ELEVEN SERMONS Preached upon Several Occasions AND A PARAPHRASE and NOTES Upon the First Second Third Fourth Fifth Seventh and Eighth Chapters of St. JOHN WITH A Discourse of Church-Vnity AND Directions how in this Divided State of Christendom to keep within the Vnity of the Church By WILLIAM CLAGETT D. D. Late Preacher to the Honourable Society of Grays-Inn IMPRIMATUR April 25. 1693. Geo. Royse R. R. in Christo Patriac Dom. Dom. Johanni Archiep. Cantuar. a Sacris Domest The Second Edition London Printed for William Rogers at the Sun over-against St. Dunstan's-Church in Fleetstreet 1699. THE CONTENTS SERMON I. Romans 1.17 FOR herein is the Righteousness of God Revealed from Faith to Faith as it is written The Just shall live by Faith SERMON II. III. Heb. 11.6 But without Faith it is impossible to please him For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him SERMON IV. Matth. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest SERMON V. VI. Rom. 8.28 We know that all things work together for good to them that love God SERMON VII Preached at Court Eccles 3.15 For that which hath been is now and that which is to be already hath been and God requireth that which is past SERMON VIII An Assize Sermon Matth. 5.38 39 40 41. Ye have heard that it hath been said An Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth But I say unto you that ye resist not Evil but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek turn to him the other also And if any Man will sue thee at the Law and take away thy Coat let him have thy Cloak also And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile go with him twain SERMON IX An Assize Sermon Matth. 5.34 35 36 37. But I say unto you swear not at all neither by Heaven for it is God's Throne Nor by the Earth for it is his Footstool neither by Jerusalem for it is the City of the great King Neither shalt thou swear by thy Head because thou canst not make one Hair white or black But let your Communication be Yea yea Nay nay for whatsoever is more than this cometh of evil SERMON X. Matth. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is Heaven SERMON XI John 7.17 If any man will do his Will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God A Paraphrase and Notes upon the First Second Third Fourth Fifth Seventh and Eighth Chapters of St. John A Discourse of Church-Unity with Directions how in this Divided State of Christendom to keep within the Unity of the Church The PREFACE IF it may recommend a Book to declare the Author of the Discourses it contains the Reader may be assured that this is another Volume of Dr. Clagett's Works never extant before Some of the following Discourses he Preached at Court and at Assize-times and upon such like Publick Occasions which therefore cost him some pains more than ordinary in the Preparation as likewise did other Sermons in this Collection particularly that about the Nature of Faith His sudden Thoughts upon a Subject were so marvellous good that they seemed to flow from a Fountain of Reason and discovered a great Readiness of Judgment in him but they were very clear and full Discourses which he took any Time and a particular Care to compose The Occasion of his Writing the Paraphrase published in this Volume was this It was intended as I have been informed that a Commentary upon the whole Bible should be set forth by Divines of our Church For such a Work being too big for one or two was to be divided amongst a sufficient Select Number every one of them taking his Part to expound and Dr. Clagett made choice of the Gospel of St. John This was a brave and noble Design which I hope is not quite laid aside For seeing in our Age God hath raised up such Excellent Men in this Church as the Christian World hath scarce any where else so very Eminent and so Celebrated for their Admirable Composures their Writings and Sermons it is great pity methinks that a Church of England-Exposition of Scripture should be wanting all the while forasmuch as this would be altogether as beneficial to the World as any of the great Things our Worthies have done And were there ever abler Men and fitter for the Work of Interpreting Scripture since the time of that Inspiration by which the Scripture was given In the late Reign those Texts of Scripture were examined which the Romanists quote for their Cause and the shewing clearly that Popery hath no Foundation in Scripture did very good Service to the Truth But were a general Exposition of all the Sacred Books of Scripture put forth into the World by the same Men this would rescue perverted and abused Texts out of the hands of all Sectaries and Hereticks whatsoever I need not shew at large how vast would be the Advantage of such a Work to the Church of God both now and in Ages to come Dr. Clagett who exceedingly approved the Design was very forward to prepare his Part in the Work he published his Paraphrase upon the Sixth Chapter first by it self because he saw that was needful to be done at a time when the Papists to make Proselytes boasted much of some Passages in that Chapter as undeniably proving Transubstantiation but his intent was to go through all the rest of the Chapters of St. John and he had finished his Exposition if it had pleased God to continue his Life Here is also added a small Tract concerning Church-Vnity shewing how we are to maintain the Vnity of the Spirit in the midst of Divisions A Discourse that was very seasonable then when it was written and is so still These several Discourses of the Excellent Author I have sent into the World not doubting but they will be found to be of that Use and Benefit to all that read them which was my end in the Publication of them N. C. The First Sermon ROM I. 17. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written The just shall live by faith THESE words are a reason given of what the Apostle said in the former Verse I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for therein is the righteousness of God revealed c. i. e. Because God hath revealed in the Gospel what that Righteousness is which he will accept from us in order to our Salvation The righteousness of God signifies that Righteousness which God requires and which he will accept from man And what this Righteousness is is revealed in the Gospel that is the Gospel plainly represents to us what manner of persons we must be in order to our Justification Now there are two things which
seems to be the plainest yet he repeats the substance of this For if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses But then with what face can they pretend to be Christians with what quiet can they think of a Future Judgment who take pleasure in the doing of Injuries and Wrongs who are as forward to trespass against their Brother as they are backward to forgive their Brother's Trespasses If I were to describe what a true Christian is by taking some one point of Christian duty the performance whereof does in all reasonable construction imply all the rest it should be this That he is one who would not for the world do the least injury but can forgive the greatest And God grant that this may be our practice for the rest of our lives The Ninth Sermon AN Assize Sermon MATTH 5.34 35 36 37. But I say unto you Swear not at all neither by heaven for it is God's throne nor by the earth for it is his footstool neither by Jerusalem for it is the City of the great King neither shalt thou swear by thy head because thou canst not make one hair white or black but let your communication be yea yea nay nay for whatsoever is more than this cometh of evil THat Religion and the fear of God and a sense of his Authority are Principles supposed by the Laws of God is from hence evident that in great part the process of our Courts depends upon Testimony given under the obligation of an Oath for though the use of an Oath there is required by Humane Authority yet the peculiar obligation it lays upon us to speak the Truth is antecedent to all Humane Laws being founded originally upon our Duty to God wherefore though an Oath in respect of some use and end of it may be a Civil Act yet in respect of the reason whereby it obligeth it is an Act of Religion for this reason it is highly conducible to the end of Civil Government to maintain a sense of Religion in the minds of men and particularly it must be of great use to make them observe those Laws of God which are plainly designed to secure the reverence which is due to an Oath and to keep men at a wide distance from the danger of Perjury Such is that Law of our Saviour which I have read to you which therefore doth not tend more to the Honour of God than to the Common Good of Mankind and this no man can be ignorant of who considers what a vast influence the use of an Oath hath upon all the Affairs of Humane Life This is that whereby we come to confide in one another about things of the greatest moment to our lives this is that which is so often necessary to secure our Properties to save us from wrong and to make even our Enemy to do us right it is this which all Processes in Courts of Judicature are governed by which is supposed to all Administrations of Justice and gives an end to all Controversies about matters of Fact which will be no otherways decided it is this which must either direct or misguide the wisest Magistrates and make their Sentence it self either right or wrong and by which we are either strongly guarded against Injury or almost inevitably exposed to it of how great consequence therefore must it be to the good of all men to have the reverence of an Oath secured and to make every man tremble at the thought of Perjury since the World cannot be well-governed nor the Administrations of Justice go forward without the use of Oaths and yet we had better be without them in as many cases as there are wherein Men are not afraid to be Forsworn and yet alas it is the daily complaint of our Age that the fear of an Oath is almost banished out of the World And although it be really a thousand times more dreadful to profane the Name of God by calling him to be a witness to our Lies than it would be to play before the Mouth of a Canon while it was Firing yet if we may believe the Reports which are sometimes made from Courts of Judicature there are very few Peasants so pusillanimous but they are hardy enough to Swear to any thing and with equal confidence to contradict one another in the plainest matters and when under an equal obligation to speak the Truth by the Invocation of the dreadful Name of God Now if we would enquire how the sacredness of an Oath is grown into such contempt I do not question but the common and frequent use of Swearing in our ordinary Conversation would be found at least accessary to that dishonour which is done to God and that mischief to men by the so frequent Perjuries of our Age. Oaths