Sermon Tone Analysis

Overall tone of the sermon

This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.17UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.14UNLIKELY
Fear
0.63LIKELY
Joy
0.49UNLIKELY
Sadness
0.54LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.5LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.93LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.86LIKELY
Extraversion
0.05UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.58LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.64LIKELY

Tone of specific sentences

Tones
Emotion
Anger
Disgust
Fear
Joy
Sadness
Language
Analytical
Confident
Tentative
Social Tendencies
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Emotional Range
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
VERSES 16-42
All these verses relate to the sufferings of Christ’s ministers in their work, which they are here taught to expect, and prepare for; they are directed also how to bear them, and how to go on with their work in the midst of them.
This part of the sermon looks further than to their present mission; for we find not that they met with any great hardships or persecutions while Christ was with them, nor were they well able to bear them; but they are here forewarned of the troubles they should meet with, when after Christ’s resurrection, their commission should be /enlarged,/ and the kingdom of heaven, which was not /at hand,/ should be actually set up; they dreamed of nothing then, but outward pomp and power; but Christ tells them, they must expect greater sufferings than they were yet called to; that they should then be made prisoners, when they expected to be made princes.
It is good to be told what troubles we may hereafter meet with, that we may provide accordingly, and may not boast, as if we had put off the harness, when \\ we are yet but girding it on.
We have here intermixed, I. Predictions of trouble: and, II.
Prescriptions of \\ counsel and comfort, with reference to it.
I. We have here predictions of trouble; which the disciples should meet with in their work: Christ foresaw /their/ sufferings as well as his own, and yet will have them go on, as he went on himself; and he foretold them, not only that the troubles might not be a surprise to them, and so a shock to their faith, but that, \\ being the accomplishment of a prediction, they might be a confirmation to their faith.
He tells them what they should suffer, and from whom.
1. /What they should suffer:/ hard things to be sure; for, /Behold, I send you forth \\ as sheep in the midst of wolves,/ v. 16.
And what may a flock of poor, helpless, unguarded sheep expect, in the midst of a herd of ravenous wolves, but to be worried and torn?
Note, Wicked men are like wolves, in whose nature it is to devour and destroy.
God’s people, and especially his ministers, are like sheep among them, of a contrary nature and disposition, exposed to them, and commonly an easy prey to them.
It looked unkind in Christ to expose them to so much danger, who had left all to follow him; but he knew that the glory reserved for his sheep, when in the great day they shall be set on his right hand, would be a recompense sufficient for sufferings as well as services.
They are as /sheep \\ among wolves,/ that is frightful; but Christ sends them forth, that is comfortable; for he that sends them forth will protect them, and bear them out.
But that they might know the worst, he tells them particularly what they must expect.
(1.)
They must expect to be hated, v. 22. /Ye shall be hated for my name’s sake:/ \\ that is the root of all the rest, and a bitter root it is.
Note, Those whom Christ loves, the world hates; as whom the court blesses the country curses.
/If the world hated Christ without a cause/ (Jn.
15:25), no marvel if it hated those that bore his image and served his interests.
We hate what is nauseous, and they /are counted as the offscouring of all things,/ 1 Cor.
4:13.
We hate what is noxious, and they are counted /the troublers of the land/ (1 Ki. 18:17), and the tormentors of their neighbours, Rev. 11:10.
It is grievous to be /hated,/ and to be the object of so much ill-will, but it is /for thy name’s sake;/ which, as it speaks the true reason of the hatred, whatever is pretended, so it speaks comfort to them who are thus hated; it is for a good cause, and they have a good friend that shares with them in \\ it, and takes it to himself.
(2.)
They must expect to be apprehended and arraigned as malefactors.
Their restless malice is resistless malice, and they will not only attempt, but will prevail, to /deliver you up to the councils/ (v.
17, 18), to the bench of aldermen or justices, that take care of the public peace.
Note, A deal of mischief is often done to good men, under colour of law and justice.
In /the place of judgment there is wickedness,/ persecuting wickedness, Eccl.
3:16.
They must look for trouble, not only from inferior magistrates in the councils, but from governors and kings, the supreme magistrates.
