Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

Tbat honours in themfelues arc good andlawfull. 191 the fame of the righteous is perpetuall and euerlafling. And this reafon the forme ofSyr,ch rendreth. e4foodbfe (faith he) hath the dales numbred ; but a good mime indaretlt for Eeclef.4r.i3. euer. Moreouer, as thefe honours, fame and good report, are Q.Se17.3. in themfelues good,fo they ferue for good vfes,as being no That honour, table meansinilituted and ordained of God,both to refrain /true for dint vs from the committing of finne, becaufe it impaircth our geod zfe,. good name and reputation, and to flirre vs vp to all honefl, for fludiumt good and vertuous aóuions,becaufe they are not onely corn- laudatague manded by God, but commended alto amongflmen. And v-rtu,crefeir, howföeuer we may not chiefly aime at our owne honour in crimmenfrem our obedience,but at Gods glory, yet fubordinatelyand in fa0etoú dale aninferiourp lace,we may fomewhatref-pea it. Seeing thePonr.4.eleg.a. Lord hath naturally ingrafted in vs alone ofour credit, and Hones alit or_ a deliire to haue agood name among the vertuous, that it tes,omnrjgue might, as a bridle, curbe vs in from running on in finne,and i5ccndimur ad as a fpur pricke vs forward in all vertuous a6`lions. So the A- á¿,a gut a poftle faith; milt thou be without feare ofthe power ? doe well jemper, qua fo (halt thou hauepraife ofthefame. And the Apoflle Peter af- apudquojque firmeth,thatgauernours are f nt of God, for thepsaufhment of tmprobautur. ('ic.r. Tufcul. eutlldoers, and for the praife of them that doewell. And Paul Ron,,r3 ;. exhorteth vs,that ifthcre be any thing ofgoodreport, if there r.Pet.2.14. be any vertue, or ifthere be any praife, we fhould thinl&e of theft things. Neither is therein truth a greater incouragementon the earth to vertuous and good a6tions, then the approbati- on and commendation ofthofe who are godly,wife and iu- Pro,I5'.3o. dicious; both becaufe it cheareth the heart, and putteth flrength to the bones; as alto becaufe being often deceiued through ourown felfe- loue,whichmaketh vs to ouerweene our good parts and aótions, and to thinke them excellent which are fcarce indifferent, we dare not rea in ourowne judgement when we doe well, becaufe it doth fo vfually a- bufe vs, andconfequently through our timoroufneffe and doubting, we are weakened, and made more faint in doing well ; but when generally thole who are vertuous and judi- cious doe approoue and commend our actions and good parts,then thefe feares and doubts being remooued,we re- ceiue