In ancient times vast numbers of people, to obtain a simple crown of leaves, refused no toil, no pain, no trouble; nay, it even cost them nothing to die, and yet every one of them fought for a peradventure, not knowing whether he was to gain or to lose the prize.  God holds forth to us the immortal crown by which we may become partakers of His glory:  He does not mean us to fight at haphazard, but all of us have a promise of the prize for which we strive.  Have we any cause then to decline the struggle?  Do we think it has been said in vain that if we die with Jesus Christ we shall also live with Him?  Our triumph is prepared, and yet we do all we can to shun the combat.

But it is said that all we teach on this subject is repugnant to human judgment.  I confess it.  And hence when our Savior declares, “Blest are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matt, v., 10), He gives utterance to a sentiment which is not easily received in the world.  On the contrary, He wishes to account that as happiness which in the judgment of sense is misery.  We seem to ourselves miserable when God leaves us to be trampled upon by the tyranny and cruelty of our enemies; but the error is that we look not to the promises of God, which assure us that all will turn to our good.  We are cast down when we see the wicked stronger than we, and planting their foot on our throat; but such confusion should rather, as St. Paul says, cause us to lift up our heads.  Seeing we are too much disposed to amuse ourselves with present objects, God in permitting the good to be maltreated, and the wicked to have sway, shows by evident tokens that a day is coming on which all that is now in confusion will be reduced to order.  If the period seems distant, let us run to the remedy, and not flatter ourselves in our sin; for it is certain that we have no faith if we can not carry our views forward to the coming of Jesus Christ.

To leave no means which may be fitted to stimulate us unemployed, God sets before us promises on the one hand and threatenings on the other.  Do we feel that the promises have not sufficient influence, let us strengthen them by adding the threatenings.  It is true we must be perverse in the extreme not to put more faith in the promises of God, when the Lord Jesus says that He will own us as His before His Father, provided we confess Him before men. (Matt x., 32; Luke xii., 8.) What should prevent us from making the confession which He requires?  Let men do their utmost, they can not do worse than murder us! and will not the heavenly life compensate for this?  I do not here collect all the passages in Scripture which bear on this subject:  they are so often reiterated that we ought to be thoroughly satisfied with them.  When the struggle comes, if three or four passages do not suffice, a hundred surely ought to make us proof against all contrary temptations.