Then I may be not only the betrayer, but the betrayed. In my inner circle
there may be a friend who will play me false, and hand me over to the
wolves. What then? Just this--I must imitate the grace of my Lord, and
"consider Him."
There must be no violent retaliation. "_When He was reviled, He reviled
not again._" The fire of revenge may singe or even scorch my enemy, but it
will do far more damage to the furniture of my own soul. After every
indulgence in vengeful passion some precious personal possession has been
destroyed. The fact of the matter is, this fire cannot be kept burning
without making fuel of the priceless furnishings of the soul. "Heat not a
furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself."
There must be a serene committal of the soul to the strong keeping of the
Eternal God. "_He committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously._"
This is the way of peace, as this is the way of victory. If ever the enemy
is to be conquered this must be the mode of the conquest. When men
persecute us, let us rest more implicitly in our God.