since God will see to this; and that His ordinary course is never to let those who trust in Him want for anything. But here He leads us higher. For, after all, if you should come to need bread, what then? You would still have ‘ a kingdom.’ And what Kingdom? God’s own. ‘ Fear not, little flock, for God will give you His Kingdom.’ That is, not one intended for the great of this world, but a kingdom meant for the poor and humble: — for that little flock that the world counts as nothing, but on which the Father looks down: — which, in fact, seems to be actually nothing in comparison with the enormous multitude, and the brilliant appearance, of the wicked. Yet it is for the sake of this ‘little flock’ that God preserves the rest of the world.
What do you fear, then? That you will die of hunger? How many martyrs have died of it in prison! Yet, not only was such a death no hindrance to their gaining the crown of martyrdom, but it actually won them their crown. Fear nothing, then, little flock! but ‘sell what you possess, and give alms. Make to yourselves ... a treasure in heaven which faileth not; where the thief approacheth not, nor the moth corrupteth ’: — the treasure, that is, of good deeds.
