er, eternal condemnation, while we have an eternal,
incorruptible good, although we lose a small temporal blessing.

V. 14. _Blessed are ye if ye suffer for righteousness' sake._ Not
only, he says, can no one injure you if ye suffer for God's sake, but
blessed are ye also, and ye should rejoice that ye are to suffer, as
Christ also says in the sixth of Matthew: "Happy are ye when men
deride and persecute you for my sake, and speak every kind of evil
against you, falsely; rejoice, and be exceeding glad." Whoever then
apprehends this, that it is the Lord speaks such things, and so
tenderly speaks comfort to his heart, he stands well; but to whom
this does not bring strength, it makes him sad and complaining,--he
may well remain unstrengthened.

_But be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled, but sanctify
God in your hearts._ Here St. Peter quotes a passage from Isaiah
viii., where he says: "Be not afraid of their terror, nor be
frightened, but sanctify the Lord in your hearts, and let Him be your
fear and your dread." There we have a great support and reliance,
whereon we may trust, assured that no one can injure us. Let the
world terrify, defy and threaten as long as it will, it must have an
end, but our confidence and joy shall have no end; thus we shall have
no fear on account of the world, but shall be courageous, while
before God we shall humble ourselves and be afraid.

But how does St. Peter mean that we should sanctify God; how can we
sanctify Him; must He not sanctify us? Answer. So it is that we pray,
even in the _Our Father, hallowed be Thy name_, that we may sanctify
His name, as He Himself also sanctifies His name. Therefore it comes
to this: _in your hearts_, says St. Peter, ye are to sanctify Him;
that is, if the Lord our God appoints anything for us, be it good or
evil, bring it weal or woe, be it shame or honor, prosperity or
adversity, I am not only to consider it as good, but even as holy,
and say, this is nothing but a precious blessing that I am unworthy
of, that comes to me. So the prophet says, Ps. cxliv., "The Lord is
righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works." If I give God
praise in regard to such matters, and consider such doings good,
holy, and excellent, then I sanctify Him in my heart. But they who
scruple accounts, and complain that they are treated unjustly, and
say God sleeps, and will not help the just and restrain the unjust,
these dishonor Him, and account Him