To the confession of Divine Sovereignty, let there be added a confession of the Divine Righteousness. As you are a Creature, you must allow Sovereignty to lay you low. Because you are also a Sinner, you must not wonder, if Righteousness make you vile. Follow the example of the brave Emperor Mauritius, who being stripped of his Purple, and run down into the most abject and wretched Circumstances, lift up his Eyes to Heaven, and only said, O Lord, thou art Righteous, and Righteous are all thy Judgments! It is most certain that there cannot be the least wag of a Tongue, or scratch of a Pen against you, but it is permitted by God. Of your most Calumnious Adversary, you may say as that Great Man did of his abusive Shimei; 2 Sam. 16.11. The Lord hath bidden him! It will be but a due compliance with the Righteousness of God, for you to confess before him, That He is infinitely just, in the greatest Injustice that any reproachful ⟨p. 5⟩Man can offer you. You know so much amiss by your self, that if it were all known abroad in the World, they who now falsely speak what is ill of you, might very truly speak what is a great deal worse. Make your Defamations a provocation unto you, to humble your self deeply before God for the secret Sin, which by leaving you to be defamed, you may see, he sets in the light of his Face. Under the Law of Ceremonies, if he that had an Issue did spit upon another, the Person spat upon was thereby defiled: Sir, if an unclean Wretch have spit upon you, it becomes you to enquire, Whether you have not upon you some Defilement that is to be washed off, and make a new flight to that which will cleanse from all Sin. Perhaps you are at a loss, What may be your more special Sins which are scourged by God, in the Reproaches which are cast upon you. My Friend, It were a very proper thing for you, upon the first blowing up of any Storm of Obloquies, presently to fall down before the Lord with this Petition; Lord, Show me wherefore thou contendest with me. And then go on with an impartial inquiry, a Self-judging, a Self-loathing inquiry. Nisi essent peecata, non essent flagella. I am sure there will need no long Divination, to bring you unto this one sensible stroke of Repentance; Lord, I have not Honoured thy Name as I ought to have done, and therefore ⟨p. 6⟩thou art Righteous in all the dishonour that my Name labours under.
To the confession of Divine Sovereignty, let there be added a confession of the Divine Righteousness. As you are a Creature, you must allow Sovereignty to lay you low. Because you are also a Sinner, you must not wonder, if Righteousness make you vile. Follow the example of the brave Emperour Mauritius, who being strip'd of his Purple, and run down into the most abject and wretched Circumstances, lift up his Eyes to Heaven, and only said, O Lord, thou art Righteous, and Righteous are all thy Judgments! It is most certain that there cannot be the least wag of a Tongue, or scratch of a Pen against you, but it is permitted by God. Of your most Calumnious Adversary, you may say as that Great Man did of his abusive Shimei; 2 Sam. 16.11. The Lord hath bidden him! It will be but a due compliance with the Righteousness of God, for you to confess before him, That He is infinitely just, in the greatest Injustice that any reproachful ⟨p. 5⟩Man can offer you. You know so much amiss by your self, that if it were all known abroad in the World, they who now falsly speak what is ill of you, might very truly speak what is a great deal worse. Make your Defamations a provocation unto you, to humble your self deeply before God for the secret Sin, which by leaving you to be defamed, you may see, he sets in the light of his Face. Under the Law of Ceremonies, if he that had an Issue did spit upon another, the Person spat upon was thereby defiled: Sir, if an unclean Wretch have spit upon you, it becomes you to enquire, Whether you have not upon you some Defilement that is to be washed off, and make a new flight to that which will cleanse from all Sin. Perhaps you are at a loss, What may be your more special Sins which are scourged by God, in the Reproaches which are cast upon you. My Friend, It were a very proper thing for you, upon the first blowing up of any Storm of Obloquies, presently to fall down before the Lord with this Petition; Lord, Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me. And then go on with an impartial inquiry, a Self-judging, a Self-loathing inquiry. Nisi essent peecata, non essent flagella. I am sure there will need no long Divination, to bring you unto this one sensible stroke of Repentance; Lord, I have not Honour'd thy Name as I ought to have done, and therefore ⟨p. 6⟩thou art Righteous in all the dishonour that my Name labours under.
