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

Seventhly, consider what honour God hath put upon you, and what he intends to put upon you: if you be godly, he hath put honour enough upon you, and that may be enough to uphold the heart under all the ¹reproaches and stains that men and Devils can cast upon you. Hath not the Lord been pleased to bring you into the honourable estate of sonship? and hath put his glory upon your souls, and hath honoured you by that near relation you have to Christ? ⟨p. 389⟩he hath honoured you by the glorious privileges of the Gospel, he hath honoured you by giving himself and Christ to you; he hath honoured you in the hearts of his Saints, men of precious spirits, who know much of Gods mind, who are able to judge wherein true excellency consists, their hearts are with you, they bless God for you, the esteem of one godly man is more to be regarded then thousands of others, your name is precious amongst the Saints, and that is enough. When Doeg reproached ²David with devouring words in Sauls Court, yet David blessed himself in this, Psalm 52. 8. But I am a green Olive-tree in the house of God; Doeg flourisheth in the Court, and my name may be blasted there, but In the house of God, there my name is precious; I am there as a green olive-tree, and that is more to me then flourishing in Sauls Court. Now shall the reproach of an evil tongue take away the comfort of a godly heart that hath so great honours? We count it a great evil, and exceeding was the baseness of the spirit of Haman, when he was so honoured by the King and his Nobles, yet that he should be vexed, because Mordecai would not bow to him, that all his honour should do him no good: so is it not the baseness of the spirits of Gods Servants, (truly it is to be called by no other name) when as God hath raised them to such glory, when as God hath made them Members of, and Coheirs with his Son, and they are invited to the Banquet of the Lord, to the great Supper of the Lamb, and the Lord hath provided for them all the glory of Heaven, and there are such glorious things spoken of them in the word, yet for all this ⟨p. 390⟩if they come into wicked company, and have but an evil tongue speak against them, they are so discouraged and cast down, as if all the honour that God had put upon them were nothing: What an evil thing is this? And how do you derogate from the goodness of God, to walk thus unbeseeming Christians?