20. So that it fhall not be so much you your felves that fhall plead your own Caufe, as the Spirit of God that fhall plead for you.

21. Only expect, that the Perfecution which fhall be raised againft you for preaching the Gofpel, will be very great and unnatural. For the Purity and Holinefs of your Doctrine being utterly inconfiftent with the Covetousness, and contrary to the Paffions and Lufts of Men, will provoke Men incorrigibly enflaved to these Vices, to break through all the Bonds not only of Virtue and Humanity, but even of Relation and natural Affection, to perfecute and deftroy you: fo that even Fathers and Sons and Brethren fhall kill one ano ther, in fierceness against the Truth,

22. Nay, and the generality of Men will become your Enemies; the whole Stream of the World will run against you and difcourage you. But he who notwithstanding all this Oppofition shall perfevere in his Faith and his Obedience to the End, and fhall not be moved by thefe Difficulties and Perfecutions to forfake his Religion and Integrity_fa long as he lives; fhall receive the Reward of everlasting Life.

23. Nevertheless, though ye ought to bear Perfecutions chearfully, and never to be overcome by them, when the Providence of God brings them unavoidably upon you; yet, if ye have Opportunity, when ye are perfecuted in one City, ye may flee unto another, For affuredly I tell you, ye fhall not have preached through all the Cities of the Jews, before the Kingdom of Chrift fhall be gloriously manifested in the final deftruction of that Nation. E 4 24. And

24 The difciple is not above his master, nor the fervant a

24. And be not discontented, that ye muft needs fuffer Perfecutions and Afflictions. For if I my felf endure all manner of Reproaches, and Perfecutions bove his lord. and Afflictions; you have no manner of reafon to expect or hope to efcape better. The Difciple is not greater than his Mafter, nor the Servant above his Lord. 25. Ought not ye to be well fatisfied, if ye meet with no worse Treatment than I have done? If they have not fpared to call me Beelzebub, and compare the Son of God to the chief of Devils; what reason can ye have to expect, that they fhould not deal as ill with you?

26. However, he not afraid of them. The Doctrine which you are to preach, is not fuch as that ye need through Fear to diffemble or conceal it. All things fhall in time be openly and publickly made known; and then your Innocence fhall be fully vindicated, and the Goodnefs of your Caufe fufficiently made to

appear..

27. Whatever therefore I tell you. fecretly, do you openly declare, and what I teach you in private, That preach ye couragiously in the moft publick Places, and proclaim openly to all the World. 28. And be not afraid of Men; the

utmoft Power of whofe Malice can extend only to the killing of the Body, but your Soul they cannot hurt: But be careful above all things to obey the Will of God, who, if he be difpleafed, can destroy both Soul and Body in Hell.

29. If ye be conftant in your Obedience to God, his Providence will watch over you in a peculiar manner; and Men hall never be able to afflict you any farther, than He fhall fee expedient either for your present Advan

25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the fervant as his lord if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more fball they call them of his houfhold?

26 Fear them not

therefore: for there is nothing covered vealed; and hid, that that shall not be fhall not be known.

re

not fall on the ground without your Father.

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbred.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many fparrows.

32 Whofoever therefore fhall con

fefs me before men, him will I confefs alfo before my Father which is in heaven.

33 But whofoever fhall deny me before men, him will I alfo deny before my Fa ther which is in hea

ven.

34 Think not that I am come to fend peace on earth; I came not to fend peace, but a fword.

tage or your future Happiness. There is not one of the smallest and meaneft Creatures upon Earth, that ever dies without the Providence and Difpofal of God: How much less can ye perifh, without his Knowledge and Permiffion?

30. Nay, fo far from that; there is not fo much as a Hair of your Head, or any the smallest thing about you, which is not taken notice of and obferved by Providence.

31. Be not therefore afraid what Men can do unto you. Ye are of much more worth than the other Creatures upon Earth. And if nothing can happen even to the meaneft of those Creatures, without the Providence and Direction of God; how much lefs to you?

