  
In English: Being questioned, we do not deny, accounting it ungodly not to speak truth in all things. Justin Martyr Apol. 1. ad Romanum Senatum.  
Caeteris negantibus adhibetis tormenta ad confitendum, solis Christianis ad negandum. You use torments to others that deny to make them to confess, but to Christians alone to make them deny. Tertul. Apol. adversus Gentes, cap. 2.  
Thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those dayes wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth. Rev. 2.13.  
London: Printed for Edward Blackmore, at the sign of the angel in Pauls Church-yard. 1648.   

To the Reader.  
OUt of pity to the souls of many, who in having only a fancy instead of faith, profess that they know God, but in their works or( which is no less soule-damning though not so much reproachful) in the habit and frame of their heart deny him, have I writ these things: he that hath not studied the cross of Christ, how notional soever in his mind, and how glorious soever in his profession, is yet a stranger from the Lord, and hath not aright learned the mystery of godliness: that therefore thou mayest be rightly instructed in the Doctrine of Confession, then which the gospel knows few or no points more heard to learn, or more dangerous to be ignorant of, and mayst not shipwreck thy faith and conscience, I have like one that narrowly hath escaped shipwreck, discovered unto thee a dangerous unseen Rock, whereon thousands split their souls for ever, and these none of the worst men and women, but such as have escaped the pollutions of the world, too good to go to hell, and yet not good enough to go to heaven: to fathom that deep abyss of vain fears, idolising of creatures, treachery against Christ, cowardliness in good causes, dissimulation in worship, regulation of conscience by human commands, backe-sliding in heart, with many other evils, which accompany habitual denial of Christ, is beyond my line and plummet, yet have I waded a little, being guided I trust, by the Map of Divine Light, to make some discovery of these Rocks: This subject of denial of Christ is something unknown, forasmuch as I never red or heard of any Treatise about the same in print, and therefore it will not be amiss to cast an eye upon it, I trust through the guidance of that good Spirit of grace, and through the experience of my own deceitful heart, I have( though not so fully as were to be wished) given some light in this point, hoping that God will stir up some more able, to make further discoveries herein: when evil times come, no sin is wont more deeply to afflict then that we have denied him, of whom we desire then to be owned. And nothing more credits the cause of God, then for the people of God to be willing to witness the same with the loss of all earthly comforts; this was that which wrought so much upon Justin Martyr about 1500. yeares ago; hear his words, in his first apology, p. 39. to the roman Senate, {αβγδ}, &c. for I myself being a follower of the Doctrine of Plato, hearing the Christians accused slanderously, and seeing that they went without fear to death, and to all other things which are counted terrible, I thought with myself it was impossible that they should live in wickedness, and love of pleasures; for what lover of pleasure, or intemperate person, or that delights to feed upon mans flesh, can willingly entertain death, or will suffer the loss of his goods, and will not rather by all means seek to prolong his life, and by lying hide, deceive Princes, that he may not deliver himself up to be put to death.  
Whereas there are in this Treatise some historical Narrations and Confirmations out of Antiquity, I shall desire the Reader, not to mis-interpret that which was intended for thine and mine own spiritualll good, so far as my own heart can judge: my scope herein was partly to let thee see that this Doctrine was no new Doctrine, but such as( besides the testimony of Scriptures) the practise of Saints in sundry ages commended unto us, and partly to delight thee by mingling profit and pleasure together, that whiles thou considerest the sweetness of the words, thou mayest also consider the truth and weightiness of the point in hand, that God hereby may bring over thy heart to an habitual intention to confess Christ with the loss of all thou hast; and partly that a point of such concernment may not be slighted through the authors superficial handling thereof. If God shall do thy poor soul any good hereby I have my end, but if not, take heed this Treatise be not a witness against thee in the great-day of the Lord. I shall desire no more of thee, Reader, save( if thou canst pray) that I may have thy prayers to our God to perfect and stablish the same in me, which I commend unto thee, least whiles I preach to others to confess the Lord, I myself be found a back-slider in heart or profession; I have no more at present, save that I am  
The Lords and his Churches devoted( though unprofitable) Servant. Christopher Blackwood.   

A TREATISE OF THE denial OF CHRIST.  MATTHEW. 10.33. 
Whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I deny before my Father which is in Heaven.  
CHrist had foretold sundry evils which should befall his Disciples for his cause, the last whereof was death; against the four former, having propounded sundry Consolations; as when they should be brought before councils and Governors, the Spirit should teach them what to answer, ver. 17.18, 19, 20. and when they should suffer the hatred, not only of near kindred, but of all men,( if notwithstanding the hatred of the world they did persevere) they should be saved, ver. 21.22. and when their enemies should persecute them from City to City, God would still provide a harbour for them among the spiritual Israel of God, till the second coming of Christ. ver. 23. And whereas the Adversaries would reproach them, and call them dogs, Heritecks, nay, Devils, for their comfort, it was no more then was done to the master of the house, whom they called beelzeebub. ver. 24.25. Now Christ having comforted his Disciples against these evils, there remained one more, yea, the greatest evil of all to be comforted against, even death itself, which some of them must look for, and all of them must prepare for, if they preached upon the house tops that which he spake unto them in the ear; therefore, that they might be better able to encounter with this terrible of terribles; he commands them in general, fear them not, therefore, ver. 26.27. but because fear is a most wakeful affection, as being conversant about danger, and so much the more wakeful, when it beholds death, and will hardly be cast out by three or four words; hence Christ propounds four grounds to stay their hearts: First, from the limited power of the enemies, they can only touch the body, they cannot touch the soul. ver. 28. Secondly, from the Providence of God, the enemies cannot touch an hair of our heads, but as God permits, much less can they touch our lives, without his permissive and disposing Providence; a sparrow cannot fall to the ground, much less can your lives, which are more valued with God then many sparrows. ver. 29.30, 31. Thirdly, the 3d ground is from the promise made to those, that notwithstanding the Adversary shall threaten death, yet they are resolved to confess the truth; unto these Christ saith, He that confesseth me before men, him will I confess before my Father in Heaven. Fourthly, the fourth ground from the threatening, He that denies me, though to save his life, him will I deny before my Father in Heaven.  
In the words, avoiding curiosities, are two things considerable.  
1. An universal admonition, that no man venture upon this sin of denial of Christ; Whosoever shall deny me before men.  
2. A terrible Commination, him will I deny before my Father which is in Heaven.  
To open the words, three questions must be resolved.  
1 Quest. What it is to deny Christ?  
Ans. Denial presupposes a question, which admits a double answer, either affirmative, which we are bound to make; or negative, which we are forbid; now when we shall( either to escape persecution and the across, or to obtain earthly enjoyments and preferments,) deny those principles which we in our hearts are convinced are Gods Truth, this is flat denial of Christ.  
2 Quest. What denial of Christ is here meant in the Text, which excludes a man out of Heaven?  
Ans. There is a two-fold denial of Christ; 1. Actual, when a man, in some vehement tentation of fear or danger, doth once, or oftener, deny Christ, yet in the habit of his heart doth cleave to Christ, yea, and to that truth, which for the present he doth deny: So Peter denied Christ again and again, and yet he is in Heaven: So Bilney abjured the truth, and subscribed his abjuration. Acts and Mon. vol. 2. p. 265. Yet after this abjuration, as the Historian sets down, Ibid. p. 271. The said Bilney, after much conflict of conscience, for a whole years space, wherein he thought all the Scriptures were against him, and sounded to his condemnation; yet after God endowed him with such strength, that he not only confessed the faith, but suffered his body to be burned for the same. The same is related of Thomas Benbridg Gentleman, Martyr, Acts and Mon, vol. 3. p. 884. who feeling the intolerable heat of the fire, cried out, I recant; but before he was taken from the stake, Doctor Seaton wrote Articles to have him subscribe to, as touching the Pope, Sacrament, &c. to which with much pain and grief of heart he subscribed; being in prison, he wrote a Letter to Doctor Seaton, and recanted those words he spake at the stake, unto which he had subscribed, being grieved that ever he did subscribe them: Whereupon, expressing his conscience, he was the same day seven night after burnt, where the vile tormentors did rather broil him then burn him. Ibid. pag. 885. These men, and many others, though through weakness and fear they denied the truth with Peter, yet afterwards with the same Peter, Acts 4.9. confess the same before whole counsess.  
Contrary, there have been actual confessions of truth by many men, who yet shall never enter Heaven; when times have been peaceable, so that the Gospel and peace have gone hand in hand; so Spira and Doctor Dentleton, and others, have confessed truth.  
2. There is an habitual denial of Christ, when a man in the bent and frame of his heart, hath an intention in himself, that rather then he will leave such a dwelling, or estate, or friend, or credit, or suffer such an imprisonment, banishment, dismembering or death, he will( if he cannot evade by distinction, and so craftily come off)( which is no less guilt in the sight of God, though less reproach in the sight of man) flatly deny, that which in his heart he acknowledgeth to be the eternal truth of God; many men must needs acknowledge this an horrible sin, but few think themselves to live in this sin; and yet give me leave to tell you, that most men, where the sound of the Gospel is, live in this sin, though not explicitly to have such an intention expressed in the mind, yet implicitly, because they have not an habitual intention to leave all that is dear unto them for the Lord; they do not say in their hearts, they will not leave all rather then deny the truth; neither do they say in their hearts, they will leave all rather then deny the truth, but embrace the truth at rovers, without any determination at all, what to do in point of confession: the former, I mean, actual denial of Christ, though it may, and commonly doth, fill the conscience of the person that falls into it with horror and anguish; yet doth it not exclude a man out of Heaven, but this habitual denial which remains in most souls with little or no anguish, and may( and too often doth) remain in persons that have made a large and a long profession, excludes out of Heaven; and this is the denial I take to be meant here in the Text.  
3 Quest. How will Christ deny those that habitually deny him on Earth?  
Ans. When they shall desire to be acknowledged among the sheep at the day of judgement; Christ will not only deny them, but also be ashamed of them. Mark 8.38. It was a speech of one Godtes Calchus, I am afraid to deny the truth, lest hereafter I should be denied of the truth. When they shall say, Lord we have prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out Devils, he will say, I know you not; when they shall say, as the foolish Virg●ns, Lord, Lord, open to us, he will say, depart, I know you not; when they shall say, I was baptized in thy name, I was a professor of thy truth, I preached, I printed for thee; true will Christ say, but for all this thou must depart among the workers of iniquity; for thou didst not only deny my cause at such a time, and such a place, but also often, yea, hadst thou lived ever, thou wouldest ever have denied me, mightest thou have got gain, or escaped punishment by thy denial of me; therefore, thou being a back-slider in heart shalt be filled with the fruit of thine own ways. Proverbs Chap. 14. verse 14.  
The words being thus opened, I shall observe one point from them, that is,  
observe. Those that do habitually deny Christ or his Truth, Christ will deny them before his Father in Heaven, 2 Tim. 2.12. If we deny him he will also deny us. Actual denial of Christ is dangerous, though it be but one time, especially when the soul hath time to deliberate, so that God for such an action is wont to fill the conscience with horror, that persons would give all the world to be eased of it; how much more dangerous is habitual denial? See an example of one, and some fear of both these, in Francis Spira, who being called before John Casa, the Popes legate, for preaching That we must wholly and only depend on the free and unchangeable love of God in the death of Christ as the only way to salvation, and for condemning the received rites of the Romish Church; and in a word, accused for a dangerous Lutheran: Spira seeing the storm hanging over his head, having had a grievous combat betwixt the Spirit of God suggesting the the danger of denial, and the flesh suggesting the loss of substance and credit, and the terror of prisons and death; the flesh getting the upper hand he went to the legate at Venice, and salutes him with this news; Having for these divers years entertained an opinion concerning some Articles of Faith contrary to the orthodox and received judgement of the Church, and uttered many things against the Authority of the Church of Rome, and universal Bishop; I humbly acknowledge my fault and error, and my folly in misleading others: I therefore yield myself in all obedience to the supreme Bishop, into the bosom of the Church of Rome; never to depart again from the traditions and decrees of the holy See: I am hearty sorry for what is past, and I humbly beg pardon for so great an offence. The legate perceiving him to faint, pursues him to the utmost, causeth a recitation of all his Errors to be drawn in writing, together with the confession annexed to it, which accordingly he did; then the legate commands him to return to his own town; and there to acknowledge this his confession, and to acknowledge the whole doctrine of the Church of Rome to be holy and true, and to abjure the opinions of Luther, which Spira promised to do: but whiles he was on-ward in his journey, he thought he heard a voice speaking to him in this manner, hast thou unhappy man given thy handwriting to the legate at Venice? See thou do not seal it in thine own Country: Dost thou prefer this present life before an eternal? Dost thou well in preferring wife or children before Christ? Is the windy applause of people better indeed then the glory of God; and the possession of this worlds good more dear to thee then the salvation of thine own soul? Is the small use of a moment of time more desirable then eternal wrath is dreadful? Thou canst not answer for what thou hast done already; nevertheless the gate of mercy is not quiter shut: Take heed that thou heapest not sin upon sin, lest thou repent when it will be too late. Notwithstanding all this warning, being arrived in his own Country, partly through the advice of friends who counseled him in no wise to betray his wife and children, seeing that by so small a matter as the reciting of a little schedule, which might be done in less then half an hour, he might free himself from present danger, and preserve those that depended upon him; and partly for other carnal reasons he offers himself to the Praetor, and next morning desperately enters into the public Congregation; where Mass being finished in the presence of near upon 2000 people, he recites that infamous abjuration, formerly made at Venice, word for word: then was he sent home, restored to his dignities, goods wife& children: But no sooner was he departed but he thought he heard a direful voice, saying to him thus, Thou wicked wretch thou hast denied me, thou hast renounced the Covenant of thy obedience, thou hast broken thy vow; hence Apostate, bear with thee the sentence of thy eternal damnation: from which time forward he never found any peace or ease mind, but continuing in uncessant torments, he professed he was captived under the revenging hand of the great God; that he heard continually that fearful sentence of Christ that just judge; that he knew he was utterly undone; that he could neither hope for grace, nor Christs intercession in his behalf:— and after, pag. 41. saith, My sin is greater then the mercy of God;— for I willingly and against knowledge denied Christ, and I feel that he hardens and will not suffer me to hope. One asking him whether he did not believe that doctrine to be true he had denied: He answered, I did believe it when I did deny it, but now I neither believe that nor the doctrine of the Roman Church; When some applied the mercy of God to him, pag. 43. he answered, it is exceeding large to the Elect, but not to me who am sealed up to wrath: When some, pag. 48. whispered that he was possessed, he said, doubt you of it? I have a whole legion of devils that take up their dwellings within me, and possess me as their own; and justly too, for I HAVE denied CHRIST. Also, pag. 55. I tel you there was never such a monster as I am, never was man alive a spectacle of such exceeding misery: I knew that Justification was to be expected by Christ, and I denied and abjured it, to the end I might keep this frail life from adversity, and my children from poverty; and now behold how bitter life is unto me, and God only knows what shal become of Family, but surely no good is likely to betid it, &c. After pag. 65. he saith, When I, at Venice, did first abjure my profession, and so, as it were, drew an Indenture, the Spirit of God often admonished me, and when at Citadella I did, as it were, set to my seal, the Spirit of God often suggested to me, Do not writ Spira, do not seal; yet I resisted the Holy Ghost and did both, and at that very present I did evidently find a wound inflicted in my very will; so although I can say I would believe, yet can I not say I will believe; God hath denied me the power of will, and it befalls me in this my miserable estate, as with one that is fast in irons; his friends pity his estate, and persuade him to shake off his fetters, and to come out of his bonds, which he would fain do, but cannot; this is my very case; you persuade me to believe; how fain would I do it, but cannot, Oh I cannot. After pag. 122. he saith, My heart is estranged from God, I cannot call him Father from my heart, all good motions are quiter gone, my heart is full of malediction, hatred and blasphemy against God; I find I grow more and more hardened in heart, your prayers for me shal turn to your own benefit, they can do me no good.  
And thus you see, in this example, how God, being a Spirit, hath great influence upon our spirits, and can fill them with invisible horror for denying him; though a man in some cases of theft be not hanged, yet he may be so whipped or burnt in the hand, that he may have little joy in it; so, though a man be not damned for denying Christ in some particular act, yet he may be so fil'd with horror of conscience, that he may thereby become a terror to himself, and perhaps to all his friends.  
Reasons of the point are,  
1. Because those that deny Christ are ashamed of him, they cast an imputation upon his truth, as if it were not worthy to be owned; now, if we now be ashamed of Christ for the present, no wonder if he be ashamed of us hereafter: Mark 8.38. Whosoever shal be ashamed of me, and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shal the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy Angels.  
2. Because those that do habitually deny Christ, go on in a purpose of sin, they live and die in a purpose of sin; now a purpose of sin is punished with rejection from Christ: If we walk in darkness, we have no fellowship with Christ, 1 John 1.6. Now that those that so deny Christ live in a purpose of sin, appears, because, if conscience or any other propound this question unto them, whether will you comply to such an idolatrous or superstitious practise, or suffer the dis-inheriting of a father, or the imprisonment of your body? The soul will be ready to answer, No; when the question is propounded, whether will you worship a golden image, or be cast into a fiery furnace? The soul shal answer, I cannot burn. When the question is put, whether will you deny the truth of which you are fully convinced, or go into banishment? The soul shal say, let me choose iniquity rather then this affliction, Job 36.21. When it is thus with you, you live in a purpose of sin. And assuredly Christ will deny you, and in this soul-damning purpose to deny Christ for the escaping of crosses, and for the holding of earthly enjoyments, the most men in the world live. And under this notion, I mean not only Pagans, mahometans, Papists and profane persons, but even thousands of those who are not a little refined, but are seemingly clean escaped from those that live in Error. Now persons that live in a purpose of sin, Christ will renounce them; Psal. 5.4. Thou art not a God that hast pleasure in wickedness; neither shal evil dwell with thee.  
3. The third reason is from the rule of equality; Is it equal that when we have renounced Christ here, or denied him, that he should acknowledge us in Heaven? Is it equal that we should reign with him, when we would not suffer with him? No, but its equal that those that have denied him should be denied by him: Mat. 19.28. Those that have followed me( through thick and thin) in the regeneration, these shal sit upon thrones. When a battle hath been fought, and the General rewards every mans deserts, is it equal that cowardly run-aways shal share therein? Hence the Apostle, to deter the Hebrews from denial and apostasy, saith, Heb. 10.38. If any man draw back, my soul shal have no pleasure in him: Many men are like slothful servants, who tarry all the year with their matters until harvest come, and then run away or like cowardly Souldiers, who tarry with their Captain ti●● he batte● be to be fought and then draw back; or like unruly Steers, who when the yoke is to be put upon their neck, draw back, and will not endure it; if any of these ways thou drawest back, its equal Christ deny thee, nor will his soul have pleasure in thee.  
4. Because as Conquerors are only under the promises, so conquered persons are under the threatenings; Conquerors are under the promise, Rev. 2.7. He that overcometh shall eat of the three of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God; that is, shall feed for ever on Christ, who was signified by that three of life: now, what is it to overcome but this, to confess the Truth of God, notwithstanding the threats of men and devils, though we lose life and liberty for the same? A man is not overcome when he is cast into prison, or banishment, or loses his life, Rom. 8.36, 37. When they were killed all the day long, yet were they Conquerors; but a man is overcome, when for the saving of his estate, limbs, liberty or life, he relinquishes the truth, and denies it: so they that overcome have the joy of the Holy Ghost, Rev. 3.17, To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden Manna. Persons that have been combating with some great tentation, and have got victory, have comfort which tastes as sweet to the soul as the manna did to the taste, but is hide from others, as the manna in Aarons pot was from the sight of men.  
Again, they that overcome have a sentence of absolution, Rev. 2.17. To him that overcometh will I give the white ston, and in the ston a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Christ speaks after the manner of judgments which were used in times past, where two sorts of stones, white and black, were put into two p●tchers, the guiltless were absolved, having their names written in the white stones; the guilty were condemned, having their names written in the black: so persons, that notwithstanding the rage of persecutors overcome, they have a sentence of absolution in their own consciences; this being written and ascertained to them by Gods Spirit, no man knows it, save themselves.  
Again, He that overcometh, Rev. 3.12. God promiseth to make him an unmovable Pillar in the Temple of God, meaning, both in grace and glory: And as the Romans, and others, had Statues or Pillars wherein their noble exploits were written, so shall these Conquerors that confess Christ, they shall have written upon them the Name of God, that is, they shall be called Children of God, also the Name of the City of God, which is new Jerusalem, that is, they shall be enrolled Ci●●zens of Heaven, also, they shall have Christs new Name, that is, they shall be clothed with glory, as he was after his Resurrection.  
Now, as conquerors are under promises, so are conquered persons under threats, Rev. 21.8. Fearful men led in the forefront of Hell; these dare not do duty for fear of danger: most men fear Princes and their prisons, more then God and his Hell: As we see Dan. 3.7. As soon as ever they heard the voice of the Cornet, Flute, &c. they fell down and worshipped. And hence for their fearfulness of men, and their treacher●us denying of the truth caused thereby, God, after their bodies are destroyed, casts their souls into hel.  
