DISSERTATION IV. ON THE LOVE OF PRAISE AND REPUTATION, AND THE PROPER BOUNDS AND DEGREE OF THAT LOVE. PROFUNDA SUPRA NOS ALTITUDO TEMPORIS VENIET: PAUCA INGENIA CAPUT EXSERENT, ET IN IDEM QUANDOQUE SILENTIUM ABITURA, OBLIVIONI RESISTENT, AC SE DIU VINDICABUNT. ܂ DISSERTATION IV. ON THE LOVE OF PRAISE AND REPUTATION, AND THE PROPER BOUNDS AND DEGREE OF THAT .LOVE.. JOHN Xii. 43. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. THOUGH our Saviour wrought a surprising variety of beneficial miracles in confirmation of a reasonable doc trine, yet the Jews, as St. John tells us in this chapter, that is, the greater part of the Jews, believed not in him; the number of those who professed themselves his disciples was very small. But besides those who followed him, and those who were his open enemies, there were several, says St. John, who in their hearts acknowledged him, but durst not declare their senti ments: Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also, many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." Their sin seems not to have been of the blackest and the most heinous nature, and there is room for a cha ritable conjecture that their good dispositions at last prevailed over their weakness, their vanity, and their fear, and that after the resurrection of Christ and the effusion of the Holy Spirit they joined themselves to his disciples.. But by not daring openly to declare their faith in Christ, whilst he was upon earth, they acted against their own conscience, and excluded themselves at that time from the great benefits which he came to confer upon his servants. Their state, whilst they continued in it, was very dangerous. Ha to acc い The love of praise is here represented as the cause which produced these bad effects, whence we may conclude that it is a fault; yet it is easy to prove that the love of praise cannot be entirely unlawful: nor indeed are these persons here condemned because they loved the praise of men, but because they loved it more than the praise of God. My discourse therefore upon this subject shall consist of two parts, and I will show, dabnammoɔ bus lutsuk to I. That we may love the praise of men in some de gree⚫l mair scorxa ni bes ragach sairash of new idyart II. That our love of it should be moderates dugo? I. The love of praise seems to be natural to us, and a part of self-love. We love ourselves; we desire therefore that others should esteem us, should think and speak well of us: we seem to multiply ourselves by having a place in the thoughts of so many persons, |