to the order of the apostle's exhortation, the only true prinbiple of all good and Christian conversation in the world, is the mortifying of all earthly and sinful lusts in the heart. In these words there are three thingsI. one point of a Christian's ordinary entertainment in the world is, to be levil spoken of; II. his good use of that evil is, to do the better for sit; III. the good end and the certain effect of his so doing is, the glory of God.

Sos. Whereas they speak against you as evil doers. This is in general the disease of man's corrupt nature, and arsgues much the baseness and depravedness of it this propensity to speak evil one of another, either blotting the best Factions with misconstructions, or taking doubtful things by the left ear; not choosing the most favorable, but, › on the contrary, the very harshest sense that can be pat upon them. All these kinds of evil speakings are fruits that spring from that bitter root of pride and self-love, which is naturally deeply fastened in every man's heart. But besides this general bent to evil speaking, there is a particular malice in the world against those that are born of God, which must have vent in calumnies and reproachyes. If this evil speaking be the hissing that is natural to the serpent's seed, surely, by reason of their natural anetipathy, it must be breathed forth most against the seed of the woman, those that are one with Jesus Christ. If the Itongues 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 btheir name. The evil tongue must be always burning, that is set on fire of hell, but against the godly, it will be sure to be heated seven times hotter than it is for others. The reasons of this are these 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 labor to blot and stain that, all they can, with the foulest calumnies?-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. The re

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proaches 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 falsehoods 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 be lief as to make them odious, or very suspected at least, to such as know them not. This is the world'su maxim,1 "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 this kind of evil speakings were the primitive Christians sur charged, even with gross and horrible falsehoods, as all know who know any thing of the history of those times : even such things were reported of them, as the worst of wicked men would scarcely be guilty of The Devil, crafty 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. 199

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 commonly a threefold injury-they strictly pry into and maliciously object against Christians the smallest imperfections and frailties of their lives, as if they pretended to absolute perfection. Men are apt to impute the scandalous falls of some particular Christians to the whole number. It is a very incompetent rule, to make judgment of any man by one action, much more to measure all the rest of the same profession by it. 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 betwixt 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 teachetb, and had they found it vicious, 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, ought to rest upon the persons themselves who were guilty of it, and not to be stretched to the whole number of profes sors, 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 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 merely moral 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 ofreligion. And all of you who 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 censures one of another. Far it be from you to take pleasure in hearing others evil-spoken of; whether unjustly or though it be in some degree, deservedly, yet let it be always grievous to you, 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 eater of slanders. They are a dish that pleases his palate, and men are naturally fond of his diet. But to a renewed Christian mind, which hath a new taste and all its senses new, there is nothing more unsavory, than to hear the defaming of others, especially of such as profess

religion. Did the law of love possess our hearts,zit would regulate both the 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 judgingsfas vorably, taking always the best side and most charitable sense of their actions. It would teach us to blunt the edge of our censures upon ourselves, our own hard hearts and rebellious wills within, that they might remain no more sharp against others, than is needful for their goods

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 Chriss tians themselves, through their uncharitable carriage one towards another. This however 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

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II. 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 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 in tended 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, are no other than a hedge of thorns set on every side, that he may not go out of his way, but keep straight on in it, not declining to the right hand nor to the left; whereas if they found nothing but the favor 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, which would call and <allure them, and often divert them from their journey.

And thus it might fall out, that Christians would deserve censures and evil speakings the more, if they did not usually suffer them undeserved. This then turns into a great advantage to them, making their conduct more answerable to those two things that our Saviour joins together, watch and pray; causing them 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,

And if the enemies of the godly wait for their halting, shall not they scan their own paths themselves, that they may not halt? Shall they not 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?

Honest; fair or beautiful. The same word doth fitly signify goodness and beauty, for that which is the truest and most lasting beauty, grows fresher in old age, as the Psalmist speaks of the righteous, those that be planted in the house of God, Psal. xcii, 12, 14. Could the beauty of virtue be seen, said a philosopher, it would draw all to love it. A Christian holy conversation hath such a beauty, that when they who are strangers to it begin to discern it at all aright, they cannot choose but love it; and where it begets not love, yet it silences calumny, or at least evinces its falsehood.

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Let us all therefore resolve to study more this good and comely conversation the apostle here exhorts to, that it may be such as becometh the gospel of Christ. And if you live amongst profane persons, who will be to you as the unbelieving Gentiles were to these believing Jews who lived amongst them, traducers of you, and given to speak evil of you and of religion in you, trouble not yourselves with many apologies and clearings when you are evil spoken of, but let the track of your life answer for you, your honest and blameless conversation: that will be the shortest and most effectual way of confuting all obloquies; as when one in the schools was proving by phistical argument, that there could be no motion, the

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