7. If some dishonour, others will honour us, who are better able to judge : Ps. xv. 4, * In whose eyes a vile person is contemned ; but he honoureth them that fear the Lord.' Some have as low an opinion of the world as the carnal world hath of the certainty of God's word. They who labour to bring piety and godliness into a creditable esteem and reputation will pay a hearty honour and respect to every good and godly man : 2 Cor. vi. 8, 9, 'By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report, as deceivers, yet true ; as unknown, yet well known ; as dying, but behold we live ; as chastened and not killed ; ' contume- liously used by some, and reverently by others ; vilified and contemned, counted deceivers by some, yet owned by others as faithful dispensers of the truth of God ; not esteemed and looked on by some, by others owned and valued : thus God dispenseth the lot of his servants.
8. A Christian should be satisfied in the approbation of God, and the honour he puts upon him : John v. 44, ' How can ye believe, that receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometli from God only ? ' If God hath taken him into his family, and hath put his image upon him, and admitted him into present communion
46 SERMONS UPOX PSALM CXIX. [SeR. LVII.
with him, and giveth him the testimony of his Spirit to assure him of his adoption here, and will hereafter receive him into eternal glory, this is enough, and more than enough, to counterbalance all the scorn of the world and the disgrace they would put upon us. If God approve us, should we be directed at the scorn of a fool ? Is the approbation of the eternal God so small in our eyes, that everything can weigh it down, and cast the balance v;ith us ? Alas ! their scorning and dis- honouring is nothing to the honour which God puts upon us.
9. There is a time when the promised crown shall be set upon our heads, and who will be ashamed then — the scoffer or the serious worshipper of Christ ? God is resolved to honour Christ's faithful servants : John xii. 26, 'He that honoureth me, him shall my Father honour.' He will honour us at death, that is our private entrance into heaven ; but he Avill much more honour us publicly, at the day of judgment, when we shall be owned: Kev. iii. 5, 'I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels ; ' and Christ shall be admired for the glory he puts upon a poor worm : 2 Thes. i. 10, ' When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admii-ed in all them that believe.' The wicked shall be reckoned with, called ta an account by Christ: Jude, 14, 15, 'The Lord cometh with ten thou- sand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodlily committed, and of all their hard speeches which un- godly sinners have spoken against him ; ' yea, judged by the saints : 1 Cor. vi. 2, ' Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world ?' Ps. xlix. 14, ' The upright shall have dominion over them in the morn- ing ; ' that is, in the morning of the resurrection the saints shall be assumed by God to assist in judicature, and shall arise in a glorious manner, when the earth shall give up her dead. If this be not enough for us to counterbalance the scorn of the world, we are not Christians.
Use. To persuade us to hold on our course, notwithstanding all the scorns and reproaches which are cast upon the despised ways of God. Now, to this end I shall give you some directions.
1. Be sure that you are in God's way, and that you have his law to justify your practice, and that you do not make his religion ridiculous by putting his glorious name upon any foolish fancies of your own. A man that differs from the rest of Christians had need of a very clear light, that he may honour so much of Christianity as is owned, and may be able to vindicate his own particular way wherein he is engaged. The world is loath to own anything of God, and needless dissents justify their pre- judice. I know a Christian is not infallible ; besides his general godly course, he may have his particular slips and errors ; yet because the world is apt to take prejudice, we shouidnot but upon the constraining evidence of conscience, enter upon any ways of dissent or contest, lest Ve justify their general hatred of godliness by our particular error.
2. Take up the ways of God without a bias, and look straight for- ward in a course of godliness : Prov. iv. 25, 'Let thine eyes look right on, and thine eyelids straight before thee ; ' that is, look not asquint upon any secular encouragements, but have thine eye to the end of the journey ; make God as thy witness, so thy master and judge.