Chapter 33: What we should do, that we may be able to bear reproach

BUt you will say, these arguments may move us to do it, and convince us we should do it, but how shall we do it?

First, be sure to keep conscience clear, that that do not upbraid you, be careful of what you do, and then you need not be much careful of what men say; if conscience do not reproach you, reproach without will not much move you; consciences testimony for you, is more then ten thousand slanders against you: As the storms and winds without do not move the earth, but vapors within that causes earthquakes: As Ambrose says of David, he was not much troubled with Shimei's railing, because his conscience did abound with good works. If you can say with Job, Chap. 27:6 My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live, you art safe enough from the evil of reproach.

Secondly, if you be failing in any thing, begin with yourselves before any begin with you, accuse yourselves before God first, so some interpret that place in Psalm 119. I am wiser then my enemies; though my enemies are witty, and do plot, and their malice do help them with invention, yet I am wiser, I can finde out the ways of my own heart, and my own evils, better then all my enemies.

Thirdly, Christians should exercise themselves in great things, in the things of God, and Christ, and eternity, and labor to greaten their spirits in a holy manner, and be above reproach. It was a speech of Seneca, Men that know their greatness, are not troubled with reproaches, he will think himself above reproach; And therefore, if our spirits be truly greatned (not with pride, but with the exercising of our spirits in things that are above the world) reproaches would be nothing in our eyes. It is a notable expression that St. John has against the evil tongue of Diotrephes, Ep. 3. ver. 10. He prates against us with malicious words, in the Original it is, he trifles, although his words were malicious, and Diotrephes a great man, yet all was but trifles, so high was St. Johns spirit above them. Aquinas gives two figns of a weak spirited man; one, that he delights in light and foolish words; a second, that he cannot endure contempt; such a man, says he, although he should work miracles, yet he is beneath the perfection of vertue, his spirit has no true greatness in it.

The sinking of the heart under reproaches, or to be put out of the way by them, argues too vile a pusillanimity, such a poor low spirit as is not consistent with the true magnanimity of a Christian. Gulielmus Parisiensis in his Treatise De virtutibus, has notable Expressions to this purpose, Little things, says he, yea meer nothings cast down poor weak spirited men. The words of vain men are small things, whoever fears such words so as to do evil, or to leave off good, are the weakest of men; these are like unto Soldiers who are cast down and overcome, not with some violent strong tempest, but with some small weak puff of winde, these are the more ridiculous and not to be reckoned amongst Warriers; nay, they are not to be reckoned amongst men, who fall off for fear of words, which yet have not been spoken, as if a man should fall for fear of the wind which yet blows not, such are those who dare not do good, or leave evil, for fear of reproaches.

Fourthly, another means is to make your moan to God, and lay your case before him, as Hezekiah, when Rabshekah came and reviled God, and the people of God, he went and spread the letter before God, and made his moan before God; If we can do so, there will be that satisfaction to our souls that is unspeakable, and that will be a great argument of our innocency; Many will say, Oh they are innocent, and God knows their hearts, but can you go and make your moan before God when you are reproached, and acquaint God with the cause, and receive refreshment that way, as Job 16:20 My friends scorn me, but mine eyes pour out tears to God: And David, Psalm 109. 1, 2. Hold not your peace, O God of my praise, for the mouth of the wicked, and the mouth of the deceitfal are opened against me, they have spoken against me with a lying tongue; they have compassed me about with words of hatred, they are mine adversaries, but I prayer; for so the words are in the Original, not I give myself, but only thus, but I prayer; as if he should say, as for my part, all that I do to help myself withal, is to pray to God, and make my moan: Others have their evil tongues to help them, and run to this witness and that witness, to seek to help themselves, but I prayer, Psalm 57. 2, 3. I cry unto God most high, he shall send from heaven and save me from reproach of him that would swallow me up, Selah; God shall send forth his mercy and truth: A carnal heart has no way to deliver it self, but by reproaches again, by running up and down from one witness to another, but a gracious heart has other ways to help it self, it cryes to God most high, and looks for help from Heaven; God sends forth his mercy and truth to help, and there is help indeed.

Fifthly, another help is this, if you can but get your hearts quietly and kindely to lament the condition of your reproachers, this will be a marvellous means tosweeten the heart, and to help to bear reproaches. It was the answer of Socrates to one who wondred at his patience towards one who reviled him, If we should meet one, says he, whose body were more unsound then ours, should we be angry with him, and not rather pity him? why then should we not do the like to him whose soul is more diseased then ours?

The folly of our reproachers should cause us to pity them, to be patient towards them, and pass by the wrong they do unto us; this was one of the arguments that Abigail brought to David, to quiet his spirit that was so stirred against Nabal, because of that reproach he cast upon him; Nabal, says she, is his name, and folly is with him, it is his folly, rather pity him, it is too low a thing for such a spirit as Davids is to be stirred with it. Instead of being troubled with the reproaches that are upon you, your spirits should be most troubled for their sin: Now there is infinite cause we have to be troubled for their sin more then for any evil that befals us. An evil tongue devours, and is an abomination, and in Prov. 8:13 God says, The froward mouth he hates: Now if you have any love you should think thus, This poor man what has he done? he has brought himself under the hatred of God; now this should mightily affect the hearts of the godly. As he is an abomination to God, so he is an abomination to men, Prov. 24:9 The scorner is an abomination to men; scornful spirits love to cast shame and ignominy upon others. And in Prov. 18:7 A fools mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul; we should think, he has but ensnared his own soul, and so fall a lamenting of his wretched condition. And so in Isa. 33:10 Your breath as fire shall devour you: If the breath of any man devours him, the breath of revilers, and reproachers, and slanderers does. The Heathens called a reproacher A three tongued man, because he hurts three at once, he hurts him that he reproaches, and him that heard the reproach, and himself worst of all; do but get power over your hearts to bewail this sin, and your reproach will not be so troublesom. Trilinguis Gallesius a writer upon Exod. 22. ver. 28. observes the exceeding patience of those three Emperors, Theodosius, Honorius, Arcadius, towards those who spoke evil of them, they would have them subject to no punishment, for they said, If it comes from lightness of spirit, it is to be contemned, if from madness, it is worthy of pity, if from injury, it is to be pardoned, wrongs are to be forgiven.

