11. Nay, rather, _rejoice and be exceeding glad_, when men persecute you for his sake: when _they persecute_ you by _reviling_ you, and by _saying all manner of evil against you falsely_; (which they will not fail to mix with every kind of persecution; they must blacken you to excuse themselves.) _For so persecuted they the prophets which were before you_, those who were most eminently holy in heart and life; yea, and all the righteous which ever have been from the beginning of the world. Rejoice, because by this mark also, ye know unto whom ye belong. And because _great is your reward in heaven_: the reward purchased by the blood of the covenant, and freely bestowed in proportion to your sufferings, as well as to your holiness of heart and life. _Be exceeding glad_; knowing that _these light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work out for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory_.
12. Mean time, let no persecution turn you out of the way of lowliness and meekness, of love and beneficence. [76]_Ye have heard_ indeed _that it hath been said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth_. And your miserable teachers have hence allowed you to avenge yourselves, to return evil for evil.
_But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil_――Not thus; not by returning it in kind. _But_ (rather than do this) _whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain._
So invincible let thy meekness be. And be thy love suitable thereto. _Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away._ Only, give not away that which is another man’s, that which is not thine own. Therefore, 1. Take care to owe no man any thing. For what thou owest, is not thy own but another man’s. 2. Provide for those of thine own houshold. This also God hath required of thee: and what is necessary to sustain them in life and godliness, is also not thine own. Then, 3. Give or lend all that remains from day to day, or from year to year. Only first, seeing thou canst not give or lend to all, remember the houshold of faith.
13. The meekness and love we are to feel, the kindness we are to shew to them which persecute us for righteousness sake, our blessed Lord describes farther in the following verses. O that they were graven upon our hearts!