April 23 — On St. George

Consider, first, that we know little more of the particulars of St. George’s life, but that he was a Christian soldier, an illustrious martyr, and a glorious saint. He was a soldier; we all ought to be soldiers of Christ. In our baptism, we have declared a perpetual war with the world, with the flesh, and with the devil, as the mortal enemies of our great King, the King of kings, Jesus Christ, the mortal enemies of our true country, the heavenly Jerusalem; and the mortal enemies of our own dear souls; we have enlisted ourselves soldiers, in our confirmation, under the royal standard of the cross of Christ; and have obliged ourselves to bear him perMEOlTATlONb FOR petual allegiance, and fidelity. But have we fulfilled these engagements? Have we behaved ourselves as becomes the soldiers of Christ? Have we stood to our colours? Have we fought manfully the battles of our Lord? Or have we not rather deserted the cause? Have we not been rebels to our true King? Have we not changed sides, and preferred the following the standard of Satan, before that of Jesus Christ? O be confounded at your past disloyalties, and now, at least, return to your allegiance.

Consider, secondly, that St. George was a martyr; that is, a witness to the divinity of Christ, and to the truth of his doctrine, by choosing rather to lay down his life, by the worst of torments than to renounce Jesus Christ and his gospel. We are all obliged to be witnesses also to Jesus Christ and to his gospel, both by our profession and by our lives. We are all obliged to be in a constant disposition of suffering death itself rather than renounce our allegiance to Christ by wilful sin. We must all make our way to heaven through many tribulations and persecutions, in one shape or other; and so far we are all obliged to be martyrs. But, alas I how far are we from the dispositions of the martyrs, who suffered cheerfully all kinds of torments for the love of Christ, when we are so unwilling to suffer the least contradiction to our humour, or to part with any of our pleasures, for the love of him, and are quickly overcome with every slight temptation!

Consider, thirdly, that St. George, though living in the world, in a condition of life which one would think most opposite to sanctity, was, nevertheless, a glorious saint; to teach us that sanctity is consistent with every lawful calling, and that if we are not saints, the fault is not in the station of life in which Providence has placed us, but in our not corresponding with those graces which God daily offers us to sanctify us in our calling. It is the love of God and of our neighbours that makes saints; and the more perfect this love is, the more perfect saints. As, then, no lawful calling excludes the love, either of God or of our neighbours; so no lawful calling can hinder us from being even eminent saints, if we are truly desirous of it. The soldier that loves God better, is a greater saint than the monk that loves him less.

Conclude to aim, with all thy power, at this heavenly love, as St. George did; and he that crowned St. George will also crown thee. The best way to honour the saints of God, is to love and to imitate in them that which made them saints.