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and reproaches. If this evil speaking be the hissing that is natural to the serpent's seed, sure, by reason of their natural antipathy, it must be breathed forth most against the seed of the woman, those that are one with Jesus Christ. If the tongues of the ungodly be sharp swords even to one another, they will whet them sharper than ordinary when they are to use them against the righteous, to wound their name. The evil tongue must be always burning, that is set on fire of hell, as St. James speaks; but against the godly it will be sure to be heated seven times hotter than it is for others. The reasons of this are; 1. Being naturally haters of God, and yet unable to reach him, what wonder is it if their malice vent itself against his image in his children, and labour to blot and stain that, all they can, with the foulest calumnies. 2. Because they are neither able nor willing themselves to attain unto the spotless holy life of christians, they bemire them, and would make them like themselves, by false aspersions; they cannot rise to the estate of the godly, and therefore they endeavour to draw them down to theirs by detraction. 3. The reproaches they cast upon the professors of pure religion, they mean mainly against religion itself, and intend by them to reflect upon it.

These evil speakings of the world against pious men professing religion, are partly gross falshoods invented without the least ground or appearance of truth; for the world being ever credulous of evil, especially upon so deep a prejudice as it hath against the godly, the falsest and most absurd calumnies will always find so much belief as to make them odious, or very suspected at least, to such as know them not. This is the world's maxim, Lie confidently, and it will always do something; as a stone taken out of the mire and thrown against a white wall, though it stick not there, but rebound presently back again, yet it leaves a spot behind it.

And with those kind of evil speakings were the primitive christians surcharged, even with gross and

horrible falshoods; as all know that know any thing of the history of those times, even such things were reported of them, as the worst of wicked men would scarce be guilty of. The devil, as witty as he is, makes use again and again of his old inventions, and makes them serve in several ages; for so were the Waldenses accused of inhuman banquetings and beastly promiscuous uncleanness, and divers things not once to be named among christians, much less to be practised by them: So that it is no new thing to meet with the impurest vilest slanders, as the world's reward of holiness, and the practice of pure religion.

Then again consider, how much more will the wicked insult upon the least real blemishes that they can espy amongst the professors of Godliness. And in this there is a threefold injury very ordinary; 1. Strictly to pry into, and maliciously to object against christians the smallest imperfections and frailties of their lives, as if they pretended and promised absolute perfection. They do indeed evercise themselves (such as are christians indeed) with St. Paul, to keep a good conscience in all things towards God and menk. They have a regard unto all God's commandments, as David speaks, they have a sincere love to God which makes them study the exactest obedience they can reach. And this is an imperfect kind of perfection, it is evangelical, but not angelical; 2. To impute the scandalous falls of some particular persons to the whole number. It is a very short incompetent rule, to make judgment of any one man himself by one action, much more to measure all the rest of the same profession by it; and they yet proceed further in this way of misjudging; 3. That they impute the personal failings of men to their religion, and disparage it because of the faults of those that profess it; which, as the ancients plead well, is the greatest injustice, and such as they would not be guilty of against their own philosophers. They could well distinguish be

k Acts xxiv. 16.

twixt their doctrine and the manners of some of their followers, and thus ought they to have dealt with christians too. They ought to have considered their religion in itself, and the doctrine that it teacheth, and had they found it vitious, the blame had been just; but if it taught nothing but holiness and righteousness, then the blame of any unholiness or unrighteousness found amongst christians was to rest upon the persons themselves, that were guilty of it, and not to be stretched to the whole number of professors, much less to the religion that they professed. And yet this is still the custom of the world upon the least failing they can espy in the Godly, or such as seem to be so; much more with open mouth do they revile religion, upon any gross sin in any of its professors.

But seeing this is the very character of a profane mind, and the badge of the enemies of religion, beware of sharing in the least with them in it. Give not easy entertainment to the reports of profane or of mere civil men, against the professors of religion; they are undoubtedly partial, and their testimony may be justly suspected. Lend them not a ready ear to receive their evil-speakings, much less your tongue to divulge them, and set them further going: Yea, take heed that you take not pleasure in any the least kind of scoffs, against the sincerity and power of religion. And all of you that desire to walk as christians, be very wary, that you wrong not one another, and help not the wicked against you, by your mutual misconstructions and miscensures one of another. Far be it from you to take pleasure in hearing others evil spoken of, whether unjustly, or though it be some way deservedly; yet let it be alway grievous to you, and no way pleasing to hear such things, much less to speak of them. It is the devil's delight to be pleased with evil-speakings. The Syrian calls him an Akal Kartza, Eater of slanders or calumnies. They are a dish that pleases his palate, and men are naturally fond of his diet. In Psal. xxxv. 16. there

is a word that is rendered mockers at feasts, or feasting-mockers; that feasted men's ears at their meetings with speaking of the faults of others scoffingly, and therefore shared with them of their cakes, or feasts, as the word is; but to a renewed christian mind, that hath a new taste, and all its senses new; there is nothing more unsavoury, than to hear the defaming of others, especially of such as profess religion. Did the law of love possess our hearts, it would regulate our ear and tongue, and make them most tender of the name of our brethren; it would teach us the faculty of covering their infirmities, and judging favourably; taking always the best side and most charitable sense of their actions; it would teach us to blunt the fire-edge of our cen'sures upon ourselves, our own hard hearts and rebellious wills within, that they might remain no more sharp against others, than is needful for their good.

And this would cut short those that are without, from a great deal of provisions of evil-speaking against christians that they many times are furnished with by themselves, through their uncharitable carriage one towards another. However this being the hard measure that they always find in the world, it is their wisdom to consider it aright, and to study that good which according to the Apostle's advice, may be extracted out of it, and that is the second thing to be spoken to.

II. Their good use of that evil, Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles.] As the sovereign power of drawing good out of evil resides in God, and argues his primitive goodness, so he teacheth his own children some faculty this way, that they may resemble him in it. He teacheth them to draw sweetness out of their bitterest afflictions, and increase of inward peace from their outward troubles. And as these buffetings of the tongue are no small part of their sufferings, so they reap no small benefit by them many ways; particularly

in this one, that they order their conversation the better, and walk the more exactly for it.

And this no doubt in divine providence is intended and ordered for their good, as are all their other trials. The sharp censures and evil speakings that a christian is encompassed with in the world, is no other than a hedge of thorns set on every side, that he go not out of his way, but keep straight on in it betwixt them, not declining to the right-hand nor to the left; whereas, if they found nothing but the favour and good opinion of the world, they might, as in a way unhedged, be subject to expatiate and wander out into the meadows of carnal pleasures that are about them, that would call and allure them, and often amuse them from their journey.

And thus it might fall out that christians would deserve censure and evil speakings the more, if they did not usually suffer them undeserved. This then turns into a great advantage to them, making them more answerable to those two things that our Saviour joins, to Watch and pray', to be the more vigilant over themselves, and the more earnest with God for his watching over them, and conducting of them, Make my ways straight, says David, because of mine enemies". The word is, my obssrvers, or these that scan my ways, every foot of them, that examine them as a verse, or as a song of music; if there be but a wrong measure in them, they will not let it slip, but will be sure to mark it.

And if the enemies of the godly wait for their halting, shall not they scan their own paths themselves, that they may not halt? and examine them, to order them, as the wicked do to censure them; still depending wholly upon the Spirit of God as their guide, to lead them into all truth, and to teach them how to order their conversation aright, that it may be all of a piece, holy and blameless, and still like itself?

Matth. xxvi. 41.

m Psal. v. S.

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