It is granted, the world now professeth christianity. But will any one say, that this christian world is of the spirit of Christ? are its general tempers the tempers of Christ? are the passions of sensuality, self-love, pride, covetousness, ambition, and vain-glory, less contrary to the spirit of the gospel, now they are amongst christians, than when they were among heathens? Or will you say, that the tempers and passions of the heathen world are lost and gone?
The world is fully described to our hands by Saint John. “All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,” &c. Now will you say, that this world is become christian? But if all this still subsists, then the same world is now in being, and the same enemy to christianity that was in Saint John’s days.
Had you lived with our Saviour, as his true disciple, you had then been hated as he was; and if you now live in his spirit, the world will be the same enemy to you now, that it was to him then.
“If ye were of the world, (saith our blessed Lord) the world would love its own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
We are apt to lose the true meaning of these words, by considering them only as an historical description of something that was the state of our Saviour and his disciples at that time. But this is reading the scripture as a dead letter: for they as exactly describe the state of true christians in this, and all other times, to the end of the world.
For as true christianity is nothing else but the spirit of Christ, so whether that spirit appear in the person of Christ himself, or in his apostles, or followers in any age, it is the same thing: whoever hath his spirit, will be hated, despised, and condemned by the world, as he was. For the world will always love its own, and none but its own: this is as certain and unchangeable, as the contrariety between light and darkness.
When the holy Jesus saith, “If the world hate you,” he does not add by way of consolation, that it may some time or other cease its hatred, or that it will not always hate them; but he only gives this as a reason for their bearing it, “You know that it hated me, before it hated you:” signifying, that it was he, or his spirit, that by reason of its contrariety to the world, was then, and always would be hated by it.
Whether, therefore, the world outwardly professeth, or openly persecuteth christianity, it is still in the same state of contrariety to the true spirit and holiness of the gospel.
And indeed the world, by professing christianity, is so far from being a less dangerous enemy than it was before, that it has by its favour destroyed more christians, than ever it did by the most violent persecution.
It is a greater and more dangerous enemy, because it has greater power over christians by its favours, riches, honours, rewards, and protections, than it had by the fire and fury of its persecutions.