grace; and so you may incur the like: and therefore it is a very hard matter to avoid sin; in one way or other we shall dash upon the command; better let it alone.

2. Speak not of him, but to him; and so change a sin into a duty: I say, when you turn admonition into censure, you exchange a duty for a "Admonish one another," is a thing spoken of in Scripture; but speak not evil one of another."

sin.

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3. If you speak of the failings of others, it should be with tenderness and grief; as when they are incorrigible, and likely to infect others, or when it is for the manifest glory of God: "There are some of whom I have told you often, and now tell you weeping," &c. (Phil. iii. 19); he speaks of some seducers, that under a form of godliness did undermine the purport of the Christian religion, merely took up the profession of it for their own ends. It should be done with a mighty deal of caution; not out of idleness for want of talk, that is babble; not out of hatred and revenge, that is malice; though the matter is true, yet we must not speak of men's faults to please others, that is flattery.

Secondly, To them that receive the slander. He is a slanderer that wrongs his neighbour's credit by upholding an ill report against him. It is hard to say which is worse, railing or receiving, when an inhabitant of Sion is descried, it is said, "He that receiveth not a report, and takes it not up against his neighbour" (Psalm xv. 3). So, "A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips, and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue" (Prov. xvii. 14). It is not only a point of wickedness to have a naughty tongue, or false lips, but to give "heed." He is a liar that receiveth a lie, and loves it when brought to him. God will plague all those that love lies. As in treason, all that are acquainted with the plot, are responsible; so you are responsible for your ears, as they for their tongue. It is good to have a spiritual tongue that will heal the wounds that others make in men's reputation: "There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health" (Prov. xii. 18). Some carry a sword in their mouths; others balsam to heal the wounds that are made.

USE III.-If this be so usual and grievous an affliction, and that even to the children of God, and that not only upon the account of nature, but of grace: then it puts us upon seeking comfort against reproaches.

I. The witness of a good conscience within. If you be innocent, it is not against thee they speak, but against another, whom the slanderer take thee to be. The hair will grow again though it be shaven, as long as the roots remain. A good conscience is the root of a good credit; and though the razor of censure hath brought on baldness, yet it will grow again. God will either turn their hearts, or support thee under it.

2. Reproaches cannot make thee vile in God's sight. The world's filth many times are God's jewels. Many that were praised in the world, are now in Hell; and many that were disgraced in the world, are in great favour and esteem with God; many times their content doth increase their esteem with God, and therefore they cannot hurt thee. They may persecute thee; but if thou be patient, they cannot impose upon thee, and burden thy cause in his eyes. God doth not ask the world's vote and suffrage, whether such and such shall be justified, or received into glory, yea or nay. If they be infirmities and defects, humble thyself, and God will cover them (Psalm xxxii. 1). God is wont to scatter reproaches cast upon his children, as the sun scatters the clouds (Psalm xxxvii.) and Heaven will make amends for all.

3. The profit thou gainest by them, the watchfulness, the diligence, all this will be sweet. I might have given comfort against reproaches for religion. These are honourable, they are the reproaches of Christ (Heb. xi. 26.-Heb. xiii. 13). It is as honourable before God, as ignominious before men. And we cannot expect better fare than our Master: the disciple is not above his Lord, nor the servant above his Master; it is enough for the disciple to be as his Lord, and the servant as his master (Mat. x.24). We cannot expect to fare better than Christ did, and it is an honour to suffer as he did.

Again, if cripples mock us for going upright, let us pity them. The judgment of wicked men is depraved, not to be stood upon; and this contempt one day will be cast upon themselves: "The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning" (Psalm xlix. 14).

SERMON XXIV.

VERSE 23.-Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.

This Psalm expresseth David's affection to the word, as the result of all that experience which he had of the comfort and use of it. In the present verse there are two things, 1st, David's trouble. 2ndly, His remedy. 1st, His trouble, "Princes did sit and speak against me."

2ndly, The remedy that he used, "but thy servant did meditate in thy

statutes."

First, The evil wherewith he was exercised; there are several circumstances produced by way of aggravation of his trouble:

1. Who,-" Princes also;" his trial came not only from the contempt and reproach of base people, spoken of in the former verse; but from princes also, by whom are meant Saul's courtiers and councellors.

