# Jeremiah Burroughs on the duty to fight for liberty



## Reformed Covenanter (Oct 26, 2020)

It was a speech of Cyrus, speaking to his soldiers. The historian has this expression of his. _It is the part of a true valiant man, either to live honourably, or die honourably, as one of them. But that is the part of a base coward — to be under any base servitude, rather than to be in any hazard of their lives, though perhaps their lives may be saved too_. I remember Philo tells us, even of women (for in our times, the public cause of the Kingdom suffers exceedingly by the timorousness of the spirits of women), that being in danger of being brought into bondage by their enemies, they took their children and threw them into the rivers, with these words, _You shall not serve; we would rather see you die than be slaves_.

I commend not the fact, that it was done well, but to show what a spirit the heathen women had to see their children die, rather than have them bond-slaves. Indeed, what were our lives worth? Were they worth having, if we return to our bondage again? The utmost of the danger is our lives, the killing of our bodies; and yet we hope God will preserve them too. But suppose the worst, it is but death. ...

For more, see Jeremiah Burroughs on the duty to fight for liberty.


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