close unevennesses and hypocritical practises of sin against thy better profession of holy walking What the Prophet spake of the unjust gainer He getteth riches and not by right he shall leave them in the midst of his days and at the end he shall be a fool That say I of the Hypocrite he heaps up duty upon duty works upon works but the day of tryal comes and then he shall appear to be a fool Ah vain man to think there is not a day for the discovery of secrets or that there is not a God who searcheth the hearts and reins who greedily hunts after the applause and credit of men and declines the approbation of the great Judge O when thy accounts are to be presented and given up before the tribunal seat of the holy and true and terrible God and thou shalt then say O Lord all the outward good I did I did it only to get my self a name all the services of Religion I laboured in them only that men might think well of me some of thy precepts I did like but others I did not care for because they thwarted my ends much good I did but it was only to cloak and cover the much secret evil which I did love and in which I did walk so many years I lived and kept company with Christians against whose powerfull practise of holiness my heart did rise many a time did their heavenly discourses find out and condemn my private lust yet I bleared their eyes I yet wrested with my conscience I would not yet leave all my sins and now wo is me thou dost love truth in the inward parts this I knew yet I played the hypocrite Nay if more may be added then take this the Lord God after death will shut the door against such foolish persons who content themselves with lamps without oyl and do cry Lord Lord have we not preached c. and heard thee in our streets and yet were workers of iniquity Look as the Lord takes notice of a mans Hypocrisy now so this people draws near unto me with their lips but their hearts are far from me so he will take notice of the Hypocrite hereafter not only to shut heaven against him but to cast him into everlasting burnings Isa 33. 14. so then methinks here were motives enough to stir us up to be upright because else the Lord regards us not neither persons nor works yea his Word condemns us and our consciences do condemn us we walk under a sentence and shall die under a curse and God will be against us too in Judgement he will not know us but abominate us from his presence 2. But then if you consider on the other side How acceptable Uprightness is very acceptable unto God a thing uprightness is to God what delight he takes in such-persons how his Covenant is with them and what infinite promises are their Treasuries how God will hear their prayers accept of their person pass over their weaknesses increase their blessings establish their comforts what defences and secret and strong and comfortable acquittances Uprightness breeds in the conscience what considence it gives in our accesses to God what solace under all our crosses what peace and quietness and strength notwithstanding all contrary suggestions what boldness in death what grounds to Implead with God! what a certainty of acceptance now and truest Glory hereafter O how might these things work upon our hearts to labour to be upright c. Object But you will say now why what may we do to get uprightness and to maintain it Sol. Now we come to the means of uprightness for which Means take these particulars into your consideration 1. Directions for the getting of it 2. Directions for the preserving of it 3. Some other considerations and meditations for the Directions to get uprightness of heart Go to God for it first I commend these things unto you 1. If ever you would have upright hearts you must then go to God for them Hypocrisy is a natural weed we need not go beyond our selves to find a cause of it even a Child is able to frame actions to the eye of others but uprightness is a flower of heaven only that God who can make new is able to make the heart upright I pray you to consider that all the holy qualities and tempets of the new Covenant come from no other spring then Gods grace none can bestow them but God and he can do it Now the upright heart is a spring of the Covenant Jer. 31. 39. I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever Is there here a person this day who is sensible of the guile of his spirit of the hypocrisie in his heart that he cannot be so for God as he should that he is uneven and oft-times crooked in his walkings why go to God! pray with David Psalm 51. 1. O create in me a clean heart O Lord and renew a right spirit within me But you will say may an hypocrite come to God will God regard him though he calls upon him will he not shut out his prayers will he heare the prayer of him who regards sin in his heart I Answer Sol. It matters not how much hypocrisie hath been hatched within thee and acted by thee heretofore If now thou commest to be sensible of thy hypocrisie and to condemn it to bewail it to abhor it if former hypocrisie be now come to hearty conflict though be giving out into many thoughts of selfe and base ends yet be not dismayed go to God he can subdue it and he can take out that guile of thy spirit and he can fashion a straitnesse and rightnesse of heavenly frame within thee he is able to make good whatsoever he hath promised Secondly if you would finde uprightnesse in you then get an Get a predominat love of God and his wayes exceeding and predominate love of God and his wayes Love is of great force and influence to a mans ways and actions it is like the Rudder which doth master the ship in the motion it can turne and winde it any way so doth love prevaile with the soule it hath a command over it about a mans ways and actions if a man had a strong love of God if he did heartily and with great affections incline and strive for God for his glory for his truth this would prevaile with him to be upright Deut. 10. 12. the love of God is put in as a meanes to walke in all his wayes and to serve him with all our hearts The want of uprightnesse comes from the want of love as the falsnesse of a woman to her husband growes upon want of conjugall love it is the love of the world which draws a man so often aside which makes him off and on and it is the love of sin which makes a man so hypocriticall If a man could love God above all he would delight
see God in his precepts and see him in his Threatnings and then we hold up and go on but if once we lose him in the sight of his promises then impatience and murmuring and discontents and unlawfull projects and wayes appeare in the heart and life so also if we lose him in the sight of his precepts which guide and binde Now loosnesse and carelesnesse and indifferency appears and lose him in the sight of his threatnings now pride and presumption and other bold adventurings appeare But if we could by faith see him who is invisible if we could see the goodnesse and fidelity and immutability of his promises for all kinde of good supplies and if we could see the power and authority and equity of all his precepts respecting our actions and ways and if one could behold the justice and terror of the Lord by faith in all his threatnings O how might the soule be bounded and kept like a river twixt its banks in a constant and sweet course of even and upright walking 3. If you would preserve uprightnesse then you must get and Get and preserve humblenesse of heart prâ—serve humblenesse of spirit Remember this that the humble Christian receives most good and lives best The slow hands writes the fairest copy and the low valley of all the parts of the earth is most yearly fruitfull Highnesse of spirit and much unevennesse ordinarily keep company There are three properties in humblenesse which shew that Simile it much conduceth to uprightnesse One that it is much with God hence we read of the cries of the humble and the desires of the heart the humble soule is like the weake Ivie which clinges about the strong oake so it is much with a mighty God you shall seldome finde the humble person without a teare in his eye a complaint in his tongue a prayer in his heart either you finde him upon his feet standing to hear what God will say or upon his knee craving what God will give 2. Another that it haâ—h much from God There be high mountaines which be above all cloudes the proud heart is most empty because most lofty but God gives grace unto the humble Jam. 4. the poor beggar gets the almes and the low valley gets the showers and the humble heart the grace of God and that both preventing grace which makes good an assisting grace with holds on in good thou hast hard the desire of the humble 3. A third that it doth all for God there are two things which the humble person doth most eye One is Gods rule another is Gods glory as a good servant who takes commandes from his masters mouth and layes out himselfe for his masters advantage All is from him and by him and therefore all must be to him saith the humble heart Now all these conduce directly to uprightnesse he is best in walking with God who is most in calling up on God prayer being like the firm and solid ground which enables the feet to stand best And God is near to the humble the weak child is preserved from most falls which is held by the hand of the mother or carried in the bosom of the Nurse Where divine strength is most communicated there the life is most uniformly ordered and then humbleness refers all to Gods glory it puts the cause of gift upon him and the honor of their use which is directly opposite to Hypocrisie therefore labour to be humble get to be sensible of your selves both for naturals and also spirituals in the one see your vileness in the other your emptiness c. Fourthly If you would get and preserve uprightness then Get your hearts to be crucified to the world get your hearts to be crucified to the world Hypocrisie and worldliness are seldom far asunder It is rare to find an Hypocrite but he is one who is either strongly ambitious of honor or greedily desirous of Riches search the Scrriptures and you shall find it so and very cleerly in the Pharisees Now when the heart is set upon the world it is easily drawn aside it will ever anon be uneven the bowl which hath a bias cannot run longe in a strait line They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare into many foolish hurtfull lusts c. For the love of mony is the root of all evil 2 Tim. 6. 9 10. A thing of naught turns aside the heart which is worldly the look of a man the hope of a nod a change of garments a morsel of bread a meals meat a few pieces of silver all of these are to a worldly hearr like the winde to the ship which turned the sails round about Therefore take heed of the world most of our uneven carriages arise from want of faith to exalt God and from the enthraling of our hearts to the world we are under either the discouragements of the world and the fear of them make us to step awry or else the encouragements of it and the hope and love of them makes us to omit duties or put out our hearts to wickedness The sear of man and the too high account of carnal power and too much love of our selves and the world are sore enemies to uprightness of heart or life he who will know no Lord but Christ and no safety like that of God and no good like that which is heavenly his spirit is sound and his life will be upright 3. Now to all that hath been said let me add a few daily meditations which may be of great force to keep us in upright walking Considerations to keep us upright God searcheth the heart and beholds our wayes Four considerations more 1. One that God searcheth my heart and still looks upon my ways Whether shall I go from thy presence said David Psalm 139. And all things are naked and open to him with whom we have to deal said the Apostle Heb. 4. There can be no action hid from an all-seeing eye Nor can the ground and motives and ends of our actions be secret to him who searcheth the heart and reins and understands our thoughts a far off we may blind the eyes of men but we cannot delude the eye of God The Lord seeth me in the dark and my private courses are as obvious to him as the mountain to the sun at noon-day what way I take he well observes and which way my heart runs what it favours and what it dislikes what I do and what end I have in all my doings and what principles and rules sway within the chambers of my breast This daily meditation may be of force to look both to the matter of our doings and to the manner and so incline us to upright walking 2. Another That I must one day appear before God and then I must one day appear before God and then all my secrets will be disclosed all secrets shall be disclosed The upright man may be shaddowed out by an heart in
endeavoured to be rectified squared beautified and ordered that the great and holy God may take delight and proclaime his gracious testimony of the same hear that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 10. 18. Not he that commendeth himself is approved but whom the Lord commendeth in the former respect is that phrase of Paul Rom. 16. 18. approved of men in the latter respect is that phrase of Paul Rom. 16. 10. approved in Christ and of Peter Acts 2. 22. A man approved of God Now verily no man can sincerely desire to approve himself unto God i. to put himself over unto Gods sentence of tryal and decision so that he might find an acceptance from his eyes but he doth indeed desire to be cleansed from secret sinnes why because Gods sentence is righteous and according to truth he doth not weigh so much the actions as the spirits of men not so much the outward expressions as the inward dispositions not so much what they do as what they would do not so much that they do not as this that they would do no iniquity I remember that David is upon this very straine in Psal 139. 23. Search me O Lord and know my heart and know my thoughts v. 24. And so if there be any wicked way in me Here he puts himself intirely upon God to try him to search him to see whether his heart be such as he should like and approve Paul is in the same straine 1 Cor. 4. 3. with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you i. whether you approve of me or not accept of me or condemn me I tell you this is not the main thing that I look on v. 4. But he that judgeth me is the Lord i. there is another Judge a greater Judge a better Judge one who can canvase the secret and inward parts as well as eye the meere visible acts and motions to him do I look to him do I desire to approve my self 3. Observe where doest thou lay the sharpest edge of the axe Where dost thou lay the sharpest edge of the Axe the axe said Matthew in another case is now laid to the root of the tree sinne is like a tree it hath root and branches that which we see of the tree is the bulk and branches that which is the life of the tree we see not it is the root which is moored in the bowels of the earth Now as a man may deal with a tree so he may deal with his sinnes the axe may be employed only to lop off the branches which yet all live in the root and he may apply his axe to the very root to the cutting of it up and so he brings an universal death to the tree So it is possible for a man to bestow all his pains to lop off sinne onely in the visible branches in the outward limbes of it and it is also possible for a man to be crucifying the secret lust the very corrupt nature and root of sinfulness Now this I say he who bestows his study his prayers his tears his cares his watchings his strength to mortifie corruption in the root in the nature in the cause how unquestionable is it that he doth desire to be cleansed from secret sins Suppose a man hath an ulcerous part undiscovered in his breast if he applieth such physick which will carry away the spring of that ulcer it is a palpable signe he doth desire to be cleared from the secret ulcer it self so it is in this case Beloved we distinguish 'twixt these two things viz. 1. The restraining of sin 2. The weakening of sin A man whose sinnes may crawle in him like the worms in a dead body which may feed upon his most exquisite contemplations and dearest affections with fullest and sweetest contentment may yet curb and restraine the habits or sinfull propensions from breaking out into act The vigor of a natural and enlightned conscience and the ingenuity of a more nobly bred disposition and the force of particular aimes and ends may be able to rein up and bridle in thee Actus imperatos as the School-men speak the notable or visible deliveries or actings of sin But that which weakens sin is grace that which purgeth out the sin is alwayes contrary to it Again we observe a difference 'twixt these two viz. to have sinne and the heart asunder and to have sinne and the shame or the bitternesse asunder this latter a Pharaoh an Ahab may desire but the former only that man who is truly holy and would be cleansed from secret sins 4. And this now leads me to a fourth discovery of a person Doest thou strongly desire io have another nature who desires to be cleansed from secret sins viz. he who strongly desires to have another nature another heart Another nature or heart is a heart replenished with most holy qualities which stand in a present opposition to that of sin and which in time will get the victory over it Suppose a man be apt to much unbelief secret mistrusts and distrusts how know I that he would be cleansed from them not only by this that he complaines but also that he is day and night with God for the grace of faith and the strength of his Spirit to believe And indeed it is the contrary grace which doth cleanse from sinne secret grace which cleanseth from secret sinnes forasmuch as the inward clensing is not by outward medicines but by a compleated principle both in nature and operation striving against the nature and operations of sin as the Apostle eligantly shadows it in Gal. 5. Psal 51. Create in me a new heart said David the new heart is a new frame and temper to fil the soul with other inclinations and thoughts and the life with other wayes and actions SECT VI. Use 3 I Now proceed to a third Use which shall be for Comfort For comfort to such as have such desires to such persons whose desires are really carried to be cleansed from secret sins as well as publick and visible they may comfort themselves in many things For 1. That their praise is of God and he doth commend them Their praise is of God see the Apostle Rom. 2. 28. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh verse 29. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Now what a comfort is this that thou art a person whom the Lord will take notice of yea whom the Lord himself will praise and commend to say of thee as of David I have found a man after mine own heart and and that thy heart is perfect with the Lord. 2. That conscience in a day of distresse will acquit and clear Conscience will acquit them in a day of distress them Beloved there are two sorts
against them that he might secure and maintain this Q. D. O Lord above all things in the world I desire to be upright and this I shall never be unlesse my heart be cleansed of secret sinnes and my life of presumptuous and reigning sins for thy mercies sake cleanse my heart let me not love and work wickednesse there and for thy goodness sake keep my life let me not act transgressions there O that thou wouldest do this for me then then should I be that which above all I desire to be then should I be upright I will stand no longer about the words only they afford unto us this proposition Doct. THat it should be the great bent aime desire and endeavour of a man to be upright Gen. 17. 1. It should be the desire and endeavour of a man to be upright I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou upright q. d. this all in all which concerns thee which I esteeme and which thou must study Deut. 10. 12. And now Israel what doth thy Lord thy God require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God to walk in all his wayes and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul Q. D. I have done you much good thought on you in your afflictions brought you out of Egypt preserved you through the sea and in the wildernesse vanquished all your enemies for you presented you into a land flowing with milk and honey Now all that I require and that you are to look too is that your hearts be upright that you bestow your love on none but me your service on none but me that I have all your heart and all your soule Josh 24. 14. Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth q. d. this is the thing that doth concern you nearly this is the end of all your mercies and the utmost of all your returnes if you will be any thing or returne any thing to God who hath done all for you then be sincere and true be upright 1 Sam. 12. 23. I will teach you the good and the right way ver 24. Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart Q. D. You have shewed false hearts towards your God in that you would put off his government and you may perceive by the thunder and raine how he takes this at your hands but repent and forsake him no more but get you upright hearts to walk with him and cleave unto him Phil. 1. 9. This I pray c. ver 10. That you may approve things that are excellent that you may be sincere I need not quote more places from the Scripture which abundantly delivers this truth unto us onely for the farther Explication of it I shall enquire these particulars Four things 1. What it is to be upright 2. Why we should so studiously aime at and labour for uprightnesse 3. What useful applications in all kindes of this to our selves 4. Then the resolutions of some Cases of Conscience for the stay of those who suspect their own uprightnesse SECT I. Quest 1. VVHat it is to be upright What it is to be upright The Logicians observe a double quid 1. Quid nominis 2. Quid Rei I will briefly therefore open the several words and phrases which are used in the Scriptures to The several phrases that import uprightnesse opened import uprightnesse and then I shall with more ease and better satisfaction Couch out unto you the lively nature of it For the first of these know that uprightnesse is sometimes Uprightness applied applied 1. To God Psalme 25. 8. Good and upright is the Lord To God Psalm 92. 15. to shew that the Lord is upright Esay 26. 7. Thou most upright doest weigh the path of the just In this respect it notes that just and equal nature of God which is as an answering rule Righteously disposing of all his acts and dealings 2. To man And thus it may be applied both to good men To Man and bad men for uprightness may be considered either as arising out of a renued disposition or as appearing in the course of a renued conversation in which respects it is proper to good men only or as manifesting it self in a particular fact and so Abimelech might say in the uprightnesse of mine heart I have done this Gen. 20. 5. Now uprightnesse or to be upright as applied to good men is delivered unto us both in the Old and in the New Testament by sundry words and phrases Sometimes it is called sincerity as Josh 24. 14. serve the Lord in sincerity that is said to be sincere which is without mixture a metaphor from honey which is then reputed pure and right when it hath none of the wax commixed with it The heart is upright when it is sincere and then it is sincere when it is unmingled Beloved there 's a difference 'twixt Adherence and Commixture To the purest lana there may adhere some thred or spot uncomely but in commixture the qualities or substances are in a sort mutually confounded sin adheres or cleaves to the nature of the most upright person but yet it mingles not it is a thing which the renued heart is thrusting off it would be rid of it the new nature like a spring is working it off so that a man may be said to be upright whose heart will not suffer any sinne to incorporate or settle it self Search me said David see whether there be any way of wickedness in me Psalme 139. 23 24. If a man hath an heart upon which sinful wayes do not only fall but with which they close if his heart knows it and allows it and will walk in it that mans heart is not upright in him Sometime it is called one-ness or singleness so Jer. 32. 39. I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever Act. 2. 46. They did eat their bread with gladness and sing lenesse of heart There are two sorts of persons hypocrites and upright persons and the Scripture opens them by their hearts Hypocrites are said to have an heart and an heart Psal 12. 2. with a double heart do they speak in the original it is with an heart and an heart So Hos 10. 2. their heart is divided now shall they be found faulty and therefore James 1. 8. they are called men of two mindes double-minded men they are in some things for God and in most things for themselves now for his service and anon for their lusts look as hypocrisie mingles sinne and the affection together so it mingles God and sin and the world together it doth not look on God for Gods sake but for profits sake or pleasures sake or honours sake On the contrary upright persons are persons of one heart or of a single heart as the Zebulonites are said not to be of a double heart 1 Chron. 12.
if he should take the brightest candle to search all the records of his soul yet many of them would escape his notice And indeed this is a great part of our misery that we cannot understand all our debts we can easily see too many yet many more lie as it were dead and out of sight To sin is one great misery and then to forget our sins is a misery too If in repentance we could set the battel in array point to every individual sin in the true and particular times of acting and re-acting O how would our hearts be more broken with shame and sorrow and how would we adore the richnesse of the treasure of mercy which must have a multitude in it to pardon the multitude of our infinite errors and sinnes But this is the comfort though we cannot understand every particular sin or time of sinning yet if we be not idle to search and cast over the books and if we be heartily grieved for those sins which we have found out and can by true repentance turn from them unto God and by faith unto the blood of Jesus Christ I say that God who knowes our sins better then we know them and who understands the true intentions and dispositions of the heart that if it did see the unknown sins it would be answerably carried against them He will for his own mercy sake forgive them and he too will not remember them Nevertheless though David saith who can understand his errors as the Prophet Jeremiah spake also The heart of man is desperately wicked who can know it yet must we bestir our selves at heaven to get more and more heavenly light to finde out more and more of our sinnings So the Lord can search the heart And though we shall never be able to finde out all our sins which we have committed yet it is possible and beneficial for us to finde out yet more sins then yet we do know And you shall find these in your own experience that as soon as ever grace entred your hearts you saw sin in another way then ever you saw it before yea and the more grace hath traversed and increased in the soul the more full discoveries hath it made of sinnes It hath shewn new sins as it were new sins not for their being not as if they were not in the heart and life before but for their evidence and our apprehension and feeling we do now see such wages and such inclinations to be sinful which we did not think to be so before As physick brings those humours which had their Simile residence before now more to the sense of the Patient or as the Sun makes open the motes of dust which were in the roome before so doth the light of the word discover more corruption But I passe by that point of the impossibility of a full apprehension of all sinnes committed ignorantly and inconsiderately I now proceed from Davids complaint to Davids request Davids request and here I shall speak of his first Request viz. Cleanse thou me from secrets or secret sins Saint Austin upon the words Ab occultis meis munda me domine expresseth it thus A cupiditatibus in me latentibus munda noe i. from those concupiscences which lie so hid and so close and so private within me O Lord cleanse thou me And in his second exposition of this Psalm for he expounded the Psalm twise Tolle-ex corde maelam cogitationem i. O Lord take out of my very heart even the sinful thoughts I will name the Proposition and then we may perhaps open things more fully CHAP. I. Doct. IT is the desire of an holy person to be cleansed not only from publick but also from private and secret It is the desire of a holy person to be cleansed from secret faults sinnes Rom. 7. 24. O wretched man saith Paul who shall deliver me Why O blessed Apostle what is it that holds thee what is it that molests thee thy life thou sayest was unblamable before thy conversion and since thy conversion Phil 3. Thou hast exercised thy self to have a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Acts 24. 16. And yet thou criest out O wretched man and yet thou complainest who shall deliver me Verily brethren it was not sin abroad but at home it was not sin without but at this time sin within it was not Pauls sinning with man but Pauls sinning within Paul O that Law of his members warring secretly within him against the Law of his minde This this made that holy man so to cry out so to complaine As Rebekah was weary of her life not as we read for any forraine disquietments but because of domestique troubles the daughters of Heth within the house made her weary of her life so the private and secret birth of corruption within Paul the workings of that that was the cause of his trouble that was the ground of his exclamation and desires who shall deliver me I remember that the same Paul adviseth the Ephesians as to put of the former Conversation so to put on the renewed spirit of the minde Ephes 4. 22 23. intimating that there are sinnes which are lurking within as well as sins walking without and that true Christians must not only sweep the doore but wash the Chamber my meaning is not onely come off from sins which lie open in the Conversation but also labour to be cleansed from sinnes and sinning which remaine secret and hidden in the Spirit and inward disposition Now for the beneficial discovery of this assertion let us enquire four things 1. In what respects sins are called secret 2. What it is to be cleansed 3. Why we are to desire a cleansing from them 4. What of all this to us SECT I. 1. IN what respect sinnes are called secret for the resolution In what respect sins are called secret of this know that sinne hath a double reference Either to God and so really no sin nor manner of sinning Not to God is secret Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord do not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord Jer. 23. 24. it is true that wicked men with an Atheistical folly imagine to hide themselves and their sinful wayes from God they seek deep to hide their Councel from the Lord and their works are in the dark and they say who seeth us and who knoweth us Isa 29. 15. But really it is not so though the cloud may somewhat eclipse the light of the Sun and though the dark night may shut it forth altogether yet there stands no cloud nor curtain nor moment of darknesse or secrecy 'twixt the eyes of God and the wayes of man The wayes of a man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings Prov. 5. 21. He speakes principally there of the wayes of the adulterer which usually are plotted with the most cunning secrecy yet God
affections love and liking set sin upon its throne They are the Armes royall of a sinne now of the two men are more apt to like and love secret then open sinnings 3. It lies in the confidence of Commission Now a man doth take more heart and boldnesse and courage to commit secret sins then open 4. It lies in the iteration and frequency of acting for sinne often repeated acted is like a cable doubled in strength by the manifold twistings but secret sins are more frequently iterated an uncleane heart can keep a whore in his thoughts every day and moment who perhaps is afraid to be seen at the door of her house once a yeare a proud person can disdaine another in his heart all the week who yet will not shew it once a month so for the malicious c. 4. The principle object of Gods eye is the inward and secret The principle object of Gods eye is the secret frame of the soule frame of the soule therefore labour to be cleansed from secret sins Psa 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not heare me Psa 51. 6. Behold thou desirest Truth in the inward parts Therefore is he often said in scripture to search the heart the reines which intimates this special observation of the secret frame it is true that God doth give in charge against open sins why because he would not have any to be profane and so he doth give singular charge against secret sins why because he cannot endure any to be hypocritical the man is most in al to God what his inside is if ye work wickedness in your heart God will destroy you plaister your visible part with all sorts of pious expressions if yet you can set up a form of sinning within you are notable Hypocrites the Lord seeth you to be false and rotten and he will discharge himselfe of you Treason is as bad as Rebellion Rebellion is but open Treason and Treason is but secret Rebellion the King will exact life justly for either so will God for the secret sinnings as well as for The spirit of God is grieved by secret sins the open The spirit of God is greived by secret sins as well as dishonored by open sinnings SECT IIII. Use NOw I come to the Applications of this point Is it the desire of an holy heart to be cleansed not only from publike but also from private sinnes not only from grosse and visible but also from secret and invisible sins then these things will follow For Information from hence as informations 1. That true holinesse hath a repugnancy and contrariety to all sins It is not contrary to sin because it is open and manifest True holinesse hath a contrariety to all sin nor to sin because it is private and secret but to sin as sin whether publike or whether private because both the one the other is contrary to Gods wil glory as it is with true light though it be but a beame yet it is universally opposite to all darknesse or as it is with heat though there be but one degree of it yet it is opposite to all cold so if the holinesse be true and reall it cannot comply with any known sin you can never reconcile them in the affection they may have an unwilling consistence in the person but you can never make them to agree in the affection Beloved there is a marvellous difference twixt things which are at difference by a respective and accidentall repugnancy and by a naturall and pure contrariety in the former there may be an accord but in the latter none an Hypocriticall heart may fall out with its sin for the consequence of it for the shame it brings for the stinging guilt which it causeth in the conscience yet his heart hath in absolute termes an inward Cohesion and league with that sin but now true holiness sin are opposite with a natural contrariety therefore you can never reconcile them in the heart but the opposition is inward as well as outward to sin wheresoever it is That sanctifycation is Imperfect in this life 2. That sanctification is not perfect in this life he who hath most grace hath yet some sin Else why doth David an holy person desire to be cleansed he who needs to pray that he may be cleansed cannot yet totally say my heart is Cleane There is a perfection of Integrity which an holy heart hath standing in opposition to Hypocrisie and essentiall defectivenesse but there is not a Perfection of eminency which consists in an opposition to all want Grace whiles in your hearts living on the earth is as health rising in a sick body or like heat getting into the water or like light spreading it selfe more and more to chase away darknesse there is yet more of sin to be conquered and we have lesse grace then we should have and where any part or degree of sin is yet as an enemy being and rising there grace though it may be sound and saving yet is it not absolute and perfect 3. Here you may understand the grounds and reasons of the That secret corruptions are the Christians trouble many troubles and heavy complaints of Christians It is true that they may faile many times in their words and speeches and he is a very perfect man who doth not trespasse therein and they may be overtaken with explicit sinnings no holy person will professe himselfe to be an Angell but he hath many outward sins to bewaile as he hath many inward graces to bless God for yet the load of his soule is within his soule commissions doe justly humble him but the secret inclinations of sinne they doe even burst his heart asunder Why looke ye so sad say we oftentimes to good people and why are yea so cast down what is it which troubles you you have a good God and a good Christ and a good Gospel yea I have but withall I have yet a bad heart in despite of all my conflictings and and strivings and prayings I am yet so molested with sinful imaginations with sinful inclinations If I do not performe duty with any life I am troubled for my dulness if I doe it with any life I am troubled with pride If I do not pray I cannot bear the guilt of a willing omission if I doe pray I am even torne from my self and the crowd of other thoughts do justle out the apprehension and affection of my praying Another Châ—istian he complaines bitterly of secret blasphemies Atheistical risings Another with private murmurings discontents unbeleivings though you hear no such words and see no such carriages O wrethed man that I am said Paul and verily so great are the Insolences of secret corruptions that the Christian is oftimes weary of his life Beloved the maine battle of a Christian is not in the open field his quarrels are most within and his enemies are in his own breast when
of people Some dawbing and dissembling and shuffling whose care it is not not to sinne but to be cunning in sin these shall find that in the day of their distresse conscience shall rip up before their eyes their most private vilenesses and that God will set their secret sinnes before the light of his countenance yea and the more industrious and witty that they have been that way the more shall conscience aggravate the hypocrisie of their souls Others conflicting and agonizing with secret motions outward occasions strong temptations these persons in a day of distresse shall finde singular testimony from conscience for though now whiles their judgement is oppressed with variety of arguments and the minde is overladen with the heap of temptations they are not able clearly to judge and decide their condition yet when conscience which is the great umpire in man shall arise to examine fore-past actions and endeavours it will there give sentence for thee excusing thee approving thee That in all simplicity and sincerity thou hadst thy conversation both towards mâ—n and towards God and that it was the desire of thy soul to fear the Lord to do no iniquity but to walk before him in all well-pleasing conscience doth cleare as the word clears and whom the word doth clear 3. They may with confidence make their prayers to God and They may with confidence pray and shall be heard shall be heard The hypocrite hath Moabs curse that he shall pray but not prevaile Esay 16. 12. for saith David If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not heare my prayer Psalme 66. 18. But saith Eliphaz Job 22. 23. If thou returne to the Almighty c. and shalt put away iniquity from thy Tabernacles ver 27. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him and he shall hear thee O how acceptable unto God are the sacrifices of a spirit truly and uprightly tempered 4. The Lord will more and more cleanse them he will by degrees God will more and more cleanse them put more beautiful ornaments on the inward man and change their burdens if Paul be troubled with himself Christ will deliver him from himself he hath this comfort that for the present God observes his inward conflicts and accepts his secret uprightnesse and for the future that he shall have the victory over his rebellions by Jesus Christ There be two things of which the soul which deales with inward convictions out of a pure respect may be confident viz. One is grace to combate Another is strength to overcome Ob. 1. O but can a man be truly holy who hath such vile inclinations abhorred thoughts and motions such wonderfull eruptions of sinful abominations working yet within him Sol. 1. A word for this you must know this that an holy man is a man and a man he is compounded of a nature and a nature flesh and spirit grace and sin Secondly you must distinguish 'twixt the secret motions of sin and the secret approbations thereof as grace doth not utterly root out all the existence of natural corruption so neither is it able absolutely to suppress though to hinder the operations or workings of sinful corruption Thirdly we distinguish of secret workings of sinne there is a double secrecy 1. One is natural and it befals any man for sinne naturally carries shame with it and therefore hath a desire of secrecy 2. Another is artificial which is a cunning devising of sin this kinde of secrecy is not so incident to holy persons they do not frame methods of transgressing no ways of dishonouring God yet I will put forth a distinction I think it good there is a twofold artificial secrecy 1. One antecedent and delightful contrived on purpose to enlarge the way of the vile heart out of a deep love of the sinne and to compasse the contiuall fruition thereof Another is a consequent and troublesome and a kinde of inforced artificialnesse as was that of David which did arise from a sin secretly commited by him in the hast of a temptation Now I think that even an holy soul may possibly touch upon an artificial secrecy by consequence having been violently and preposterously carried unto some precedent sin which that it may be hid from the eye of man it doth therefore spin out some other methods of sinning however this is a very fearful course there is no comfort at all in it but a deeper aggravation of the former sinning for as much as adding sinne to sinne is no remedie but to repent of former sinnings is the onely and best way of help SECT VII Use 4 A Fourth Use of this assertion shall be for Exhortation to take heed of and labour against secret sins its true that all Exhortation to take heed of secret sins sin is to be declined But I therefore stir you up to beware of secret sinnes because we are more apt to those then to the open we sink our selves sooner with these then with any other sinnings There are three things which I will handle here and so conclude this point viz. 1. Motives to enforce our care 2. Aggravations of secret sins 3. Means which may present help against secret sin 1. The Motives There be many arguments which may justly stir us up to take Motives heed of and to cleanse from secret sins 1. The Lord knoweth our secret sinnings as exactly as our visible The Lord knows our secret sinningâ— exactly sinnings Psal 44. 21. He knoweth the secrets of our hearts Psal 139. 2. He knoweth our down sitting and our uprising and understands our thoughts afar off ver 11. If I say surely the darknesse shall cover me even the night shall be light about me vers 12. yea the darknesse hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darknesse and the light are both alike unto thee Ezek. 8. 6. Sonne of man seest thou what they do even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here Like one on an high mountain pointing at the thiefe robbing a man in a thicket see you yonder thief plucking of him down c. so here the great and lofty God whose seat is on high beholds all the wayes and motions of the children of men even thorow the thickest clouds and nothing can barre out his observance whose eye fills heaven and earth what is the curtain to him or the night or the lock or the chamber or the whispering or the thinking or the imagination of that thinking he needs not to have his understanding to be informed by the sensiblenesse of speech or the visibleness of acting who made the frame of spirit and searcheth into the depths of the soul and clearly observes all things in a perfect nakedness 2. The Lord will make manifest every secret thing Mark 4. God will make manifest every secret thing 22. There is nothing hid which shall not be manifested Neither is any thing kept secret but that it should come abroad There
to break the covenant of her youth and God for a person who is married this very relation trebles the guilt for any one to murder is a sin of death but for the Childe to murder the parent secretly this very relation increases the guilt 3. The more profession a man makes the worse are his secret The more profession a man makes the worse are his secret sins sinnings forasmuch as he carrieth not only a badge but also a judge on his shouldeâ—s he not only weares a profession which is contrary to his practise but which shall condemne and judge him that he is not what he would seeme to be yea his contrary practise doth ground and occasion the great reproaches and blemishes like dirt to be cast upon the face of Religion and wo to him by whom offences come 4. The more light a man hath meeting him in the darke and secret actings of sin the more abominable is the sin when not only The more light a man hath â—he more abominable the sin a discovering light but a checking light not only a checking but a threatning not onely a threatning but also a troubling light opposeth and chargeth from the conscience against the sinning this makes it the more out of measure sinfull The more against the light of nature the worse they are 5. The more repugnant secret sins are to the light of nature the worse are they in their actings A sin is very broad when the light of nature without any ayd of knowledg from the scripture shall make the heart to tremble at the commission and to be terribly amazed the Apostle toucheth at these kindes of secret sinnings Rom. 1. unnaturall lustings and burnings 6. The more art a man doth use to effect his secret sinnings the The more art a man useth in secret sins the worse they are worse they are forasmuch as a about the same sin it is ever woâ—se when it is breathed out by deliberation then when it is forced out by a meer temptation and sin is not to be reputed an infirmity or weakness when art or cunning is the cause of it for as much as art is sober and takes time to contrive and reason to place and displace to help and forward its acts or intentions The more frequent a man is in them the worse they are all which are contrary to surprisals and infirmities 7. The more frequent a man is in secret sinnings the deeper is his guilt when he can drive a trade of sâ—n within doors when it is not a slip but a course and he hath hâ—â—dly scraped out the bitternesse of the former but he is exercising the sin new and afresh againe 8. The more gripes of conscience and resolutions a man hath felt To wallow in them against conscience and resolutions makes them worse and taken against secret sinnings and yet wallowes in them the more staine and guilt lies upon his soule A wound to a sick man is worse then to an healthy man forasmuch as the spirits are already wounded by sickness no sinnings wound deeper then such as follow the woundings of conscience a sinner doth thrust the sword in againe to the same hurt Thirdly the means But you will say this is fearfull to sin thus what Meanes The meanes to be cleansed of secret sins may be used to get off and to keep off the soule from secret sins The rules of direction which as soe many means I would commend unto you are these 1. If thou hast been guilty of secret sinnes be humbled and repent A man shall hardly stave off a new sin who hath not been humbled for an old sin of the same kinde for as much as future care Be humbled for them seldome manifests it selfe without former sorrow hast thou been a secret Adulterer fornicator thief backbiter oppressor liar drunkard c. O hasten hasten in by speedy sorrow by speedy repentance bewaile if it be possible with teares of blood thy secret wickednesse if thou doest not judge thy selfe God will surely judge thee and thinke not that because thy sinnings were secret therefore thy compunctions must be small nay thou oughtest to abound the rather and the more in floods of tears and of bitter contrition who didest dare to provoke God so c. 2. Take heed of secret occasions and provocations why is it that Take heed of secret occasions and provocations thou sayest O this nature O this heart O that Satan Thou hast I confesse shed many teares thou hast felt many sorrows and troubles thou hast made many vowes and resolutions thou hast put up many prayers and petitions and yet thou art in thy secret sinnings why what should be the reason do prayers do nothing against sin yea do tears nothing do troubles nothing do vows nothing yes all of those may do something if something else be added if the leake be stopped if the windows be shut if the doores be locked I meane If occasions and provocations be conscionably and carefully avoyded otherwise they are nothing if thou prayest and then adventures thy strength upon the occasion of thy secret sinning what dost thou but seek God first and next rise up and tempt him Keep close to heaven and keep off from the occasions and then tell me whether God will not keep thee from thy sinnings 3. Crush the temptations which come from the roots Though thou doest decline occasions yet thou canst not decline thy Crush the temptations from the roots self And there is that in a mans self which can fetch in the occasion by representation by inclination by contemplation sometimes another provokes thee to sin and this is in society somtimes thine own heart provokes thee to sin and this is when thou art solitary Now the thoughts steal out now imaginations present and confer with the minde with the will with affections wouldst thou now free thy self from secret actings then free thy self from secret thinkings The picture in the glass may inflame as much as that in the natural face so sin in the representation of the minde may fire our corrupt hearts as well as the entisings of it by conversing occasions Psalme 19. 14. Let the Meditations of my heart be always acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my Redeemer There are two things which will never faile you in your surprisal of secret sinnings viz. 1. One is to be digging up the intimate root of all sinnings 2. Another is to stifle the first conception of sins to make sinne an abortive in the womb that it shall never stretch out it self to actions Beloved to tye Sampsons armes it was a vaine thing his strength lay not there but if the hair of his head be cut off then his strength is gone and he shall become weak To tamper only with the acts of sinne is not the way to be rid of sinful acts But the singular way to be rid of bad acts is to