2. How," did sit;" not only when occasionally met together in private in their chambers, or at their tables; but when they sat in council, or when they sat together on the seat of judgment, they consulted to ruin him; or upon the throne (where nothing but just and holy should be expected) passed a judicial sentence against him.

3. What,-"did speak against me;" it was not reproach only that troubled him; but the powers of the world gave false sentence against him. To be spoken of as an evil doer, is a less temptation than to be condemned as a malefactor.

Secondly, His remedy; where observe,

1. The title he gives himself, "but thy servant;" he speaketh modestly of himself in the third person; and fitly doth he say, "Thy servant." We owe duty to a higher Master, when they decree anything contrary to God's word.

2. His practice and exercise, "did meditate on thy statutes:" This is spoken for two reasons:

(1.) That he was not discouraged by their opposition, but held to his duty; he was maligned for God's word's sake, and yet kept up his respect to the word of God, and never left meditating therein.

(2.) To show the way of his relief and cure under this trouble, by exercising himself in the word, which, in the next verse he showeth, yielded him a double benefit, comfort, and counsel.

1st, It was of use to comfort him, and strengthen faith.

2ndly. To direct him that he might keep within the bounds of true obedience; there being in the word of God both sweet promises, and a sure rule.

Observe from the evil wherewith he was exercised :

DOCTRINE. It is many times the lot of God's people, that princes do sit and speak against them in councils, and upon the throne of judgment. 1. For consulting against them to their ruin. We have instances of a council gathered against Christ: "Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doth may miracles" (John xi. 47). They meet together, and plot the ruin of Christ and his kingdom; and they were those that were of chief authority in the place. Another instance: "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done" (Acts iv. 27, 28). There is their agreement to put Christ to death. In the Old Testament Pharaoh and his nobles: "Come on, karaσopiliμɛda, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land" (Exod. i. 10); and against Daniel, the princes of the Persian empire consult how to entrap him in the matter of his God, &c. (Dan. vi. 4—6).

2. For abusing the throne of judgment and civil courts of judicature, to the molestation of the saints. I shall cite but two places: "Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?" (Psalm xciv. 20). It is no strange, but yet no small temptation, that the oppression of God's people is marked with a pretence and colour of law and public authority, and the mischief should proceed from thence where it should be remedied, namely, from the seat of justice; so Christ foretelleth they shall have enemies armed with power and public authority: "Beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake" (Matt. x. 17, 18). Not only subsordinate, but supreme governors may be drawn to condemn and oppress the godly. In so plain a case, more instances need not.

Reasons of it, on God's part, and on the part of the persecutors.
First, On God's part, he permitteth it,—

1. To show that he can carry on his work, though authority be against him; and that his people do not subsist by outward force, but the goodness of his providence, and so have the sole glory of their preservation. When the Christian religion came first abroad in the world, "not many noble, nor many mighty were called;" the powers of the world were against it, and yet it held up the head, and was dispersed far and near. Falshoods need some outward interests to back them, and the supports of a secular arm; but God's interest doth many times stand alone, though God doth now and then make "Kings nursing-fathers, and queens nursing-mothers," according to his promise (Isa. Ixix. 23). Often times the church is destitute of all worldly props: "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men" (Mic. v. 7). Yea, the power of the world is against it, and yet it subsists. Thus it was in the primitive times, there were only a handful of contempti

blé people that professed the Gospel; yet it got ground daily, not by the force of arms, or the power of the long sword, but by God's secret blessing. Ambrose giveth the reason why God suffered it to be so, Ne vide retur authoritate traxisse aliquos, et veritatis ratio non pompæ gratiâ prevaleret lest this new religion should seem to be planted with power, rather than by its own evidence; and the authority of men should sway more with the world than the truth of God. There is a wonderful increase, without any human concurrence, as the Lord saith: "The remant of his people shall be as a dew from the Lord, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men." Without man's consent or concurrence. So that God alone hath the glory of their preservation.

