[2.] For personal reproaches ; this is very usual with God's children also, reproaches upon private and personal occasions. God may let loose a railing Shimei against David. Many times he complains of his re- proaches, often in this psalm, more in other psalms : Ps. xxxi. 13, ' For I have heard the slander of many ; they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.' Sundry sorts of pers(ins made him the butt upon which they let fly the arrows of censure and reproach : Ps. XXXV. 15, ' The abjects gathered themselves together against me; they did tear me, and ceased not;' meaning his name was torn and rent in pieces, and that by the abjects : such bold and saucy dust will be flying in the faces of God's people. So 1 may speak of Jeremiah, and Joseph, and other servants of God ; yea, our Lord himself endured the contradiction of sinners. Jesus Christ, that was so just and innocent, which did so much good in every place, yet meets with odious aspersions. So Ps. Ixiv. 3, 4, ' They bend their bows to shoot
VeR. 22.] SEUMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 207
their arrows, even bitter words ; that they may shoot ia secret at the perfect : suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.' Perfection meets with envy, and envy will vent itself by detraction — a usual affliction for the people of God, and therefore we cannot say they are wicked because they are traduced, and we should not presently con- demn all those of whom we hear evil. It was the fashion of the primi- tive times to clothe Christians with bear-skins, and bait them with the dogs. God's best children may be clad in an ill livery ; and there- fore we should not easily take up these slanders'. Thus it is a usual affliction.
Secondly, It is a grievous affliction. Ver. 3D, David saith he looked upon it as a great evil. In the account of scripture it is persecution. Ishmael is said to persecute Isaac : Gal. iv. 29. How ? Because he mocked him. Compare it with Gen. xxi. 9 : ' Sarah saw the son of the bondwoman mocking Isaac ; ' and in the reddition and interpre- tation, the Holy Ghost calls it a persecution. So they are called ' cruel mockings,' Heb. xi. 36. There is as much cruelty, and as deep a wound made by the tongue of reproach many times as by the fist of wickedness. Keproach must needs be grievous to God's children, upon a natural and upon a spiritual account.
1. Upon a natural account, because a good name is a great blessing. See how it is against nature. It is more grievous than ordinary crosses. Many would lose their goods cheerfully, yet they grieve more for the loss of their name. Some constitutions are affected more with shame than with fear, and above all their possessions they prize their name and credit. To most proud spirits, disgraceful punishment is much more dreadful than painful : Ps. xxii. 7, ' All they that see me laugh me to scorn ; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head.' A good name is more precious than life to some: Eccles. vii. 1, ' A good name is better than precious ointment ; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.' The coupling of these two sentences shows men had rather die than lose their name. If a man die, he may leave his name and memory behind him that may live still ; therefore it is more hateful to have our names and credit mangled than be pierced with a sharp sword.
2. Upon a spiritual account it is a grievous affliction. It is not barely for their own sake, because their innocency is taxed ; but for God's sake, whose glory is concerned in the honour of his servants, and whose truth is struck at through their sides. This is grievous to grace. Why? Next to a good conscience there is no greater bless- ing than a good name ; and certainly he that is prodigal of his credit will not be very tender of his conscience ; and therefore the children of God, upon gracious reasons, stand upon their name, it is the next thing to conscience they have to keep. Grace values a good name, partly because it is God's gift ; it is a blessing adopted and taken into the covenant, as well as other blessings. It is one of the promises of God : ' He will hide us as in a pavilion from the strife of tongues,' Ps. xxxi. 20. This is frequent in the Old Testament, where heaven is but sparingly mentioned ; a good name is often mentioned. Partly because it is a shadow of eternity. When a man dies, his name lives, which is a pledge of our living with God after death ; as spices, when
208 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XXIII.