are grown so familiar with us that men have forgotten the nature and true use of them and are not sensible that they call the Divine Vengeance upon themselves if their Testimonies be not exactly true they have been prostituted to the meanest Services and profan'd by common use and then no wonder if the Sacred Obligation peculiar to them be forgotten when they are used in those special cases for which they ought to be reserved therefore if we would do any thing to recover the fear of an Oath amongst our Countrey-men we must endeavour to do it by means contrary to those whereby it hath been so generally lost that is by abstaining our selves and not only so but by disswading and restraining others as much as in us lies from that familiar and fashionable Swearing which is one of the great reproaches of our Age to which end I shall endeavour to explain the meaning and reason of these words of our Saviour And in them I shall consider 1. The Law it self Swear not at all but let your communication be yea yea nay nay 2. The sanction and reason of this Law viz. 1. The Authority of our Saviour But I say unto you 2. The nature of the thing it self For whatsoever is more than this cometh of evil In the Law it self we are to consider the Prohibition and the Precept 1. The Prohibition which contains 1. A general Rule Swear not at all 2. Some particular instances whereto the Rule extends Neither by Heaven nor by Earth nor by Hierusalem nor by thy head 3. The Reason why the Rule extends to these Instances not by Heaven for it is God's Throne not by the Earth for it is his Footstool not by Hierusalem for it is the City of the great King not by thy Head for thou canst not make one hair white or black Let us begin with the general Rule Swear not at all from which words the Anabaptists and Quakers have contended that an Oath or an Appeal to God that what we say is true is in no case lawful I shall here shew the contrary and prove that the meaning of the Rule is this That we are not to Swear
demonstrate the Being of their Maker If it be possible which for ought I know it is to deface the Testimonies of a Deity which are written within us it is not yet possible to blot out those Testimonies of his Being which are left without us Most plain it is that we find our selves in a World contrived into admirable beauty and order and furnished with that marvellous variety of things excellent and ufeful that the whole scheme and fabrick of Nature to the dullest Observer appears to be an effect of great Wisdom and Councel i. e. of an understanding Being Nothing is more plain than that this World could not make it self Nothing is more plain than that a Cause it must have if of any great Effect it be reasonable to require the Cause or at least to affirm that it hath one Whatever the Cause of this World is it could not make it self for that is a perfect Contradiction By inevitable consequence therefore it follows That something there is which is so perfect it needed no cause to produce it i. e. that there is an Infinite Everlasting Being which is God the Maker of all things But to pursue this Argument in a more obvious but equally convincing manner We ordinarily distinguish between the Works of Art and the Works of Nature By the Works of Art we mean those Effects that are produced by the skill of Man by the Works of Nature those Effects which are constantly preserved and performed to our hands Now that those which we call the Works of Nature are the Effects of a Divine Skill as we confess the Works of Art are of Human Skill is demonstrable beyond all reasonable Contradiction If I see a Statue curiously carved a Picture elegantly described or a Monument with an Ingenious Inscription engraven upon it I must so necessarily conclude that the Statuary the Painter and the Graver hath been there that if I should either affirm that these things came by chance or were eternally what they are I should be in danger of being sent to Bedlam But this I will offer at any time to demonstrate That the meanest the most minute the most contemptible Works of Nature have really more beauty and uniformity more variety and to say nothing else more wonder in them than the most exquisite and rich Inventions the most magnificent and ingenious Contrivances of Human Art Bring me the vilest and poorest Insect that flies above the ground or crawls upon it bring me the simplest Flower the most common Plant that is scattered abroad in the Fields I will shew beyond contradiction that the beauty the proportion the parts the growth and the motions of these the most contemptible Works of Nature do infinitely transcend all the Performances of the richest Humane Fancy That the nearer we look into the Works of Art the more unpolished and rude they appear to be as he that would please himself with gazing on a Picture must view it at a distance but if he come too near the ruggedness of the Paint makes it look like an ugly thing and so it is more or less in all the Contrivances of Human Art But as all Philosophers know the more minutely we search into the Works of Nature even those that are most contemptible to see to and which vulgar eyes pass by without observing if they be the Snow that falls on the ground the Wings of the smallest Fly or the meanest Animal that creeps upon the Earth the more advantageously and minutely they are seen the more uniformity smoothness beauty of colour and figure and