Moses his choice with his eye fixed upon Heaven, discovering the happy condition of…

The third Use of the point is this, Gods people are a people liable to reproach: Let those who are such, ¹from hence be exhorted, that they do not further this, I mean by reproaching one another; it is enough that the servants of God are liable to reproach from the world, and from those that are without, let not this be furthered by those that are within, upon every pettish humour, or every discontent, presently to ⟨p. 365⟩be casting filth one upon the face of another, this is a thing unbeseeming Religion. Hereby you come to deprive your selves of that evidence of the truth of grace, from whence many of Gods servants receive so much comfort, love to Gods people: While they are in your way your hearts are towards them, but if they do cross you, your hearts are as perverse and froward, and appear as malicious as the hearts of any: So that the love you had to them, was because they were in your way, and not because they were the servants of God: Now if you have a heart, though you be crossed by them, to put it up without casting dirt upon their faces, your evidence will be strengthened, that you love them though they be opposite to you. Do not you tear the flesh of one another by reproaches? it is enough that the briers and thorns of the wilderness do tear our flesh and our names; let there not be briers and thorns amongst our selves to tear our flesh. If children be casting mire and dirt upon the faces of one another, how unbeseeming is it? and if the father sees them, how provoked is he to correct them both? And so if we upon some pettish mood, cast dirt upon one another, expect some severe judgement from God: If children be casting dirt upon one another, this is enough to make them leave, Your Father sees you: And so you that are brethren of a Church, and are casting filth upon one another, know your Father sees you: We should not cast reproaches upon an Enemy. It is a notable speech reported of one Memnon, that was General of Darius Army, when he was fighting against Alexander, one of his Soldiers reproached Alexander; the General came to him and smote him, says he, ⟨p. 366⟩I did not hire you to reproach Alexander, but to fight against him: If a Heathen cannot endure the reproaches of his enemy, how much less should God endure his children reproaching one another? It was a brave speech of Calvin, Though Luther call me a Devil, yet I will honour him as a servant of God: