destroy it utterly by crushing it under foot. This, again, is what is meant by the ‘ smoking flax.' Anger in a heart has made it catch fire; the smoke is some insult offered to you by your neighbour in this angry state. Take great care not to quench the fire by violence. Listen to St Paul’s exhortation — ‘Not revenging yourselves, my dearly beloved, but give place unto wrath.’ [1] Let it smoke a little and go out of its own accord. Left to itself it will burn out, so do not stifle it; but let the smoke rise and lose itself vainly in the air, without annoying or even reaching you.
This is just what our Saviour does when He bears so many insults without bitterness. ‘ Thou hast a devil; ’ they say to Him. ' Who seeketh to kill thee? ’ [2] And He replies, unmoved, ‘ I have not a devil, but I honour my Father, and you dishonour me.’ [3] And on another occasion, when they reproach Him with the same thing: ‘ Are you angry at me because I have healed the whole man on the Sabbath day? ’ [4] Here, as you see, He does not extinguish the smoking flax, but leaves it to burn out, to see whether the unfortunate people, tired of covering so
