neither just nor holy. But
whoever is a Christian, should attribute righteousness to God and
unrighteousness to himself--should account God holy and himself
unholy, and say that He in all His deeds and works is holy and just;
this is what he requires. So also speaks the prophet Daniel, iii.: "O
Lord, in all that Thou hast done towards us, hast Thou done in
accordance with right and true judgment. For we have sinned;
therefore be the shame ours, but the honor and the praise Thine." If
we sing, _Deo gratias_, and _Te Deum laudamus_, and say, God be
praised and blessed, when misfortune overtakes us, that is called by
Peter and Isaiah a true hallowing of the Lord. But He does not by
this require that you should say that he has done right and well who
has injured you, for it is an entirely different judgment between God
and me, and between me and thee. I may have within me anger, hatred,
and wicked lusts, whereby I intend your damage, while you are yet
still uninjured, and have nothing against me; but in God's sight I am
unjust,--therefore He does right if He punishes me; I have well
deserved it. If he does not punish me in that case, He shows me
favor, and thus is right in every way. But it does not therefore
follow, that he does right who persecutes me, for I have not done
injustice to him as I have done in the sight of God. If God sends the
devil or wicked people upon you to punish you, He uses them to this
end, that they may execute His righteousness; so wicked wretches and
injustice itself become a blessing.

So we read in Ezekiel, xxix., of King Nebuchadnezzar, where God says
by the prophet, "Knowest thou not that he is My servant, and has
served Me?" Now, says he, "I must give him his hire, I have not paid
him as yet; well, then, I will give him Egypt, and that shall be his
hire." The king had no right to the land, but God had a right to it,
so that He might punish it through him; for, in order that even
wicked wretches might serve Him, and eat not their bread in vain, He
gives them enough, lets them serve Him even to this end, that they
persecute His saints. Here reason is at fault, and thinks He does
well and right when He remunerates them only here; gives them much
land, and does it simply for this, to make them His executioners, and
persecutors of pious Christians.

But when you endure and sanctify God, and say, _Just Lord_, then you
do well, while He casts them into hell and punishes them because they
have do