Chapter 9. The Third Means of Attaining the Kingdom of God.

THE third way pointed out by our Leader is this : " Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake ; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven/' (St. Matthew, ch. v. 10.) Truly admirable is the doctrine of Christ our teacher, which however is hiadon from the "wise" of this world. For who would have believed, unless God had said it, that it is a blessed thing to be poor, but rich in afflictions ? ^ And yet truly hath He spoken. Nothing is more calculated to acquire the true riches which merit the kingdom of heaven, than a mind free from all affection to money, and at the same time full of a desire to suffer for Christ. Hear our Lord in St. Luke : " Woe to you that are filled ; woe to you that are rich, for you have your consolation; woe to you that laugh?' (chap, vi.) And again in the same place : " Blessed are ye that hunger now, for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh. Blessed shall ye

be when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Be glad in that day and rejoice ; for behold, your reward is great in heaven/' (verses 21, 22, &c.) Hear what St. James says of riches and tribulations: "My brethren, count it all joy when you shall fall into divers temptations; knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience ; and patience hath a perfect work." (chap, i.) Here he does not say: Bear, endure, be patient; but, Rejoice, yea, "count it all your joy:" that is, receive your tribulation, not as an affliction, but as matter for great joy. On the other hand, he thus speaks of riches : " Go to, now, ye rich men, weep and howl in your miseries which shall come upon you:" and in the preceding chapter he adds : " Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep : let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sorrow." (ch. iy. 9.)

But whence is it, that persecution makes a man happy, which ought rather (one would suppose) make him miserable? Much could be said on this point : but I will make only one remark, that persecution is like a furnace of burning fire. And as fire pre pares our food, clears silver of its dross, and proves gold; so also does persecution, if patiently endured, prepare sinners for re ceiving grace ; it purges the imperfect, and proves the just, and thus all are wonderfully

benefited. A sinner is "raw flesh" as it were, which, unless it be properly cooked, is cast away as not fit to be eaten by man. For a sinner is full of bad humours — of the concupiscence of the flesh, which is Luxury: of the concupiscence of the eyes, which is Avarice : and of pride, which is Ambition. But if he pass through the furnace of perse cution, he is " cooked" in such a manner, as to be fit to be presented at the table of the Lord. When persecution or tribulation comes, then^we forget our passions, our avarice, ambition, &c. ; and we begin to be entirely different men. But a just man, though imperfect, and not subject to enor mous crimes, may yet be indulgent to his flesh, a lover of pleasure, a lover of gain, and of the vanities of the world. He is therefore like to silver full of much dross. But if the furnace of persecution should overtake him, and he bear it with patience, then the dross will gradually be separated from the silver ; he will begin to be recol lected, to meditate on heavenly things, to abstain from carnal desires ; in fine, to live justly, soberly, and piously in this world, and to expect that blessed hope, and the coming of the glory of the great God. I^astly, a man perfect in charity is gold ; but he has to be proved by the fire of persecution, lest others (and he himself) should suspect, that he was debased gold, not pure gold ; for when it is seen that he patiently endures the fire of persecution, not only is

lie acknowledged by others to be what he appears to be, but he himself also acquires a greater hope, and a more secure expectation of the kingdom of heaven. " Tribula tion," saith the Apostle, "worketh patience; and patience trial; and trial hope; and hope confoundeth not." (Epistle to the Romans, chap. v. 3, &c.) Thus God daily more and more^ exalts his friend that is proved by tribulation, till at length He brings him to a share of his kingdom^ and happiness. Behold what is the fruit of patience in affliction ! But it is strange to see how few make use of these advantages, although they are open to all. Affliction is everywhere to be found, everywhere to be met with — at home, on a journey, in the forum, in the temple, for in all places the wicked oppress the good. Wherefore, most true are the words of the Apostle: "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution." But we, delicate sol diers, either fly from this proving furnace, or when we have received an injury we throw it back on our adversary : so that we not only refuse to suffer persecution, but we even cause it. And those are to be found — a man's enemies of his own house hold — that applaud him who retaliates an injury, (as it is called,) and yet such people who despise the precepts of Christ, wish to be called Christians !