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trary grace: Such a one is proud,let me be more hum- Cap.37. ble,fuch a one is covetous,let me be more liberal, that there may be fomewhat to answer: As it is faid of the wife fon, when his father is reproached, he carries himself fo as his father hath wherewithal to anfwer from his good carriage,Prov.27.11.So let Chrift have wherewithal to anfwer his reproaches from your godly convincing converfation. Suppofe others have caft an afperfion upon the ways of godliness, because such are falfe and covetous, yet walk thou in the contrary, that Gods people may answer, Though fuch and fuch be fo, what fay you to fuch an one? is not the breach made up in those ? And fo much for that Ufe.

Sixthly, we must not onely labor to wipe away ufe 6. the reproach of Chrift: But if Christ have suffered fo much in us and for us, let us labor to honor Chrift as much as we can in the world, and fet up the name of Chrift, as much as others pull it down. How are we to fet up the name of Chrift?

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world.

2.

First, in holding forth the beauty and glory of 1. the Spirit of Chrift in our lives, that though Chrift How we be reproached in others, he may be glorified in us: nor Chrift Others may be forced to fay in their confciences, in the Blessed be God that ever I saw fuch men: I never faw the graces of Chrift fhine more brightly in any, then in them. And then fet up Chrift, in fpeaking all the good we can of Chrift, in bringing others in love with him: As they in the Canticles faid, What is thy beloved more then another beloved fays fe, My beloved is the chiefest among ten thousands. Again, let us fet up the Ordinances of Chrift, therein appears the honor of Chrift, and let the Ff 2

beauty

3.

Cap.37. beauty of his holiness appear in his Ordinances,that men may fay, Bleffed are the people that are in fuch a 4. cafe. Fourthly, let Chrift have the honor of our names, and ofall our comforts : Surely if he have the fhame of our reproaches, he fhould have the honor of our honors: If he have the pain of our fufferings, furely he must have the praise of our comforts: Chrift hath a share in our forrows, fhall he not have a fhare in our comforts: when we are reproached he is reproached; when we are honored, let him be honored too. What a fad thing will it be, that when you go out of the world, it should be faid, Chrift hath had more dishonor by you, then he hath had

ufe 7.

honor?

Seventhly, If Chrift fuffers in all our fufferings, hence we learn not to rush into fufferings, before we be called to them, nor to withdraw from fufferings, when we are called to them. Chrift fuffers in all our fufferings, then it is not in our liberty to rub into fufferings when we please, though it fhould be in the caufe of Chrift. Indeed if we fuffered alone, we might venture, but because Chrift is intereffed in it, we must stay till we know whether Chrift be willing to fuffer, though our time be come, yet it may be Chrift will fay, My time is not yet come; because it is in a good cause fufthink you you may fer in it, but confider, is Chrifts time come? In Proverbs 10.10. it is faid, He that winketh with the eye caufeth forrow, but a prating fool fhall fall. When a man is loth to ftand for those truths of God that fhall bring him into fuffering, he winks: He that winketh with the eye,caufeth forrow, he will bring for row to his heart. But others will fay, We will not

wink with the eye, it is the cause of God, and we Cap.37. will stand for it, but a prating fool fhall fall. A true man may ride in the rode, and fear no danger, yet he will not willingly ride into dangerous places, and so a man is not to ride into danger. As now if you be partners with another, you cannot give what you will, because it is not your own, but it is your partners too. If a man have a cottage of his own alone in a field, he may fet it on fire, but if he fet his own house on fire in the town, it may coft him his life, becaufe others are intereffed in the damage as well as himself. Again, if Chrift do call, we muft go freely, because they are the fufferings of Chrift. It is reported of Peter in Ecclefiaftical Story, that he was coming out of Rome for fear of fuffering, and as he was coming out of the gates, he met Chrift, and he asked Chrift wherefore he came; fays he, I come to be crucified, then he thought Chrift came to be crucified in him, and therefore he went back and resolved to fuffer, and fo he was crucified. And fo though we be shy of fuffering, yet if we know Chrift calls to it, we muft yield, as being willing to fuffer in us. But when are we called? There is an ordinary call,and an extraordinary call. The extraordinary call is by the Spirit: And that is first, when there are none that will ftand for the caufe of God in an ordinary way. Secondly, thofe that God calls extraordinarily, are fuch as have extraordinary graces: They act not their own natural boldness, but are carried beyond it by a mighty work of Gods Spirit: And therefore thou mayeft fufpect thy felf, that thou art not called extraordinarily,

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Quest.

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Cap.37.but after much humiliation, and much abilities to deny thy felf.

When we

But for an ordinary call First, then we are called when if we do not fuffer, Gods caufe will fuffer. Secondly, when God does take away the means and helps of delivering us from fuffering. Thirdly, the more helps are taken from us, the more we finde the confolation of Gods Spirit come in

to us.

But when helps are taken away, and the Spirit of are called God does abfent it felf, shall we fear then that we are to fuffernot called?

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ufe 8.

Some think, furely they must not fuffer, then they shall betray Gods caufe: If they do, becaufe they do not finde God prefent with them: If God do give you a fair way to escape when his prefence is gone, you may take it; but if he fhut you up that you cannot escape, you may comfortably go on, though now he be gone, he will retum again; as it was with Mr. Glover, who wanted the prefence of God even till he came to the Stake, and then he clapt his hands and cryed, He is come, he is

come.

The last Use of the point is this, If Chrift fuffer in his people, and if all the evil you caft upon Gods people is Chrifts, then all the good you do to them is Chrifts: If when you speak evil of Gods people and reproach them, you reproach Chrift; then when you speak well of Gods people, you speak well of Chrift: If when you perfecute Gods people, you perfecute Chrift; then when you relieve Gods people, you relief Chrift; Chrift will own the good that is done to his peo

ple,

ple, as well as the evil: And therefore as the ar- Cap.38. gument once was, Relieve all strangers, for fome unawares have done good to Angels; So now, do all the good you can to Gods people, for unawares you may do much good to Chrift. And thus I have finifhed the fecond point from this Verfe, That the reproaches of Gods people are the reproaches of Christ. Now we are to proceed to the third.

CHAP. XXXVIII.

A gracious heart hatha high esteem of reproaches in the cause of Chrift.

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Hat a gracious heart hath a high efteem of Point.3. the reproaches of Chrift, he highly esteems of every difefteem he fuffers for Chrift ፡ And not onely bears reproaches and sufferings patiently, but triumphingly, he is not onely contented with them, but counts himself enriched by them. This is a great riddle and mystery to the world, that Sufferings, Troubles, Miferies and Reproaches should be rejoyced in, and esteemed highly of. We are to understand by reproaches is this point likewife, not onely flanders, and mocks, and fcorns, the fufferings of Gods people in their names formally, but materially their fufferings, they fuffer for Chrift, upon which they come to be contemned: So that whatfoever Gods people do fuffer in the cause of God, and for Chrift, they have high thoughts of it: If God fhould give unto them all the riches and

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honors

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