26. What, dearest brethren, will be that glory of those who labour charitably—how great and high the joy when the Lord begins to number His people, and, distributing to our merits and good works the promised rewards, to give heavenly things for earthly, eternal things for temporal, great things for small; to present us to the Father, to whom He has restored us by His sanctification; to bestow upon us immortality and eternity, to which He has renewed us by the quickening of His blood; to bring us anew to paradise, to open the kingdom of heaven, in the faith and truth of His promise! Let these things abide firmly in our perceptions, let them be understood with full faith, let them be loved with our whole heart, let them be purchased by the magnanimity of our increasing labours. An illustrious and divine thing, dearest brethren, is the saving labour of charity; a great comfort of believers, a wholesome guard of our security, a protection of hope, a safeguard of faith, a remedy for sin, a thing placed in the power of the doer, a thing both great and easy, a crown of peace without the risk of persecution; the true and greatest gift of God, needful for the weak, glorious for the strong, assisted by which the Christian accomplishes spiritual grace, deserves well of Christ the Judge, accounts God his debtor. For this palm of works of salvation let us gladly and readily strive; let us all, in the struggle of righteousness, run with God and Christ looking on; and let us who have already begun to be greater than this life and the world, slacken our course by no desire of this life and of this world.  If the day shall find us, whether it be the day of reward64    A more ancient reading seems to be, “of return” (scil. “reditionis”). or of persecution, furnished, if swift, if running in this contest of charity, the Lord will never fail of giving a reward for our merits: in peace He will give to us who conquer, a white crown for our labours; in persecution, He will accompany it with a purple one for our passion.

XXVI. Quae illa erit, fratres charissimi, operantium gloria, quam grandis est summa laetitia, cum populum suum Dominus coeperit recensere, et meritis atque operibus nostris praemia promissa contribuens, pro terrenis coelestia, pro temporalibus sempiterna, pro modicis magna praestare, offerre nos Patri, cui nos sua sanctificatione restituit, aeternitatem nobis immortalitatemque largiri, ad quam nos sanguinis sui vivificatione reparavit, reduces ad paradisum denuo facere, regna coelorum fide et veritate suae pollicitationis aperire! Haec haereant firmiter sensibus nostris, haec intelligantur plena fide, haec corde toto 0621B diligantur, haec indesinentium operum magnanimitate redimantur. Praeclara et divina res, fratres charissimi, salutaris operatio, solatium grande credentium, 0622A securitatis nostrae salubre praesidium, munimentum spei, tutela fidei, medela peccati , res posita in potestate facientis, res et grandis et facilis, sine periculo persecutionis, corona pacis, verum Dei munus et maximum, infirmis necessarium, fortibus gloriosum, quo Christianus adjutus perfert gratiam spiritalem, promeretur Christum judicem, Deum computat debitorem. Ad hanc operum salutarium palmam libenter ac prompte certemus, omnes in agone justitiae Deo et Christo spectante curramus; et qui saeculo et mundo majores esse jam coepimus, cursum nostrum nulla saeculi et mundi cupiditate tardemus. Si expeditos, si celeres, si in hoc operis agone currentes dies nos vel redditionis vel persecutionis invenerit, nusquam Dominus meritis nostris 0622B ad praemium deerit. In pace vincentibus coronam candidam pro operibus dabit, in persecutione purpuream pro passione geminabit.