Robert Traill (Stedfast Adherence to the Profession of our Faith), Works 3:27:
We should be careful to hold fast the profession of our faith before the world. The world has a sharp sight into the infirmities of the saints, but is quite blind as to their virtues. They cannot see these: they cannot see the beauty of the inward man; but they can see the spots in the conversation of the people of God, and they will be careful to take notice of them, and to make more of them than they are. The more captious the world be, the more careful saints should be in their conversations: Be blameless and harmless, says the apostle, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, holding forth the word of life, etc., Phil. 2:15, 16.
We should be careful to hold fast the profession of our faith before the world. The world has a sharp sight into the infirmities of the saints, but is quite blind as to their virtues. They cannot see these: they cannot see the beauty of the inward man; but they can see the spots in the conversation of the people of God, and they will be careful to take notice of them, and to make more of them than they are. The more captious the world be, the more careful saints should be in their conversations: Be blameless and harmless, says the apostle, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, holding forth the word of life, etc., Phil. 2:15, 16.
