About the year A.D. 167 in Asia Minor, persecution broke out against the Christians with great
violence, such as had never been before. Christianity was now treated as a direct crime against
the State and the Christians were sought for as common criminals. They were torn from their
homes by the violence of the people and subjected to the severest tortures. If they obstinately
refused to sacrifice to the gods, they were condemned. The wild beast, the cross, the stake, and
the axe were the cruel forms of death that met the Lord’s faithful V ones everywhere.

This period of great persecution bears a strong correspondence to the address in Revelation to the
church at Smyrna:"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write:These things saith the first
and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty ….
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer; behold the devil shall cast some of you into
prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life" (2:8-10). All their afflictions were known to the Lord,
measured by Him, and ever under His control. "Ye shall have tribulation ten days." The period
of their sufferings is exactly specified. And He speaks to them as one that had known the depths
of tribulation Himself. He had gone through the deepest sorrow, and through death itself_He had
died for them and was alive again. They had this blessed One to flee to in all their trials. And as
He looks on, and walks in the midst of His suffering ones, He says, "Be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life." Thus He holds in His hand the martyr’s crown, ready to
place it on the head of His faithful overcomer.

Let us now consider the historical account of the martyrdom of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna.

The behavior of the venerable Bishop of Smyrna, in view of his martyrdom, was most Christian
and noble in its bearing. He was prepared and ready for his persecutors without being rash or
imprudent. When he heard the shouts of the people demanding his death, it was his intention to
remain quietly in the city and await the issue which God might ordain for him. But, by the
entreaties of the other Christians, he allowed himself to be persuaded to take refuge in a
neighboring village. Here he spent the time with a few friends, occupied, night and day, in
praying for all the churches throughout the world. But his pursuers soon discovered his retreat.
When told that the public officers were at the door, he invited them in, ordered meat and drink
to be set before them, and requested that they would indulge him with one hour of quiet prayer.
But the fullness of his heart carried him through two hours. His devotions, age, and appearance
greatly affected the pagans. He must have been over ninety years of age.

The time being now come, he was conveyed to the city. The proconsul urged him to swear by the
genius of the emperor, and give proof of his penitence. But Polycarp was calm and firm with his
eyes uplifted to Heaven. The proconsul again urged him, saying, "Revile Christ, and I will release
thee." The old man now replied, "Six and eighty years have I served Him, and He has done me
nothing but good; and how could I revile Him, my Lord and Saviour?" The governor, finding that
both promises and threatenings were in vain, caused it to be proclaimed by the herald in the
circus, "Polycarp has declared himself to be a Christian." The heathen populace, with an
infuriated shout, replied, "This is the teacher of atheism, the father of the Christians, the enemy

of our gods, by whom so many have been turned away from offering sacrifices." The governor
then yielded to the demands of the people that Polycarp should die at the stake. As they were
about to fasten him with nails to the stake, he said, "Leave me thus:He who has strengthened me
to encounter the flames will also enable me to stand firm at the stake." Before the fire was lighted
he prayed, "Lord, Almighty God, Father of Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, through whom we
have received from Thee the knowledge of Thyself; God of angels, and of the whole creation; of
the human race, and of the just that live in Thy presence; I praise Thee that Thou hast judged me
worthy of this day and of this hour, to take part in the number of Thy witnesses, in the cup of Thy
Christ."

The fire was now kindled, but the flames played around the body, forming the appearance of a
sail filled with wind. The superstitious Romans, fearing that the fire would not consume him,
plunged a spear into his side, and Polycarp was crowned with victory.

The Lord greatly blessed the Christ-like way in which Polycarp suffered for the good of the
Church. The rage of the people cooled down, as if satisfied with revenge; their thirst for blood
seemed quenched for the time. The proconsul, too, wearied with such slaughter, refused to have
any more Christians brought before his tribunal. How manifest is the hand of the Lord in this
wonderful and sudden change! He had limited the days of their tribulation before they were cast
into the furnace, and now they were accomplished; and no power on earth or in hell could prolong
them another hour. Many were faithful unto death and received the crown of life.

(From Short Papers on Church History.)

"Bless them which persecute you:bless, and curse not…. Recompense to no man evil for evil….
Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I
will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink;
for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil» but overcome
evil with good" (Rom. 12:14,17,19-21).

The Christian’s whole life and ways are to be characterized by blessing, not cursing. This precept
carries us far beyond the power of nature. And it is only in proportion to the Christian’s
conformity to the good and perfect will of God that he is enabled to manifest this practical grace
toward his enemies; He has been exhorted to the exercise of love and benevolence among his
brethren in Christ; but now he must go a step further and bless, and never curse, even his enemies
who are persecuting him. To possess this spirit and to practice this precept is to-be a heaven-born
child of God. "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully Use you, and persecute you; that ye may be
the children of your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:44,45). This is surely a noble calling for
the Christian. He is a child of the ever blessed God; he is blessed with all spiritual blessings; his
present and future are unmingled blessing; and he is called while here to imitate his heavenly
Father in returning blessing for cursing.

”Bless, and curse not." The repetition of the precept adds greatly to its divine energy and
importance. It is the peculiar privilege of the Christian to pray for all men_friends and enemies.
God has given him this place of honor here_to bless others by means of his prayers. He should
be like a vessel from which flow the precious blessings of Christ to the enriching of many around
him. So far from wishing or praying that evil may overtake our persecutors, we must sincerely
pray to the Lord to pardon and bless them. Nature would return evil for evil and cherish vindictive
feelings; but grace says, following the example of the blessed Lord and His martyr Stephen,
"Father, forgive them, for they know not f what they do."

"Recompense to no man evil for evil." The apostle now forbids the smallest indulgence in a
contrary spirit toward anyone. Nothing is more natural to man than to return evil for evil. It has
been observed that those of the most indolent and passive dispositions may be aroused to the
strongest feelings of revenge under the sense of injuries, real or supposed. This is the old nature,
not the new; law, not grace; the first, not the last Adam. But whose are we? Whom do we follow?
Which is it, law or grace? The Christian is called to be a witness, not of the first, but of the
second Man; not of law, but of grace. He is to be the witness of grace for His absent Lord hi this
selfish, self-seeking world. If he falls from the exercise of this Christian virtue, he may be
ensnared by the enemy to show a spirit of revenge and retaliation.

How lovely, how heavenly, are the ways of grace! And oh, how contrary are the offensive,
contemptible ways of wretched self! May we seek to be like Him, "Who, when He was reviled,
reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that
judgeth righteously; who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being
dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:by whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Peter 2:23, 24).

Did He bear my sins in His own body on the tree? Did He die for me and put them all away? And
shall I, who have been freely forgiven ten thousand talents, unmercifully insist on the last farthing
being paid of the hundred pence owing to me by my fellow servant? Could anything be more
unseemly in the eyes of heaven? But surely, you will say, none who know Christ could ever
cherish this spirit; none who are walking in the light and the joy of His presence. But if we are
not living in the enjoyment of this grace ourselves, we shall be but poor witnesses of it to others.
Nothing short of living, abiding, daily communion with the blessed Lord and His grace will keep
us above the temptations of making everything minister to the aggrandizement of self.

"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written,
Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." This is a kindred precept to the previous
injunction not to render evil for evil. The Christian, under any provocation, must never avenge
himself; we must leave that matter to God who, in His own good time, will certainly avenge His
"dearly beloved." Nothing can be more touching and beautiful than these terms of endearment.
Just when provoked and excited to retaliation by wicked and unreasonable men, the voice of
tenderest love is heard rising above the strife of human passions:"Retire from the scene; give
place to My government because of the injury you have received; it is My prerogative to punish."
See Deut. 32:35.

The knowledge that God is the avenger of His people’s wrongs is not intended to awaken in our
hearts the smallest desire that the divine vengeance should overtake our enemies. This we must
watch against as a secret desire, for we are prone to count on the divine vengeance falling on those
who have injured us. This must be guarded against; it is natural to us and borders on the principles
of the world. It is a most unhappy thing to be dwelling, either in our own minds or in conversation
with others, on the injuries_supposed or real_which we have received. How much happier to
forget them and commit ourselves and all our affairs into the hands of the Lord. See Prov.
24:17,18.

"Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink." The true Christian,
notwithstanding his inoffensive walk, may have enemies, but he must not be the enemy of any
man. Such is his position of grace in this world. He is called by the loftiest motives to be the true
friend of all mankind. Instead of being his own avenger, he bends before the storm, looking to
God, and seeks to render good service to his enemy in his need and distress. He not only abstains
from vengeance, he manifests love. How truly sublime is the standard of the grace of God for His
children’s ways! He returns good for evil, kindness for injury, blessing for cursing. The
expressions, feed him and give him drink, are figurative of all the duties of benevolence. By these
means he seeks to conquer the enmity of his persecutors and even change them into his friends.

"For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." Among the many interpretations which
have been given to this somewhat difficult passage, we accept the one most generally received,
and which best suits the whole context. To heap coals of fire on an enemy’s head is to care for
him, feast him, and treat him kindly, as the most effectual means of subduing him, of melting him
down. Who ever conquered an enemy’s heart by revenge? How many, rather, have been
conquered by love? What was it that dissolved the hardness of our unyielding hearts? A Saviour’s
love. Few hearts are so hard as not to melt under the energy of patient, self-denying, burning

love. If your enemy will not recompense you for all the good done to him, do not concern yourself
with that. The Lord shall reward you. The God of love will honor His own image in His own
children.

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." This short verse should be the
Christian’s motto through life. How beautiful, how heavenly, how unselfish, how Christ-like,
when displayed in all its practical effects on the many details of real life! How God-like, who
overcame all our evil with His good in Christ our Lord!

The burden of this beautiful chapter of precepts is plain. We are never to conquer evil by evil, but
to treat our enemies with kindness. In the world we shall often have to experience evil in some
form, but we must never allow ourselves to be provoked to the indulgence of a spirit of retaliation.
The first display of temper is a defeat; the enemy has gained a victory. Men in general suppose
that to resent an injury is only to show a proper spirit. But the Christian’s rule is Christ; not to be
overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good.

(From Meditations on Christian Devotedness from Romans 12.)

"Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever
will lose his life for My sake shall find it" (Matt. 16:24,25).

Our Lord turns to the disciples and puts before them that not merely is He going to the cross, but
they must be prepared to follow Hun there. If I am to be in the true path of Jesus, I must deny
myself and take up the cross and follow_not the disciples, not this church or that church, but_
Jesus Himself. I must turn from what is pleasing to my heart naturally. I must meet with shame
and rejection in this present evil world. If not, depend upon it, I am not following Jesus. And
remember, it is a dangerous thing to believe in Jesus without following Him. Following Jesus may
be like losing one’s life. At the present time much confession of Christ is, comparatively, an easy
matter. There is little opposition or persecution. People imagine that the world is changed; they
talk of progress and enlightenment. The truth is, Christians are changed. Let us ask ourselves
whether we desire to be found taking up our cross and following Jesus.

The flesh easily assumes superiority over the spirit; and indulgence to the path of ease comes in
(though of Satan) under the plea of love and kindness. Is the cross of Christ our glory? Are we
willing to suffer in doing His will? What a delusion is present honor and enjoyment!

(From Lectures on the Gospel of Matthew.)

How very solemn is the thought that the Son of God was found in this world as a sufferer. Well
He knew the path that lay before Him before He came into the manger:every pang, every sorrow,
every painful circumstance, every trial. All that came out in His path, all that the cross involved,
was known; yet He came, a Man of Sorrows, to suffer in this world. His sufferings are told out
prophetically in the Old Testament Scriptures, the Spirit of Christ breathing out the deep feelings
of the heart of Christ in language that speaks of depths into which the soul of man cannot enter.
But we can contemplate in some feeble way the sufferings of the Christ, realizing in our spirits
that we are on holy ground. And as we thus meditate a solemn stillness holds the heart, and the
spirit bows in worship before God and His blessed Son.

The apostle Peter touches this precious subject in each chapter of his first Epistle, telling us in
Chapter 1 that the prophets of old searched in their own writings to discover the meaning of what
the Spirit of Christ wrote by them of the sufferings which belonged to Christ, and the glories after
these. It is not difficult to realize that David could not enter into the real meaning of Psalms 22
and 69 which he wrote by the Holy Spirit, or Isaiah know the enigmas of his 53rd chapter. Yet
how blessedly do these and other Scriptures of the prophets tell of the suffering Messiah and of
the glories that should follow His path of suffering. The salvation and the grace of God toward
us are bound up in the sufferings and glory of Christ. Not one soul could ever have known
salvation apart from those holy sufferings. He must endure the divine wrath, and cry from the
depths of His soul, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me," before we could escape
from that dread judgment that our sins merited. But how blessed that by faith we now have the
assurance of the salvation of our souls as the fruit of the travail of His soul.

But we have been called to a path of suffering in this world, and Christ is brought before us as a
model in 1 Peter 2:21. It is not long before the faithful Christian realizes that the path of God’s
will for him is not an easy one. If the eye is fixed upon the Lord, the path will be simple but full
of trials; and in these trials he will find that for conscience’ sake toward God he will need to
endure griefs, suffering unjustly. This is the path that our blessed Lord trod. How He suffered
unjustly at the hands of sinners! What a path of grief was His! But it is acceptable with God if we
follow in the steps of Jesus, suffering for righteousness’ sake, enduring suffering for the good we
do. There is ever the danger of our rebelling against the wrong done to us when conscious that
it is for good which we have done, not for ill; and for this the blessed Lord is brought before us
as a model. Whenever a rebellious thought or feeling would rise within our breast, let us think of
Him. Perfection was with Him "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth; who, when
He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself
to Him that judgeth righteously." What an example for us! Alas! how little have we followed Him.
The trouble with us is that even in our good there is something of the flesh mixed with it, and in
our suffering there is something of the chastening of God because of the flesh. And the measure
of the flesh connected with the good will determine the measure of our resentment of the reviling
and the suffering. But how blessed to have a perfect example and a perfect object upon which to
rest the eye and the heart in passing through the scene and circumstances of trial. But if there were
the sufferings of the path in which Christ is an example for His own, the Spirit of God would have
us realize that there was also the suffering in which we could have no part, except that our sins

made those sufferings necessary- "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree"
(verse 24). The sufferings of the cross were for our sins:yours and mine.

Again the sufferings of Christ are brought in in connection with the path of the saints (Chapter
3:16-18). We live in a world where men slander the Christian manner of life, speaking evil against
those who follow in the steps of the Lord Jesus. But it is better, if such be the will of God, that
we suffer for well-doing rather than for evil-doing. Then we see the extent to which Christ went:
He not only suffered in the cause of righteousness, for well-doing, but He suffered for the sins of
others. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (verse 18). He was our
Substitute; in love He bore the judgment we merited, and now we know what it is to be brought
to God. The contemplation of such suffering love will surely make it easier for us to suffer for
well-doing in this poor world.

"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same
mind:for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the
rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God" (Chapter 4:1,2). Christ’s
whole course down here was one of suffering; suffering in His holy nature as passing through a
world of sin; suffering the contradiction of sinners against Himself in the conflict of good against
evil; suffering because He chose the will of God rather than the alleviation His divine power could
procure (as in the wilderness when He refused to satisfy His hunger because He had no word from
God); suffering as learning obedience; suffering as taking upon His own spirit what He relieved
in others:"Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses" (Matt. 8:17). But all this
suffering ended for Him in the dread sufferings of the cross, where He died in the conflict of good
against evil, resisting unto blood; where He gave Himself to secure the glory of God in relation
to sin, and for us. What is our attitude toward suffering? Are we prepared to suffer rather than
to gratify the desires of the flesh? If we suffer rather than give way to sin we have the attitude of
mind in which we can do the will of God. The armor against sin is in the mind that is prepared
to suffer rather than yield to temptation; and Christ manifested this in perfection.

There are not only the sufferings of the pathway, in the normal walk of life, but there are also
times of persecution when the saints of God are tried in the fire. Christ also had to suffer this,
even to death. Here indeed are the martyr sufferings in which the Christian can have part (Chapter
4:13). How must the blessed Son of God have suffered to see men take Him to the brow of the
hill to cast Him headlong down; to see them take up stones to cast at Him. And see how they
constantly beset His steps, sending officers to take Him, trying to catch Him in His words; and
at last covenanting with Judas to betray Him, and heaping every dishonor upon Him before
handing Him over to the shameful death of the cross. If we are privileged to share His martyr
sufferings we are to rejoice, because "when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy" (Chapter 4:13). Paul desired the fellowship of His sufferings, even to be
conformed to His death_to die as a martyr, seeing His Master had done so. Peter too was to have
this privilege, even as the Lord had predicted, "When thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth
thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not" (John 21:18).
In old age Peter was to die with outstretched hands, like His Master, upon a cross. This was not
a way in which nature could delight. Yet, through grace, it was a way that Peter could rejoice in,

and a way that we can rejoice in through the divine nature.

At the beginning Peter speaks of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow; now at
the close, in exhorting the elders, he speaks of himself as "a witness of the sufferings of Christ,
and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed" (Chapter 5:1). No doubt Peter had suffered
much, but he will not speak of this; rather does he speak of the sufferings of Christ that he had
witnessed. What were his sufferings compared with the sufferings of the Christ that he had
witnessed? But he would indeed partake of the glory about to be revealed. And this is God’s grace
for us also. Who among us can speak at all of suffering when we think of the suffering of the
Christ? But we can exult in the glory that we shall surely share, and this because of Christ’s
sufferings for us.

In Chapter 1, then, we are introduced to a Christ who suffered; in Chapter 2, we see that if we
have to suffer unjustly, Christ is our model; in Chapter 3, if we have to suffer for well-doing,
Christ went much further, suffering for sins and for sinners; in Chapter 4:1, we are to be prepared
to suffer in the flesh so as to do God’s will, as Christ did in perfection; in Chapter 4:13, if we are
called upon to pass through persecution, it is to share in the martyr sufferings of Christ; in Chapter
5, we shall partake of the glory because of Christ’s sufferings. In the light of these solemn and
precious portions of Scripture we do well to meditate upon this wonderful subject, so that we may
come out more like our blessed Master in the world out of which He has gone, joining with the
writer to say, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Hun be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

(From An Outline of Sound Words, Number 25.)

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner
of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:for great is your reward
in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matt. 5:10-12).

So far we have seen in the beatitudes chiefly the character Of God’s children; now we turn to
meditate for a little on their position in an evil world. The moral character of those who belong
to Christ must necessarily arouse the spirit of persecution, and expose them to trial, until the
kingdom of heaven is set up in power and glory. Had no special blessing been pronounced on this
condition of things, the disciples might have been ready to say that their state was anything but
blessed. But this would have been the natural, not the spiritual, way of thinking; walking by sight,
not by faith. Surely much unbelief still lurks in the hearts of believers! But oh, the grace, the rich
and abounding grace, of our Lord Jesus! He pronounces those twice blessed who are exposed to
persecution from the world. This completes the beautiful picture of His people’s character and
condition, and adds great interest and fulness to every circumstance of their position while the
kingdom is in abeyance.

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven." This must have been a strange language to those who were looking for outward glory,
or a reign of peace, a paradise on earth. But the Lord plainly sets before His disciples what their
new position would be in this world, and the more distinct their likeness to Himself, the heavier
would be their persecutions. But He especially refers, in this beatitude in verse 10, to the
righteousness which brings persecution in this life. For example, a Christian who is walking with
the Lord fears to do what is wrong and desires to do what is right; he seeks to maintain a
conscience void of offence toward God and toward man. This is the breastplate of righteousness.
But he is offered, perhaps, a promotion in his position if he will agree to do something which he
fears not to be right. The offer may be a tempting one and he is needy. But no, he waits on the
Lord; he brings the matter before Him; light shines, the tempter’s object is seen, and he positively
refuses; righteousness prevails, but he suffers for it. He is misunderstood, is called foolish, or it
may be fanatic, and madman. He not only loses what was offered but what he had; he is of no use;
he loses his job. Still he can say, "My present loss, under the righteous government of God, will
prove my eternal gain." He has a clear conscience, a happy heart; he is drawn closer to the Lord
in dependence on Him. "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven." When the king returns from the far country and calls His own servants
around Him, it will be wonderful to hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into
the joy of thy Lord" (Matt. 25:21).

Here let us pause a little. Let us consider carefully the many ways in which we may be faithful
or unfaithful. Are there not many shades of practical unrighteousness in the affairs of this life? But
they must all be flight up against and measured by a righteous standard. How solemn, though how
blessed the thought, of being manifested before the tribunal of Christ_of having every thought,
word, and act brought into the light, examined and estimated there. Do we expect to hear Him

say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant"? I do not press for an answer, but let your heart
answer to Him. Be manifested before Him now; seek to do the whole will of God in all things and
during all your earthly days. Considering what the Lord has said about our blessings here, what
must it be hereafter, when He will have everything His own way, and when every blessedness
shall have its full and everlasting reflection in us! May we, then, fear to sin, even though we may
have to suffer for it.

We come now to the closing beatitude of the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake."
The promised blessing to the sufferers for Christ’s sake has some sweet and precious peculiarities
in it. And note that this promise is very personal. "Blessed are ye" rather than the abstract,
"Blessed are they." He is looking at the disciples around Him and, knowing what they would have
to pass through, He speaks directly to their hearts and gives them to feel His personal interest in
them and their personal nearness to Himself. This must always be the case when we suffer for His
name’s sake. This is a much higher thing than suffering for righteousness’ sake, though the two
may often go together. Many an upright mind has suffered for righteousness’ sake, who knew not
the Saviour’s love or His saving grace. Naturally upright, they would not stoop to deceive, and
suffered for it. Even natural uprightness is too straight for the crooked ways of this sad, deceitful
world. Oh, how difficult and trying is the path of the Christian in the midst of it all! He must live
and walk by the Word of the Lord and in communion with Him if he would be preserved from
a defiled conscience and a feeble testimony.

Suffering for Christ’s sake is the result of speaking about Him to others. Not merely giving a
decided no when we are asked or enticed to do what is wrong, but having an earnest heart that
watches every opportunity to speak about the blessed Lord and salvation, even, if possible, to
those who would put difficulties in our way. There are always plenty of worldly-wise Christians
near us to check zeal and hinder faithfulness by what passes under the fair name of prudence.

‘ There is a time and place for everything,” it may be suggested, "and there is no use in offending
others, losing your influence, and throwing away your prospects for life. Surely we are not called
upon to be always speaking about Christ and the gospel; you may cause your good to be evil
spoken of." Such fair speeches and plausible reasons may come from the lips of some lukewarm
Christian or mere professor of Christianity; and thus these people may, at least for a time, be
doing the enemy’s work. The voice is the enemy’s, regardless of whose lips have uttered the
words. We are certain it is not the voice of Jesus; His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.

When Christ is precious to our hearts, such reasonings have no power. We see Him to be worth
infinitely more than all that the world can do or give. The fair words of prudence fall to the
ground; grace triumphs. Christ is before the soul; He commands all its energy; His love inspires
the tongue; the lips cannot be refrained; His name burns in our hearts, it burns in our words, and
we long for it to burn in the hearts and on the lips of others.

In the proportion that Christ is before the soul, in the proportion that He commands it, in that
proportion will be our faithfulness and our sufferings. It may not be bodily suffering or even
worldly loss; but a very narrow path will be left for such to walk in, and a wide path of rejection.

Save for those who are in the same narrow way, such an one would be alone and despised in the
world. You may speak of religion in a general way, of preachers, of churches, of missions to the
heathen, of societies for doing good, and be popular; but speak of the Lord Himself, of His
precious blood, of the full assurance of salvation, of oneness with Hun in heaven, of separation
from the world, of standing apart from all its shows and entertainments, and you will rapidly
reduce the number of your friends. And as far as the enemy can gain power, you will be reviled
and persecuted for His name’s sake. It may be nothing more than cold rejection, a contemptuous
sneer, but the same spirit would lay the fagots and silence the witness in the flames of martyrdom.
Who were the most implacable enemies of the Lord and His servant Paul? The most religious men
in Israel. Is the world or human nature changed? We believe not.

But all this was anticipated by the blessed Lord, and graciously provided for. He thinks of
everything. The saints are never dearer to His heart than when despised and suffering for His
sake. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of
evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:for great is your reward
in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Should they suffer unto
death, heaven will be their immediate home. "Great is your reward in heaven." And they will also
have the honor of following in the footsteps of those who suffered as the heralds of His
coming_who testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

The Lord grant that our meditations on these beautiful beatitudes may leave an indelible
impression of the Saviour’s character on the whole life of both the writer and the reader.

"If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the
same shall save it" (Luke 9:23,24).

Denial of self is quite different from self-denial. Thousands have denied themselves food or things
they enjoyed immensely for the sake of their health or life. But this is not a denial of self. In early
centuries of Church history men sometimes lived in seclusion on the barest of diets_and still
found there had been no denial of self. To deny self is to put Christ on the throne of one’s life,
to make His will the governing factor, to constantly live in the spirit of "not I, but Christ" (Gal.
2:20).

"Let him … take up his cross daily"_this is the trial. A man might heroically do it once for all,
and he would have plenty of people to honor him, but it is very difficult to go on every day
denying oneself and no one knowing anything about it. But if you spare the flesh in this life, you
will lose your life in the next. If you lose your life here, you will get it elsewhere, above and
beyond this world.