To fortify their minds and encourage their hearts, he bids them *' call to remembrance the former days."
These days deserved remembrance —
[They had been days of heavy trial to all who had em- braced the Christian faith. Every convert was an object of hatred and contempt both to Jews and Gentiles. No re- proaches were too bitter to cast upon the followers of Christ, no injuries too heavy to inflict upon them. Their persons were assaulted, their property destroyed — their lives menaced, and in many instances sacrificed to royal edicts, to popular fury, or to legal form. The community of interest which all felt in the welfare of the whole body, greatly augmented the sufferings of every individual. Wherever one member suffered, all the members suffered with it.
Yet in the midst of all these afflictions, the believing Jews, as a body, had maintained their steadfastness, and held fast their profession. They had not only submitted to the loss of all things for the sake of Christ, but " had taken joyfully the spoiling of their goods ;" " rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for the Redeemer's sake."
To this measure of firmness they had attained by keeping their eye steadily fixed upon the heavenly state, vv'here their portion was, and where an infinitely " better and more enduring substance" was treasured up for them. They had no doubt but their trials would be richly recompensed in the eternal world ; and therefore they made light of all that they possessed below ; " reckoning that the sufferings of this present time were not worthy to be compared with the glory that should be revealed in them*."
Such were their former days, immediately after the light of divine truth had shone into their hearts ; and]
The recollection of them would be of singular utility to them at this time —
[From a review of their past experience, they would see, that, though the difliculties which they now had to sustain, or which they were daily expecting to encounter, were formidable, they were not new, nor insupportable, nor unprofitable. They were not new ; since they were no other than what had come upon them from the beginning: and consequently were not to be regarded as "strange" and unlocked for**: wor were they insupportable ; for every convert had already borne them for a long period ; and consequently might, with the help of divine grace, support them still: nor were they unprofitable; since the effect of them had been to drive the sufferers to prayer,
» Rom. viii. 18. »» 1 Pet. iv. 12.