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

Again, if you consider that God hath the care of your names, that may be a great argument to help you to bear reproach: God hath taken the charge of the names of his people, as truly as of their souls, and if God hath the charge of your names, why are you troubled at any thing that befalls you in regard ¹of your name? If you be in Gods way, you are to commit your selves to God, he hath charge of you; when Gods Servants are meek and quiet, and do not hear reproaches against themselves, yet God ²hears them, it is no great matter then though they hear them not themselves. It is an excellent place we have for this, Psalm 38. 12, 13, 15. They speak mischievous things, says David, but I as a deaf man heard not; but mark verse 15. In thee O Lord do I hope, thou wilt hear, O Lord my God; What need ⟨p. 393⟩David hear, God will hear: the less we hear in this case, the more will God hear, Job 5. 21. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: Now there is a twofold hiding from the scourge of the tongue, either by delivering us wholly from it, or otherwise delivering us from the evil of it: As a man may be said to be hid and delivered from a thing that can do him no hurt, and so in this sense at least thou shalt be delivered from the scourge of the tongue; it may be that God will wholly free us from the scourge of the tongue, or it may be it is fit thou shouldst be scourged, yet thou art hid from it so as it shall do thee no hurt, no not to thy name in the conclusion. And so in Psal. 37. 5, 6. Commit thy way to the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass, and he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgement as the noon day. This was the argument ³that upheld David when Shimei curst him; Well, says he, it may be God bid him; my name is in his hand, and he may do with my name what he please. Upon this Ambrose hath this speech, O the height of the wisdom, prudence, patience of David! what a worthy plot had he to deliver himself from the evil of reproach.