32. Here then is a certain trial of Mens Faith and Obedience. He who notwithstanding all the Terrors and Threatnings of Perfecution, shall still fincerely perfevere in his Obedience to God, and without Fear continue ftedfaft in the Profeffion of true Religion; fhall be owned by me before God and Angels, as a worthy Difciple, and shall receive the Reward of eternal Life.

33. But he that for fear of Mens Hatred and Perfecution, fhall renounce and be afhamed of the Profeffion of true Religion, or act contrary to the Precepts of it; fhall be denied by me before God and Angels, as an unwor thy Disciple, and fhall lofe the Reward of everlasting Life,

34. And do not perfuade your felves that ye may avoid this Trial. Do not think, that the World will entertain the Chriftian Religion in the Love and Peaceableness of it. I tell you, nay,

but

but wicked Men will make it an occafion of Hatred and Quarrels.

35. Nay, to fuch a heighth will these Contentions upon the account of Religion arife, that a Man's nearest Friends and Relations fhall become his bittereft and moft cruel Enemies.

36. And even those of a Man's own Family, fhall hate and perfecute him to deftroy him.

37. This is indeed a hard and fevere Trial. But when things do come to this extremity, that a Man must either lose the friendship of his deareft Relations, or forfake his Religion; all earthly and temporal Confiderations muft yield to the one thing neceffary, of fecuring an eternal Intereft. For whoever fhall prefer the Love of a Father, or Mother, or Brother, or Sifter, before true Religion and Virtue; cannot be a fincere Difciple of Chrift, nor be accounted worthy to be admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven.

38. And he that cannot follow me in bearing Sufferings, Afflictions, and Death; cannot be thought worthy to partake with me in my Glory.

39. So that the Cafe plainly comes to this. He who to fave his Life in this prefent time, bafely complies with wicked Men by forfaking his Religion; docs moft truly lofe it by incurring eternal Death. But he that conftantly perfeveres, and lofes his Life in this prefent time, to preserve his Religion and his Virtue; does moft truly fave it unto eternal Happiness.

40. With thefe Inftructions, Go ye, and preach the Gofpel through all the Cities of the Jews. He that entertains you, and hears and obeys your Words, fhall be esteemed as if he re

35 For I am come

to fet a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

36 And a mans foes fhall be they of his own houfhold.

37 He that loveth father or mother more then me, is not

worthy of me: and he that loveth fon or daughter more then me, is not worthy of me.

38 And he that taketh not his cross,

and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

39 He that findeth his life fhall lofe it:

and he that lofeth his life for my fake,

fhall find it.

40 He that receiveth you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me,

1

ceived me: And he that receives me, fhall be accepted as if he had heard and obeyed the Words of God himself.

41. He that receives a Preacher of Righteoufnefs, merely upon the account of his bearing that Character; without any temporal Confideration; and shall entertain, and encourage, and affift him; fhall be look'd upon to have an Intereft both in his Work and in his Reward. And he that shall entertain a righteous Man, merely upon the account of his being a righteous Man, without any other Confideration; fhall be entitled to a Share of his Reward.

42. And whofoever fhall do any the fmalleft Kindnefs, or give any the leaft Affiftance, to the meanest of my Difciples, merely upon account of his being a Difciple, without any worldly Confiderations; Affuredly I tell you, he fhall by no means go unrewarded.

CHAP. XI.

• Chrift's Anfwer to John the Baptift's Question, who he was, ver. I. Chrift's Teftimony of John the Baptift, ver. 7. The Jews perverfenefs in judging of John and Chrift, ver. 16. Chrift's upbraiding the Jewish Cities for their Impenitence, ver. 20. The Wisdom of God in revealing the Gofpel to the Simple, ver. 25. Chrift's Invitation of Sinners to embrace the Gospel, ver. 27.

1 AND it came to pass when

Jefus had made an end of comanding his twelve disciples,

I

1. WHEN Jefus had thus inftructed his Apostles, and fent them forth to preach the Gofpel; he departed, and travelled himself through many

Cities