not to be condemned of himself. But he knew that the standard of
rectitude did not follow his views, and vary with his judgment. "If
his heart did not condemn him, he had confidence toward God; yet he
knew God to be greater than his heart," and possessed of all
knowledge; dared not therefore affirm that his judge would approve of
all which he approved--_Yet am I not hereby justified--he that judgeth
me is the Lord_.

IMPROVEMENT.

I. We See that censure may be incurred without neglect of duty, When
Paul converted to Christianity, he was made an apostle, and ordered of
the Redeemer to preach the gospel. He obeyed. He was guided in his
work by the spirit of God; yet he was blamed by some, and suspected by
others.

That Christ's faithful servants are slandered and reproached is not a
new thing under the sun. It hath been common among men. And herein
they are only made like their Lord. And shall they think it strange?
"It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the
servant as his Lord. If they call the master of the house Beelzebub,
how much more them of his household?"

When opposition and reproaches come from those who profess friendship
to Christ they wound the deeper. This however, hath often happened. It
happened to the apostle at Corinth, and elsewhere. If we witness that
which is similar, we need not be surprized, as though some strange
thing had happened.

II. Are we unjustly censured by our fellow servants, or reproached