Wesley Corpus

"all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution." For there is an irreconcil able enmity, between the Spirit of Christ and the spirit of the world. If the followers of Christ " were of the world, the world would love its own : but, because they are not of the world, therefore the world hateth them." And this hatred they will not fail to show by their words ; " they will say all manner of evil against them falsely ;" they will find out many inventions whereby even " the good that is in them may be evil spoken of : " and in a thou sand instances " lay to their charge the ill that they know not." From words in due time they proceed to deeds ; treating the servant as their forefathers did their Master, wronging and despitefully using them in as many ways as fraud can invent, and force accomplish. It is true, these troubles sit heaviest upon those who are yet weak in the faith ; and the more of the Spirit of Christ any man gains, the lighter do they appear to him : so that to him who is truly renewed therein, who is full of the knowledge and love of God, all the wrongs of wicked men are not only no evils,