*“But we must not expose ourselves: we must not suffer ourselves to be made fools of by others.” We must not, I grant, do any thing which is foolish, _i. e._ contrary to God’s word. But it is the devil’s suggestion, that we should expose ourselves by directing our actions precisely according to it. Here it is, that St. _Paul_’s caution will do us great service, _Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise._ Is it not a shame, when the Lord of glory was taken for a madman, and one possessed by the devil, for thee to be highly esteemed of the world? By this thou givest evidence against thyself, that thou dost not belong to Christ; that thou knowest not the dignity of his cross; and how then wilt thou be able to rejoice with him? It neither can nor must be otherwise. Thou must be looked upon as a fool in the world, if thou wilt be a disciple of Christ. It will not fail thee an hair’s breadth. High and low, teachers and hearers, must alike be censured by the world, when once they earnestly turn themselves to God. For as soon as they cease to be conformed to the fashionable ways of the world, the world is immediately offended, and begins to scoff and rail, charging them with fanaticism, singularity, pharisaical hypocrisy, and what not? Loading them with a thousand lies and calumnies. And he that is afraid of this reproach from the world, must continue an hypocrite as long as he lives. 16. “Yet tho’ we must not be conformed to the world, we must _become all things to all men_,” as St. _Paul_ testifies of himself he did, “_that by all means he might gain some_.” St. _Paul_ gave sufficient proof of his being an undaunted workman, to whom God had given not the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power; but what hast thou to shew for thyself? Worldly minded men can become all to all too: but from another principle, by other means, and for quite another end. Canst thou express the bold alacrity of St. _Paul_, who was not afraid to withstand St. _Peter_ himself to the face, when the fear of man had made him play the hypocrite, _so that_ others _also were carried away by his dissimulation_? It is certainly a great piece of wisdom, so to become weak with the weak, as not to lose any thing of our own strength; so to become all to all, as to stand free from all manner of hypocrisy. Examine then thyself, whether the serpent, with his prudence, hath not perverted thy mind from the simplicity in Christ. There is no cloak that more plausibly covers the fear of man than this: therefore look to it, that above all things thou dispatch this enemy.