Ninth Commandment. '- - 199. ing Evil of you; feek not by any bafe.and finful C~mpli~?ce to redeem their goo_d Opinion. bur rather glory in the Tefhmony of tbeu Ra1lmg, ,and account all rhelf rtviling .Speeches to be but fo many Votes for your Ble!fednefs, .iUot. 5· r 1. ~!effid are ye when ft1cn foal/ revile you, and perftcuu you, .andfpeak all m~nner of EVIl agoin/1 you falfly,/or my Sa!u. , Never covet a good Name by bad AE.h?ns: J:or what will all tbe concu"ing Applauw of the whole World figmfie un\O tbeerfyet thy Confcience condemn rhee louder than t~ey can exlOl the~? This ts but to hav: Mufick at the Door when all the while there is Chiding and Brawling.within. .. Ius far better that othe;s fhould wound thy Credit than thou thy Confcience. That is a ,Wound which their tongues can ~ever lick 1Nhole a~ain : . All the Reputa~ion thy ,. popular Sinning can bting thee will~" bu~ hke hangtng Bells at an _Horfe s Ear~, :when all the while his. Back is gall'd with hts Butthen. Whofoever will be a Chnfttan muft refolve to go ihrough bad Rcpoit. as well_a.s good;, he lbould defire the one, but not anxioufly refufe the other: . find rf any wil! bef~atter _him, ~et him be ~areful. that it be only with their own Drrr, and not With h1s; w1th their own . Mahce, and nq~ his Mifcarriage~ And whilft he thus keeps His Confdence clear, he may be •lrured that his Ctedit !hall be cleared up at that Day, when all their unjufl Reproaches fhall but add a Crown and a Diadem of Glory to his Head. . . . . . But where a good Name is c~nfi~ent With a good Confcience, we ought to pnz:~ and value it as one of the choiceft of God's Bleffings in this World, and to ufe all law: ful Means to preferve it: For, . . , . . . . Fir/1, THis will render a Man more ferviceab1e to God; and the fitter lo!lrument to promote his Honour and Glory in. the World. And thetefore the Wife M•n, Ec. clef. 7.· 1. ~omparcs agood N~me to. preciouspintmen!.i and in the ComparHOn gives it the !l'eference ; for as ptectous Omtment ddfufeth ItS fragancy through the Room where it is poured fonh, and a!feas all that arc in it with itS delightful Scent ; fo do Mons GiftS when they are perfumed with a good Nam;, delight and attrat.l o· lhers1 ~n~ by.,a fweet and powerful Charm allure them to imitate and praai,Co thofe j/ertues which they fee fo recommend~ble: -And therefore we find \t the Apoftle's Care) ~ Cor. 6. ; .. to give no Offence in ·anj Thing; that 1he .!IJ.iniflry m,igbt not be blameil. Though it be our great Folly. to eftima(e Mens Counfds by their &wn Pra· it ice, fince a difeafed Phyfician may prefcribe a wholefome Medicine; yet fo it comes to pafs, whether through the Curfe of God, or the Prej~dice of Men, that thofe who have lofl their Ctedit have together with it lofl all Opportunities and Ad. vantages of doing Good in the World: Let their Parts be never fo Hourilbing and their. Gifis never fo eminent, yet if once this dead Fly be gorten into his Box of'oim~ inent it Will corrupt it, and render it u·nravoury tO all. . And the De.vil ha rh no fuch Policy to make the GiftS.ofthofe whom be fears might !hake his Kingdom un· . llfeful, as either to tempt them to the Ca:mmiffion offome .infamous ,and fcandaloiis Sin o~ io tempt others falfly, to calumniate., a&;d report fuch profligate Crimes con· Cerning them: For tben he, knows fuch an one is difarmed, and made unferviceable. and if be can but once blaff th~ Leaves, the Fruit will feldom come to any Maturity and Petfeaion. . And therefore as you defire to b; ferviceablo to God in ptomoting his Glory; and to the .Wotld in promoting their Good and Benefir; which is the great Enrl of our Being, and the only Thing worth living for, fo endeavour by aU Wife and Hon<fl Means ~.?keep up youi good Name.. •Be good, and appear to be fo. Let your Lrgbtfoj/!lne before Men, thattbcyJmng your good Workt may glo· rifie your FaJh(r Wbich is in Heaven, Matth. 5'. 16. , . Secondly, A good Name, a> it gives us Advantage of doing Good to others fo it lays an Obligationripon us of being good our felves : For ifthe World be fo kindly miftake.n as to repor[ we\I a~ uS ':"ithou~ any Defert, y~t r.bis cannot but work up. on us, 1f we have any Ingenutty, and. engage us w deferve It, fo happily turn that which was Praife into Motive. , 0~ if th~y give us but ,our due Commendation and OUt Venue jufrly challengeth this Fiine, yet flill .it wm engage us to do Things'wor· . thy our fdves, and worthy that common Efti.mi~e that Men put upon us, that we may not !all !hott of what we have .beelj, or what they frill repute us to be. This is a laudable Ambition, which feeks by Vertue to maintain that Credit which by Vet· rue we have acquired. And doubtlefs when other Atguments have betn baffled by a Temptation) this Ilath been a Sheet Ancbo.r.to the Soul, and bath ofien held it in the greateft Storms, when the Wind and VVaves have heat rnoft furioufly againit ir. Should I confent to this Sin what a Blot and Di!honour fhould 1 ~e t to my felf! Hovr
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