other servant looseth his liberty by his service but libertty is then got when we become servants to God As soon as we enter the service we obtain our freedom Every other servant in strictness of Rule is below a son a child but every servant of God is a son of God and shall have not gifts as a meer servant may have but the inheritance which the son who serveth his Father shall have There are two sorts of servants under God 1. Some stubborn who are Servi victi as St. Aust in speaks The Law of Creation is upon them and so will they nill they they are in some obediential and serviceable Relation 2. Others are servants not of force but of affection not of compulsion but of election they have chosen God to be their Lord and have willinglly resigned up themselves in the purpose of their hearts to an universal observance and love of him and obedience unto him impartially and constantly to do his work Such a servant to God was David but this observation is very general therefore I pass unto another viz. SECT IV. Doct. 4 EVen this That we are Gods servants should be used to move the Lord to help us against sins you know that in all relations That we are Gods servants should be a plea for help against sinnes there are mutual bonds and duties the wife owes much of subjection to the husband and the husband owes also much of love respect and care to the wife The Child owes much attendance reverence and affectionate duty to the Parents and the Parents owe much of instruction reproof correction nurture provision of Estate for the child again so is it betwixt the Lord and his servant though to a mear slave there be no mutual obligation or else it is in that which is weak yet to a servant who stands in that relation which they call Ingenuous as much is due from him to his Lord so something his Lord ought to do for him to feed him to cloth him to house and lodge him to defend him against wrong and injuries This is it in the case of David Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins as if he had said O God thou art my Lord I have chosen thee to whom I will give obedience thou art he whom I will follow I bestow all that I am on thee Now a Lord will help his servant his servant against an enemy against an enemy who for the Lords service is the servants enemy O my Lord help me I am not able by my own strength to uphold my self but thou art All-sufficiency Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins Note I observe in Scripture many singular Methods to prevail in request upon God sometimes he hath been urged from something in himself to do things for his Mercies sake and for his truth sake and for his goodness sake and for his holiness sake sometimes he hath been urged from something which he was very tender of and at which he aims in all his dealings viz. for his own glory and for his names sake sometimes he hath been urged from some word or other which he hath let fall at which the believing soul doth catch as did Benhadab servants from Ahab thy brother Benhadab Remember thy word saith David upon which thou hast caused me to hope Psalm 119. Thou saidst thou wouldst do me good said Jacob Gen. 32. Sometimes he hath been urged from the special relations twixt him and his people as from that of a Father Isa 64. 8. But now O Lord thou art our Father and this of a Lord. Isa 63. 18. The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while verse 19. We are thine and in many other places Remember thy servant and remember thy servants Beloved It is a great thing to stand in near relations to God and then it is a good thing to plead by them with God forasmuch as nearer relations have strongest force with all the servant can do more then a stranger and the Child then a servant and the wife then a Child but though this urging of God by vertue of our relation be an excellent point yet because it is not the main intention of the place I likewise pass it over Another observable Proposition may be this SECT V. Doct. 5 THat our special Relations to God should be special Reasons to work a care not to sin against God Keep thy servant Our special relation to God should make us carefull not to sin against God from c. Thy servant there be many reasons against sinning the very nature of sin carries along with it a condemnation of sinning because sin formerly is a transgression an Anomy and a Rebellion which alone is an inglorious thing Again The Laws and threatnings of God should be as forcible cords to draw off the heart from sin And again All the Mercies and goodness of God should exasperate the heart against sin Again All the Attributes of God might hold us Now with these this also may come in viz. The specialty of our Relation to God that we are his Children and he is our Father we are his servants and he is our Lord though the common obligations are many and sufficienr yet the special Relations are also a further tie the more near a person comes to God the more carefull he should be not to sin against God Let us who are of the day be sober let us not sleep as do others 1 Thes 5. 6 8. God hath not called us unto uncleanness but unto holiness 2 Thes 3. 7. If you call him father pass the time of your so journing here in fear 1 Pet. 1. 17. If I then be a father where is my honor If I be a Master where is my fear Mal. 1. 6. I will be sanctified saith God of all them that draw near unto me There is a double drawing near unto God 1. One in respect of Office as the Priests of whom he there spake who because their Calling and Office is more high and heavenly they therefore should be more religious and holy 2. Another in respect of Nature and change by vertue of which our Relation comes closer to God even this nearness should occasion more care against sinfulness Reasons Reasons whereof are these First Admissions of sinnings here do diffuse a greater ingloriousness Their sinnings are most dishonourable to God to God sin is most darkning in a white cloud then in a black as a spot is more eminently disgracefull in a fair then in a foul cloth Though the sins of evil men do prejudice Gods Glory yet the great sinnings of good men do occasion much more for not only the particular sinnings send up a cloud but other men by reason of them form out of them a smoak of blaspheming and reproaching of the wayes of God and the profession of Grace Secondly Their great sinnings do make them the sorer wounds Their sinnings make the greater wounds and
soul doth as it were shut its eyes and stop its ears it doth break away to the sin against all the discoveries and clear impleadings of knowledg gainsaying and withstanding it the presumptuous person goes not to sin ignorantly but he doth it by imprinted light so the sin as Gods enemy which yet he will embrace as his friend yea the more Inexcusable that a sin is the worse it is when little or nothing can be said in behalf of the siner thus is it in presumptuous sinings the man cannot say I did not know it I was not warned 2. The more pride of heart accompanies any kind of sinning The more pride of heart in any sinning the viler it is this makes it the more vile for pride lifts up the point of the sword it shakes the speare against God when the will of God and the will of a sinner come into a competition about sining then pride growes high Who is the Lord saith Pharaoh that I should let Israel goe Exod. 3. Who is Lord over us said they in Psalme 12. when the heart goes proudly to sin it will acknowledge noe Lord but it s own pleasure and no rule but it s own resolution it can slight a precept and scorne a threatning Now presumptuous sinnings are filled with pride I think St. Austine had an aime at this in his exposition of this v. when he rendered the reading of it thus contine servum tuum a superbiis keep back thy servant from prides as if pride were knotted and folded doubled in presumptuous sinnings there was pride and pride again in that heart which durst thus to sinne and verily so there is in presumptuous sinnings a manifold pride a pride of judgement to approve that which God hath branded and condemned a pride of will to rise up to that which God would have the sinner forbear A pride of security to make a Sanctuary for the soul when God hath threatned wrath c. 3. The more impudency and boldnesse attends a sinning the worse it is There is a double impudency about sinning One of defence when the sinne hath been committed of which I am not now to speak which is no more but to paint The more impudency in sinning the worse it is a whore or to cover a plain sore to make that seeme good which really is stark nauâ—ht Another of entrance when the sinful soul layes aside all shame and fear and modesty and restraints and arguments said he whatsoever may be said come of it whatsoever may come yet I wiâ—l on let God take it well or take it ill let him beseech by mercy or warne by threatnings nothing moves neither my peace nor comfort nor soul prevail nor my shame nor trouble nor misery keep back But thus it is in presumptuous sinnings the heart is bold and impudent which can look so much mercy in the face and yet will dare to sinne which can look so many threatnings in the face yet wil dare to sin which can look its own great misery in respect of the issue Note and end of the sinnin in the face and yet will dare to sinne nay which can perhaps look many former experiences of bitteâ—ness and anguish for the same sinful adventurings in the face and yet will dare to sin puttinâ— the hand into the fire agâ—in which hath burned it and venturnig to swim in those waters where had not Gods mercy stept in the soul had long since been drowned 4. The more abuse of mercy concurs to the sinning the more hainous it raiseth the sinne for mercy is the sweetest stop of a The more Mercy is abused the more hainous the sin sinner and the kindness of it should smooth off the soule from offending what is mercy but that unspeakable readinesse in God to forgive a sinner a gracious willingnesse to sit down with wrong offered if yet the sinner will come in and the abusings of it are affronts to the highest love But now in presumptuous sinnings mercy is extreamly abused First in that it hath not its dirâ—ct end the direct end of mercy is to awe and to keep off the heart from sinne There is mercy with thee therefore shalt thou be feare Psal 130. But the presumptuous sinner is lesse fearful because God is so merciful and the mercies of God should lead to repentance Rom. 2. But the presumptuous sinner yet dares to hold on the sinful trade Secondly when it is made to serve and to encourage sinne O this is the imbasing of that high and tender attribute of God when we draw out from his goodnesse to embolden the heart to wickednesse as if that God whose soul abhorres sinne would let fall any expression to hearten a sinner yet thus it is with the presuming sinner the very mercy of God makes him bold to sin against God the confidence of that easiness in God to forgive occasions him therefore to adventure and multiply transgressions In respect of others 3. In respect of others David had good reasons to pray to be kept from presumptuous sinnes in respect of others as well as in respect of himself whither you consider his general calling a man of goodness or his particular calling a man of dignity and place but I will fold them both together thus then 2. Reasons His sins would be exemplary 1. Such sinnes would be exemplary and noted There are three things which set a man upon the stage which lift up his actions on high to the eye of the word One is his powerful and active sanctity a very holy man is a kinde of a wondrous sight after which many eyes are gazing Godlinesse is a very rare thing and therefore men look much upon him who professeth it Another is his singular dignity lift a man out of the croud advance him to a place and seat of honour above others how busie is the multitude to eye and judge and imitate him The wayes and actions of great persons are usually the present copies of the most A third is his notorious miscarriages which are like the tayle of a blazing comet the great sinning of good orgreat men fall instantly into common discourse and perhaps also easily into common practice Therefore great cause had David to pray against presumptuous sinnes which by his practice might prove a common snare for who will not confidently write after that sinful copy which both goodnesse and greatnesse have begun that which the great man dotâ— the inferior person will do and that which the good man doth that the evil man thinks he may now lawfully do if knowledge will venture ignorance supposeth that it may safely follow and if holinesse will adventure why should profaneness be so nice as to stop The way or fact is credited either as not bad or else not so dangerous where either authority or profession are leaders Now this might be some cause to move good David to pray to be kept back from presumptuous sins
Dominion Sol. For my part I think that all absolutely do not there are two kindes of abruptions or interruptions i. working causes which do if not untwine the thred yet respite and hinder the finishing of it Some are Political when the interruptions depend upon politick and private respects as upon the wisdome of the flesh the stingings of conscience the defect of occasions the safety of our names and credit c. Others are Natural which depend upon a contrary nature touching the heart for its particular trespassing humbling it recovering it again out of the snare of the devil and this interruption is not only a meer limit or politique halt for a while where the sinner takes breath and makes a pause before he will go on but it is an undoing of a particular ill-doing by an holy nature now recovering the soul Once again observe that the work or obedience to sin is The obedience to sin is twofold twofold 1. Either by surprisal and compulsory and this work owes Compulsory it self not to the intention of the heart nor to the approbation of the judgement but to the deceitfulness of sin and to the strength of temptation 2. Another is cheerful and as it were of nature now remember Chearful that acts of surprisal do not testifie sin in dominion indeed this they may testifie that sin in its inclination or Satan in his temptation is at that time very strong but yet not that they rule for dominion in this case is not when a man is vanquished and captived but when he yeelds out himselfe and willingly follows Though sin be acted yet it is not therefore sin in dominion unlesse it be a willing doing of the work of sin though force and compulsion may be sufficient to testifie that there is a tyrant yet ready obedience is that which testifies homage to a King Thus have you heatd a little in the general about the nature of Dominion and about the nature and manner of sins dominions 5. I conjecture that it is fit to adde one thing more in the Sin in dominion is either general about the dominion of sin as respecting its powerful commands that it is either 1. Habitual where sin in the course behaves it self as a King Habitual or it rules and commands and disposeth of the person to its base services and lusts 2. Actual and this is not properly its dominion though Actual it be miscalled so yet to give a little scope to freenesse of language I will call it an actual dominion which is rather a particular prevalency of acts then a Sovereignty or dominion in the nature when though the heart and nature have surrendred themselves to Christ as the only Lord and to his will as the only Law yet in many particulars sin gets the better over grace though it cannot be said to rule yet it may be said to conquer it makes the man to fall down it is too strong and prevalent for all the actual improvements and particular resistances of grace and prayer at that time and for that fact Against which if I mistake not David doth here principally bend himself when he prays Let not them have dominion over me that is not only let them not rule but which is beyond that let them not so much as prevail over me Though I may meet with temptations to presumptuous and high sinnings though I may finde a false nature ready enough to break forth upon a vain confidence yet Lord do thou then so effectually aide and assist me that I may not only resist but refel them though they may attempt yet let not them once conquer nor overcome me let me never yeeld to them nor act them yet if any think that he aimes at the habitual dominion of those sinnes I will not enter into the lists let him enjoy his opinion but I think this of actual dominion is more punctuall to the place SECT II. Whether sin in dominion may befal a regenerate person Quest VVHither sin in dominion may befal a David or regenerate person For the resolution of this question remember these particulars There is a difference betwixt a conquest by sin and the dominion of it 1. That there is a difference twixt peccatum vincens and peccatum regnans 'twixt a conquest by sin and the dominion of sin A Conquest is when sin prevailes Dominion is when sin Rules The Conquest respects power Dominion respects the will In Conquest the person resists but his strength is too weak In dominion the person yeelds up himself to the Will and Law and Power of another Sin may overcome a Regenerate person but it hath not dominion in him 2. There is Dominium Tyranni and Dominium Domini There is a tyrannical dominion and aregal dominion A tyrannical Dominion is by force and constraint a Regall dominion is by consent and choice the former is incident to the Regenerate Paul complaines that he is sold under sinne Rom. 7. But Ahab sold himself to work wickedness Paul is brought into captivity to the Law of sinne but Judas willingly offers himself to betray Christ In tyrannical dominion there is unwillingnesse hatred dislike conflict weariness trouble and desire to be freed In Regall Dominion there is chiefe Contentment Delight and Rest c. 3. The Dominion of sin may be taken either The dominion of sin taken Strictly 1. Strictly and Properly where sin is absolute and full and uncontrolled and the sinner freely and totally Resignes up himselfe to the lusts and will and commands of sinne 2. Largely and in some respect when as to some particular Largely act of sin there is not for a time any actual or prevalent present resistance even the will it selfe is surprised by carnal affections but yet in the event and at length it is revived and grace doth resume its imperium and recovers the person again In this sense sin may be said to reign or to have dominion in a Regenerate person But it is as Simile a Thief or Robber raigning and ruling in a royal Castle which shortly he is forced to quit and leave But for a compleat uncontrolled habitual final dominion of A compleat dominion cannot befal the regenerate Reasons of it sin this cannot befal the regenerate 1. The Dominion of grace and Christ is eternal True grace is an immortal seed it cannot be totally quenched a well of water springing to everlasting life 2. The union with Christ is inseparable and insuperable which could not be if a regenerate person might fall under such a dominion of sin 3. The promise of grace must not faile sin shall not have dominion over us Rom. 6. 14. I will subdue their iniquities Micha 7. 19. 4. The Covenant of God is I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me Jer. 32. 40. 5. Jesus Christ hath conquered as well as other enemies so our sins Quest If
humbled and renew our repentance we shall never see a smile in Gods countenance nor heare a good word from conscience Now this is a dolefull case that a man shall heare the same promises from which he suckt much comfort and yet he may not taste now he cannot rejoyce and that God whose communion was so sweet now through his sinning becomes so bitter and heavy c. 4. Because actuall dominion especially of great sins and over Actuall dominion is accompanied with great prejudice to divine glory a David is accompanied with great prejudice to Divine glory As they say of Fevers that they are usually worst in the strongest constitutions and of spots that they are usually the greatest blemishes in the fairest garments that we may say of sinnings the better the man is the more dishonorably foule his offendings are God loseth more honour in the eyes of the world by the slips of the good then by the wallowings of the bad evill men are hardned good men derided Satan and sin advanced and by all these God is infinitely dishonoured Therefore good reason hath David to pray Let them not have dominion over me Secondly Habituall Dominion But then in the Second place if we interpret the dominion Reasons of praying against habituall dominion here of an Habituall dominion of sin the reasons of prayer against sinne as in such a dominion are very strong and urgent 1. Habituall dominion decides the estate the question of a mans soul is whose servant he is whether he belong to God and Habituall dominion decides the estate Christ or to sin and Satan Now particular failings doe not determine this but the dominion of sin doth his servants we are whom we obey you know what the Apostle hath said Rom 6. 16. know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or if obedience unto righteousnesse if sin doth rule and the sinner yields up his heart to the love and obedience of it he professeth thus much that Christ is not his Lord and the Law of Christ is not the law which he will obey as these Rebells spake of David what portion have we in the sonne of Jesse soe here the sinner I doe not belong to Christ sin is my Lord The servant of sin am I that is the thing which I have Chosen and that is it which I will serve Soe that on may without any scruple conclude that if sin hath dominion the man hath yet noe interest in Christ noe one degree of true grace he is a most wretched sinner sin is his Lord God is his enemy Hell is his portion unlesse he get from under this Dominion Secondly there is no Dominion in all the world so vile whither you consider it First In the commands of sin or Secondly Noe dominion so vile In the service of the sinner First The Commands The commands of sin are the vilest commands For The commands of sin are Illegall 1. They are Illegal any command which findes ground and title may be defended but sin hath no reason to command A condemned man loseth all command sin is the only thing which Gods law hath condemned And again it hath no title to the soul the soul owes not it self to it either by a natural or by a purchased subjection we owe a natural subjection to God because he made us A purchased subjection to Christ because he redeemed and bought us but sins commands are meerly usurped and Insolent 2. They are purely sinful all its edicts and desires are but Rebellions that a man should trangresse a righteous and supreme Purelly sinfull and good and holy law there is not any one thing which sin at any time commands but it is that which God forbids and which God will Judge the sinner for 3. They are extreamly unreasonable a command may be esteemed unreasonable either when one service runs contradictory Extremely unreasonable against another as to command aman to run and yet to stand so is it with sin it commands a man to such a service as is opposite in particulars for as all sin is opposite to grace soe some sins are opposite to others though not in the fountaine yet in the actings or a command may be estemed unreasonable when any service tends to the ruine of the obedient it were an unreasonable thing and unjust to command a man to run into the fire and burne himselfe but the commands of sin tend directly and intentionally to the destruction of the sinner sin injoynes a man much service and paines and all this is to dishonour God and to damne his owne soule Secondly the service The service of sin The service of sin it is the most disloyall service in respect of God renouncing him denying him his due and conferring it on his only enemy Is a disloyall service 2. It is the most injurious service to our souls 3. It is the basest service if a man did serve a dog or a toad An injurious service The basest service this were a vile abasing of himselfe but it is far baser to serve sin for those creatures have some goodnesse in them but sin is naturally bad Nay though we doe cry out at the devill as vile and base yet the Devil himself is better then sin for it is his sin only which makes him so base and he hath an absolute being which he owes to God but sin hath noe relation to God and it is that which imbaseth all beings 4. It is the drudgingest service A man who is a servant to sin he is at the command of every lust and is taken captive at its pleasure The most drudging service and there is noe hoe nor measure nor end all the day will not serve nor will the night satisfie an age of yeares is spent and when a mans strength doth faile him yet sin sets him to work still The cruelest Tyrant wearies himselfe sometimes by his unwearied commands but sin never relents nor spares Nay that which shewes the extremity of this vasilladge the sinner continues service there and then where he sees and knowes his misery he hath felt the fruites the bitter fruites of sinning yet sin still commandes and easily puts him upon the same service afresh soe that he often tyers his thoughts and spends his estate and consumes his strength and breakes his sleep and loseth his friends his God his soule his all to drudge at the Commandes of his owne base lusts 5. It is a most unprofitable service Though in some service there The most unprofitable service may be but an uncertain gaine yet in the service of sin there is a most certaine and greâ—t loss what profit had ye in those things whereof ye are now ashamed Rom. 6. 21. therefore sinnes are said to sowe the winde and to reap the whirl-winde they deale in vanities which shall not profit
sinner may after their sinnings partake of great anguishes and troubles of conscience I refer you to Ahab and to Judas and to those of whom he speaks in Job that the terrors of God did drive them to their feet 2. By Argument for trouble for sin in respect of the conscience By argument only it is but a judicial act it is but a part of the wages of sin Indeed trouble in the affections which Divines call godly sorrow that is an act or effect of grace but meer trouble in the conscience which consists in sense and accusation that God brings upon the sinner for his transgressions he awakens the conscience after sin to accuse for sinning whose directions and checks could not availe to keep off from sinning so that a person whose heart is in no measure changed by grace and therefore of necessity is under sins dominion he may be filled with extreame wrath and bitterness yea the very terrors of Hell may shake and amaze and confound his soul why the reason is because though grace be required to raise godly sorrow yet conscience only awakened and actuated by light and divine command is abundantly sufficient to accuse condemn vex and trouble the sinner 5. A fifth deceit may be in the vacancies or spaces or interimes From the vacancies and intrimes of sinning of sinning because a man doth not every moment or every day lie at his sin but there are oft-times some pauses and distances of time 'twixt sinning and sinning he therefore conjectures that sin hath not dominion over him why because where sin hath dominion there a man sells himself to sinne and wallows himself in sinning and makes it his trade at which he spends his life and strength To this I also answer that yet sin may have dominion though there be some respites and breathings 'twixt sinning and sinning For 1. Some respites do not arise from a nature which will not subject it self to sinne but only from the defect of occasions and opportunities of sinning A thief doth not always steal because Simile he may be sometimes sick and there is not always an open conveniency for his hand the like may be said of any sinnes which are capable of visible and corporeal actings 2. Again the dominion of sin doth not absolutely consist in an uninterrupted propagation or service of sinful acts i. that a man doth not other particular acts but sin sin the drunkard is under the power of drunkenness though he be diverse times sober and the filâ—hy person is under the power of uncleannesse though he doth not every day see and embrace his harlot But the dominion of sin is to be judged by the disposition of the heart and the maine part of the course if sinne be the main thing which a man intends and the singular things to which he resignes and yeelds up his heart whether he be alwayes or sometimes in the actings this is not material 3. Nay for a man to give no respite to sinful actings this were against that wisdom of the flesh which concurs to make up the dominion of sinne though the propension to sin may be and is constant though the love of the sin may be and is great yet the actings of sin may often vary and be suspended upon private reasons and respects either of safety or From the practice of some actions contrary to ourward sinnings quiet or profit or pleasure c. 6. A sixth deceit may be from the practice of some actions which are contrary to all outward sinnings at least in respect of exercise because a man is perhaps a constant Church-man and hath a course of duties such as they are in his family and he is much in vowings and can condemn sin to purpose now surely sin hath lost its dominion I answer that notwithstanding all this yet sin may be in dominion For 1. The dominion of sin is within 2. It may consist with many visible acts of piety I will clear this unto you by propounding one case what think you of an hypocrite hath no sin dominion in him you will confesse it hath and verily it hath but now even an hypocrite may step forth into all outward conformities I know no visible act of impiety which an hypocrite either doth not or may not perform Secondly though those material good acts be formally opposite to sinful acts as acts yet as the denomination of a Christian so that of a sinner is more from the affections then from the actions and indeed this defines and decides the dominion or indominion of sin immediately viz. the disposition of the heart which may be really rotten and false and the true harbour of a sin though the person doth get out to the acting of some visible duties of piety There must be more then externals in duty to evince that sinne hath not Dominion Having delivered unto in the useful application of the point already the naturall community of sins dominion and the difficulty of release from it and the probability of its rule in many mens hearts and the erroneous grounds by which men couzen and flatter themselves as free and exempted persons I now proceed to set down some instances by which it may Five tryals That sin hath not dominion appear that a man is not under the dominion of sin or that sin hath not dominion over him 1. If Christ bâ— his Lord the Apostle hath a sweet passage If Christ be hiâ— his Lord in Rom. 6. 17. But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sinne but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you ver 18. Being then made free from sinne ye become the servants of righteousness i. you chose Christ to be your Lord and resigned up your selves to his service This is a most undoubted truth if Christ be my Lord I am not then a servant to sin sinne is not my Master Christs Dominion is destructive to and inconsistent with sins dominion It ever stands alone Obj. But you will say how may a man know that Christ How this may be known is his Lord. Sol. This is a great point and much depends on it I will touch it a little One may be a Lord in Respect of Title and Right Of Authority and acknowledgement You know that one may be a Lord in a double respect one in respect of title and right another in respect of authority and acknowledgement it is certain that Christ is the Lord of all the world all the Nations of the earth are given unto him and are in respect of his title and right to stoop and bow down themselves but he is not acknowledged as a Lord he is not embraced as so by his enemies yet some there are in whose heart Christ sets up his authority and rule and who do acknowledge him who do make choice of him to be the Lord of their hearts and lives i. they prefer the
government of Christ they do consent unto him that he only shall rule them and they do resigne up themselves to his will they do bestow their hearts and service on him Beloved when a person makes choice of Christ to be his Lord he doth consider the several kinds of dominion of sin of the World of the Devil of Christ he considers them seriously and compares them and then he findes that no dominion for a mans soul is like Christs none so righteous and just none so holy and heavenly none so sweet and profitable Christ hath the only right to the soul and his government is infinitely best Now the person hereupon makes choice of Christ and comes unto him with humble tears and beseecheth him to reigne over him O blessed Jesus saith the soul thou art the only Lord and there is none like thee or besides thee I have been a rebel an enemy unto thee I have been disobedient and have served divers lusts and pleasures I have served the world and the Prince of darknesse but now I renounce their service and condemne my slavery and come unto thee to be my Lord. Thy title is just and proper to my soul it is thy purchase and therefore the service of it belongs to thee Thy precepts and commands are righteous and holy therefore doth thy servant make choice of thee and love them thou wouldst have my heart my will my affections my life and who should have them but thy self upon thee do I bestow my self and most gladly do I consent to thy holy wil and resigne up all the strength and powers of all that I am or have or can do to the service and honor of thee though sin rage yet I will serve thee though the world frown or fawne yet I will serve thee though Satan tempt yet I wiâ—l serve thee My heart I bestow on thee as well as my safeties my service I bestow on thee as well as my hopes thy honour I desire sincerely to intend my love I set on thee my fear is of thee my greatest care shall be to obey thy will and my only joy to bring thee glory such a choice of Christ to be our Lord infallibly argues that sin hath not dominion forasmuch as this cannot be without the change of the heart and whole man which change cannot consist with sinnes dominion 2. If sin and we be enemies then sinne is not our Lord. If sin and we be enemies Sin is an enemy Really Sin is an enemy two ways Either Really thus it is an enemy to him who yet dearly loves and faithfully serves it thouâ—h it gives unto a man the wages of unriâ—hteousnesse many sinful pleasures and many sinful profits yet in all these sin is an enemy to the person it woâ—ks his soul off from God and happinesse and holiness and exposeth it to death and hell Practically thus sin is an enemy when a man looks upon Practically it and deals with it as with an enemy he judgeth of it as of a viâ—e thinâ— and hates it and abhors it as the only evill thing and enemy to his soul Beloved when sin hath dominion there is then a confederacy 'twixt it and the soul the Prophet calls it a Covenant and the Apostle calls it a contract or espousâ—lâ— or marriage i. such an agreement and conjunction where the soul bestows its choicest love on sin But when the dominion of sinne goes off then the Covenant is broken the knot is dissolved the affection of love is displaced As it was in another case Amons love turned to the cruelest hatred so here though a man did love his sins yet now his love is changed into hatred and this hatred infallibly argues the indominion of sin for 1. Hatred includes separation It is such a quality as draws off Hatred includes separation the sou love is that which draws on the soul towards its object and hatred is that which draws it off Get thee hence said they in Esay 30. 22. and what have I to do any more with idol said Ephraim Hos 14. 8. Now sinnes dominion consists in the cleaving and united subjection of the affections the soul makes sin its centre unto which it wholly inclines it and the soul are one when sin reignes and therefore the separation of the affections which is done by hatred argues that the yoke is broken asunder 2. Again hatred includes perfect opposition the greatest defiance Hatred includes perfect opposition and contradictions and warrings arise from hatred we oppose and crosse most where we hate most And this cannot be where sinne hath dominion for there our weapons are edged for our lusts we love them much and defend them most and are careful to preserve and keepe them Thirdly hatred inclines to destruction Ruine is the scope Hatred inclines to destruction of hatred we seek the death of him whom we hate and all the evil which befals a person hated is the joy of him that hates So is it where sin is hated a man seeks the death of sin and therefore such persons as hate sinne are said in Scripture to mortifie the flesh and to crucifie â—heir lusts i. the killing and subduing and rooting out of sinne is that which they desire and endeavour Now this cannot stand with sin in dominion where a man is so far from offering any deadly violence to his reigning sins that he reputes him as the greatest enemy who drawes forth any crucifying weapons and applies them to the casting downe of his strong holds 3. If holiness or grace hath our love then sin hath not dominion over us If holinesse here our love Beloved it is granted that 1. The Dominion of sin may consist with the naked profession The dominion of sin may consist with the naked profession of holinesâ— of holinesse An hypocrite whose heart is in the deepest and most affectionate and elaborate service of some one particular lust he may yet wear the livery and garb and profession of greatest sanctity Nay he doth therefore seem good that he may the more inobservably and fully follow his sinne 2. The Dominion of sin may consist with the knowledge of holiness great parts and intellectual speculations of holinesse And with the knowledge of holinesse as they may depend upon forraigne causes without grace viz. upon meer study and frequent hearings and a natural desire of knowing and looking into all intelligible objects and also on an humour of pride that a man will be accounted able to say something in every thing I say as those intellectual parts may depend upon weak and vain causes so they may consist with an ardent love of reigning corruptions for learning alters not the nature nor doth more knowledge overthrow sin a man may be a learned sinner and by his knowledge grow more accurately and inexcusably sinfull 3. The Dominion of sin may consist with some visible actings And with some visible actings of holinesse of
holiness as a man may be a Traitor when he yet doth seeme to do something of the service to a Prince So sinne may be a mans Lord though he doth do many things which seem good Herod loved Herodias though he heard John Baptist and did many things gladly there is scarce any man where Christ is professed that is so universally bad but he may now and then do something which may be particularly good at least materially considered 4. But yet fourthly the Dominion of sin cannot consist with But it cannot consist with the love of holinesse the love of holiness for where sin is in dominion there sinne hath the love of the soul Now it is impossible for a man to love sin and to love holinesse I grant it that many things may be the object of love though there be a numerical variety of them yet there may be an objective unity they may all meet in one common reason and natural course of love and therefore may be loved But then opposite and contradictory things cannot be both loved at once the reason is because you cannot reconcile them into an objective unity that which is a reason of the love in one is a reason of hatred in the other Now sin and holinesse are opposite they are at the greatest distance in spiritual contradictions their natures and courses and effects all are opposite so that a man cannot at once possibly love them both And therefore if holinesse and grace hath thy love verily sin hath not dominion I must not insist at large on this only observe whether thou lovest holinesse preciselie and purely for it self what is it which thou esteemest most which thou desirest most is the want of it thy greatest grief is the prosperity of it either in thy self or others a true and singular joy unto thee at what paines art thou to purchase and encrease it what are thy thoughts of them who are holy and of those Ministries which edge and work on thy heart most unto holinesse these and such like things will shew whither thou lovest holiness which if thou doest thy sin is not thy Lord. 4. Whose Laws doest thou approve and delight in according Whose Laws doest thou approve and delight in as a mans Lord is so are his Laws and according as the man is so is his minde and affections towards those Laws of that Lord you shall finde that when sinne hath dominion there sin hath several Laws several commands the obedience of which is delightful to the sinner And therefore such a one is said to fulfill the lusts of the flesh and to commit sin with greediness Ephes 4. 19. and to yeeld himself over unto sin Thus it is on the contrary where sin is broken off from its dominion and Christ doth rule the heart his Lawes have a marvellous sutablenesse with the spirit of that man his Law is written in the heart i. there is a powerful and answerable inclination stamped in the heart which gives way to the command In the volume of thy book it is written of me that I should do thy will loe I come Psalm 40. 7. I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy Law is in my heart v. 8. Thou saidest seek ye my face my heart said unto me Thy face Lord will I seek Psal 27. 8. Lord what wilt thou have me to do Act. 9. 6. Obj. It is true that sinful corruption yet abiding in the best will make head against the holy commands of Christ it will be backward enough cross enough unwilling enough resisting and striving Sol. But yet three things will more habitually appear in a Three things appeare in a person governed by Christ and not by sin Approbation person whose soule is governed by Christ and not by sinne 1. One is Approbation i. this judgement doth highly esteeme of the commands of Christ Paul counted the commandment holy and righteous and good and tending to life Rom. 7. 12. 2. Another is consent i. his will yeelds unto it as to a rule Consent most sit to be obeyed I consent unto the Law that it is good Rom. 7. 16. and therefore would obey it 3. A third is inward delight Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Inward delight Law of God after the inward man The Apostle from this though he found a contrary Law in his members warring against the Law of his minde and much evil present when he would do any good yet concludes against sins dominion Rom. 7. 25. so then with the mind I my self serve the Law of God but with the flesh the Law of sin Why brethren this is a great matter and a great discovery of our hearts to observe what Law that is with which we take part which we set up as our rule whose authority we do justifie sinne will command in him which hates it i. it will be prescribing to our affection and our actions but then if Christ doth rule us we war against those commands we resist them we defie them we pray against them we take not part with them We acquit that Law of Christ which we would follow but sometimes cannot so fully as we should we justifie it as a most righteous command and strive to conform our hearts to that and to order our lives by that 5. A fifth tryal may be this what is the disposition and What is the disposition of our hearts under the passive captivities of our soul by sin course of our hearts under the passive captivities of our souls by particular sinnings There is a twofold captivity of the soul to sin One is active wherein a man doth as Ahab sell himself to wickednesse or as Judas offer himself to betray Christ he went to the high-Priest what will you give me and I will betray him c. Another is passive wherein as Paul complained he is sold under sinne like a souldier over-powered and by strength taken captive and led away prisoner I confesse that this is most true a good man may sin nay he doth sin sin may have many particular victories where yet it hath not a Kingdom or Dominion As there may be antecedent differences before sin is committed and as there may be concomitant differences when sin is committing which may be as so many lively testimonies against dominion so there are consequent differences there are some things afterward which shew that yet sin hath not dominion though it did prevaile and overcome Three things Three things discover this Hearty grief 1. One is hearty grief though a good man hath not alwayes sufficient strength to conquer a temptation yet he hath sufficient grace to bewaile his sinnings though he cannot always rejoyce that he stands yet he can heartily grieve that he falls either sin is his conquest or else it is his sorrow Though you see not David cast down by his pleasures yet you shortly see him cast down himselfe by his mournings Though you see
Peter untrusty to his master yet you shall presently find himselfe bitterly weeping for his miscarriage Whereas the servants of sinne do the work and take the wages they sin and rejoyce when they have done evil yet the servants of righteousnesse actively afflict their hearts for that which hath deceived them and prevailed upon them Obj. It is granted that terror may gripe an evill heart for evil doing but there is a great difference betwixt a sword which wounds and a fountain that runs Sol. Conscience may be wounded in the good and in the bad but besides this that acted sinnes are a good mans wound they are also his great grief of soul 2. Another is earnest desire of recovery It is a singular Earnest desire of recovery and observable matter this when a man hath sinned to whom he holds out his hand upon it The servant of sin doth work sinne and his hand stretcheth out it self as a servant still as ready to advance and finish the service sinne is his work and delight it is the Lord and captain after which he would yet march But an holy man not under dominion but surprisal not under service but captivity he is not himself till he hath recovered his liberty and strength There is such an high displeasure with himselfe and with his facts that he will go free he will not have his eare boâ—ed to serve such a Master as sin Good Lord how his heart trembles how his heart meditates cast about works strives sometimes he cries out ah wicked a deceitful heart sometimes he condemnes himself what a beast was I thus to sin sometimes he looks up toward heaven and sighs bitterly Ah! what a God have I provoked what mercies have I wronged sometimes he looks in and weeps and saith ah what motions did I withstand what a spiâ—it have I grieved how unlike my self is my self sometimes he is down in prayer O Lord forgive blot out heal help recover my heart again unto thee One way oâ— other is his soul working like a fountaine in which dirt is cast till it hath purged out the filth he is not at rest till sinne be more subdued his heart more changed his affections more humbled his judgement more cleared his conscience more preserved his peace more confirmed his soul not only recovered but also bettered yea thus it will be with such an heart which clears it that sin hath not dominion that though sin prevaile to action yet it shall not to affection though I did the evil yet I hate it though it did prevail yet I will not serve it though it hath beat me down as a tyrant yet I will not folâ—ow it as my Lord nay I am not at quiet till I can recover the siâ—ht of my Lord Châ—ist againe and have made my â—eace and strengthned my heart for more loyal service unto him The third is strong haâ—red and conflict the War is more increased Strong hatred by victory revenge is more raiâ—ed 2 Cor. 7. SECT V. A Second Use from Davids prayer against the dominion Use 2 of sin shall be for thankfulnesse to such in whom this dominion For thankfulness to such in whom the dominion is broken off is broken off Though there be so much of sinne remaining as may keep thee humble and watchful yet if dominion be gone there is so much done as may challenge from thee to be heartily thankful give me leave to put on this a little Six motives Six motives It is deliverance from the greatest evil 1. Deliverance from the greatest evil is reason enough of great thanks It is more then if God delivered thee from hell if he hath delivered thee from the dominion of sinne No hell is like sinne â—eigning for as much as torment in strength is nothing to sin in strength that is indeed a very miserable thing but this a very evil thing sinne is worse then all punishment and reigning sinne is the worst of all sinne 2. None but God could deliver thee and therefore if he None but God could deliver thee hath done it blesse him A man may deliver his friend out of prison by paying his debt A father may deliver his child out of captivity by sending his ransome A Country may be delivered from the oppression of an invading tyrant by great strength of its own But there are two hands out of which none but God can deliver one is Satans another is our own As David spake in another case thou hast looâ—ed the bands of my distresse and it is the Lord who subdueth the people under me and it is not my bowe nor my sword c. that I say here it is not your own arme which hath gotten you the victory no hand but Gods high hand which hath delivered you from the powers of darknesse which hath kept sin from dominion which hath cast out the strong man which hath cast down the stronâ— holds thou wast not so much as sensible of thine own vassailage or of sinnes dominion thou hadst not power to feel much lesse to conquer and deliver And when thou wert sensible of sinne thy heart did not behave it self as an enemy but as a friend most willingly bowing under the yoke and readily embracing the lusts and motions of the law of sin when thou hast been called upon to put off the yoke and to come out of the house of bondage the Hebrew servant who loved his Master was never more unwilling to part from his house then thy heart was to come off from thy love and service of thy sins And yet the almighty God in compassion to thy soule hath delivered thee he hath disthroned sin he hath drawn off thy heart to a better Lord and would not suffer sin to rule thee but by the mighty power of his grace hath made thee free from the house of most heavy bondage Therefore not to thy good nature nor to thy free-will nor to thy abilities nor to thy wit or parts or reason but to the Lord be all the glory the victory is his therefore let the praise be his 3. It is speciall grace and mercy Paul stiles it rich mercy and It is speciall grace and mercy great love and riches of grace Eph. 2. It is mercy to be rid of a disease more of a sin to resist a temptation much more to take off dominion the spirit of Christ only doth it the more singular a mercy is the more thankfull should we be Titus 3. 3. We our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures c. v. 4. But after that the kindnesse and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared v. 5. According to his mercy he saved us thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption said Hezekiah Esa 38. 17. O then what a mercy is it to be delivered from the power of sinfull dominion If thou were rid of an hard Master that would
he hath peculiar cause of great humblings speediest reformings vehement Answered beggings at the throne of grace for mercy and for the mighty power of Jesus Christ to release and deliver his soule But then let us carefully observe whither this of which a man complaines be sin in dominion or not perhaps it may be somthing else and then the soule must be advised and directed in a more especiall way Why I finde such strong and manifold inclinations of sin within me daring forth into so many vile imaginations and Doubts for the strong inclinations of sin working down to draw my affections woe's me what is the dominion of sin but this and who but a slave of sin is hurried with such motions of sin it cannot be that my heart should be good whilest inclinations are soe manifoldly bad To this let me shape a few answers 1. First I demand how the heart stands affected toward these Answered How stands â—hy heart manifold inclinations doest thou approve them or dis-allow affected to these inclinations them doest thou love them or doest thou hate them verily saith the soule I dislike them and hate them they are the burden of my soule And why so why because God is dishonouâ—ed by them and they are contrary to his holy will and they are evill and filthy O I had rather be in any miserable estate then in this sinfull and vile estate Now then observe sin hath not dominion in thee for where sin hath dominion sin is not formally and purely hated The dominion of sin doth not consist in the multiplicity of Note motions a man may have many enemies to assault him and yet love and serve none so a man may have many sins inclining and tempting and yet be a servant to none of them for it is not the temptation of sin which infalâ—ibly argues dominion but the willing resiâ—nation of the heart the subjection of the heart to those motions and temptations of sin this necessarily is required to make dominion but now thy heart doth not so it doth not resign up it selfe it yeelds not subjection for asmuch as it doth hate and resist and bewaile sin even in temptation Of all the signes of a good heart of a heart that is delivered from sins dominion this is one of the best and surest viz. That it hates and resists and bewailes sin when it is only in temptation when a man hath committed a sin then the conscience being made guilty may alone breake and afflict and this may befal even a wicked man there is now some other thing besides sin in the filthinesse of it to worke trouble and griefe viz. The guilt and accusation of it but when sin is resisted and bewailed in the temptation before it hath got out into actuall commission now the peculiar reason of trouble is the formall vilenesse of sin because it is so base and so opposite to â—od Secondly I demand what doest thou against these sinful What doest thou against these sinful inclinations inclinations every man hath some weapons or other and in case of anguish he is apt to draw them what weapons hast thou in thy hand and to what end doest thou mannage them Do not many and strong temptations of sin occasion many and strong supplications the more that sin inclines the more doth thy heart incline to God by prayer for more grace to resist for more strength to subdue doest thou not by reading and hearing and inquiry labour to finde out the manifold helpes and victories of a tempted and an assaulted soule doest thou not keep the precepts of God in thy heart and the threatnings of God in thy heart that thou mayest feare to offend him and the promises of God which yet hearten thee to withstand What doth all this demonstrate but that sin is not in dominion it is I confesse thy troublesome enemy but it is not thy ruling Lord it is that which doth molest thee it is not that which doth reign in thee it is that which would have dominion but it is not that which hath dominion it is that which doth assault thy affection but is not that which hath got thine heart thou art but in a greater war Neverthelesse thou art not so much as in captivity though in a strong conflict Yea but yet I feel one thing perhaps worse then all this sin Object workes in me after a more peculiar manner their is a particular Doubts because of some Speciall sinfull inclination sinfull inclination in me and so hath it been all my dayes if I were to give you the sum of my life I could lay out that particular inclination above all the rest like a threed which goes through the whole piece such a sin which I have seen long since felt it and I thought bewailed it and resisted it a long time and yet here it lives still workes still can it be that sin Sol. should not have dominion where some one speciall corruption Answered yet lives I must be warily tender to Resolve this scruple for asmuch as 1. Particular subjection is enough to set up dominion 2. Hypocrites are under the reigne of speciall lust and particular sins both which I touched heretofore But to the scruple take me thus Conversion doth not totally remove any one sinfull inclination 4. Things 1. That when God doth convert the soul no one sinfull inclination is totally removed though every one be in some measure changed The corrupt nature doth yet remaine and all its principles or particular inclinations to particular sins for grace doth not change us by a present Annihilation of sin but by a powerfull alienation of our hearts from it Sin may work in a man when rescued out of the dominion of sin in a more particular way Secondly note that sin may worke even in a man rescued out of its dominion is a more singular or particular way my meaning is this that there may be in him yet a more particular twange and more apt inclination and propension to some one sin rather then to another Sin yet abiding may take the advantage of the same complexion still remaining and of the same condition and calling yet continuing and without all doubt most men living whether good or whether bad do finde more to do with some one sinful inclination then with another Thirdly consider usually that particular inclination which was in dominion before conversion is most frequent in inclination That particular inclination which was in dominion before is usually most frequent in inclination after calling Reasons of it after our calling And I will give you some probable Reasons thereof One because that was the spring of the sinne of our custome which sent out and fed the issue by which the soule was so beaten in the path and way of sinning so that the old and accustomed nature cannot easily or presently forget its ancient and wonted bents a custome will hardly or
