But God, in his word, goes higher and farther yet, in this respect. He has caused the conflict, the sufferings, and the triumphs of his spiritual courageous heroes, children and favorites to be written, in language the most touching, glorious and triumphant, as an everlasting memorial for their descendants, and not only this, but as a full assurance of their happiness; so that they should always be remembered, and never forgotten. Yea, the whole volume of holy Scriptures seems to be nothing else than a book of martyrs, replete with numerous, according to the flesh, sorrowful, but according to the spirit, happy, examples of the holy and steadfast martyrs, whose sufferings, conflicts and triumphs have been recorded in as holy and worthy a manner as it is possible to imagine. However, they are variously spoken of, according to the importance of their merits. Some of them suffered and fought much, but not unto blood, nor unto death; there victory and their honor are, therefore, not represented as of the highest degree. Others, however, suffered and fought not only unto blood and death, for the Lord’s name, but even to the greatest pain and most bitter death. We shall first speak of the former class, and then of the latter; yet the last shall surpass the first. _Abraham_, the father of the faithful, and _Isaac_ and _Jacob_, to whom God had promised the possession of the land of Canaan, lived, nevertheless, as strangers in the land of promise, and, sometimes, had to endure hunger, thirst and oppression. Compare Gen. 12:10; 26:20; 31:22,23 with Hebr. 11:9. _Moses_, the friend of God, had to flee from Pharaoh into the land of Midian, where he sat down by a well. Ex. 2:15. Afterwards he came very near being stoned by the disobedient in Israel. Ex. 17:4. _David_, a man after God’s own heart, was several times in peril of being transfixed to the wall by a javelin, 1 Sam. 18:11; 19:10; yea, his life was in such danger, that he complained to Jonathan: “There is but a step between me and death.” 1 Sam. 20:3. For this reason he often called upon God for help, that he might not meet with an untimely death. Among other things he says: “Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” Ps. 13:2. In the days of Ahab and Jezebel _a hundred prophets of the Lord_ had to flee on account of persecution, and were hid in a cave, and fed with bread and water, by one Obadiah. 1 Kings 18:13. _Elijah_, for the same reason, was compelled to turn eastward and hide himself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 1 Kings 17:3. His life was afterwards made so bitter to him, that he fled into the wilderness by Beer-sheba, sat down under a juniper tree, and prayed, “O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” 1 Kings 19:4.