that he was preparing the arkk! What an object of derision, too, was Isaac, on account of his confidence in God1! Behold Lot also in Sodomm, and Elisha" and Jeremiah0 in Israel: or rather, look at our blessed Lord himself, and all his holy Apostles ; what was there too contemptuous for the ungodly
to say either of him p or themq? How, then, can any
one hope to escape in the present day? Is " the carnal mind less at enmity with God" now, than in former ages? That the laws of the land protect the godly to a certain degree, is true ; but from the shafts of calumny and contempt, no laws, whether divine or human, can protect us : and this species of persecution, at least, shall every one experience, who will come out from the world, and boldly declare himself to be on the side of Christ1. " If they called the Master of the house Beelzebub, much more will they those of his household8."]
For our direction, then, let us contemplate, II. The graces he exercised —
Whilst he bore his trials with patience, he suffered none of them to divert him from the path of duty —
[David's mind was too firmly fixed on God to be moved by the scoff's and raillery of a profane world. What he did, he did from principle. He regarded God's Law as a rule from which no trial whatever should induce him to depart. Not only would he not turn back from the path of duty ; he would not turn aside from it, no, not for a moment. The more contemp- tuously he was treated by men, the more diligently he sought communion with his God, in the study of his blessed word*, and in the exercise of fervent prayer u. Hence, when he and his people were treated with the utmost possible scorn and derision, he could appeal to God in the following triumphant language : " All this is come upon us ; yet have we not for- gotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant : our heart is not turned back ; neither have our steps declined from thy ways*."]
And such, also, is the firmness which we should
manifest —
[It should be with us " a small matter to be judged of man's judgmenty." We should have but one object, and that is, to approve ourselves to God; and, having " the testimony of our consciences that we have pleased him," we should not
k 2 Pet. iii. 3—6. ' Gen. xxi. 6. with Gal. iv. 29.
m 2 Pet. ii. 7, 8. n 2 Kings ii. 23. ° Jer. xx. 7.
p Matt, xxvii. 39 — 44. °. 1 Cor. iv. 13. r John xv. 19.
s Matt. x. 25. * ver. 23, 24. u Ps. lxix. 13.
x Ps. xliv. 13—18. with lxix. 20. y 1 Cor. iv. 3.