VeB. 2.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL 379
observe liow differently the world deals with astrologers and physicians ; if astrologers fail often, and hit but once, the world cries them up for cunning men, but in a physician one gross miscarriage stains all his worthy cures. See the proneness of nature to unworthy arts ; so they deal with the children of God, observe their failings and sore places, but overlook their worthy acts.
5. The duties of civil righteousness, these things are precious in men's eyes, and by these the world is preserved and kept up. The apostle speaks to subjects, that they should obey their governors, ' That they might put to silence the ignorance of foolisli men,' 1 Peter ii. 15 ; these mastiffs will be opening their throats. Kow we cannot muzzle them better but by duties of righteousness to men, which very much recommend our religion to God. The.se things draw men to the truth, and approve of the faith of the gospel. This is that which men praise most, and therefore hereby we shall remove all occasions of offence.
Ohs. 4. One of the rewards of an active faith is a good report. Here I shall show — ■
1. The i-easons of God's ordination.
2. In what manner the Lord bestows this blessing upon believers.
3. Whether in the exercise of faith we may have an eye to this recompense, and respect the blessing of a good report.
First, For the reasons of God's ordination and appointment. I shall touch upon those that are of a chief regard and consideration.
1. That every necessary blessing may be adopted and taken into the covenant, and provision made against all inconveniences that may befal us in the way of religion. As the psalmist saith of Zion, Ps. xlviu. 12, 13, ' Walk about Zion, and go round about her ; tell the towers thereof : mark ye well her bulwarks ; consider her palaces ; ' that is, see if any thing be wanting that is necessary for use or ornament ; so walk through the land of promise, and survey the riches of the covenant, see if any necessary defence or privilege be wanting to believers. The world is apt to clamour, and wicked men are ready to cast reproach upon the servants of the Lord, therefore among other blessings God hath provided for their repute and honour. Look, as against outward wants, God hath raised up a bulwark of promises to assure us of outward sustentation, and a supply of necessary provisions ; so against reproaches there are frequent, promises of providing for our renown and esteem in the world : ' That he will bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday,' Ps. xxxvii. 6. A believer is secured against all the assaults of the world. There is balm in the covenant against the wounds that are made by the fist of wickedness, or the breach that is made by the tongue of reproach. This is the usual trial of God's people, when they are ex- empted from other sufferings : Ps. Ixiv. 3, 4, ' The wicked whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bow, to shoot their arrows, even bitter words ; that they may shoot in secret at the perfect : suddenly do they shoot at him and fear not.' Perfection meets with envy ; men malign what they will not imitate. Pieligious eminency usually is blasted with slander ; men scorn to see any above them. They that are at the bottom of the hill curse those that are atop. The world would have all equal ; therefore when they cannot reach the eminency
380 SEKMLONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. VI.
of religious persons, they blast it till their repute be stained, and tliey are rendered criminal ; tliey cannot makethera like themselves, which is the revenge that wicked men take. Godly men's lives are a reproach to their conscience ; so ' Noah by ])reparing an ark condemned the world,' Heb. xi. 7 ; and therefore by censure, and reproaches they stain their credit, tbat their own sin may be less odious, and avenge the wonnds of their consciences by their reproaches of godly men. Now God has provided not only against their open assaults of violence, but jigainst their privy detractions ; as he hath secured our persons against their injuries, so our names against their reproaches. Every blessing is adopted and taken into the covenant.
2. Because of the great inconveniences of reproach and infamy, either to God and religion itself, or to good men. (1.) The great inconveni- encies which redound to God and religion itself. The credit of religion <lepends much upon the ci'edit of the persons that profess it. When godly men are evil spoken of, the way of truth suffers : Ezek. xxxvi. 20, ' They have profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of his land,' that is, by their scandals. The offences charged upon the worshippers of God redound to God himself, and prove in effect the disgrace of Jesus Christ. They are called christians to the disgrace of Christ. When David fell, ' he gave the enemies of the Lord occasion to blaspheme,' 2 Sam. xii. 14. Men are apt to fly from the person to the profession. Hatred, saith the philoso])her, is Trpo? ra ^evrj, to the whole kind ; therefore wicked men that hate religion do not seek to blast the repute of particular persons, but even of religion itself : as Haman thought scorn to lay hold upon Mordecai alone, therefore he sought to destroy all the nation of the Jews, Esther iii. 6. Now God will provide for his own honour in the honour of his servants. It was a credit for David to have so many famous worthies under him, therefore they are called David's woi-thies ; believers are Christ's worthies, he will be honoured in their renown. ]t is an honour to Christ, when believers are unspotted. It was the brag of the King of Assyria : Isa. x. 8, ' Are not my princes altogether kings ? ' When Christ adopts a people to himself, it is, ' that they may be to him for a name,' Isa. Iv. 13. \Vhat is the reason Christ forms such excellent vessels of mercy out of thorns and briars, out of crabbed and sour trees, but that they may be to him for a name? And at the day of judgment, the Lord will be ' glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe,' 2 Thes. i. 10, not only in his own ])ersonal glory, and the brightness of liis presence, but in the social glory that results from the dignities and privileges of his people : then Christ will be admired in his saints, now he will be hon- oured in his saints. Believers had need to be careful of their lives, for the credit of Cln-ist lies at stake. (2.) The inconvenience that redounds to good men. Observe all the passages of providence, and you will see, that infamy is but tlie forerunner of greater trouble ; showei'S of slan- der are but the presages and beginnings of grievous storms ; first it rains down in slander, then comes a storm of pei'secution. The devil is first a liar, and then a murderer ; wicked men take the more liberty to vex the children of God, when they are represented as criminal. It was a fashion in the primitive times to invest christians with bear-