, 41 ,S)clf-tJmpal. Chap. S· sea.. 6. - -you arenproached for pride, clear up your fdvcs (not by yielding to ;heirh~;;;;;;, but) by eminency ofhumility, that thofe that can ;udge nght, may fee there is humili· ty in you. . . 2 . We mufl: bear reproaches pauently. \Vhat arc we? or what IS our names that we flwuld think much to bear reproa<·h; Confider, have not others of Gods fcrvant, for ho. licr then we are, been under exceeding reproach? nay how is God and Chri•l ;·qrcr.<i;.. cd? how is the name of God n,~htcd? how IS the Ma;efl:y, and Soveraignty, and au– thority of God contemned m th1s world ?. how arc the dreadful! threatr.ings of God, and the revelation of Gods wrath fcorncd m the worlcl ?\Vhat reproa<hcs 1ndure Ch 1 irr in his own perfon, in his preaching? how was he contemned when he preached againft covetou!iJCif"? the Phanfees[corned~t hun, th~ word fign1fies ;hey hl<>v th<ir ;ufts at I-"~' , 6 , 4 • him. He was called a devil, a Samarttane, a wme-b1bber, a fnend of Publicans and '~'~-'"""'""' and Sinners; \Vhat worfe can be imagined then was earl: upon Chriit? They fpaton his face, that blelfed face ofh1s that the waves of the fea were afraid of, and that the Sun withdrew his light from, as not being fit to behold it; They put thornes upon his head, and bowed to him in reproach. This argument ihould me thinks move us !o bear rrproa<hes patiently. But how ihould we do it? how ihould we bear reproachn patiwtly ?. 1. Be we fure to keep confciencc clear; 0 let not that upbraid us; be we carefull of what we dl:., m\d then we need not be much carefull of what men fay; if confcience do not reproach us, uproachwill not much move us: one of con cience·s tefhmonics for us is more then ten thoufand flanders againfl: us. As the ftormes and winds with– out do not move the Earth, but "apours within caufe the Earthquakes ; So all the railings of all the Shinm"s in the wor.Idcannot much trouble us, ifour confcienccs withJo5 27 6. 3] ohn 10 in do abound with g_ood works; if! can but fay with Job, My heart jha/1 not reproiUb me a; long as 1 live, I am fafe enough from the evil ofreproach. 2. If we are failing in any thing, let us begin with our fclves before any others be– gin with us; let us accufe our fclves firft. So fome interpret that place,! amwifcr thm mine atemies. q.d. though mine enemies are witty, and do plot, and their malice helps on their invention, yet I am wifcr, I can find out the wayes of mine owne heart, and mine own evils better then all mine enemies. 3 . Let us cxercifc our fclves in great things, in the things of God, and Chrifl:, and ~ternitJ:Labour to grcaten our fpirits in an holy manner,and be above reproach. Surely ,r our fpmts were but truly greatned (I mean not With pnde,but With exercifing ofour fpirits in things that arc above the world) reproach~s would be nothing in our eyes. It is a notable expreffion that John hath agamfl: the ev1l tongue ofDiotrephes, He pram 11 • gainft us with maliciotu words; in the Origin;I it is,he trijles. Although his words were malicious, and Diotrephes a great man, yet all was but trifles; fo high was Johm fpirit · above them. The finking of the heart under reproaches argues too vile a pufillanimity, fuch a poor low fpirit, as is not confifl:enr with the true magnanimity of a true Chritli- . an. 4- Make we our moans to God,and lay our cafe before him,as H cz..ckjah (whenRab– Jiuk_a came and reviled God, and the people of God) he went and fpread the letter be– fore God, and made his moan to God; fo if we can but do likewife, we !hall find un.. fpeakablc refreihmcnts to our fouls, and that will' be a great argument of our ipno. J.·b. 16 ., 0 : ccncy. My f'iends Jcorneme(faid Job) but mine eye po~treth out tears Jmto God. And the Pfal. 109.24· mouth of the wi<-~d(faith David) and the momhofthe deceitfrtlare opened againft n;e,they havefpo~n againjf me with a lying tongue.--But I gave myfelfunto Prayer. 5. Get our hearts quietly and kindly to lament the condition ofour reproachers. Their folly lhould caufe us to pitty them, to be patient towards them, and to palfe by the wrong~ they do to us. This was one ofthe atguments that Abigail brought to Da· vid to quiet his fpirit that was fo ltirred agamft Nabal, becaufe of his reproaches; 0 faid !he, Nabal is his name,and folly is with him. q. d. It is his folly David, and therefore 1 s,,m. >$. •S· rather pity himDavid; it is too low a thing for fuch a fpirit as David to be ltirt<ed with folly. Indeed, in ftead of being troubled with reproaches, our fpirits ihould be malt Y too. S. 13. troubled for their fin;alas,they fin by their reproachf!,and God hates them for it. Pride, a71d arrogattcy, and the tvil way, and thefroward mouth do 1hate. If we have any love, we ihould think thus; this poor man, what bath he done? he hath bro~tght himjelf Jtn· der the hatred ofGod. 0 this lhould mightily affect the heart of the godly. 6. We mull bear reprMches 'fruitfully. .Chrillians lhould not think it enough to
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