Use. 1. Reprehension of many persons who habitually deny Christ; many say true, such things are bad, but the Law commands: I say to thee, if thou resolvest to go no further in Religion then the Laws of men permit, thou hadst as good forswear the gospel; If Governors should alter an hundred times, they would alter their Religion, or at least their outward practices as oft; Is not God Lord of the Conscience, and must we not obey God rather then man? Acts 4.19..  
Object. But if I do not comply, I shall expose my family to hazard, my s●lf to cru●l adversaries, poor diet, low degree.  
Answ. But( though this doth not always fall out) what if it were so? Better do any thing then sin; remember Moses choose afflictions with Gods People before Aegypts Pleasures; the meanest estate accompanied with Gods Love, is better then Princes fare and a wounded conscience.  
Now of those that deny Christ, some do it 

1. Silently.  
2. Others do it expressly.    
1. Silently, when persons from time to time can hear the Truth of God spoken against, his servants railed on, and Idolatry and Superstition cried up and practised, and they sit still, as if the thing nothing concerned them for all they are able to speak in Gods behalf; they are afraid least in speaking they should lose their correspondencies with such companions; now they cannot do their duty, and hold in with them, and therefore they will be si●ent: Against this sinful silence, see the carriage of David, Psal. 119.46. I will speak of thy Testimony before Kings, and will not be ashamed. Though Jehosaphat was but too could, 1 Kings 22.8.( though a good man) yet when Ahab in words professed a visible hatred against Micaiah, Jehosaphat could not but justify the Prophet to the Kings face, using these words, let not the King say so: So Christ, Mat. 11.19. Wisdom is justified of her children: Shall Baal have 400 to pled for him, and God not one Eliah? There must be an account given for sinful silence, as well as for wicked speech. It's none of our least sins, that by our sinful silence we have left so many in circumstantial, yea, which is more, in fundamental errors. Nothing is more dangerous to God, and destructive to our brethren, then not to declare with our tongues the truth which we believe in our hearts, time, places, persons and circumstances being duly weighed.  
2. Christ is denied expressly; and that  
1. In a Vicious life; when our practise doth not answer our profession, Titus 1.16. They profess they know God, but in works they deny him, being abominable, disobedient. 2 Pet. 2.1. Denying the Lord that bought them: These have a form, but deny the power of godliness. 2 Tim. 3.5. These turning the Doctrine of free grace into lasciviousness, deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus, judas 4. Too many live the lives of Heathens, under the name of Christians; such there were in Cyprians time; Pamelius, in his life, complains, that not only very many of the Clergy( to use his word) forsook the faith of Christ for fear of torments, but also confessors, that had once confessed Christ, spotted their glory with a wicked life; persons that live wickedly will never confess Christ with loss of their lives.  
2. Christ is expressly denied in word; when Magistrates shall ask us concerning our faith, and we shall not acknowledge, but for fear of prisons or death deny what we believe to be truth. It was a speech of Spira, Christ will not be denied in word, and therefore it is enough that I have denied him in word, though in heart I never denied him: He added, it's no small matter to deny Christ, and yet it's more ordinary then men do conceive; it is not only a denial or abjuration made before the Magistrate, as it is with me; for as often as a Christian doth dissemble a known truth, so often as he approves of false worship by presenting himself at it, so oft he denies Christ.  
I may add to his words, how many in private conference deny Christ, whiles for fear of men they deny those truths they inwardly acknowledge? As we are not to deny our sins, but freely confess them before God, so we are to confess the truth before men, though we know before hand, that in so doing, bonds and afflictions in every place abide us.  
Famous was Luther herein. It is my duty( saith he) and the duty of a Christian to speak the truth, and deny falsehood, against all noise of titles and dignities. I am a Divine, and born in the Kingdom of Truth, and therefore am bound, not only to affirm it, but also to defend it by life or death. Clas. 3. loc. 20. digest. per fabricium.  
This is one of the noblest actions of a Christian, to confess Christ and his Truth before the world, to confess him in the midst of his enemies; neither is it sufficient to confess Christ in word in a corner; but in the Assemblies of Princes and Counsels, we must freely speak our mind, and bear witness to the truth; few indeed dare do this, but this is our duty. Famous were Peter and John herein, Acts 4.8, 9, 10. who witnessed the truth, being filled with the Holy Ghost, though Peter formerly denied Christ before a silly damsel, yet now when Annas the high Priest, and Caiaphas, and Alexander, and others were gathered together in counsel, and asked them by what power or name they did what they did, they answered very courageously, in these words, Be it known unto you all, that by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, WHOM YE CRUCIFIED, whom God raised from the dead, doth this man stand before you whole.  
Only let us desire with Luther, who said, our knowledge suffers us not to keep silence, and the world suffers us not to speak; it is needful therefore that we be strengthened with the Spirit, that to escape dangers, we refrain not from confession.  
3 Quaere, Whether Christ be not denied in our estates, when his cause calls for something that we have, and we will part with nothing; the Lord hath need of our Ass, but we will not let him go, Mat. 21.3. When the cause of God stood in need, they partend with their gold and silver, pleasant things, and precious jewels, 1 Chron. 29.7, 8, 9. The question at Christs Tribunal will be too many men; didst not thou remember that such a year my cause lay at stake, and thou wouldst do nothing for me? It is all one with many,( as in the proverb) whether the Dog bite the Bear, or the Bear the Dog; whether the Churches stand or fall; Merosh was cursed, because they came not to help the Lord against the mighty. Judges 5.23.  
4. Christ is denied in writing; when we shall subscribe to any writing, as truth, which we are persuaded is an error. Divers of the Martyrs, through weakness, having thus subscribed to recantations, in horror of conscience, getting a sight of such recantations, tore the same, and yielded themselves to the persecutors. Thus doubtless Berengarius sundry times denied the truth; who holding that the bread and wine in the supper being consecrate, are not changed, but remain in their substances, 
Acts 19. Mon. vol. 2 p. 457, 458.  having a certain resemblance or similitude of those things whereof they be Sacraments, meaning of the body and blood of Christ signified thereby, yet after recanted the same, first, under Pope lo the ninth, about the year 1060. After the death of lo, being stung in conscience, he did again acknowledge the truth which he before had denied. Then Pope Nicholas the second, called him in question for his Tenets, and made him red, and publicly profess before the people a recantation drawn in form of words, which acknowledgement was as much as subscription, wherein he believed, that bread and wine after consecration, are not only a Sacrament, but also are the true body and blood of Jesus Christ, and are sensibly felt, and broken with hands, and chewed with teeth, and withall swore, that if ever he preached or taught against the same, he would endure the severity of the Canons. Some report that once more he denied under Pope Hildebrand those things which were acknowledged by him under Pope Nicholas the second for fear of burning; as Du Plessis saith in his fourth Book of the Mass, Chap. 8. where the story is at large; some add, that dying, he should say, to day Christ will appear unto me according to my penitentness, as I hope, unto glory, or because of others unto pain, meaning the fears( as I suppose) which lay upon him for such deliberate denying of the truth.  
This was the unhappiness of Doctor Cranmer, 
Acts and Mon. vol. 3. p. 666, 667.  that he thus denied the truth, by subscribing to a recantation, when the Papists by fraud and flattery drew him upon hope of life to subscribe a recantation against his conscience. Hear his own words: And now I am come to the great thing that troubleth my conscience more then any thing that ever I did or said in my whole life, and that is the setting abroad of a writing contrary to the truth; 
Pag. 670. 671. Ibid  which now here I renounce, and refuse, as things written with my hand, contrary to the truth which I thought in my heart, and written for fear of death, and to save my life, if it might be, and that is all such bills and papers which I have written or signed with mine hand since my degradation, wherein I have written many things untrue. And forasmuch as my hand offended, writing contrary to my heart, my hand shall first be punished, therefore may I come to the fire, it shal be first burned: in token of the detestation of which fact, viz. his subscribing to the denial of the truth,( besides the profession of the contrary to what he had subscribed,) when the fire began to burn near him, stretching out his arm, he put his right hand into the flamme, which he held so sted●ast and unmovable, saving that once with the same hand he wiped his face, that all men might see his hand burned before his body was touched: oftentimes he repeated his unworthy right hand, so long as his voice could suffer him. If to these examples, we add the recantation subscribed by Spira, together with the unspeakable anguish of conscience that followed thereupon; every man may tremble to venture upon denial of Christ, by writing and subscription.  
5. Quere. Whether or no Christ is not denied in Worship, when we present ourselves at such worship as we loathe in our hearts? Hos. 13.2. Let the men that Sacrifice kiss the Calves. Jeroboams Priests in sign of conformity, required that all that Sacrificed should kiss the calves, now kissing is a token of love, so that hereby they s●gnified their love to the Calve-worship; now Idolatrous kissing in this kind is called a denial of God, Job 31.27.28. If my mouth hath kissed my hand:— I should have denied the God that is above; so that its clear, Idolatrous worship denies the true God: but the question is about the presence at such worship, whether that be a denial of Christ? It seemeth so to be( whiles things manifestly false in their conscience, and that not in smaller, but fundamental points, go for truth by their silence, they not testifying against them.) Yea after illumination, when a man knows what worship is pleasing to God, yet for fear of loss of goods and friends, he will practise what he knows is not of God; unless a man should go thereto with an habit to protest against it; as in the reign of Edward the sixth, one William gardener, 
Acts 16. Mon. vol. 2. p. 744. 745 .746.  Merchant of bristol, being at the City of Lisbon in Portugal, resolved to go to the mass( and it was a more then ordinary mass, for the King of Portugal was there present with many great Estates, it being the Sabbath next after his sons marriage with the King of Spains daughter) when the cardinal that consecrated it was in the midst of h●s feats, tossing the host round about the chalice, making certain circles; the said gardener ran speedily unto the said cardinal, and in the presence of the King and Nobles, snatched away with one hand the cake from the Priest and trod it under his feet, and with the other hand overthrew the chalice, for the which action he having prepared himself with much prayer day& night, continued perseverantly, testifying against their superstitions and abominations, with much patience of spirit, notwithstanding those unheard of torures which day after day they tortured him with. Another of the Saints being at mass in Queen Maries time, cried out. That if there were any of the Servants of God present, they should bear him witness at the day of judgement, that he did not comply to that abominable idol of the mass. So we find the worshippers. 1 Kings 18.39. crying out in opposition to Baal, The Lord he is the God, the Lord he is the God.  
But all the difficulty is about hearing: whether persons hearing things manifestly false against points of Faith, which they judge fundamental shall not by their silence, they not testifying against them, in some measure deny Christ?  
Answ. I will in this difficult question leave others to their light; onely I say, to me, in my conscience, it would be a denial of Christ, which I am drawn so to think, because every child of wisdom is bound to justify wisdom, Mat. 11.19. and to defend the rest of the Hearers from seducement in things that are fundamentally destructive: Its a good speech of Luther to Staupicius; Let me be found proud, covetous, an adulterer, and guilty of all faults, so that I be not reproved for wicked silence. There is a notable speech of a Scorch Martyr, who suffered in the reign of Henry the eight, Acts and Mon. vol. 2. pag. 615. his name was Robert Lamb: one friar Spence preaching at Perth, that prayer made to Saints was so necessary, that without it there could be no hope of Salvation; which blasphemous doctrine a burgess of the said town, called Robert Lamb, hearing, could not abide, but accused him in open audience of erroneous doctrine, and adjured him in ●ods Name to utter the truth; for which fact of interrupting the said friar, the said Robert Lamb was accused, which he not only confessed, but also affirmed constantly; that it was the duty of no man which understood and knew the truth, to hear the same impugned without contradiction; and therefore, sundry which there were present in judgement, who hide the knowledge of the truth, should bear their burden in Gods presence for consenting to the same, hac ille; This was the chief thing brought against this godly Martyr, even the witnessing against this false doctrine, for which he lost his life.  
6 There is a denial of Christ in not asserting principles, which is, when we know such a thing is a truth, but for fear of loss of our credit, ●rofit, em●loyment, or this or that mans favour, we shall withhold he confession of the truth, when we are thereunto called. There is a memorable story, for this purpose, related by Aeneas Silvius, de gest. Conc. Basilensis l. 1. when there was a question, whether ordinary Presbyters were to have a place, seat and vote, in national and general counsels, as well as Bishops. This same Historian was for the Presbyters, having equal power with the Bishops, as himself had formerly seen it at the counsel of Constance; but speaking of the carriage of things in the counsel of Basil, he speaks of one Abbot Panormitan, who fearing least the simplicity of the Presbyters should overcome the ambition of the Bishops,( being a man of great learning, and one that the counsel much looked on) would only have the Bishops have a voice in Counsels: This Historian( who was a Scribe in this Counsel) complains thus; videtis quam pauci nobiscum sunt &c. You see how few are with us, and they fear the face of the mighty, and lay a stumbling block in their nimbleness; you have heard to day the voice of the Prelates; you have heard that they all said, they restend in the will of the King, but none in the will of God: but the Presbyters are they who had righteousness, truth and to conclude, God himself before their eyes, &c. But speaking of this Panormitan, who would not in this Counsel assert the truth, as it was his duty; he adds, Panormitanus postquam domum venit in Cubiculum se recepit &c. Panormitan, after he came home, betook himself into his bed-chamber, and complained with himself of his King, that he compelled him to fight against the truth, and to lose his name and soul, and in the midst of tears he falls asleep; there was only among them one Italian Bishop, and the Abbot of douai, who for their constancy, and most firm will to the good of the whole Church could not be changed from their purpose. This story is cited by Phil. Morney, Tract. de Eccles. Cap. 11. pag. 515, 516.  
A spice of this was in Peter, Gal. 2.12. when certain Jews came, who were zealous for Circumcision, and separation from all Communion with Gentiles; Peter separated himself from the Gentiles, though formerly he had kept company with them, and he should have pleaded, that it was lawful to keep company with them as he did, Acts 11.5. upon the ground that he saw a vision, that he ought so to do; and upon this ground, that they had received the Holy Ghost, as w●ll as the Gentiles, ver. 17. And he, in not putting forth these principles, as he ought, did in some measure deny Christ in his truth, though not in that measure he had formerly in the high Priests Hall.  
7. Christ is denied implicitly, which is, when, though we do not deny him in word, or life, or writing, because we are not put to any of these, yet we would deny him were we put thereto; thus millions of people deny Christ: were it put upon most men, whether they would confess such a truth as should cost them the loss of a cow, they would not confess it; how much more would they deny a truth that should cost them all their estates, nay lives also. To rectify the frame and habits of our hearts are those commands of self-denial. Luke 9.23.& 14.26, 27. The sum whereof is, That every man that would approve himself Christs Disciple, must do or suffer any thing for Christ, must forsake all that he hath when God calls for it, Luke 14.33. life and all, Mat. 10.38. And how the habits must stand in point of confession, Christ shows by two similitudes; one of a house, which he that builds considers what it will cost to build; the other, of a King going forth to battle, who considers whether he be able to meet his Adversary with proportionable resistance: So must every Disciple consider, whether he hath an habit to leave any enjoyment, and undergo any suffering for Christ and a good conscience; until such time as such an habit is wrought in the soul, though thou dost not explicitly or visibly deny Christ, yet thou deniest him implicitly and interpretively.  
Such an habit Luther had before he came to use it. Tom. 1. Epistolarum ad Spalat. pag. 296 297. he saith thus; Thou askest me what I will do if I be called of the Emperor Charles; I answer, if I cannot go well I will be carried sick; I doubt not but I am called of God, if Caesar call me; if they go to violence then I commend my c●use to God; the same lives and reigns that preserved the three children in the babylonian furnace; but if he will not preserve me, my life is but a small thing if it be compared to Christ; presume all things of me except flight and recantation. haec ille.  
Now forasmuch as if thou hast a disposition in thy heart to deny Christ, though it never come to trial. God will find it out; therefore I hold it expedient and profitable, if not one man to another yet every man to his own soul, to propound in this manner; Soul, what wilt thou do if altar-worship? Saint-worship, or any other superstition thy soul abhors, comes to be prest on thee, what wilt thou do? Or if it be put to thee to subscribe to doctrines thy heart cannot allow, as, that works justify in the same kind of cause; That justified persons may and do totally and finally fall away and perish eternally; or any doctrine of the like kind; wilt thou, O my soul, subscribe or suffer the loss of all? If thy heart say such things are false, but yet I must practise them, and subscribe to them, or else I cannot enjoy my Country, and my inheritance; truly God looks upon thee as one yet in the gull of bitterness and bond of iniquity; and such persons do not always scape a curse in this life: But if thy heart say as Raul, Gal. 6.14. God forbid that I should rejoice in any thing, save in the across of Christ, or more then a good conscience; such a testimony will make thee to rejoice in sickness, and triumph in death. Such things Justin Martyr was wont to put to himself {αβγδ} I therefore expect to be ensnared of any one of those that are of any note or name, and to be crucified; or especially of Crescens the Philosopher, Justin. Mar. Apolog. 1. ad Rom. Senatum. This Crescens afterwards accusing of him, as appears in his life, was the cause of his Martyrdom; so that according as he expected it came to pass, from this vain glorious and covetous Crescens.  
2 Use for trial, Seeing that habitual denial excludes out of Heaven, try whether you so deny Christs; trials hereof are these;  
1. When we set limits to our foregoings and sufferings, when persons will part with so much, but not with all; some will endure reproaches for Christ, but if they be cast into prison, to get their liberty, they will either deny or recant the truth; others there are that will be content to lose their liberty, but are resolved what ever come they will hold their estates; if it be thus with thee, that thou wilt leave thus much, or venture thus much for Christ, but thou wilt leave no more, truly thou dost habitually deny Christ; for if God shall put thee upon a greater measure of obedience, thou wilt deny Christ whensoever thou shalt be put thereupon. It was a speech of Doctor tailor, in a letter to Doctor Cranmer, and others, viz. Many profess Christ ad ignem exclusive, that is, in words and outward profession; but few stick to him ad ignem inclusive, that is, in dead and suffering' for his sake. Acts and Mon. vol. 3. pag. 677.  
On the contrary, persons that habitually confess Christ, set no bounds to their sufferings or to their forsakings. Abraham, when God would have him forego his Country, he did it; when he bid him cast out Ishmael, he did it; to sacrifice Isaac, he did it in intention; nay, had God bid him to sacrifice his own life, I doubt not of his readiness: In like manner, Moses, he left the honor of a Court, was content to endure reproaches, and appeared before Pharaoh divers times, though not without hazard of life. Paul was not only ready to be bound, besides whipping, and other perils he endured, but was even ready to be put to death for Christ, Acts. 21.13. It is related by Pamelius in the life of Cyprian, set before his works; That in Cyprians time, there was a certain form of Testimonial or Certificate, which divers persons that would retain Christianity( and yet its to be feared would not suffer death for it) were wont to offer to the Proconsul or Governor, which were called libelli lapsorum; the form of it was this, as appears in the Epistle to Antonianus; ego prius legeram &c. I formerly red, and the Bishop handling, knew that the Servant of God ought not to sacrifice to Idols, nor worship Images and therefore, lest I should do that which was not lawful, when the opportunity of a testimonial was offered,( which I would not accept had not an opportunity been shown;) I came to the Magistrate, or another by my command, saying, I am a Christian, it is not lawful for me to sacrifice, I cannot come to the altar of the Devil, I give a reward for this thing, that I may not do that which is not lawful for to do. Thus we see some would part with their goods to hold their consciences, that they might not do that which is not lawful for to do: but had there been a Magistrate that would not have received a bribe, its to be feared, they would flatly have abjured and denied the truth; and so do many in these times, they would let go something for the Lord, but rather then let go all for him, they will deny him.  
2. It's a sign a person will habitually deny Christ, when a man hath only an outward profession of Christianity, but hath not clear light and folid principles to uphold it; this is like a stately building without a foundation to support it. Men may talk and argue of Religion in prosperous times, as they please, but when it comes to the point, there is no man will suffer further then he hath clear light to convince him, and solid principles to uphold him in suffering: Clearness of light made Shadrach, Meshach and Abed●ego so confident, that when the King threatened a fiery furnace, if they would not worship the golden Image; they answered, O Nebucadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter, Dan. 3.16.17. There is no ignorant man, let his profession be what it can be, that doth not habitually deny Christ: The Hebrews, Heb. 10.32. after they were enlightened, endured a great fight of afflictions, partly, whiles they were made gazing stocks, both by reproaches and afflictions, and partly, whiles they became companions of them that were so used; note, first they were enlightened, and then they endured.  