2. That the patience of his people may be put to the utmost probation. When they are exercised with all kind of trials, not only the hatred of the vulgar, but the opposition of the magistrate, carried on under a form of legal procedure. In the primitive times sometimes the Christians were exposed to the hatred and fury of the people, Lapidibus nos invadit inimicum vulgus. At other times exposed to the injuries of laws, and persecutions carried on by authority against them. There was an uproar at Ephesus against the Christians (Acts xix.) and there seemed to be a formal process at Jerusalem (Acts iv). This latter temptation seemeth to be more sore and grievous, because God's ordinance, which is magistracy, is wrested to give countenance to malicious designs, and because it cuts off all means of human help, and so patience hath pyov Téλelov, "its perfect work" (James i. 4). There are some glory in suffering the rage and evil word of the vulgar, for they are supposed not to make the wisest choice; but when men of wisdom and power, and such as are clothed with the majesty of God's ordinance, are set against us, then is patience put to the utmost proof; and whether we regard God or man most, and who is the object of our fear, those that have power of life and death temporal, or him that hath power of life and death eternal.

3. That his people may be weaned from fleshly dependencies, and doting upon civil powers, and so be driven to depend upon him alone: "Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which establish mischief by a law? they gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood. But the Lord is my defence, and my God is the rock of my refuge" (Psalm xciv. 20-22). There would not be such use of faith and dependence upon God, if our danger were not great. It is harder to trust in God with means, than without means. We are beaten out when outward helps fail, otherwise we are apt to neglect God, then a world of mischief ensueth. When the emperor of the Romans began to favour the Christians, poison was said to be poured into the church; and in the sunshine of worldly countenance, like green timber they began to warp and cleave asunder; and what religion got in breadth, it lost in strength and vigour. God's people never live up to the beauty and majesty of their principles so much, as when they are forced immediately to live upon God, and depend upon him for their safety.

4. That their testimony and witness-bearing to God's truths, may be the more public and authentic in the view of the world. This testimony is either to them for their conviction and conversion: "And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations" (Matt. xxiv. 14); or against them: "And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and

the Gentiles" (Mark x. 18). It is for a testimony, and that should comfort them in all their sufferings: "Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her" (Mark xiv. 9). The testimony is more valid, as being confirmed by their courage in troubles; they are principles that they will suffer for; which, as it is a warning to the professors of religion, that they should own no principles in a time of peace but what they would confirm by their avowed testimony in the extremity of trials; so also it should convince their enemies in case they be put upon this exercise. It is needful that every truth should have a sealed testimony; that is, we should not only vent opinions, but be willing to suffer for them if God should call us out so to do. God hath been ever tender of imposing upon the world without sufficient evidence; and therefore would not have his people stand upon their lives and temporal concernments, that thereby they may give greater satisfaction to the world concerning the weight of those truths which they do profess.

Secondly, On the persecutors' part, or the persons molesting; so the causes are ;

1. Their ignorance and blind zeal: " They shall put you out of their synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that they do God good service" (John xvi. 2). They think it to be an acceptable service to God to molest and trouble those that are indeed his people. Those princes that sat and spake against David, were not Pagans and men of another religion, but of Israel; and it is often the lot of God's people to be persecuted not only by Pagans and openly profane men, but even by men that profess the true religion, pseudo-Christians (Rev. xiv. 13); those that pretend they are for God and his cause, and seem to be carried on with a great zeal, and do not oppose truth as truth, but their quarrel is coloured by specious pretences.

2. Their prejudices lightly taken up against the people of God. Satan is first a liar and then a murderer: "Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him: when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John viii. 44). By lies he bringeth about his bloody design. Christ was first called a Samaritan, and one that had a devil; and then they did persecute him as such a one. And as was observed before, as Christians of old were covered with the skins of wild beasts, that dogs and lions might tear them the more speedily; so by odious imputations God's people are brought into distaste with the world, and then molested and troubled, represented as a company of hypocrites and unjust dealers; and under that cloak, true religion is undermined. Now in the persecutor this is faulty, because they lightly take up every false suggestion, and so Christians are condemned did tǹv phμny, as Justin Martyr complained, because of the common reproach, without any distinct inquiry into their way and practice, Nolunt audire quod auditum damnare non possunt.

3. Their erroneous principle in civil policy, that Christ's kingdom and the freedom of his worshippers, are not consistent with civil interests. Whatever hath been the matter, worldly rulers have been jealous of Christ's interest and kingdom, as if it could not consist with public safety, and the civil interests of that state and nation where it is admitted; and suggestions of this kind do easily prevail with them. "It is not for the