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from the mischief of such deportment, which cannot be pretended; but from the nature of the human heart. That the seat of the enmity was known to be deeply buried there, is intimated in the words, " Marvel not, if the world hate you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you."* Here it is predicted, first, that the disciples of Jesus should form "a peculiar people," opposing, in their general conduct, "the course of this world ;" and further, that even under the success and dominion of Christianity, they shall be surrounded by multitudes who despise and avoid them. And thus hitherto it has ever proved. Independently of those before alluded. to, who, holding the name of religion in respect, seem afraid of its reality; there have always been many, in a nominally Christian community, who have made a law for themselves altogether distinct from the Christian law a law of which "profaneness, neglect of public worship, or of private devotion, cruelty to servants, rigorous treatment of tenants or other dependents, want of charity to the poor, injuries done to tradesmen by insolvency or delay of payment, are not accounted breaches; a law which allows of fornication, adultery, drunkenness, prodigality, duelling, and of revenge in the extreme; and lays no stress upon the virtues opposite to these."t

. 1 John, iii. 13. John, xv. 19.

Paley's Mor. Phil. 1. 1, c. 2.-His description of the Law of Honour.

L

Therefore, although many points are to be found in which the Christian who is true to his profession agrees with those who acknowledge no such obligation; there are other points in which they must always differ; and that difference will be followed by contempt, or dislike, or ridicule, in a greater or less degree, according to the respective characters of the parties; according as the one is more or less under the control of conscience, and the other more or less gifted with talents or discretion. The Christian cannot resent an injury; cannot join in loose discourse; cannot countenance diversions which favour the corruption of the heart; cannot be a gamester, for example; cannot be indifferent as to the employment of his time: he cannot, therefore, be a favourite with men who have no views beyond this world. For the declarations of the Gospel have never yet taken such general hold in a community, that strictness in these points has not been singular, and therefore attended with the consequences of being singular in a crowd.

The sentences which allude to the severest of all trials, that of being "reviled, and spoken evil of falsely," and encourage Christians to suffer such a trial patiently, display a similar foresight of the peculiar lot which awaited them. Professing, beyond others, the zealous service of God, they were accused of atheism; and renouncing beyond others the profligate habits which generally prevailed, their characters were aspersed with the foulest calumnies. From all the early accounts respecting the treatment of Chris

tians, and the opinions which were current concerning them, we learn that there was no crime of which they were not accused; nor any virtue which was not construed into a crime when it belonged to them. They were called useless members of society, because they did not struggle for temporal advancement. In the persecution under Domitian, among others whose names have been neglected by history, Flavius Clemens was put to death, a relative of the emperor. The historian who relates the fact, accuses Clemens of the most despicable indolence ;* probably, because he had shown an indifference to worldly honours, though his two sons had been destined to succeed to the throne of the Cæsars. The reasonable and philosophical Pliny, though he could not find any subject of animadversion against the Christians in his province, had no hesitation in punishing their inflexible obstinacy. The stoic Marcus characterizes in the same manner their readiness to die for their religion;‡ and thus gave just cause for the complaint of their apologist,§ that the patience and resolution which were admired in Regulus, were condemned in a Christian. The historians of that age, who speak of them, betray a malevolence of hatred which must have required all the encouragement that a prophetic warning was calculated to sup

42.

* O Suet. Domit. ch. xv. On this accusation, see Tertull. Apol, c.

† Plin. Ep. p. 725. Varior.

+ Lib. ii. s. 3.

Tertull, 40.

ply.* Public misfortunes were attributed to them in the light of judgments. The most nefarious practices were said to take place at their private meetings, a constant subject of remonstrance with the writers who defend their cause. Pliny mentions with evident surprise the description which he obtained of their assemblies, as being attended with no worse evil than an engagement to abstain from sin.§

Traces of the same unreasonable enmity, whenever Christianity becomes an operative principle, may be

* “ Per flagitia invisos vulgus Christianos appellabat. Exitiabilis superstitio."-Tacitus. "Christiani, genus hominum superstitionis novæ et maleficæ."-Suetonius. "Superstitio prava et immodica.” -Pliny.

Tertul. Apol. 20.

+ Justin Martyr, Apol. 1.; which led Antoninus Pius to denounce capital punishment against false accusers of Christians: an edict which wonderfully illustrates and confirms Matt. v. 11.

§ "Christians have been called superstitious, and yet they have been called atheists; when particulars come to be examined, the superstition appears to be professing a religion very different from that of their ancestors; and the atheism, despising all the heathen gods, and holding no communion with their worshippers, as such. Christians have been called low, and illiterate, and mean, and yet they have been called wise, versed in magic and necromancy: on examination, their vulgarity seems to have been nothing more than plainness and industry in useful occupations; their powers of magic, miraculous powers. Lastly, Christians have been called lazy and indolent, and yet they have been called restless and busy; their indolence was a want of the common endeavours to get money; so that they had nothing to give the gods; their restlessness, a great assiduity in doing good, in succouring their distressed brethren; and perhaps in converting their acquaintance to Christianity."Hey's Lectures, B. I. ch, xviii, s. xi.

discovered throughout the whole history of the Church. When the Reformers first began to awaken the Christian world from its long continued lethargy, calumnies bore an important part among the various weapons by which they were opposed. And even in happier and more enlightened times, no persons are treated with so little candour and indulgence as those who come remarkably forward in religion. With a large portion of the community, their zeal meets with less. favour, than the actual vices of other men. Their motives are misrepresented, their faults exaggerated; they are condemned for those feelings in religion, which in any other case would be considered honourable; the very titles by which as Christians they are characterized in their own Scriptures, are alleged against them as a reproach. All this, to us, is matter of experience; but how came it to be to Jesus a subject of prophecy? How came he to foresee that his followers should be treated in a way in which no other men are treated, simply because they are his followers, and, in obedience to his precepts, "take up their cross daily, and deny themselves?"

II. Another prediction of the same nature, equally improbable at a distance, and equally verified by the result, is that which foretold the divisions and dissentions that should accompany the propagation of the Gospel. "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, nay; but rather division. For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

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