3. It's a sign a person habitually denies Christ, when his conscience steers by the compass of human Laws, when he is ready to follow what they set up, without ever looking whether it agree with the word. Most men are like those, Dan. 3.7. who when the King commanded, that whosoever would not worship the golden image should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, they all f●ll down and worshipped the golden image. What comfort can any man have in his worsh p, when he receives it upon the commands of men? He that takes his worship or religion upon the command, authority, or compulsion of this or that man or magistrate, will let it go again upon the command, authority, or compulsion of the same or another man or Magistrate: Yet what is more common in the mouths of multitudes then this saying, what authority sets up I will receive? which is in effect to prostitute our consciences to a creature, and to have Gods fear taught us by the precepts of men, Isa. 29.13. Ask multitudes, why they cast off the Mass-Book and received the Service-Book? and why they cast off the Service-Book and received the Directory? Their answer is, not because they thought any of the three agreed with the Scriptures, but because authority imposed it upon them, or enjoined them thereto: So that if the authorities of the world should put down all these three, and set up the Turkish Alchoran( it makes my heart to tremble to speak of this Atheistical time-serving) thousands, its to be feared, would receive it. Zanchy, on the fourth command, saith, Plures sunt Ecebolii; now this Ecebolius was in Constantines time a Christian, in Julians time a Heathen, and in Jovinians time a Christian; as these Emperors changed so did he: A certain Cardinal in France said of the English scoffingly, That they believed in their King more then in their God. So do too many make the charge appear, that persons believe in their Magistrates more then in their God. It was well answered by Mr Berty husband to the Lady Katherine, Duchess of Suffolk, when Steven gardener, Bishop of Winchester, asked him whether the Lady his wife were as ready to set up the Mass, as she was to pull it down; he answered in these words, As touching setting up of Mass, which she learned not only by strong persuasions of divers excellent learned men, but by universal consent and order, whole six years past, inwardly to abhor, if she should outwardly allow, she should both to Christ show her self a false Christian, and to her Prince a masking subject: You know, my Lord, one by judgement reformed is more worth then a thousand transformed temporizers: to force a confession of Religion by mouth, contrary to that in the heart, worketh damnation where salvation is pretended; Acts& Mon. vol. 3. page. 927. And further in the person of the said Duchess, he said' she was to be turned by persuasion and not by commandment. God is wont to work a religion in religion the hearts of his people before they make profession of it visibly.  
Nay should men or Magistrates bring people to the profession of that which were Gods eternal truth, yea should they die in the profession of it in obedience to the Magistrates power, either for fear or love, shall they be saved? No, they shall not, but they only whom the love of God constrains to obedience.  
It was the praise of Ethelbert, King of Kent, of whom the Historian saith, Acts& Mon. vol. 1. page. 150. 7 Edition, After the King was thus converted, innumerable others daily came in, and were adjoined to the Church of Chr●st, whom the King did specially embrace, but did comp●l none; for so he had learned that the faith and service of Christ ought to be voluntary and not coacted.  
These speeches should be as so many beacons upon an hill to w●● thee that thou steer not thy conscience according to the commands of men; and know certainly if thou goest on so to do, thou hast an habit of denial of Christ in thy heart, which as soon as a tentation cometh, will bring itself into act, and that so often as thou shalt be tempted.  
4. It is a sign a person doth habitually deny Christ, when his life is vicious and unholy; acts proceed from habits; and as a thing is in being so it is in working; when mens practices are bad, that they deny Christ in them, all such do much more deny Christ in their dispositions of heart; that man who will not leave a lust for Christ, will much less leave an enjoyment: Its much at one to a wicked man in what religion he lives, seeing he is resolved to live loosely: No man denies Christ in an ungodly life but he hath first habitually denied him in his heart: The mystery of the faith and a pure conscience are both held together, 1 Tim. 3.9. And when the ship of the soul is cast away, they both suffer shipwreck together, 1 Tim. 1.19. The conscience being lost in a loose life, as soon as a storm of persecution ariseth, the faith formerly professed is cast away.  
5. It is a sign a person doth habitually deny Christ, when he doth ordinarily and usually withhold truth and wink against light; indeed good men may withhold truth too much and not suffer conscience to speak out in some cases, as Asa, who was a good man, but he imprisoned Hanani for telling truth; but when this is ordinary and frequent, then undoubtedly we have an habit of denial of Christ, Isai. 30.10.11. they said( not only to one, and so but once) to the seers, see not, and to the Prophets, prophesy not; but to the seers, in the plural number, they spake so often in their gestures and carriage, though not in words; so many in the days when Episcopacy was in the height, were loth to red books against Episcopacy, because they never meant to close with such truths as might be a break-neck to their preferment. Men reason thus, If I shal receive truth and not practise as it shall direct, then will my conscience torment me for sinning against it in the omission of a duty; and if I do practise, according as truth and conscience shall direct, then shall I expose me and mine to persecution: Hence men do with truth, as Herod did with the Baptist, who imprisoned him first, and then killed him after; or as Travelers, who fearing those they meet on the high way will rob them, ride at as great a distance from them as they can. Persons fearing that truth will rob them of such an enjoyment, and expose them to such a suffering, lose them friends, and procure them enemies; hence they are, as Peter expresses it, 2 Pet. 3.5. willingly ignorant; or as the Evangelist hath it, Mat. 13.15. they have closed up their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes; they wink at truth for the present, and have an implicit intention to deny it hereafter. Hence Amaziah could not endure Amos to preach at the Kings chapel, and the Circumcision-Teachers Gal. 6.12. could not endure Pauls Doctrine contradicting Circumcision; not that they thought Circumcision ought to be practised, but merely for fear, lest they should suffer persecution. The more open the heart is to receive truth, especially in times when the owning thereof shall expose to great hazards or sufferings, the stronger usually is the habit and disposition of soul in confessing thereof. The soul is in a right frame, when it can say, Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth, I am ready, with Cornelius, to hear all things commanded to me from God.  
6. A worldly frame of heart is a sign a person doth habitually deny Christ, when the heart clings close to house, land, trade, wealth, or earthly enjoyments, that in the frame of his heart he resolves not to leave them. Hence Demas left Paul, and left Christ in leaving him; the cause was, he loved this present world. That Scribe that seemed to be so forward, that he would follow Christ whithersoever he went, Mat. 8.19. When Christ  told him, the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man hath not where to lay his head; we red not that he went any further with Christ, Mat. 19. The young man did deny Christ in a request or command; which was, that he should give all that he had to the poor; what was the cause? why, he had great possessions, and a heart glued to them, for he was sorrowful it went to his heart to leave them, ver. 22.  
Many do with the Lord, as Orpah did with Naomi, who went with her a while; Orpah as well as Ruth said, Ruth 1.10. Surely we will return with thee unto thy people; but when Naomi propounded worldly respects, Orpah kisses her mother, and weeps, ver. 14, but Ruth clavae to Naomi, ver. 14.16. saying thus to her, entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; For whether thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God, where thou diest I will die, and there will I be butted, the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me: So many worldly men, as well as godly seem to go along in confession of Christ; but when they see the confessing of such truths, and the owning of such ways, will cost them the loss of their trades or estates, they sorrowfully take their leaves of Christ, and his Truth, being sorry they cannot grasp both: but he, who in the habit of his heart confesses Christ and his Truth, saith, I will not return from following Christ, nor from owning his truth; God forbid that either trade, wealth or life itself should take me off from Christ or his truth. Cyprian in his book, de lapsis, p. 240. speaking of some Christians that sacrificed at the Devils altars, and renounced Christ, and having  told them that they needed not bring any other sacrifice, for he that came to these altars to sacrifice was himself a sacrifice; there, saith he, thou hast sacrificed thy salvation, thy hope, thy faith hast thou burnt in those deadly fires; neither, saith he, was there any just cause which could excuse such a wickedness; thy Country was to be left, and thy Patrimony was to be lost: And thou he adds, Brethren, the truth is not to be dissembled, nor the matter and cause of our wound to be kept silent; the blind love of Patrimony hath deceived many, nor can they be ready to go away whom their estates like fetters have bound; these were the bonds and chains wherewith virtue was kept back, faith pres'd, and the soul shut up. So that we see what was the matter and cause of this wound of denying Christ, even an eager love of this world, and if we doubt that this is one cause of this wound, the Apostle will put it out of question, 1 Tim. 6.10. who saith, some coveting after money have erred from the faith or as Cyprian reads it, Naufragaverunt a fide, they have made shipwreck of their faith by denying the same, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows of an accusing conscience  
7. Ignorance of the worth of Christ is another sign that the soul doth habitually deny Christ; till a man be convinced, that the having Christ is a greater good then all other goods, and the loss of him a greater evil then all other evils, let a mans profession be what it will, he doth habitually deny Christ; the Merchant will not part with a pound, much less with a 1000 pound for a jewel, till he know the worth of it; but when he knows the jewel is ten times the worth of his estate, oh, saith he, let all my estate go, so I may but gain it; so when the soul knows and believes the excellency of Christ, oh, saith he, let all go for him; yea, he counts it none of the least causes of his rejoicing, that he had something of worth to part with for Christ.  
2 Use. If Christ will deny those that habitually deny him, it may be a caution to us, that we deny not Christ in the habits of our heart. We red in the Counsel of Nice, the eleventh Canon, that those that transgressed by denying Christ in one act they were enjoined divers years pennance; 
Cyp. de laps. p 24●.  the words of the Counsel are, Of those, who besides necessity have transgressed( by necessity, I suppose, he means extremity of tortures, as Castus and Aemilius, who in Cyprians time, in the first encounter were overcome, but in the second were Conquerors) either because of the taking away of their goods, or because of danger, or such like, which was done under the Tyranny of Licinius. It pleases the Synod, 
Vide Can. 4. post. Cap 3 cum Ringer. Annot.  that if any repent from the heart, they be three years among the hearers, and seven years {αβγδ} be among the penitent, and two years without oblation( by which he means the supper, wherein they were wont to offer bread and wine for the supper, as well as for the poor, and other uses;) they shall partake with the people in prayer: 
{αβγδ} &c. For they killing some upon the slander against us, drew the inhabitants of our houses to torments, as children or wife, and by horrible torments do necessitate them to spe●k those things which are fabled& falsely reported of them. Justin. Mar. Apol. 1 p. 39. He means, they m●de them confess that christians fed upon mans flesh, or, as I suppose, eat their ch ldren, for in the same page. he mentions the former.  If the denying Christ in one act be so dangerous, what is it to do it every hour, as those do, who deny Christ habitually. There is a threefold denial of Christ.  
1. Sudden, when a man is taken on a sudden, as Peter was; to prevent this, consider aforehand thou mayst be taken on a sudden with some great tentation; it may be, some desperate fellow may threaten to kill thee if thou wilt not renounce thy faith; it may be, a company of persons may compass thee about, and threaten to kill thee, if thou wilt not sign, or vote that which thou knowest to be unjust. Therefore, Christians must do as mariners, who foreseing a storm may come on a sudden, make all their cords and tacklings firm during the calm; resolve aforehand, in Gods strength, rather to die, then do a thing thou knowest to be unjust, and so deny the Lord that bought thee, for want whereof many weak ones miscarried in Justines time.  
2. There is a deliberate denial of Christ; the more reluctations, checks, and deliberations a person hath for the confessing of some truth of God, and yet hangs back and denies it, the greater is the sin; though this sinning willingly after we have received the knowledge of the truth be not the sin against the Holy Ghost, for which there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin, being it is done out of fear rather then malice, yet may it be some step to it, Heb. 10.26. So fearful were some Christians, in the primitive Church, of this deliberate denying of Christ, That when some out of pity would have had the Christians seemed as if they sacrificed among a great company that did sacrifice, and they would have cried out, that they had satisfied the Kings Commandment; these Christians would not thus deny Christ, but some of them cried out that they had not sacrificed but were Christians; others with greater faith cried out, that they never had sacrificed, neither would. Eu tropius lib. r●r, Rom. c. 11. Though this deliberat denial of Christ be very dangerous, yet I doubt not but some have fallen into it, and repented thereof, and after deliberately have confessed Christ and his Truth.  
3. But specially take heed of habitual denial of Christ; for, 1. If thou deniest Christ habitually, thou setst up some other God in thy soul, to whom thou adherest more then unto Christ, that is our God for whom we leave all other things: famous was the carriage of Juleddo, mentioned by Fox, Acts& Mon. p. 305. out of Basilius Magnus,( others call her Juletta) this widow had great Lands and many children, who being oppressed by a Cormorant that dwelled close by her, so that she was constrained to go to Law with him, the Judge demanding of this Tyrant why he wrongfully with-held these Lands, the Tyrant answered, that he might so do; for this woman is disobedient to the Kings proceedings, for she will in no wise worship his gods, nor offer sacrifice to them: then the Judge hearing that, said unto her, Woman if this be true, then thou art not only like to lose thy land, but also thy life, unless that thou worship our gods, and do sacrifice unto them; to whom Juleddo answered, Is there no remedy, but either to worship your false Gods, or else to lose my lands and life? then farewell suit, farewell lands, farewell children, yea and farewell life too, and in respect of the honour of the everliving God, farewell all: and with that saying did the Judge commit her to Prison, and she suffered most cruel death. Certainly, no man denies Christ habitually, but he hath set up some other god in his heart, either of profit, or of credit, or earthly greatness.  
2 If thou thus deniest Christ, thou deniest thy best friend, and makest him become thy worst enemy; how friendly was Christ to Judas before he denied him? he let him bear the bag, but after he had denied him, how did he for that and his treason fill his soul with horror? we are loth to deny a dear friend in any reasonable request, let us not deny Christ in his reasonable requests, we had our estates and lives from him, let him have them again if he call for them, learn of Paul, Acts 9.6. Lord what wilt thou have me to do? wilt thou have me to leave of my Iudisme? I am content: wilt thou have me to go to Prison? I am content; yea not only to bonds, but to death, Acts 21.13. Christians must take heed of denying their best friend Jesus Christ, least as he fills the Spirits of them who confess him with invisible comfort by his Spirit, so by the same Spirit he fills your souls for denial of him with invisible horror, that your life shall be a kind of Hell, and none can take off that wrath that he sets on upon the soul. It was a good exhortation the Lady Jane Gray gave to her sister the Lady Katherine in a letter to her, Acts& Mon. p. 35. saying, I exhort you that you never swerve from the Christian Faith, neither for hope of life, or fear of death, for if you will deny his truth to lengthen your life, God will deny you and yet shorten your daies; and if you cleave to him, he will prolong your daies, to your comfort and to his glory.  
3 Whosoever habitually denies Christ, is as an Apostate from God: Let a mans profession be never so great, and his esteem among men never so high, yet is he a backslider in heart, and so must look to be filled with the fruit of his own ways, Pro. 14.14. whence came Alexander the Coppersmith so to slide back, when as some think he had formerly witnessed Christ to some hazard, Acts 19.33. the cause was he had denied Christ in the habit of his heart. Cyprian de lapsis p. 239. complains that many that thus habitually denied Christ, did apostatise, his words are thus: presently at the first words of the threatening enemy the greatest number of the Brethren betrayed their Faith, nor were they cast down with violence of persecution, but they cast down themselves with a voluntary fall,— he adds, they did not wait, that being asked they might deny, that being apprehended they might set on fire Frankincense: before the battle many were overcome, and without encountering thrown down: neither did they leave this to themselves that they might seem unwilling to sacrifice unto the Idols, they ran willingly to the Court, they hasted willingly unto death, as if this were the thing they desired, as if they would embrace an occasion given which they had always wished.  
4 Whatsoever things we shall save by denial of Christ, we shall be sure to lose them; and what things we shall lose by confessing Christ, we shall be sure to save them, Mat. 10.39. he that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for my sake, the same shall find it: the meaning is, carnal men think, Oh I have saved my estate, liberty and life by denying Christ, and complying to error, but such and such have lost all: but Christ tells thee otherwise, that which thou hast saved so unworthily, thou hast lost it, and thy soul to boot; and that which the other hath lost in confession of Christ, he hath saved it for ever: cast up this gettings now, thou hast saved thy estate, and wounded thy conscience, saved thy Body, and lost thy soul, this is to save the ship and lose the lading, save the Cabinet and lose the Jewels: Judas denied Christ and got 30 pieces of Silver, but did not he vomit it up? Joseph contrary lost his credit, by going to Pilate to beg Christ his Body, as being supposed to be a criminous person, but ever since his name hath been as a sweet ointment powred out: Hence Luther Tom. 4.35. B. spake so boldly saying thus, We will suffer our goods to be taken from us, our name, life, and all we have, but we will not suffer the gospel, Christ or Faith to be taken from us; here every man must be most stiff, unless he mean to deny Christ, here I carry the title Cedo nulli, I give place to none,& from my heart rejoice to be called rebellious and stubborn.  
3. Use. Exhortation to confess Christ in the habit of thy heart: as he denies those that deny him, so will he confess those who confess him: we think it a great credit when we are in company, that a Prince or Noble-man should single us out, and take us by the hand, and call us by name, and courteously salute us: Oh! how much more honour and happiness will it be for Christ to own us at that day of Judgement, saying, these were they that did not deny my Name, Rev. 2.13. see how Christ speaks to the angel of Pergamus, I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satans Seat is, and thou holdest fast my Name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those dayes wherein Antipas was my faithful Martyr, who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth; Christ did not onely take notice of the Confession, but of the dangerous times wherein the Confession was made: when we confess him in the midst of dangers and enemies, Christ will say, these confessed my Name, though hereby they suffered spoiling of goods, Heb. 10.34. these confessed me to the loss of their country, Rev. 1.9. John was banished to the Isle of Patmos for the Word of God, and testimony of Jesus Christ; 2 Chron 11.16. such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel, left their possessions, and came to Jerusalem, hereby making confession of true Worship against Jeroboams corruptions, these have born witness of me to the loss of their lives, Rev. 12.11. those that overcame the great read Dragon and his Agents, overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and the word of their testimony, and loved not their lives to death: had the Saints in the first 300. yeares been silent and contented themselves in a bosom faith, the read Dragon or the devil in the ten first Persecutions might have long ago swallowed up Christianity; abundance of souls go to hell in a fancied faith, thinking it enough to salvation to believe that there was such a person as Jesus Christ crucified at Jerusalem, who rose again, and in the mean time they have no intention to confess him with the loss of any thing, and yet in Gods sight no less measure of confession will serve, then to confess him in the habit of our hearts, with the loss of our lives; how far are these from Christianity, notwithstanding this fancy faith?  

Rules in Confession are these.  
1. It must be seasonable, it is a Rule in Divinity, the necessity of a mean is judged in relation to the end; suppose a mad-man or drunkard should hold forth a sword, and proffer to kill him that should confess himself to be a Christian, here we are not to confess, because neither glory to God, nor edification to our brother comes hereby; but when the glory of God and edification of our brethren shall be promoted hereby, then we are bound to confess: see the practise hereof in Christ, when there were many false accusations brought against him, Mat. 26.62. he answered nothing but held his peace, but when v. 63. the high Priest adjures him by the living God that he would tell whether he were the Christ, the Son of God or not, though the profession of this truth was joined with manifest hazard of his life, yet because it tended to the glory of God, and edification of his Disciples, he boldly professed it, and answered, v. 64. Thou hast said, that is, thou hast said what I am; and Mark sets forth cap. 14.62. more plainly, that Christ to this question answered, I am.  
Many by confessing unseasonably of a truth not necessary, damnify themselves and others; some weak Christians hereby expose themselves, and which is more, the cause of God to laughter, and themselves to the hatred of the world, and some of Gods people to persecution, Mark. 1.44, 45. Christ having healed a Leper, bad him say nothing of it to any man but to the Priest, but he blazed the matter so, that Christ could no more teach in the City, but was fain to go into desert places. A truth seasonably confessed doth not by the hardship it exposes the Confessor to, hinder, but rather further the salvation of Gods people, see it in Paul, Phil. 1.12, 13. the Philippians no doubt supposed that Pauls imprisonment would have dishartned many, and so hindered the course of the gospel, but Paul tells them otherwise, v. 12. but I would you should understand brethren, that the things which happened unto me, have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel, and he shewed how the gospel hereby came to be furthered: First, my bonds for Christ are manifest in all the Palace, even in the Emperours Palace, Phil. 4.22. for there were Saints in Caesars household, next v. 14. many of the brethren in the Lord( who no doubt were formerly fearful) waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the Word of God without fear.  
Onely this I add, though the confession of Christ be not always and every where necessary and seasonable, yet must we have always an inward disposition to confess Christ and his cause, with the loss of all that we have, but where or how far this habitual disposition is to produce itself into act, where, when, how oft, after what manner, and how far, it is hard to set a precise rule, but the general rules of Gods glory, the edification of our brethren, the urgency of conscience, the voice of the Spirit, with an enlightened understanding, will much direct herein.  
