The Christian's charter showing the privileges of a believerThe Christian's charter shewing the priviledges of a believer

THE next Privilege to come is the Vindication §10of Names. Those which have a good Conscience, have not always a good Name. The old Serpent spits his venom at the godly through the mouths of wicked men: if Satan cannot strike his dart into our Consciences, he will put a dead fly into our Name. The people of God are represented to the world in a very sad manner; how strangely doth a Saint look when he is put in the devils dress! as those Primitive Christians that were clothed with Bears skins, and painted with red devils, Job was represented to the world as an hypocrite, and by his friends too, which ⟨p. 200⟩went near to him. Paul was called a seditious man; and he suffered in the opinion of some as an evil doer, 2 Tim. 2 9. Wherein I suffer trouble as an evil doer, even unto bonds: he did not only bear Christs marks in his body, but in his Name. Our blessed Saviour was called a deceiver of the people. It hath ever been the manner of the wicked world, to paint Gods children in very strange colours. It is a great sin to defame a Saint, it is murder; better take away his life then his Name; it is a sin which we can never make him reparation for; a flaw in a mans credit being like a blot in a white paper, which will never out: The defaming of a Saint is no less then the defaming of God himself; the Saints have Gods picture drawn in their hearts; a man cannot abuse the picture of Caesar, without some reflection upon Caesars person. Well, either God will clear his peoples ⟨p. 201⟩