O altitude

David hear, God will hear: the lefs we hear in this Cap.32. cafe, the more will God hear, Fob 5.21. Thou shalt be hid from the Scourge of the tongue: Now there is a twofold hiding from the fcourge of the tongue, either by delivering us wholly from it, or otherwise delivering us from the evil of it: As a man may be faid to be hid and delivered from a thing that can do him no hurt, and fo in this fenfe at least thou shalt be delivered from the fcourge of the tongue; it may be that God will wholly free us from the scourge of the tongue, or it may be it is fit thou shouldnt be fcourged, yet thou art hid from it fo as it fhall do thee no hurt, no not to thy name in the conclufion. And fo in Pfal.37.5,6. Commit thy way to the Lord, truft alfo in him, and he fhall bring it to pass, and he fhall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement as the noon day. This was the argument rudentia! that upheld David when Shimei curft him; Well,fays altitude he,it may be Godbid him; my name is in his hand,and devoranhe may do with my name what he pleafe. Upon this le contuAmbrofe hath this fpeech, O the height of the wifdom,prudence,patience of David! what a worthy plot had he to deliver himself from the evil of reproach. Again, it is a greater mercy that God keeps you from the evil of the hands of wicked men, if God beat out the teeth of wicked men, that they onely can bark and not bite, that their tongues and not their hands can onely reach you. The complaint of Fob might have been thine, ch.16.11. God hath delivered me to the ungodly,and turned me over into the hands of the wicked, this would have been grievous indeed. Although they send a flood of reproaches after you,as Rev.12.15. the Dragon caft out of his mouth a flood

after.

paticntie!

mclia grande ventum Inventum! Ambr. Apol. de David.c.6

12.

bac nature

mio otto

Cap.32 after the Church, yet thou art far from their reach as Non vacat he was, therefore be patient under reproaches. It is cui pejora through the wantonness of our hearts that we are fo inftansni- fenfible of the evil of reproaches, because we are not ingenia inaccustomed to fuffer greater evils'; those who are in danger of greater evils, have no leisure to think on thefe things, fays Seneca, but mindes weakned with inopia vera inju too much idlenefs, and wanton and effeminate ria lafcivi through want of fufferings.

firma

&

muliebria

entia bis

commover.

Yet further, confider what a great deal of good ur. Sen. there is in bearing reproaches patiently.

13.

I.

nefit of

First, there is a great deal of honor in it: There is more honor in bearing reproaches patiently, then The bene there is difgrace in having them caft wrongfulbearingly upon you; now what do you lofe then? Suprepoaches pofe there be hot water, and I put fo much cold to patiently. it,it lofes its warmth,but if Iput more warm thencold

2.

3.

to it, then the water hath loft nothing of its warmnefs: So fuppofe you be reproached, and God brings more honor then the reproach did fcandal, then you have loft nothing; Every fool can tast reproach, but it is the part of a wife man to bear it

well.

Again, if we can bear reproaches patiently, what a quiet will it be to our hearts otherwife we should never be quiet, for we live amongst those that will caft reproaches, and unless we can get power this way, we shall never have comfortable lives, and we should think it much, that the comfort and quiet of our lives fhould lie at the mercy of others.

Thirdly, the bearing of reproaches patiently is a mighty help to the progrefs of godlinefs in us: As thofe that have overcome the evil of thame in a way

of

of fin, grow mightily hardned in their fins; fo thofe Cap.33. that have got that ftrength, to go on in the ways of Haud vcGod, fo as not much to regard any reproach that is lim Erafmi gloria aut caft upon them in that way, they will mightily grow in those ways.

bis major

eft

mihi timor in laudibus, s,gau· dium verò

in male

Laftly, confider there is much danger in being honored by men, and in many regards, the honors of men are as much, if not more to be feared then their contempts and dishonors. Luther writing to a friend of his, fays, He would not have the glory blafphemiis and fame of Erafmus; my greatest fear is the praifes Luch.ep. of men, but my joy is in their reproaches and evil colum fpeeches.

Han(man.

num.

CHAP. XXXIII.

What we should do, that we may be able to bear reproach.

B

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

I.

Bene fibi

cofcius fal

bet moveri

deris

First, be fure to keep confcience clear, that that do not upbraid thee, be careful of what you do, and is on dethen you need not be much careful of what men caftimafay; if confcience do not reproach you, reproach re plus păwithout will not much move you; confciences tefti-n mony for thee, is more then ten thousand flanders convito, against thee: As the ftorms and winds without do not qua in fuo move the earth, but vapors within that caufes earth-Ambroff.

alieno effe

teftimonio.

Qui fibi uibil confcius eft, plurimum lætabitur, ita ut quo amjorem dixeris tribulationem, hoc majorem dicas voluptatem. Chryfoft Hom. in Acta 14

quakes:

Cap.33. of God, he went and spread the letter before God, and made his moan before God; If we can do fo, there will be that fatisfaction to our fouls that is unfpeakable, and that will be a great argument of our innocency, Many will fay, 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 caufe, and receive refreshment that way, as Fob 16.20. My friends fcorn me, but mine eyes pour out tears to God: And David Pfal. 109.1,2. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise, for the mouth of the wicked, and the mouth of the deceitful 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 adverfaries, but I prayer; for fo the words are in the original, not I give my felf, but onely thus, but I prayer; as if he fhould fay, as for my part, all that I do to help my felf 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 feek to help themfelves, but I prayer, Pfal. 57.2,3. I cry unto God moft high, he shall fend from heaven and fave me from reproach of him that would swallow me up, Selah, God fhall fend forth his mercy and truth: A carnal heart hath no way to deliver it self, but by reproaches again, by running up and down from one witness to another, but a gracious heart hath other ways to help it felf, it cryes to God most high, and looks for help from Heaven; God fends forth his mercy and truth to help, and there is help indeed.

5.

Fifthly, another help is this,if you can but get your hearts quietly and kindely to lament the condition

of

of your reproachers, this will be a marvellous means Cap.33. tofweeten 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 Jhould meet one, fays he, whofe body were more unfound then ours, fhould we be angry with him, and not rather pity him? why then should we not do the like to him whofe foul is more difeafed then

ours?

The folly of our reproachers fhould caufe us to pity them, to be patient towards them, and pafs by the wrong they do unto us,this was one of the arguments that Abigail brought to David, to quiet his fpirit that was fo ftirred against Nabal, because of that reproach he caft upon him; Nabal, faith fhe, is his name, and folly is with him, it is his folly, rather pity him, it is too low a thing for fuch a spirit as Davids is to be ftirred with it. Instead of being troubled with the reproaches that are upon you, your spirits fhould be moft troubled for their fin: Now there is infinite cause we have to be troubled for their fin more then for any evil that befals us. An evil tongue devours, and is an abomination, and in Prov. 8.13. God fays, The froward mouth he hates:Now if you have any love you fhould think thus, This poor man what hath he done he hath brought himfelf under the hatred of God; now this fhould mightily affect the hearts of the godly. As he is an abomination to God,fo he is an abomination to men, Prov. 24. 9. The fcorner is an abomination to men ; fcornful fpirits love to caft fhame and ignominy upon others. And in Prov. 18. 7. A fools mouth is his deftruction and his lips are the Snare of his foul, we should think, he hath but enfnared