2. Our confession must be courageous, not faint-hearted: Peter and John feared not a whole council, Acts 5.29. when the council had straitly commanded them that they should not teach in the name of Christ, yet they preached, and accused the council for slaying of the son of God, v. 30. How bold was joseph, Mar. 15.33. the Text says, he went boldly and begged the body of Iesus, which was a clear witnessing of Christ. Paul( 2 Tim. 4.16.) though all men forsook him at his first appearance before Nero, yet he stood to it, and God stood to him. Shadrach, Meshak and Abednego, Dan. 3.17. were not fearful, but valiant in confessing the true God, against Nebuchadnezzars image set up in the plain of Dura, notwithstanding threats of a fiery furnace. Reason, either the cause is Gods, or it is not: if it be not, why do we move in it? if it be, let us resist unto blood, Heb. 12.4. Famous was Luthers courage herein, saith he, That I may not speak boastingly, I stood at Lypsidge, disputing before a most dangerous company; I appeared at Augusta before most wicked enemies, though I had not obtained Letters promised for my security: I came to worms into the assembly of Caesar and all the Nobility of Germany, though I knew before the public promise to be broken, and divers snares to be laid for me, yet had I then such a courage, that if I knew there were as many malos Genios, or Devills to shoot darts against me as there were tiles in the houses in worms, yet had I come thither, Ad Freder. Elector.& frratrem johan. p. 226. b. Cyprian Epist. 57. praises the Brethren for the confession of Christ unto banishment: they stood armed to the battle; he saith, they could not be overcome but they could die; and in this they were unconquered, that they feared not to die. Such a courageous answer was there in Dionysius and Faustus, and their companions, when the governor Aemilianus had called them into the council, he spoken to them after this manner, viz. We have put the power of your own lives into your hands, if ye will turn yourselves to that which is according to nature, and worship our gods, and altogether forget those gods which are against nature: Dionysius answered, You do not all worship the same gods, but every one have gods according to their will, but we worship one God, the Maker of all things: the governor asks again what hinders, why you may not worship this God( if he be God) with other gods, to which Dionysius answered, we worship no other God but one, whereupon the governor banished these servants of God into the parts of Lybia upon pain of death if they went not, Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 10.  
Courage is one principal property in a soldier, we profess ourselves Souldiers to fight under Christ his Banner, therefore for the confession of his Name we must not fear Devills, Prisons, Inquisitions, Burnings, Hangings, Rev. 2.10. fear none of these things which thou shalt suffer, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, what is all our profession if we have not an intention courageously to confess Christ even unto death?  
That thou mayest be courageous in confession, consider but these things, that though Satan endeavours to scar thee from duty, with proposing the sweetness of liberty, yet remember, that when they imprison thy body, they set thy soul free. Besides as with joseph, so with thee God will go into prison, Gen. 39.21. God can turn the Jailors heart to be merciful to thee, Acts 16.33. but if not, imprisonment cannot sever from: Christ; is not the prison of hell and of a bad conscience the worst of prisons? Nec hoc vos consternet, &c. let not this cast you down, that you are severed from the world, for if we would consider, that the world is rather a prison, we shall understand, that you are rather gone out of prison then into it, Tertul. lib. ad Martyr. cap. 2. a little after he saith, the world hath greater darkness, which blinds the minds of men, heavier chains which bind the souls of men, breaths out worse filthiness then lusts of men, contains more guilty persons, to wit all mankind, then the prison doth: It's no difference where ye are in the world, who are without it, Ibid. Also cap. 3. doth not the spirit get more in the prison then the flesh loses? yea the flesh doth not lose the things which are just, which are supplied by the care of the Church, and by the love-feast of the Brethren.  
But if only there be but a noise of dying for Christ and his Truth, Oh! how are persons startled! yet why shouldst thou be thus startled? thou makest an idol of thy life, if thou wilt not let it go when God calls for it, thy life of itself will depart from thee: how canst thou then better part with it then for God? die thou must, when, where, and how, thou canst not tell, other men part with their lives of necessity, do thou part with it as a Sacrifice: besides, is not all that thou hast at Gods Command? If he will call thee out of thy country, thou must go, though thou knowest not whither, Hebr. 11.8. if out of the world, thou must go, yea, and that way he will have thee, whether by burning, drowning. Besides is not the death of the Saints, though oft reproachful, with men, yet precious in his sight, Psal. 116.15. and to conclude if thou beest faithful in confession to death, thou shalt have a crown of life, Rev. 2.10. Imagine it were said to a man, that after he had suffered an hour of torment, he should have the happiness of a kingdom for an hundred yeares, what would he not suffer? if thou indurest death for confession of Christ, here's an eternal crown, james 1.12. Shall hope of victory and praise make a soldier stand in the midst of guns and bullets, and shall not the crown move us to stand? Shall Princes have their Martyrs, and States their Martyrs, and the Pope have his Martyrs, and Christ have none? what man goes to build an house, and considers not what it may cost?  
3. The third property in confession is, that it must be plain, 
{αβγδ}, &c. But that we may not lye nor deceive those that examine us, gladly confessing Christ, we die, when we could do according to the saying, I swore with my tongue, but my heart swore not. justin. mat. Apol. 2. p. 61. & not equivocal; I speak not of logical Equivocation, which is when a word hath two or more plain significations, and the persecutor deceives himself, but of jesuitical Equivocation, which is when a man expresses one part of a proposition, and reserves another part in his mind; as if one should ask a Jesuit, whether he were a Priest, and he shall answer no, reserving this in his mind, he is no Priest of Jupiter: in confession of Christ, we must abandon such deceit, for even such deceit may befall men in Christ, as appears Gal. 2.11. Peter when the Circumcision faction came to Antioch, he dissembled both his Doctrine and practise of eating with the Gentiles, which before and after he practised: if we be called before Councells, and Governours, let us answer in plain English, remember we have to deal with the searcher of hearts. When one Dionysius was commanded by the governor Aemilianus that he should cease from professing himself to be a Christian, thinking that if he changed his Faith, others would change with him, Dionysius answered plainly, we ought to obey God rather then man, and openly professed that he worshipped him who is God alone, and no other; neither would he change his Judgement, nor at any time cease to be a Christian, Euseb. lib. 7. c. 10. When Peter and John were asked this question by the council' Acts. 4.7. by what power or what name they had healed the lame man, they answered plainly, v. 10. Be it known unto you by the name of Jesus Christ, whom ye crucified, doth this man stand before you whole. Contrarily we see in this case, how the Parents of the blind man dissembled, the pharisees Joh. 9.19. asked how her son came to see, they answered v. 21. they knew not by what means he came to see; they knew well enough how he recovered his si●ht, but they durst not declare it; the reason is rendered v. 22. because they feared the Jews, who agreed that if any man would confess him, he should be put out of the Synagogue, but the blind man their son plainly confesses v. 30. 33. that Christ was of God, whereupon he was cast out of the Synagogue: what is and hath been more common in this age, then for men if brought before higher powers, to flam over things with a lye, or cheat, or treacherous subscription, either to what the higher powers or inferior Courts required, so cunning and careful is the flesh to save itself with the loss of conscience: where is the spirit of David? I will speak of thy testimonies before Kings and not be ashamed Psal. 119.46.  
Famous was the plainnnesse of Cyprian herein, as it is set down by Reinerus Bachofius Eehtius in his life, pag. 685. which he cites from Pontius Cyprian his Deacon, who writ his life and suffering. Galerius Maximus the governor having sent for him, when he came to him he asked him, art thou Statius Cyprianus? Cyprian answered, I am. Galerius the Proconsul said, art thou he whom the Christians call their father? Cyprian answered I am; the Proconsul said, our Princes have commanded thee to worship the gods, Cyprian answered, I will not do it, the Proconsul replied, thou wouldst do better if thou woul●st provide for thy safety and not contemn the gods; Cyprian answered, Christ is my safety and power, whom I desire to serve for ever; the Proconsul said, I am sorry for thy life and would provide for thee; Cyprian replied, I desire no better thing provided for me then that worshipping my God, I may hasten to him with all earnestness of mind, because the sufferings of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed in us: Galerius the Proconsul being angry, said, thou hast a long time lived with a wicked mind, and hast gathered men of a wicked conspiracy unto thee, and hast shown thyself an enemy to the gods, and therefore thou shalt be an example to others, and in thy blood they shall learn instruction; then he gave sentence saying, let Statius Cyprianus refusing to sacrifice to the gods be beheaded, which sentence being after recited out of a table, was excecuted. We see in this worthy Saint, what a christian plainness was manifested.  
Eusebius lib. 8. cap. 3. sets forth the manner of those who striven in persecution under the Emperour Dioclesian, saying, one being brought to those wicked sacrifices, though he did not sacrifice, yet seeming as if he had sacrificed, he was sent freely away; another though he had not come near( meaning to the altar) nor touched any impure thing, yet the Gentiles saying that he sacrificed, being silent he bore their reproach, and so broken away; Another cried out with a loud voice, that he did altogether refuse their sacrifices; another rejoicing in the wholesome name of Christ, cried out that he was a Christian; another affirmed for certain, that he neither had sacrificed, neither would sacrifice hereafter: if the like times of trial should come, there would be, as plainness in some in their confession, so much deceit in others.  
4 Let this confession be with meekness and fear, 1. Pet. 3.15. Be ready to give an answer to every one that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear: meekness to men, to all men, to the Persecu●ors, whether Magistrates, or others; a proud passionate carriage in the confessing o● any truth never gained any persecutor ●o the faith, but many have been wrought upon by an humble meek carriage; let there be also fear, both fear of God, that what we profess with our tongue, the searcher of hearts may testify with us, and fear of men, having a respective humble carriage towards them. See this meek carriage in Christ his confession, joh. 18.22. when a soldier smote him with the palm of his hand while he was speaking, see how meekly Christ speaks, vers. 23. If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou me. A proud tumultuous boisterous carriage, hinders the passage of the most glorious truth, though confessed with much plainness: let there be meekness in opposition to pride and fury, meekness in opposition to revenge, after Christs example, when he was persecuted he threatened not, 1 Pet. 2.23.  
5. Let thy confession be with constancy, let times be favourable or adverse, yet still confess the same truth. It was the brand of the stony ground hearers, that as soon as tribulation or persecution did arise because of the word, by and by they were offended, Mat. 13.21. Cyprian de lapsis, pag. 238 speaking of the Saints of those times saith. The beautiful troupe of the Souldiers of Christ is prese●t, who by a constant encounter have broken the turbulent cruelty of the pressing persecution, being prepared to the suffering of imprisonment, and armed to the enduring of death. Such a disposition was in Paul, Acts 21 13. I am content not onely to be bound, but to die for name of the Lord Iesus. Moreover Cyprian adds, Pag. 241. He may complain of torments, who is overcome by torments; he may pretend excuse of grief, who is overcome in grief; such an one may entreat and say, I would truly strive valiently, and being mindful of my Sacramen●all bond, I took up the weap●ns of devotion and faith, but divers torments and long punishments overcome me, fighting in the encounter, but my mi●de stood fi●me, and my faith strong. Such were those Worthies, Hebr. 11.35. others were tortured not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection; the meaning is, when they were upon the racks, the persecutors offered them deliverance if th●y would recant such a truth as they had begun to aclowledge, or if they would subscribe to such a● error as they had began to protest against; but these Saints, though they felt the vehemency of their anguishes, and w●re s● sible of the benefit of present ease, yet would they not com● off from their tortures. W●at death, torment, and torture, ought we not to endure ra●her th●n sin deliberately against our consciences, in not co●fessi●g constanel; fie●y ●●●n●ces, and lions dens o●ght not to be sh●●d in this case; we cannot allege a necessity of sinning, when our religion calls for a necessity of not sinning. If we ●●ne deliberately against our consciences, u●lesse per●aps in ease of extreme tortures, may we not qu●stio● wh●●h●r there be any uprightness in us. If this bee not the pitch of Gospel-obedience not to sin against conscience, for the escaping of cross●s, or the ob●aining of enjoyments, I know not what is; If at every great lift, we may sin against our consciences to esape some great cross, or obtain som● great enjoyment, sure then it is nothing to be a Christian; and the commands of Christ of leav●ng all for him, seem to be to no great purpose: Gods training up of Abraham, first to leave his country, and then to sacrifice his son; his directing of Moses, first to leave the pleasures of Egypt, and then to suffer reproaches and other afflictions with Gods people, his enuring of Paul to be in deaths often, in stripes, nakedness and hunger, do poi●t out to us, that we ought to do duty, of which confession is one of the principal, whatsoever become of us. It was well said of a modern learned man. As he is not to be counted an Orthodox Professor that holds his Creed when none gainesayes, but doub●s, or recants, when the adversary opposes; so is he no Christian, but tainted with hypocrisy, that assents unto the goodness of divine precepts, w●●les temptations are far off, but disesteem therein the choice, whiles they come in competition with sensual pleasures, to which ●le add, or sensible torments.  
jackson on the Attributes, pag. 74. but being he explains this more fully, pag, 80. Ibid. Ile recite his words, saith he. Wee are then said to believe matters of our own salvation, when we assent unto them as good, as necessary, and worthy to be embraced, not onely while considered in themselves or in general, or without such encumbrances as do oftentimes terpose or hinder their practise; but even whilst they are actually compared with present loss of any sensual good, or infliction of any transitory evil, which the world, the devil, or the flesh, can oppose to raise their price.  
The point whereupon our Confession revolues, as the door upon the hinges, or the Heavens upon the Pole, is this, that God upon no terms is to be left, but that the enjoyment of him is a greater good then all other goods, and the loss of him a greater evil then all other losses. I am the larger in in this property, not onely because there are many divine truths in our first apprehension ●ssented unto as good, and therefore truly willed, whiles simply considered, which wee evidently refuse or nill, when we come to question about their price; but also because in peaceable times there are many principles which we embrace as absolute truths, which when we are called to suffer for, we first begin to question, whether they be truths, and after a small consultment with flesh and blood, we conclude the Negative, that such things so formerly acknowledged for real truths, are now no other then falsehoods and mistakes; and if the times whirl about again, persons they can re-assume their former principles but yesterday condemned, and they shall be absolute truths tomorrow, which is in effect to play fast and loose with the searcher of hearts.  
Most certainly persuaded even the weakest must and ought always to be, upon the highest terms of absolute necessity, to confess the eternal truth of God, and not to be daunted for the opposition of man or devil, which how this can be in any uniformity in religion( unless the agreement be in very generalls) without the persecution of many such weak ones, seems to me to be a mystery.  
Onely we must distinguish betwixt Articles of our Faith and opinions; the former we must constantly so confess, that we dare venture all we have in this present world upon them, the latter which is opinions or probabilities of which there are many deduced from Scripture, these we confess sufficiently when being asked, we confess ourselves to hold such a thing as an opinion; but our judgement doth rather incline to this side, or the other, but yet not without some fear of the contrary.  
It was well said of one, burrows heart divis. p. 176. ex Chilling. whose words are. If I did not find in myself a love and desire of all profitable truth; if I did not put away idleness, and prejudice, and worldly affections, and so examine to the bottom, all my opinions of divine matters, being prepared in mind to follow God, and God of only, which way soever he shall lead me; if I did not hope that I either do, or endeavour to do these things; certainly I should have littl● hope of obtaining salvation: to which I shall ●dde, whatsoever truth God shall led me unto, in such a mea●ure● flight, that I shall aclowledge it to be undoubtedly on● o● Gods truths. If I have not an habit in my heart, to confess it to the loss of limb, liberty, and life, I can have no ground to believe, that either my faith, is a faith unto righteousness, or my hope, is a hope unto glory, seeing the apostle saith, Rom. 10.10. with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness, and with the tongue, Confession is made unto Salvation.   

Motives to confession of Christ and his Truth.  
1. THis habitual Confession is the most evident trial of our faith, 2 Corinth. 4.13. we believed, and therefore have w● spoken, ye b●liev●, and therefore speak; the Evangelist, John 12.35 proves th● unsoundness of the rulers, because though they believed on Christ, that is with a notional assent, that he was ●ore then a man; yet because they did no● believe on him savingly, that is, they did not adhere and leave upon him, as their Saviour better then life, and all the enjoyments of it, neither did they taste of the sweet comforts of his spirit in their s●ule; hence they not believing thus( though they did giv● an assent ●o the Doctrine that he taught) they would not confess him, least they should be cast out of the Synagogue, Rom. 10.10. with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the tongue Confession is made unto Salvation; as if he should say, Confession is an inseparable concomitant of faith, there is no man whose heart believes unto righteousness; but the same mans tongue is ready to confess the truth he doth believe.  
By which trial of confession, the unsoundness of the faith of thousands is discovered, who take and leave their Religion upon the stream of times, or commands of men, and are ready either to have a Confession regulated by the commands of men, or else lie hide in a bosome-faith without any kind of confession, and to use Zwinglius his words, as they are cited by a learned man, Epist. 3. we may as well with Dioclesian worship before the Altar of Jupiter, and Venus, as conceal our faith under the power Antichrist, no man that dyes a Christian, dyes with a politic bosome-faith, but with a disposition to confess Christ and his truth.  
2. The absolute necessity of Confession to Salvation, Rom. 10.10. with the tongue Confession is made unto salvation; which is not meant of Confession in the ear of a Priest, as if that were necessary to Salvation; but of Confession of truth in the habit of the heart brought forth into a Confession in words; many things a person may be ignorant of, and live and die in the omission of through ignorance, and yet obtain Salvation; but without this Confession, there is no Salvation, as Christ is the cause of reigning, so is Confession a requisite, without which we do not reign, Luke 14 33. whosoever he be among you, that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my Disciple, Heb. 11.35. others were tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection: they knew that Confession of Christ, and a better Resurrection go hand in hand to confessors, Salvation is promised, Mat. 10.32. he that confesses me before men, that is, such men as shall oppose my truth, or shall solicit you to deny it, or shall threaten you with loss of employment, liberty, or life, if you go on in the Confession of such and such principles, I will confess every such man before my Father in Heaven; but if on the other side, for fear of the loss of goods, liberty, or country, he shall no● confess my truth, he must never look for salvation; but must expect as deep a place in torments, as unbelievers, nay as murderers, wh remongers, sorc●rers, and Idolaters, see Revel. 21.8. but the fearful and murderers, &c. shall have their part in the lake, which burneth with fire and brimstone. But on the other side, he who overcom●s that, overcomes all threats of men, by a constant co●fessi●n, the sa●e shall be clo●hed in white raiment, Rev●l. 3 5. after the manner of the Princes and conquerors of the earth, Eccl. 9 8. Let they Garments be always white, see Ma●k. 9.3. Christ in his transfiguration had Garments exceeding white as snow, so as no Fuller on earth can white them, and the Angel that appeared at the Resurrection, his raiment was white as snow, Mat. 28.3. the meaning is, those that confess Christ, shall be clothed with the same kind of glory, that the Angels of Heaven are invested withall, yea, that Christ himself hath, differing only in degrees, yea, Christ saith further, I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, that is, I will declare him to be written in the book of my election: so was Clemens, Phil. 4.3. there is a writing in Gods book of election, according to appearance of men, these may be blotted out, see Psal. 69.28. Revel. 13.8.17.8.20.15.& there is a writing according to truth; thus victorious confessors are writ in that book, Luke 10.20. these cannot, shall not be blotted out, and though Moses desired it, rather then Israel perish, Exod. 32. yet was it only his abundant love to God, and his brethren that made him desire impossible things; nay, this is not all, but Christ adds, I will confess him before my Father, and his only Angels, that is. Christ will avouch these are they that overcome the Dragon by the word of their Testimony, and loved not their lives unto the death, Revel. 12.11.  
3. The assistance we shall have from Heaven in this duty, should move us to it, if in any duty we can expect assistance from Heaven, then in this duty of confession, which so nearly concerns Gods glory: if any man doubt of assistance herein, see Gods promise for it, Mat. 10.19.20. when they deliver you up, meaning to councils and Governours, as v. 17. 18 take no thought how or what you shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak; for it is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your Father, which speaketh in you, when you come with an honest heart, resolving to speak what you believe, Christ will assist you what to say and you shall so speak to purpose, that all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay, nor resist your wisdom, as Luke sets it down, Cap. 21.15. and how was this verified in the confession that Stephen made in Acts 6.10. those that opposed him, were not' able to resist the wisdom& the spirit, by which he speak; what assistance had Paul when he was brought before Caesar to confess the name of Christ, 2 Tim. 4.16. when all men forsook him, God stood by him, the words are at my first apology, {αβγδ} no man stood with me, but all men forsook me, let it no be acc●●ed unto them; but the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me, when he was but in his journey t●wards his confession, see how G●d appears to him, Act● 27.24. fear not P●ul, thou sha●● b● brought before Caesar, how did God assist C●●f●ss●urs& Martyrs in their sufferings; Rose Allen when persecu●ing Tirrel, asked if she would burn for company sake, sh● answered not for company sake, but for Christs sake, then Tirrel took a Candle-light and held her hand over it, it burning so long, that the very sinews broke in sunder, being asked how she could endure the painful burning of her hand, she said at first, it was some grief to her; but afterwards, the longer she burnt, the less pain she felt, Acts and Mon. p. 830. the like is related of Cuthbert Simson, who was thrice in one day racked in the Tower, the first time, three hours in a rack of I●on, p. 865. because he would not discover who they were, whom he did well to come to their worship, this man when he lay in prison, had a vision of exceeding comfort, one came in to him in prison at eleven of the Clock, opening 3. doors, and having no Candle nor Torch that he could see, but giving a brightness and light most comfortable to his heart, said, Ha, unto him, and departed again, p. 866. this story Cuthbert Symson  told ●o one Mr. Austen 4. times.  
And as God assisted them in their sufferings, in making them to endure tortures: so did he assist them in their answers, to the shane of persecutors, I will instance but in one to avoid tediousness,( though upon search I could instance in many) which was one Priests wise, who could not so much as read, Acts and Mon. p. 889.  ' Bishop. 
Art thou a mans wife.  Woman. 
I have an Husband and Children, and have them not; so long as I was at liberty, I refused neither Husband nor Children; but now standing here as I do stand in the Cause of Christ and his ●ruth, where I must either forsake Christ or my husband, I am contented to stick only to Christ, my heavenly Spouse, and ren●unce the other: he that leaveth not father, sister, brother, husband, is not worthy of me.  Bish. 
