Perfecution to be brought upon them, by the Jews and other Enemies of Christianity. He had prepared them for the patient enduring of this Perfecution, both in this and in the precedent Chapter, by the Prediction of it, by the Example of Chrift, by the Promife of Reward, by the certainty of Revenge to be executed by God upon their Perfecutors: Calls it a fiery Tryal in the 12th Verse; fubjoyns in the 17th Verse, for the time is come, that Judgment must begin at the house of God. The Time now drew near, that the Predictions of Christ concerning the Destruction of the Jews were to be accomplished. But our Lord had also foretold in the xiii. Chapter of St. Matthew, and the xxi. of St. Luke, that this Deftruction of the Jews fhould be preceded by a fierce Perfecution of the Chriftians, who Should be hated by all Men for his names fake; fhould be betrayed by their nearest Relations through a blind Zeal; driven from one City to another, delivered up to be afflicted and killed: An Affliction fo great, as never was Since the beginning of the World, no nor never fhall be; as himself faith, Matth. xxiv. 21. Infomuch as many should be offended, and apoftatize from the Faith; and if God did not in Mercy fhorten thofe Days, an univerfal Defection might poffibly enfue. This was that Judgment then, which St. Peter faith fhould begin at the house of God; fhould cause that the Righteous should scarce

ly

ly be faved; fhould fhock their Faith, and almost extinguish their Hope; or if both Faith and Hope continued, fhould tempt them to prefer the cafe and quiet of the World to them both.

Men are apt to diftruft the Providence, and fometimes even to disbelieve the Being of God, when they fee Wickedness triumphant in the World, Injuftice unpunished, and Innocence oppreffed, without any extraordinary Interpofition or apparent Regard of God. This Argument hath made all the Atheists of former and latter Ages; and when it was fo fignally vifible, as in those dreadful Times, we cannot wonder, that it fhould stagger the Faith of many. In taking that Profeffion on them, they believed themselves to be, and were indeed the Elect of God; chofen out of the reft of Mankind to receive the peculiar Favours of God. When upon their firft Entrance, instead of prefent Advantages, they were encountred with all the Miferies and Afflictions, which a fubtle and powerful Enemy could bring upon them: Such Difcouragements could not but deter from the Profecution of their Duty many of thefe new Converts, who by their Education and preconceived Opinions were ill prepared to withstand fuch fierce Affaults.

The Jews having been brought up in Expectation of temporal Rewards and a powerful Meffias, who far from the fubjecting them

to

to their Enemies, fhould put the whole World under their Command: And the Gentiles having been wont freely to indulge themselves in all the Satisfactions of Senfe and Pleasure: To bring off the one from thefe Prejudices, and the other from this Eafe and Luxury, to follow a Crucified Saviour, not only in the Belief of his Doctrines, but alfo in the Imitation of his Sufferings; to exchange the Pleafures of the World, and the Hopes of earthly Happinefs, for all thofe Calamities which our Lord foretold, and daily Experience did then confirm, to be a neceffary Confequence of belief in him; must certainly have been fuch a Difficulty, as could be furmounted but by few.

If we fhould even remove those Disadvantages of Education and Custom, and suppose a ferious belief of the Doctrine and Promifes of Chrift, an earnest defire of Salvation, and an hearty Endeavour to attain it; yet are we not fecured against the force of fuch violent Temptations, as are the Effects of a Perfecution. It is not every Man, nor an ordinary Soul, that can furmount the Fears of Death, and without Astonishment await the Execution; when the renouncing of a mere Opinion, of an invifible Interest can prevent it. It is a Refolution of a far higher Nature, than what the World generally accounteth Courage; which is commonly no more than the effect of Paffion, and is ftill maintained by the Hopes of Success,

and

and the Prospect of fome vifible InterestWhen therefore, the Profeffors of Chriftianity retained their Faith, with the universal Hatred of all Men, with the probable Lofs of their Fortunes, and even of their Lives, as it was highly generous, fo it was extremely difficult to retain a good Confcience, and therewith the Hopes of Salvation.

This was a Difficulty indeed fo great, that your own Imagination will amplify it more than any Words I can ufe for that purpose. If it seem strange to us, that God fhould fuffer his chofen Servants to be thus afflicted and exposed to the Infults of wicked Men; we must reflect upon the Condition of thofe Christians, before they entred upon the Profeffion of Christianity: That the far greater. part of them had fpent their Lives in the open Exercife of thofe Sins, to which the Temptations of the World, the Flesh orthe Devil could incite them; and that without any remorfe of Confcience, or intervals of Piety. This the Apostle chargeth them with, in the third Verse of this Chapter. It was incongruous to the Divine Justice, to fuffer fuch enormous Sinners wholly to efcape unpunished; and therefore his infinite Wifdom fo ordered the state of the World, and of the Church at that Time, that they should undergo fharp Afflictions and Perfecutions in this Life; that, fo without any Diminution of his Justice he might receive them to Mercy in another World, Not

that

that the most glorious Martyrs have been the greatest Sinners, or that temporal Calamities do always attend the Sins of the Faithful. But as in a general Perfecution brought upon the Church for the precedent Sins of the greater part of it, it would have been unreasonable for any particular Men, altho' not Partakers of the Sin, to have requir'd to have been excused from partaking in the general Calamity: So neither may we flatter our felves, that we are more righteous than those Chriftians were before their Couverfion, for this Reafon only, because we are not punished in the fame visible Manner; but ought rather to fear, that a far greater Punishment is referved to us hereafter; if by a timely and hearty Repentance we prevent not the Execution of it.

This precedent finful Course of Life was another great Difficulty to the Chriftians of those Days, who had contracted before their Converfion long and fixed habits of Vice; effaced by difufe all Notions of natural Religion and Honefty; which to restore could be the work of nothing less than an extraordinary Diligence and Application. If to thefe peculiar Difficulties of those Times, we add the common Difficulties of Chriftianity, we shall foon perceive what just Reafon the Apostle had to fay, that the Righteous are fcarcely faved.

I will not here infift upon the Difficulty of particular Duties, the depraved Nature

of