“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Mt. 5:11-12
“It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.”
Mt. 10:25
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Order of Contents
Quotes 4
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Quotes
Order of
Polanus
London Presbyterians
Love
Currie
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1600’s
Amandus Polanus
‘Analytical Theses on Colossians, containing the Exordium of the Epistle’, pt. 1 (on Col. 1:1-11) $3 Download tr. Jonathan Tomes (Basel: Johannes Schroeter, 1601)
“I have followed this method in the Theses on the secret of eternal Predestination, in which I considered primarily the efficient cause of Election and Reprobation with utmost diligence and faith. However, I could not escape the foul calumnies of detractors and some unreasonable people.
For when I have shown from the Gospel of Jesus Christ that the decree of eternal election must be distinguished from our eternal salvation as a cause from its effect, and that the means leading us to that eternal salvation, among which are faith in Christ and His merit, are efficient causes of eternal salvation, but not the decree of election, some have dared, prompted by weakness or perhaps ignorance combined with a malicious intent, to affirm that I have taught that we are not saved by faith in Christ and that the merit of Christ is not the cause of our eternal salvation.
But I give thanks to my God, who deigns to gradually make me conformed to the image of His Son, for enduring calumnies for the sake of heavenly truth; and I persuade myself that it is Christian to be ill-spoken of when you believe rightly and teach and do well.”
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London (Presbyterian) Provincial Assembly
A Vindication of the Presbyterial-Government & the Ministry… (London, 1650)
“It has been the chief stratagem of the adversaries of the Church in all ages to erect a throne for themselves in the hearts of people by casting reproaches and slanders upon the doctrine, government and godly ministers of Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament, when the Jews came first out of Babylon and began to build the second Temple of Jerusalem, their enemies most falsely and maliciously suggested to king Artaxerxes that the city of Jerusalem was a rebellious city and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they had moved sedition within the same, of old time, etc. (Ezra 4:15, 24) And thereby caused the work of the house of God to cease for many years.
And in the New Testament, when the Holy Ghost came down from Heaven in a most miraculous manner for the solemn inauguration of Christian religion; and when the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, even then, they were charged to be full of new wine. And in after-times, the slanderous accusations of the heathen idolaters against the Christians, are observed to have been one of the chiefest causes of the ten bloody persecutions raised up against them by the Roman emperors. And this was that which forced the godly-learned of those days to write apologies in defense of Christians and Christian religion (Justin Martyr, Apologia; Tertullian, Apology).
To come nearer to our own times: when the Protestant religion began to be re-established (after the bloody times of Queen Mary) it was loaded with so many infamous lies and malicious falsities that reverend and learned [John] Jewel was compelled to write an Apology for it; for which he will be famous in the Churches to all posterity. And even in our days, when it pleased God out of his infinite goodness to lay a foundation of a glorious reformation in Church-discipline in this kingdom, and to raise up the hearts of many godly ministers and others to contribute their utmost help for the perfecting of it, then did a generation of men rise up, who made it their great design to pour out floods of reproaches and calumnies upon both government and ministers.
First, they represent the government unto the people as absolutely destructive unto the civil state, to the liberties both of their souls and bodies, and as unsufferable in a free kingdom. And then the ministers that assert it, as men that seek to engross all power into their own hands, as the chief incendiaries of Church and State, and as the causes of all the miseries that have of late years come upon the three kingdoms.”
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“There remains… the vindication of our persons (especially of such amongst us who are teaching elders) from the slanders and cruel reproaches that are cast upon us, which we shall undertake not so much for our own, as for our people’s sake, lest hereby our ministry should be rendered useless and ineffectual; for (as Austine says) though a minister’s good conscience is sufficient for himself, yet his good name is necessary for his people, who ordinarily disesteem the doctrine of him whose person they disesteem.¹ We thank God we can say with the apostle with us, ‘It is a very small thing that we should be judged of man’s judgment: He that judges us is the Lord.’ We remember what the apostle tells us in that little book of martyrs of diverse saints, whose shoe-latchets we are not worthy to untie: ‘who endured cruel mockings, yea moreover bonds and imprisonments, they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword, etc. of whom the world was not worthy, and yet even they were not thought worthy to live in the world.
¹ Mihi quidem sufficit conscientia mea, vobis autem necessaria est fama mea. Augustine, ad fratr. in Eremo
And therefore we can with the more willingness suffer ourselves to be the but of every man’s malice and the subject of every day’s pamphlet. We read that even Elijah himself was called the troubler of Israel by him who was the chief troubler thereof. And that saint Paul, who was wrapped up into the third heaven, was accused by Tertullus to be a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world. And that the primitive confessors and martyrs, famous for the holiness of their lives, were charged before the heathen emperors to be the vilest of men, to be first murderers and then eaters of their own children, to be guilty of incestuous marriages, and in their private meetings to commit uncleanness. And their religion also was represented as the cause of all the earthquakes, famines, plagues and other miseries of those times (Tertullian, Apologet.).
We have formerly made mention of the reproaches which the Anabaptists of Germany cast upon Luther, and we might add the horrible and prodigious lies and slanders raised by the Arians against Athanasius, that great champion of Jesus Christ, and the hideous and strange reports and bitter invectives of Michael Servetus and Bolseck against Calvin. But that which does quiet our spirits more than all this is the consideration of Christ Jesus Himself, who, when He was here upon earth, was accused to be an enemy to Cæsar, a friend to publicans and sinners, a glutton and a wine-bibber, etc. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord; if they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub; how much more shall they call them of his household?
