former else the other is but like a candle in a dark lanthorn which burns away to no purpose This is the very Sinew of humane Society and makes men happy in one another It is such an excellent thing that they who never practise it yet alwayes pretend to it The veriest knaves abhor to be so called and would be reputed and stiled honest and upright men And that must needs be amiable which all men commend and necessary which no society can subsist without So that there abides a Crown of honour for a Downright Heathen as well as a Crown of glory for an Upright Christian and there will be an easier punishment for those I may call them Christian-Pagans than for abundance of our Pagan Christians 2. This Uprightness of life is not sufficient without the former 'T is good but not good enough To be a fast friend to men and a broken bow to God will yeild you little comfort Yet how many sit down here and think themselves well would not steal a shoe latchet from their neighbour for a world and yet make no Conscience of stealing from God his Honour and his Day That would not wrong their Brethrens Name by any reproach for a world and yet make no bones of wronging the Name of the great God and take it in vain day by day The squareness of your actions may crown you with reputation but the rottenness of your hearts will leave you in condemnation by that God that trieth the hearts and reins As in the Law without bloud there was no remission so in the Gospel without Oyle there is no admission into the Kindome of Heaven Civility and Sanctity are two things 3. This uprightness of life cannot be without that uprightness of heart It loseth in truth its name and nature for want of a principle For that which is truly good must have all its causes which this wants It is a common experiment that water will not ascend above its spring without a violence upon nature and it is as true that no mans actions can carry a higher level than the fountain of them so that to make the life upright you must begin at the heart and first make the Tree good and then the fruit will be good also Now this Uprightness of Life is the exact agreement of a mans words and actions with an honest and upright heart When the life is the picture of the heart and there is a blessed harmony between the frame of the soul within and the course of the life without when a man doth not frame his life to gratifie the company or serve the times he lives in or the corrupt humours of other or any carnal ends of his own but his heart is sincere and so are his words and deeds Not that we expect an absolute exactness here the uprightest man on earth hath enough to humble and afflict him but for the main there is no known ordinary and willing swerving of his course from his frame within or of that from the holy will of God And herein also we shall consider 1. It s Essence 2. It s Object SECT XII I. THe Nature or Being of Uprightness of life shines 1. In Simplicity Prov. 28. 6. 18. Better is the poor that walketh in his Integrity than he that is perverse in his wayes though rich The word for wayes in both places is Dual and intimates two wayes An hypocrite is a man with two wayes The one he goes in the other he seems to go in The poor upright man hath but one way and that 's better than them both 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our Conversation in the world When this Apostle was traduc'd by men yet this afforded him not only content but joy to wit the testimony of his Conscience An hypocrite may have quiet in his Conscience but an upright man hath a Testimony in his Conscience He carries every where Letters Testimonial in his bosom And why all this joy that we have had our conversation in simplicity As our ends have been single in preaching the Gospel so our Lives have not been double The drift of our preaching and lives hath been the same Happy that Preacher that can here subscribe his hand This Simplicity of an upright man makes him sometimes the Subject of loss and sometimes the Object of scorn Job 12. 4. The just upright man is laughed to scorn and many a Simpleton he is called yet he goes on and carries it in the end His great consideration is What is my duty according to that Prov. 4. 25. Let thine eyes look straight on and let thine eye-lids look straight before thee That is without squinting at events or how it will please or whom it will lose he is resolved to live and dye in his duty Mistake me not as if Prudence and Integrity could not dwell together certainly they may and ought His simplicity only excludes the subtlety of the Fox which stands in being cunning to do mischief not the wisdom of the Serpent which stands in carefully avoiding it 2. Uprightness of Life stands in Purity Prov. 16. 17. The high-way of the Upright is to depart from evil His usual road is as far from the broad way as ever he can and his care herein sometimes carries him rather too far upon which account his Conscience breeds more scruples then other mens that can swallow any thing that comes to hand but his integrity in other things apologizeth for him to all wise men and at least brings him off with peace and comfort And this very thing hath brought upon very many of these upright men the badge of a Puritan which is by too many applied to subvert sincere holiness and to cast an odium on downright Christianity and the practise of that we all profess Sure I am the Scripture opens Heavens gates to none but those whose lives are pure and holy Psal. 24. 4. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place He that hath clean hands and a pure heart c. Hence the upright man dare not mingle with those vain fooleries vitious excesses or suspicious recreations that men of devasted Consciences are drowned in nor can all the good nature that 's in him nor importunity of neighbours or kindred draw him to such company or courses that would sting his Conscience when he should sleep except God leaves him to himself sometimes to try and humble him 3. This Uprightness of Life shines in the perfection of his Life Understand a Perfection of parts each part of him is sincere See that Isa. 33. 14. Fearfulness hath surprized the hypocrite who among us shall dwell with devouring fire Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnnings that is stand before the holy just and upright Jehovah who
can approach him when he executes judgements here or passes final sentance hereafter when all hypocrites shall be in a fright when their cobweb-coverings shall fall off and they must stand naked like so many cheats on a pillory before God Angels and Men who then shall stand with comfort and confidence Mark verse 15. He that walketh righteously his feet walk uprightly and speaketh uprightly carries an upright tongue despises the gain of oppressions keeps an upright heart in him that shakes his hands from holdding bribes both his hands are upright too that stops his ears from hearing of bloud his ears are tipt with integrity and shuts his eyes from seeing evil he looks with an upright eye Thus you see he is upright all over Let him deal with friends or enemies with godly or ungodly with wise or foolish you may trust him for he stands in awe of his God and of Himself He hath not one heart for his Religion and another for his bargains and calling but studies the Scripture and drives his life into it as near as he can This is to obey Gods voice Indeed And from this perfection flows an excellent evenness of conversation so that Queen Elizabeths motto well becomes his life Semper eadem Still the same 2. This Uprightness shines in the Plainness of his life There are few Criticisms in the life of an upright man He 's plain and that 's his prayer Psal. 27. 11. Lord lead me in a plain path that 's my desire He hath no quirks or tricks of legerdemain If he cannot stand by plain dealing he 'l fall by it when he trades and bargains though he be discreet and careful yet he is plain When he reproves a fault or advises he is sober wise and affectionate but still he is plain his discourse and Sermons though elaborate yet still plain Among his very enemies though he be cautious and considerate yet there he is plain also Lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies He is like Him that wisht his body were made of Chrystal that his sincerity might be transparent Such was that Martyr whom the persecutors requir'd to discover his companion whom they were prosecuting promising to him his own life for the discovery and so either by denying his knowledge of the place of his friends abode or by betraying it he might have saved his own life after a little pause breaks out into these words Mentiri non possum prodere nolo I cannot lye and I will not betray him and so laid down his life to save one of the Brethren Here was an upright man that would not tell a lye to save a life that had rather dye than lye He will be plain though he suffer for it But how generally is this plainness banisht out of the world every man almost walking in a vain shew disguizing their intentions looking one way and rowing another that the Tropicks are not more distant than most mens intentions are from their Actions And so I come to the Object about which this uprightness of life is conversant SECT XIII II. THe Object of an Upright life follows which is 1. Words 2. Deeds or Actions 1. The Upright man is sincere in his words Ps. 15. 2. He walketh uprightly and speaketh the truth in his heart His heart is inditing a good matter and thereof his tongue is the pen of a ready writer And indeed that is the genuine use of words to be the interpreters of the heart and mind And therefore that is a black brand set on our Neighbour Nation that they use not to sing as they prick nor to read as they write nor to speak as they think which if true would render their society more intollerable than the brutes themselves The upright man perhaps cannot speak elegantly but he can speak truly he cannot flourish his letters but he can write a plain Secretary and his words you may believe more than others oathes If you would see a fuller view of him as who would not delight in such asight these Foyles will set him off 1. An upright man is a greater hater of Flattery He cannot abide to be either active or passive in it He rather desires to know the worst of himself than to hear the best for that open rebuke is better than secret love and he knows that unjust praises are more dangerous than unjust slanders And then for others if he might get all the Town by it he cannot give flattering Titles to any man or extol any thing in any body for his own ends How fair an opportunity had Micaiah to have gain'd his liberty and the favour of two potent Kings if he could have sooth'd Ahab in his vanity but prison or no prison he could not flatter How easily might Paul have come off before Foelix with a smooth oration if he had learn'd to have courted him and his Drusilla with a Panegyrick of praise but he rather chose to speak of Temperance Righteousness and Judgment to come so to save them rather than sooth them in their sins 'T is true he loses many an one by this plain dealing whom he might have kept by his flattery but these are better lost than kept Job 32. 22. I know not saith Elihu to give flattering titles in so doing my Maker would soon take me away These acts are below a man much more below a Christian and generally there is unsoundness in the heart or baseness in the ends of those that use them It s true a man may without any breach in his uprightness give another his due praises when there is just occasion so to do but to exceed bounds herein and that out of any base design of procuring the like again or for worldly profit is very far from true sincerity A false heart and a flattering tongue usually go together Prov. 26. 23. Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsheard cover'd over with silver dross No man so likely to have a tongue and a tongue as he that hath an heart and an heart 2. An upright man is a great hater of Lying A sin that is directly contrary to the nature of sincerity I may not inlarge upon the kinds or aggravations of this sin whole Sermons yea Volumes are little enough to overthrow it it is so common and so dangerous If a lye will save their credit few will lose it if a lye will gain any thing few will sit down by loss if a lye will shelter one from anothers anger thousands will venture the displeasure of the Eternal God before that of a silly worm and chuse to have their Head broken that their Helmet may be spared O the woful havock of mens Consciences by this sin now an upright man abhors a lye he knows that the God of truth desires truth in the inward parts and hath in him a particular Antipathy to this sin Dress it in what clothes you will call it a jesting lye an officious lye what
