e plain declarative texts. It is not meant by them that Christians
do not love sinners and can not be friends to them. Christ loved and died
for sinners. He visited them in their homes while here on earth, but never
did he approve of their sinful ways. He never participated with them in
anything that was worldly. He was not influenced by the world into any
spirit of worldly merriment. He loved the souls of men, but he did not
love the world. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from
sinners. Heb. 7:26. Christians, like Christ, love mankind, and are
friendly and treat with respect and kindness the sinner, but never
participate with him, nor become influenced in sinful, worldly ways. The
affections of the Christian are set on things above. Col. 3:1.

Persecutions.

In the early ministry of the Savior there is an intimation that the
righteous shall be persecuted. It is found in these words: "Blessed are
they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for
my sake." Mat. 5:10, 11. From whence may the righteous expect these
persecutions? We learned in the preceding subject that Christians were not
of the world. We learn also by the Scriptures that they are hated by the
world. Jesus was hated by the world because of the light of Christian
virtue and righteousness that shone through him. Those that glorify God by
reflecting the righteousness of Christ to the world will be regarded with
the same feeling. "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before
it hated you." John 15:18. In every age of the world, from the days of
Cain and Abel to the present, true Christians have been hated and
persecuted by the wicked, and especially by false worshipers.

We will farther quote the language of the Savior: "If ye were of the
world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world,
but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Remember the word I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his
Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they
have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will
they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent
me." John 15:19-21. When pretended worshipers of God are free from
persecutions for Christ's sake it is becaus