liath and cannot eat it ? None so witty and cunning as the hypocrite in prosperity to ward oft' the reproofs, to shift from the counsels of the word ; and in affliction, when conscience awakes, none so skilful to dispute against the comforts of the word. Now he is God's close prisoner no comfort can come at him ; if God speak terror, who can speak peace ? Lam. iii. 05 : ' Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.' Sorrow of heart is the hypocrite's curse from God in affliction, and what God lays on sticks close. The word for sorrow in the Hebrew signifies a shield that fenceth, and covers over, and doth, saith one upon this place, denote the disease phj'sicians call cardiaco passio, which so opprcsseth the heart, that is covered sictif scuto, as with a shield or lid over it, and keeps all relief from the heart ; such is the sen-row of the hypocrite in affliction, when once his conscience awakes, and God fills him with amazing thoughts of his own sins, and God's wrath piu-suing him for tlicm. But I shall descend to instance in a few particular kind of afflictions, and shew what com- fort attends sincerity in them all.
Section I. — First, Sincerity supports and comforts the soul under reproaches from men. These are no petty trials : they are reckoned among the saints' mar- tyrdoms, Heb. xi. 36, called there cruel mockings; yea, not imworthy to be re- corded among the suft'erings of Christ ; the matcliless patience and magnanimity of his spirit appeared not only in enduring the cross, but in despising the shame, which the foul tongues of his bloody enemies loaded him unmercifully with. Man's aspiring mind can least brook shame ; credit and applause is the great idol of men that stand at the upper end of the world for parts or place; give but this, and what will not men do or suffer? One wiser than the rest could see this proud humour in Diogenes, that endured to stand naked, embracing a heap of snow while he had spectators about him to admire his patience, as they thought it, and therefore was asked, ' whether he would do thus if he had none to see him.' The hypocrite is the greatest credit-monger in the world, it is all he lives on almost, what the breath of men's praises sends him in; when that fails, his heart faints ; but when it turns to scorn and reproaches, tlien he dies, and needs must, because he has no credit with God, while he is scorned by man ; whereas sincerity bears up the soul against the wind of man's vain breath, be- cause it hath conscience and God himself to be his compurgator, to whom he dare appeal from man's bar. O how sweetly do a good conscience, and the Spirit of God witnessing with it, feast the Christian at such a time ! and no matter for the hail of men's reproaches that rattle without, while the Christian is so merry within doors. David is a pregnant instance for this, Psa. xli. 11 : ' By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.' How, David, dost not thy enemy triumph over thee 1 I pray see the condition he at present was in : he had fallen into a great sin, and the hand of God was on him in a disease, chastising him for it, as appears, ver. 4. His ene- mies from this take advantage to speak him all to naught, ver. 5 : ' Mine ene- mies speak evil of me,' no doubt charging him for a hypocrite. When they come to visit liim it is but to gather some matter of reproach, which they pre- sently blab abroad, ver. 6 ; yea, they are not ashamed to say, ver. 8, that an evil disease, or as it is in the Hebrew, 'a thing of Belial,' that is, his sin, ' cleaveth to him :' now God hath met with him, now he lieth, he shall rise no more ; yea, his familiar friend, in whom he trusted, serves him as ill as the worst of his enemies, ver. 9. Was ever poor man lower ? and yet can he say his enemy triinnphs not over him? His meaning t^herefore we must take thus : that not- withstanding all these reproaches cast upon him, yet his spirit did not quail; this was above them all ; CJod kept that up, and gave him such an inward com- fort, as wiped off their scorn as fast as they threw it on : their reproaches fell, as sometimes we see snow, melting as fast as they fell ; none lay upon the spirit to load and trouble it. And how came David by this holy magnanimity of spirit, these inward comforts? Ver. 12, he tells us : ' As for me, thou npholdest me in my integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.' As if he had said, Thou doest not by me, O Lord, as mine enemies do ; they pick out my worst, and revile me for it; if there be but one sore plat, one sinful part of my life, like flies they light there ; but thou ovcrlookest my sinful slips and failings, pardoning them, and takest notice of my uprightness, which amidst all my in- firmities thou upholdcst, and so settest mc before thy face, communicating thy
284 HAVING YOUR LOINS