Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Ver. 10. Fear none of those things] Quit thy heart of that cowardly passion, and die rather than deny the truth. Put on that resolution, Necesse esse ut eam, non ut vivam, Duty must be done, though I die for it.
Behold, the devil] viz. By his imps and instruments whom he acts and agitates, Ephesians 2:2. But he and his are overruled and limited; for he shall cast some of you, not all of you, into prison, not into hell, that ye may be tried, not destroyed; and this for ten days only, not for any long continuance.
Be thou faithful unto death] Say as one martyr did, "The heavens shall sooner fall than I will deny my dear Lord;" and as another martyr, "Though you may pluck my heart out of my bowels, yet shall you never pluck the truth out of my heart."
A crown of life] A crown without cares, corivals, envy, end. Kings' crowns are so weighty with cares, that often they make their heads ache. Not so this crown; the joys whereof are without measure or mixture.