variety of parts discover themselves in them which plainly shews how much the Works of Nature transcend those of Art Now shall I who confess here is more of Councel Wisdom and Power seen in these most ordinary Works of Nature than in the best effects of Human Skill shall I be ashamed not to confess the Art of Man in these and yet doubt whether those be the Products of a greater Artist What shall I then say of the Earth that bears me and nourishes me of the Air that is extended for me to breath in of the Clouds that drop their fatness upon me of the Heavens that cherish me of the Sun that divideth the Day and Night and gives light and heat to the World and of all the Ornaments of Heaven and Earth and what of my self who am endued with a Body of wonderful contrivance and with those greater privileges of Reason Will and Understanding Are all these things too without an Artist that made them thus No madness is comparable to the but doubting that they are He that does so must either want his Senses or his Soul He must either deny that these things are what he sees them Effects of great Wisdom and Understanding or he must affirm That such Effects there may be without a Cause proportionable to them he must either say that something made it self or that there was no need that these things should be made i.e. he must affirm that which is impossible may be otherwise and hold Contradictions to be true Well then might the Apostle say The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being known by the things which he hath made even his eternal power and Godhead So that when I consider the mighty evidence of those Arguments for the Existence of a Deity which are drawn from the Works of Nature I cannot see wherein they differ from Demonstrations though some there be who are not pleased to call them so and I do not question but he that can be an obstinate Atheist against them would also if it were for for his interest deny that three and three is six or contradict the plainest Proposition in Mathematicks Upon the whole matter when I consider the Works of God I would rather chuse if there were any choice in these matters to believe all the Tales of the Roman Legends as my Lord Bacon observes and I add tho Transubstantiation were cast into the Scale than believe that this great Body is without a Mind that inform'd it And thus at last I have said something more than I intended upon the first Doctrine of Natural Religion That there is a God proving it to be true by natural Reason as indeed 't is only to be proved For we cannot prove it by Revelation to a Gainsayer since to attempt that way is to beg what we should prove viz. That there is a God whose Revelation this is This therefore is the first Principle of Religion without the belief whereof there can be no obligation conceived to Faith and Worship and the practice of Vertue I proceed to show what the next are in which I shall be very brief because the truth of those is very evidently consequent from the demonstration of this 2. It is fundamentally necessary to Religion and Virtue That we believe there is a Providence i. e. that God is the Governor of that World which
in our common and daily Conversation with Men and this will appear 1. By comparing the Prohibition with the Precept 2. With the particular instances whereunto the Prohibition extends 1. With the Precept But let your communication be yea yea nay nay i. e. let this be the manner of your ordinary discourse barely to affirm or deny or if need be sometimes with vehemence which perhaps is intimated by the repetition of yea and nay Now it is plain if this be the sense of the Precept that the Prohibition doth not extend to Cases which belong not to the common and ordinary Conversation of Men such as the deciding of Controversies for the security of the publick peace the assuring of sidelity to the Government and the ratifying of Leagues c. which are cases properly excepted from this Rule of an usual and ordinary communication with each other because they are no part thereof but I confess I do not lay the stress of the proof upon this Argument only but on this together with the second which is founded upon comparing the general Rule with the particular instances whereby the use of it is explained neither by Heaven for it's God's Throne c. Our Saviour's design in these words cannot be better understood than by considering what those corrupt Principles concerning the matter of Swearing were which had crept in among the Jews and first as their own Authors tell us it was generally held amongst them that they ought not to Swear by the Name of God in light and trivial Cases but they believed it was no Sin to Swear upon any occasion by a Creature that was a remarkable instance of God's Favour and Providence as by Heaven or by the Earth or by Hierusalem or by their Head which are the Instances here noted by our Saviour Secondly some of them and particularly the Pharisees taught that the Guilt of Perjury was not incurr'd when a falshood was attested by these kind of Oaths excepting only in the Cases of Swearing by the Gold of the Temple and the Gift upon the Altar by which Oaths they acknowledged themselves to be bound as we find Matth. 