N00255:39
A sermon wherein is showed that the church of God is sometimes a subject…A sermon wherein is shewed that the church of God is sometimes a subject…
A sermon wherein is showed that the church of God is sometimes a subject of great persecution; preached on a public fast at Boston in New-England: occasioned by the tidings of a great persecution raised against the Protestants in France. / By Increase Mather, teacher to a church of Christ. ; [Eight lines of quotations]A sermon wherein is shewed that the church of God is sometimes a subject of great persecution; preached on a publick fast at Boston in New-England: occasioned by the tidings of a great persecution raised against the Protestants in France. / By Increase Mather, teacher to a church of Christ. ; [Eight lines of quotations]
printed for Samuel Sewall, 1682
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
If men suffer for evil Deeds, they are not persecuted. The Apostle says Gal. 5. 12. I would they were even cut off that Trouble you. They are not persecuted, who are exposed to Trouble, for unjustly causing Trouble to the Churches of Christ. When Achan had troubled Israel, and God by bringing him forth to condign punishment, troubled him; that was no persecution. And if men suffer for an evil Opinion (as well as an evil Practice) they are not the Lords persecuted ones. If the Churches in Asia had Censured those that held the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, they had pleased the Lord Christ; who would not have looked upon the Nicolaitans as a persecuted People. When Jehu put all the worshippers of Baal to death, and when that godly Prince Josiah, in an holy zeal caused the Priests of the High places to be slain; (2 Ki. 23. 20.) they were not Martyrs; none of them were so. There are indeed some erroneous Opinions, which if any be exposed unto cruel sufferings from men for them, they that afflict them are not to be justified. Nevertheless, such sufferers are not Martyrs. Others do ill so to punish them: & they do ill in maintaining an Error. Of so great Concernment is it, for men to have their Consciences rightly informed by the word of God, when they embark themselves on the suffering side. Nay more, a godly man suffer from men, and yet not be persecuted in the Notion which my Text refers unto; h. e. if he suffer in a cause not justifiable by the word of God. Hence the Apostle Peter, gives such a caution as that 1 Pet. 4. 15, 16. Let none of you suffer as an Evil doer; yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed. A Christian may suffer; and yet not suffer as a Christian. A godly man ⟨p. 5⟩may fall into sin; yea, into scandalous Errors and Transgressions, and be justly punished on account thereof. To suffer Persecution, is to suffer in the cause of Christ. When for Gods sake, a man does suffer from the world. According to what the Church says, Ps. 44. 22. For Thy sake we are killed all the day long: we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Or, For Righteousness sake. Thus Mat. 5. 10. Blessed are they which are persecuted for Righteousness sake. Or for the Gospels sake Mar 10. 29. Or, for Christ's sake