Page:Spiritual Reflections for Every Day in the Year - Vol 3.pdf/172

 opposition of this kind. His enemies perverted His words, feigned themselves just men that they might entrap Him in His discourse, and construed Him into a transgressor because He did good on the Sabbath-day. Let not, then, the disciple expect to meet better treatment than His Lord. But, says the Psalmist, "When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell." So true is it that the man who digs a pit for his neighbour, shall fall into it himself, whilst the neighbour or friend intended to be injured, shall escape the snare, and be saved from the evil.

It is rather a singular expression, that the enemies of man "come upon him to eat up his flesh;" not that such evil dispositioned people could actually appropriate the material flesh of those whom they oppose, but that they wish to destroy and consume the virtue, the character, the reputation, thus the natural life, which, by an appropriate comparison, is likencd to "eating up the flesh." For all the malice, enmity, evil speaking, and falsehood of wicked men out of the church, or disorderly and mischievous men in the church, have no other design than to lessen the virtue, and disturb the peace of those who are the objects of their hatred and ill-will; therefore, "they come upon them to eat up their flesh," to despoil them of their natural character and reputation, thus to deprive them of life.

As followers of the great Redeeming Lord, calling ourselves by His name, let us avoid everything that would have the least tendency to injure our neighbour either as to his person or mind, his reputation or his usefulness. So far from indulging our pride, passions,