he will pursue thee with never-ending torments if thou wilt sin in Tuo Eterno thou must suffer in Suo Eterno and every man shall find like for like SECT III. ANd now 't is time to be gathering something for our instruction and let this be the Lesson hence to be learn'd namely Doctrine Where God doth find an upright man he shews himself an upright God True he finds none but whom he makes he finds them of his own making but where-ever such a man is found on the Throne or in a Prison or on a Dunghill he shall find a God of his own that will deal uprightly with him However he is an upright God let men be what they will whatever contrary motions the lower spheres have yet the Primum mobile keeps its even and constant motion and is never diverted out of its course at all so is it with our God let vain hypocrites walk never so crookedly yet the holy God will be justified when he speaketh and clear when he judgeth He will be upright with you in executing his threatnings if you hinder the current of his uprightness in performing Promises The filthy Dunghill cannot infect the glorious Sun that shinesall day upon it nor can any mans Evil cause him to cease from being Good But the meaning of the Point is to the upright man he shews himself a graciously upright God a true-hearted man on earth shall find a true-hearted God in Heaven The most proper and profitable way I â—…an think of for the handling of this Doctrine within the intended limits is 〈◊〉 By shewing wherein stands the uprightâ—…ess of a man 2. By declaring how God â—…hews himself an upright God 3. By drawâ—…ng out some inferences and uses thereof And first of the first SECTION IV. THere are Four words especially whereby Uprightness is exprest 〈◊〉 Scripture which being considered will give us some view of this Orient â—…ewel 1. It is called Truth 1 Sam. 12. 24. Serve him in truth Now Truth moral is â—…he conformity of the mind and heart to â—…hings said and done when therefore the â—…eart prayes with the tongue when the â—…eart obeys with the hand when we do â—…he things of God heartily as to the Lord. â—…his is to serve him in truth and upâ—…ightly And this sure is the sense of that Heb. â—…0 22. Let us draw near with a true heart â—…t is our sin and folly to keep at distance â—…rom God both in and out of his service afraid or loth to come up It is Gods wâ—… that we should draw near and nearer yeâ—… and that with a true heart a true-hearteâ—… man at a Prayer does the work when mâ—…ny of great appearances do but beat tâ—… Air. So when we come to men 1 John 3. 1â—… Let us not love in word or in tongue only but in deed and in truth having a Princip of unfeigned love in our hearts to everâ—… body and thence producing words anâ—… deeds of pure Charity This is an uprigâ—… man whose heart within doth not give tâ—… lye to his word and actions Survey hâ—… duties to God and men they are pious juâ—… and charitable open his heart Piety Rigâ—… teousness and Love are written there Like him that professed if he might haâ—… had the molding of himself Light shouâ—… have been his Body and Truth should haâ—… been his Soul 2. Another word for this is Sincerity 〈◊〉 word taken from Pure Honey that is siâ—… cera without wax unmingled When thâ—… New man hath as little as may be of thâ—… Old man mingled with him This word 〈◊〉 us'd Phil. 1. 10. That ye may be sincere Thâ—… Greek word there signifies that which 〈◊〉 Sun-proof as wares that can abide to 〈◊〉 tryed between you and the Sun suâ—… 〈◊〉 an upright man bring him to the Scripâ—…ure he is sound bring him to any solid â—…arks he can stand before them put â—…im into the scales he is weight however he is right Gold though he may want some grains of allowance He is of a right Eagle breed though haply young or weak yet he can look at the Sun â—…nd not be daunted An hypocrite can â—…ook men in the face but an upright man â—…he can look God in the face As for me I will behold thy face in righteousnoss This â—…one but a righteous upright man can â—…do 3. There is another word of this import and that is Singleness of heart Acts 2. 46. They did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart that is with a cordial chearfulness and bounty And to this referrs that Luke 11. 34. When thine eye is single when thy heart is singly bent to honour and serve God then the whole life will relish of that principle the whole body will be full of light but if the heart double with God the life will be no way uniform with men And this is taken to be the meaning of the Oneness of heart promised Ezek. 11. 19. whereas the hypocrite hath an heart and an heart and an heart and an heart for every lust an heart A double minded man is unstable in all his wayes He is unresolved in the end he drives at and so unfixed in his desires and actions that tend thereunto Now the upright mans heart is one he goes all one way he is what he seems one intention one delight one face one tongue in a word he is all but one man Psalm 103. 1. Bless the Lord O my soul and ALL that is within me praise his holy Name And to this purpose is the fourth word that signifies uprightness and that is Integrity 1 Kings 9. 4. And if thou wilt walk before me as David walked in Integrity of heart and in uprightness And that is when all the soul in every faculty is resolv'd and bent for God and his glory In an hypocrite the Judgment is against the Will the Conscience against the Affection the Reason against the Appetite but in the upright all the faculties agree and combine within themselves and the opposition is onely outward against a common enemy He is a whole man for the whole will of God So then you see an upright man is a True hearted a sincere-hearted a single-hearted and a whole-hearted man SECT V. THis Uprightness 1. Respects God 2. Respects Man The former may be called Uprightness of heart the latter Uprightness of Life and both these must be explained and where they meet there we find an upright man Concerning uprightness of heart we must assert that it is not so much a distinct Grace a grace by its self as it is all Grace t is that which stamps a Reality on every other grace Without it Nec amanda est ipsa Charitas nec ipsi Fidei fidendum nec bene sperandum de ipsa spe We cannot believe our Faith nor love our Love nor hope well of our Hope it self Uprightness and Watchfulness are Catholick graces of a general necessity the former to wit Uprightness
whole self to thee without Reservation and without Power of Revocation It is not enough to say this in a pang of kindness or in a complement as we do to men What 's more common with us than Your servant Sir but it s a servant without service and such servants hath God a great many his Servants but their own Masters but holy David was not such a man I am thy servant truly I am thy servant I am resign'd to thee I am resolv'd for thee thou hast boar'd my ears Psal. 40. 6. and oblig'd me to thee for ever I will be thine both Totally and Finally When you thus give your Own selves to the Lord 2 Cor. 8. 5. This is the ground and root of Uprightness SECT VI. II. THe Nature of this Uprightness of Heart is best discern'd by those expressions us'd by the Holy Ghost concerning it which have been partly observ'd already and shall be reduc'd to these five following It is 1. Single without Division 2. Sound without Rottenness 3. Pure without Mixture 4. Perfect without Reservation 5. Plain without Guile 1. An Upright heart is Single without Division Unto an hypocrite there be Gods many and Lords many and he must have a heart for each but to the upright there is but one God the Father and one Lord Jesus Christ and one heart will serve them both He that fixes his heart upon the Creatures for every Creature he must have an heart and the dividing of his heart destroyes him Hos. 10. 2. worldly profits knock at door he must have an heart for them carnal pleasures present themselves he must have an heart for them also sinful preferments appear they must have an heart too Necessariorum numerus parvus opinionum nullus Of necessary objects the number is few of needless vanities the number is endless The upright man hath made choice of God and hath enough A single Christ is enough for a single heart hence holy David prayes Psal. 86. 11. Unite my heart to fear thy Name Let me have but one heart and mind and let that be thine As there are thousands of Beams and Rayes yet they all meet and center in the Sun so an upright man though he hath a thousand thoughts yet they all by his good will meet in God Subordinate ends he hath many to procure a livelihood to preserve his credit to provide for his children but Supreme end he hath none but God alone Hence that Steadiness in his Resolutions that Undistractedness in his holy duties that Consistency in his Actions and that Evenness in the frame of his Heart which miserable hypocrites cannot attain 2. An Upright Heart is Sound without Rottenness Psal. 119. 80. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I may not be ashamed The more sincerity the less shame Integrity is the great author of confidence Every frost shakes an unsound body and every tryal shakes an unsound soul. An upright man hath not alwayes so pure a colour as an hypocrite may have but his colour is natural it is his own it is not painted his constitution is firm The hypocrites beauty is borrowed the fire of tryal will melt it off An Upright man hath his infirmities his diseases but his new nature works them out for he is sound within A leprosie overspreads the hypocrite but he hides it Psal. 36. 2. He flattereth himself in his own eyes until his iniquity be found to be hateful He endeavours to hide himself from God more from men most from himself he would fain be in with himself howsoever and this trade he drives till his iniquity be found to be hateful But now an Upright man he is alwayes sifting and trying himself am I sound am I right are my services rightly done are my infirmities consistent with integrity and the like An upright Saint is like an apple with rotten specks but an hypocrite is like the apple with a rotten core The sincere Christian hath here a speck of passion and there of worldliness and there of pride but cut him up anatomize him he is sound at heart there Christ and Christianity live and reign Now an hypocrite is like an apple that is smooth and lovely on the outside but rotten within His words exact his duties devout his life blameless but look within and his heart is the sty of sin the den of Satan 3. An Upright heart is Pure without Mixture Not absolutely pure that happiness is reserv'd for heaven but compared with that pollution and base mixture that constitutes an hypocrite Though his hand cannot do all that God bids yet his heart is sincere in all he doth His soul is bent for perfect purity and so he hath his name from that Mat. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart In his words he sometimes fails and so in his thoughts and deeds but open his heart and there is a love a desire a design and an indeavour after real and absolute purity Not legally pure that is free from all sin but Evangelically pure free from the reign of all sin especially of hypocrisie which is so flatly contrary to the Covenant of Grace And in this sence the upright man is the Scripture Puritan and so 〈◊〉 further from hypocrisie than any other man He is really glad that God is the searcher of hearts for then he knows that he will finde his name and nature in his own And yet the most upright man in the world hath some hypocrisie in him Prov. 20. 9. Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin but this he detects resists and hates and so it cannot denominate him an hypocrite in this world nor damn him for one in another His ends are generally purely at the glory of God his frame of heart and thoughts pure and generally better than his outside the farther you trace him the better he is Pure from dishonesty in his dealings purer yet in his family from all appearance of evil purer still in his closet and purest in his heart though there be sin there yet there is also there an antipathy against it that it mingles not with it The hypocrite chooses sin the upright man would have no sin if he could choose The Traveller its true meets with dirt in his way but he keeps it off as well as he can mingles not with it and if he be soil'd he rubs it off as soon as may be but the swine delights in it cannot be well without it 'T is just so between the upright man and the hypocrite The most upright Saint on earth is bemir'd with sin sometimes but he did not design it in the morning nor sleeps he with it at night but an hypocrite he designs it he delights in it he is never so well contented as in sin In a word the hypocrite may avoid sin but no man can abhor sin save the upright man 4. An Upright man is Perfect and intire without Reservation Psal. 37. 37.
lye you will he likes it not his heart rises against it Psal. 119. 163. I hate and abhor lying two words for failing to shew his great hatred of this sin Be it with him or against him the upright man will speak the truth Whereas an hypocrite as he is nothing else but a Lye so he can swallow them as fast as occasion serves Poor man thou wouldst not speak it if the man that stands by thee saw into thy heart and how darest thou speak it when the holy and true God sees into thy heart and can choke thee with thy dissembling words 3. An upright man hates all Equivocations and mental Reservations That is he speaks his words in a sense that he would have them construed in and keeps no part of a sentence in his mind to contradict what he pronounced with his mouth especially with an intent to injure another Such was that jugling trick we read of Cydias that being betrusted by Archetimus with a sum of mony afterwards flatly denies it There being no witness to prove the truth Cydias is summon'd to his Oath before the Altar and a great Assembly he quilts the mony in his staffe and going to take his Oath gives Archetimus his staffe to hold the while and then confidently swears he had given him back his money But this deceit lasted not long for Archetimus seeing his perjury in a rage throws down his staffe it breaks and the fraud is found And such is the usual issue of such Equivocations The upright man hath no skill at this he knows if the plain truth will not bear him out these cunning shifts never can My brethren it beseems not the plain-heartedness of a Christian to speak like the Delphian Oracle to be understood in two contrary sentences The Romans themselves would not so much as hear those Embassadors that were painted saying how shall we believe them whose very face and looks do lie An upright man if he do not speak all his heart yet will speak according to his heart He loves not to walk with a dark lanthorn much less to deal with false lights but plain genuine are his expressions without and fair and candid is his heart within 4. An upright man greatly hates promise breaking whether it be to God or men A great note of integrity in Jephthah Judg. 11. 35. I have opened my mouth to the Lord and I cannot go back It was a rash vow but conscience of the obligation brake all other considerations which in his case might have been many and he chose rather to have his very heart broken than his word It is enough for a subtile Polititian to have Distinctions and Evasions ready to help himself out of the straightest bonds the upright man delights not after vows to make inquiry Well advised every man should be before he binds himself in any thing to the Lord but when his soul is fast let him be very well advised how he releases himself for there is nothing doth more prostitute the Conscience and utterly undo men than being fast and loose with God in sacred vows and promises The same abhorrence hath the upright man of breaking his word with men and thereupon his word is as good as his bond If he bids so much for a commodity he seldom shrinks but gives it if he bargain to his prejudice yet he changes not the scarceness of the thing the rising of the market cannot prevail with him to rescind his punctual agreement whether he gain or lose he will not lose his honesty nor his reputation O what a Golden age would return unto us if men were but plain in their dealing and punctual in their performances and unworthy is it for a man a Christian man to be so vile that no body can believe him nor trust him How will that Atilius Regulus rise up in judgment and condemn this generation who being prisoner at Carthage and assur'd of his own death if he fail'd in his negotiation was set at liberty to effect a peace at Rome upon the single security of his own word to return if he fail'd to procure it but such was his publick spirit that he effectually disswaded his Countrymen from a peace assuring them of a certain conquest and such the integrity of his spirit that after this he fairly return'd and accepted of a cruel death rather than infringe his word Ten thousand pities such heroick acts should be lost for want of a right principle and ten thousand shames that Christians should break their word for a groat while Pagans will not do it for their lives SECT XIV SEcondly An upright man is sincere in his Deeds or Actions Isa. 33. 15. He walketh righteously as well as speaketh uprightly As his words are a true Commentary upon his heart so his actions are a true Exposition upon his words Whatsoever Office or Relation he stands in he adorns it with integrity The upright Judge when he puts on his Robes puts off his worldly relations The upright Justice of the Peace disdaining to be drawn by favour or driven by fear besides his duty The upright Counsellour will not plead when his Tongue is confuted by his Conscience The upright Juror without all by respects esteems the least grain of Evidence more weighty than a Talent of Ophirs Gold The upright Atturney when he perceives the cause to be a drop blown up by malice into a bubble sounds a retreat to his Client though he lose thereby The upright Physician will rather go with an empty purse than torture either the body or purse of his Patient without cause The upright Tradesman will be upright in his words upright in his weights and upright in his wares and upright in his rates And the upright Minister will put on his Thummim that is uprightness a word derived from that in my Text as well as Urim and rather lose the love of ten by his plain dealing than the soul of one by dissimulation and unfaithfulness Thus uprightness like a silver thread is drawn through the whole course of the sincere Christian and he that is upright is upright every where And that I may set out this holy course by its most proper Opposites 1. An upright man is a great enemy to Craftiness or Subtlety Though he studies to be Wise yet he delights not in Cunning. Craft is wisdom degenerated it is wisdom devested of honesty A tang of this was in that practise of Rebecca Gen. 37. 35. to procure the blessing for Jacob by a wile But it cost him many a sweating day and many a frosty night Guile and guilt go hand in hand Job 15. 5. Thy mouth utters thy iniquity and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty Carnal policy was never friend to inward piety though it sometimes wears Lambs wool without yet it is alwayes lin'd within with the Foxes furre But the true and holy God disappoints the devices of the crafty and drives the counsels of the froward
to the purification of the Sanctuary And the Lord hearken'd to Hezekiah There were divers really upright yet not rightly and fully purified as you may see 2 Chron. 29. 34. For the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctifie themselves than the Priests Here were upright Levites yet not sufficiently purified but Hezekiah obtained for them a pardon of course for they had done what they could and the Lord had mercy on them A very great comfort for Ministers or People that through straits of time or any unavoidable hindrance are not rightly sittâ—…d and furnished for their respective duties and are afraid to come and more afraid to stay away The good Lord will pardon such a one it was an oversight the heart was sound at the bottom and God will never break with any of his for an infirmity Compare Saul and David Saul had foolishly at most covetously spared Agag and a prey and he is cast off for it and loseth his kingdom David defiles the Wife and then kills the Husband and he is spar'd he is its true sorely beaten but not turn'd out of doors Again take Peter and Judas Judas through covetousness betrays his Master and Peter through fear denyes and forswears him Judas is sent by the Gallows into Hell and Peter is receiv'd into mercy And why this different dealing why David was in the bent of his heart upright before God and Saul in the bottom of his heart was for himself Peter resolved to lose his life before he would forsake his Saviour and Judas never followed him but for the bag And therefore the Lord graciously pardons the unwilling infirmities of his people for he sees the integrity of their hearts As a faithful Husband is more satisfied with the bewailed failings of his poor Wife than with the studied observances of an adulteress so the Lord our God he can better connive at and bear with the mourn'd for infirmities of his dear children than with the fain'd compliance of rotten hypocrites And what a treasure of comfort is this for you that fear God and let none else meddle with it your infirmities are many and your fear great lest they should sink you for ever you have such raging passions brutish lusts frequent distractions base distrust un-heavenliness of heart out of ordinances and dulness in them these are your burden these your fear now all these are within the Grant of pardon made in the Covâ—…nant of Grace and you that are upright in heart if any in the world have an undoubted interest therein and so are forgiven in Heaven and will be forgiven in your Consciences so far as is good for you and shall be forgiven at the last day And you have Gods word for it Psal. 32. 1 2. Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven whose sin 〈◊〉 covered But who is he that may claim this blessing Verse 2. In whose spirit there is no Guile that is an upright man that is no hypocrite When therefore you have fallen into sin do not sit poring and questioning your eternal state but speedily and seriously set about the work of repentance and faith in the blood of Christ that you may be made whole Indeed after some great fall or extraordinary fit of spiritual slumber it is not amiss to clear and resettle the ground work so far may the building be decayed that it may be easier to build anew than to repair the old But it is neither wisdom nor duty upon every slip to condemn your state or to conclude that because you are wounded or sick therefore you are dead Question your act but not your state condemn your acts of sin but do not condemn your state of grace nor brew more tears than you need to drink For supposing you to be true men to God resign'd to him resolv'd for him and walking with him to your power he hath graciously promised to pardon iniquity transgression and sin sins of all sorts and sizes of them that fear him and hope in his mercy And mark it for your comâ—…ort that it belongs to Gods Truth and Uprightness to pardon such a sinner 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is Faithful and Just to forgive 〈◊〉 our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness It is happy for us that we can plead mercy to God for pardon but when we do uprightly confess and forsake our sins we may plead his justice and faithfulness O Lord as thou art just and faithful bestow a pardon on me I beg it in the uprightness of my heart bestow it in the uprightness of thy word For thou hast said with the upright man I will shew my self upright SECT II. II. THe Lord will shew himself upright to an upright man in Defending his Person He is made sometimes the Butt of malice Hell and earth conspire against him as in this Psalm vers 4 5. Snares of death flouds of ungodly men sorrows of Hell all bent against him A plain argument of the sad deâ—…eneracy of mankind to be so desperately set against the Image of God in man and hate those that never did them wrong and that for his sake that alwayes doth them good yet so is the case the most innocent man cannot escape by them unto Heaven without many onsets they bend their bow and lay their snares can hardly sleep for rage Wrongs and Scorns and Fines and Prisons are their usual Charity he that departs from evil ever makes himself a prey The generality of the world are alienated from the life of God and enemies in their minds to all that live it and O that I could speak and write it in tears of grief and compassion A Drunkard a Swearer a Whoremonger may live quietly by them He that never read the Scriptures that never prays with his Family shall have all their good will and go quietly by them into destruction but if a mans Conscience be once awakened if he retrive his course and fall to earnest prayer change his company and sinful courses dare not prophane the Sabbath or take Gods Name in vain or swear as before then up do all his neighbours rise against him watch him censure him malign him and if possible insâ—…are him while he poor heart thinks them no hurt prays for them and only strives to save his own soul and others if he can But here you may rest safoly Prov. He is a Buckler to them that walk uprightly The Buckler covers the Souldier and God coveâ—… the upright man They must shoot through God that can wound you to your 〈◊〉 They hit him in the eye that aim at you and they that will incounter him meddle not with their match Exod. 19. 4. I bear you on Eagles wings Other Fowls bear their young in their claws so that the Fowler may kill the young and the old one be safe but the Eagle carrieâ—… her young on her wings so that who wounds the young must shoot through the dam so doth
God carry his upright ones God will suffer before them the Lord will suffer with them Deuâ—… 32. 11. As the Eagle spreadèth abroad her wings taketh her young and beareth them on her wings So the Lord c. That is a sweet word Psal. 7. 10. My defence is of God which saveth the upright in heart Thou hast perhaps no great friend to shelter thee nor great estate to ransoâ—…e thee but thou hast a great God for thy defence whose work and care it is to save the upright in heart I am thy shield saith God to Abraham fear not if Omniscience be able to see and Omnipotence able to help thou art sure enough And therefore fear not thou worm Jacob and ye men of Israel I will help thee saith the Lord Isa. 41. 14. A worm is a poor creature that few love and none fear so are the seed of Jacob persons that few love and none fear and such are most obnoxious to dangers yet sayes God fear not thou werm A worm in the hand of God can withstand a world and the Gates the utmost power and policy of Hell shall not prevail against one upright man Prov. 13. 6. Righteâ—…ness keepeth him that is upright in the way His innoâ—…ence is his shiâ—…ld And the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him His all-seeing eye his all-ruling providâ—…nce is imployed in finding out all the designs of your enemies to frustrate them or over-rule them and to secure you whose hearts are perfect or upright before him How secure would you be against a subject by such a word from a King and may you not rest more on his word who is the King of Kings If you have his Pass you may go safe enough even through Armies of Aliens Observable is that story in Josephus of Gods special Providence this way The Emperor Caligula commands Petronius his Deputy in Judea to set up his Image in the Temple The Jews ever since their Captivity â—…een against Idolatry bâ—…g and crave and at length offer their necks and lives to him rather than admit such a profanation Petronius pities their condition and forbears to execute his Masters command But the Emperor is inraged and sends his Deputy a Letter to slay himself the usual doom of such persons But Caligula shortly dyes and his Letter meeting with some delay was not brought unto Petronius till just after he had received the news of his death and thus he escaped Behold the admirable Providence of God to those that stand upright Go forth therefore in your might consider your duty and faithfully do it Take no sollicitous care what shall befall you Study not events but study your work not what man or Devils will do but what you ought to do and not an hair of your head must fall to the ground Wickedness proceeds from the wicked but with the upright man he will shew himself upright SECT III. III. THe Lord will shew himself upright to this man in Strengthning his graces and prospering him in his soul. His Graces are weak his bones dried his soul is poor and needy He is poring a whole week by times to find one plain evidence one evident Grace of God but having an upright heart and being a plant of Gods planting they shall increase and grow up as the calves of the stall The Child painted on the wall that grows not unless it grows more dim but the Child in the bosome that hath a principle of life though it cryes it grows though sick sometimes yet grows and at length grows a strong and lusty man so in this case the painted hypocrite hath no cubit added to his stature no he grows worse and worse his varnish wears off and nothing remains at length but a sepulchre without paint But an upright man though he groan he grows though he have some qualms and doubts and troubles yet he gets ground and though insensibly gathers strength It cannot be but that a sincere heart who is diligent in the means of Grace must be changed from glory to glory Mic. 2. 7. Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly certainly they do He receives good though he perceive it not As a living man that feeds heartily must needs gather strength unless he have some predominant disease upon him though perhaps he perceive not at every meal renewed strength So an upright man being truely alive to God through Jesus Christ and careful in the use of all Gods Ordinances must needs increase his spiritual strength though perhaps he sees no present profit by this prayer or that Sermon unless he lye under the tyranny of some imperious sin for a time Prov. 10. 29. The way of the Lord is Strength to the Upright which most properly may dignifie that Religion secures an upright man according to the last Point but it is most true in this sence the wayes of God and Godliness are strength and bring strength to the upright He that is planted in the house of the Lord shall still bring forth fruit To shew that the Lord is upright Psa. 92. 13 14. It is one thing to be placed in the house of the Lord so many a carnal Gospoller is hath a seat there and appears there from one years end to another but it is another thing to be planted there to have a root of Knowledge Repentance and Uprightness and such must needs grow and go from strength to strength Be not therefore discouraged O ye of upright heart for your grain of mustard-seed will become a Tree though your graces seem weak they shall be strong To him that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance You have a little faith and love Habenti dabitur God hath said it you shall have abundance Despise not the day of small things ply your Oars the Ship is passing though you think it stands still and you will be at the shore ere you be aware Ephes. 6. 24. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Here 's that blessing that reaches even you Grace All Grace of all sorts and sizes be with it may be with you though it appear not to you with all in all ages of the Church and in all places of the World that love our Lord Jesus Christ perhaps thou canst not preach for Christ write nor consult nor fight for Christ nor but thou canst love Jesus Christ. Thou canst love him as a Lord to Rule thee as a Jesus to Save thee as a Christ to teach thee why here 's Grace in the promise in the blessing for thee But Christ must be loved in sincerity Jesus Christ himself and Jesus Christ for himself And then be assured that Grace shall be multiplied to such a soul. As it is Gods judicial method when men are resolv'd to go on in sin to give them up Rev. 22.
honest man an upright man And when once you hate Hypocrisie you will flee it when once you really love uprightness you 'l take pains to procure it Shall I yield to that my soul hates dwell in an house that I abhor I le never do it May so rare a Jewel as Sincerity be had and shall I live without it shall it be offered me and I deny it No whatever it cost me I will not live or dye an hypocrite Shall I be a Dunghill covered with Snow how odious shall I be when my snow-white mantle will be stript off Speak man of Reason is Simulation lovely Is Dissimulation amiable Why wilt thou wear that ugly vizard For a Name in this World lose a Soul in another For a Shadow of Religion lose the Substance of Salvation A serious hatred of Hypocrisie is not only a means to conquer it but is a conquest of it A hearty love to integrity is Integrity IV. Attend a searching Ministry 1 Pet. 2. 2. Desire the sincere milk of the Word He that would attain Sincerity must desire Gods sincere Word A searching Ministry will make a sound Professor a plain Minister will make a plain Christian. Lay your naked heart under the naked truth of God and let him write on that blank paper what he pleaseth For the word of the Lord is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Such a Sword rightly welded will cleave an hair and give a man as little rest in formality as in prophaness The word of truth is the way to create the grace of truth the sincere word a sincere heart The babe draws spirits with the milk and that nourishes And in the word truly dispensed the spirit is conveyed and if the spirit of truth step in with the word of truth then the work is done Psal. 143. 10. Thy spirit is good lead me into the land of Uprightness This good spirit will take you by the hand and not only shew you but bring you into the land of uprightness And go not so much to judge the Minister as to be judged by the Sermon Let the most of your severity be imployed upon your selves and the largest of your charity upon the Preacher The humble sincere hearer doth mostly go home with the benefit when the censorious person goes away with the talk And remember this that as it requires more grace to hear and profit by a weak or offensive Preacher so a warm and serious spirit will infuse heat and vigour into the most cold general Sermon if not into the Minister V. Be instant in prayer Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights This is a good and perfect gift O seek it from the Father of lights The Matter of such a prayer pleaseth him and the Mediator pleaseth him and so nothing can frustrate it but the Man or the Matter Add faith and forveney and the manner is sure And then let not your suit fall for your own fault nor lose a prayer for up rightness for want of an honest heart Beg also the prayers of others he may hear Job that will not hear his friends Pray and wrestle till this blessing come O Lord I have heard such a Character of uprightness that I misdoubt my self I seel much amiss I fear all 's amiss I tremble at my condition I am a Christian by profession but I am an hypocrite by nature thy word hath found me out and I am lost Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right upright spirit within me And know that the God of Heaven will give grace more freely than an earthly Father will bread Good and upright is the Lord therefore will he teach sinners in the way And thus you have the Means and do you mean to use them what are directions if you will not be directed by them O let not these words stand here to be your accusers but your monitors and remember that Practise is the End the Crown of Preaching SECT IX V. THe Fifth and last Use is for Consolation to all upright ones You are blessed men in the mouth both of Law and Gospel Psal. 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way that walk in the Law of the Lord. Mat. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God You may be crost by men but you shall be blest by God you may not see the desire of your hearts in this life but you shall see God in life everlasting you may live poor but you shall dye rich Prov. 19. 1. Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool He that 's poor in his wealth but rich in his integrity hath coyn that will pass in the other world Uprightness and Blessedness are inseparable companions O but Sir that 's my fear that my heart is rotten at the core my wayes crooked and your discourse hath increas'd my doubts that I fear I have not one dram of sincerity And my fears are increas'd upon such grounds as these Doubt 1. The Allegatiòns of Satan See saith he thy rottenness after such a Duty in such a temptation thou hast but a shew and these accusations he follows with fears and terrours in my spirit that my soul is sometimes weary of my life Resol 1. There are roots of hypocrisie in the sincerest heart as of all other sins so of this That 's remarkable Luk. 12. 1. Jesus began to say to his Disciples first of all take heed and beware of hypocrisie Christs own Disciples were in danger of this leaven All the stock below the grass is perfect Crab-tree This you may grant with grief and yet retain your integrity with comfort 2 Satans Bills are void in Law for he is the Accuser of the Brethren right or wrong he had a face to accuse upright Job that had his Maker for his compurgator And then the accusation of a condemned person is no proof in any Court of Record yea his terrors may be your evidences for he seldom or never troubles his own house while his prisoners are quiet he holds his peace but when they are broken from him he shakes his chain after them But then hold up a crucified Christ before his very face with worthy Gesner and say Huic offendi non tibi vince hunc me vinces It 's this Christ that I have offended thou fiend of Hell I never sinn'd against thee conquer him and then thou conquerest me Doubt 2. The Censures of men my Friends whisper it my Foes proclaim it and the Minister meets me in every Sermon I may be partial to my self but others will speak plain Resol 1. The censures of others should make us more severe
to the Being and Truth of Grace and the latter to wit Watchfulness to the Preservation and Exercise of Grace And belike on that account sincerity is called a Girdle Ephes. 6. 14. having your loyns girt about with truth Religion is to many as a Cloak though it will prove the dearest Cloak that ever was worn which they can put on abroad when it serves their purposes and put off at home when it troubles them in their lusts but now sincerity is like a Girdle that ties it close to us This makes all our Garments sit close to us and to be ungirt here is to be unblest And may be thus described Uprightness of heart is that Grace or gracious temper whereby the soul is unreservedly resigned to God and heartily bent to walk with him without guile In short when one is A man after Gods own heart for Truth is nothing but an agreement of things with their first Principles so that the Heart agreeing plainly with the Heart and Will of God is an upright heart The same thing is meant by an Honest heart Luke 8. 15. that is resolved to carry squarely towards God as there in the hearing of Gods Word when the heart is clearly carried with the stream of Gods will without Exception or Dissimulation As you know an honest man is ruled and swayed by Reason and Equity in a business without squinting at his own opinions and ends even so an upright heart honestly yields his Reason and Will captive to the Will of God though it cross his own conceits and ends And thus he is a man after Gods own heart is as like him humane frailty considered as ever he can look Now this blessed Uprightness may be considered 1. In the Grounds of it 2. In the Nature of it 3. In the Object of it I. The Ground and root of Uprightness of Heart stands in the total Receiving of Christ by the Heart and the total Resigning of the Heart unto him This done and there 's a good foundation laid for sincerity of soul. 1. There must be a total Receiving of Jesus Christ tendered in the Gospel when you do take hold of the Lord Jesus and cleave to him with purpose of heart As Barnabas prest them at Antioch Acts 11. 23. Many have a months mind of Christ some velleities and wouldings but wilt thou have him and cleave to him and that with purpose of heart this is sincerity to receive a whole Christ with a whole heart Not Christ the Saviour or Refuge only so most would be willing but Christ the Prince and Portion also in the land of the living So David could say Psal. 142. 5. O Lord I said thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living How many would fain have the Lord Jesus Christ for their Refuge when Conscience pinches affliction presses or death stares them in the face but how few will choose him for their portion and happiness in the midst of their outward comforts the Hypocrite dare not dye without him the upright Saint cannot live without him Cant. 1. 4. The upright love thâ—… and love cannot live contentedly without fruition To be content of a Christ because of some present need of him is one thing is nothing if that be all but to chuse him as the fairest of ten thousand and that with an intire heart to have Mind Will Conscience and Affection all of a mind and this mind to be set on Christs yoke as well as his Crown his Spirit as well as his Merit his Rule as well as his Righteousness here goes the upright heart whereas an hypocrite he hath some fancy for Jesus Christ but will not have him this pleases him but that likes him not and so he dodges endlesly and parles with him through the window but bolts the door and keeps him out for ever O that ever an holy just and offended God should follow such miserable sinners with a bleeding Christ in his arms and that ever such wretches should put a refusal upon him 2. There must be a total Resignation of the heart unto the Lord Jesus Christ wherein you do cordially deliberately and freely give up your souls and bodies to him and to his service which is called Ingageing the heart to approach to the Lord Jer. 30. 21. Who is this that ingaged his heart to approach unto me saith the Lord And thereupon that happy Covenant is drawn in the next verse ye shall be my people and I will be your God Who is this saith God Who in the World Who in this Congregation Who in this Family Who in this Seat Where 's the Man the Woman the Child O let each answer quickly it is I. But you must ingage not only hanker incline desire purpose but ingage 't is not bidding but buying will make this Pearl your own Alas it is the ordinary guise of people to stand off and treat only but Sirs will ye ingage is 't a bargain and will ye stick to it get or lose by Christ you will have him and then 't is the ingagement of the heart you did subscribe your hands in Baptisme this very Covenant was sealed in your name and behalf when you were children little and your not revoking it doth assert it but now we come for your hearts thereunto Where 's the Mind the Conscience the Will O where 's the Will that submits resolves and ingages to be the Lords Happy this day this word and happy you if hereupon one shall say I am the Lords and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord and surname himself by the name of Israel Isa. 44. 5. You are the Lords by your Christian names already O when will you be his by your surname also This is the Gospels great design this is our errand here we come for you and are loth to go without you We beseech you by the mercies of God to make a present of your selves as a living sacrifice to God Poor sinners are like Rebels besieged whom Christ Jesus will either win or starve His Ordinance is mounted and it batters A breach is made in the Judgment but the sinner will not yield another in the Conscience yet is he loth to yield the white flag of mercy is set up but of a long time the sturdy sinner will not treat the red flag is hung out divine wrath is on the march and a storm is preparing The Ordinance of God replanted again and now if it hit right and a breach be made upon the will then Christ is victor the City is won and the sinner yields And then his note is changed Psal. 116. 16. O Lord truly I am thy servant I am thy servant Mark how the Psalmist redoubles it I am I am truly I am Redoubled refusals call for redoubled submissions I will neither be my own master nor my own servant I here make a Deed of Gift of my
Mark the perfect man and behold the upright you may see them both at once His heart is intirely devoted to the will and wayes of God The hypocrite he hath ever some exceptions and reservations Such a sin I must not leave such a grace I cannot love such a duty I will not practise thus far I will yeild but no farther thus far I will go it is consistent with my carnal ends but all the world shall not perswade me farther The Judgement of the hypocrite will drive beyond his Will his Conscience beyond his Affections he is not intire his heart is parted and so he is off and on The Upright man hath but one Happiness and thâ—…t is the injoyment of God but one Rule and that is his holy Will but one Work and that is to please his Maker and thereupon he is intire and certain in his choice in his desires in his wayes and contrivances And though there may be some demurs in his prosecution of his main business yet there is no hesitancy and wavering between two objects for he is intirely fixt and resolv'd therein and so may be said to be perfect and intire wanting nothing There is in every hypocrite some one Fort or strong hold that hath never yielded to the soveraignty and empire of Gods will Some lust castles it self in the will but where integrity enters it brings every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Lord saith he I am wholly thine do what thou wilt with me say what thou wilt to me write what thou wilt upon me Other Lords have had dominion over me but by thee onely will I make mention of thy name Isa. 26. 13. here is the upright man 5. An Upright heart is Plain without Guile Psal. 32. 2. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no Guile Here is a blessed word indeed Alas we have great and many iniquities were it not happy for us to be as if we had never sinned why non-imputation will be as well for us as if there had been no transgression sins remitted are as if they had not been committed The debt-book crost as good as if never entred But who is this blessed man In whose spirit there is no Guile that is 1. no fundamental guile that hath not deceitfully covenanted with his God 2. That hath no approved guile to approve and yeild to any way of wickedness that doth not juggle with God or men or with his own Conscience that hides not his Idols under him when God is searching his Tent but as it follows there verse 5. acknowledges and hates and leaves his sin When the Upright man confesseth his sin his heart akes and he is deeply troubled for it he dissembles not the hypocrite proclaims open war but maintains secret intelligence with his lusts When the upright man prayes for any grace he earnestly desires it and he takes pains to compass it too for he is in good earnest and dissembles not The hypocrite is afraid in his prayers to be taken at his word for he loves not the image or grace of God at all And so in every thing else there is nothing but guile in him he that will dissemble with God will dissemble with any man in the world See the wide difference between Saul and David Saul is charged with a fault 1 Sam. 15. 14. lie denies it the charge is renewed verse 17. still he minces the matter looks for fig-leaves to cover all But plain-hearted David is another man he is charg'd and he yields one prick opens a vein of sorrow in his heart he tells all he makes a Psalm of it and therein concludes this Psal. 51. 6. Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts The plain-hearted man sayes God is for me with the upright man I will shew my self upright SECT VII III. ANd thus you have the Nature of uprightness a little opened and now let us consider the Object about which this uprightness is conversant And the great business of the upright heart is about 1. Inward Religion 2. Universal 3. Constant 1. He is a Student and Practitioner of Inward Religion Diligent he is in the outward acts of it also but that he hath common with the hypocrite but his greatest study is to be good within Rom. 2. 28 29. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly that is he is no Jew as to the esteem and acceptation of God or as to the spiritual priviledges of the Covenant neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the flesh to wit that is not the Circumcision which God chiefly looks at and which a man is chiefly advantag'd by But he is a Jew which is one inwardly that is a Saint in soul and Circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter It is not water on the face but blood on the heart which makes a saveable Christian. O Sirs what change hath there been on your spirits what fear and love and sanctity is there in your hearts look to this or else you will break like bubbles And then it follows Whose praise is not of men but of God that is whose aim and whose honour it is not to be prais'd of men but of God The Upright man trades in Invisible things 1. The upright man studies to obtain invisible Graces Psal. 45. 13. The Kings daughter is glorious within In the hidden man of the heart is the beauty of an upright man To be drest with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit with a compos'd and serious spirit with a penitent and believing spirit Ah beloved how like are many of us to the River which Athenaeus mentions whose upper waters are sweet but brackish at the bottome like fine clothes silk without and canvas within a smooth carriage and an unpolish'd uncircumcis'd heart the upright man would not be so He looks not at things that are seen but at things that are not seen Grace and Glory are the study and ambition of the inward Christian. The hypocrite may be forward for unsanctified Gifts Simon Magus would give money for such O the time and cost and strength that many men spend to attain the gift of Knowledge of Prudence of Language of Elocution of memory and such like that never spend a serious thought to attain the grace of Repentance Faith Self-denial sincere love to God and godliness but this is the great design in the upright heart O that I may be stored with the saving knowledge of my God and of my self Here 's an Ordinance O that I may have my faith increased my love inflamed the back of my patience strengthned by this holy Duty These are the Pearles our Merchant seeks for 2. The Upright man studies to perform invisible Duties There is an Outside and an Inside in Religion The bended knee that 's the outside in prayer The broken heart that 's the inside To hear Gods
neither loves nor obeyes whereas the upright man finding his duty bides by it dwells upon it and will deny himself ere he will deny his duty If God will have me love mine enemies I will love them If he wil have me forsake this company or course that I am taken with I will freely leave them If he will have me pray yea and fast too no duty shall be so hard but I will do it no sin so sweet but I will leave it with my whole heart and my whole soul. We have both these in that trying verse Psal. 119. 128. Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way Each word is a sacred touchstone Therefore It is said ver 126. Wicked men make void the Law That 's so far from carrying the upright man down the stréam that therefore he loves it the more he knows it cannot but be excellent that such men hate Is the Sabbath generally broken he is stricter in observing it Are oathes more frequent he abhors them the more Is true Piety hated and hist out of the world his heart and house shall more throughly imbrace it I esteem I cannot observe thy precepts as I would but I do dearly value them The least of thy Laws is more unto me than thousands of Gold and Silver I esteem thy precepts I do not only esteem the Truths of the Bible the Histories in the Bible the Promises of the Bible but I esteem thy Precepts those that cut out my work as well as those that hold out my Reward And all these those that are against my nature and interest and custome as well as those that are agreeable to my nature and custom and subservient to my interest They are all wise holy and good Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loves it And I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right Those precepts that give rules for my bargains as well as for my hearing that controule me at my meat as well as those that direct me in my prayers they are all right and good And I hate every false way I do not say I escape and miss them all happy if I could but I hate them and he that hates sin will avoid it as much as he can And that every false way I see they are false wayes neither directed by my God nor leading to him and therefore I hate them all And this is an upright man he is Universally Religious SECT IX 3. AN upright man labours after Constant Religion His sanctity is a second Nature in him now that which is natural is constant There is great difference between the natural heat of an healthy man and the praeternatural heat of an Ague such is the difference between the true Saint and the hypocrite An hypocrite may have some fits of Piety but they are adventitious they flow from some outward cause and accordingly they last but for a while and when that cause ceaseth suppose some sharp judgement fear'd or felt some qualm of Conscience or shallow Sermon-sickness then a cold fit follows as bad or worse than before alas it is praeternatural it was no habit but the upright man hath a constant heat he fears alwayes and maintains constant duty though he cannot keep equal heat therein And here 's the difference between the inconstancy of an upright man and of an hypocrite the inconstancy of the hypocrite is in the Substance of the duty it self one while he prayes another while he restrains prayer one while he is strict and cautious and shortly loose and careless whereas the upright man keeps on in the course of his duty though he cannot do it alwayes alike he prayes and would not bâ—… hired from it though the thread of his prayers be uneven there may be remisness in it but not an intermission of it there 's constant Religion though not equal Religion The hypocrite makes a Cloak of his Religion which he puts on and off as it serves his purpose the upright man wears it as his every day cloathes and puts not off his integrity till he dye There may be some Parentheses in his holy course wherein vanity and sin may be written too many of these God knows in the best mans heart and life but still the sentence runs current the sence and scope of his heart runs Heaven-ward whereas on the contrary the full sence of an hypocrites heart is to please or promote himself though there may be some parentheses of Religion no part of the scope of his soul you have their character Psal. 78. 36 37. Nevertheless they did statter him with their mouth and they lied to him with their tongues for their heart was not right with him neither were they steadfast in his Covenant No greater sign of a rotten heart than a fundamental unstedfastness in the Covenant of God when a man is rul'd by times and companies to shew good or evil this mans heart is not right with God It s true a tempest may bend the boughs of a living tree or perhaps the tree it self if the storm be great but they return to their straightness they come to themselves but the rotten sticks and branches are broken and overturn'd just so some strong temptation may drive an upright man out of his honest way but he soon returns and by mending his pace makes amends for his stumbling Three Scriptures give the upright man his character concerning this matter Proverbs 28. 14. Happy is the man that feareth alwayes To be alwayes afraid looks like a miserable life among men but to have a waking eye and careful heart for fear of sin is no more a misery than to walk or ride with a vigilant regard to prevent a fall This fear is not troublesome or vexatious at all he 's an happy man that uses it and no wise man will count the other hapy for going running riding without fear or wit in danger every moment to break his bones Again Hos. 12. 6. Keep mercy and judgement and wait upon thy God continually The whole life of a sincere Saint is a continual waiting upon God whatever his work be whoever his company wherever he goes whenever he eats or drinks yet in all these he waites upon his God and serves the will of his heavenly Father And agreeable to this is the other passage Prov. 23. 17. Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long Most emphaticall both for the duty commanded and for the term of the duty both most apposite to set out an upright man The fear of the Lord that is universal Religion be thou in thâ—… more than if he had said let the fear of the Lord be in thee be surrounded with it swallowed up in it And then this all the day long not only a fit of Religion at thy prayers in the morning and another at night but work and walk eat and drink in it all the
day long yea all thy life long which is but a long day The Religion of an hypocrite is like a tireing horse which may go apace in the morning and shew much mettal for a while but the upright man though more soberly yet goes more constantly and in this sense that is most true Prov. 10. 9. He that walks uprightly walks surely You shall finde this man with savoury thoughts in his heart at noon with Ejaculations at his work and there is a coherence between his duties and his life In a word and so I 'le end this point the Upright man hath four Walks towards God which will set him forth to the life 1. The upright man walks Before God Gen. 17. 1. Walk before me and be thou perfect or upright And that is whereby the upright man habitually alwayes and actually as much as in him lies Sets the Lord alwayes before him and still thinks and speaks and acts as if he lookt on weighing not only the matter but the manner and motives of his wayes acquitting himself still to his God 2 Cor. 2. 17. As of sincerity as of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ. Happy for ever that Minister that can call God to record on his soul that as no errours corrupt his Doctrine so no base ends corrupt his heart but that he preaches Christs will sincerely as if the Lord himself look'd on 2. The upright man walks with God So Enoch Gen. 5. 22. And Enoch walked with God That is so to live as if the Holy God were in person walking with you on Earth or as if you were walking with him in Heaven If God should visibly walk with you on earth as he was a while with Abraham O with what humility sanctity watchfulness love and fear would you continually live what an humble and serious regard would you have towards him much more if you were to walk a while with him in Heaven what a frame would you there be in why this sence hath walking with God which no man hath skill in save the upright man he is constantly religious 3. The upright man walks After God Deut. 13. 4. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his Commandments and obey his voice Where he can see his God walk before him like a dutiful child he will though not aequis passibus walk after him as fast as he can This was the praise of Caleb Numbers 14. 24. that he followed God fully That word I am the Lord thy God makes every Thou shalt of his and every Thou shalt not acceptable to an upright man Come sayes God here 's a work I must have done here thou must give here forgive here 's a Saint must be loved for his own sake here 's a sinner must thou love and pity for my sake Ready Lord saith the upright man by thy Grace it shall be done this is to follow God fully this is to walk after God 4. The upright man walks Like God 1 John 2. 