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SEAM.
XXX.]
COURAGE
AND
HONOUR.
499
sons
of
an
excellent
spirit,
and:
obtained
a good
report
among
their heathen
neighbours
:
they
saw
their
good
works,
and
were
thereby
led,
by
degrees,
to glorify
their
heavenly
Father,
and their
Saviour.
And
where
there
is
any separation made
from
the
public.
worship
of
a
nation,
with
a
profession
to
reform
any
corruptions
of
doctrine or
practice,
how
much
honour
would
be
done
to
these reforming principles, and
how
much service to this
interest,
if
every
one
that
is
engaged
in it
were always
practising
things
of
good
report, and
aiming
at
some
eminency
and uncommon goodness in
their various stations
of
life.
If
therefore
we
have
any
love
for
Christ our
Lord,
if
we
have any zeal for his
glory,
if
we
have
any.regard
to
the
honour of
the gospel,
or
if
we
would
bring
any,
credit
to the
particular
profes-
sion
we
make,
let us
set
a
severe watch upon ourselves,
against every thing
that
would blemish
our
character
in
the world,
and let
us
aspire
to all
superior
excellencies'
that
are
within
our reach, that
we
may
be
"
to
the
praise
of
the glory
of
his
grace,
who
has
made
us
accep-
table
in
the beloved.r
.Eph.
i.
6.
It
is
necessary here
to
remove
two
or three objections
out
of
the
way,
that
may
seem to
attend
this
exhortation
of
the apostle.
The
first
is
this.
-If
a good name
be so
valuable a
thing, why
should
there
be
such a
wo
denounced
by
our.
Saviour
against
those
that
have the good word
of
all
men
;
Luke
vi.
26. ¡
o
unto
you
when
all
men
shall'
speak
well
of
you;
for
so
did
their
fathers,
to
the
false
prophets.
1.
Answer.
That
the-
design
of our
Saviour
is
to shew,
that
no
man
in a
degenerate, and
corrupt
age,
can
attain
.
the high
esteem,
and hearty
good word
of
all
persons in
the
world,
but those
who
are
time-servers
and
hypocrites,'
who
can suit themselves
to every company, and comply
with
every change
of
the
times
;
who
can profess to
be
religious,
and
yet
indulge
themselves
or
others
in
the
practice
of
their secret
iniquities;
such were the
false
prophets
of
old. Such
a
person
as this may
for a
short
season-get all men to
speak
well
of
him
:
The drunkards
will
commend
him,
for
he can
be
drunk
as well
as
they;
and the swearer,
for
he
can
join
with
them
in
swearing:
and the men
of-
piety
may
be
deceived in
him.,
and
give
2
s