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

First, a Christian is called to do and suffer great things for God, and strong and glorious is the grace of God that is in a man where it is true; now if Christianity ¹shall not enable to bear reproaches, what will it enable you to do? Does not the Scripture speak of the excellency, and the glory, and the power of the grace of God? What excellency, and power, and glory is in it, if it cannot do this? Now Christians that are called to do and suffer such great things, should be above the reproaches of the world. Seneca would not have them called miseries, but ²trouble some things, concerning which we cannot say a wise man overcomes them, but he is so far above them, as he is scarce sensible of them; if it be not out of stupidity or discontentedness, but out of true magnanimity of spirit, that one is not sensible of such things, this beseems a Christian well. Now if a Christian having received the grace of God, should not think much of any misery that he is capable of in this world, then surely he should not have his heart sink when there is but a troublesome thing befallen him. It was the speech of Xenophon, when one came and reproached him, says he, You have learned how to reproach, ⟨p. 381⟩and I have learned how to bear reproach. And Aristippus the Philosopher said, You are fit to cast ³reproaches, and I am fit to hear reproaches.

First, a Christian is called to do and suffer great things for God, and strong and glorious is the grace of God that is in a man where it is true; now if Christianity ¹shall not enable to bear reproaches, what will it enable you to do? Does not the Scripture speak of the excellency, and the glory, and the power of the grace of God? What excellency, and power, and glory is in it, if it cannot do this? Now Christians that are called to do and suffer such great things, should be above the reproaches of the world. Seneca would not have them called miseries, but ²