If religion be decried through the whole land, so that not a second family could be found in all Israel to adliere to God, we should say with Joshua, " As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord™." Reproach for Christ's sake should be re- garded as honoiu'", and, though not coveted, yet be welcomed as the truest riches °. It should be considered as a precious gift of God for Christ's sake^, and be gloried in as a parti- cipation of Christ's sufferings, and a means of advancing his glory 1. We should be cautious indeed not by extravagance or misconduct of any kind to merit reproach : but, if it come for righteousness' sake, we should rejoice in it, and glorify God for it% "taking pleasure in it^" as a testimony in our favoiu'*, and a pledge^ of an accumulated^ and everlasting weight of glory 5". Nor is it against reproach only that we should stand, but against the most^envenomed persecution that men or devils can raise against us. We should be moved by no menaces, however cruel ; but be ready to lay down our Hves for Christ's sake^, and account martyrdom a ground, not of pity and con- dolence, but of congratulation and joy ^.]
2. To abase himself without shame —
[The chief reason of Michal's rage was, that she thought David degraded himself by this public exhibition, which, how- ever it might have become one of his inferior servants, was unsuited to his dignity. But David felt that a monarch in the sight of God is no more than other men; and that any elevation of rank which he possessed above others was rather a call to honour God the more, and not a reason for withhold- ing from God any expression of gratitude and love. Hence he determined to regard himself as on a level vsdth the least and meanest of his subjects in every thing that had respect to God. Nor would he value himself on this as an act of con- descension, and thus convert humility into pride ; but he would reaUy be in his own estimation, what he professed before others to be, "less than the least of all saints^," unworthy to " be a door-keeper in the house of his God'=," or to unloose the latchet of his Master's shoes'^.
And this is the frame of mind which we also should cul- tivate. So far from regarding earthly distinctions as a reason for rendering to God a more measured sei-vice, as though the highest acts of piety were fitted only for the vulgar, we should
n» Josh. xxiv. 15. n Acts v, 41. o Heb. xi. 26.
P PhU. i. 29. q 1 Pet. iv. 12—14. r 1 Pet. iv. 15, 16.
s 2 Cor. xii. 10. * Luke xxi. 13. " 2 Tim, ii. 12.
^ 2 Cor. iv. 17. y Rom. viii. 17. ^ Acts xx. 24.
a Phil. ii. 17, 18. h Eph. iii. 8. = Ps, Ixxxiv. 10. d John i. 27.