20 For it is not

ye that fpeak, but the fpirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

21 And the bro

ther fhall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children fhall rise up a gainst their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

22 And ye fhall be hated of all men for my names fake: but he that endureth to the end, fhall be

faved.

20. So that it fhall not be so much you your felves that fhall plead your own Caufe, as the Spirit of God that fhall plead for you.

21. Only expect, that the Perfecution which fhall be raised against you for preaching the Gofpel, will be very great and unnatural. For the Purity and Holinefs of your Doctrine being utterly inconfiftent with the Covetousness, and contrary to the Paffions and Lufts of Men, will provoke Men incorrigibly enflaved to these Vices, to break through all the Bonds not only of Virtue and Humanity, but even of Relation and natural Affection, to perfecute and deftroy you: fo that even Fathers and Sons and Brethren fhall kill one another, in fierceness against the Truth,

22. Nay, and the generality of Men will become your Enemies; the whole Stream of the World will run against you and difcourage you. But he who notwithstanding all this Oppofition fhall perfevere in his Faith and his Obedience to the End, and fhall not be moved by thefe Difficulties and Perfecutions to forfake his Religion and Integrity fa long as he lives; fhall receive the Reward of everlasting Life.

23. Nevertheless, though ye ought to bear Perfecutions chearfully, and never to be overcome by them, when the Providence of God brings them unavoidably upon you; yet, if ye have Opportunity, when ye are perfecuted in one City, ye may flee unto another, For affuredly I tell you, ye fhall not have preached through all the Cities of the Jews, before the Kingdom of Chrift fhall be gloriously manifefted in the final deftruction of that Nation. E 4

24. And

23 But when they perfecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I fay unto you, ye fhall not have gone over the cities of Ifrael till the fon of man be

come

26. However, be not afraid of them. The Doctrine which you are to preach, is not such as that ye need through Fear to diffemble or conceal it, All things fhall in time be openly and publickly made known; and then your Innocence fhall be fully vindicated, and the Goodnefs of your Caufe fufficiently made to appear..

27. Whatever therefore I tell you. fecretly, do you openly declare, and what I teach you in private, That preach ye couragiously in the moft publick Places, and proclaim openly to all the World. 28. And be not afraid of Men; the

utmoft Power of whofe Malice can extend only to the killing of the Body, but your Soul they cannot hurt: But be careful above all things to obey the Will of God, who, if he be difpleafed, can deftroy both Soul and Body in Hell.

•

29. If ye be conftant in your Obedience to God, his Providence will watch over you in a peculiar manner; and Men hall never be able to afflict you any farther, than He fhall fee expedient either for your present Advan

4.

25. Ought not ye to be well fatisfied, if ye meet with no worse Treatment than I have done? If they have not fpared to call me Beelzebub, and comthe Son of God to the chief of pare Devils; what reason can ye have to expect, that they should not deal as ill with you?

not fall on the ground without your Father.

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbred.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many fparrows.

32 Whosoever therefore fhall confefs me before men, him will I confefs also before my Father which is in heaven.

33 But whofoever fhall deny me before men, him will I alfo deny before my Father which is in hea

yen.

34 Think not that I am come to fend peace on earth; I came not to fend peace, but a fword.

tage or your future Happiness. There is not one of the smallest and meanest Creatures upon Earth, that ever dies without the Providence and Difpofal of God: How much lefs can ye perish, without his Knowledge and Permiffion?

30. Nay, fo far from that; there is not fo much as a Hair of your Head, or any the smallest thing about you, which is not taken notice of and obferved by Providence.

31. Be not therefore afraid what Men can do unto you. Ye are of much more worth than the other Creatures upon Earth. And if nothing can happen even to the meaneft of thofe Creatures, without the Providence and Direction of God; how much lefs to you?

32. Here then is a certain trial of Mens Faith and Obedience. He who notwithstanding all the Terrors and Threatnings of Perfecution, shall still fincerely perfevere in his Obedience to God, and without Fear continue stedfaft in the Profeffion of true Religion; fhall be owned by me before God and Angels, as a worthy Difciple, and fhall receive the Reward of eternal Life.

but wicked Men will make it an occafion of Hatred and Quarrels.

35. Nay, to fuch a heighth will these Contentions upon the account of Religion arife, that a Man's nearest Friends and Relations fhall become his bittereft and moft cruel Enemies.

36. And even those of a Man's own Family, fhall hate and perfecute him to destroy him.

37. This is indeed a hard and fevere Trial. But when things do come to this extremity, that a Man must either lose the friendship of his dearest Relations, or forfake his Religion; all earthly and temporal Confiderations muft yield to the one thing neceffary, of fecuring an eternal Intereft. For whoever fhall prefer the Love of a Father, or Mother, or Brother, or Sifter, before true Religion and Virtue; cannot be a fincere Difciple of Chrift, nor be accounted worthy to be admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven.

38. And he that cannot follow me in bearing Sufferings, Afflictions, and Death; cannot be thought worthy to partake with me in my Glory.

39. So that the Cafe plainly comes to this. He who to fave his Life in this present time, bafely complies with wicked Men by forfaking his Religion; does moft truly lofe it by incurring eternal Death. But he that conftantly perfeveres, and lofes his Life in this present time, to preserve his Religion and his Virtue; does moft truly fave it unto eternal Happiness.

40. With thefe Inftructions, Go ye, and preach the Gofpel through all the Cities of the Jews. He that entertains and hears and obeys your you, Words, fhall be esteemed as if he re

me, receiveth him ceived me: And he that receives me, that fent me. fhall be accepted as if he had heard and obeyed the Words of God himfelf. 41. He that receives a Preacher of Righteoufnefs, merely upon the account of his bearing that Character; without any temporal Confideration; and fhall entertain, and encourage, and affift him; fhall be look'd upon to have an Intereft both in his Work and in his Reward. And he that shall entertain a righteous Man, merely upon the account of his being a righteous Man, without any other Confideration; fhall be entitled to a Share of his Reward.

41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, fhall receive a prophets reward; and he that receiveth a

righteous man, in the name of a righ teous man, fhall receive righteous

mans reward.

42 And whofoever fhall give to drink unto one of these little ones, a cup of cold water only, in the name of a difciple, verily I fay unto you, he shall in

no wife lose his reward.

CHA P. XI.

Chrift's Anfwer to John the Baptift's Queflion, who he was, ver. 1. Chrift's Testimony of John the Baptift, ver. 7. The Jews perverfeness in judging of John and Chrift, ver. 16. Chrift's upbraiding the Jewish Cities for their Impenitence, ver. 20. The Wisdom of God in revealing the Gofpel to the Simple, ver. 25. Chrift's Invitation of Sinners to embrace the Gospel, ver. 27.

1

A ND it came to pass when Jefus had made an end of comanding his twelve difciples,

I

42. And whofoever fhall do any the fmalleft Kindness, or give any the least Affiftance, to the meaneft of my Difciples, merely upon account of his being a Difciple, without any worldly Confiderations; Affuredly I tell you, he shall by no means go unrewarded.