288. A man may know that the word hath wrought upon his conscience, when he comes to it, that he may hear and learn and reform. A man that hath a heart without guile, is glad to hear the sharpest reproofs, because he knows that sin is his greatest enemy ; but if we live in a course that we are loath should be touched, it is a sign our hearts are full of guile. Corrupt men they mould their teachers, and fashion them to their lusts ; but a good and upright heart is willing that divine truths should have their full authority in the soul, giving way to our duty, though never so contrary to flesh and blood.
289. It is the duty of ministers to labour to prevent objections that may arise in the hearts of the people, so as to hinder the passage of their doc- trine ; and that truths may more readily come into the heart, we should labour to relish the person, for secret surmises are stones to stumble at ; therefore both ministers and people should be careful to remove them.
290. A man ought not to commend himself, but in some special cases : first, because pride and envy in others will not endure it ; secondly, it toucheth upon God's glory, and therefore we should take heed ; thirdly, it deprives us of comfort, and hinders the apology* of others. The heathens could say, that the praising of a man's self is a burdensome hearing (e) ; let us take heed, therefore, that we snatch not our right out of God's hand. But now, on the contrary in some cases, we may praise and commend our- selves, as when we have a just calling to make an apology in way of defence, and for the conviction of them that unjustly speak evil of us ; secondly, we may speak well of ourselves in way of example to others, as parents to their children ; and this doth well become them, because it is not out of pride or vain glory, because the end is discovered to be out of love unto them.
291. It is the duty of those that are God's children, when they have just occasion, to take the defence of others upon them : and thus did the blind
* That is, ' defence.' — G.
AND HOLY CONTEMPLATIONS.
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man, John ix. 30 ; he defended Christ against the Pharisees ; and Jonathan spoke to his father in the hehalf of David, 2 Sam. xx. 30. , Though he was the son of a rebelHous woman, yet he knew that he ought* this unto the truth. God hath a cause in the world that must be owned, and therefore when the cause of rehgion is brought upon the stage, then God seems to say as Jehu did, ' Who is on my side, who ?' 2 Kings ix. 32. God com- mends his cause and his children to us ; and therefore ' Curse ye Meroz, saith the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty,' Judges v. 23. So a curse lies upon those that, when the truth suffers, have not a word to defend it.
292. Usually the defamers of others are proud, vainglorious persons. If a man will search for the spirit of the devil in men, let him look for it amongst vainglorious teachers, heretics, and superstitious persons. ^ The ground of it is from the nearness of two contraries. There the opposition is the strongest, as fire and water when they are near make the strongest opposition ; and who are so near God's children as vainglorious teachers that are of the same profession ? Pilate, a heathen, shewed more favour to Christ than the Pharisees. And this use we should make of it, not to take scandal when we see one divine depravef another, for it hath been so, and will be so to the end of the world.
293. All things out of God are but grass. When we joy in anything out of God, it is a childish joy, as if we joyed in flowers, that after we have drawn out the sweetness, we cast them away. All outward things are common to castaways as well as to us ; and without grace they will prove snares ; at the hour of death what comfort can we have in them, further than we have had humility and love to use them well. Therefore if we would have our hearts seasoned with true joy, let us labour to be faithful in our places, and endeavour according to the gifts we have to glorify God.
294. To glory in anything whatsoever, is idolatry, because the mind sets up a thing to glory in, which is not God ; secondly, it is spiritual adultery to cleave to anything more than God ; thirdly, it is false-witness-bearing to ascribe excellency where there is none. We have a prohibition, ' Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches,' Jer. ix. 23. God will not give his glory to another ; and therefore when men will be meddling with glory, which belongs to God alone, he blasts them, and sets them aside, as broken vessels, and disdains to use them.