The Persecuted and the Persecutors

“For there are those who have set about any course of action with honest purpose, keeping the fear of God always before their thoughts and holding an unwavering faith in him, and not letting present fears or dangers outweigh their hope of future blessings. Such people, though for a time they may have gone through painful trials, have borne their afflictions lightly, upheld by the belief that greater rewards were in store for them. And their character has gained a brighter luster in proportion to the severity of what they suffered. On the other hand, there are those who have either shamefully disregarded the principles of justice, or refused to acknowledge the Supreme God themselves, and yet have dared to subject others who faithfully kept up his worship to the cruelest insults and punishments. They have failed to see both their own wretchedness in oppressing others on such grounds and the happiness and blessedness of those who kept their devotion to God even in the midst of such sufferings. As for such men, I say, many a time their armies have been slaughtered, many a time they have been put to flight, and their preparations for war have ended in total ruin and defeat.