an assume. God's reward lies closed in all
well-doing: the doer of right grows better and humbler, and comes nearer
to God's heart as nearer to his likeness; grows more capable of God's
own blessedness, and of inheriting the kingdoms of heaven and earth. To
be made greater than one's fellows is the offered reward of hell, and
involves no greatness; to be made greater than one's self, is the divine
reward, and involves a real greatness. A man might be set above all his
fellows, to be but so much less than he was before; a man cannot be
raised a hair's-breadth above himself, without rising nearer to God. The
reward itself, then, is righteousness; and the man who was righteous for
the sake of such reward, knowing what it was, would be righteous for the
sake of righteousness,--which yet, however, would not be perfection.
But I must distinguish and divide no farther now.

The reward of mercy is not often of this world; the merciful do not
often receive mercy in return from their fellows; perhaps they do not
often receive much gratitude. None the less, being the children of their
father in heaven, will they go on to show mercy, even to their enemies.
They must give like God, and like God be blessed in giving.

There is a mercy that lies in the endeavour to share with others the
best things God has given: they who do so will be persecuted, and
reviled, and slandered, as well as thanked and loved and befriended. The
Lord not only promises the greatest possible reward; he tells his
disciples the worst they have to expect. He not only shows them the fair
countries to which they are bound; he tells them the truth of the rough
weather and the hardships of the way. He will not have them choose in
ignorance. At the same time he strengthens them to meet coming
difficulty, by instructing them in its real nature. All this is part of
his preparation of them for his work, for taking his yoke upon them, and
becoming fellow-labourers with him in his father's vineyard. They must
not imagine, because they are the servants of his father, that therefore
they shall find their work easy; they shall only find the reward great.
Neither will he have them fancy, when evil comes upon them, that
something unforeseen, unprovided for, has befallen them. It is just
then, on the contrary, that their reward comes nigh: when men revile
them and persecute them, then they may know that they are blessed. Their
suffering is ground for rejoicing, for exceeding gl