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked Now how did our Lord Jesus walk when he was upon earth why a mirrour and pattern of all humility justice charity meekness self-denial Think often when you are eating how did Christ order his meales do I give thanks like him discourse at table like him think often when you are hearing and praying did he hear and pray in such a manner as I do How would he carry himself among such neighbours how would he instruct and guide this Family how would he bear and improve these reproaches wants and troubles how would he appear for God is in such company how would he sanctisie the Sabbath how would he deal with such parents such children if he were in my place how quiet when provok'd how chast when tempted how just and true in his dealings how cautious of others names and how content with his own estate Put him often into your case and remember if ever you will live with him you must live like him And by this fruitful and good life you shew that God is upright and that there is no unrighteousness in him Psal. 29. last SECTION X. ANd thus I have opened in some poor measure an upright heart By all which dearly Beloved you may see the Absolute necessity of Regeneration I mean the through change of the heart from the state of nature to the state of grace For certainly mans heart by nature is false and far from this uprightness described How can the soul receive Christ Jesus as he is offered in his Gospel or resign it self to him without Regeneration how can the heart of a sinful child of Adam be either single or sound or pure or perfect or plain without Regeneration what man will study or practise Inward Universal and constant Religion till he be Regenerated Who will walk Before God With God After God Like God before his heart be changed Alas these things are neither conceived by the mind nor received by the will of a natural man He is ignorant in them and an enemy to them O Sirs you must be new creatures else all our treatie stands for nothing we must still begin here and can parly no further with you unless you yield in this Will ye be renewed in the Spirit of your mind Would you give all the world for a new Heart till then you are but rotten at the heart you walk in a vain shew for all your talk against hypocrites you are errand hypocrites and shall be condemned as such when those you have so reproach'd shall be your judges and openly honoured before Angels and men Those poor Mordecaies shall be royally arrayed and you like proud Haman shall see it to the breaking of your hearts To prevent this O learn this one Lesson Sound Conversion which is but restoring that image you lost in Adam Your bones were all put out of joynt by that fall this is the painful pluck that puts them in joynt again Would not any man abide a painful pluck to set one bone in joynt O Sirs abide one pluck to bring all your soul into frame again you must be new men else you cannot be upright men you must be in Christ before you can walk like him Your Religion is but skin deep till the Holy Ghost hath made an holy change And therefore for the Lords sake and for your souls sake study this point into practise Give no sound sleep to your eyes while you are such near neighbours to Hell your temperate just and honest behaviour may make your fall the softer but without holiness you must never see the Lord and a carnal heart can never be holy and upright without Regeneration And so far concerning the first part of uprightness which respects God uprightness of heart SECT XI THe second part of Uprightness respects Man which is Uprightness of life which 1. Must be with the
spin an even thread throughout He is the same in the camp below for the main as in the mount above and there is a looking-glass in his words and actions through which you may see his heart It s true this unbyassed and steadfast course occasions him often much trouble in the world and he goes for a singular a precise an obstinate man with them that know him not And because he will humour none he is often box't on both sides and finds Livies observation true Media via nec parit amicos nec tollit inimicos his impartial honesty neither finds friends nor abates his enemies the uprightest Arbitrators please neither party yet for all this the comfort of his Conscience feasts him and before the scene be taken down he shall lose nothing by his integrity Psal. 37. 37. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace Mark heedfully this man I but how can we know him Uprightness is a character written out of mans sight and reading why thus where ever you find a mans words and wayes upright you are bound to think his heart is upright also This is the Law of Charity this is the Law of Equity But what will be the end of him The End of that man is peace He may meet with disquiets in his beginning and troubles in the middle but the End of that man is Peace yea there is no end of that mans peace For that God that will not that cannot lye hath said it with the upright man will I shew my self upright And thus at length you see wherein stands the uprightness of a man SECT XV. ANd now Sirs if all this goes to make an upright man what shall I say where dwell these upright men how very few is the number of them The wise man was in the right Prov. 20 6 7. Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness but a faithful man who can find It is a general course for most men to blow their own Trumpet and fetch about most of their stories and discourses to end in themselves and to set out their own goodness but a faithful true right man who can find The next verse will shew him you The just man walking in his integrity That 's the man in the Bible if we could match him in the World I doubt not but there are many such in the World but verily there are few such in comparison so resign'd to God resolved for God such single-hearted sound-hearted sincere-hearted whole-hearted plain-hearted men such inward universal and constant Christians Persons of that Simplicity Purity Perfection and Plainness of Life and Conversation such enemies to Flattery Lying Equivocation Promise-breaking Craftiness Time-serving Defrauding and Injustice Good Lord how rare are these on Earth in this Age. We are faln into an Age of Atheists Scorners Brutes Hypocrites and we may sadly say with the Prophet Mic. 7. 4. The best of them is a bryar the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge Innocent Religion and Sober Piety is hooted out of the world and upright men derided who if they were throughly known would rather almost be adored My Brethren there are but few folks that bid likely for Heaven if this be an upright man The judgment of Charity is one thing but when Gods judgment of Verity comes the case will alter Very very few will hold weight by this ballance and as I need not so I know not that I have made more adoe than needs or cut the way to Heaven narrower than it is It is reported of Pachomius the famous Abbot among the Ancients that the 1300 Monks he governed he divided according to the Greek letters into four and twenty classes or ranks and sorted each to that letter that hinted his condition as under Iota the plain single-hearted person and under Xi the close intricate person c. If we should rank Christians thus how many would be crowded under the last letter and how few under the first and what need then trow you had we to mourn for the fewness of upright men and to judge our selves exactly lest we should be found to be none of them And thus we are brought to the second Point to be handled and that is How God shews himself an upright God to such a man CHAP. II. Of the Uprightness of God THat with an upright man God will shew himself upright is evident For 1. It is agreeable to his Nature Psal. 25. 8. Good and upright is the Lord. He is an upright God and therefore loves Uprightness How can he chuse then but shew himself upright to an upright man Simplicity is Gods first Attribute and Simplicity is the upright mans chief Property there must needs therefore be a singular kindness between these two 2. It is agreeable to his Method All stories Divine and Humane shew thiâ—… to be his usual way Witness Noah he was upright in a rotten Age and the Lord was not behind with him Witness Abraham who walked before him and was upright and God though he was long yet he was sure in rewarding him So to Caleb so to Job so to David to all no man can come out and charge God with neglect or unfaithfulness towards him herein 3. It is agreeable to his Honour and Interest It is a Princes Honour and Interest to stick to his faithful and upright servants or else he will quickly have none such about him He would rather lose a World than lose his Honour and therefore in this Psalm he is brought in overturning the earth rather than leave upright David to his Enemies If fidelity and kindness will win him servants Satan shall have but a few He can boldly implead all the world much more his people Mic. 6. 3. O my people what have I done unto thee testifie against me He would scorn to deal by his servants as Satan doth drive them into a snare and there leave them promise them a World and pay them with an Hell 4. It is agreeable to his Promise Psal. 97. 11. Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart However this seedness may be wet and sad yet they shall have a joyful harvest If any man on earth can lay claim to the promises it is the upright man What an unspeakable comfort is this to lay the finger of faith on any promise in the Bible and say confidently this is mine say no more I am weak and useless and sinful Art thou upright his word is past and there 's an end all the promises in this blessed Bible are in travail to be delivered into thy heart To the upright man he will shew himself upright And that in these particulars SECT I. I. IN over-looking his Infirmities This was Hezekiahs prayer at that famous Passeover 2 Chron. 30. 18 19 20. The good Lord pardon every one that hath prepared his heart to seek God though he be not cleansed according
11. He that is filthy let him be filthy still So when a man is uprightly bent to serve him he spurs them on with his word and spirit saying He that is righteous let him be righteous still and thus herein to the upright man he shews himself upright SECT IV. IV. THe Lord shews himself upright to the upright man In hearing his prayers Prov. 15. 8. The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord But the Prayer of the upright is his delight No musick so sweet to men as sincere prayers are to God The upright man delights to pray and the upright God delights to hear How pleasant is the childs first language to the father he had rather hear it than an elegant Oration and the reason is first it is his own child and secondly it speaks poor thing as it thinks there is no colour upon its words nor dissimulation in them Even so the prayers of the upright man are most welcome to God his heavenly Father for the child is his own and then his prayer is the counterpane of his heart He cries against his sin and also he hates it he sues for Grace and he doth heartily long and indeavour for it and Hearts can come into Heaven when Words must stand at door He gets out of the hearing of many a starch't Oration but Psal. 145. 18. He gets nigh to them that call upon him to them that call upon him in Truth O when confessions are the sad note of a bleeding heart when supplications are the real breath of an hungry soul the Lord listens to such melody There is a vast difference between the formal note of a young beggar and the sensible cries of him that is half starved we neglect the former and are ready to serve him only with reproof but when the other cries that begs in truth his face cries his rags cry his tears cry the whole beggar cries then we draw out our heart and hand unto him even so doth our gracious God he slights and hates affected words coming from an unaffected heart but when the heart comes up with them then he comes and brings his alms with him and his reward before him O what incouragement should this give to an upright heart Thou hast an ear for God and he hath an ear for thee Thou art ready and quick in thy obedience he is as quick and ready in his audience thou art punctual to yield to him in any thing he is punctual to yield in any thing unto thee In a word thou art resolved to do his will he is resolved to do thine Hence Lâ—…ther boldly Fiat voluntas mea quia tua est Let my will be done because it s thine Thine are broken prayers but they are upright prayers There is no Rhetorick in them â—…but there is Logick in them there are arguments that will conquer God himself There is no argument on earth like Integrity nor in Heaven like the Blood of Christ. Object Ah but then I fear my state and doubt of my sincerity in that I have pray'd long for such a child for a better memory for strength against some sins and have received no answer and so may conclude my self a very hypocrite Answ. 1. God often delights in prayer when he seems to deny it and never denies his servants but when the deniâ—… is better then a grant You must distinguish between delaying and denying our God delayes to try us not to deny us to make us cry the louder so he put off Jacob to whet him on the more seem'd to be weary of his company but he would not pass so lames him yet hee 'l pray and wrestle on one leg rather then give out So the woman of Canaan Drink is more welcome when very thirsty and when the Lord sees you cannot be without a mercy you shall have it And then the Greatness of the mercy shall pay for the length of its stay and like money at Interest so your prayâ—…s which have been long on the file shall bring the greater increase back again Answ. 2. God often hears our Prayers when we perceive it not In this sence he speaks once and twice yet man perceives it not Psal. 138. 