As for the particular accusations that are charged upon us, they are, we confess, very many and very great; and if to be accused were sufficient to make us guilty, we were of all men most miserable. But we hope it may be said of us, as it was once of Cato, that as he was 32 times accused, so he was 32 times cleared and absolved. And we trust that the Lord will in due time dispel all these thick mists and fogs which our adversaries have raised up against us and bring forth at last our righteousness as the light and our judgment as the noon day. And we do here profess before the great God that in all the great changes that have been lately made amongst us, it has been our great endeavor to keep ourselves unchanged, making the unchangeable Word our rule and the unchangeable God our Rock.
And we are confident that no man will account us apostatized from our principles but such as are in a great measure apostatized from their own professions. There are some men that Proteus-like can transform them into all shapes for their own advantage according to the times wherein they live, and chameleon-like can change themselves into any color but white, can turn anything but what they should be. And because we cannot change our consciences with the times as some do, therefore and therefore only are we counted changelings. It is just with such men, as with men in a ship at sea that will not be persuaded but that the shore they pass by moves and not the ship wherein they are. As for us, we are, and hope (through God’s grace) ever shall be fixed and immoveable in our first principles.
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But our comfort is the witness of our consciences and the integrity of our carriages; and we doubt not but we can truly appeal, as David did when he was accused for seeking the life of Saul: The Lord judge between them and us and plead our cause, and deliver us out of the hands of these cruel and unreasonable accusers…
To all which, and multitudes of such like cruel invectives, we return the answer of the archangel, Jude 9, ‘The Lord rebuke thee.’ It is well known to all that are not willfully and maliciously blind what help the presbyterian ministers and people did contribute towards the quenching of those flames… though the forementioned pamphleter, possessed with prejudice against us, will not remember any such thing; and though some of us be like to be dealt withal by way of recompence, just as M. Tullius Cicero was, who had his head cut off by Popilius Lænas, whose head he had saved from cutting off; or as Constans, the Son of Constantine the great was served, who was killed by one Magnentius, whose life he had formerly preserved (Pezelii mellificium historicum, pt. 2, p. 268)….
If our hearts deceive us not, we have no design but the glory of God, no interest like that of religion. We desire more to sow spirituals, than reap temporals. And that Christ and his Gospel may be exalted, though upon our ruins. Pardon us that we become fools in glorifying, for ye have compelled us. We hunt not after tithes and great livings, but seek the salvation of our people’s souls; and had our enemies a window into our hearts, they would find these our professions to be true and unfeigned…
As for our way of preaching, though we are far from justifying any indiscreet and passionate expressions, yet we conceive it to be very hard measure to have our integrity arraigned and condemned for human infirmities. And we hope we may without boasting say thus much, that the settled ministry of England was never more censured, molested, impoverished and yet never more pious, peaceable and painful. And that our condition in this juncture of affairs is just like that of the Roman that had a suit commenced against him because he did not receive the sword of his enemy far enough into his bowels. And that therefore it is that some men rail against us because we will not break our oaths and covenants and will not serve the times, but serve the Lord. It is a great refreshing to us to consider the wise dispensation of God in ordering the affairs of this kingdom so as He has thereby discovered the hidden hypocrisy and cousenage of many men unto those who otherwise would not have believed it.
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And our prayer to God is that He would keep us sincere in all changes and that He would plead our cause for us. And our rejoicing is the testimony of our consciences, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world. It is the integrity of our consciences that carries us above all the reproaches and slanders that are cast upon us and that makes us go on in doing our duties, maugre all opposition; and to commit the maintaining of his own cause and the clearing of our callings and persons unto the Lord who judges righteously.”
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Christopher Love
A Clear & Necessary Vindication of the Principles & Practices of me, Christopher Love, since my trial before, and condemnation by the High Court of Justice (London, 1651), p. 1
“I may say as Augustine did, though a good conscience be sufficient for myself, yet a good name is necessary for others; a good name is as precious ointment, yet there will not be wanting many flying reports to corrupt it; many are the obloquies and reproaches which by the sons of slander are cast upon me, they would fain have my name to be buried and rot above ground, before my friends can bury my body under it, yet herein is my comfort: there will be a resurrection of names as well as of bodies at the Last Day; I am assured that God will not only wipe off all tears from mine eyes, but all reproaches from my name also; I am, as says the apostle, counted a deceiver, yet true; as an apostate, yet firm to my first principles.”
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1700’s
John Currie
A Vindication of the Real Reformation-Principles of the Church of Scotland concerning Separation, etc.... (Edinburgh: A. Alison, 1740), To the Reader, pp. viii-ix
“Further, if people are thus unjustly charged, it may be some comfort to consider the best of Christ’s servants have been thus accused, as appears from what the apostle says, 2 Cor. 1:17-18, when it seems such as turned his enemies in that Church had charged him with lightness and changeableness in his doctrine and principles, as well as in his purposes, where, for his own vindication, he is obliged to use a sort of solemn oath, saying, ‘But as God is true, our word,’ or preaching, ‘toward you was not yea and nay.’
And Durham on Scandal (p. 176) instances this as one of the ways whereby the Devil carries on division in the Church, viz. by making people charge ministers with ‘lightness’ and ‘changeableness,’ as if they were of one mind this year and of another the next. As formerly I endeavored to contribute my mite in opposing what I judged amiss in the Church of Scotland, so, through grace, I hope to continue and cannot see a shadow of reason to imagine but it is as acceptable to God, and much more acceptable to Him to oppose what may be amiss in her conduct, in a way of Church-communion, as in a separate state, ‘Separation’ (as the Protesters say) ‘being highly impedimental to reformation.’ (Rep. to Ass., 1652)”
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“But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand…
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
Mt. 12:24-25, 36-37
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