Christ spoken this of the Martyrs which dyed, because they would not do sacrifice to the false Gods.  Wom. 
And I will rather die then worship that idol, which with your Master you make a God.  Bish. 
You callet, will you say, the Sacrament of the Altar is an idol.  Wom. 
There was never such an idol, as that which Pri●sts command to be worshipped with fond fancy; but Christ commanded to be eaten and drunken in remembrance of him.  ' Bish. 
Did not Christ say this is my Body.  Wom. 
Yea, but he meant not carnally, but sacramentally▪ for which I will give my reason.  ' Bish. 
Sure it will be goodly gear.  ' Wom. 
Such as I will lose this poor life of mine for.  ' Bish. 
Then you will be a Martyr.  Wom. 
If the denying to worship that breaden God, be my Martyrdom I will be a Martyr; bu● for my reason, this it is, Christ doth sit at the right hand of God: therefore he is not in a piece of bread; if he did offer his body once for all, why do you make a new offering.  Bish. 
You are a jolly Protestant, in what schools have you been brought up.  Wom. 
I have upon the Sund●ies visited the Sermons, and there have I learned such things as are so fixed in my breast, that death shall not separate them.  Bish. 
But if thou wert an honest woman, thou wouldest not have left thy Husband and Children, and run about the country.  Wom. 
Sir, I laboured for my living, and as my Master Christ counseleth me when I was persecuted in one City, I fled to another.  ' Bish. 
who persecuted thee?  Wom. 
My Husband and children, for that I would have them to leave Idolatry, and worship God in Heaven, I fled, because I would not be partaker in that foul idol the mass.  Bish. 
Let this mad-woman be put down to prison, till we sand for her husband.  Wom. 
I have but one husband, who is here already, and in prison with me, then sundry Priests talked with her.  Priests. 
Leave of thy wicked opinion about the Sacrament of the Altar, the natural body and blood of Christ.  Wom. 
Be ashamed to say a piece of bread is turned into the body of Christ; which bread doth mould, and mice eat, Gods own body will not be so handled, and kept in prison and boxes, let it be your God, it shall not be mine; for my Saviour sitteth on the right hand of God.  ' Priests. 
Now truly the devil hath deceived thee.  Wom. 
No, God hath opened mine eyes to see the right use, and your abuse of the blessed Sacrament.  'Old friar. 
What sayest thou of the holy Pope?  Wom. 
He is Antichrist, and the devil, then they all laughed.  Wom. 
Nay, you had more need to weep, then to laugh, and to be sorry that ever you were born to be Chaplains of that whore of Babylon, I defy him and all his falsehood, get you away from me.  ' Priests. 
Why, we come for the profit of thy soul.  Wom. 
How save you souls, seeing you preach damnable lies, and destroy souls?  ' Priests. 
How provest thou that?  Wom. 
You damn souls, in that you teach people to worship the work of mens hands, and to worship a false God of your own making of a piece of bread, and that there is a purgatory, when Gods son hath by his passion purged all,& you make God,& sacrifice him, when Christ his body was a sacrifice once for all; you teach people to number sins in your ears,& say they be damned, if they confess not all, when Gods word saith, who can number his sins; you sell your prayers for money, and make them b●y pardons.  
This godly woman having a moneths liberty, coming into Peters Church, beholded there a Dutchman making new noses to Images that were defaced in King Edwards time.  Wom. 
What a mad man art thou to make them new noses, which in a few dayes shall all lose their heads.  ' Dutchman. 
He accused her, and called her whore.  Wom. 
Thou art accursed, and so are thy Images, thy Images are whores, and thou art a whore-hunter; for doth not God say, you go a whoring after strange Gods: then was she clapped up, and had no more liberty.  Gentlem●n of the country. 
Leave thy fond opinions, thou are not able to answer such high matters.  Wom. 
I am not, yet with my death I am content to be a witness of Christ his death, my heart is fixed, I will never turn to their superstitions.  ' Bish. 
The D●vell leads her.  Wom. 
No, it is the spirit of God, who leadeth me, and called me in my bed, and at mid-night, and opened his truth to me.  Priests. 
After the sentence was red against her, the Priests  told her, her life should be spared if she would recant.  Wom. 
I will no●, God forbid that I should lose an eternal life for this carnal and short life, I will never turn from any heavenly husband, to my earthly husband; from the fellowship of Angels, to mortal Children: and if my Husband and Children be faithful, then am I theirs: God is my Father, God is my Mother, God is my Sister, my Brother, my Kinsman, God is my Friend most faithful.  
Thus you see the great assistance this poor woman had from God in her answers, though she could neither writ nor red, whose answers I have briefly set down, though at large they are more fully expressed. Acts and Mon. p. 889. 890. 891. by which we may gather what assistance the weakest confessor of Christs truth m●y expect.  
4. Motive. habitual confession is an evidence of our union with God and Christ. 1 John 4.15. Whosoever shall confess that Iesus is the son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God: this confession is not meant simply to confess this proposition,[ Jesus is the son of God] in word o●ly; for so all the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, France, spain, &c. confess, and the carnallest amo●g them, would be ready to fly in the faces of those that should gainsay it, nay, this the Divels confess, Mark. 1.24. I know thee who thou art, the holy one of God, to understand therefore what this confession was, know that it was as much as a mans reputation was worth to confess Christ to be the Son of God, John 9.22. the Jews agreed, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the Synagogue; nay, it was a ma ter of imprisonment: Sauls Commission was, Acts 9.2. That if he found any of that way, whether men or women he should bring them bound to jerusalem: and verse 14. Ananias saith, he had authority from the chief Priests, to bind all that call on thy name: Yea, for confessing of Christ in Preaching, Peter and John were whipped, Act. 5.40. and Paul five times, 2 Cor. 11, 25. Yea, for the confession of Christ, Peter was put to death, joh. 21.17. and james, Act. 12.2. So it was a matter often ignominious, and sometimes capital to confess Christ: So the meaning is, that whosoever in times and places shall confess any fundamental point or cause, when its accompanied with hazards, as that truth then was, and the same truth in some places of the world at this day is, it is a declarative evidence of his union with the Lord. That an habitual confession of Christ with the loss of all, is an evidence of the spirit being in us, see 2 Cor. 4.10.11. always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Iesus, that the life also of Iesus might bee made manifest in our body; for we which live are always delivered unto death for Iesus sake, that the life also of Iesus might bee made manifest in our mortal flesh. The meaning is this, whereas it was objected to Paul and other Christians, that they were in continual danger of death, the Apostle answers, what then? First, it is the dying of the Lord Jesus, both because it resembles Christ suffering and dying for us, and also because it is for his sake. Secondly, it is a manifestation( whiles we have such an habit to confess Christ, that the life of Jesus is in us, and then vers. 11. the Apostle shows that this was a final cause why he and other Saints had an habitual intention to die for Jesus sake, and therein to confess the truth of God, for of that he speaks, vers. 13. we having the same spirit of Faith, as it is written. J believed, and therefore have I spoken: we also believe, and therefore speak.) Which final cause was, that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh, that whiles wee are ready to lay down our mortal lives for Christ, we may manifest both to ourselves, and others, that the life of Christ is in us. So that as God said to Abraham, when he was ready to but the knife to Isacks throat, Gen. 22.12. Now know I that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thy onely son from me; so will Conscience say unto thee, now know I, that thou hast a spiritual life in thee, and art united to Christ, seeing thou dost not withhold any of thy dearest comforts from the Lord, but art willing to leave them all, for the confession of him, and his truth.  
5. Motive to stir us up to confession, is the abundant comfort God is wont to give his people in their confession. When Peter and John had confessed Christ before the counsel, they went away rejoicing, Act. 5.41. When the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable Women, and the chief men of the City, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and no doubt, against others of the brethren with them, and expelled them out of their coasts, Act. 13.50. its said, The Disciples were filled with joy, vers. 52. Act. 23. When Paul had witnessed the truths before the counsel, among other truths the truth of the Resurrection, and upon a dissension that arose betwixt the Pharisees and the Sadduces was in danger of being pulled in pieces, ver. 10. That very night the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer Paul, for as thou hast testfied of me at Jerusalem, so must thou also bear witness of me at Rome, vers. 11. when John was banished into the Isle of Patmos, for the word of God, and testimony of Jesus Christ, he was in the spirit on the Lords day, and received those giorious revelations, Revel. 1.9.10. To him that overcomes, not onely some particular lusts, which natural men may do being moved by rational principles, but all lusts, and more particularly, those lusts which are wont to assault us with treachery, to Gods truth, he that overcomes, I will give him the hidden Manna, Revel. 3.17. that is, the comforts of the Spirit, which taste as sweet to the conscience, as Manna to the taste, and I will give him the white ston, that is, the sentence of absolution in his own conscience, alluding to the manner of absolutions in old time, which were writ in white stones by the Judges, as sentences of condemnation were in black. So that as God is wont to instil comfort into the soul when it melts in Confessions and humiliations, or when it hath been conslicting with some strong lust, and hath got victory, or when the soul puts forth, its strength in duty, and wrestling prevails with God, as jacob, Hos. 12.3. who by his strength had power with God, he wept and made supplication, and found the Lord in Bethel; so is the Lord wont to drop in comfort, when wee confess his name to the loss of some dear enjoyment, the want whereof is made up with inward comfort, proportionable to the measure of what we forego for God, 2 Cor. 1.5. Else how could we receive an hundred fold, brethren, and sisters, and father, and mother, and children, and lands, with persecutions, Mark. 10.29.30. and that not onely in heaven, but also in this time, in the greek, now in this time, and that when we are in close prisons, and want every one of these; so that we receive so much comforts from the spirit of God, as equals, nay, far exceeds the comforts that all these could give unto us if we had them together.  
Philpot the Martyr said, as I remember, in a Letter to the Lady Vane, believe it there is no such joy as that the Saints feel under the cross, when they imprison our bodies they set our souls free. Master Bradford also in a Letter to his Mother, Acts and Mon. Vol. 3. pag. 308. saith,' Indeed I thank him more of this prison, then or any parlour, yea, then of any pleasure that ever I had, for in it I find God my most sweet God always. Luther said of one Taulerus, that man of God,( as he calls him) upon his own experience said, That God is never more kind and amiable unto his children, never more sweet and familiar then after the trial of tribulation. But we need not go to particulars, seeing all Saints, but specially those that have suffered for a good conscience, find it an experimental truth.  

Vocati sumus ad nulit●●m, &c. We are called to the war●are of the living God ●v●n then when we answered to the words of the Sacrament. Tertul ad Mar●yrs. cap. 4. Wh t ●ese words are he tells us in his book of ●aptisme  6. The sixeth motive to confession of Christ, is our baptism, its the Apostles own motive, Heb. 10.23. Having washed our bodies in pure water, let us hold fast the confession of the hope, without wavering; as if he should say, baptism binds Christians to an unwavering confession. To be baptised into the name, doctrine,& profession of Christ, and in our hearts to deny his truth, what is it save a mere mockery: the dispensatio● of baptism is upon a presupposal that we are Christs Disciples, Mat. 28.19. Make disciples all nations, baptizing them; but how are we Christ his disciples, if we have not learned to deny al( friend, and life, and all) for the Lord? Lu. 14.26, 27. which sure we have not done, if we have not learned habitually to confess● the Lord. To be Baptized into the faith of Christ, and after to deny Christ, is, as if a Soldier listed under the command of his captain, or colonel, should renounce him and sight under the enemies banner. Without believing, Philip  told the Eunuch, it was not lawful to be baptized, Act. 8.37. Now all true faith which is unto righteousness, hath a confession also unto salvation conjoined with it. When a tentation comes to deny the Lord, or be ashamed of his cause, let us repel it thus; am I not baptized into the doctrine of Christ, and shall I deny the Faith of Christ, am I not a Soldier of Christ? and therefore not be cowardly, nor a runne-away from my Colours when the battle is to be fought.  
7. The seventh motive to confession of Christ, is the horror of conscience that have befallen them that have denied Christ, and his truth, besides Christ his denial of them in heaven, Christ is wont to fill their consciences with horror, fear: witn●sse Judas, who having in heart denied his Master,( which Peter never did) went out and hanged himself. Famous is the story of Jacobus Latomus of the University of Lov●●e, who in his public Lecture fell in an open fury and madness, uttering such words of blasphemeus impiety and desperati●n, that the other Divines which were there, namely, Ru●rdus, Athusianus, were fain to carry him away as he was raving, and so shut him into a close Chamber: from that time unto his last breath. Latomus had never any thing else in his mouth, but that he was damned and rejected of God, and that there was no hope of salvation for him, because that witting, and against his knowledge, he withstood the manifest truth of his word, Acts and Mon. Vol. 3. pag. 964. ex epist. Senarcles ante hist. de morte Deazij. But some may object, this denial was of the highest nature, it was the sin against the Holy Ghost, therefore no wonder it was punished with such horror; therefore see what horror came upon Judge Hales, being overcome, as was supposed, by the fraudulent assaults of Doctor Day, Bishop of Chichester, and Judge Portman, he was brought in●o great terror of conscience, and thought himself utterly forsaken for his denya●l of Christ; so sending down his servant for a cup of beer,( having lain all the night sobbing and groaning) in the morning wounded himself with his Penknife, in divers places of his body, but his servant returning, he was stopped of his purpose that time, but in a short while after going into the Country, and having set all things in order, he drowned himself. Acts and Mon. Vol. 3. pag. 186. But some may object, perhaps this man was a wicked man, and therefore God filled him with such horror for denying the truth.  
See then the example of ago lly man whose soul was filled with horror, for denying Christ, it was Thomas Bilney of of whom Latimer in his seventh Sermon saith, I knew a man myself, little Bilney, that blessed martyr of God, who what time he had born his faggot, and was come again to Cambridge, had such confl●cts within himself, that his friends were afraid to let him be alone; they were fain to bee with him day and night, and comfort him as they could, but no comforts would serve; and as for the comfortable places of Scripture, to bring them to him, it was as though a man should have run him through the heart with a sword. Also in his eight Sermon, fol. 132. he saith, When Bilney came to Cambridge, after the bearing of his faggot, a whole year after he was in such anguish and agony, that nothing did him good, neither eating nor drinking, nor any other communication of Gods Word; for he thought all the Scriptures were against him, and sounded to his condemnation. Latimer often communed with him, but all things whatsoever any man could allege to his comfort, seemed to him to make against him, yet for all that, afterward he came again: God endowed him with such strength of faith, that he not only confessed his saith in the Gospel of J●sus Christ; but also suffered his body to be burned for the same hypocrisy, and that voluntarily; for taking leave of his friends in Trinity Hall, telling them he would go up to jerusalem( alluding to Paul: Speech) he went into norfolk, and there preac●ed privately, to confirm the Saints, then preached he openly in the fields, confessing his fact, a●d preached publicly the Doctrine which before he had abjured, until his apprehension, Acts and Mon. Vol. 2. learn we then from these examples, not to deny the truth, least God fill us with like horror.  
8. The eight Motive. The examples of Saints who have confessed Christ before men, examples either of good or evil, are apt to set us on fire. Christ, 1 Tim. 6.13. being brought before Pontius Pilate, witnessed a good confession, and it was at such a time, when his life was in hazard by confessing, and a likelihood of safety by denying from this High-Priests confession: the Apostle exhorts the Hebrewes to confess, Heb. 3.1. compared with Cap. 4.14. the Hebrews seeing many sufferings to attend the confession of Christ, for fear thereof they were ready to startle aside: here the Apostle bids them consider the High-Priest of their confession: the word in all places is {αβγδ} which signifies confession, he confessed the truth here, and is now entered into Heaven, to interceede for us, and to assist us by his power in confession; therefore let us hold fast the disposition of confessing his name: see Paul 2 Tim. 4.16. When all men forsook him, he confessed Christ and his truth. Peter did the like before a counsel, Acts 4.12. Psal. 119.46. Dan. 3.18 Bee it known unto thee o King, we will not serve thy Gods, nor worship thy golden Image: the flesh indeed hath a principle never to venture further in confession, then one may be free from danger, and not to put any further to Sea, then they can safely put in again into the Haven, if they see a storm coming; and they think persons mad that will expose themselves to danger by confession; but a Christian is never in a right frame, till he seem to the world to be mad.  
We are not to follow the patterns of carnal men, those that look to be excellent in any art or science, choose out the rarest patterns, so must we; would we be eminent in Christianity, we must not propose unto ourselves some coward that runs away before the battle, but behold those that loved not their lives in the cause of God, in comparison of the holding of the word of their testimony, Revel. 12.11.  
Such an one was John Badby, who being condemned for his confessing the t●u●h, was brought into Smithfield to suffer, when the Prior of Saint Bartholomew brought the Host and shewed it to the Martyr at the stake: they demanded of him how he believed in it, he answered, he knew well it was hallowed bread, and not Gods body, and then was the Tun put over him, and fire put unto him, and when he felt the fire, he cried, mercy,( calling belike upon the Lord) and so the Prince immediately commanded to take away the Tun, and quench the fire: the Prince( his commandement being done) asked him if he would forsake heresy, to take himself to the faith of holy Church, which thing if he would do, he should have goods enough, promising unto him also a yearly stipend out of the Kings treasury; but this valiant Martyr neglected and refused the Princes proffers; wherefore the Prince commanded him strait to be put into the Tun again, and that he should nor afterwards look for any favour; but as he was not alured by their rewards, so he was not abashed by their torments, but remained invincible till death, Acts and Mon. vol. 1. pag. 682. See other examples more ancient, there is a memorable example of some such in justine Martyrs time, {αβγδ}, and there was a certain woman that lived with her husband, an unclean person, she being also given to uncleanness formerly, but after that she knew the doctrines of Christ, she became continent and wise, and persuaded her husband in like manner so to be, showing him again and again the Doctrines of Christ, setting before him that everlasting fire which is prepared for unchaste and voluptuous persons that live not continently, and according to right reason; but he remaining in his unnatural uncleannesses, made his wife estranged unto him by his actions; for she counting it wicked to lie with him, contrary to the Law of nature, and contrary to right, every way to make passages of pleasure, she consulted to be separated from her bond of marriage, but her friends dissuaded her giving her hope, that her Husband would be changed in time to come, so she continued still with him; but her Husband after going into Alexandria, was reported to have become much worse, the woman fearing that if hence forward she used the same bed and board, she should be partaker of his wickedness, giving him a bill of divorce, was separate from him: upon this, her Husband accused her to the Emperour, that she was a Christian, the woman being cited, petitioned that she might have leave to set her house in order, and then she would answer the accusation, which when she had obtained, her husband withdrew his bill, and prosecuted against h●r no further( the cause of it justin doth not express; but I suppose, it was least his wife should have accused him of that we call Sodomy before the Emperour) but set upon ptolemy her friend, who had taught her Christian Religion, and got him put in bonds by the means of a certain Centurion, he bidding the Centurion ask Ptelomy whether he were a Christian; for this wicked man knew his uprightness, that he would presently confess what he was, the said ptolemy being long tortured by the Centurion, was in the end brought to the governor urbicius, who being examined, confessed himself a Christian; for which profession urbicius commanded him to be carried away; upon this, one Lucius a Christian being present, spake to this effect: this man convicted to have committed any wickedness, art thou moved to punish him, because he glories in the name of Christian, who is neither Adulterer, Manslayer, nor Robber, O urbicius thou dost not judge as becomes a godly governor, urbicius made no other answer to Lucius, but that he seemed to be such an one as one as ptolemy was, and so commanded Lucius to be carried away also, Lucius gave him thankes in that he was freed from evil Lords, and sent to a good God, with these also there was a third, who suffered with Lucius and ptolemy, this cruelty of urbicius the governor being done in the City of Rome, and other cruelties against Christians else-where, gave occasion to justin Martyr to writ his former apology to the Roman Sena●e, in the behalf of Christians, Justin. Apol. 1. ad Rom. Senat. To these might be added the examples of many others, who are and ought to be unto us parents of confession of Christ, but these shall suffice.  
9. The ninth motive to sti● us up to confess Christ, is that he will in this case confess us before his Father in heaven, and so crown us with glory, Matth. 10.32. as its true, that if we deny him, he will deny us; so is it true, if wee will confess him, he will confess us. Tertul. in his Book written to the Martyrs in prison( for so, all that then witnessed Christ were called, and the word Martyr signifies a witness, Cap. 4. 
These Martyrs in prison were women.  hath an exc●llent Exhortation, Timebit forsitan caro, &c. Perhaps the ●●h will f are the heavy sword, the high cross, the sury of beasts, the most exquisite punishment of fire, and all the inventio● of the hangman in his torments, but let the spirit oppose unto itself and the fl●sh, that though these things be bi●ter, yet are they received of many with a patient mind; yea, willingly desired for famed and glory sake, not onely of men, but also of women, that you also the blessed women may also answer to your Sex.  