Again, labor to possess your souls with the reality of the sweet of, and the honor there is in the ways of God, so no reproach will be grievous to you: As it is said of the covetous man, when some told him, Such and such hiss at you, but says he, I care not, I rejoice in what I have at home, that I have so muchmoney in my chest: So it should be with a gracious heart, he should say, I have sweet enough in my own heart, what need I trouble myself with what others think or say?

Seventhly, labor to satisfy your souls in the glory of God and Christ: Though my name be cast out as filth, yet the name of God and Christ is blessed and glorious, and so shall be for ever, let Devils and wicked men do what they can against it; It was a good speech of Luther, writing to his friend Spalatinus, bemoaning his condition to him, because of the scorn and contempt he suffered, yet comforting himself in this, that Christ lived and reigned, Luther is accounted even a Devil, but Christ lives and reigns, he addes his Amen to it.

Thirdly, it is not enough to bear reproaches patiently, but we must bear them fruitfully: a christian should think he has not done that which belongs to a christian, unless he has got some good by them; a christian should not think it enough to free himself from the scorn of the tongue, but he must improve it for good by it.

First, consider what ends God aims at by it, and labor to work them upon yourselves, that you may attain to those ends.

Secondly, labor to draw what good instructions you can from the reproaches of others: As namely thus, when I hear men reproach and revile, O what a deal of evil is there secretly in the heart of man, that is not discovered till it have occasion? I did not think that such and such could ever have been reproachers, if they had not been provoked. Again, do I see another so vigilant over me to finde me out to reproach me; how vigilant should I be over myself to finde out what is in me to humble me? Again, is there so much evil to be under the stroke of mans tongue, what a great evil is it to be under the stroke of Gods justice?

Lastly, to be fruitful, that is, set upon what duty God calls for at the present; surely this is one great general duty, that the less credit I see I have in the world, let me labor to have the more credit in Heaven; I see there is a breach of my name here, let me seek to make up my name in Heaven.

4. And then they must be born joyfully, but we shall speak of that afterwards in the third point, that a gracious heart is not only willing to bear reproach when God calls unto it, but in the cause of CHRIST to triumph and rejoice in his reproaches.

5. Lastly, we should return good for evil; then you come to the top of Christianity. This is a sign of great progress in Religion: If I be weak, says Ambrose, perhaps I may pardon one charging me falsly; but if I have profited, although not altogether perfect, though he flows in upon me with reproaches, I hold my peace and answer nothing; but if I be perfect, I then bless him that reviles me, according to that of St. Paul, Being reviled, we bless. If you can do thus, if you can heartily pray for your reproachers, and desire good to them, and be willing to take notice of any good in them, to clear up their innocency where there is iust cause, if you can be ready to offer any offices of love, and respect, and kindeness to them, and so heap coals of fire upon them; this is a great sign of grace, you have made a good progress indeed in Gods way: Mat. 5. 44, 45. Bless them, says Christ, that curse you, pray for them that despitely use you, that ye may be the children of your Father, &c. Why, were they not children before? Yes, but this declares it, now God owns them for his children: If we behave ourselves thus, we shall have the comfort of this, that our reproaches come to us as to Gods people, whereas others cannot have the comfort of this, you cannot have any comfort from this argument, unless you behave yourselves under reproaches after this manner: Now what a great evilis this to cut a man off from that comfort which has been spoken of in this argument? and if you do behave yourselves christianly under reproaches, God is more and more engaged to stand for your names, and you are more prepared for glory. As he is not fit to govern, that is not fit to serve, but he that is fit to serve, is so much the fitter to govern; so those that can bear disgrace are fit to be honored, and the greater glory will be afterwards; As the Sun that shines through the clouds shines the brightest, so when honor shall come through dishonor, it shall be the greatest honor. And then you shall come to know that honor is sanctified to you, and that it is in love, and you shall be more able to rejoice in the honor that God shall bring to your names then you would have done, and so your reproachers shall be servants to you.

There is only one place of Scripture that I shall adde, and so I have done with this point: Job 17. compare the 6. verse with the 8. and 9. verses; ver. 6. He has made me also a by-word of the people: Job was a godly man, and yet he was made a by-word: What then? at the 8. verse, Upright men shall be astonied at this: How? Two ways, either they shall be astonished at the horrible wickedness of men that shall contemn so godly a man as Job was, and say, Lord, what boldness is in the hearts of the wicked, that shall presume to dare to contemn such a servant of your? or the upright shall be astonished, they shall admire at the wonderful way of God towards his people, that the Lord shall suffer wicked men so far to go on in wickedness, as to reproach his people: Theinnocent, the godly man shall see those that are hypocrites, for not only gross prophane ones are reproachers often times, but hypocrites: The innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite, he shall not be damped, but stir up his thoughts against the hypocrite: The righteous also shall hold on his way, shall not decline; and not only so, but he that has clean hands shall be stronger and stronger: And so I pass to the next point.