division let something come unto the soule which makes a division sin will quickly lose its dominion It must be something may gaine the affections It must be something that must breed a strife Directions Look up to God and Christ 3. Againe It must be something which may gaine the affections it must be able to winn the heart to dispose of love and hatred for dominion is made or marred by one of them 4. Againe it must be something which may breed a stiffe and couragious resolution that the heart will not serve sin but will go free And hereupon against all inward and outward opposition breakes forth into the use of victorious meanes Now then the directions are these 1. If ever thou wouldest get down the dominion of sin thou must looke up to God and Christ they are able to disanull the covenant with sin and to subdue iniquities Rom. 8. 2. the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death looke as it must be a Rich mercy which pardons so it must be a mighty power which conquers sin why but what is it to the Lord to command thy heart home to himselfe to cast down the high imaginations and strong holds As Jehosaphat spake against those strong armies we know not what to doe yet our eyes are upon thee soe in the sense of thy naturall vileness and sinfull dominion O Lord I am bound I am in bondage I am dead in sins Lord I am unable to escape but thou art able to deliver O deliver my soule for thy mercies sake and subdue mine iniquities and shew forth thy power c who shall deliver me I thanke God through Jesus Christ Rom. 7. 24 25. Secondly because meer power doth not do it but power in a quality working through some quality Therefore beg of Beg the grace of Gods spirit God that he would give thee the grace of his spirit it is true that naked power takes not off the sinfull dominion nor doth the quality alone doe it but both can doe it If God gives a man grace and mightily asists and workes by and through that grace this now will beat downe â—he dominion of sinne The light though it be but a little at first yet asisted by a mighty principle of light shall conquer darknesse pride will have dominion till humility comes in Now then beg of God for grace for his holy spirit for another heart for a new heart and a new spirit Thirdly labour earnestly for faith if two things were done Labour for faith sin could not possibly continue in dominion viz. If Christ did rule in the soule If thy love were drawn off from sin But faith sets up the scepter of Christ it will know no Lord but Christ my Lord and my God said believing Thomas And faith turnes the love to Christ makes Christ the center of the heart O it represents such goodnesse such excellency such propriety such bounty such love in Christ as inflames the heart and knits it with love to Christ again Nay to add to all this faith bestowes the life on Christ too He died for me said faith I judge it therefore most reasonable that I should live to him Now where Christ comes to rule and hath love and life there sinne without all doubt looseth its dominion 4. Lastly take a couragious resolution we are held many times by our lusts through a faintnesse of spirit why we shall Take a couragious resolution never get down these sins and what will people say and we know not what to do Sol. Why up and be doing for what is past the Lord will mercifully pardon all of it if now the yoke be broken and be consident of this if thou art setting against thy sins thou doest that which God likes very well for he hath commanded thee it as a duty and hath set out meanes and promised his helpe and blessing Therefore stand not hovering and hammering were I best shall I shall I yet O no thy life lies upon this or thy death Therefore resolve on it to set against thy sins say this with thy selfe if I suffer sin to rule thus I perish for ever if I get off the dominion I live for ever if I continue in this sinfull estate I must bid God farwell and Christ farwell and heaven and all the comforts of my poor soul farwel I confess I may get a little pleasure by my sins a little profit by my sins but I am not sure to enjoy them one moment and why should I venture eternity of misery for one draught of sinful water If I could get off sins dominion O what a God might I look on plead with sue unto what a Saviour should I get what precious joys what heavenly consolations what peace here what hopes for hereafter well come of it what will though I have been sinful I will not still continue so to God will I come to Christ will I goe I will beseech them to have mercy upon me a sinner and to give me grace and to change my heart I will not serve my base lusts any longer I will never leave praying hearing reading studiing inquiring working till I be delivered from this bondage and translated into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God Against actuall dominion Wherein actual dominion lies 2. Against Actuall dominion Thus for directions Against the natural dominion of sin Now I proceed to some helpes against actual dominion which is the particular prevalency of a sinne into act Let me premise a proposition or two and then you shall have the special directions themselves 1. Actual Dominion I speak in respect of grosse acts is usually in respect of some particular lusts which works with more strength in the soul then any other lusts Though it be most true that in every man there is an universal root of sinning yet you finde it in experience that the multitudes of sinful inclinations and thoughts and temptations run ordinarily in some peculiar way with most frequency and violence Secondly actual Dominion is ordinarily by such a sin which hath the advantage of a natural complexion and outward condition and occasions and affections upon these doth sinne set the temptation as an Enginer doth place his battery upon such a Simile piece of ground which doth best advantage and further his shot against a City A mans natural temper and complexion doth mightily facilitate his acts and a mans calling or condition of life may accidentally be a forcible perswasion to him to much infidelity and impatience and indirectness And occasions in conversing actively or passively have infinite baits in them and when our affections may run in some lawful measure and manner there sin takes occasion to tempt and prevaile with ease if we look not to it he may quickly be cast down by a sinful temptation who is already prepared thereunto by a sinful faction Therefore if
33. which is expounded v. 38. by a perfect heart A mans heart is upright when God alone and his ways alone and his truth alone satisfie and order and bound it when a man can say in truth as they in the matter of Choice Nay but the Lord is our God him will we serve I have chosen the Lord to be my God and his truths to be my guide and his precepts to be my paths and his glory to be my end and hereto only will I stick when the soul doth not halt between two or divides it self in a service of any side or way but keeps only to God Sometimes it is called perfection and the upright are called perfect as Gen. 17. 1. Walk before me and be thou perfect Deut. 18. 13. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God Psalme 37. 37. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright There is a double perfection One Absolute in respect of degrees which no man can now attain unto in this life no not the most upright for in many things we offend all The other Evangelical which consists in the evennesse of desire and endeavour when a man sets up and exalts the word of God and strives to square his heart and his life in all things thereby As Paul exercising himself to have a conscience void of Note offence and willing to live honestly in all things when a man doth as it were measure his paths as by a line he doth set them by the compasse of a divine rule or warrant not willingly stragling on the right hand or bending toward the left not willingly omit the least duty and commit the least sin he is an upright person when the heart is as large as the precept and the whole will of God is complied with in will and desire and endeavour Sometimes it is called a spirit without guile so Psal 32. 2. Blessed is the man in whose spirit there is no guile and Christ of Nathaniel Joh. 1. 47. Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile An hypocritical heart is a cunning heart it hath many devises shufflings windings and turnings this heart is not plain and sound Therefore the hypocrites are said to have corrupt thoughts and to flatter with their tonguâ—s and to have crooked wayes They do not indeed hate the sin which they pretend nor love that holinesse which oft-times they praise and sometimes act some ends they have of Religion for their belly and for their own advantage but they do not heartily hate sinne nor truly love holinesse Now on the contrary an upright heart is without guile it is even plain and down-right therefore is it in the parable called an honest heart and saith Paul we speak the truth in Christ and upright walking is stiled a walking in truth and serving of God in truth and in spirit The meaning is this that the upright man is indeed that which he professeth his life and profession is not a painting which owes it self to an Artificer but a natural colour which owes it self to the soundnesse of temper he is one who hath truth in the inward parts as David speaks Psal 51. 6. He doth without base ends directly love God and from his very heart hate sinne Though he cannot expresse himself in that flourish of formality yet for Christ he can plainly say as Peter Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee And touching sinnes as David of Gods enemies I hate them with a perfect hatred this he is in good earnest Sometimes it is called the allnesse or whollinesse of heart so Deut. 4. 29. If thou seek him with all thine heart Deut. 26. 16. Thou shalt keep and do them with all thine heart and with all thy soul Psal 119. 10. with my whole heart have I sought thee c. when the heart is upright the whole man comes in unto God all the soul and all the body none shall dispose of them but God And God shall dispose of him in every precept the very bent of a man is to please God in all things and the whole soul in the understanding will memory affections bears a respect to all his Commandments There be other phrases to set out this businesse of uprightnesse but I must passe them over and pitch upon the description 2. Now to the second quid Rei I conjecture that uprightnesse The description of uprightness may be thus described Uprightness is a sound and heavenly frame or temper of a gracious heart or spirit given by God by which graces are acted sinnes are opposed duties are performed affectionately directly and plainly In reference to God and not for by-respects I will briefly open this description in its particulars First it is the temper or frame of the heart The seat of uprightnesse The seat of it is their heart is the heart or spirit hence is it stiled uprightnesse of heart 1 King 3. 6. Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercies according as he walked before thee in truth in righteousnesse and in uprightness of heart So 't is stiled singlenesse of heart Act. 2. 46. and Truth in the inward parts Psal 51. 6. and a service in spirit Rom. 1. 9. God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Sonne Hypocrisie is a colour but skin deep A painting which lies only upon the superficies or surface of the wall upon the visibles or outwards of profession or action but uprightness like health it is an inward crisis or temperature as the conversation renders it self to the eye of man so the inward disposition strives to render it self to the eye of Gods approbation if a man be upright it is with him as with Solomons Temple though the outward parts were comely and uniform yet the inside was covered with the most precious gold and had the sweetest incense All counterfeit things are best in their shew and worst in their substance and vertue But uprightnesse is best there where least can be seen The actions are nothing to the Inward affections and desires We do but as the Queen of Sheba here no not halfe of the goodnesse of an upright man by what he doth if you would but look into his heart and converse with him there a while you should find the heart the disposition the desire of his soul infinitely to exceed all that he doth Psal 119. O how I love thy law O that my ways were so direct The heart oftimes mournes when the eyes can shed no teares and the heart believes when the tongue cannot speake much faith and the inward man the heart would doe that and much more then what is done or performed Secondly it is a temper or frame of the heart a composition It is the temper and frame of the heart It is not a single or transient act or motion as it were in which methinks two things may be observed 1. One that uprightness is not a
single or transient act or motion I thinke that even an Hypocrite whose heart is rotten corrupt false abominable may yet as step out into actions materially good so feel motions within him both against what is evill and unto what is good he may either through the force and power of evidence and conviction in his judgement or through the unresistable actions of his inlighted and stirred conscience or through the great desire of a glorious blessednesse have many fits and inward humours of being good and doing good But all this is passion and not temper the Philosopher In his Rhetoricks accurately distinguish twixt the readinesse which springes out of a naturall complexion and that which ariseth out of a violent Anger and passion which soone fades off being not rooted in nature but in distemper so is it whith the Hypocrite But uprightnesse is a temper and frame like an instrument well tuned or if that hit not full like a complexion which is a uniform if not principle yet instrument of actions It is like that leaven of which Christ spake which invades the whole lump it sweetly seasons and disposes the whole man for God as the bent of the stone is to the center and of the fire to ascend Another that uprightness is rather a generall Influence in It is rather a general influence in the graces then any distinct grace the graces then any distinct grace I will not make this point a controversy only so far as I yet apprehend uprightnesse is rather the temper of a grace then the grace it selfe It is not feare but feare rightly tempered and ordered it is not love but love rightly set it is not desire but this orderly carried 3. It is a sound and incorrupt and heavenly frame of The qualities of it heart 1. A thing may be termed sound or solid either when it is Sound reall not light slight superficiall or when it can abide triall as true gold is Really so and not in colour only and if you reduce it to the touchstone you shall finde it so if you cast it into the fire c. Thus it is with the heart that is upright and it hath not a forme of Godlinesse but the power and not a name that it lives but the life it selfe it is indeed holy humble meeke believing loving of God and his servants desirous to walke with God Psal 116. 160. Lord truly I am thy servant c. q. d. I am so indeed this is not a complement a garb a pretence but a reallity soe is it with the man indeed an Israelite indeed said Christ of Nathaniell Joh. 1. 47. Yea so reall that if you bring the heart either to the examination of the word which being truth can finde out all truth or to God himself who can search the heart and reines or to conscience that heareth witnesse 2 Cor. 1. 12. or to afflictions yet even there can upriâ—htnesse find approbation and testimony that the person doth love and serve and feare him Job 1. 8. the Lord said unto Satan hast thou not considered my servant job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evil 2. Againe it is an Inccorrupt frame though the extreme parts may sometimes be faulty yet if the vitalls be sound if the Incorrupt heart if the lungs if the liver be so we say that man is a sound man In morals it holds soe that if the heart be void of all obliquity the person is upright Many infirmities in action may consist with uprightnesse but not in affection the very bent of the heart is set against sin without distinction of great or lesse advantagious or incommodious honourable or dishonorable if it be not so then the heart is corrupt it mingles it is not sincere and upright but of this more anon 4. Given by God so the Prophet Jerem. 32. 39. I will give them one heart and one way Every man naturally is an Hypocrite Given by God would seem to be that which he is not and so likewise misdirects all his actions to a wrong end God hath set a certaine beauty in goodnesse and left a notion of vilenesse upon sin so that most men though they hate goodness yet would be thought good they think it a moâ—e Creditable title and though they love and act sinne yet would not be thought or reputed evill Besides this if we did but seriously observe and confesse how it is in our own spirits we should finde in all our pious pretences take us in our naturalls we are all of us most formall and Artificiall hypocrites Draw neare to God with our lips but our hearts are far from him and come to Church when we minde neither prayer nor Sermon and listen oftimes and God knows not to obey but to censure or but to get matter to talk of and the like and when we have got ability to speake of any good the Lord be mercifull unto us we do it not minding Gods glory but our owne vaine applause and estimation Soe then the hypocricall heart is from our selves but the upright heart is from God Every good and perfect gift is from above James 1. 18. The perfect heart is from the perfect God the true heart from the God of truth It is he who teacheth truth and makes upright and writes his law in the inward parts 5. The fifth thing which I would observe in uprightnesse is its office of administration it is such a thing as deales 1. about graces It s office and administration 2. about sins 3. duties 1. For our graces uprightnesse lookes to them that they be rightly acted Beloved uprightnesse doth not give grace It deals about graces but orders and directs the acts and operations thereof Two things I grant that all the habits of grace are in themselves intrinsecally considered really true and though imperfection may be in them yet no morall falsity or counterfeitness and that the actions of those holy habits considered intirely as streaming from them only as so are likewise truly holy and good But then these acts or actions of gracious habits as working in a subject which hath some falsnesse and bynesse yet remaining may by reason of that corruption be misdirected misguided 3. For hypocrisie doth not only consist in the putting of a good shape upon an evill action as a faire colour upon a rotten thred but also in the ill intention or application even of an act in it selfe truly good Charity without all doubt is a gracious quallity yet if uprightnesse attends not some of it acts they may be referred to a private and vaine glorious end the like may be said of some other graces as of the love of God and the feare of God c. 2 For sins here also uprightnesse comes into act it selfe holinesse which is nothing else but the newnesse of Nature that makes opposition to sin But
uprightnesse that now is an evennesse For our sins or impartiality of opposition To oppose a little sin and yet to close with a great sin to oppose many sins and yet to hold a knowne and a willing confederacy with any one to oppose sin in others and yet to act it our selves to oppose sin as open to the eye of man and yet to fall to it in secret where it is naked to the eye of God To oppose a sin to which constitution and age deny concurrence of delight or strength and yet to wallow in others agreeable to our complexions conditions and yeares to oppose the unprofitable sin which brings nothing in but paine and yet to admit of gainfull sins which come with rewards of divination in their hands to oppose any sin only because it is paineful and not because it is sinfull To oppose sin in our straits and not in our liberties in sicknesse and not in health when only we feare death and not at all under life and strength I say all these are but hypocrisies there is an unevennesse of the heart as was in Saul who spared the choisest and mortified the coursest of the cattle or as in Balaam who would have been happy in his death though a Curser of Gods people in respect of his own intention in this life I Confesse this to be true that uprightnesse is not the utter Annihilation of sin No that effect appertaines to glory and perfection above but it is the even and Impartiall opposition of sin of secret sins and of presumptious sins as David here in this Psalm of great and small in a word it is a conjunctive opposition of sin that is it carries the heart against all sin Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way v. 3. They do no iniquity i their hearts are for no sin and the prime reason of all this opposition I say the prime and immediate reason is direct and not reflexive It is because sin is so opposite to God and not primarily because it it s so painfull in the event to the person 3. For duties here uprightnesse expresseth it selfe both for matter wherein it doth not shuffle and cut pick and chuse For duties take the lighter like the hypocriticall Pharisees and leave the heaviest to others but it makes a man to have with David Psal 119. 6. a respect to all Gods commands For the manner Any performance will not serve where the heart is upright David danceth before the Lord withal his might and Paul serveth God in his spirit That which came next to hand will serve Cain but Abel must present the best of the Cattle not the lame and the blind the best God shall have the best manner of service If I heare that sufficeth not unlesse it be with reverence and faith If I pray that sufficeth not unlesse with brokenness of heart humblenesse of spirit fervent affections and faith in Christ A meer tale of bricke will serve for Pharaoh though the Isralites reputed the service a bondage but when we bring offerings to the Temple they must be willing and of the best too 6. The last thing which I would observe in uprightnesse is its end and scope It s end and scope Beloved I pray you to remember that uprightnesse causeth a threefold reference of our services one is to Gods precept that 's the square and Rule and compasse of upright motions Another is to Gods glory that 's the spring which turnes the wheels the winde which blowes the sayles it is for Christ sake said Paul and whatsever yee do do all to the glory of God said he againe A third is to Gods acceptance and approbation so that God will accept and commend and approve 2. Cor. 5. 9. we labour that whither present or absent we may be accepted of him 2. Cor. 10. 18. Not he that commendeth himselfe is approved but whom the Lord commendeth More plaine and punctual is that of the same Apostle in Rom. 2. 29. He is a few which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God The schoolmens observation is sound and true that a particular deficiency is sufficient to marre a good morally considered but an vniversall concurrence of circumstances is required to make the action good Look as in reading of Hebrew leave out but one tittle one point you mar the sense or as in a dosis of Physick leave out one ingredient you spoyle all Soe our actions if one circumstance be left out if the Right and genuine end be not eyed it is enough to blanch them with hypocrisie though for substance they may be commanded to pray and to give alms no man will question that these duties substantially considered are good and such which the upright person doth performe But then if a man prayes or gives almes to be seen of men Christ tells him that he playes the Hypocrite If in the performance of any piously externall duty we set our selves as the end if all these things be done and with very much fervency and Assiduity yet only to play the Merchants for our selves to make a bridge over to our own estimation to blow up our names This is but Hypocrisie and I fear a kind of Idolatry we fall down and worship our selves like the men of Shechem who would admit of circumcision shall not their cattle and all that they have be ours The like indifferentnesse may be found in men forward for outward duties shall not profit be ours preachers good opinion ours The Glory and Credite ours this is a gross Hypocrisie Now uprightnesse consists in this to devolve all the honor of holy services on God like the faithfull servant who workes painefully and speakes consideratly and all this for his Master or like the shadow which in the dyall moves from point to point and all this points upward to the sunne in it motions The humble heart knowes no fountaine but Gods grace and the upright heart knowes no end but Gods glory They distinguish of a double end One is finis opâ—ris the end of the work and that shall be our glory hereafter as the Apostle spake of faith the end of your faith the salvation of your souls 1 Pet. 1. 9. Another is finis operantis the end of the workman and that if the heart be upright is Gods glory for of him and through him and to him are all things to him be glory for ever Rom. 11. Yet by your favour this I must suggest by the way and perhaps shall handle it more copiously shortly that in a way of subordination an upright heart may do God good service and his glory no wrong if with all in its fit place and order and measure it cast an eye also on its own reward Moses had an eye to it Heb. 11. SECT II. Quest 2. NOw I proceed to a second question why we should
strive and aim at as David here did and Why we should endeavour to be upright endeavour to be upright There are abundant reasons thereof I will deliver a few unto you First this uprightnesse is the great thing which God looks for Uprightness is the great thing that God looks for Joh. 4. 23. The true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth for the father seeketh such to worship him Gods seeking notes either his grace which prevents us or his pleasure which enjoyns us The father seeketh such to worship him i. the Lord by all means would have men in his services to come with spirit and truth to be upright Prov. 23. 26. My son give me thy heart q. d. though the body be made by me and every part thereof and though that whole frame be made for me as well as by me and thou art to glorifie me in thy body yet that which I principally enjoyn thee in thy services is to bring them with thy heart with affections intirely and not pretensively Nay secondly this is it which the Lord looks at See Jerem. This is it the Lord looks at 5. 3. Are not thine eyes upon the truth q. d. Why it is not your words which God doth so much regard nor is it your looks nor your tears nor your cries that which the Lord sets his eye on is the truth of the heart in and under all these uprightnesse there Excellent is that place in 1 Chr. 29. 17. I know also my God said David that thou triest the heart and hast pleasure in uprightnesse As for me in the uprightnesse of my heart I have willingly offered all these things In that place you finde David contributing toward the building of the Temple and stirring up others to that work and David for his part gave like a King thereto even three thousand talents of gold of gold of Ophir ver 4. And seven thousand talents of refined silver and the chief of the Fathers and the Princes gave also five thousand talents of gold and ten thousand dâ—ammes and of silver ten thousand talents and of brass eighteen thousand talents and one hundred thousand talents of iron besides precious stones v. 6 7 8. Now what a goodly gift was all this but David presently subjoynes I know my God that thou triest the heart and hast pleasure in uprightnesse q. d. O Lord all this is nothing thou wilt not accept of it thou wilt not look upon it if uprightness be wanting O that is it which thou regardest the heart the heart thou triest and if uprightnesse be found there that is it which thou regardest You read of the Jews that they made many prayers but God would not hear them brought many oblations but they were vaine i. is of no account Esay 1. 11 12. and 15. They remember the solemne feasts but prevailed not with God he did shut his eyes nay they were at their solemn fasts too but God took no knowledge Esay 58. 3. He gives the reason in both places in Esay 1. 15. your hands are full of blood ver 16. wash ye c. and Esay 58. 4. Behold ye fast for strife and debate to smite with the fist of wickedness ver 6. Is not this the fast which I have chosen to loose the bands of wickednesse q. d. away ye hypocrites do you commit and allow cruelties and villanies and oppressions and whoredomes and then bring multitudes of sacrifices and oblations and cryings and think that I am taken with these go and cleanse your hearts mend your lives leave your sins be plain upright with me that is it which I look at more then any thing that is it which pleaseth me Hence it is that oftimes in Scripture that the Hebrew word Jashar which signifies Right is many times translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pleasing as Numb 23. 27. perhaps it will seem right in the eyes of the Lord we translate it peradventure it will please God so true is that of Solomon Prov. 11. 20. Such as are upright in their way are his delight yea and so that phrase of walking with God which is nothing else but the path of the just or upright is rendred by the Septuagint pleasing of God as Gen. 5. 22. 24. holy Enoch walking with God The seventy renders it he pleased God Thirdly this seemes to be the only thing that God expects 1 Sam. 12 24. onely fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all This is the only thing which God expects your heart Deut. 10. 12. And now Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God and to walk in all his ways and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul When the Lord did enter into the Covenant with Abraham Gen. 17. and promised to be an Al-sufficient God unto him what doth he require of Abraham but only this be thou upright when he advanced Solomon to the Kingdome and enricht him with honour and wealth and wisdome above all that ever sat on the Throne what did he require of him 1 Kings 3. 14. Walk in my wayes keep my Statutes as thy father David did How was that see back to vers 6. David my father walked before thee in truth and righteousness and in uprightnesse of heart When Paul had commended many singular things of knowledge and duty to the Corinthians he closeth up all with finally my brethren be perfect 2 Cor. 13. 11. q. d. Will you have me to give you all in one word why then be perfect be upright 4. Uprightness doth bring the whole man unto God It is that Vprightnesse doth bring the whole man to God which commands all and carries all with it the thoughts these inward and sweet breathings of the minde Let the meditations of my heart be alwayes acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my Redeemer saith upright David in Psalme 19. 14. The words Let the words of my mouth be acceptable so he there the mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his talk is of judgement Psalm 37. 30. The heart the Law of his God is in his heart Psalm 37. 31. my heart is fixed saith David again the conversation that is ordered aright Psal 50. hath a man any gifts many gifts why uprightnesse brings in their use and strength to God hath he any graces why uprightness brings in their service to God it keeps us in with God and are one with God and will not suffer us to deal falsely with God 5. God judgeth of a man by his uprightnesse thou art in his judgement good or bad according to the presence or absence God judgeth of a man by his uprightnesse of uprightnesse this is that which distinguisheth twixt the precious and the vile twixt the faithful and the unsound In outward appearances and in the colour of visible services the good
hypocrites as if there were whole Assemblies of them or at least some of them in every Congregation Esay 9. 17. Complains in his time that every one is an hypocrite scarce a man but did dissemble with God So Esay 29. 13. with their lips they do honour me c. David tells us often of the Israclites that they did flatter God himself with their mouths gave him in their distresse as mournful and yeelding and promising language O what would they be and what would they do if God would deliver them and yet their heart was not right in them Joremiah accuseth those of his time for this very thing too many of them nay most of them Cried the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord and yet committed adultery and lies c. when Christ was in the world his greatest contestation was with Scribes Pharisees Hypocrites Paul bitterly dealeth against those who took on them the forme of godliness but denied the power thereof and in the 2 Tim. 4. 12. He foretels of much lying hypocrisie which should befal in the latter times and verily we need not go farre from the proof of it how many amongst us with the foolish Virgins carry Lamps without oyle or with the fig-tree bear leaves without fruit Like the Crow which took the feathers but kept his own nature or like the Asse which took the lions skin but not his body It was Machivels rule that the shew of virtue was easie and profitable and therefore he adviseth men to put that on but the study and habit of vertue was difficult and therefore he adviseth to let that alone how abundantly doth this satisfie many if they can look like good men though they will not take paines to be so if they can speak like good Châ—istians though they will not live so A trades-man many times when he gets a Minister to Supper will speak of heaven and such things as if he were upon his death bed and yâ—â—â—â—at man doth nothing in the world but scrape for the w 〈…〉 and tiers out his own soul and body and his servants in a drudgery for earth yea rather then he will not be rich he will cast himself upon most indirect means How ordinary is it for us to frequent the Church peâ—haps to listen a while if we cannot sleep quietly and then to bestow a little holy water upon the Minister a word or two that he spake well and home and yet we strive not to put any one holy councel into the love of our hearts or obedience of our lives Nay to let these things passe take us in the general Tenour of our best ways The good God be merciful to us what a distance is there many times when we pretend to serve God twixt our tongues and our hearts twixt our eyes and our hearts twixt our ears and our hearts twixt our bodies and our hearts Our tonâ—ues are praying and our mouths singing and our eyes looking on the Minister and our eares as if hearing and at the same moments our hearts are plotting projecting ordering our own domestical affaires or which is worse basely contemplating and acting of some abominable lust within us Now call you this uprightnesse if this be not hypocrisie I know not what is Nay yet a little more take us in our most compleat performances when we bring our thoughts and intentions and some affections some workings to our work yet tell me seriously whether in it you are not looking besides God when you many times pray long and with many affections in company though when you be alone a little shall serve the turn do not you like the Camelion live upon the aire is not Jehu's pang in you Come and see my zeal is not the Pharisees humour of vain-glory highly acting to be seen of men and is not this hypocrisie directly and intentionally to justle God aside to serve our own praise in a pretence of serving him that others may admire us and speak well of us Nay I could adde one thing more which perhaps may make some of our hearts to tremble are there not who explicitely and deliberately with much studious art snatch unto themselves a robe a look a discourse a garb of holinesse for no other end in the world but to provoke to sin and to blind their secret actings of sinning from the eyes of the world As the souldiers in the field cast up a transverse line to cover their digâ—ing enterprises from the enemies observation This is a most execrable kinde and method of hypocrisie yet as Gehazi used his Masters name to gratifie his covetous desire so divers abuse the name of Religion only to satisfie their beastly and damnable lust Thirdly am Hypocrite may go very farre and therefore An hypocrite may go very far the more reason have we to see that our hearts be upright In the generalâ— I conceive that there is not any one external part of reliâ—ion or duty into which the hypocrite may not only step but perhaps for shew exceed the sincerest and most upright Châ—istian what Paul spake in another case of himself Are they Hebrews so am I are they Israelites so am I are they the seed of Abraham so am I 2 Cor. 1. 22. That may the hypocrite say for his part in this case about the actions and parts of duty c. Doth the true Christian hear so do I doth he pray so do I doth he shed tears so do I doth he fast so do I doth he give almes so do I doth he shew respect to the Minister by salutes and invites so do I is he forward I am zealous doth he reprove I do thunder doth he speak some words in prayer I speak many doth he any good I do more in hearings more in fastings more in discoursings more in outward actions every way more Cast and order duties every way for object for place for time still the hypocrite keeps up for duties to God I mean the external parts of his woâ—ship in praying privately publickly hearing reading preaching yea and all these with some transient affections of joy all this may be in him For duties to man why an hypocrite may be as civil as just as faire ingenuous affable bountiful compassionate as any one that I know The Pharisees whom yet Christ did condemn for very hypocrites yea even those self-same Pharisees were yet the punctilioes of the times no person living were more exact they did tythe the very mint and cummin as if the would have observed the whole Law to an haire Yea and for privative piety which consists in exceptions from grosse sinnes heare one of them for all the rest blessing and commending himselfe I am no extortioner no adulterer nor like this Publican c. I fast twise in the week I give almes of all that I possess 4. His heart is rotten and his grounds are rotten notwithstanding The hypocrite his heart is rotten notwithstanding all his shews all this
revealed and known duty to which his very heart doth not strive to obey yea and the ground of all this must be spirituall and not carnal from God and for God Assuredly these things are impossible to an evill man and he who is most good shall confesse it to be most hard to be plaine with God and to walke evenly before him 8. Lastly to be upright is a possible thing a man may attaine to be upright is a possible thing unto it Nay every good man doth attaine unto it Noah was upright and walked with God Abraham was upright before him David kept him from his sin and he did serve the Lord in uprightnesse of heart Hezekiah did so likewise Remember Lord that I have walked before thee in truth and with an upright heart Paul served God in all good conscience willing to live honestly in all things Though no man can say that he doth all that Gods commands require yet he may say he hath respect unto them all and though none can say he hath nothing in him or nothing is done by him which the law of God doth forbid yet he may say I hate every false way and search me O Lord if there be any way of wickednesse within me and this is uprightnesse Ob. But you will say if the case be so how may one know that he is indeed upright Sol. There are many discoveries of it I pray you to observe Discourses of uprightnesse them and try your selves by them let your consciences testify for you before the lord this day 1. If a man be upright he will mostly strive for an inward reformation of his heart There are two things which the upright person doth most look The upright man most strives for the inward reformation at his God and his heart The Hypocrites as our saviour testifies they are for the outside they wash the platters and the cups and beautifie the tombes like an adulteresse whose care is to paint and to set a faire face upon the matter all their care is to the eye of man how to be seen and hard how to be well thought on Now uprightnesse is mostly for the heart and spirit not that an upright person should or doth neglect the wel-ordering his life O no! as to neglect our hearts argues hypocrisie so to neglect our lives argues profanesse But the principle care of uprightnesse is the reformation of the heart though it lookes to the cleansing of the hand yet principally of the heart according to that of the Apostle Jam. 4. 8. Why brethren it well knowes that the heart is it which God looks for and lookes at the heart is it which God delights in if that be right and true he is pleased thou lovest truth in the inward parts Psa 51. the upright in heart are his delight David is full in this concerning his heart Psal 119. 10. with my whole heart have I sought thee v. 11. Thy word have I hid within my heart that I might not sinne against thee incline my heart unto thy testimonies and not unto covetousness Rom. 1. 9. God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit the heart of man is the fountaine of life or death and every thing is strongest in the heart and most dangerous sinne in the heart is worse then in the life i. when a mans heart is set upon his sin now Try your selves in this particular what care have you of your hearts what paines do you take with them you many times have humble looks yea but have you not still proud hearts you have many times contented words yea but have you not still impatient and discontented hearts you have many times heavenly discourse yea but have you not stil earthly and worldly hearts what doe you with them doe you not let your hearts still loose do you not give them way to be filled with wicked contemplations vaine imaginations filthy inclinations with envy malice unbeliefe or do you mourne under these do you strive to cleanse within is it not sufficient that your outward actions look well unlesse your hearts be made better O if this heart were holy If this heart were humble If this heart were heavenly If the heart were believing The hypocrite cares not though the thread be rotten if the colour or glosse be faire but the upright person he is more at substance then shew and hath more to doe with his heart then any thing he would have the law written not upon his tongue but upon his heart cleansed as well as his life beautified 2. If a man be upright then a little holiness will not serve his If a man be upright then a little holinesse will not serve his turne turne he is not contented with some measures but strives after perfection see this clearly delivered by the Apostle in Phil. 3. 12. Not as though I had already attained or were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Jesus Christ v. 13. I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I doe forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before v. 14. I press then toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus v. 15. Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded q. d. If you be upright thus will it be with you you will not be satisfied with small beginnings with received measures but you will reach on for farther conformity to Christ There is a difference twixt desires of holiness for it selfe and God and for our selves and ends An hypocrite could be content to have as much holinesse as would serve his turne his owne turne his owne ends as a tradesmen is willing to be at cost that his apprentice learne to writ and cipher so much and so long as he may be enabled to keep the accounts but he will not be at cost to teach him the excellency of writing or ciphering But now the upright person desires grace and holiness for God that glory may be brought unto him and out of an intrinsecall love of the beauties of holinesse and for the farther rooting out of sin And for the better Inabling to holy services his ends are publike and therefore a little serves not 3. If a man be upright then a man will walke by a right rule an upright man walks by an upright rule he orders his conversation and wayes according to the word of God A right ordering of all our actions by a right rule in a right way by right persons out of right principles for right ends this is uprightnesse 3. A person may know whither he be upright or no by the An upright person hath a conformable disposition of heart about all sins conscionable disposition of his heart about all sinnes Dâ—vid speaking of such who were undefiled Psal 119. 1. And sought the Lord with their
whole heart v. 2. he addeth v. 3. They alsoe do no iniquity q. d. this is not their worke this is not the thing which they do approve or allow in which they live and walke sinne is not the upriâ—ht mans worke it is a strang work and a stranger work and David being to manifest his own uprightnesse saith Psal 18. 23. I was also upright before him and I kept my self from iniquity yea Psal 119. 101. I have refrained my feet from every evill way Iob was an upright man one that feared God and â—schewed evill Iob 1. 1. There was never any hypocrite living but his heart was false it did never condemn all sin in him peruse the scriptures and you shall read of none of them but they had some one way of wickednesse or other Jehu had his calves notwithstanding all his zeale for God Herod kept his Herodias notwithstanding all his forwardnesse and gladnesse and reverrence to Iohn Baptist The Pharisees kept their covetousnesse notwithstanding all their formall strictnesse and rigour The young man would not sel all notwithstanding all his profession of former obedience and Questionings what yet lack I Soe on the contrary there was never any person upright but his heart made conscience of all sin what is that that is he would be rid of all he would not allow himselfe in any one he would not keep up the covenant with sinne by being dispensed with in any one particular Ob. But you will say this may be hard for who can say my heart is cleane even the just man doth sinne seaven times a day Sol. Beloved you mistake me I do not say that this is a sign of uprightnesse that a man hath not sin in him or that he doth never act sin Indeed this were hard No man living should be upright by this But I say that the upright person makes conscience of all sin he sets against all sin he opposeth he condemneth he disalloweth all sin he will not be in covenant with any sinne Ob. Yet you may object but how may I know that I make conscience of all sin Sol. I will not insist on all which may be spoken onely take He that makes conâ—cience of all sin three things which will shew your uprightnesse in a conscience of all sin 1. if you be upright you will make conscience of secret as well You will make conscience of secret as well as open sins as open sins Why the feare of man the regard of our own credit the love of our own advantages may prevaile with an eviâ—l man with an hypocrite to keep in to worke craftiâ—y Not to sin at noon-day to hold off in publike and yet the love of sin prevailes upon him with ease to work wickeâ—nesse in the dark in private in secret for he saith none doâ—h see me an hypocrite is a secret sinner q. restraints are then taâ—en off But the upright person he hates sin because it is sâ—n â—nd therefore he doth not act it because it is secret or declinâ— it because it is open but he shuns both the one and the other because they are both sinfull Jobes heart was not secretly intised Iob. 31. 26 27. Is David in his family there will he wâ—lke with an upright heart Psal 101. 2. Is â—oâ—eph alone yet he dares not to do so great a wickedness and sin against God â—en â—9 Nay David hates all vain thoughts Psal 119. And Solomon saith that the thoughts of the righteous are right Prov. 12. 5. the upright person strives against secret inclinations and would have even the imaginations cast downe which are seen only by God 2. You will make conscience of the least sins sin we do usually divide into gross and foule and into little and small not that any sin is small in a relation to the rule but that one is not so great of the least sins and hainous in comparison of one sin with another Now where sins are reputed gross and foule and palpable even the civil man and the formal hypocrite may bevery precise very conscionable verytender but for lesser oaths for usual omissions for triffles for sinful atires for sinful associating with lewd and vile persons c alas these are poor thins small things why should we stand upon them Nay be not deceived God is not mocked the mote must be plucked out as well as the beam Davids heart smote him for cutting of the lap of Sauls garment as well as it rose against the vile counsell to cut of Sauls life he that is not faithful in the least will not be faithfull in the greatest And that man who will dispense with himselfe in small sins if occasion serve will likewise give himselfe a commission for great transgressions uprightnesse knows no such distinction in respect of approbation and allowance twixt great and small it is probable that Ananias layd down a great part of his estate yet herein was the falsenesse of his heart that he kept back some of the estate Hypocrisie doth not consist in this that a man doth wallow in all sins but in this that a man will allow himselfe in some sins Now try your selves in this conscionablenesse about small sins even lesser sins to upright persons are objects of great hatred and causes of great trouble 3. you will make conscience of sins which are in a sort more connatural Though every sin in respect of the original principle of sin be naturall to man in his corrupt estate yet their are of sins which are in a sort more connaturall special sins which have in respect of their actings and course more immediate favour and countenance from a sinner v. g. Those of particular inclination and those of custome and frequent practise and those of a mans particular condition and calling and those of present profit and pleasure I doe conjecture that there is scarce any one man living unlesse he hath intirely given up himselfe to Satan who doth cast away himselfe upon the service of every sin whatsoever and that their is scarce a person who is not more haunted with some particular sinful inclination more then another Now where the heart is Hypocriticall though it will proclaime defiance against many kindes of sinning yet as Naaman spake in another case so doth the hypocrite concerning some particular lusts onely herein the Lord be mercifull unto me In this I must be spared therefore Zophar speaking of the wicked and the hypocrite Iob. 20. 5. he saith that wickednesse is sweet in his mouth he hides it under his tongue v. 12. and v. 13. that he spares it and forsakes it not but keeps it still with in his mouth he is besotted and intangled and sets himselfe unto the power of some pleasant and profitable lust or other and no word of command or threatning no passage of affliction and trouble no experience or sense no inward accusation and rebukes of conscience will ever be able to draw of his heart from
it though the Hypocrite may contend against many sinnings yet he never stands against the sin of his profit or pleasure like a Fisher he may throw away many of the small fishes but he keeps those which will make a sale and merchandise But now if the heart be upright then a marvellous tendernesse and conscience will be found in thee even against those sins which formally thou didst love as dearly as thine one life Thou will set against that profitable sin of which Demetrius said that by this craft I get my wealth And thou will set against that sin of which Herod spake that she pleased him greatly that sin which formerly was to thy affections as the oyle to the lampe and as Joseph to Jacob Now thou wilt strive against it as thy only choice enemy and betrayer of thy soule and salvation David if I mistake not and Interpreters deceive me not made this a testimony of his uprightnesse in Psal 18. 23 I was upright before him and kept my selfe from mine iniquity Iniquity may be called mine either in respect of approbation and covenant as a man may say this wife is mine this Master is mine or in respect of special inclination so a man may say this is mine iniquity i that sin to which aboue all other I finde my self most apt and ready and prone So David here I kept my self from mine iniquity i. from the iniquity into which I am naturally so apt and prone to fall into And this he makes as an argument of his uprightnesse viz. that as he did not hunt after other sins so when his speciall corruption did incline and tempt when those did work upon him unto which if he spake but the least word and gave the least leave his naturall inclination would have throughly and easily kindled and thrust out it self yet he would not harken but did oppose he did more narrowly and punctually watch and besige his heart in these Let me adde uprightnesse appeares thus about sins 1. It will endure tryall Psa 139. Try me O Lord and see if their be any wickedness in â—e 2. It will often try it selfe and examine it selfe least any sin should settle 3. It scares it self and is suspicious Master it is I said the Disciple and Iob offered Sacrifice least his Sons have sinned 4. It will blesse God for being kept from sin as David did for Abigailes counsels 5. It is most severe against our own sins an hypocrite is a severe judge of others as the Pharisees against Christ but an upright person throwes the first stone at himself 6. It condemnes sin in all in parents as Jonathan did Sauls prejudice against David and as Jacob did severely judge condemn sin in Simeon and Levy and in Rachel and John the Baptist did in Herod and Christ in the Pharisees at their own table 7. It grieves for its own sins yea and for the sins of others David doth not only water his couch with his teares for his owne sins but also Rivers of teares ran down his eyes because men kept not Gods Law 8. It is more moved for sins against God then injuries done unâ—o our selves David cannot bear Goliahs blasphemies and reproaches yet can beare Shimeis Railings 9. Abstinence sufficeth not without hatred hatred sufficeth not without mortification 4. Tryall of a mans uprightnesse may be his disposition and temper about holy duties and services Looke as a mans heart is false when it pretends a respect to God and yet will Uprightnesse is known by a mans disposition about holy duties allow it selfe in any sin which offends God so is it false when notwithstanding all semblances of pious observances it will not be wrought upon to be truly and intirely obedient to God But I will not digresse I conceive there are five things about our duties and services which may manifest the uprightness of our hearts viz. In five thingâ— Universally 1. Universality David did take this for a speciall testimony of his uprightnesse that he had respect unto all Gods commands Psal 119. 6. and Paul thought it so who did exercise himselfe to have alwaies a conscience voyd of offence towards God and man Act. 24 16. so Heb. 13. 18. we must trust that we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly true obedience doth neither dispute nor divide it is given unto God upon a bare command and it doth not crave a dispensation in part where Gods commands are more easy there the upright persons goes on with chearfulnesse and when they seemstrang and more hard there also he goes on with readinesse Abraham is resolved to obey God in all things though it be to part with his country yea with his sonne The rule is good and true Quicquid propter deum fit equaliter fit he who doth serve and obey God for Gods sake will equally obey all that God commands him No one command is unjust or unreasonable to him whose heart is upright in obedience I Question not but that the hypocrite may goe very far in the visible parts of duties and services you may finde him forward and stirring and not a little boasting with Jehu come and see my zeale and yet if Jehosaphat had gone a little farther he might have seen his calves too contrary to Gods commands An Hypocrites obedience cannot be universall forasmuch as his ground and motiâ—es are particular this is a truth that no motion exceeds its motive according to the strength and amplitude or restrictivenesse of it and a man set to worke Now the reasons and Inducements of the hypocrites obedience are partial and not conjunctive common he may come to heare the word and he may receive it with singular joy he may finde his affections marvellously raised only the question now is how far and upon what grounds verily only because and only so far as the word is a pleasing word so far as it is cloathed and apparelled with a spruse elegancy of phrase or with some unusual notions or some delicate elocution c. all which do fit his humour and claw the itch off his minde But now he is not equally delighted this acceptance of the word is not universal let the same word be delivered as a searching and dividing and condemning word then it is otherwise Now you shall see that the shaking of the tree will make the rotten fruit at the core which yet looked red and ripe to the eye to fall to the ground let the word come close and lay hold and search him to the quick Now you shall see the hypocrite like the wounded or crazy part though cloathed as fair as the sound parts yet if strictly handled the party cannot endure he cannot abide it he grows impatient and unquiet Touch an hypocrite upon the maine duty Go saith Christ to the young covetous person sell all and follow me what doth he now who pâ—etended he had done all before the text saith he went away