Lucretia being ravished, 
Deus immortalis habeti de cvi& Empedocles arden tem frigidus Aetnam insiluit Quas ma aut Horat.  slay herself in the sight of her friends, that she might glory in her chastity. Mutius burn● his hand upon the Altar,( he means Mutius Scaevola) that same might carry abroad his action. Heraclitus who burnt himself being daubd over with Cow-dung; also Empedocles who leaped into the fire of Mount Aetna, and Peregrinus who burnt himself, out of vainglory, when a great part of Greece were present at the Olympian Games,( as Pamelius out of Lucan, and Marcellinus observes.) Women also have despised the fire: Dido when after the death of her most dear husband, she was caused to mary( to one Hierbas, as Pamelius expounds it) slay herself. The wife of Asdrubal when Carthage was on fire, seeing her husband Petition Scipio, threw her self with her children into the burning of the City. Regulus a Roman captain being taken prisoner by the Carthaginians, being unwilling that he alone should be changed for many prisoners of Carthage, was willing rather to be given to the enemies, being put into a tub which was every where driven thorough with nailes, he felt so many crosses. Cleopatra poisoned herself with Serpents that shee might not fall into the hands of her enemy; if so much of the strength of the body and mind be sold for earthly glory, that persons despise the sword, fire, cross, beasts, torments for the reward of mans praise? I can say, these things that you suffer, are but small in comparison of the heavenly glory, and divine reward; if glass be worth so much, how much is the true margarite worth? Who would not bestow as much upon that which is true, as they do upon that which is counterfeit. And a little after he adds, these Examples not without cause the Lord hath brought into the World; now to exhort us, and in that day to confounded us, if we fear to suffer for his truth to salvation, which others have affencted for vanity to destruction.  
And he adds in the 6. Chapter of the same book, Some man will suffer that for the cause of man, which he doubts to suffer for the cause of God. Herein the present times can teach us, how many persons of quality put an end to their birthrights, dignities, and lives, for the cause of man, either of him, if they shall do any thing against him, or of his adversaries if they shall stand for him: alluding to the killing of those who stood contrary to the side of the Emperour Severus. Shall hope of earthly glory or inditement make men so to confess in such dangerous cases, wherein oft they lose themselves and theirs; and shall not the hope of heavens glory set an edge upon their Confessions? Shall the short glory of a corruptible crown make men to go encounter in the midst of swords and bullets, that they may bee praised, or have some small reward if they scape alive out of the battle; and shall not Christians who are more then Conquerors, Rom. 8.37. {αβγδ}, in that they are sure to have a crown before they strike a stroke, venture to combat against all oppositions whatsoever, and to confess the cause of Christ against all oppositions whatsoever, even to the loss of life.  
Object. But the fear of death is not so much as the fear of torments.  
Answ. Herein we have the promise, that God will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able, he will either abate the force of the fire, or give us strength to bear it, the remainder of wrath God will restrain, Psal. 76.10. Residium iratum cinget, Vatab. Let the fury of the persecutor go out so far as our strength reaches, and girds in the rest; besides greater is he that is in us, then he that is in the world, 1 joh 4.4. Was not Christ thy head tortured for thee, when his hands and feet were nailed to the cross, remember the tortures of a guilty Conscience for the present, and the tortures of hell hereafter, Heb. 11.35. others were tortured, {αβγδ} the word signifies to beat a timbrel, they were beaten as if they were Timbrels or Drums; Suidas uses the word, {αβγδ}, when men are beat with clubs, or such like instruments, so was eleazar, 2 Mach. 6. and the 7. Brethren, because they would not eat Swines flesh, 2 Mach. 7. The stories are dreamed no other then human stories, yet not to bee slighted. Eliazer a principal Scribe aged 90. yeares, being constrained to open his mouth to take in Swines fl●sh( which was contrary to the Law of God) spit it out, and came of his own accord to the torment, vers. 19. Some of his old acquaintance that had the charge of that wicked Feast, besought him to bring flesh, such as was lawful for him to use, and to make a show as if he did eat of the flesh taken from the Sacrifice commanded by the King, that in so doing, he might be delivered from death, to which he answered, ver. 24. It becometh not my age to diss●mble, whereby many young persons might think that Eliazer 90. yeares old, was gone to a strange religion, and so through mine hypocrisy should be deceived by me, therefore rather then he would do this, he choose torment, and was put to death with stripes, 2 Mach. 7.1. A mother with her seven sons were compelled by the King to taste Swines flesh, who refusing, were tormented with scourges and whips, one had his tongue cut out, and was fried in a pan alive, another had the skin of his head with the hair pulled off, and all of them were in the sight of their mother exceedingly tortured, comforting themselves in the resurrection& life everlasting,& other Scripture consolation. Where extreme tortures are inflicted upon persons, their proportionable consolations are wont to abound, 3 Cor. 1.5. Tertullian tells of the Lacedemonians, That they have a solemnity among them; wherein certain Noble young youths are whipped before the Altar, their parents and friends standing by, and exhorting them that they persevere, accounting it a greater glory and side that the life yielded to the stroke then the body, Lib. ad Martyr. cap. 4. Shall persons for glory and famed endure tortures, and shall not we for a good conscience: Besides, if thou beest never so dismembered for a good Conscience, remember thy body shall be raised up a glorious body; it doth not stand with justice, that our b●dy shall be racked and tortured for Christ, and another new made body to wear the Crown.  
10. The tenth motive to confession, is the goodness of the cause we confess, it s the word of God and Testimony of Jesus, Revel. 1.9. the name of Christ, Acts 5.41. Conscience towards God, 1 Pet. 2.19. this is thank worthy of a man, for Conscience towards God to endure grief: this is that which we confess, and persecutors oppose, Mr. Bradford in a letter to the City of London saith, although my manifold sins have justly deserved all the tyranny that Man or devil can do to me, yet the Bishops and Prelates do not persecute them in me, but Christ himself, his word his truth, and Religion, Acts and Mon. pag. 310. and in a letter to Cheshire and Lankashire, he saith, the Condemnation, is not a Condemnation of Bradford simply, but rather a Condemnation of Christ and of his truth, Bradford is nothing else but an instrument in whom Christ and his Doctrine is condemned, how many men have lost their lives to free the Common-wealths of the world from slavery; shall common liberty be a cause worth so many mens lives? and shall our estates, honours, and lives, be too good for the cause of God and Conscience, it was the cause and not the sufferings, only the primitive Christians gloried in, Rom. 8.36. for thy sake we are killed all the day long( meaning in the disposition and purpose of their hearts, and in respect of their continual danger) and counted as sheep for the slaughter.  
tertul. in his book to Scapula, that persecuting governor brings in the Christians glorying in the cause they confessed, Cap. 4. pro tanta innocentia, &c. we are burned for such innocency, for such honesty, for righteousness, for chastity, for faith, for truth, for the living God, which neither sacrilegious persons, nor enemies of the common-wealth, nor traitors are wont to suffer; for now this name is vexed of the President of Legio and Mauritania, even unto death, as it was commanded from the beginning against these, but the greater the sufferings, the greater the rewards that follow, your cruelty is our glory.  
Mole●us on the 69. psalm, vers. 5. hath an excellent history, it was of one Vsthaz●n, Eunuch of the King of Persia, some times his schoolmaster, and afterward his faithful servan●, who when by the command of the King he was to be put to death for the confession of the doctrine of Christ, he desired this onely, for many benefits bestowed upon the Kin●, and for his continual faithfulness towards the Commonwealth, that he might not be reported to suffer punishment as an unfaithful person, or as one that deserved ill of the Kings familly, and that it might be signified to all by public Proclamation, that Vsthazan was pu● to death for no other cause, but because he having embraced the Doctrine of Christ, would not worship the Sun●e, nor give divine worship unto it, which when he had obtained, he dyed with a most peaceable spirit. The story is in Eus●bius, if my memory sail not, the cause of Christ calls for Confession, and so much the more in that it lies at stake in the midst of his enemies, this advantage we have above glorified Saints, they confess Christ in the midst of his friends, but Saints in this life, confess in the midst of his enemies. Besides, we might have lost our estates and lives for other causes; hence Bradford said, Oh what benefit? That I who deserved death by reason of my sins, should be delivered to a comformation and testification of Gods truth. Letter to the U●iv●rsity of Cambridge, Acts and Mon. pag. 331. Christians in their Confessions so prized the cause of Christ, that when Arrius Antoninus in Asia did vehemently persecute, all the Christians of that City joining hands offered themselves before his judgement seat, he taking a few of them, said to the rest, {αβγδ}. O wr●tches 〈◇〉 ye desire to die, you have ropes, or places to cast your se●ves down headlong. Tertul. ad Scap. cap. 5. H●reupon this Authors speaks to Scapula, the governor, if it should be done thus at Carthage, what wilt thou do with so many thousands of men and women offering themselves to thee, how many fires and swords wilt thou have need of, the tenth man in Carthage is to be taken of thee,— spare thyself, if not us; spare Carthage if not thyself.  
2 use For exhortation, if Christ will deny those that habitually deny him, be exhorted to learn to deny yourselves in the frame-bent, or habit of your hearts, that you may not deny Christ; he that hath not learnt to deny himself, the first tentation that comes, will put him upon the denial of Christ.  
Now to deny ourselves, is to renounce every thing in the habit of our heart, that comes in competition with the Lord and a good conscience, that when either that enjoyment must be left or a good conscience, we are content to let that enjoyment go rather then a good Conscience. This was the frame of Moses spirit when he saw the treasures and pleasures of Egypt, and a good conscience could not be held together; upon deliberation he choose to suffer affliction with Gods people. So the three Children when they could not hold their lives and a good conscience, were content to be cast into a fiery Furnace. When one  told Luther that the truth could not be preached without offending the Priests, he made this answer, Ego obtuli me, &c. I have offered up myself in the name of the Lord, his will be done, what says he, they will kill me? Well, they will not raise me up again, that they may kill me again, they will defame me for an heretic? Well, Christ was counted with the wicked.  
Perhaps thou spi●s at Idolatry, but whatsoever thou holdst when Gods calls for it, thou makst an idol of it; Asa had made an Idol of his mother, had he not deposed her for setting up an Idol in a grove. No doubt would Micaiah have prophesied as the other Prophets did, and have spoken well to King Ahab, and would the Baptist have been sparing in urging the seventh Commandement, they might have been great with their respective Princes; but when God put them upon a business that would hazzad all, they feared not to tel their Princes those things from God, which doubtless they did foresee, would at last, procure the bread and water of affliction.  
I am sure there was nothing so dear to the Lord, but he partend with it for his people, he had but an only begotten Son that lay in his bosom, and he emptied him of his glory, and partend with him for us, and should we not part with all that we have for him, Besides, those things which Saints have habitually partend with for Christ, how oft hath God given them again to them with advantage; so queen easter left her life, if I perish, I perish, and the three Children who choose a fiery Furnace, rather then Idolatrous worship, God gave them all their lives again, and preferment to boot. Abraham lest all he had for God, yea, his dear son Isaac, and God multiplied all that he had, Moses left the Court of a Prince for God, and in time he might have been King of Egypt, and God made him after the Prince of his people, Joseph left a plentiful house for a good Conscience, and God entreated him kindly in prison, and after raised him to great preferment in Pharohs Court; perhaps he will not thus exalt thee( for as the way of his judgements are unsearchable, so are the ways of his mercy) yet are sundry of his Children so exalted, and for thy part thou mayst make full account of peace of Conscience, and his blessed shining face which are an abridgement of all other blessings.  
Experience tells us, when Gods people part with any thing for God, God makes it up with better then they foregoe; for example, he makes up loss of liberty, with liberty of Conscience, poverty with riches of faith, Ruth left her country of Moah for Religion, and God gave her a plentiful estate by her Marriage with Boas: the Apostles suffered pain when they were whipped, and God made it up with the joy of the Holy-Ghost, Acts 5.41. In civill dealings we count it wisdom to put our money or land to the greatest improvement, there is no way so to improve an estate or life, as to leave it for Christ, for so it shall be saved, in li●● whereof we shall have peace on earth, and glory in heav●n, a●d what though carnal reason, that bitter enemy of God, laugh at these things, yet as it was never able to find out the truth of God, so was it never able to judge of them, yet should it be the noble disposition of Christians to call back their mindes from their sences, and so much the more in that we have Christ his express word, Mat. 10 39. He that saveth his life shall loose it, and he that looseth his life for my sake shall find it; wherein Christ speaks after the manner of the world, who when they have kept their lands, liberties, and lives, though it be with the wounding of their Consciences, and compliance to all abominations of false Doctrine and false Worship: they say such a man hath saved his land, liberty, or life; to this Christ saith, have they saved them? well, but they shall loose them eternally on the other side; when Gods faithful servants forsake their estates, liberties, relations, or lives for Christ, the world thinks such men are fools, they have lost fine accomoditions, great revenues, rich trades, and which is more, their precious life; well, saith Christ, have they so lost them as you think? nay, saith Christ, you are deceived; for they shall find them for ever.  
On the other side take a man that to save his living or life, hath denied the faith, and shipwrecked his Conscience, what is that can give him peace? other wants may be helped, as poverty by contribution, imprisonment by enlargement; but nothing can salve this malady, but the blood of Christ, and an habitual disposition to confess what we have formerly denied. Besides, what is become of Demas his goods, which he gained or saved, 
In Synops.  when he forsook Saint Paul, and became a Priest of the Heathen Gods at Thessolonica, as Dorotheus reports; what is become of their livings which were gained or saved in Queen Maries time, by denying the truth, are they not all or most turned to dust; but what the Martyrs lost, they have found it in Heaven: If the physician bid us leave such meate or drink, because he hath seen our water, or felt our pulse, we obey him, and shall we not( when God who hath felt the everlasting pulse, doth so command) leave such enjoyments as he would have us to leave, especially seeing he knows such a thing would not in that condition be good for us.  
Sweet is that disposition when the soul will not part with God for price, but is willing to go to prison, or to death with him, Acts 21.13. as that Martyr who s●id, though he could not dispute, yet could he die for Christ; for want of which conclusion, when temporal hazards, or outward relinquishments come, many fall off and are offended at such ways and truths as formerly they received with great approbation, and fall to despite those who first put them upon such hazardous courses, as their hearts are unwilling to close with. But Christians whose hearts are perfect, resolve, as that Martyr John Araley, Acts and Mon. vol. 3. p. If every hair of my head were a man, it should suffer death in the faith I now stand: let us in the Lords strength with him resolve, I have an honour, an estate, a life; but had I an hundred of every sort, they should all pack for Christ, God forbid that I should rejoice in anything more, or in any thing equal with him who is my love.  
Obj. But if this be our duty, that we must habitually deny ourselves in all for the Lord, what is the reason, persons are so unwilling to part with their enjoyments, when God and a good Conscience call for them?  
Answ. There are many causes hereof, as  
1. A placing of anall-sufficiency in whole or in part, 
Animus per omnes mundi partes commeans alque diffusus, ex quo anima quae nascuntur animalia vitam capiunt. Saltria lib. 4de gubern. dciex Pithagora,  in the comforts and creatures here below, so that as the ancient heathens made Gods of their garlic, Onions, herbs, Plants, fruits, not so much in respect of these things themselves, as if they thought them to be Gods; but because they thought God to be an universal spirit, partially subsisting in them; so most men think part of their comfort to be in the things of this world, and that it cannot be had else-where, save in them; and hence they will not foregoe them: whereas there is no comfort in any creature but is more eminently in God, as whatsoever is in the effect, is virtually in the cause; whatsoever sweetness or comfort is in Wife, Children, or Estates, is much more in God, else could not the Saints have these things when they are in prison, and in the midst of persecution, as Mark sets down they have, Mark 10.30.  
2. The second cause is want of assurance of a better happiness, the soul of man clasps fast hold of happiness, either true or apparent, like men upon the point of drawing whatsoever they lay hold of, they will not let it go; naturally men are loathe to let go their present happiness how low soever, till they be sure of a better; a servant will not willingly part with a bad service, till he be sure of a better master, were a man assured that God had pardonned his sins, and accepted him in Christ, he would say, let an Estate, Friends, country, and all go, so that I may win Christ; besides, nothing doth so weaken the spirit of a man in paint of confession of truth, as fear of Hell, a man reasons thus, if I confess such and such truths, I may be put in prison, and so kept, or scanted from outward comforts, which would continue my life, or the Magistrate m●y put me to death, and so though I am not assured to go to Hell, yet am I also not assured to go to Heaven; hence persons are fearful in confession of what they know; but when a man is assured that God is his God, and his sins pardonned in Christ, he is bold in confession, he knows the worst that men can do is only to kill the body, which the persecutor in so doing shall the sooner sand his soul into Heaven.  
3. The third cause is suspicion of future events, men suspect that it will not be good for them to be changed from an high condition to a low, we doubt poverty will be an insupportable burden, in that we shall be brought under the miserable succour of others relief, so to loose our credit, or suffer imprisonment we doubt will not be good, yet mayst thou conclude that all will be for thy good: so that look, as when it is night we are certain the next day the Sun will arise, though we know not whether out of a cloud, or in a bright sky, yet this we know that the Sun will arise, so may we conclude, that every event that befalls us, will be for our good, though we cannot tell how God will so dispose it, and this conclusion is drawn from 1 Cor. 3.22. all is yours, whether P●ul, Apollos, or Cephas, or life, or death, &c. that is, all is ours in reference to our enjoyment of God in Heaven, also Rom. 8.28. all things work together for good to them that love him.  
The Saints of God that have learnt to deny themselves, do duty without suspicion what the issue will be. Abraham when he went from his country, he knew not whither he went, Heb. 11.8. yet he obeied God; Gideon Iude 6.25. God bad him throw down the Altar of Baal, and cut down the Grove which was by it, he might have reasoned, if I do this thing, the men of the City being worshippers of Baal, will put m to death, and indeed they had like to have done it, vers. 30. for they bad Joash bring out his son Gideon, that he may die, because he hath cast down the Altar of Baal, but Gideon did his duty without suspecting of the issue. So Paul, Gal. 1.15. When it pleased God who separated him from his mothers womb to reveal his son in him, that he might preach him among the heathen, he saith immediately, I consulted not with flesh and blood, as if he should say, flesh and blood would have  told me, the event would be dangerous, the preaching of Jesus might cost me my life; but he considered what he had in command from God, without once questioning what the issue would be. Which is a good pattern for us, when God puts us upon any hazardous duty, to shut our eyes and ears to carnal reason: carnal reason teaches to consider what the issues and events of things be, and so draw the Scriptures to speak according to their mindes; and hence is it, that most people in spain are Papists, in Switzerland are Calvinists, in Saxony are Lutherans, in Scotland, Presbiterians, in New England, independents, &c. because, though in sundry of these places there be many good men, yet the flesh in them, as well as the carnal reason in wicked men foresees, that if they be other then so, the country will not bear them, or not with a comfortable respect; and hence, though not without much difficulty, they labour to bundle the truth, and the times together, and draw the Scripture to speak according to the respective Common-wealth wherein the lines of the temporal enjoyments are fallen our to them: the root of a great part of this is the suspicion of a good issue, should they swerve from the present course of that tenant, which in that country doth at present prevail. And hence it is, that there is in many Families, though not in all, such a conformity in Religion, so that mostly what Religion the Master is of, all his children& servants are of the same, because the flesh in them silently reasons; that if the wife should go from her husbands religion, or the Child from his Father, or the servant from his Master, they doubt the husband, father, or master, would not like it, and what the issue of such a persons displeasure will be, they know not, but hereof they are very suspicious, that the event will not be good to them.  
4. The fourth cause why persons are so loathe to part with their enjoyments, when God and Conscience call for them, is the beholding of good and evil things, in the divels perspective glass; if a man be to leave an estate for God, Satan well let us see the benefit of it, what an happiness it is to live of a mans self without being beholden to others, he will tell you, that titles, without Proportionable estates, fall under the miserable succour of other mens pity; he will let you see the benefit of an estate both for diet and apparel, and many other ways, though in the mean time he will conceal● the cares and fears that attend it, and the future account; so for honour, he will let men see, what it is to have respects, salutes, observancies, but conceals the burdens that accompany it, as envy, pride, &c. the like he doth for sensual pleasures. Contrarily, if a man be to suffer any thing for Christ, let Satan alone to make it terrible, as if it be poverty, he lets us see the m●st miserable spectacles, which perhaps Gods curse for sin, not his cross for trial, hath so afflicted; if it be banishment, he shows us the excellency of our Native soil; he will lay before us the trouble of going to a people whose language we know not, and the danger of sickness, by the change of air and diet, he will tel thee, that though thou be never so conscionable, yet among strange people thy honesty will be questioned. If it be imprisonment, he will set before thee the bad air, the loathsome smells, the churlishness and extortion of Gaolers, the nastiness of thy lodging, and the loss of all thy employments in thy particular calling, besides the changeableness of imprisonment, for diet and otherwise; now persons seeing these and many other good and evil things, as the devil presents them, they are apt to startle back at the first noise of sufferings.  
Against all Satans goods which he shall propose, oppose the peace of Conscience in present, and the crown of glory in future, we shall have in the things we foregoe; and against all his evils, oppose the denial of Christ to those that deny him, and that worm of Conscience, which together with a fire that will never go out, will gnaw upon the fearful unto all eternity, Revel. 21.8. Besides, its our wisdom not to consider of good or evil things what they are now in present, but what they will be in future; what will wealth and honour( which Satan so magnifies) stand in the stead, when thou shalt appear before the tribunal of Christ, what will imprisonment hurt thee, when thou shalt enjoy the glorious liberties of the children of God, what will poverty, banishment, death, hurt thee, when thou shalt have the riches of glory, with life everlasting in thine own country.  
