IV. Persevere with constancy —
[This I conceive to be the precise distinction which the Apostle intends between those nearly parallel expressions, " Quit yourselves like men ; be strong^." We are not to suppose that the opposition made to us will be of short con- tinuance. We shall experience it more or less to the very end of life ; and we must be prepared to meet it in its most terrific forms. Never are we to give way to fear or discourage- ment : never are we to " be weary or faint in our minds." No past trials, no impending calamities, should dishearten us. We should be prepared to say, as well in the prospect of future evils as in the remembrance of past, " None of these things move me; neither count I my life dear unto me, so that I may but finish my course with joy." When we read the long catalogue of sufferings which the Apostle underwent, we are amazed at his fortitude and perseverance^. But the same firm- ness is required of us: for " if any man turn back, my soul," says God, " shall have no pleasure in him." It is " he only who endures unto the end, that shall be eventually and eternally saved." " Be strong," therefore ; and especially " be strong, not in yourselves, but in the Lord, and in the power of his might :" and you need not fear but that " his grace shall be sufficient for you," and " your strength be augmented according to your day" of trial.]
But,
V. Let all be done under the influence of love —
[Christians are very prone to err in relation to this matter: they are ready to think, that zeal and courage constitute the whole of their duty ; and, in consequence of this mistake, they too frequently overlook the frame of their own minds, and indulge, without being aware of it, a spirit most offensive to God. Acrimony in opponents often begets a similar disposition in those who are opposed : and it may be hard to say, who are most in error, the bitter persecutors, or the indignant sufferers. Beloved brethren, I wish you to be particularly on your guard in relation to this matter. You are to " be gentle to all men ; and, in meekness, to instruct them that oppose themselves^;" " not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing ; but, con- trariwise, blessing." Our blessed Lord, and the first martyr, St. Stephen, prayed for their murderers, at the very moment that they were suffering all imaginable cruelties at their hands : and this is what you are to do ; as our Lord has said ; " Love your enemies : bless them that curse you ; and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you." To young
c K(>aTaiovaQt. f 2 Cor. xi. 23—28. § 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25.
c c 2