3. In the Day when I cried thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. On the same Day that his letter was sent he had an answer and what was it Why he was strengthned with strength in his soul. If he were not answered in the Letter yet he was answered in the Better He often gives Gold when we ask for Silver If he denied Abraham for Ismael he gave him Isaac He denies Moses Canaan but gave him Heaven Sometimes our thirst for more makes us think we have received none As rich covetous people never have enough because their desires are insatiable When you are arrived at Heaven you shall see that the Lord did book every Petition and answer it in the best manner for you It may be you are denied for one child but God gives it you for another or perhaps the Grandchild reaps the prayers that you sowed for the Father The Lord gives you not a stronger memory but yet bestows on you a softer heart you discern no strength against some sins yet you have deeper throws of repentance for them Still this is a truth inviolable that the upright mans Prayer when it is put up in Christs name for things agreeable to Gods will is graciously heard and answered in mercy Let not therefore your Fathers seeming denials trouble you for our wise God sometimes yields to the suits of Satan himself while he demurrs upon the supplications of his own Servants I had almost said of his own Son Compare Job 2. 5. and Luke 8. 32. with Gen. 17. 18. and Mat. 26. 39. But then his Grants to Satan are for his greater Confusion and his Denials to his Children are for their greater Consolation SECT V. V. THe Lord shews himself upright to the upright man In comforting him in his straits Psal. 116. 6. The Lord preserveth the simple that is the upright I was brought low and he helped me His integrity freeth him not from the common infirmities of mankind as wants sickness prisons losses crosses unkindnesses and death it self at last but his God takes special care to support and comfort him and at length deliver him In all these storms he is sure of Sunshine and you know the Sun-beams when it shines do guild every drop that the clouds pour down and make the storm as a calm So the face and favour of God doth refresh the upright in heart for Psal. 11. 7. The righteous Lord loveth righteousness his countenance doth behold the Upright And unworthy is that man of Heavens Glory that prefers not the sharpest sickness the darkest prison the heaviest cross with the light of Gods countenance before the riches of Egypt with his frowns This made Paul and Silas sing in prison when
long he may certainly while any of his base ends draw him on Indeed when sharp troubles come for Religion then generally such are weary of it and utterly deny that which they never delighted in Canst thou now say in the midst of thy multiplied duties that thou hadst rather do them than not do them Dost thou only use prayer or chuse prayer Dost thou only avoid sin or abhor sin That is something or else that Pharisee Luke 18. shall be justified as soon as thou Object 3. Quiet of Conscience My own heart condemns me not that is most privy to my own estate and would be surely most faithful to me in this weighty case nay it is more against an hypocrite than any other sinner Answ. Remember that a Conscience pacified is not alwayes a sign of a Conscience purified If Conscience be not blinded it will see if it be not bribed it will speak if it be not brawny it will feel but if it have been curb'd and silenc'd and sinn'd against it may let you alone even as God doth and never bark till it bite and make its teeth to meet There are that deceive others until at length they be deceiv'd themselves that have deceived their own hearts so long till a deceived heart hath turned them aside that they cannot deliver their souls nor say is there not a lye in my right hand Isa. 44. 20. And yet if one should refer it to thee Dost thou think in thy very Conscience that thou art an upright Saint and a sincere servant of Jesus Christ Dost thou not know that by thy self which is inconsistent with integrity of heart what is that which makes thee tremble at death in a fright at thunder in pain at a searching Sermon afraid at the reading or hearing of any sisting marks or signs And then for bearing a great hatred to hypocrites that 's nothing for one proud man may hate another for standing in his light and rotten hearts are usually most suspicious and censorious of others Thy best evidence would be to loath thy self and thy only cure to be pricked at the heart SECT II. II. Use. THe second Improvement of this Point is for Reprehension 1. Of those that Disturst an upright God 2. Of those that Distast an upright Man 1. That Distrust an upright God No greater trouble to an upright man than to be suspected and distrusted to have his word question'd and his wayes misconstrued Good and upright is the Lord and he cannot indure to be called in question They that know him will take his word for more than this world is worth Psal. 9. 10. They that know thy Name will put their trust in thee But alas how few are these if we run over those very particulars wherein he shews himself upright you shall find much distrust in the world yea in the very best If we be in Danger how sew can quiet themselves in Gods promise of succour If we have fallen into Temptation how long ere we can heartily believe our pardon sealed in the blood of Christ when we begin to Pray which of us believes that as sure as we ask we shall receive how difficult to relye upon the grace of God for perseverance or on the promise of God for all good things in this life and for a Crown of glory in another O the wretched distrust of mans heart whence else do men run to unworthy means to attain their desires every day and lean no more on him or on his word than on a weak staff that we dare not trust you can trust a man when he hath money in his hand you should trust God when he gives money in the Promise The World should know we serve a God whom we dare trust The promise is ever as good as the thing promised He is no flincher with whom you deal To distrust him is to devest him and that of his dearest Attribute his Truth When we distrust God we make him man when we trust in man we make him God How many experiments have you read nay how many experiments have you had of his uprightness to you and must they all stand for nothing What man can come out and say I was under such a promise but I never had the benefit of it I trusted Jacobs God in vain And must you be the first instances of his unfaithfulness God forbid To instance what disquieting thoughts have we sometimes about provision for our Children they 'l be left succourless and quite forsaken and unworthy courses are sometimes taken to prevent it and yet we know they will fall Wards to God and that the Generation of the upright shall be blessed And because here perhaps you may reply that herein you do not so much question Gods uprightness as your own therefore see in another Instance what perplexities are Gods servants in for his Church when it is rent with schisms eclips'd with errors oppress'd with troubles And yet he hath undertaken to rule the world for his Churches good and that the Gates of Hell stronger than armes on earth shall never prevail against her O silence then and charm down your unbelief and credit this word To the upright man he will shew himself upright 2. This Reproves those that Distast an upright man He that is unlike God cannot but dislike both him and his likeness Wonder of wickedness that ever any reasonable creature should hate his Makers picture dislike the men that are after Gods own heart and the better the man the worse to hate him It was so in the beginning is now and will be world without end 1 Sam. 29. 6. Surely sayes Achish to David as the Lord liveth thou hast been upright nevertheless the Lord favours thee not Let a man be never so honest charitable unblameable yet if he discover his integrity by reproving sin by a strict watch over his words by a peaceable demurring at a thing he is unsatisfied in there 's some of you though you never saw him were never disoblig'd by him yet out of an inveteracy against God it can be nothing else you dislike and declaim against him If this man have an hundred excellent qualities and but one defect or fault all his good qualities are buried and he goes with you under the notion of his single sin But on the other hand let a man be never so ignorant unclean swearer drunkard Atheistical yet divers of you can imbrace him delight in his company or at least he shall live quietly by you and if he do not personally affront you no Magistrate shall ever be inform'd of him that he might reform him And to see your equity if this man have an hundred ill conditions and but some one good quality as perhaps of an obliging carriage all his faults are silenced and he obtains a favourable character from this single vertue which shews clearly that your spite is at the good man as he is good or else you would cry
but in secret in his closet After consideration of the Law of God and after the survey of his own heart an upright man if there be no eclipse upon his spirit can appeal to the all-searching God in his closet concerning the uprightness of his heart and this I think few hypocrites can reach to do Thus Peter could say John 21. 17. Lord thou that knowest all things thou knowest I love thee I appeal from Satan and the World to thee whether I do not love thee above all the world and above my self if my heart were open'd whether thou wouldst not find Jehova and Jesus and Holiness to the Lord written there The just man dare appeal to the severest Judge and a sincere Saint to an all-seeing God Psal. 139. 23 24. Search me O Lord and know my heart try me and know my thoughts And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting So if you can say Lord look at me every way try me by the light of thy word search me to the quick I appeal to thee thou knowest I am Gold not Gilded I am thine thy Name is on me and thy Nature is in me thou that knowest all things knowest I love thee No plainer sign of a cheat than unwillingness to come to tryal but he that dare bring his heart to the most trying Books to the most searching Ministers to the all-searching God is sound at heart and a Saint within I should have nam'd no more but that I find two more signs within the â—…ken of my Text with which I shall conâ—…lude this Use. V. The fifth mark of an upright man is He trades not in Presumptuous sins Psal. 19. 13. Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over me Then shall I be upright The Tyranny of sin is one thing the Dominion of sin is another It is the opinion of Divines that though a child of God may have a Darling sin one sin to which he is more inclin'd then another yet he hath not a Reigning sin that is I suppose they mean no sin hath the absolute command of the whole soul no there is a seed of God in a sanctified heart that cannot so yield to sin So that the difference between the sin of an upright man and another lies not so much in the nature and kind of the sin committed as it lies in the heart of a sinner That may be an Infirmity in one that is a grosser sin in another A less sin chosen is worse than a greater sin fallen into without choice a less allowed than a greater disallowed The presumptuous sinner adds the contempt of God to his sin and so is said to siâ—… with an high hand Numb 15. 30. thâ—… first place I take it that speaks of such But the soul that doth presumptuously râ—…proacheth the Lord and shall be utterly oâ—… off and no sacrifice admitted for him which interprets that Heb. 10. 26. If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin And both opposed to sinning ignorantly nâ—…d yet not every sin of knowledge a presumptuous sin but when a man knows it but cares not heeds not God or his will but lifts up an high hand against him and will venture It is one thing to sin willingly another thing to sin wilfully There is of the will in most sins but not the whole will There is a predominant motion of the will toward it but there is in it an habitual hatred of it Rom. 7. 20. Now if I do what I would not it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me There is in every sin an interpretative contempt of God but I conceive to create a Presumptuous sin there must be actual presumption and contempt of God whereof certainly that man was guilty that was stoned to death for gathering sticks on the Sabbath day and thereupon his Tragedy is related immediately upon the Law against presumptuous sinners Numb 15. An upright man hath a radical hatred of sin and he that hates sin can scarce sin presumptuously VI. The sixth and last Character of an upright man is He keeps himself from his own iniquity You have this in the next verse but one before the Text. I also was upright before him prove it I kept my self from mine iniquity Every man hath some sin of his own We are capable of every sin but we are not inclin'd to every sin Our constitutions usually do chuse our darling sin our condition of life or calling may nurse it up This Sin is the tryal of our sincerity An hypocrite chides it before folks but keeps it under his tongue cordially favours it and so makes provision for it in effect prefers it before Christ and Heaven 'T is this sin that sends most men to hell They 'l part with many but skin for skin yea soul and all will a man give for the life of this And there is no wickedness too great to wade through to the fruition of it Now an upright man had at his Conversion the deepest prick in this vein The dearer the sin the dearer it costs in Repentance and thereupon he keeps a jealous eye upon it and is whetted also with an holy revenge against it for displeasing such a God as now he finds him to be and for hindring so much the comfort of his soul that he mainly hates this sin and indeavours to prevent and crucifie it He most hates it though he can least vanquish it And thereupon he faithfully makes use of all the means he knows to mortifie it and carefully avoids all occasions that may further it he grieves bitterly for his relapses into it and gives no rest to his God or his soul till he see the funerals of it he is resolv'd to dye in the conflict before he will make a peace Now feel your Pulse for the Lords sake and deceive not your own souls These signs will state your case if you will but prove your own selves The explication of them is ours the application of them is yours Do not shut the book till you have opened your hearts and found either the name of a Saint or an Hypocrite Why do you retreat It is not your enemy but your Physician that is at door To try your case can do no hurt If all be right you may have the comfort if all be naught yet you may have a cure Rush not blindfold into Hell Put us not to our best skill in describing Characters and then let them alone as you found them for want of pains If this work not remember we have told you that the clearest sign of an hypocrite is he dare not come to tryal SECT V. THe Fourth Use is by way of Exhortation Have you made a faithful scrutiny Then upon tryal either you find the Characters of sincerity or else you find them not or else
