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 done wickedly, but takes you into His favor and gives you--Eternal Salvation. Therefore let Him manage them; He will give a just reward. Of this we have an example in holy Job, when all his cattle and all his sons were slain, and his property was taken away; when he said, "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; as it was well pleasing to God, so has it been ordered, therefore praised be His name." And when his wife came, deriding him, and railed at him, and said: "See! what hast thou now, abiding in thine integrity? Curse God and die:" then he answered her--"Thou hast spoken like a foolish woman: are we to receive good at God's hands,--why should we not also receive evil from Him, for He hath done as it hath pleased Him? God hath given, and God hath taken away," he says; not God has given it, the devil hath taken it away, while yet it was the devil that did it. This man truly sanctified the Lord; therefore is he so highly praised and exalted of God. It follows, further: