If thou hast God's
grace in thy heart; if thou lovest what is right with the true love,
which is the Spirit of God, then thou wilt never stop to ask, "Will
it pay me to do right?" Thou wilt feel that the right thou must do,
whether it pays thee or not; still loving the right, and cleaving
steadfastly to the right, through disappointment, poverty, shame,
trouble, death itself, if need be: if only thou canst keep a
conscience void of offence toward God and man.'
'But shall I have no reward?' asks a man, 'for doing right? Am I to
give up a hundred pleasant things for conscience' sake, and get
nothing in return?' Yes: there is a reward for righteousness, even
in this life. God repays those who make sacrifices for conscience'
sake, I verily believe, in most cases, a hundred fold in this life.
In this life it stands true, that he who loses his life shall save
it; that he who goes through the world with a single eye to duty,
without selfishness, without vanity, without ambition, careless
whether he be laughed at, careless whether he be ill-used, provided
only his conscience acquits him, and God's approving smile is on him-
-in this life it stands true that that man is the happiest man after
all; that that man is the most prosperous man after all; that, like
Christ, when he was doing his Father's work, he has meat to eat and
strengthen him in his life's journey, which the world knows not of.
Pages:
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192