nefarious wickedness or baser turpitude, nor any vice more depraved in the whole world, than to be a Christian. The world knows how to wink at, to pardon, to cover with a good grace, and to excuse all other crimes; it knows how to extend its benevolence to all other enormities, by opening its doors, by toleration, by pity, by affording relief; but Christians, the earth cannot endure; so that, he who persecutes, condemns, and punishes them with death, is endowed with the most exalted virtues, does God the highest service, and confers a benefit on his country; as Christ saith, John 16. Therefore, these Words are most expressive, "The world hath hated them;" as though he would have said, the world has nothing else to do but to persecute Christians with its hatred, although it has many other calls for exercising its hatred upon those who are most worthy of hatred; such as, the devil, and men of settled and abandoned wickedness. For all the force of the matter

rests on the pronoun THEM. And who are signified by the THEM? Who, but those poor, miserable, yet beloved Apostles, Peter, Paul, and the rest. These are

those pernicious and detestable ones whom the world cannot endure. And what have they done? They have stolen nothing, they have gotten nothing by plunder, they have defrauded no one. And what more? They have served all gratuitously, bearing and proclaiming, through the greatest labours and perils, the grace of God and eternal salvation. And what reward have they gained? None but the most furious and bitter rage, and the most insatiable hatred of men, whereby they are exterminated from off the face of the earth, and are condemned to the lowest hell. This is the reward, and these are the thanks, that are returned to Christ and his Apostles. And what else can the world do, but send out of the world by the most ignominious death, the innocent man who has shown unto them righteousness, salvation, and eternal life, as the most depraved of malefactors! None however must do this but the most holy of all, who thought that they never did a more acceptable service to God, than when they crucified his only

begotten Son! Whose example, our more than mad tyrants follow at this day: who, if they afflict the Gospel with every possible kind of atrocity, and oppress our friends with every insult both of word and deed, by persecuting, by killing, by burning, are then called the most Christian princes, and the defenders of the church. And this one honour, under the name of which they rage against our friends, covers over, and gives a fair colour to all their most nefarious enormities, which they commit against both God and men.

Now see if the world be not, in these few words, most descriptively pourtrayed. And see also, how great its goodness is, even where it is best. If then this be its most glorious excellency, let the devil praise it, for I will not. I hope, however, (blessed be God!) that we also shall have our honours in our time, and be found adorned with these titles of nobility. For the devil persecutes us with a hatred sufficiently bitter, as we have hitherto abundantly felt, and as we even now experience with such fury and cruelty does the world rage against our doctrine: and when they can do nothing more, they sufficiently evince their galled and malicious mind towards us by their cursings, execrations, and blasphemies.

Because they are not of the world even as I am not of the world.

In the catalogue of those, (saith he,) whom the world hates, I also am to be numbered, and to be put first upon the list. And therefore, my disciples will not have a better lot than I had: for if they called the master of the house Beelzebub, (as he saith also in another place,) how shall they pay more respect to his disciples, and to them of his household? But the world, as it appears to itself, has just causes for persecuting me with hatred: nor can I be in favour with it when I am forced to shew unto it its blindness and misery, and to reprove the folly of its wisdom and outside show of sanctity, which is accounted nought before God. Not that my design is to hurt them, or to do them any in

jury, but to bring them help, while I would rescue their miserable and captive souls from the jaws of the devil, and lead them unto God. This the devil cannot bear, and therefore it is that he so much storms and rages, stirring up and exasperating their minds against me and my Word. And the world cannot depart from its blindness and presumption, nor patiently suffer its deeds and whole life to be condemned and accounted nought.

And hence arises the contention whereby we are divided, and whereby we stir up all their hatred and wrath against us. And things are brought to the state which Christ has before described in the 7th chapter of John, "The world cannot hate you, but me it hateth, because I testify of it that the works thereof are evil.” Therefore, as it hates me on account of my Word, so also does it hate my disciples to whom I have given that Word, and by which I have taken them out of, and separated them from, the world.