23. i. e. either to speak the Truth or to the Penalty of False-Swearing Hence I say that our Saviour's words Swear not at all neither by Heaven c. being spoken to Persons who well enough understood the Doctrines and Practises of their Countreymen in this matter could not reasonably be thought to have any other meaning than this That they ought not to Swear by the Creatures of God in any of those Cases wherein it is unlawful to Swear by the Almighty himself i. e. in their usual Communication with one another For it seems the Jews themselves were not arrived to that insolence which it is so dreadful to think that Christians now-a-days should not scruple of profaning the Name of the most high God by calling him at every turn to be Witness of their talk And therefore our Saviour found it needless to forbid them Swearing by his Name for they already believed that to be an impious thing but he tells them they must neither Swear by Heaven nor by any thing else as if he had said You have been allowed to liberty of Swearing as oft as you please provided you do not use the Name of God himself it is ordinary with you to Swear by Heaven and Earth and by the Temple and your Lives and Souls and that in those Cases wherein you rightly believe it would be a profane rudeness to invoke the Majesty of God directly But I say unto you Swear not at all you shall not henceforth take the liberty of using any kind of Oaths in those Cases wherein you are not to appeal to God himself but upon all these occasions whatever you assert or whatever you promise use the simplicity and plainness of some affirmation or denial And thus our Saviour restrained the licentiousness of those common Swearers that thought they might safely Swear by Heaven and use the like Oaths at any time and upon any occasion and withal corrected that abuse which the Doctrine of the Pharisees had brought into this Practice viz. That Men were not liable to the guilt of Perjury by such Oaths as these were which I shall more distinctly shew under the third Head The meaning then of our Saviours Prohibition is not this That it is unlawful at any time to Swear by the Name of God but that it is unlawful to Swear by any Creature in any Case wherein it would be so to appeal directly to the Knowledge and Justice of God himself 2. As to those Instances by which the general Rule is explained it is observeable 1. That Swearing by any of the Creatures is forbidden not only by Heaven and Earth which with the rest are particularly mentioned by our Saviour because these forms of Swearing were most in use amongst the Jews 2. We are to note that our Saviour calls it Swearing to use these forms of Speech in attesting what we say they are not so many words lost as we may be enclined to think but we bring upon our selves the obligation of an Oath by the using of them as shall presently appear If indeed any ways of speaking have obtained amongst us which look like Swearing but are not being altogether unapt to excite any Thought of Divine Justice I do not question but they are to be laid aside too because surely the Prohibition of Swearing at all excludes not only all real but all broken apish and insignificant Oaths but if it were not so one would think that a small measure of Sobriety and Wisdom should keep a man from debasing and vilifying the acknowledged forms of speaking that are peculiar to Oaths by applying them to such sensless sounds as make them to signify nothing 'T is a good Rule which a wise man hath given That all forms besides those wherein there is an immediate appeal to God are better avoided when there is need of Swearing and when there is no need we should not Swear at all neither by Heaven nor by any thing else Let us now consider 3. The Reasons why the Prohibition extends to these instances and the like not by Heaven for it's God's Throne and he that sweareth by Heaven sweareth by the Throne of God and him that sitteth thereon Matth. 23. Not by the Earth for it is his footstool it is a remarkable subject of his Providence and to Swear hereby is in effect all one as to appeal to God that upholds it by his Power Not by Jerusalem nor any holy place that hath a peculiar relation to God for the same reason nor by thy head for thou canst not make one hair white or black i. e. thou hast no power over thy life and art so unable to subsist independently upon God that thou canst not so much as alter the colour of thine Hair Now since thy Head thy Life and Safety depends upon the Divine Providence to Swear
use left for his Reason that his Conscience is no longer in his own keeping and that he is now fit to herd with the Beasts that follow the foremost without discretion The Laws of Truth and Goodness are immutable and another man's violation of them gives me no dispensation to do so too I may not prostitute my Conscience to the Lusts of other men who are to be governed by the Laws of God as well as I if they call my resolution not to provoke my Maker an humour in this matter I were a Fool not to be tenacious of my own humour in this case there can be no reason why he that is in the right should go over to him that is wrong unless he that sets the evil example could change the nature of things and made evil not to be evil and sin and punishment to be other things than what they are Lastly The common way of excusing rash Oaths by pleading an habit implieth the greatest evil of this nature that can be for this is but to confess that a man is guilty of this sin in the highest degree an evil custom being the heighth of wickedness Thus both by shewing what those dispositions are which lead to common Swearing