The Spirit of Persecution
THE spirit of persecution is characteristic of every false religion, and frequently the worst persecutors are those who claim to be the orthodox church of their time. It was the orthodox Jewish church, after it imbibed the principles of a false religion, that persecuted and finally put to death the Lord Jesus Christ, and treated His apostles in the same way. The professed Christian church itself, after it imbibed these principles of a false religion, became one of the bloodiest persecutors; and the records show that Protestants as well as Catholics have turned persecutor, and made their hands red with blood. If we are in a church that is driving us on to the place where we are ready to join in persecuting others, it is time for us to feel around for our foundations. We have departed from the position of genuine Christianity.