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BERM.
XXXI
COURAGE AND HONOUR.
501
deserved, on
purpose
to expose the
christian religion.
The
apostle
Peter
agrees
with
our Lord
Jesus Christ
in
the
same
design;
1
Pet.
iii. 16.
Keep
"
a good consci-
ence,
that
whereas they speak
evil
of
you
as evil
-
doers,
they may be
ashamed
while
they
falsely
accuse
your
good
conversation in
Jesus
Christ."
Now
when
it
appears
to
be
pure hatred
of
God and
of
goodness,
of
Christ and
his gospel,
for which you
are
reproached, then
you have cause
to rejoice,
because
Christ
is
on
your side:
So
he
was
reproached
in
the
days
of
his flesh,
so
the prophets
that
went before
him,
and
so
the
apostles
that
succeeded him;
1
Pet.
iv..
14.
"
The
Spirit
of God
and
of
glory
resteth
upon
you,
for
on
their
part
he
is
evil
spoken
of,
but
on
your
part
he
is
glorified."
Happy
are
ye,
for Christ and
you
are
joined
together
in
the
same cause
;
and
you who have glorified
him on
earth, shall
be
glorified
together
with him
in
heaven.
The
third objection
is
this,
if
praise amongst
men be
lawful to be sought, how comes
it
to pass
that
there are
so
many reproofs
given to those
who
seek
the praise
of
men
?
How can these scriptures
be
reconciled
with some
others
that
are cited
before to
encourage actions worthy
of
praise
?
How often
does
our
Saviour severely
re-
buke
the pharisees for this practice,
that "
they do
their
good works to
be
seen
of
men
?"
Mat.
vi. 9, 5,'
16%
John
v.
44.
Answer.
It
is
evident
that
these
hypocrites
whom
our
Saviour reproves, neglected
all
inward piety before
God,
and practised the outward forms
of
godliness merely
to
gain the
praise
of
men,
they
loved
and
valued it
more
than
the
praise
of
God,
John
xii.
4
-.
They received
honour
of
one
another, and
had
no
concern
about that
superior
blessing,
that
divine esteem
and approbation
which
God
only can bestow,
and
which only would
stand them
in
stead hereafter. Where the praise
6f God
is
inconsistent
with the
praise
of
men,
there it
is
evident
we
must despise the censures or thè praises
of
the world,
and
seek
the divine
approbation
only
:
But
where
these
two benefits
may be
happily conjoined,
we
are
not bound
to separate
them.
God
never
requires
us
to seek
infamy
and reproach, or
to
abandon
that
honour
that
belongs
to
truth
and
goodness.