Selected from: Lachlan Mackenzie, “The Rev. Mr. Lachlan” of Lochcarron, Lectures, Sermons, and Writings of a Famous Highland Minister of the Old School (Inverness: James Campbell, 1928), pp. 321-339.
The Apostle Paul assures us that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. There seems to be a necessary connection between godliness and persecution. There is an enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. In the words of the text, persecution appears to be one of the great tribulations through which they pass. They all suffer persecution in some shape or other. The Apostle takes notice of cruel mocking. The greatest philosopher is not proof against bitter taunts and the severe shafts of ridicule. We know human nature. A brave man, who in the day of battle will go up to the mouth of a great gun, feels himself cut to the quick if he hears that a drunkard laughed him to scorn over his bowl, or ridiculed him for some natural defect which he could not help. Ridicule of any kind is severe, but ridicule for religion is still more severe. And if truth cannot find any subject for ridicule in his conduct or in his person, falsehood will never be at a loss to do both.
There is a common species of persecution to which godly clergymen and private Christians are liable, that if people cannot find anything to say against them, they call them weak men. If a private Christian worships God in his family, and leads a sober, honest, inoffensive life, he is a weak poor creature, but they believe he is honest and means well, though a perfect bigot.
If a clergyman preaches the peculiar doctrines of the gospel, this is enough to fix his character for a weak man; whereas, if another man should be such a blockhead as that he cannot divide his text into proper heads, he is scarcely taken notice of as a weak man, especially if he can play a hand at cards and take his share of the other bottle. But what is sure to excite the spirit of persecution is to appear against sin.
If Christians carry the spirit of religion as far as it will go, they must rebuke sin. If the sinner is rebuked, he becomes an enemy. And when he becomes an enemy, he will at last traduce and vilify the Christian for wishing well to his soul. Let no man suppose that the spirit of persecution is dead. The world is still the enemy of Christ; and the Christian world, as sure and perhaps as much as ever the pagan world was, is against him. It is not the spirit of persecution that is dead, it is only the spirit of Christianity.
There are many eulogies upon the present age for their liberal sentiments, in that none are persecuted for their religious opinions. But it may be asked, What will they persecute? Will they persecute people like themselves? Are not religious people just as worldly, as foolish, some as social as your carnal people? Will not a religious man in our days drink as many glasses, and talk as much idle discourse upon the Lord’s Day as other people? Do the religious people carry the spirit of religion into their dealings? Are they as religious over a glass as when hearing a sermon? Are they as religious when buying or selling as when they are saying their prayers? Does the purity of their lives correspond with the purity of their expressions? If not, why should people persecute them? Time was when the church was terrible like an army with banners. People were afraid of religious characters. They lived up to their professions. And if all the religious people did so in our days, they would find to their cost that persecution is not yet dead. The few that are truly religious suffer persecution, but they are so very scarce and so very obscure that the world does not think it worth their while to take great notice of them. And their hands are weakened when they find that people who have the name of being good men, are so dastardly that they are afraid to rebuke sin. Such a great man would be angry at them, and would not invite them to his table. Another great man promised his interest to his son or nephew – if the Christian rebukes him, he will not do for them.
When this is the spirit of our day, what would bring persecution upon us? The Christian who rebukes sin is a hot-headed enthusiast; the man who shuts his eyes and winks at sin is a worthy, good man, he is not one of your narrow bigots who send everybody to perdition but themselves.
It is said there is no persecution. We can prove the reverse when the spirit of Christianity shows itself. People are said to be very liberal in their pretensions; but if those liberal-minded people are told the danger of those sins which they live in, will they bear it patiently? They will not. They immediately persecute. If a Christian, by doing his duty, thwarts any of their favorite pursuits, what will be the consequence? That he shall feel their resentment. And if the spirit of Christianity were general in the professors of Christianity, persecution would revive again. A lion or a tiger may be tame enough till he gets something to provoke his rage. But the people of God, at death, are made free from all their troubles and persecutions; they shall enter into rest, and into the joy of their Lord; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