5. The fifth cause is mis apprehension about the things of this life, as we think to find content in them; but who hath found it? did Ahab in his Vineyard, Haman in honour, Amnon in beauty, there is a vaste disproportion betwixt these, and the soul of man, content arises from God, not from goods, when he comes into the soul, then the soul is full, and not till then: and whereas men imagine some continued succession of earthly things, how are they deceived, fire: water, suretyship, war, do often strip the most wary men; how oft doth death strip thee of a friend in whom all thy hope was; how often doth a small moment of time swallow up all thy pleasures, consider these earthly things can neither preserve that life we have, nor give us that life we want; and whatsoever we have in this life, is but an apparition or fashion which passeth away, as the saluting Traveller on the high way whom we never see more, 1 Cor. 7.30.  
Quest. But how many I get an habit to deny all for the Lord, and a good Conscience, that so I may nor deny Christ for the saving of any earthly thing.  
Answ. 1. apprehended Gods love to thy soul in his son, in that there was nothing too good for us, but that he gave his dearly beloved son for us; he or shee to whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much, Luk. 7.47 and this he did when we were enemies, Rom. 5.8. We love him, and consequently bring forth the fruits of love, because he first loved us, 1 Joh. 4 19 This love of God is seen not onely in giving his son, but himself to us as an husband, as the husband loves all in the family, but gives himself to his wife; so God b●stowes his sun to shine, and rain to fall on the wicked, but he gives himself to every godly soul, as an husband to his sp●use. Upon the souls apprehension hereof, the soul like a loving and dutiful spouse, gives up its will, and all that it hath to the Lord. So that as in civill marriage the husband endows the wife with a state of participation in all that he hath, and the wife gives up not onely h●r will, but her portition to him: So in spiritual marriage Christ endows the soul with a state of participation in what he hath, and the soul gives up all that it hath to the Lord.  
2. Get a sovereign love to God, this is the most prime effect, if not a concomitant of justifying faith, which I rather think, whatsoever we love besides the Lord, unless it be in subordination to him, either actually, when we particularly think of it, or habitually in the general constant purpose of our minds, we love it in opposition unto him, that is, he will interpret such a neglect as an opposition. Hence were those commands. Exod. 32.27. The sons of Levi who were on the Lords side, vers. 26. and so were not guilty of the Idolatry of the Calve-worship( For all were not guilty, 1 Cor. 10.7.) were commanded by Moses from God, to slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour who had been the prime actors about the golden calf; doubtless, this was grievous to them, but God requiring it, and they( knowing that when the love of God, and the love of a brother cannot stand together, the love of a brother is to be cast ●ff, that the love of God may take place) obeied God and Moses, and slay about thee thousand men. Such was that Command, Deut. 13.6. If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying let us go s●rve other gods,— th●u shalt not consent unto him, neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him, but thou shalt surely kill him, thy hand shall be fi●st upon him, &c. All which proves, that the subordinate love we have to any creature, ought to give place to that sovereign l●ve we have to God. Such a love we have in Eli, to the Lord, Deut. 33.9. Who said unto his father and his mother, I have not seen him( concluding both under the more worthy gender) neither did he aclowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children; that is, he was so impartial in his Gods cause( in destroying the principal actors in the Calve-worship, which even now I mentioned) that he did not aclowledge either father or mother, brother or sister, or children, against Gods Commands.  
From this sovereign love to God sprung those courageous selfe-denialls of the Martyrs, we must not think they had bodies of brass, or muscles of steel, or that they were not as sensible of torment as others; but as the heat of a fever dries up outward ulcers, or as the heat of a fire swallows up the heat of a fever, so the love of God in the Martyrs surmounting their love to all other things, did swallow up their love to their wives and Children, yea, to their own lives, so that they thought them not too good for God.  
Indeed we may love these comforts, but not above the Lord,' not {αβγδ} Mat 10.37. He that loveth Father or Mother more then me, is not worthy of me, and he that loveth Son or Daughter more then me, is not worthy of me, that is, I will not accept him, I will not think him worthy of me; we may love the comforts here below with a love in the second place, as a husband will allow that his wife love her friends with an inferior love, only the prime love must be kept for him; nor will it be sufficient that she love her husband better then many thousands, if there be one placed in her affections before him; so it will not be sufficient that we love the Lord better then many things, but we must love him better then every thing, that is, habitually leave all for the Lord.  
Many men that love the world, would part with much for the Lord, even out of self love to their souls, only they would have so much as would secure them against time and chance, as Ananias& Saphira; but when they must part with all in the bent of their hearts, they go away sorrowful, as the young man did; many are so taken up with a convenient house, that they will rather part with Christ and Heaven then it, others are so hemd in with friends and alliance, that come what will come, they will not leave them; but Christ saith, Luke 14.26. if any man come to me, and hate not his Father and Mother, and Wife and Children, and Brethren and Sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my Disciple, which is not meant simply that we should hate them, for we are commanded to love our enemies, much more friends, and such near friends as Father and Mother most; but we are to hate them if they come in competition with the Lord. It is with the soul in this point, as with a Tenant, who is bound to pay so much rent upon the forfiture of a rich Lease; if the Tenant at the pay day should bring three quarters of his money, the Landlord will not receive it, he will not receive a penny of it if the whole be not brought: so the debt the soul is obliged in to God is a sovereign love, if we bring not that, the Lord will not receive any at our hands, Mat. 22.37.38. Christ saith, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, this is the first and great Commandemen●, the meaning is, we are not to love the Lord subordinately as a Creature, but sovereignly as a Creator: such a disposition was in Paul, Phil. 3.7.8. and those Rev. 12.11. unless this sovereign love be wrought in the soul, it were easy for a desperate fellow, meeting a man in a corner, to make him forswear Jesus Christ, and to worship Mahomet for the saving of his life.  
3 To leave all for the Lord, get a disposition not only to give a lift at the cross, but also take up every cross that comes betwixt thee and duty; many men give a lift at this or that cross, but finding the weight of it, they lay it down again, and will not take it up; for example, this, or that person were going in such a way, following the dictate of the Conscience, when they begun in it, they thought their friends would be a little offended at it, and that it wou●d be some damage to them in their calling, and that they were willing to undergo; but when they see, that if they go on in such ways, their friends will wholly cast them off, and that they are like to suffer the total loss of their calling, and be forsed to se●ke a new one, then they begin to question, and in a short while to cast off the things they have formerly acknowledged for precious truths: one mans cross that God lays on him is poverty, anothers, imprisonment, anothers, disinheriting, anothers is loss of calling, anothers is displeasure of friends and kindred, certainly, let the cross be what it will be, though never so heavy, even to the loss of life, we must not only give a lift at it, but we must take it up, we need not create Crosses to ourselves; for if we live godlily they will find us out, 2 Tim. 3.12. whosoever will live godlily shall suffer persecution, only we are to take, up them that God lays on us. Instancies hereof are Paul, when the spirit  told him, that bonds and afflictions in every City did abide him, he would not refrain from his duty, none of these things, saith he, move me, so I may finish my course with joy, Acts ●●. 13. hence the Saints of God, Heb. 11.35.36, 37. Some of them endured bonds and imprisonment, others were tortured, others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, others were stoned, others wandered about in Sheepe-skins and Goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented: to show that Gods p●●ple( of whom the world was not worthy) did not all of them suffer the same cross, though all of them had the same habits and dispositions to have suffered, but each of them took up that cross, that lay betwixt them and their duty.  
4. Consider, thy heart is not perfect with the Lord, till thou com●st to a disposi●ion, to let go every thing for the Lord, look under the whole Heaven, if there be any thing thou wilt not forsake, or any thing thou wilt not suffer for the Lord, thy heart is not perfect with God, its a mistake in men to think that to love the Lord more then our estates or lives, proceeds not from the nature of saving faith, simply considered; but from some eminent degree of it, seeing that Christ saith, Luke 14 33. whosoever he be that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my Disciple, that is, if thou beest born to a thousand pound lands a year, yet if God, and a good Conscience, to witness the truth call for it, thou must forsake it, so Mat. 19.17. Christ saith, If thou wilt be perfect, sell all that thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven, were Christ now on earth, he might say as much to any man, and we were bound upon pain of salvation to obey him. Papists abuse this, and such like places, and affirming voluntary poverty to be one of the 3. estates of perfection, expound it thus, that he that will live a most happy life, must give all his goods to the poor, and come and live in a cloister, as one Francis Sanguinetis, formerly a friar of milan  told me; but the meaning is, that if thou wilt assure thyself that thy heart is perfect with God, thou must be content to part with thy estate when the Lord calls for it; so God judged of Abraham, that his heart was perfect in that he thought nothing too good for God, no not his dear isaac, Gen. 22.16. compared with Neh. 9 8. these thoughts, if well meditated of, would much abase us, and keep us from contemning any man for his mean condition in the world; for thou knowest not how soon a good Conscience may bring thee in●o the like c●●dition, they a●● actually poor, and thou art habitually; they have nothing now, and God knows how soon thou shalt ●ave nothing hereafter: certainly, to have these loose and dying affecti●ns to he enjoyments of the world, are greater mercies then the enjoyments themselves, and what I say of estate, I affirm the same of life, thy heart is not perfect with God if thou hast not a disposition to lay it down for a good conscience: we will not speak of Infants( the way of whose salvation is to us unknown) none are sav●d but Martyrs, either actual or habitual, having faith enough to encourage them, and love to constrain them to be Martyres, yea even those that shun persecution by flight, fly with this intention to suffer the greatest extremity in the world if they be taken, rather then to deny the Lord, or any part of his truth; which disposition being fixed and riveted in the soul, its lawful for us when we are persecuted in one city to fly unto another, as Christ permits us, Math. 10.23.  
Object. But is not all flight unlawful from these Commands of Christ, Luk. 14.26, 27. and others.  
Answ. 1. Christ fled from Herod, and from those that would have killed him, Luk. 4.30. Joh. 7.30. 2. We may fly with a mind not to live to ourselves, but to God, we must not tempt God by exposing ourselves to needless dangers; Paul fled being let down by the walls of Damascus, Act. 9.25. and Christ fled, for his hour was not yet come; nay, flight is a kind of protesting against common errors, and so many hundreds, that sled into Germany in Queen Maries time, and many thousands that fled into New-England, in our times, have born witness against the Idolatries and Superstitions of the several ages, onely if God do not open a door for us, we must not fly. This was the case of the three Children, had they had the same opportunity that Paul had, Acts 17.10. that any godly brethren would have sent them out of the danger, its probable they would have gone before their apprehension; if some heroic instinct of the Spirit had not put them upon tarrying to protest against such gross Idolatry. The two commandements of slight from one City to another, and of not fearing them that kill the body are both in one Chapter, Matth. 10.23.& 28. To show that sometimes one of them may take place, and sometimes another. It is not lawful to fly, when the truth is like to be hazarded or dishonoured by our flight, when God cuts of lawful means of flight, when he shuts every door against flight, or that we be in hold by the command of a lawful Magistrate; or when thy life is particularly aimed at, as Paul was, Act. 9.24. For so the enemies power is appeased, and thou mayst live to honour God in some other place, nor the souls of them will be hazarded by thy slying with the contrary to those forementioned. In these cases I suppose flight is lawful, provided that thou fly with the forenamed disposition, rather to die a thousand deaths if thou beest taken, then deny thy dearest Lord, or his truth. But if there bee none of these cases, or thou beest hamperd in by relations of marriage, or of duty to Father, Master, &c. or God call thee out to suffer death, that thou canst not with good conscience avoid it, or if when thou hast opportunity of flight, but woulst not take it, but art confident, that God will not onely keep thee from abjuration or denial of his truth, but will also assist thee in the sealing the truth with his blood, go on in Gods strength herein, fear not them that can kill the body, and afterwards can do no more, thou dost not sin herein, but dost an action most praise-worthy in the sight of God, Angels, and men, far beyond all the victories of Alexander, Caesar, and all the great warriors of the world.  
5. That we may get an habit to deny all for the Lord, let us cleave unto God with steadfastness and resolvednesse. Daniel was purposed in his heart, though it is cost him his life, or liberty, not to defile himself with the portion of the Kings meat, Dan. 1.8. The like purpose he had, Cap. 6.10. when he knew the writing was signed, that he that asked any Petition of God for 30 dayes, should be cast into the lions den, yet he held his purpose still to pray. Barnabas exhorts the Brethren, Act. 11.23. That with purpose of heart they would cleave to the Lord, that though Persecutors threatened pr●sons, and whippings, and fire, and faggot, yet that( their purposes of heart cleaving to God,) they would not deny him.  
This is the nature of Christian resolution that it chooses that which the spirit reveals to the understanding to be good, notwithstanding all oppositions that comes betwixt, when credit, and profit, and vain fears, put in and suggest that the witnessing of such truths may cost you all that you have, resolution in a Christian answers all, it matters not though I lose these sweet morfels, so I can retain God and a good Conscience; tell not me of the difficulty of the way, onely let me know which is the way, I am resolved to follow the lamb whithersoever he calls me, I know there is no threatening so terrible as Gods, no promise so sweet as Gods, no commandement so holy as Gods; therefore I am resolved to deny all enjoyments, and to expose myself to drink that cup, how bitter soever, which my Father shall give me to drink: thus H●zekiah 2 Kings 18.6. he clavae to the Lord and departed not from ●ollowing after him; thought he threats of such a potent Prince, as Senacherib were thun●ered out against him, and death and dangers of all sorts hung over him, he might have waded out of all these himself in likelihood, by slight and so saved himself, though with the hazard of the ruin of all, but he would not, but clavae to the Lord, and would not depart from following him. So David Psal. 119.31. I have stuck unto thy Testimonies, proud men greatly derided him, v. 51. Princ●s spoken against him, verse 23. Princes persecuted him, verse 161. yet his heart so stuck to God and his truth, that no scoffs nor persecutions, no not of the greatest of men, could take of his heart from confessing that which he judged to be Gods truth; and this resolution of his was as strong as an Oath, verse 106. I have sworn and will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgements.  
We may be in such a condition as some Christians were in Justin Martyrs time, Barchochebas Commander in chief of the Jews in their revolt from the Romans, commanded to draw Christians alone to grievous punishments, unless they would deny and rail upon Jesus Christ, Apol. 2. p. 57.  
6. That we may get a right habit to deny all for the Lord, go in Gods strength; for want of this, though all the Disciples, and especially, Peter had a resolution to leave, even life and all for Christ, yet they fainted, Mark 14.29.30.31. though all should be offended yet will not I, and when Christ  told him that night, he would deny him thrice, he spake the more vehemently, if I should die with thee, I would not deny thee in any wise, likewise also said they all; here was a most strong resolution, yet going in their own strength, Peter the chief Champion was after startled at the voice of a damosell, and shamefully denied Christ: the story of Pendleton and Sanders, is so often urged by all write●s, that I forbear it at large, Sanders was fearful he should not endure the fire, the other says b● not fearful, thou sh●● see this fat flesh s●y, yet he tha● was so strong in his own strength, tell away and the other was enabled by God to burn for the truth, some in Gods strength of weak were made strong, others in their own strength of strong became weak: as D●vid went against goliath in the cause of God, 1 Sam. 17.45. I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of Armies, so in the power of the same God, should we go against all oppositions of men and Devils.  
6. That we may leave all for the Lord, believe the promises, the belief of the promises goes in order before the performance of the duty required by God, Sauls promise to David, that if he would bring an hundred sore-skins of the Phylistims, he should be his son, and have one of his Daughters, put him upon that hazardous attempt to kill so many of them, no man looks after either poverty of spirit, or purity of heart, till he believe the promise that such persons shall be blessed; when you promise a man eighteen pence for his dayes work, the belief of your promise sets him upon the performance of the duty you require of him, so would you leave all for the Lord in the disposition of your hearts, believe the promises made to those who so deny themselves: now these promises are first of this life, Mat. 19.27.28, 29, we haue forsaken all and followed thee, what shall we have therefore: to this Christ answers, verse 29. every ene that hath forsaken Houses, or Brethren, or Sisters, or Father, or Mother, or Wife, or Children, or Lands, for my name sake, shall receive an hundred sold, that is, the joy and peace you have in your Consciences, shall be an hundred times better th●n the comfort of all these outward things: besides, we see by experience, that men that have lost their estates for a good Conscience, God hath made it up to them or their posterities one way or other: therefore when Satan objects to thee, thou wilt be cast in prison, or banished thy country, or thy estate be sequestered, and thou wilt be made uncapable of any Office or dignity in the Common-wealth, if thou goes in such and such ways, go not an inch from thy duty for to escape any of these evils, seeing thou shalt have an hundred fold in this present life, for that which thou forgoest for God. Luke repeats this promise, Cap. 18.28.29, 30. saving that he alters a little: there is no man that hath left House, or Parents, or Brethren, or Wife, or Children, for the Kingdom of Gods sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time. Say then to thy soul, when thou art to leave thy friends, estate, and country, well, I know where the comfort of all these is, and I shall receive manifold for them in this present time, we are not much moved with the casting away of our igoods, when we have an insurance bound to make all good, this as our case with the Lord, he hath bound himself to make good all that we loose for him, with an overplus in this life, what if the stream be taken away, seeing the Fountain remaines; but you will say, what will become of my posterity, I shall leave them fatherless and helpl●sse, for the joy of the Holy-Ghost, and peace of Conscience I receive from God, redounds only to myself: to this I answer, God stiles himself often the Father of the fatherless: if of any fatherless persons, then sure of those whose Parents have lost their lives, and estates, for a good Conscience, Jer. 49.11. Leave thy fatherless Children, I will preserve them alive, and let thy widows put their trust in me.  
What comfort Saints have in this life to encourage them in their forsakings for God, we see 2 Cor. 6.10. as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing all things; to have joy in sorrow, riches in poverty, all things in nothing are miseries to the world; yet this is the condition of Christians, they have all things, because they have him in whom are all things.  
Certainly, as wicked men in their most full enjoyments in this life are only seemingly happy, but really miserable, whether we look upon their mirth, Prov. 14.13. Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; or whether we look upon their wealth, Eccles. 5.12, 13. Their wealth will not suffer them to sleep, but its kept for the hurt of the honours, and God hath affixed an eternal woe upon their most happy enjoyments, Luk. 6.24, 25, 26. Woe unto you that are rich, woe unto you that are full, Wo unto you that laugh now, Woe unto you when all men speak well of you. So contrarily the Saints of God in their greatest sufferings for Christ, are onely seemingly miserable, but really happy. I do not go about to comfort the Saints in suffering, that what they suffer is no suffering; but only the picture or Image of it, for I grant they are real sufferings, and many of them so heavy that they would break the back of any creature, without assistance from heaven; but this I say, these sufferings cannot make you really miserable. Perfect misery consists in seperaton from Christ, but neither famine, nakedness, persecution, nor death can do that, Rom. 8.32. Besides, perfect misery consists in taking away our hope, as the heathen man when he came to die, he cried farewell hope; but the hope of Saints is laid up in heaven; besides, perfect misery consists in holding the soul under a perpetual pressure, let the rage of man do its worst, by threatening perpetual imprisonment, or death,( beyond which it cannot go) yet can it not always hold the Saints under these pressures, it will be with them as with cork under water, it will in a while rise up above the water.  
To conclude this point, he that can be happy in reproaches, I Pet. 4.14. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, he that can rejoice in shane and scourgings, Acts 5.41. They went away rejoicing, that they were counted worthy to suffer shane for his name, he that can be merry in dark prisons, and praise God after a sharp scourging, as Paul and Silas, Acts 16.25. he that can look upon the loss of all his goods with joy, as tho●e Heb. 16.34 who took joyfully the spoiling of their goods he is not real●y, but seemingly miserable, and really happy, which, is in brief, a fulfilling of that promise that he that leaves any thing for Christ, shal receive manifold more in this present time.  
2. But specially, that we may leave al for the Lord, look upon the eternal promise we have made to us in this case. Math. 19 29. Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren,— shall inherit everlasting life, Mark. 10.30. There hath no man that hath left father, or mother, or lands,— for my sake and the Gospels, but he shall in the world to come receive eternal life. Luke hath the same, Chap. 18.30. Hence the Saints, Hebr. 10.34. did not onely suffer the spoiling of their go●ds with patience, but took it with joy; why? because they had a better, and an enduring substance in heaven. We are willing to part with a Lease for a Fee-simple, Lands, and Fathers, and Children are onely leases, Heaven is a Fee-simple. This made Abraham to forsake his country, and not to have a mind to return to it again, because he looked for a glorious country which God had prepared, even a City which hath foundations, Heb. 11.10, 15, 16.  
It was a saying of one of the Ancients, when rewards were proffered him to renounce his faith, he answered, will you give me so much as you go about to take from me; the like was spoken by one Robert Oquer, when a Noble man offered him life and promotion, made this answer. do you think me such a fool, to change eternal things for temporary, the enjoyment of God in heaven was that which comforts Saints in the deepest sufferings; Master Bradford speaks thus to his fellow-Martyr, William Hunter, Be of good Comfort, we shall have a merry Supper, with the Lord this night.  
