17.  Moreover,  he  had  seen  him  after  his  re
surrection  loaden  with  the  spoils  of  death  and
hell,  ascending  to  heaven  in  a  cloud,  received
into  the  bosom  of  God  amidst  *he  acclama
tions  of  angels,  shouting  for  joy,  and  crying,
"  Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates!  ye  everlasting
doors!  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in,"  Ps.
xxiv.  7.  Could  he  distrust  his  talents?  The
prince  of  the  kingdom,  "  the  author  and  finisher
of  faith,"  Heb.  xii.  2,  had  told  him,  "  Thou
art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my
church,"  Matt.  xvi.  18.  Should  he  dread  re
proaches  and  recriminations?  The  purity  of
his  intentions,  and  the  sanctity  of  his  life,
confound  them.  Should  he  pretend  to  keep
fair  with  the  world?  But  what  finesse  is  to
be  used,  when  eternal  misery  is  to  be  denoun
ced,  and  eternal  happiness  proposed?  Should
he  shrink  back  from  the  sufferings  that  super
stition  and  cruelty  were  preparing  for  Chris
tians?  His  timidity  would  have  cost  him  too
dear;  it  would  have  cost  him  sighs  too  deep,
tears  too  many.  Persecuting  tyrants  could
invent  no  punishments  so  severe  as  those
which  his  own  conscience  had  inflicted  on  him
for  his  former  fall:  at  all  adventures,  if  he
must  be  a  martyr,  he  chooses  rather  to  die  for
religion  than  for  apostacy.
