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

Not only has the strength of the enemies of the church been greater than the strength of the church, ••t ordinarily the church has not used what strength they have had in their own defence, but have committed themselves wholly to God. So i• was in the time of the Jewish persecutions before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans; and so it was in the time of the Heathen persecutions before Constantine; the Christians did not only not rise up in arms to defend themselves, but they did not pretend to make any forcible resistance to their Heathen persecutors. So it has for the most part ⟨p. 242⟩been under the Popish persecutions; and yet they have never been able to overthrow the church of God; but it stands to this very day.

Not only has the strength of the enemies of the church been greater than the strength of the church, ••t ordinarily the church has not used what strength they have had in their own defence, but have committed themselves wholly to God. So i• was in the time of the Jewish persecutions before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans; and so it was in the time of the Heathen persecutions before Constantine; the Christians did not only not rise up in arms to defend themselves, but they did not pretend to make any forcible resistence to their Heathen persecutors. So it has for the most part ⟨p. 242⟩been under the Popish persecutions; and yet they have never been able to overthrow the church of God; but it stands to this very day.

This is still the more exceeding wonderful, if we consider how often the church has been brought to the brink of ruin, and the case seemed to be desperate, and all hope gone, and they seemed to be swallowed up. In the time of the old world, when wickedness so prevailed, as that but one family was left, yet God wonderfully appeared, and overthrew the wicked world with a flood, and preserved his church. So at the Red sea, when Pharaoh and his ost though they were quite sure of their prey; yet God appeared, and destroyed them, and delivered his church. So was it from time to time in the church of Israel, as has been shown. So under the tenth and last Heathen persecution, their persecutors boasted that now they had done the business for the Christians, and had overthrown the Christian church; yet in the midst of their triumph, the Christian church rises out of the dst and prevails, and the Heathen empire totally falls before it. So when the Christian church seemed ready to be swallowed up by the Arian heresy; so when Antichrist rose and prevailed, and all the world wondered after the beast, and the church for many hundred years was reduced to such a small number, and seemed to be hidden, and the power of the world was engaged to destroy those little remainders of the church; yet they could never fully accomplish their design, and at last God wonderfully revived his church in the time of the Reformation, and made it to stand as it were on its feet, in the sight of its enemies, and raised it out of their reach. So since, when the Popish powers have plotted the overthrow of the Reformed church, and have seemed just about to bring their matters to a conclusion, and to finish their design, then God has wonderfully appeared for the deliverance of his church, as it was in the time of the Revolution by King William. So it has been from time to time: presently after the darkest times of the church, God has made his church most gloriously to flourish.