We should rather regard it as a ground of joy— [On this subject there is but one testimony throughout all the holy Scriptures. Our blessed Lord says, " If ye be persecuted for righteousness' sake, rejoice ye, and leap for joy." St. Paul tells us, that the true Christian will " glory in tribulations^:" and that he himself actually " took pleasure in them " from the consideration that Christ's strength would thereby be displayed and glorified''. St. James bids us " count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations :" and o-ives it as his deliberate judgment, " We count diem happ\
that » 1 Pet. v. 9. '" 1 Cor. x. 13.
^Ilom. V. 3. -i 2 Cor. xii. 10.
142 iPETER, IV. 12 — 16. [1164.
that endure*." St. Peter, as this -whole Epistle informs us, had the same view of the subject : and therefore we feel warranted in saying to all of you, " If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye."]
In coiitirmation of this sentiment, I proceed to shew,
II. What reason we have for viewing it in that light- Certainly it appears strange and paradoxical that the most cruel persecution for Christ's sake should be considered as a gTound of joy. But this view
&
joy-
of it is just : for, when we suffer for Christ's sake,
1. We are made "partakers of Christ's suf- ferings"—
[We all know, that if any part of the human body suffer, whether the head or members, the whole participates in the pain. Now the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of his mys- tical body, and we are the members : and when he suffered on the cross, we suffered with him ; as it is written " We are crucified with Christ;" "we died with him;" "we were buried with him^." So when we suffer, he suffers, as it were, with us : as he said, " Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ^V* •' In all our afflictions he is afflicted ^ : " and " he who toucheth us, toucheth the apple of his eye '." As far as respects an atonement made for sin, he suffered alone : but, that we may be conformed to his image in all things, he has ordained that His Church shovdd complete and " fill up the measure of his svifferings : " so that, though in his own person he is beyond the reach of man's cruelty, he is still enduring much from it in the persons of his people. In truth, it is not on their ouni account that his people suffer any thing. If we would but renounce our allegiance to him, the world would find no more occasion against us. It is for His sake that they hate us. They hate not ns^ but Christ in us : nor do they perse- cute vs, but Christ in us. Therefore our sufferings are his ; and, in enduring them, " we are truly partakers of his sufferings."
Now then I would ask, * If when he drank the bitter cup even to the dregs, and left, as it were, but a drop for us to taste, shall we account it a hard matter to put it to
our
•Jam. i. 2. &v, II. 'Gal. ii.20. Rom. vi. 4, 8.
'Actsix.4. * Isai. Ixiii. 9.
' Zech. ii. 8.
1164.] PERSECUTIOxV FOR CHRIST'.S SAKE. 143
our lips for his sake ? ' No: we shoultl rather rejoice that an opportunity is afforded us of so testifying our love to him.]
2. The Spirit of God descends into our bosom, to support and comfort us —
[The Spirit is here called " The Spirit of glory and of God;" as being one with the Father, who is "the God of glory '';" and one with the Son, mIio is "the Lord of Glory V* His office it is to descend and dwell with the saints, as their Comforter "". And when we really suffer for Chi-ist's sake, it is both an evidence that he does rest upon us, and a pledge that he will be with us in a more abundant measure. If the Holy Spirit had not already wrought faith in our hearts, and put somewhat of the image of Christ upon our soids, the world would have suffered us to rest in peace : for " if we were of the world, the v/orld would love its own ; but because we are not of the world, but Christ has chosen us out of the world, therefore the world hateth us"." But the enmity of the world on account of what we have received from this divine Agent, only serves to call down upon us yet richer com- munications, even such as shall be sufficient to bear us up under our trial's, and to make us conquerors over all our enemies.