By the Crofs ofChrift. never fo falfe , that lure there is force truth in it or elfe fuch a learned well-deemed man, would never have reported it. So that if Satan canget but one tongue or pen of a learnedman in credit to dander you, its ten to one but he willget many hundred ears and hearts to drink in the venom , and either to believe it, or entertain uncharitable fufpitions ofyou ; and as many tongues todivulge the report ( thoughwith pretended compailion and charity) to taint the minds of others with the fame infection. It may be thofe very learned men whomdmire, and whofe efteeen you are finfully ambitious of , maybe givenover to feet them againft you, with themoft malicious fhamelefs calumnies, and lay to your charge the things that never entered into your thoughts, and the things that you never did nor (poke; for a better man then you was fo ferved, Pfial. 35. 1 1, 12.. They la'd to my charge the things which I knew not, they rewarded me evil for good, to thefp'oylingof my foul.] Thus did falfe 1 itncJJ'es rifeup againfl him, even fuch for whom he hadhumbled hisfoul , and mourned in their oficflion, and behaved himfelf to them as his bre> thren andfriends : yet, faith he, Verf. e 5, 16. [ In my adverfity they rejoyced, andgathered themfelves together yea the abjeal gat thered themfelver together againfi me, and l knew it not , they ,dial tear me, andceafednot : with hyp:criticall mncck rs in fen r, they gnafhedupon me with their teeth. ] Obi But ù it poffible thatgodly mencan be guilty of finchfins theft ? Anfw. Through the remnant of their corruptions and the power of temptations; evenlearned godlymen may be madethe powerful Inftrumentsof Satan, to ¡hatter and deftroy your re- putation for ever (on earth) and make even Countries and Kingdomsto believe that of you fromGeneration to Generati- on, which never entred into your foul ; and by their means, if youwere perfons of fo much note, you might be recorded in hi- ftory to pofterity , as guilty of the crimes of which you were molt innocent, yea muchmore innocent then the reporters them- felves : So that it will be theworkof Chrilt at the day ofJudge- ment to clear thenames ofmany an innocent one,that bath gone under the ,repute of an Heretick, a proud malicious man, an Adulterer, a Deceiver, and a meer unconfcionable and =ungokily perfon, even from age toage,and that.am©ng, the godly them- felvice, 143
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