To be brought before them, under such black representations as were commonly made of Christ’s disciples, was dreadful and dangerous; for /the wrath of a king is as the roaring of a lion./
We find this often \\ fulfilled in the /acts of the apostles./
(3.)
They must expect to be put to death (v.
21); /They shall deliver them to death,/ to death in state, with pomp and solemnity, when it shows itself most as /the king of terrors./
The malice of the enemies rages so high as to inflict this; it is /the blood of the saints/ that they thirst after: the faith and patience of the saints stand so firm as to expect this; /Neither count I my life dear to myself:/ the wisdom of Christ permits it, knowing how to make the blood of the martyrs /the seal of the truth,/ and /the seed of the church./
By this noble army’s not loving /their lives to the death,/ Satan has been vanquished, and the kingdom of Christ and its interests greatly advanced, Rev. 11:11.
They were put to death as criminals, so the \\ enemies meant it, but really as sacrifices (Phil.
2:17; 2 Tim.
4:6); as burnt offerings, sacrifices of acknowledgement to the honour of God, and in his truth and cause./
/
(4.)
They must expect, in the midst of these sufferings, to be branded with the most odious and ignominious names and characters that could be.
Persecutors would be ashamed in this world, if they did not first dress up those in bear-skins whom they thus bait, and represent them in such colours as may serve to justify such cruelties.
The blackest of all the ill characters they give them is here stated; they call them Beelzebub, the name of the prince of the devils, v. 25.
They represent them as ringleaders of the interest of the kingdom of darkness, and since every one thinks he hates the devil, thus they endeavour to make them odious to all mankind.
See, and be amazed to see, how this world is imposed upon: [1.] Satan’s sworn enemies are represented as his friends; the apostles, who pulled down the devil’s kingdom, were called devils.
Thus /men laid to their charge,/ not only /things which they knew not,/ but /things which they/ abhorred, and \\ were directly contrary to, and the reverse of.
[2.] Satan’s sworn servants would be thought to be his enemies, and they never more effectually do his work, than when they pretend to be fighting against him.
Many times they who themselves are nearest akin to the devil, are most apt to father others upon him; and those that paint him on others’ clothes have him reigning in their own hearts.
It is well there is a day coming, when (as it follows here, v. 26) that which is hid will be brought to light.
(5.)
These sufferings are here represented by a sword and division, v. 34, 35.
/Think not that I am come to send peace,/ temporal peace and outward prosperity; they thought Christ came to give all his followers wealth and power in the world; “no,” says Christ, “I did not come with a view to give them /peace; peace/ in heaven they may be sure of, but not /peace/ on earth.”
Christ came to give us /peace/ with God, /peace/ in our consciences, /peace/ with our brethren, but /in the world ye shall have tribulation./
Note, They mistake the design of the gospel, who think their profession of it will secure them from.
for it will certainly expose them to, trouble in this world.
If all the world would receive Christ, there would then follow a universal /peace,/ but while there are and will be so many that reject \\ him (and those not only /the children of this world,/ but /the seed of the serpent/), the children of God, that are called out of the world, must expect to feel the fruits of their enmity.
[1.] Look not for /peace, but a sword,/ Christ came to give /the sword of the word,/ with which his disciples fight against the world, and /conquering/ work this sword has made (Rev.
6:4; 19:21), and /the sword of persecution,/ with which the world fights against the disciples, being /cut to the heart/ with /the sword of the word/ (Acts 7:54), and tormented by the testimony of Christ’s witnesses (Rev.
11:10), and /cruel/ work this sword made.
Christ sent that gospel, which gives occasion for the drawing of this sword, and so may be said to send this sword; he orders his church into a suffering state for the trial and praise of his people’s graces, and /the filling up of the measure of their/ enemies’ sins.
[2.] Look not for /peace,/ but division (v.
35), /I am come to set men at variance./
This effect of the preaching of the gospel is not the fault of the gospel, but of those who do not receive it.
When some /believe the things that are spoken, and others believe them not,/ the faith of those that believe condemns those that believe not, and, therefore, they have an enmity against them that believe.
Note, the most violent and implacable feuds have ever been those that have arisen from difference in religion; no enmity like that of the persecutors, no resolution like that of the persecuted.