By this kind of preaching, however, we ought to be raised up, who have the Gospel and who really feel their hatred for they can charge us with none other fault, than that we are Christians, and will not remain with them under the power of the devil. Therefore, (saith Christ,) "I have given them thy Word," that they may rejoice and delight in this, against all the ignominy and contempt of the unhappy world; and that thus, they may with a gladdened mind despise all its favour and applause, and account it nought; yea, may avoid and shun it by all possible means, and have nothing to do with it.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world.

I pray not that they might go with me out of the world, for not a few things remain to be accomplished by me through them; namely, that they may extend my kingdom, and make my flock more numerous. They have received the Word from me, but as my counsels will not permit me to remain longer in the world, there are many yet to be converted by them, and to be

brought, through their Word, to believe on me, (as he will presently shew); for their sakes, therefore, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world; though the world cannot endure their presence, and they on the other hand have had enough of the world and nauseate it.

And this is the reason why Christians, and especially ministers, ought to desire a longer life; which we, together with Christ, ought to ask of God for them; for it is of the greatest importance that they should have their lives prolonged as much as possible. The devil and the world are our greatest enemies, (as we have already heard,) and afflict us with every kind of plague. Wherefore, we are compelled to see and hear without intermission, that which is the greatest pain unto us, and which grieves our heart. Such and so base are the ingratitude and contempt of malignant men, and so horrible is their blasphemy, and their persecution of the Word of God. From all which things, it is no wonder if a minister be thus wearied out with preaching the Word only. And therefore, nothing would be more desirable, than if God should take us out of the world at our first outset, and thus prevent us from being compelled to see and hear such wickedness, ingratitude, and blasphemy. But why should this be? There is ever a small company who are daily in jeopardy in manifold ways, and we must watch and labour that these be not torn away from the Gospel, nor must that care be omitted as long as we live. For it is a laborious and arduous task, with all our labours, devotedness, and diligence, to keep the Word among a few; and a wonder it is, that it does not come to destruction utterly, and that all do not go over to the devil together.

But that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Afflictions and perils we must endure in the world for the Word's sake, both from tyrants and from sects, which will assail us on all sides; the one with false doctrines, the other with all the bitterness of persecution, and both leaving no stone unturned that the world may

be torn from us. And, in addition to this, we live surrounded with so powerful an army of devils, that we are like one poor lost solitary sheep in the midst of wolves; yea rather, we live in the midst of the most furious and roaring lions, (as Peter saith,) who are all gnashing their teeth at us, and ready to grind us to pieces with their jaws, and to swallow us up.

And, tell me, who is it that preserves us in such a perilous state of things, so as to enable us to stand in the midst of such a multitude of the most deadly and cruel enemies? Who is it that keeps us from being cast down in our minds, from despairing every moment, and from losing both the Word and faith together? Who is it that at such times as these defends us against the power of our tyrants, and against the inveterate malice of the devil? (For they enter into so many and multifarious counsels against us, and lay so many clandestine plots against our lives. And they are indeed sufficiently powerful to hurt us, and we are weakness itself; neither are will and attempt wanting to them; and their minds moreover are so filled with rage and bitterness against us, that they would willingly devour us alive, and, as the Germans say, swallow us down at a spoonful.)-I answer: No human power or wisdom has hitherto protected us. The guardian of our safety sitteth above: who, mindful of this prayer, saith, My Christ once prayed for them; and, for this cause they are to be kept and defended by me.--And this is our trust, protection, and defence, which prevents our enemies from fulfilling the desire of their mind in afflicting us, though they should burst with the overwhelming rage of their furious though impotent mind; or though they should persecute us in vain till the minds are tired out; for God will rescue us from their teeth, while they are hurled headlong to destruction.

They are not of the world even as I am not of the world.

This is that on which our whole consolation rests; and therefore it is that he repeats it so many times, and