THE bride's longing. 557
tilings are not to be neglected by us, though to God-ward they are not much regarded. For natural parts, the devil excels, and hath more than any man ; but yet to men-wai'd, they are to be esteemed, for they vindicate men from the reproach and obloquy of the world. They will say, Such a man was a religious man, but he had no skill in his calling ; a good man, but unlearned. Now then it takes away reproach and disgrace from reli- gion, when it can be said. This was an excellent man in his profession, and withal, a very excellent good Christian. It is the guise and fashion of proud profaneness, to lay religion as low as they can. They will take away or diminish all parts from religious persons as near as they can, that reli- gion itself may seem vile and contemptible. For if religion once should win credit, then their baseness would appear the more ; and that their pride will not endure. Wherefore, if these things be to be regarded, in regard of men, we ought to thank God for it, when grace is graced with excellent parts. Therefore, God sometimes vouchsafeth to men that are truly reli- gious, excellency of parts. Otherwise, grace is lovely in itself ; but as a precious stone and pearl set in gold is more precious and glorious, so religion, set in the stem of nature and excellent parts, hath more lustre and beauty, and the larger improvement.
You have a company of profane wretches in the world, even in these glorious times of the gospel, that do glory only in their excellent parts, that will seek even to the devil himself, so they may out-brag others, and gain to themselves a reputation of wit ; and some will vilely adventure upon sin against their conscience, thinking that they should .lose all reputation of wit and parts, if they should become religious once. But you see that God oftentimes adorns religious men with excellent parts of nature. Reli- gion indeed cuts off the froth, the exuberancy and redundancy of parts ; but it increaseth the solidity of parts, and spiritualiseth them, and directs them to their right end, to the glory of God and good of mankind. There- fore, they may stand well enough together.
Now, in this worthy man there was a concentrating and joining together of the parts of nature and the parts of industry, and likewise of the parts of grace. And that which did steer his conversation, and rule all aright, was indeed the true fear of God, which caused him to set the stamp of religion on all his courses in his whole conversation.
For the Lord's day, it may a little be discerned by that. He had a wonderful care to keep it holy. He was as eminent as any in his profes- sion for that. He would not intermeddle with the businesses of his calling on that day. He did not think it enough to hear the sermon and divine service, and then to go to the works of his calling. And in this he is to be commended. For whose good hath God appointed the Lord's day ? Is it not for our own ? Should not we grow base and earthly-minded, if one day in seven we should not be heavenly-minded, and think upon our everlasting condition in another world ? Shall we think much then of that which God appoints for us ?
But to return. Besides his care of the Lord's day, for he did not limit his religion to a day, he was careful in his family of having morning and evening prayers ; yea, and private also, twice in a day at the least. And this, as it did bring strength to his soul, and put a beauty upon it, so it did also sanctify his labours and prosper his businesses, and bring them to a good issue. He lost nothing by it. And seeing it is almost impossible in these profane times but that such courses as these are should meet with envy and Bcorn from some, therefore he had learned with Moses ' to bear the reproach
558 THE bkide's longing.
of Christ,' Hcb. xi. 2G. He did account notliing more glorious than the profession of religion. And truly religion is a glorious thing : it puts a glory and beauty upon the soul.
But there are many men in these days that will not own Christ in his cause. How will such look him in the face another day, when he hath said, ' Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adul- terous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with his holy angels,' Mark viii. 38.
But this worthy man, I say, what he judiciously undertook he constantly went through withal. He would not be scorned or turned out of his course by any man. He was a child of wisdom, able to justify what he did against the spirit of gross and proud profaneness, and against an empty, formal, dead, cold profession. He had not only the word of God to back him, but his own excellencies, and the sweetness that he felt and found in his Chris- tian course, to defend him. And this should all we labour for.