The soul of a man is of a large capacity, and of a vast wish, the things below cannot falsify it, because the faculties of it are so large, but that inheritance will fill all the understanding with knowledge, and the will with joy, and that in so great a measure, that the expectation of the Saints shall be exceeded, for he shall be adm●red of them that believe, 2 Thess. 1.16. Shall the hope of freedom carry up the mind of the Apprentice to look beyond his present servitude, shall the hopes of the inheritance which is but for a few yeares, raise up the spirit of the heir under all the servitude he undergoes in his nonage, and shall not the hope of the glorious inheritance in heaven bear up our spirits under any present pressures we do endure, or shall endure for Christ, and a good Conscience. Certainly there is no comparison betwixt present sufferings, and future glory, 2 Cor. 4.17, 18.  
7. That we may part with all things for the Lord, get weanednesse of affection to all things here below, be often putting it to thyself in this manner; I have my liberty, estate, and friends, for the present, but God knows how soon I must leave th●m for the Lord; this house may cease to be mine, this friend mine, this Country mine, and God alone knows how soon this may be; till the child be weaned it will not let the breast go, but when once it is weaned, you may do what you will with the breast, the child cares not for it. So we find such sweet milk in the breast of the creatures, that we are very loathe to let the breast of the creatures go, but when old, we are weaued to them; we say, let estates, friends, and all go in the case of a good Conscience. The more our affections are fastened to any earthly comforts, the less comfort, and more bitterness shall we find in parting with it. So weaned was Abraham that he sojourned in the land of Promise, as in a strange country, Hebr. 11.9. Hence, when God called him to leave his dwelling, he went to sacrifice his son, he was willing so to do. So Moses left the treasures and pleasures of Egypt, because his heart was weaned unto them. Self-denying Christians should have their hearts to the world, not as their girdle that sits close to them, but as the cloak to their back which hangs loose, and they upon every occasion can lay it by them. A man whose heart is set upon the world, if any one ask him this question, or his own heart either, whether will you leave all for Christ, or whether will you leave Christ and a good Conscience, rather then your patrimony? he will forsake Christ rather then his goods, the soul of most men sits as close upon their enjoyments as Rachel did upon her Fathers Idols, but in leaning upon these, thou wilt lean upon that which cannot bear thee up. Conscience upon the rotten foundation of earthly things, is like a picture drawn upon the ice, which when the ice melts is brought to nothing.  
Its not a work of one day to get the heart weaned to the world, no more then a child in one day is weaned to the breast, therefore should we ever and anon be proposing the unsatisfying transitorinesse of the things we leave for God, and the perpetual comfort of a good Conscience, remembering this, that he that calls for your estate, in the witness of a good cause, could have taken it from you by many casualties of fire, water, suretyship, &c.  
8. If you would leave all for the Lord, resist wherein you can fleshly impediments, for the flesh will be ready by all means to hinder us from offering this Sacrifice unto God: now there are 3. ways whereby the flesh will be ready to hinder us.  
1. By perswations and entreaties, carnal reason says, give a little to the times, save thyself and thine, so Peter to Christ, Mat. 16.22. when Christ  told him, he must suffer many things of the Elders, and be killed, Peter began to rebuk him, saying, be it far from the Lord: so did the flesh reason in Spira, pag. 16. when the spirit had suggested unto him to suffer because Christ his glory lay at stake, that if he went to prison or death in a good confession, an eternal reward would abide him, also the danger of scandal, loss of peace of Conscience, or if he doubted of the issue, to go away, though never so far, rather then deny the Lord of life; but after these suggestions, the flesh begins in this manner, be well advised fond man, consider reasons on both sides, and then judge,— dost thou not consider what misery this thy rashness will bring thee unto? thou shalt lose thy substance, got with so much care and travel, thou shalt undergo the most exquisite torments that malice can device, thou shalt be counted an heritick of all, and to close up all, thou shalt die shamefully: what thinkest thou of the stinking Dungeon, the bloody Axe, the burning faggot,— wilt thou bring thy friends into danger, thou hast begotten Children, wilt thou now cut their throats, and inhumainly butcher them, which may in time bring honour to their country,— go to the Legate, weak man, freely confess thy fault,& help all these miseries: he now listening to this council, goes to the Popes Legate, and confessed that he was hearty sorry for what was past, and humbly begged pardon for so great an offence, with many other words wherein he recanted the truth: the nearer any one is unto us, the hardlier are their entreaties denied, as of a Child, Father, Mother, none nearer then this flesh of ours, which was born and bread with us, and therefore it is a matter of great difficulty to deny it. If it come to a point that either we must suffer or wound our Consciences, the flesh will bring many insinuating arguments, are you the only q●●ck sighted man, wiser then a Church or State? are there not many learned men, much more learned then thyself, who are otherwise minded, is not this the pride and stubbornness of thy heart, that thou refusest to conform thyself to the common stream, dost thou not hear the cry of the vulgar, who everywhere call thee blasphemous, seditious, unpeaceable and schismatical? will not all thy kindred and friends cast thee off, upon the report of this thy novelisme and faction? dost not thou fear to lose thy present, and be made uncapable of future advancement? may there not, will there not a Law come out in a moment; whereby thou wilt not only be defranchised, but also exiled from thy native country? after which proposals the flesh will fall to exhortations: Oh consider how hard persecution, imprisonment, and banishment will bee: give way a little to the times, for the present, and thou mayst be a mean and instrument to a great good hereafter: the Jtalians have a proverb, God bless me from my friends, and I will take heed of mine enemies; so pray to be blessed from such false friends and councillors as the flesh: rebuk such, as Christ did Peter, Mat. 16.23. get thee behind me Satan, for thou savorest not the things which be of God, but of men; whether it be the flesh in our own hearts, or the flesh in our friends, let us reject and resist it. A certain person persuading another to recant the truth,  told him: that he spoken it to him out of love, saith the Martyr, I confess it; but there is something in you that is my enemy, meaning the flesh: thus Mr. Hooper the Martyr, when a box was brought and laid before him upon a stool with his pardon( or at the leastwise it was feigned to bee his pardon) from the Queen if he would turn,( he being now at the stake) at the sight whereof he cried, if you love my soul away with it, if you love my soul away with it, Acts and Mon. vol. 3. p. 154.  
As in other things, as its well observed by a learned man, the flesh will be ready to hinder us, so in thee if we hear or red the reprehentions of the word, it persuades us these are spoken to others, if we think of Heaven, it saith, we shall come time enough thither, if thou thinkest to give alms, it saith, what, know whether I shall have need of it myself, if thou wouldest reprehend thy friend, it will draw thee by a cruel respect for fear of offending him, each good affection hath as it were two ears like a pot, by which the flesh and the world take hold to hinder the execution thereof. Moulin of the love of God, p. 92. and as in other things, so in this the flesh strives to hinder; there are two ways whereby we part with enjoyments, 1. as a sacrifice, and so Abraham partend with his son, and so many of the Martyrs that had opportunity of slight, who tarried to wi●nesse the truth, and gave their lives to the flames for it. 2. as a tentation, or snare, as Moses left Egypt, because there was no air for a good conscience to breath in; in both these, the flesh is apt to hinder, if we go to sacrifice any thing to God in point of duty, how doth the fl●sh pull back the b●st, see it in Peter, John 21 18. when thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands( meaning upon the cross) and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not, this spake he, signifying by wha● death he should glory God, though he had will enough to bring him to Martyrdom, else could he have glorified God; yet was there some avexsation and hanging back in the will, in that he was carried whither he would not; so when earthly enjoyments are snares, and we cannot keep in with them and duty, the flesh pulls back: as we see in the example of that noble marquis Galeazius Caralliolus, who being to leave a rich Marquesdom for the Gospel besides the mocks, slanders, and hatred of the world, and the chidings of his own Father Calantonius: the tears, complains, and persuasions of his wife, as we may see in the relation of his, Chap. 6. p. 41. he had grievous combats with his own flesh, when he resolved to depart out of italy, as appears Chap. 8. to think he must leave his earthly Father, or else he could no● have God his Father, that he must leave a wife so beautiful, wise, and modest, and that for ever; to leave her so full of sighs and s●bs after his departure: and besides this, to leave six small Children, who by his departure should lose all, or a great part of their honour and wealth, to leave all of them confounded together in heaps of grief, besides the loss of his inheritance, and the dilica●e country of italy; surely in the forsaking of all these, the flesh had many a pull back, and besides, Chap. 9. the fl●sh affrighted him in this purpose of leaving all, setting before his eyes the infamy, poverty, and other miseries, which in this his new profession, he was like to undergo; but having the Crown of glory, and such like objects before his eyes, he being assisted by the power of God, went from Italy, and lived a private life at Geneva.  
Take we heed of the persuasions of our flesh, for if once it hath got us to prefer one thing before the Lord, it will on upon another: do therefore herein as you do with Petitions, you are unwilling to grant, you answer them at first with an angry countenance.  
2. The flesh hinders us from denial of ourselves by distinctions. A man that is resolved to hold his estate, liberty, and life, come what will come, never wants a distinction to mock the Lord with; so the Circumcision teachers at Galatia, Gal. 6.12. As many as desire to make a faire show in the flesh, these constrain you to be circumcised, onely lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ: they did not see but that to avoid persecution, and to please the Jews that were allied to them in the flesh, they might preach circumcision, being they did it pro abundanti cautel●, for the greater sureness, not intending to overthrow Christ, the faith of Christ crucified was not then the object of persecution, but the doctrine of the Law abolished, or to be abolished by Christ his death, for the establishment of which law still, and that they might glory in their proselytes flesh when they came among the Jews, that they had so mightily promoted the Jewish religion, they urged the Galatians to be circumcised, though they coloured it over by pretences of divine institution, and identity of the new covenant under the Gospel, as under the Law, or with pretences and distinctions of such like sort.  
So in the former times, those that bowed before the Altar to clear themselves from Idolatry, they alleged they worshipped God in heaven, and there they terminate it; but if we begin it on earth with reverence, or reference to any creature which God hath not appointed; is it not Idolatry according to the plain word? which is a worshipping of God in similitudes: or if we go to God through any creature, when himself is, and ought to be the immediate object of worship, is not it Idolatry?  
Many men that have great lands and livings allege, that flight in times of persecution is unlawful, not that they intend to confess Christ by suffering; but they intend to save their estates by complying to common error. Peter Martyr in his book of flight which he sent to the brethren of Luca, Compares these to wrangling Lawyers that pretend a zeal of justice, being very hot for their clients, when in the mean time they make justice serve their own ends: so these men when they dare not show themselves in the defence of the faith, and are loathe to suffer slight or banishment, being held with the chains of their estates, are glad of any pretensive arguments to prove flight unlawful. And in our times, how did many persons delude themselves and others by these fleshly destinctions? some persons abhorred the Ceremonies, yet without the practise of them they could not enjoy their livings, nor perhaps civill immunities, yet would they practise what their heart disavowed, or at least doubted of, because as they pretended, they should else loose their ministry: so when superstitious Ceremonies were urged, as bowing at the name of Iesus &c. To keep off conscience on the one side, and the cross of Christ on the other, they held these things to be indifferent, and authority commanding them to become necessary; other distinctions were then in use of Ceremonies enjoined besides the word, and against the word; those that were besides the word, it was a ruled case in those times that they might be used in the worship of God; for the Sirplice they did not wear it for signification, but for comeliness, and for the sign of the cross they did not make it operative and effective as the Romanists did, but only significative: not as a sign betwixt God and the child, but betwixt the Minister, people, and child, that it will answer both in belief and life what they hoped of it. Dr. sparks brotherly persuasions pag. 18. 23. 24. also pag. 25. he saith, if the living among jews and Pagans were a warrant for the use of the cross, among the ancient fathers: why not for us living among so many Atheists; these and many such destinctions were coined in those times, which made a faire show in the flesh, but had no truth. The roote of the matter was, that if they could not conform them to the 3 innocent Ceremonies( as they were called) there was no preferment to be had for these men in the Church of England, by which they meant the Kingdom. Hence to escape the crosses of poverty and of dangers on the Sea, and o●her losses which would befall those that travailed into foreign parts; the devil& flesh coined these, and thousands of such destinctions. Should the times whirl about to the like Uniformity, I doubt not but the flesh would play his part again, by the like distinctions.  
When men come to be put upon trial of leaving their estates, or country, not one of many will reason with their consciences concerning points so hazardous; of those that do reason, not one of many will suffer conscience to speak out; but stop their eyes and ears against the whispering light of conscience, and of those that do suffer conscience to speak out, how few are they who choke it not with a cunning distinction? especially if it be in a case wherein some great preferments must be lost, or some great hardships suffered; how witty is the flesh to invent a self-deceiving distinction? how is the conscience rackd upon the very tenterhooks in such cases. This hath been the practise of the flesh in all times where there hath been hazard of sufferings; in Jeroboams time the calve-worship then had many distinctions to make people conform, as though it was not at Jerusalem, yet it was at Bethel whore God appeared to jacob. Besides we worship not the calves as they, Psa. 106.19. But God in th●m: so the popish distinctions of principal& secondary head, Mediators of read mption& intercession, a propitiatory sacrifice of bloody& unbloody, and the present distinctions of these times, which in sundry controversies are used( which for some reasons I shall be silent to take into) cease not to preach un●o us( besides the experience of our own carnal hearts) that whe● a●y thing is to be forsaken, or suffered for a good conscience, the flesh is prove to put the soul upon distinctions to escape the cr●sse,& obtain the benefit. And hence it is, that men can with ease pass out of one Religion into another, altering their Religion in part, or in whole, with as little difficulty as they do the fashion of their apparel.  
3. The flesh goes about to hinder us from denial of ourselves by proffers of enjoyments, if thou wilt do thus thou shalt live in honour and credit, as the devil said to Christ, all these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me; so the flesh saith, all this shalt thou have if thou wilt but do as others do: Thus when Balaam knew the mind of God that he should not curse his people, the flesh hearing of gold and promotion that Balaak would give him, though he had a flat denial from God in the thing, would venture, though not to curse them, yet to teach them a trick that would cause Gods anger to break in, Rev. 2.24. compared with Num. 24. the flesh like Nebuchadnezar Dan. 3. sets up a golden Imag●, and all men fall down to worship, except the servants of God: in these cases consider what the flesh goes about to take from you, instead of what it gives you, it proffers you wealth, and takes away an eternal treasure, proffers you liberty, and enthralls your conscience, proffers you temporal life to deprive you of that which is eternal.  
4. The flesh goes about to hinder us from denial of ourselves, by presenting unto us objects of fear and terror: what though thou despisest preferment, art thou able to combat with prisons, death, fire, and faggot? the devil and the flesh put that question, that Christ put to the mother of Zebedees sons, Mat. 10.11. Art thou able to drink of the cup that I sha●● drink of? Dost thou not consider how cruel the Adversaries will be to thee when they have thee in their own power? here Satan and flesh will present all things in the most formidable manner, to stop us, if it be possible, in a Christian course: let us not fear these objects, but imitate M. Rogers, the first Martyr that was burned in Queen Maries days: a little before his burning his pardon was brought, if he would have recanted, but he utterly refused it; Acts& Mon. vol. 3. p. 131. the like is reported of M. mantle the elder, who as he was lead to execution, at his first casting under the gallows the rope broke: then they would have had him recanted the truth, and receive the Sacrament of the Altar,( as they termed it) and then they said, he should have the Queens pardon; but M. mantle refused their Serpentine counsel, and choose rather to die, then to have life for dishonouring God, Acts&. Mon. vol. 3. p. 97. when the flesh makes these proposals, art thou able to suffer this and that? answer thou as Paul did, by the power of Christ I shall be able, Phil. 4.13. but if it ask what we will do in case of martyrdom, answer we, God that brings us to the trial of martyrdom, will give us the faith of Martyrs, in the mean time in the strength of God our purposes are to stand to his truth with the loss of all, by faith we stand, by faith we fight, and by faith we overcome; it's Gods work to strengthen us, it's our work to live by faith, as Policarpus and Latimer did, both which before their sufferings professed their belief, that God would not suffer them to be tempted above their ability: in these cases God is either wont to abate the heat, or else give his servants strength to bear it; when the devil and flesh come with most terror learn we to out-vie them; if they tell you of prisons, tell them how much terrible is the prison of hell, if they present the condemnation of tribunals, do you present that great condemnation at the great tribunal, if they threaten you with displeasure of friends, present the displeasure of God and glorified spirits: such a combat had George Tankerfield, a little before his burning, of whom Mr. Fox saith, that he sitting on a form before the fire put off his shoes, and hose, and stretched out his leg to the flamme, and when it had touched his foot, he quickly with-drew his leg, showing how the flesh did persuade him one way, and the Spirit another way; the flesh said, Oh thou fool, wilt thou burn and needst not? the Spirit said, be not afraid, for this is nothing in respect of fire eternal: the flesh said do not leave the company of thy friends, and acquaintance which love thee, and will let thee lack nothing, the spirit said, the company of Jesus Christ and his glorious presence doth exceed all fleshly friends, the flesh said, do not shorten thy time, for thou mayest live if thou wilt much longer, the spirit said, this life is nothing unto that life which is in heaven which lasteth for ever, Acts& Mon. vol. 3. p. 396. jerome of Prague that famous man was not a little startled by his flesh of his proposing fears and terrors to him, having lain a year lacking but seven dayes in prison in chains, his adversaries threatening him with death, forced him to abjure and recant, and consent unto the death of John Hus, that he was justly and truly condemned and put to death by them, he for fear of death, and according to the tenor exhibited unto him, did make abjuration, renouncing the Doctrines taught by John Hus and John Wicklif, and that he did worthily judge I. Hus and his Doctrine, with his Adherents to be condemned by the council as heretical, Acts& Mon. vol. 1. p. 833. but a certain time after coming before the council of Constance, he retracted what he had spoken, and before the council affirmed John Hus to be a good, just, and holy man, and much unworthy of that death he did suffer, and that Hus and Wicklif were holy and blessed men, and after many other words he added, that all the sins that ever he had committed did not so much gnaw and trouble his conscience, as did that only sin which he had committed, in that in his Recantation he had spoken against that good and holy man and his Doctrine, and specially in consenting unto his wicked condemnation, concluding, that he did utterly revoke and deny that wicked Recantation he had made in that most cursed place, and that he did it through weakness of heart, and fear of death; and moreover, that what thing soever he hath spoken against that blessed man, he hath altogether lied upon him, and that he doth repent him with his whole heart that ever he did it, Acts& Mon. vol. 1. p. 836. in which example, we see how prove the flesh is to bee startled with terrors of death, and how God by his Spirit can and doth encourage his Servants not to fear Councells or death, as we see in Hieromes valiant Confession before the council, whose courage was no less seen at the very stake, for standing at the stake bound, the Executioner kindling the fire behind him, jerome called to him, and bad him kindle it before his face, for( said he) I am not afraid of it; for had I, I had not come hither at this time, having had so many opportunities offered me to escape it, History of modern Divines in the life of Hieron. Prag. p. 12. I will conclude with that saying of justin Martyr, to the encouragement of Christians, {αβγδ}, you may kill us, but you cannot hurt us, Apol. 2. ad Anton. Pium, and a little after in the same place he saith, upon your inquisition we profess ourselves to be Christians, knowing that the punishment of death is ready for them that do confess: if we expected a kingdom on earth, we would deny that we might not be killed, and we would strive to lye hide that we might partake of our expectation, but wee have not our hope {αβγδ}, upon present things, we are not in care in respect of them that kill us, especially knowing, that die we must, and in the same pag. 64. he saith, the Apostles having gone from Jerusalem preached in every place, although death was decreed against those that taught, or did at all confess the Name of Christ, which we every where( saith he) confess and declare; but if you as enemies will encounter with these words that are spoken, you can do no more but( as we said before) kill us, which brings no hurt to us, but to you and to all those who do unjustly hate us, and do not repent, it procures everlasting torments in fire, Ibid. p. 64.65.  
And that we may not be scared with these terrors which the flesh and devil present, let us take Tertullians counsel in this case, lib. ad Martyras C. 6. let us be turned to look upon the condition of man, that these things may instruct us if things are not constantly to be undergone of Christians, which are wont to happen to persons against their will: how oft have burnings burnt persons alive, how oft have wild beasts coming out of their dens devoured men both in the woods and in the midst of their Cities, how many are killed of thieves by the sword, of enemies by the cross, being first tortured and reproachfully misused? if out of terror of men we shall bank our duty to God, it may stand with Gods justice both to damn our souls for our fearfulness, and yet whether we will or no to bring the thing that we fear upon us in this present world, as he did upon a certain Smith in Q. Maries time, who being an instrument of enlightening another, the party enlightened being now in prison, sent to know the reason why he went to mass, and did not walk as he had taught him, to whom he answered, the things I taught you were truth; but so it is, I cannot burn: afterwards through the just hand of God this Smith was burnt in his bed.    

March 16. 1647.  
I Have perused this Treatise of the denial of Christ, and finding it to be pious, powerful, and very profitable in these back-sliding times, I do allow it to be printed and published.  
John Downame.