and verily so it was with him that the love of Christ was sufficient to constraine him 2 Cor. 5. 14. And he went through good and through bad report yea and he was not discouraged by all the bonds which did a tend him nor counted he his life deare for Christ it was all one to him so that Christ might be magnified whether by life or whether by death 4. Spiritualâ—ty of obedience there is a twofold acting of dutie Spirituality of obedience One is carnal when we do them as ordinary works as works of course the meere material acting of them sufficeth us so that we say some words it makes a prayer so that we give some money it makes uâ— our charity so that we be a Church it makes up our hearing so that we go over a chapter it makes up our reading so that we study and speak a Sermâ—n it makes up our preaching so that we eat no meat this makes up fasting It matters not what melody and harmony so that Simile we touch the strings Another is spiritual when duties are performed in an obedience to God because he commands them and also the very heart and soul the spirit and the affections act themselves they co-operate with our services the desires of our souls is to the remembrance of thee or as David with my whole heart have I sought thee When a man can say as Paul whom I serve with my spirit Rom. 1. 9. or as David my soul praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy name Psal 103. or with Mary my soul doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit doth rejoyce in God my Saviour Luke 2. or as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 14. 15. I will pray with the spirit and with the understanding also I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also or as Christ saith thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might An hypocrite he may do so much about duties as may manifest the excellency of his gifts but he doth not that about duties â—â—ich argues the efficacy of grace he may be high and admirable in the visible parts in the very works he may hit upon as ample and pertinent phrases in preaching and sweet expressions in praying as another his lips may draw neare but yet his heart is far off it can suffice him to do service to the eye of man But an upright person there is fire and incense in his sacrifices he must present living and reasonable services why if he hears and not with attention not with reverence not with fear not with faith he is greatly troubled he knowes that God must be served with godly reverence and feare for preaching let him speak as the Oracles of God 1 Pet. 4. 11. If I do this willingly I have a reward 1 Cor. 9. 17. see 1 Thes 2. 4. If he prays and his minde be drawn aside by distractions and his affections work not with sorrow hope with earnest desire and some confidence he accounts that the work is not done he hath said something but he thinks he hath not prayed 'T is true and he confesseth so much that the cause of acceptance of all services is in Christ yea but he must serve and strives to serve the Lord with all his heart he looks to the manner of service on his part In singlenesse of heart as unto Christ not with eye-service c. Eph. 6. 5 6. see Rom. 12. 8. 3 John 5. Thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest 5. Humility of obedience why this doth argue the uprightnesse Humility of obedience of a person There is no person more proud of his work then an hypocrite Christ tells us that he cannot give an almes but the trumpet is presently at his mouth There are two things which may befal a man upon the performance of any holy duties One is rejoycing and this is lawful when God hath enlarged my heart in prayer when he hath quickned me in his service raised my affections animated my faith assisted me more then ordinary against my dulnesse distractions unbelief temptations I may rejoyce my heart should be raised to blesse the Lord and in some cases to speak of this his goodness to his glory Another is boasting when a man like the cock claps the wing upon his own body when he sets out himself the more deales with others more to admire him to extoll him when he blesseth himself and bestows the honour of all his performances upon himself Now this is base and argues that the heart is not upright but the upright heart doth all the holy performances by its masters strength and for it masters glory when it is to do duty it begges for Gods grace when it hath done duty it gives â—od the glory 1 Chron. 29. 13. Now therefore O Lord our God we thank thee and praise thy glorious name ver 14. But who am I and what is my people that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort for all things come of thee and of thine own have we given thee Like a faithful servant who craves direction how to sell â—nd trade And when that is done the money which he takes he puts into his Masters coffer Nay more then all this the upright heart doth much feare it selfe least by any meanes it should finger any part of Gods â—lory by well-doing let any praise from man come near O saith the upright personâ— what have I which I have nor received Not I but the grace of God in me it is but duty and that not done so much or so well as is required so that God will pardon my failings and accept of me in Christ it is enough Obj. It is true that upon some extraordinary actings even an upright heart may feel some secret thoughts of self applause and oftentation Sol. But these are felt as temptations as snares and resisted yea and such secret flies cause many tears to be cast after singular performance but the hypocrite he doth seek praise and accept of it he loves the praise of men and knows how to cry up himself Epamâ—nondas went weeping because of the vain-glory of yesterdays victory and triumph the hypocrite is proud even of his humility 5. A fifth trial whether a man be upright or no is if the bent An upright person the bent and purpose of his heart is unto God and purpose of his heart be unto God Meer particular actions do not conclude either way the estate of the soule An hypocrite may do some good act and an upright person may do some sinful act But that which even in such Cases may testifie unto a man his uprightnesse is the true bent and purpose of the heart Look which way the heart is set and purposed in the habitual temper of it that doth convince either of hypocrisie or of uprightnesse By the heart of man
service is not so good as God may and doth require if he should stand with us upon tearms of strict Justice But then fourthly though there be many imperfections cleaving to the services of men yet if they be upright God will for all them graciously accept of their services Though I pray and with many distractions and though I heare and within my interpretations yet if I be upright in the performances of these i. if my heart be for God indeed under these that I bring in the truth and present strength of my spirit with all humble respect to Gods commands and unfeigned integrity of aiming at Gods glory the services are graciously accepted with God Yea though I cannot alwayes use so many words in prayer though expressions are not so many at this time as at another nay though I finde not that livelihood and chearfulness now as heretofore yet if the heart be upright the service is done and accepted There are two things which may assure a good man that his services are accepted One is faith when he presents his services in the name of Christ look as every sinner needs a Mediatour of redemption so every good man still needs the same Christ as a Mediatour of intercession for his services And though services as done by us can finde no favour yet as presented by Christ they are alwayes a sweet savour before the Lord he is that Angel who hath a golden Censer and hath much incense which he offers with the prayers of all Saints before the Throne Rev. 8. 3. though our services be but weak testimonies yet Christs intercession is a strong and mighty ingratiating both of our persons and actions Another is uprightnesse when the heart is true and plain in what it doth Beloved remember this that as God doth not respect the strongest parts which are passiue as I may say and are idle so he doth not reject the meanest abilities if uprightly imployed No not the day of small things is despised by him if the flax be smoaking though it flame not he will not quench it that is he will not only not slight it but cherish and accept of it 2 Cor. 8. 12. The widows mite the cup of cold water was accepted If a man can truly say Lord I would believe more stedfastly if I could and I strive to believe and I would pray better if I could yet as well as I can I now present my supplications before thee I would serve thee more fully more intirely that is the desire of my soul and my endeavour if I had wherewithal thou shouldst have a better heart more lively affections more ample and chearful duties all should be better if I had a better power I say that notwithstanding the many imperfections yet this uprightnesse this holy frame of a compleat and active will wherein all the powers of the soul are bent to services according to the present power of the measure of grace â—â—â—eived is a most sweet smelling sacrifice and mounts into the most gracious acceptance of God in Christ I pray you remember that of David like as a father pities his childe so the Lord pitieth them that feare him Psal 103. 13. And that of the Prophet I will spare them as a man spareth his own sonne that serveth him Mal. 3. 17. The father commands his childe to lift up the weight and the childe readily addresseth to the obedience he lifts and assayes and still he gives another ha at it but perhaps he cannot get it quite up why the father likes his childe for this and though perhaps the weight be where it was yet he calls this act of his child true obedience why because though that be not done which the father imposed yet it had been done if the child had more strength and he endeavoured with all his strength for to do it Or thus the father wills the childe to shoot an Arrow the child draws the Arrow perhaps but half way and though his eye were upon the mark yet his arrow falls short many Bowes length why the father will yet commend all this for though he sees that the Arrow is short yet he observes that the Bowe was drawn and although the mark be not hit with the Arrow yet it was aimed at with the eye of the childe so is it with God our father who commands such and such duties to which if we addresse our selves with uprightness he will wink and passe by the weakness in action whiles he both observes and accepts the integrity of intention and affection Obj. O saith an upright person I finde such infinite heaps of other thoughts such dulnesse and deadnesse of spirit such untowardlinesse so many weaknesses every way all which are the grief of my soul and it troubles me much that I cannot do the good that I would how will the Lord take such broken services from me Sol. I answer if thy heart be upright in these interrupted services God hath mercy to pardon the weaknesses and he hath wisdome to finde out the uprightnesse and he hath graciousness to accept of the dutifulnesse A Goldsmith will not cast away those lesser raies of gold though mingled and to an inexpert person confounded with various heaps of drosse and â—â—st now he hath an art to find out the little gold and put side the drosse Though with all our holy actions there be much corruption and weakness commixt yet there is such a wise art in Gods gracious mercy as to finde out uprightnesse and holinesse of desire and endeavour in a service commanded with many infirmities 2 Chr. 30 18. the Lord pardon every one v. 19. That prepareth his heart to seek the Lord God of his fathers though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary verse 20. And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people 2. A second comfort is this that if a man be upright he shall not only finde acceptance for services but also indulgence for offences If a man be upright he shall not only finde acceptance for service but indulgence for offence You must ever distinguish twixt the cause and the subject the cause of all pardoning indulgence is the free grace of God in the blood of Christ but the subject of indulgence is the person to whom God is pleased to give his pardon and release None comes in under the wings of the mercy-seat so as the upright persons Uprightnesse in Scripture hath in a well understood sense seemed to cover all you read of King Asa and of many passages which did greatly blur him both as a King and as a good man he did not break down the high-places he sought to the Physicians he joyned to the King of Syria he cast the Prophet into prison who reproved him for it yet 2 Chron. 15. 17. the heart of Asa is said to be perfect all his dayes How all his dayes and yet such sinnings sometimes yes all his dayes for sinnes stand
upon the account and seeme to be reckoned not so much when they are done as when they are done with a sinful heart And they lose upon the account they are struck off God passeth over them when the bent of their heart is against them see that place and passage of David Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered ver 2. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no iniquity verily brethren that mans estate is blessed whose sins are pardoned O! if the Lord be reconciled to a man if the Lord covers his sinne i. will not look upon them in a judicial way so as to account and reckon with the sinner for them if the Lord will not impute iniquity to him i. though he hath iniquity yet the Lord will forgive it it shall not redound unto him in punishment but it shall be blotted out and be as if it had never been tell me seriously is not this a blessed thing tell me now you whose hearts are ready to break asunder with the sense of guilt whither pardoning mercy be not a most blessed and desirable thing You will freely confesse it is but then the question is who is that man that is so blessed what is his temper how is he qualified See on in that ver 2. he is one in whose spirit is no guile what 's that that is he is the upright person whose spirit is really and plainly for God who in truth desires to please him who in truth hates all sin This is that blessed man and in this is a great part of his blessednesse that the Lord will not impute his iniquities unto him but will forgive and cover them i. so forgive them that they shall not rise upon the account any more Paul did upon this conclude by way of testimony to himself and for others that there was no condemnation unto them Rom. 8. 1. why what was Paul what was his temper verily it was upright Obj. Upright why he complains of sin that he was sold under it he complaines of the Law of his members warring against the Law of his mind he complains that he was brought into captivity he complaines that when he would do good yet evill was present with him How then can be say that there was no condemnation for him how was he upright Sol. Thus his being upright did not consist in this that he had no sin in him nor in this that he did no sin nor in this that he did all the good which he saw should be done But in this that he hated the sin which dwelt in him that he resisted the evil working in him that his inward man approved the good and condemned the evil that his inward man hated the evil and was delighted in the Law of God This was his uprightness and upon this he concludes that there was no condemnation i. his sinne should not sink his soul to hell they should not separate him from the love of God in Christ they should not be imputed to him but Christ would take them off An upright person the Lord is his God in covenant 3. A third comfort to an upright person is this that the Lord is his God in Covenant You are not Ignorant of the Covenant which God did stipulate with Abraham Gen. 17. 1. I am the Almighty al-sufficient walk before me and be thou perfect what is the meaning of that In a Covenant you know there are two parties and they mutually undertake and agree so here is God on the one part and here is Abraham on the other part and God promiseth and Abraham promiseth God promiseth to be All-sufficient unto him and engageth himself in an everlasting Covenant to be his God ver 7. now Abraham promiseth to walk uprightly before the Lord and this is all that the Lord agrees with him for walke before me and be upright and then I am thy God and I will be thy All-sufficiency Obj. Why you will say this is granted it is cleare that God Covenants to be a God to an upright person But what so great comfort in that Sol. Nay then I have done if yet you understand not If yet you think it so poore so meane a thing for God to be your God in Covenant I tell you brethren when God becomes your God in Covenant when he saith to a person I will be a God unto thee it is infinitely more then if the Lord should say to a man I will give unto the all the world O for God to be my God what is it but this I am thine and all that I am or have or can do shall be thine and for thee I am an holy God and that shall be to make thee holy I am a mercifull God and that shall be to pardon thy sins I am a powerfull God and that shal be to help thee to deliver thee to conquer for thee I am a faithfull God and that shall be to make every promise good which I have made unto thee I am a wise God and that shall be to bring in thy comforts thy deliverances thy helps in the most desirable season When sins trouble thee I will pardon them when they are too strong for thee I will subdue them when thy heart is sorrowful I will comfort it when thy graces are weak I will strengthen them when men disgrace thee I will honour thee when dangers arise I will preserve thee what thou needest that I will give thee what thou hast that I will blesse to thee all this and far more then this it is for God to be our God in covenant Nay and all this is ours by covenant that is it is not a faire and empty pretext it is not a glorious and vaine complement but really so and firmly so the Lord if he be our God in covenant doth bind himselfe to be all this unto us by the fidelity of his nature by the truth of all his promises by the seale of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ Now what think you do you now not think that the people happy who are in such a case whose God is the Lord Psal 144. 15. I tell you we are not able to Imagine the height and depth and breadth of this one comfort that God is my God in covenant and yet whatsoever you apprehend of it whatsoever you feel of it whatsoever it is it is the portion of the upright persons thou art my portion O Lord for ever said upright David Psal 119. 4. Uprightnesse intitles the person to all blessings of heaven and Uprightnesse intitles to all the blessings of heaven and earth of earth as David spake of Jerusalem that I may say of the upright person all my springs are in thee or what Iacob said of Ioseph that he was A fruitful branch or bough uprightnesse is like Arons Rod full of blosomes you know that place Psal 84. The Lord God is a sun and shield the Lord will
give grace and glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walke uprightly what is the sun but the great and inexhausted fountaine of Light of life of heate of influence of comfort that will God be to them that walke uprightly what is a shield but the defence and safegard of a person against shots and blowes that also is God to them that walke uprightly Will grace do their hearts good will glory do their souls good is there any good which respects the militant condition is their any good which respects the triumphant condition neitheir grace nor glory nor any good shall be with-held from them that walke uprightly Noah was upright and had an Ark Ebedmelech had his life given him for a prey Jerem. 39. 18. Amunitions of Rockes for the upright Esay 33. 15 16. What shall I say brethren all the promises which you know are the treasures of heaven the cabinets of our comfort the store-house of our wants the hand which holds and delivers out all our supplies why all of them do as it were beset and incompasse the upright person art thou an upright person and looks upon thy family Prov. 14. 11. The tabernacle of the upright shall flourish art thou an upright person and castest an eye up to thy posterity why Psal 112. 2. The generation of the upright shall be blessed Art thou an upright person and desirest such or such a necessary outward comfort why Psal 37. 4. Delight thy self in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart Art thou an upright person and suspectest the continuation of thy outward estate why Ps 37. 18. The days of the upright and their inheritance shall be for ever Art thou an upright person and thy comforts seem a while to be clowded Neither cannest thou espy any one hopefull crevise or future joy why Psa 112. 4. Unto the upright their ariseth light in the darknesse and Psal 97. 11. Light is sowen for the righteous and Joy for the upright in heart Art thou an upright person and knowest not how to breake through the manifold fortifications and strengthen of envy or power why The Lord will bring forth thy righteousnesse as the light Psal 37. 6. what can keep downe the rising of the sun And the eyes of the Lord run to and fro through all the whole earth to shew himselfe strong in the behalfe of them whose heart is perfect towards him 2 Chron. 16. 9. Uprightnesse will comfortably season all our conditions Fifthly it will comfortably season all our conditions you know this life of ours is capable of many changes the weather doth not alter so often as our temporary conditions do calmes and tempest light and darknesse comforts and discomforts friendship and then malicious opposition health and then a painefull fit of sicknesse Riches and then a sinking poverty liberty and then some hard restraint or exile one day gaine comes in another day it is dashed out by the greatness of loss this day full of joy the next day all his forgotten by the abundance of sad teares for the death of a parent of a yoke-fellow of a child of a friend c Nay and the soule hath its changes too sad conflicts bitter assaults strong accusations from Satan and the like What now is a choicer Arke to beare us up in all these waves what harbour like to this of uprightnesse why saith David Psal 73. 1. Yet or however God is good to Israel even to the upright in heart and Paul 2. Cor. 1. 12. Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world O Brethren a false and base heart nothing sets on affliction a losse a scandal an accusation so close as it when a mans heart can smite him for an hypocrite for a lover of sin hypocrisy sinkes the conscience under these burdens But uprightnesse can looke an accusation in the face and beare up the spirit in a storme and though uprightnesse may be exposed to many crosses yet it can comfort a man in the sadest day for it hath alwayes a good friend abroad of God and within of conscience 6. Here is another comfort uprightnesse will be a good friend Uprightnesse will be a good friend in death in death Psal 37. 37. mark the upright man and behold the perfect for the end of that man is peace The upright person hath most conflicts ordinarily in life and most quiet ordinarily in death O When death shall approach the dwellings of the prophane and hypocriticall and shall say I have a message unto thee from God he hath commanded me to arrest thy soule and to present it before his judgement seat How doth the heart of a profane wretch gather into feare and horror yea and how doth fearefulnesse and confusions fly up in thâ— brest and countenance of the hypocrite his conscience delivers up his morsells from which he would not part and shames and strikes him for his abominable collusions and Glosings in the service of God reports unto him that he must presently stand before a God who is spirit and truth and never could abide unsoundnesse but will be avenged of hypocrisie good Lord how the heart of this man trembles and sighs he would thrust out the thoughts of dying but cannot he would stay a while longer here below but may not O! now he is gasping trembling sighing dying and gives out life and all with heart-breaking despaire But now if the person be upright even the message of death may be welcome If the Lord calls for me I may answer here am I O Lord look upon me and accept of me in Christ and Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight I have fought a good fight I have kept the faith I have finished my Course c. 2. Tim. 4. 6 7. More particulars might be added as 7. uprightnesse begets conscience towards God the upright hath boldnesse he may freely make his prayer and be sure to be heard 1. John 3. 21 22. 8. It will hold out in evill times Luk. 8. 15. the fourth ground held out even in times of persecution because the word was received into an honest heart 9. The upright person is sure of salvation Psal 15. 1. Lord who shall dwell in thy holy Hill v. 2. he that walkes uprightly Mat. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Object But all this will not strike into some hearts whiles we suspect our estate we alwayes deny our comfort O saith a person I feare I am not upright and so this comfort belongs not to me I feare I am not upright therefore all this goodly portion of sweet comfort appertaines not to me I Answere to this a word or too in the generall Answered 1. A man may be
