The bright star which leadeth wise men to our Lord Jesus Christ, or, A…

Secondly, a loving heart and a good affection to an other mans credit will show it self in the tongue by defending him and taking his part if we hear any slanders spoken against. For silence is a betraying his innocency, and therefore if an other in hatred will show his malice by speaking lies in his disgrace, then we must in love open our mouth and show our good will by relating the truth in his defence. Thus Jonathan knowing David to be a virtuous man & worthy, and that all those things were altogether false that Saul imagined concerning him; But that the King was misinformed and mislead by pickthank slanderers. Though it was to his father and that as he had seen with danger of his life, he will not hold his tongue but discharge a good conscience and declare the innocency of an innocent against whosoever would come to ⟨image 191⟩slander him. Therefore this serves to confute those that will bear one in hand that they bear a very good mind & a great good will to professors and to christians that be the servants of God. But you shall never hear a word come from them to defend them, if they be in place where they may be railed on and unjustly slandered. They think they have quit themselves if they can say say thus. I have been in such a place and there were such a company of vile and wicked persons that railed at professors and vilified them with all the indignity they could, and spared not to speak most intolerable lies against such and such honest men. And what did you all this while? why surely, I was sorry but I could not help it, I did not join with them but I even held my tongue, and let them go on and spake never a word. Did you say nothing you may say that with shame enough, what did you there then? But there were more noble and more learned, and men that had more authority there then I at the same time, and what reason had I to speak before them, they should have spoken in the defence of those that were abused. Should they and did they not? And why did not you then? Suppose your self had been the party slandered, what would you then have done? What? why I had good reason to speak in mine own cause & to stand for my self, had I not? who would stand by as though he were tongue tied, and hear his credit trodden unto foot and speak never a word in his own defence? he were a beast that would do it.

Secondly, a louing heart and a good affection to an other mans credit will shewe it selfe in the tongue by defending him and taking his part if wee heare any slaunders spoken against. For silence is a betraying his innocencie, and therefore if an other in hatred will shew his malice by speaking lies in his disgrace, then we must in loue open our mouth and shewe our good will by relating the truth in his defence. Thus Ionathan knowing Dauid to be a vertuous man & worthy, and that all those thinges were altogether false that Saule imagined concerning him; But that the King was misinformed and mislead by pickethanke slaunderers. Though it was to his father and that as he had seene with daunger of his life, he will not holde his tongue but discharge a good conscience and declare the innocencie of an innocent against whosoeuer would come to