A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of…

So that the opposition which has been made to the church of God in all ages, has always been against the same religion, and the same revelation. Now therefore the violent and perpetual opposition •hat has ever been made by the corruption and wickedness of mankind against this church, is a strong ar••ment of the truth of this religion, and this revelation, upon which this church •as always been built. Contraries are well argued one with another. We may well and safely argue, that a thing is good, according to the degree of opposition in which it stands to evil, or the degree in which evil opposes it, and is an enemy to it. We may well argue, that a thing is light, by the great enmity which darkness has to it. Now it is evident by the things which you have heard concerning the church of Christ, and that the holy religion of Jesus Christ which it has professed, that the wickedness of the world has had a perpetual hatred to it, and has made most violent opposition against it.

That the church of God has always met with great opposition in the world, none can deny. This is plain by profane history as far as that reaches; and before that, divine history gives us the same account. The church of God▪ and its religion and worship▪ began to be opposed in Cain's and Abel's time, and was so when the earth was filled with violence in Noah's time. After this, how was the church opposed in Egypt! and how was the church of Israel always hated by the nations round about, agreeable to that in Jer. xii.9 "Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her." After the Babylonish captivity, how was this church persecuted by Antiochus Epiphanes and others! ⟨p. 239⟩and how was Christ persecuted when he was on earth! and how were the apostles and other Christians persecuted by the Jews, before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans! How violent were that people against the church and how dreadful was the opposition of the Heathen world against the Christian church after this before Constantine! How great was their spite against the true religion! Since that, how yet more violent, and spiteful, and cruel, has been the opposition of Antichrist against the church!