8. Indeed some have supposed, that before the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, the scandal of the cross will cease: that God will cause Christians to be esteemed and loved, even by those who are as yet in their sins. Yea, and sure it is, that even now, he at sometimes suspendsthe contempt as well as the fierceness of men: he makes a man’s enemies to be at peace with him for a season, and gives him favour with his bitterest persecutors. But setting aside this exempt case, the scandal of the cross is not yet ceased: but a man may say still, If I please men, I am not the servant of Christ: let no man therefore regard that pleasing suggestion (pleasing doubtless to flesh and blood) “That bad men only pretend to hate and despise them that are good, but do indeed love and esteem them in their hearts.” Not so: they may employ them sometimes; but it is for their own profit. They may put confidence in them: for they know their ways are not like other mens. But still they love them not; unless so far as the Spirit of God may be striving with them. Our Saviour’s words are express: If ye were of the world, the world would love its own; but because ye are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Yea, (setting aside what exceptions may be made by the preventing grace or the peculiar providence of God) it hateth them as cordially and sincerely, as ever it did their Master.
9. It remains only to enquire, how are the children of God to behave, with regard to persecution? *And first, they ought not knowingly or designedly, to bring it upon themselves. This is contrary both to the example and advice of our Lord and all his apostles; who teach us not only not to seek, but to avoid it, as far as wecan, without injuring our conscience; without giving up any part of that righteousness, which we are to prefer before life itself. So our Lord expresly, When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: which is indeed, when it can be taken, the most unexceptionable way of avoiding persecution.
10. Yet think not, that you can always avoid it, either by this, or any other means. If ever that idle imagination steals into your heart, put it to flight by that earnest caution, Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. But will this screen you from persecution? Not unless you have more wisdom than your Master, or more innocence than the Lamb of God.
Neither desire to avoid it, to escape it wholly; for if you do, you are none of his. If you escape the persecution, you escape the blessing; the blessing of those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. If you are not persecuted for righteousness sake, you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. If we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him, he will also deny us.
11. Nay, rather, rejoice and be exceeding glad, when men persecute you for his sake: when they persecute you by reviling you, and by saying all manner of evil against you falsely; (which they willnot fail to mix with every kind of persecution; they must blacken you to excuse themselves.) For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you, those who were most eminently holy in heart and life; yea, and all the righteous which ever have been from the beginning of the world. Rejoice, because by this mark also, ye know unto whom ye belong. And because great is your reward in heaven: the reward purchased by the blood of the covenant, and freely bestowed in proportion to your sufferings, as well as to your holiness of heart and life. Be exceeding glad; knowing that these light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work out for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
12. Mean time, let no persecution turn you out of the way of lowliness and meekness, of love and beneficence. [76]Ye have heard indeed that it hath been said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. And your miserable teachers have hence allowed you to avenge yourselves, to return evil for evil.
But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil—Not thus; not by returning it in kind. But (rather than do this) whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
So invincible let thy meekness be. And be thy love suitable thereto. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Only, give not away that which is another man’s, that which is not thine own. Therefore, 1. Take care to owe no man any thing. For what thou owest, is not thy own but another man’s. 2. Provide for those of thine own houshold. This also God hath required of thee: and what is necessary to sustain them in life and godliness, is also not thine own. Then, 3. Give or lend all that remains from day to day, or from year to year. Only first, seeing thou canst not give or lend to all, remember the houshold of faith.
13. The meekness and love we are to feel, the kindness we are to shew to them which persecute us for righteousness sake, our blessed Lord describes farther in the following verses. O that they were graven upon our hearts!
[77]Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thy enemy. (God indeed had said only the former part, Thou shalt love thy neighbour. The children of the devil had added the latter, and hate thy enemy.) *But I say unto you, 1. Love your enemies. See that you bear a tender good will, to those who are most bitter of spirit against you, who wish you all manner of evil. 2. Bless them that curse you. Are there any whose bitterness of spirit breaks forthin bitter words? Who are continually cursing and reproaching you when you are present, and saying all evil against you when absent? So much the rather do you bless. In conversing with them, use all mildness and softness of language. Reprove them, by repeating a better lesson before them, by shewing them how they ought to have spoken. And in speaking of them, say all the good you can, without violating the rules of truth and justice. 3. Do good to them that hate you. Let your actions shew, that you are as real in love as they in hatred. Return good for evil. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. 4. If you can do nothing more, at least pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you. You can never be disabled from doing this; nor can all their malice or violence hinder you. Pour out your souls to God, not only for those, who did this once, but now repent. This is a little thing. [78]If thy brother seven times a day, turn and say unto thee, I repent; that is, if after ever so many relapses, he give thee reason to believe, that he is really and throughly changed, then thou shalt forgive him, so as to trust him, to put him in thy bosom, as if he had never sinned against thee at all. But pray for, wrestle with God, for those that do not repent, that now despitefully use thee and persecute thee. Thus far forgive them, [79]not until seven times only, but until seventy times seven. Whether they repentor no, yea tho’ they appear farther and farther from it, yet shew them this instance of kindness: that ye may be the children, that ye may approve yourselves the genuine children of your Father which is in heaven, who shews his goodness by giving such blessings as they are capable of, even to his stubbornest enemies; who maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. [80]For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the Publicans the same? Who pretend to no religion: whom ye yourselves acknowledge to be without God in the world. [81]And if ye salute, shew kindness in word or deed, to your brethren, your friends or kinsfolk only: what do ye more than others? Than those who have no religion at all? Do not even the Publicans so? Nay, but follow ye a better pattern than them. In patience, in long-suffering, in mercy, in beneficence of every kind, to all, even to your bitterest persecutors: [82]Be ye, Christians, perfect (in kind, tho’ not in degree) even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.