Thus Christ tells his disciples what they should suffer, and these were hard sayings; if they could bear these, they could bear any thing.
Note, Christ has dealt fairly and faithfully with us, in telling us the worst we can meet with in his service; and he would have us deal so with ourselves, in sitting down and counting the cost.
2. They are here told from whom, and by whom, they should suffer these hard things.
Surely hell itself must be let loose, and devils, those desperate and despairing spirits, that /have no part nor lot in/ the great salvation, must become incarnate, ere such spiteful enemies could be found to a doctrine, the substance of which was /good will toward men,/ and /the reconciling of the world to God;/ no, would you think it?
all this mischief arises to the preachers of the gospel, from those to whom they came to preach salvation.
Thus /the blood-thirsty hate the upright, but the just seek his soul/ (Prov.
29:10), and therefore heaven is so much opposed on earth, because earth is so much under the power of hell, Eph.
2:2.
These hard things Christ’s disciples must suffer,
(1.) From men (v.
17).
“/Beware of men;/ you will have need to stand upon your guard, even against those who are of the same nature with you”—such is the depravity and degeneracy of that nature (/homo homini lupus,—man is a wolf to man/), crafty and politic as men, but cruel and barbarous as beasts, and wholly divested of the thing called humanity.
Note, Persecuting rage and enmity turn men into brutes, into devils.
Paul at Ephesus fought with beasts in the shape of men, 1 Cor.
15:32.
It is a sad pass that the world is come to, when the best friends it has, have need to /beware of men./
It aggravates the troubles of Christ’s suffering servants, that they arise from those who /are bone of their bone,/ made of the same blood.
Persecutors are, in this respect, worse than beasts, that they prey upon those of their own kind: /Saevis// inter se convenit ursis—Even savage bears agree among themselves./
It is very grievous to have /men rise up against us/ (Ps.
124), from whom we might expect protection and sympathy; /men,/ and no more: mere /men; men,/ and not saints; /natural men/ (1 Cor.
2:14); /men of this world,/ Ps. 17:14.
Saints are more than /men,/ and are /redeemed from among men,/ and therefore are /hated by them./
The nature of man, if it be not sanctified, is the worst nature in the world next to that of devils.
/They are men,/ and therefore subordinate, dependent, dying creatures; /they are men,/ but /they are but men/ (Ps.
9:20), and /who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of a man that shall die?/ Isa.
51:12.
/Beware of the men,/ so Dr. Hammond; those you are \\ acquainted with, the men of the Jewish sanhedrim, which disallowed Christ, 1 Pet.
2:4.
(2.) From professing men, men that /have a form of godliness,/ and make a show of religion.
/They will scourge you in their synagogues,/ their places of meeting for the worship of God, and for the exercise of their church-discipline: so that they looked upon the scourging of Christ’s ministers to be a branch of their religion.
Paul was /five times scourged in the synagogues,/ 2 Cor.
11:24.
The Jews, under colour of zeal for Moses, were the most bitter persecutors of Christ and Christianity, and placed those outrages to the score of their religion.
Note, Christ’s disciples have suffered much from conscientious persecutors, that /scourge them in their synagogues,/ cast them out and kill them, and /think they do God good service/ (Jn.
16:2), and say, /Let the Lord be glorified,/ Isa.
66:5; Zec.
11:4, 5.
But the synagogue will be so far from consecrating the persecution, that the persecution, doubtless, profanes and desecrates the synagogue.
(3.) From great men, and men in authority.
The Jews did not only scourge them, which was the utmost their remaining power extended to, but when they could go no further themselves, they delivered them up to the Roman powers, as they did Christ, Jn. 18:30.
/Ye shall be brought before governors and kings/ (v.
18), who, having more power, are in a capacity of doing the more mischief.
/Governors and kings/ receive their power from Christ (Prov.
8:15), and should be his servants, and his church’s protectors and nursing-fathers, but they often use their power against him, and are rebels to Christ, and oppressors of his church.
/The kings of the earth/ set themselves against his kingdom, Ps. 2:1, 2; Acts 4:25, 26.
Note, It has often been the lot of good men to have great men for their enemies.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9