July 18

Blessings of adverse criticism

“Esteeming the reproach” (Heb. 11:26).
“Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid” (Isa. 51:7).

An enemy is always more interested in our faults and shortcomings than in our excellences, and frequently takes pain to discover them and spread them abroad. If, instead of letting this excite us to anger, we use it as a means for restraining those faults—if we are more concerned in the endeavor to avoid the misdeeds for which we are criticized than the criticism itself—then our enemies, in trying to harm us, will have done us a great good. If in those very points in which they depreciate us we prove ourselves spotless, their testimony against us will lose weight, and their influence in our disfavor will die away. But, if we are merely indignant at the detraction, and wrathful with the detractor, we shall confirm his evil report in the minds of those who have heard it.


Someone has aptly said, “When men speak ill of thee, live so that nobody may believe them.” This reminds us of the case of the blacksmith who had been grossly slandered. A friend advised him to bring a suit against the evildoer. He declined with the remark that he could go into his shop and hammer out a better character in six months than all the courts in Christendom could give him. An intelligent enemy is worth more than an ignorant friend…

Never you fear, but go ahead
In God-relying strength;
What matters it that malice said,
“We’ve found it out at length”?
Found out! Found what? An honest man
Is open as the light;
Go search as keenly as you can,
You’ll only find—all right.

Aye! Blot him black with slander’s ink,
He stands as white as snow;
You serve him better than you think,
And kinder than you know.
Yes! be the scandal what you will,
Or whisper what you please;
You do but fan his glory still
By whistling up a breeze.
—Unknown.

Assailed by scandal and the tongue of strife,
His only answer was—a blameless life.
—William Cowper.

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