testimony of him, and that our conscience responds to us in good, as Peter
CHAPTER 5: Persecution Reproach and the Worlds Praise
testimony of him, and that our conscience responds to us in good, as Peter speaks of it: following also what is said by Paul in the other passage, that we be ready to hear evil, that is to say to be blamed, but that we do not fail to continue to do good: and yet, if men charge us, and we are like trampled, let us always go further, so as not to be an occasion of scandal, to procure the good: nevertheless let us always be ready to suffer such calumnies, to be condemned and repudiated. to remember. Now our Lord Jesus Christ offers us the prophets, he proposed them to his disciples: and now we have both the ones and the others. For if the persecutions had been new, and it would have been a thing previously unknown, to be blasphemed and dismissed for having purely served God: it is certain that this would have greatly shaken, even almost crushed, the most firm. let us know that it was nothing new or strange.
And this is why our Lord Jesus Christ highlights the prophets here: as if he were saying to his disciples, You are not better than the men who were so excellent, who were gifted with such great virtues, that God had raised them up like angels in this world. For the prophets represented the person of God: he had imprinted on them the mark of his majesty, so that we were forced to admire them. And yet how were they treated? They endured many outrages not only in their own person, but they were charged with blasphemy and insults, they were accused and held as mutineers and enemies of the church. As we read of Jeremiah, he was reproached that he only wanted to sow trouble and dissension among the people, that he was a traitor, and had intelligence with the enemies. On this he is put in prison, and the greatest outrages in the world are done to him. Here is also Isaiah who is put to death, in such a cruel way that nothing more. Some are whipped, others are like torn to pieces. Well, the prophets suffered this, because God had strengthened them. And why would you now seek a better condition? Now this example here (as I said) was very useful to the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that they would not give in when it was necessary to be exercised in such battles, when it was a question of underto hold assaults so harsh, that they always push past them. As also we see that Peter does the same with regard to doctrine. For we are exhorted by him to persist, even if there comes a diversity of opinions, and contradictory disputes arise, that the heretics deceive us, that they try to overturn everything, and confuse: well, then many are unsettled who are as if lost. But what? said Peter, Have you not heard of the ancient Testament of the church, that there have always been false prophets, who nevertheless claimed the name of God, and this title so sacred and honorable? and yet have the faithful therefore left the true religion? No. For