to free themfelves from reproach, but they mull: improve it for good; ~nd to thitr en~. Confider what ends God aimes at by it, and labour to work them upon our felves that we may attain to thofc ends. · 2 . Draw what good inlhu'l:ions we can from the reproaches of other,as thus;. Wheri I hear men reproach and revile, Oh what a deal of rod is there fecret/y m the henrt •f nulfl that unot diftovcrcd till it have occajzon! Ag:un, do I fee anotherJo vtgzlant over me to find out any th•"g in me to reproach me? how vzgzlant jhould I be over my Jtlf to find out what is in me to humble me? . Set upon what duty God calls for at the prefent; the lejfe credit I have in this wo:ld, the morC credit let me deJ!re after in heaven; if ther~ be a breach of my name here:- 1 43 ict meJerk._ro mak! up m)' name z~ H eavtn. . . . . . \Ve muftbear reprMcheJ J"Yfully and trzumphmgly. We glory m trtbulattons, fatd Rom. s. 3· . Pa~i; And 1 f I muftneedsglory, I willglory m things concerning mine infirmities. By in· • Cor. 11 30. firmtttes, we are not (fay fome) to underll:and the znjimutmoffin, but his weaknefs and evils that he endured for Chrill:. Therefore 1 tak$ pleafure m tnfrmities, in reproaches, in neceffirw, in perfcwtions, in diflrejfes for Chrifts fak$. H icrome upon that, Blejfod • Cor.J '· 10, areyou when menJha/: fpeak..,evil ofyou,andrevtle yott; 0 (fayes he) who would ~ot be wz/1ing ro[Hjfer? Who wottld not wijlt to be perfecmed for righrevufnejfe[ak!.? Who would not "wh. S• u. dcire ttJ be reviled? Oh that all the ~-ou,t o[_1mbeleevc:s wouldperfocHtCmefor n 6 htcoufrujJe Hi 1 ·rome.Epift. [ak... ! I wottld thisfoolijh world would all rife up agamft mt to reproach me; When Chrill: aa 0'""· appeared ro Sat<l, he cryed, Saul, Saul, why per{eetu-eft thou me? Who art thou Lord, a/h ''· 7, 8. anfwered ~mtl ? I am 'jcji:s ofNazare:h,replyed Chnll:. But why Jr[ta cf Naz.t;reth? dm ay good comeour of Na<.a•·erh? Su;ely there IS fumethmg tn this; he faith not, 1am the fun ne of God, the zd. Perfon tn the Trm>ty. the Kmg of the Church; no', but I am Jcfus of Na:utreth: that was a reproach caft.upon Chrill:, and Chrill glories in that. k.prMches are the enfignes of Heavenly nob1hry, Clmll:ians therefore lhouH not fear them, but bear them joyfully. . ). We mu!treturnc good for evil, and then we come to ~he topuf Cbrill:ianity. This. is a figne of great progre!l'e to Reltg10n; If I !>e •vrak...(falth one) perhaps I may pardon one c.:.a<gtn~ m• falfety; but if I have profited, although not altogether per[tEf, I hold my Amb,ofoffic• peace at htJ reprMches, and anfwer nothmg _; bur •f I am ptrJcEf, 1 ~hen bltffe him l. I.e. ;8. that r«il« me, accordmg to rharof Paul, Bemg revtled, we blcffe. If we can do thus, if we can heartily pray for our reproachers, and defi re good to them, and fo heap o'Oiu •f jlr< uport mem, this is a grear figne of grace. -Biejfe them (faith Chrill:) that curfe )""• pray f -r them that J1pzghtfully u[e pu; that ye maybe the children ofyour M•tth S 4Ms' f~'ber,((,-c. Why? were they notch1ldren before ? ycs,but thts declares it,now God ownes them for his children indeed. And thus much·of dmying our common ends, proft, pleafure, and hunottr. SECT.17, Ofthe Denyal ofoitr Very b~ing, our lifefor Jefus Chrift; an'd firft ofCamiom. I Have done with the deny all of natural/[elfin regard of wc/1-~eing, I n:ow confide~ ' t~e de11yall ofnatural/felfin regard of wry being, and fu it imports our ltfe, toge- · ther wtth the faculties and powers of nature, our 1mderjfandinJ, will, ajf,Efiom,fenfes,, J. jltly members; all w1thm us mufr becaptivated to the obedienc. of Chrift, and all with· out us muff endure to fuffer for the name of ChfiCI:. For them we c11l faculties or po;vers of nature, as the 1rnderjfttnding 1 will,' ajfcEfi~n , [cnfe., I fuall difpatch in a word. . . - . . .. 1. The. underjtanding muft be captivated as it hinde~:s fro1n Chrifl:. Suppofe the word of Chnrt be contradicted or check't by way of reaf<m or undtrftanding, as in the bufine!l'e of ihe Trinity, Union of two natures, Refurredion ofthe body. In this cafe I m~,[deny my re~fori, and beleeve Chrill ; I mull ba\1( down and worfhip, I mull cap– ttvate myMdtrjrm•dmgto the obedience of Fatth. We fee by expencnce, thufe are (oonell: brought to Chrill:, who for the moft part are foolilh, hmple, and of\Veak con· cetts; whereas thofc who have been (llO!l: famous for worldly "':i'fdorrie andunderj/.znd– ~~g, rheyhave been hardly brought to the fubjedion of Gods wtfdom'l: and truth. This IS that whtch the Apot!le doth teach, Not ma11y wife, not many miglir;;. m·c o·a/led, &c., We
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