Chap ).Sc&.t6. ~elf~ benpal. 8. Let us bear or fulfer the moll difgraccful thing that can be put uponus for the caufe of Chrill; yea, though all the world fhould frown ~pon us, and calt us off, and fcorne us and account us as a difgrace nnto the1n. As T,Jeodoret reports of Hormijd.. a noblen1~n in the King of Perfa his Court, bccaufc he would not deny Chnrl:, he was put into ragged clothes, deprived of his honours, and fet to keep the Camels; after a long time the King fceing him in that bafe condition, and remembrmg h1s form~r e– ilate, he pittied him, and caufed h1m to be brought mto the !lalace, an~ to be clo1,hed again like a nobleman,and then he perfwadcs h1m to deny Chnll:; at wh1ch he prefently rent his filken clothes, and faid, Iffor thefeyou think_.to have me deny my faith, tak} them again, and fo with fcornc he was call out. We mull be co~tent to be made a.byword and reproach for Chrill:: But th1s an hard lelfon, and for wn1ch I had need to g1ve o– ther more partictJlar d1recbons m an-other Seebon. SECT. 16. Rules how to bear reprDaches for the name of Chrifl.. • . ~Negatively. 1 - He dircehons for Reproaches I fhall reckon up Politively. T. Negatively thus. . . . Errl,f.? r. 1. Vve mutt notl;e.~r reproaches Stwally, mfenfibly, for m fomc rort they are affiic1i- P,"'· . > 1 -ons. A gofJd name ·.r better then a precious oyntment. .Agood name is rather to be chofen thmgreat riches, and loving favour rather then jilver and gvld. 2. We mull: not be-ar then; defperately,as many defperatc wretches do,who ufually fay, . let menJPeak_.theworft, I care not, lnmft appeal unto God: Though it be true, that inno– cency is a good bulwark, and a good confcience is a brazen wall; yet we are not only to care to approve our felvcs unto God, but to men alfo; We arc to provide thing! honell: bcfote all men, efpecially among the people of God, and the Churches of Chrilt. 3· We mull: not carry our [elvesyaJfionare/y under reproaches; there arc many e~ils •follow upon this dillemper of heart, as 1. Thereby we greatly d!lturbe our own fpirits: 1 Car,4 1 >· 2. We difcover a great deal of evil within us. 3· \Ve fhew the baf~nelfe of our fpirits to be [o foon put out of frame. 4· \Ve feed the humors of reproachers, and we make 1 Pe1 •·•3· others think we are guilty of thofe reproaches they lay upon us. It is true we fhould be more fen!ib\c of the wrong done to our names, then of any wrong done to our c/lates yet neither arc the wrongs of the one-or the other to be born paffionatcfy. ' .4· \Ve mull not carry our felves revengefully und~r reproaches. To this purpofe fllth the Apollle,bemz dcfame1 we entre~t.lt IS unbefeemmg Chrtil:tans to revile again,& to fpeak ev1l for ev1l. It IS fatd of Chnll, that when he was rcvded, he rr:->ilcd not again . and if we profelfe our felves to be Chrill:s, we mull not revile again when we arc re~ viled: there is no contending this way where the overcommer is the lofer: when De– mofthenes was reproachedby one, I will not (faith he) ftrive with thee in this kjnd offight in which he that is overcome Mthe better man. ' 5. We mull not be hindred in our,way,or break olf our courfe of Chrillianity when wearereproached. Whatthoughfilthbecall:mour way, fhall we decline the way? What though the clouds do arife & darken the light ofthe Sunnc, doth the Sunne ceafc fhining, becaufe it i_s d~rkned? no,it goeson in its courfe,and fl1irus till it bmtkj forth; fo you that arc fhmtng 111 a good converfatton,go no,and in time you will break through P{a/. 37.6. the clouds. 2. Pofitively thus.-- '· We mull bear our reproach~nvifely. Though we fhou\d not beinfenfible, yet we lhould not take too much notice of every reproach. Chrift himfelf was filent in this cafe, fo that the Rulers wondred. David could fay, they fpak} mifi:hievous things, bnt M"rtl> ; 6 _ 62 I as a de~J man h~ard n<t. But how then fhould we llop rhc1r mouthes? I anfwer. r[at 3 s. 12 ,,r 1. Let us walk mnocently ; mnocency w11l dear all, and wtll overcome all in time. 2. Let us labour to be eminent in that which is quite contrary to that we are reproached for: Perhaps you ~re repr~ached for a diifembler, labour for the greatell eminency of plamnefs of heart and fincenty; Perhaps you are reproached for covetoufnelfe labour to be cmment m ltberality, in heavenly-mindednclfe, in doing good-wifely; 'perhaps · you
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