you hang in doubt whether you be upright or no. And accordingly I shall direct my Exhortation three wayes First to those that are upright with God and you I exhort 1. To praise the Lord and be thankful Psal. 33. 1. Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous for praise is comely for the upright You of all men have cause to be merry Praise becomes no bodies mouth but yours Be chearful in your selves and thankful to the Lord. What aâ—…les you to be lean from day to day that are Kings Sons Who can lay any thing to your charge It is God that justifieth What can dishearten you seeing the root of the matter is found in you Turn your plaints into praises Stand still and admire the distinguishing mercy of God to you that among so many Heathens the Lord should maâ—…e you Christians that among so many Hypocrites the Lord should make you upright Adore Electing admire Converting Grace say Lord who am I naturally a very Pagan an errand hypocrite that thou shouldst crown me with Truth in the inward parts And then kneel down and offer him an Hecatombe of praises charm up all the daughters of musick thy best affections and tune up thy note with Angels Blessing and Honour and Immortality be given to him that sitteth on the Throne and to the Lamb for evermore And let heart and lip and life keep tune and where thy words fail let thy deeds extol his holy Name O Lord do but tell me which way I may honour thee and thou shalt see thy Grace assisting that no service shall be too hard for such a wretch to such a God 2. Proceed and walk on in your upright way Hear David Psal. 26. 1. O Lord I have walked in mine integrity Ay but are not you weary on 't David O no hear him verse 11. But as for me I will walk in my integrity I have don 't and I will do it again It is enough for sinners to be weary of their wayes but as for me I will walk in my integrity Improve in your uprightness Job 17. 9. The righteous also shall hold on their way and he that hath clean hands shall grow stronger and stronger Get ground of your hypocrisie and weed it out of your hearts and duties day by day A little sin is a great burden to him that hath a great deal of grace as a little spot is to a very cleanly man Purge out therefore the old leaven and keep the feast with that daintâ—… fare the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth Let nothing byas those honest hearts of yours Answer your temptations that you can do any thing but lye and temporize and sin against God that Crowns cannot see you to betray Christ or wound your Consciences that you fear no body but God and nothing in the world but sin A man of uprightness must be a man of strength The more uprightness the more communion with God the more uprightness the more confidence with men the more uprightness the more comfort in your own souls 1 Chron. 29. 17. I know also my God that thou tryest the heart and hast pleasure in uprightness O do him a pleasure then by walking in your integrity and resolve with that upright Champion Job 27. 5 6. Till I dye I will not remove my integrity from me My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live SECT VI. SEcondly To those that are in Doubt whether they be upright or no. It is better indeed to doubt with a cause than to be confident without a cause and better to begin in doubts and end in certainties than to begin in certainties and end in doubts But take advice 1. Sit not down quiet in this uncertainty Who that 's charg'd with forgery will be quiet till he be cleared In the Authority of Gods unerring word I charge all men by nature with rottenness corruption and hypocrisie If you be true men clear your selves and hang not as the Papists place One of their small friends between Heaven and Hell Who that 's going a journey would be content whilst he is ignorant whether in the way or out you are going a long journey quite to eternity for your own comfort sake be at a point whether you be in the way to the Holy or to the Miserable eternity You 'l be at cost to clear and settle your outward estate O be not worse to your souls than you are to your lands you cannot imagine how far you might go in this work in one Moneths time nay in the spare hours of one Moneths time It is a sad case that is threatned Deut. 28. 66. And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee and thou shalt fear day and night O but what is it then to have everlasting life hang in doubt before a man the soul daily taking wings and you know not whither O sit not down quiet with this uncertainty 2. Set about the means to clear up your condition Knock at each Ministers door that 's near you and borrow light from the Wise. When you have a doubtful distemper you run to the Physician when you have a knot in your deed you run to the Lawyer you are at a demur concerning the state of your souls O run to the Minister Put on boldness and fear not he deserves not the name of a Preacher that is not gladder of your company than of the greatest Mammonist within his charge Open your mind freely Sir I am in a great dismay about the state of this my soul this I can say for my self and this against my self Deal truly with me and give out a perfect lot Be take your selves to the most searching Books try your selves by the above-named marks but above all to the Law and to the Testimony But be not hasty to conclude upon the reading any of these either for or against your selves without good advice lest you rush on the Rock of Presumption or be swallowed up in the Quicksand of Despair Get into the right method and then spare not for a little pains He must give diligence that will make his calling and election sure This course hath been found useful to some namely single out some trying Scripture as for Instance that Psal. 119. 140. and spend your spare minutes in one day or week to know the True meaning of it the next day or week compare your selves by it with all faithfulness spend another day or week in urging all such objections you can justly find against your plea and a fourth day or week in a sound Reply unto them And then lay them before God and joyn your earnest prayer to the searcher of all hearts to clear and settle you And when this is done try another and a third The comfort will pay the trouble The answer of a good Conscience is worth some serious thoughts or else it is worth nothing SECT VII THirdly The Exhortation runs to them that want it
word that 's the outside To meditate of it that 's the inside To read each day two or three Chapters in the Bible that 's the outside to feel the efficacy of it that 's the inside To reprove another that 's the outside but to watch over thine own heart that 's the inside To draw out thy purse to a poor man that 's the outside but to draw out thy heart in pitty to him that 's the inside of the duty The hypocrite may and oft doth excell in the former the upright man is diligent and careful in the latter He can pray in secret and is no stranger to Self examination Meditation Ejaculations and Soliloquies these retired acts of Religion nay in these is his Excellency he is a Saint in secret the holiest alone a busie man in an Ordinance He wrestles as well as makes supplication and sweats at that which others sleep at The Pharisee Luke 18. had the larger Oration but the Publican had the more penitent heart The Scribe might have more dealing with the Law but the Apostle delighted in it in the inward man Rom. 7. 22. and so doth every upright man His best wares are within out of sight As you know its the Tradesmans custom all his wares shall be vendible and good but behind in his Warehouse and Closet are his choicest things Even so the upright man he will be exact and diligent in all his ordinary and visible duties but his Master-pieces they are within He performs invisible Duties 3. The upright man studies to conquer invisible Sins Those that he might go to his grave with and no body aware of them yet these he labours to rout Horse and Man An hypocrite on the contrary prunes off the sins that will shame him but nourishes the sins that will damn him Open drunkenness uncleanness oppression profaneness these an hypocrite disdains but mean while he lives perhaps in some of these secretly or at least he takes no pains to subdue proud wanton envious and other inward motions that do as much war against the soul as other sins The hypocrite shaves the hair but the upright man plucks it up by the roots 2 Cor. 7. 1. Let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit There is a filthiness of the Spirit which he that would perfect holiness will be cleansing himself from such as the habits of unbelief impenitency hardness of heart pride of spirit dulness in Gods service and such as Atheistical loose impertinent thoughts wandering in the worship of God envy at his neighbours riches or reputation and carnal contrivances to satisfie tâ—…e lusts of the flesh these cost him warm water break his sleep and fill his prayers which never cost the hypocrite nor secure world one penitent thought It was Tertullians cry Ad leonem extra potius quam ad leonem intra The upright man knows that as the filthiness of the flesh will may make him a beast so the filthiness of the spirit will make him a Devil and therefore he assaults his invisible sins SECT VIII 2. AN upright man endeavours after universal Religion There is a counterpane of the will of God in his heart that agrees with the Scripture in every thing 1. He hates All sin with an hatred of Abomination of Aversation of Opposition Dress it with what disguises you will and press it with what motives ends or advantages you can the upright man hates it in his heart Psal. 119. 1 2. Blessed are the undefiled in the way they walk in the Law of the Lord. They also they for their part do no iniquity they walk in his way There is a party in him that would be tampering with it but he likes it not O saith God do not this abominable thing that I hate Jer. 44. 4. No Lord saies he for I hate it as well as thou His heart is on Gods side against Sin And particularly against his own iniquity Psal. 18. 23. I was also upright before him and I kept my self from mine iniquity Mine iniquity Every man hath some sin of his own which he is most inclinable to least able to resist and lothest to leave Thus he drags each prayer before God and cries Lord if thou lovest me strike here This sin he prosecutes with prayers and tears and all good means beside forelaies it in cool bloud and with continual preventing contrivances disappoints crosses intercepts and by degrees starves it to death And as no sin is so dear as to ingratiate with him so no sin so small but his stomack rises at it and hence it is that the upright man hath not so wide a swallow as other men of large and strained Consciences and so meets with many an hypocrite in his dish because he would hate the Appearance of Evil as he hates the Appearance of the Devil but still he hates his own sins more than others and those as much as any which no body sees but himself 2. He loves All his Duty he is neither afraid to know nor ashamed to own all his duty By this the Lord measures Integrity 1 King 9. 4. And if thou wilt walk before me as David thy Father walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness to do according to all that I have commanded thee Here 's the just Standard of sincerity For can the holy wise and just God appoint any thing unreasonable or uncomfortable for his own creature his dear child to perform Alas All his wayes are mercy and truth and all his Laws tend to his servants good What harsher Law in appearance than that Matth. 5. 29. If thy right eye if thy right hand offend thee pluck it out cut it off And yet if any of you had an eye that were alwayes leading you into pits and precipices to drown and destroy you would not you have it out if you had an hand that were alwayes running into the fire and you could not keep it out would not you hack it off why it is no other eye or hand the Gospel hath a quarrel with but those that would lead into ruine run you into hell and how reasonable and necessary is it to be rid of such The upright man is convinced of this and so he knows nothing in Religion but what he likes Some things may grate upon his carnal appetite yet he loves them dearly Now an hypocrite is quite another man like a sorry Scholar in a hard Chapter he skips over the hard words and makes nothing of them whereas the well taught Scholar will spell and labour at them and rather venture a whipping than skip over them So is it between the hypocrite and the upright in the duties of Christianity An hypocrite runs smoothly on in divers Religious exercises till he meets with some costly hard or hiddén duties and there he stands stock-still he considers that there is no credit or profit but only pains or peril to be got and presently skips over these hard words and