and by considering the excuses that are usually framed in the behalf of it I have discovered the Immorality thereof and that it cometh of evil I might here add the Authority of wise men who had no particular Revelation to guide themselves by and yet condemned this practice and disswaded all men from it for these Persons could discover the evil of it only by the light of Natural Reason which they could not have done if it had not been evil in its own nature Plato wrote smartly against Swearing upon light causes Hierocles tells us It is a dishonour to truth to confirm it lightly with an Oath Epictetus gives this advice Avoid Swearing altogether if thou canst if not as much as thou canst In a word The wise and sober Heathens were generally of this mind That an Oath was to be reserved for Cases of necessity and the practice of common Swearing was not in use amongst any but Stage-players and Slaves nor do we ordinarly meet with Oaths in any of their Writers excepting the Comedians and some of their dissolute Poets but the grave men and Philosophers took not the liberty themselves and dehorted others from it And this may serve to confirm us in the belief of its Immorality for what so many wise men agreed in condemning seems to be condemn'd as evil by reasons common to all men and possibly such as I have offered to your consideration so great a shame and ignominy it is to Christians to allow themselves in a Custom so easy avoidable that is condemned by the light of Nature however by the Authority of the Son of God whose Disciples we profess our selves to be Thus have I finished what I had to say upon this subject having been willing to say all that was any way proper to oppose a custom tending so manifestly to the dishonour of our Nation and the discredit of our Church and the scandal of Christian Society and finally to the ruin of Mens Souls for ever for without universal obedience to the Laws of Christ whereof this is one which I have been preaching to you we cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven for which reason if I had chosen any other command of our Lord and Saviour to discourse upon I had been as vehement in urging you to the obedience of that as I have been in pressing this Now the God of mercy grant that we may walk before him blameless and be holy in all manner of Conversation as becomes the followers of Jesus To Him with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all honour praise and glory now and for ever Amen The Tenth Sermon MATTH VII 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doth the will of my father which is in heaven THE Point determined in these words is of the highest concernment to us in the world viz. Who of those that hope for Salvation by Christ shall not and who shall enter into the kingdom of heaven The former is described in that part of the Text Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord The latter in the close of it But he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven Let us first consider the former part Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord which being compared with the Clause opposed to it is evidently to be thus interpreted Not any one that saith Lord Lord and does no more than say so but neglects the doing of God's Will not any such person shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven By calling Christ Lord is meant an open profession of Christianity and by calling him Lord Lord is meant a vehement profession of it such a Profession as is to be seen in all the ways of making known to the World what Religion we are of For instance When we do not only not renounce our Baptism and suffer our selves to be called Christians and call our selves so which is common to the most careless Professors of Christianity in the World but when also we do solemnly confess that Faith in the Assemblies of the Church into which we have been baptized and frequent the Table of Our Lord to shew forth his death and join in publick Prayers and are zealous for the purity of Christian Profession and contend against Error then we are those that call Christ Lord Lord i. e. who make a vehement profession that we are his Servants and Followers Now whereas our Saviour says Not every one that doth this shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven the plain meaning is That he doth not exclude this outward profession as unnecessary but that he makes it insufficient of it self in order to salvation 1. He doth by no means exclude it as unnecessary or as a Condition that may well enough be spared he said upon another occasion Ye call me Master and Lord and ye say well for so I am John 13.13 And St. Paul tells us That as with the heart man believeth unto righteousness so with the mouth confession is made to salvation Rom. 10.10 Nay it is so necessary if we will be saved to confess Christ and his Truth publickly in the World that no danger will excuse us from it For the doing of this if need be we must venture all that is dearest to us in this life nay and life it self It was on this account that our Saviour told his Disciples Whoever will come after me must take up his cross and follow me It is the confession of the true Faith added to holy living that hath made Martyrs of Saints since it was properly for confessing Christ with their mouths for contending in the behalf of Truth against Error for serving God in Religious Assemblies