to walk with him he would be careful to please him fearful to offend him ready to obey him would be kept in for God he would not make so many strayings he would minde Gods glory more Thirdly get to hate sin A secret love of sin after all restraints and pauses will draw the soule aside It will like a covered Get to hate sin disease break out againe There are three things in hatred which contribute to uprightnesse 1. It is an inward aversation the very heart is drawen off from an object and the heart is filled with a loathing and a detestation of the evill not the tongue and looks onely but the very inclination of the will is turned aside 2. It is universall for hatred is of the kinde the will in the whole latitude of it is the object of hatred I hate every false way said David Psal 119. 3. It is permanent and durable passion is a storme which will quickly off but hatred is a setled quality arguments allay it not nor doth time remove it what have I to do any more with Idols said Ephraim Hosea 14. 8. They shall defile their coverings and say unto them get thee hence Esa 30. 22. So that if a man could get the hatred of sin he should quickly finde an even uprightnesse The cause why a man is not even in his walking is either because 1. His heart is not bent against sinne but gives a delightful way unto it it doth not resist and loath it but harbours and favours it 2. Some one particular lust winnes and gaines upon the soule though some are unacted yet one speciall lust is retained which hath power to command and rule the life 3. He is carried against sin upon mutable and decaying grounds which being removed the heart then returnes to its proper and naturall bent But now if spiritual hatred of sinne were implanted then the combat twixt sin and the person would be inward the very heart would loath the nature and inclinations of it and it would be universall and constant so that here would arise a generall evennesse in a mans coversation Unevenness though it appear without yet it begins within the heart is the maine wheele of a mans course and therefore if love gets the heart for God and hatred rules the heart against sin you may very well believe that these two will yeeld out a very upright endeavour and course of holinesse In spirituals that which keeps the fountaine doth keep the streame and that which betters the heart doth likwise well order the life 2. For the second which respect the preserving meanes take Directions for preserving it these directions 1. First if you would preserve uprightnesse you must preserve Preserving aâ— holy feare of God an holy feare of God you know the promise I will put my feare into their hearts and they shall not depart from me Jere. 32. Sinning is the only departing from God He never leaves us but for sin our departing is our unevenness and we never leave him but by sinne and our unupright walkings but that now which keeps us from departing is feare The feare of the Lord is a fountaine of life to depart from the snares of death Prov. 24. 27. If a man could alwayes keep an awful and powerfull regard to God that he stood in awe of his attributes and of his word he would keep plaine with God he would not transgresse for a morsel nor thinke that it may be safe for him to sin An Holy feare of God hath these two Properties 1. It puts the soule and actions in Gods presence one saith that God is all eye to see every thing and all eare to heare every thing so doth holy feare represent God as one who is now beholding all that I do and as one who understands my thoughts afar off from whom no not the whisperings of the minde nor the imaginations of my heart nor the closest and most secret actings can be concealed Its stands in awe of this all discovering God how can I do this great wickednesse and sinne against God saide Joseph when there were none but he and his mistresse and his God together Gen. 39. 9. I feare his justice that it will breake out upon me if I should dare to sin and I feare his mercy that it will draw off if I presume to offend Psal 4. 4. Stand in awe and sinne not Psal 119. 161. Princes also have persecuted me without a cause Why this might stirre up strange qualities in David O no but my heart standeth in awe of thy word q. d. I dirst not breake out to sin for all that thy word which I feared kept me in 2. Faith breeds and preserves uprightnesse and evennesse I â—aith preserves uprightnesse remember the Apostles caution Heb. 3. 12. Take heed brethren least their be in any of you an evill heart of unbeliefe in departing from the living God unbeliefe it is the root of all hypocrisie and appostacy that men are but halfe in duties it is because they do not indeed believe the extent of obedience to God and that they keep some private lust it is because they do not indeed believe the truth of Gods justice power wrath But saith causeth evennesse forasmuch 1. As it sets up prevailing arguâ—ents the soul never doubtes in the way but by the strength of false arguments either false pleasures or false profits is forcible with the heart insnares it we step aside alwaies by the cunning of error But faith not only discovers false inducements but also bringes better and stronger motives it knowes and teacheth where the soule will be at a losse and holds it off by the goodnesse and kindnesse and loving favour of God who would venture his comfortable aspect of God and sweet communion with Christ for a morsel of stollen bread or for one draught of unlawful pleasure 2. It constraines the heart to singular love of God and Christ the more faith the more love all true faith is inflaming for it sees and feels much love and therefore kindles much now much love raiseth much evennesse in walking whiles the love is kept up close to God the heart and life ordinarily are kept in an upright motion for all true love is tender and careful and pleasing 3. It purifies the heart Faith is like fire which hath one quality to ascend and another to burne so faith it negotiates for us at heaven and likewise it breeds more intrinsecall renovation of the heart by holinesse faith is the best friend to our graces the surest helpe to our affections the strongest prop to our duties and the sorest enemy to our sinnes No grace doth so much for the heart as faith our assistance for good and our resistance of evil depends most on it we finde experimentally that many sinnes then breake out when we loose the sight of God as long as we can eye God the soule is safe see God in his promises
is to it as a medicine to a disease or as water to spots or as health to sickness gradually altering healing cleansing Another is the Guilt which binds over the sinner to punishment wrath and damnation this is the object of forgiveness in it sin is not healed but pardoned the disposition of the sinner is not altered but his condition When the King pardons a thief his theft now shall not prejudice him so in Gods mercifull forgiveness sinfull guilt is so effectually removed that finally and redundantly it shall never prejudice the eternal life and salvation of the person much more might be said of this subject but I am unwilling to insist on any more then serves to inlighten the point in hand 2. Of this Forgiveness there is a Possibility you must distingush twixt the Of this forgiveness there is a possibility Infallibility of forgiveness which is not to every sin whatsoever or to any sin whatsoever without some condition A grant of actual pardon issues not out of the Court of Mercy unless persons believe and repent It is true there is an infiniteness of Divine mercy considered in it self but in the dispensation and exercise of it it is pleased to bound and confine it self to some sinners only namely to such as forsake their sins Possibility of forgiveness Though perhaps the sinner never comes actually to partake of mercy but perhaps refuseth his pardon yet is there a possibility and that in a twofold respect One In respect of God who doth not in his Word shut the door of Mercy against him nor exclude him nay so far is he from that as that he offers freely the blood of Christ which was shed for the Remission of sins Another In respect of the sinner there is except he sin the sin against the Holy Ghost a Receptivity he is not utterly uncapable he hath not such absolute contradictions to the Tenor of Divine Mercy but that God may without violation of his Glory confirm mercy on him my meaning is his condition is not peremptorily sealed up for wrath but there is a space and away for mercy and some pleas may be made for it 3. Though the sins of a person may be for their nature For what sins great for their kind gross vile abominable for their circumstances high and crying dyed over with many intensive aggravations not only surrepstitious but flagirious enormities as well as infirmities iterated as well as acted Before Conversion and after Conversion all these are capable of pardon 2. The Demonstration of the truth The Extent of Mercy The truth demonstrated from the Records of heaven in whereupon ariseth the possible pardon of all manner of sin is most evident to any considerable apprehension which can or will seriously weigh 1. The volumns and records of heaven I mean the sacred Word revealing and testifying this 1. In the commands of the vilest sinners to repent They in 1. Commands Esa 1. who for the fouleness of their wickedness are stiled Rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah verse 10. and their sins are called scarlet and crimson sins verse 18. yet verse 16. are called upon to repent Wash you make you clean put away the evil of you doings from before mine eyes Cease to do evil learn to do well So in Jer. 3. 1. Though their sin was spiritual Adultery they had forsaken the true God yet are they called upon to Return Now this is a truth that though the Precepts of Repentance do not imply an infallibility of the practise of Repentance yet they do imply a possibility of it and consequently of Mercy 2. In the vastness of pardoning promises the promise of 2. pardoning promises pardon is equal to Repentance Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Here he speaks to the wicked and to the unrighteous person and indefinitely to any and every one of them and assures them if they do repent God will have mercy on them Object And whereas they might object yea but our sins are many and great Sol. He replies that God will abundantly pardon he will multiply pardon as if he had said do but repent and fear not Mercy whatever your former sins have been So in Ezek. 18. 21. If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my statutes verse 22. All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him Mark that phrase All the sins which he hath committed The actual grants of pardon 2. The actual grants of mercy and pardon to the greatest sinners to instance only in a few Adam was one of the greatest sinners that ever lived though not in this respect that he continued long in the practise of sin yet in a causal sence he not only committed a most high sin himself but was also the cause and occasion of all the horrible sins and dishonours against God that ever was or all the sons of men have done or will commit yet God pardoned him when he made a Covenant with him in Christ Gen. 3. Manasseh seems to be a volumn bound up with all kinds of notorious sins and with every kind of sinfull aggravation view his description in 2 Chron. 33. 3. 3. He reared up Altars for Baalim and made groves and worshipped all the hoast of heaven and served them 4. Yea In the house of God he built Altars 5 For all the hoast of heaven did he build Altars in the courts of the Multiplied Idolatry Audatious Idolatry Unnatural Idolatry house of God A most audacious Idolater who durst provoke God to his very face in bringing of the Ark and Dagon together 6. And he caused his Children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom 7. He offered his own Children in sacrifice to the devil 8. Also he observed times and used inchantments and witchcrafts and dealt with a familiar spirit and with Wizards and Sorcery wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke to Anger Deliberate and intentional provocation 9. He made Judah and Jerusalem to err and to do worse then the Heathens 10. And the Lord spake unto Manasseh but he would not Diffusive Idolatry hearken One would scarcely imagine that the heart of man could be Intensive Idolatry Convicted and yet obstnate the womb of such hideous villanies or that Mercy would ever respect such a sinner yet verse 12. He humbled himself greatly before the Lord. verse 13. And prayed unto him and God was intreated of him and heard his supplication Who would have risen so high in sin but a Manasseh and what mercy would have so exceedingly condescended to forgive but that of God Paul before his Conversion his sins were very high so high that as Theophilact
hand An unprepared condition is wofull 2. How wofull is the unpardoned condition men go on in sin and make a work of it but speak slightly of it but the truth is 1. Sin makes God our enemy therefote it is called enmity in Sin makes God our enemy Ephe. 2. and a provocation because it stirs up the wrath of God against us which wrath if it should seize on thy soul Ah miserable man then thou canst neither suffer it nor decline it Jesus Christ standing in our stead felt some of it and it made him sweat drops of blood and to cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me How then shall a poor weak guilty sinner stand under the fierceness of his indignation 2. Sin unpardoned makes conscience our enemy As long as the Lord Conscience our enemy hath a quarrel with us for sin conscience may not speak any peace unto us Now the Lord be mercifull unto us if the Lord should awaken thy conscience and set thy sins in order who knows what would become of thee Knowest thou the power of conscience when it is opened to behold a God angry and sin unpardoned Read the vigor of it in Cain and the terror of it in Judas how it crached their spirits and brought the one to the utmost desperation and the other to the grave and hell in despite of all former advantages 3. And who can tell how soon he may die Go and listen Who can tell how soon he may die sometimes at a dying bed the person quakes and the bed trembles and the heart sighs what is it that the man speaks so to himself Ah Lord saith he I would not die and then tears trickle down his cheeks and his heart is ready to flie in pieces But why wouldst thou not die O no my sins are many I now see them and feel the bitter wrath of God for them Oh! my sins they are not pardonable and who can dwell with everlasting burnings or stand before the holy and just God 3. What unspeakable comfort is it to have our sins forgiven It is unspeakable comfort to have sin pardoned Son said Christ Mat. 9. 4. Be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee When the Israelites got through the red sea and looked back and saw their enemies all drowned what reviving was this if the drowning of corporal enemies be such a cause of joy who could but kill our bodies what cause of exultation for the drowning of spiritual enemies of sins in the depths of mercy which else would have destroyed oursouls How shall I express the comfort of it David saith all in one word The man is blessed whose iniquities are forgiven Now blessedness is the center of all joy and comfort Tell me brethren what think you 1. Of freedom from hell that you shall never see the place of the damned Is that a matter of comfort why If sin be pardoned hell is discharged There is no condemnation if Remission 2. Of Gods loving kindness David said it was life nay better then life Oh what is this God is reconciled unto me in Christ he looks on me not as a Judge but as a fathet with ardent affections and compassions why if sin be pardoned God is reconciled enmity slain all differences twixt you and God are taken off 3. Of the blood of Christ Is it worth the having or of interest in Christ it is worth the enjoying why if pardoned then doubtless united to Christ and how many and great are the benefits that result and follow upon union 4 Of Peace of conscience It is a mercy that Conscience can and may speak peace chear us up assure us stand for us against men and devils Why when sin is pardoned conscience may not accuse it hath nothing to do but direct us in good ways and to comfort us with the testimonies of our pardon and Reconciliation with God 5. Of all outward mercies Oh! what a life doth a pardoned sinner live If he looks up to heaven all is peace if he looks down to earth all is comfort he hath lands and sins pardoned too wife children honours friends yea and his sins are pardoned too 6. Lastly What think you of confidence in death When you are leaving the earth then to be assured your next journey is to heaven After grace to find glory would you ever be willing to die be confident in death live in death live after death O then get your sins whatsoevet they are to be pardoned 11. The Means if you ask what may we do to get our sins The means forgiven I shall answer briefly 1. Find out your sins and know them and that is done by the study of the Law which gives us the knowledge of sin 2. Beg of God for a contrite heart so as to be sensible of sin and weary of it and broken for it The weeping woman was forgiven Luke 7. 44 47. 3. And also for a penitential heart Repent saith Peter that your sins may be blotted out Act. 3. 19. See Isa 55. 7. 4. And for a Believing heart in the Lord Jesus In whose blood and for whose sake we obtain Remission of our sins 2 Cor. 5. 20. God was in Christ reconciling the world not imputing our sins 5. And for a forgiving heart see Mat. 6. 14 15. 6. Make it a daily and vehement petition for Repentance and forgiveness as did David Psalm 51. and sue all out in the name of Christ Object But these things are hard and laborious Sol. But they are for mercy O Mercy I perish without thee and therefore I will not live without thee sleep without thee die withou thee I will pray for mercy I will go to Christ for mercy and shall it seem so grievous to me to leave a sin which will damn me to get mercy which will save me II. The Tribunal of Justice erected in these words But the Blasphemy against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven These words are the saddest expressions of purest Justice that ever were uttered Oh what is the height what the depth of this for a sinner to rise to such a peculiar degree and form of sinning as for ever to distinguish himself from all hope of mercy never never never to he pardoned In this there are two things to be inquired into 1. What this Blasphemy against the holy Ghost is What this sin is 2. The irremissibleness of this Blasphemy Touching the first of these there are several opinions and no marvel for to find the right nature of this sin is a work not of the least difficulty In Scripturis sanctis nulla major questio nulla difficilior invenitur saith Austin 1. The Novations thought every sin after Baptism especially Quid est quod Novato succenseamus tollenti poeâ—itentiam dicentique nullam eos veniam obtinere qui post lavacrum peccant Athan. Tom. 1. in hoc subject p. 776. denial of Christ in time of perfection
a clear glass through which any one may see the pulse and motion of it But this is sure that however in this life our actions and wayes may be wrapt up with many devices and hidden conceits of Hypocrisie Yet at the day of Judgement every man shall be throughly opened anatomized as it were and orderly cut up What his heart did love or hate what publick or private wickedness it did act and would not forsake what pretences to cover secret sinnings what bawlkings and declinings of known duties what ingenuous or sordid ends in all and every performance all these and more then these must be spread open at the day of Judgement before the eyes of men and Angels Of which did we believingly consider probable it is that we would attend to uprightness of heart and life to present a fair copy of our selves to the eye of God 3. A little unevenness will mar the comfort of a great deal of A little unevenness will marre the comfort of our uprightness uprightness There are two sorts of unevenness in walking One is Habitual and allowed which marres the just hopes and expectations of glory Forasmuch as that is either gross profaneness or cunning Hypocrisy both which are excluding sins Another is Actual which is a trip a stumble an out-stripping in the course of a pious walking I confess it may befall the best yet it will imbitter our soules All the good course which a man hath led and actions which he hath sincerely done cannot so much comfort him as many particular obliquities and unevennesses may sad and perplex him As in a Simile wrinch of the foot the present pain shuts out the sense of all former strength or as in the sickness of the stomack the present disease closeth up the sense of all health so the particular miscarriages in a Christian course they may fold up or at least suspend the tast of all the sensible comfort which uprightness formerly yielded and shot forth They may break the bones of David Psalm 51 and melt the soul of Peter and cast us both to darkness of trouble and sorrow and the labour of many active endeavours before we can see God to be our God again and be perswaded that our estate is really right and sound 4. That God is to be set up above all It is an hard yet it is That God is to be set up above all an usefull thing to ascribe unto God the Original of excellencies that he is God and that Power Might and Glory and obedience belongs unto him that he made us and not we our selves and that our beings as they are depending upon his power so our wayes upon his Rule and he is Lord of Lords all are under him and being the universal efficient he ought also to be our universal end God is set up above all other 1. When his Rule and Word swayes us against all other 2. When his Glory is singly or supreamly aimed at above all other things and both these complear uprightness FINIS THE THRONE OF MERCY AND THE TRIBUNAL OF JUSTICE ERECTED In the Remissibleness of All Sin and in the Irremissibleness of the SIN against the HOLY GHOST In two SERMONS on Mat. 12. 31. Preached before an Honourable Auditory By Obadiah Sedgwick B. D. LONDON Printed by T. R. for Adoniram Byfeild at the sign of the three Bibles in Corn-hill near Popes-head Alley Anno 1660. THE THRONE of MERCY AND TRIBUNAL of JUSTICE MAT. 12. 31. Wherefore I say unto you all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men THE best of actions are oft-times subject to misconstructions and a busie malice will either find or fasten spots upon the purest innocency This Chapter is the Map wherein you may read these truths Christ cannot speak or do but an envious Pharisee will pry and censure and slander Nothing is more offensive to an ill eye then the light and that which much afflicts an ill heart is the beauty of that good which it sees in or done by others Let Christs Disciples pluck but some ears of corn only to make necessary satisfaction to natural hunger verse 1. the Pharisee will presently pluck at Christ himself and murmur him not to be a pattern of obedience but a pattern of licentiousness Behold thy Disciples do that which is not lawfull on the Sabbath day verse 2. If Christ doth step from the field into the Synagogue verse 9. there also shall he have the catching attendance of the Pharisee Malicious hatred is like the shadow which will pursue the body of pious actions Here he no sooner finds a fit object for his mercy but the Pharisees endeavoured to divert the execution by an ensnaring scruple Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath daies verse 10. as though the duties of piety jusled out all offices of charity and that God who commanded sacrifice had not also preferred mercy They themselves would reach forth the courtesie of relief to a distressed beast v. 11. and therefore Christ might justly lend his hand of mercifull Charity to a diseased person verse 12. In the 22. ver He heals one possessed of a devil a miracle that begat amazement amongst the people and some kind of credence concerning his Divinity but in the Pharisees it vented plain Blasphemy This fellow casts out devils by the prince of devils verse 24. A bitter and high reproach and such as was for the truth neither probable nor possible For First Will Satan cast out Satan He that seeks the constant support will he willingly overthrow his own Kingdom Secondly Can Satan cast out Satan he that is cast out must be of lesser power and he that doth cast out must be of greater power but can Satan be greater and lesser then himself These Arguments could not but convince their judgements yet they did not extingush their malice they could not deny these to be truths yet will they pertinaciously deny their affections to them what they could not answer they would resist and though they saw sufficient reason and evidence yet they are resolved not to believe but to contemn Christ Wherefore I say unto you all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost c. Which words are like the two mountains of Moses Mount Eâ—al and Mount Gorazim of blessing and of curses here is the sweetest mercy and the purest Justice or the Throne of Parts of the Text. Mercy and the Tribunal of Justice or here is set out two glorious Attributes of God Mercy and Justice I. You have the Throne of Mercy erected in these words The Throne of Mercy All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven wherein you have First The universality of the object not quoddam but The universality of the Object quodvis peccatum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every sin
pardoned p. 271 Prayers Divers qualities about our prayers p. 42 Many and great petitions may be put up at once in Prayer p. 41 Reasons of it p. 42 43 Presumptuous What Presumptuous sins are p. 53 Presumptuous sins described p. 54 55 Two things on which a presuming sinner doth imbolden himself p. 56 57 Why David prayes to be kept from Presumptuous sins p. 70 Reasons in respect of himself ibid. An Aptness in the best to Presumptuous sins ibid The best hath a self-inability to keep from such sins p. 71 Reasons in respect of the sins themselves p. 72 Presumptuous sins are amongst the highest ranks of sins p. 73 Mercy abused in presumptuous sinnings p. 74 Reasons in respect of others p. 75 Presumptuous sins in a godly man are examplary ibid. Such sins would be Trophies to evil men p. 76 Reasons in respect of God p. 77 We should be afraid of presumptuous sins p. 78 Degrees of presumptuous sinnings though very fearfull yet recoverable p. 81 Discoveries of presumptuous sinnings p. 82 Considerations to quicken our care against presumptuous sins p. 86 87 88 Rules to be kept from presumptuous Sins p. 89 Principles Two sorts of Principles which have an influence upon a man p. 169 R Regenerate WHether sin in dominion may befall a Regenerate person p. 117 Relation Our special Relation to God should work a care not to sin against him p. 50 Reasons of it p. 51 Repent A difficult thing to Repent p. 95 Repetition Repetition of sin is very fearfull p. 157 Repetition of sin may justly stagger a man about his condition p. 159 Resistance Whether all Resistance impair dominion of sin and no Resistance doth alwayes infallibly argue it p. 110 Restraint Restraint what it is p. 60 Whence it ariseth ibid. What it presupposeth p. 61 All Restraint of sin is from God p. 61 Alll evil men not equally restrained p. 61 Restraint of sin an act of mercifull providence p. 62 Both good and bad restrained from sin p. 62 63 God diversly restrains man from sin p. 63 Differences betwixt the Restraints of good men and evil men p. 65 66 67 How many wayes God restrains his servants from sin p. 68 69 S Sanctification SAnctification imperfect in this life p. 15 Secret Secret faults a holy person desires to be cleansed from them p. 6 In what respect sins are called secret p. 7 No sin secret to God ibid. Sin is secret to man in respect of the person sinning or the manner of sinning p. 8 9 Why we should desire to be cleansed from secret sins p. 11 Why secret sins deceive us most p. 12 Secret corruptions are the Christians trouble 16 Many wallow in secret sins with the Aggravations of it p. 18 19 The principle of sinning is secret p. 19 20 Discoveries of a desire to be cleansed from secret sins Negative and positive p. 21 Motives to inforce our care against secret sins p. 31 The Lord knows our secret sins early ibid. And will make them manifest p. 32 And judge them p. 33 A two-fold manifestation of Secret sins p. 32 Secret sins more dangerous then open p. 33 In what respects they are so p. 33 34 Aggravations of secret sins p. 34 35 36 Means to be cleansed from secret sins p. 36 Great sins should be feared as well as secret sins p. 45 Reasons of it p. 45 46 Secure Be not secure because of Gods present silence p. 92 93. Selfe-love Self-love implanted in every man and is natural p. 245 Duties may lawfully be discharged out of self-love p. 245 So it be a self-love in subordination not in competition p. 246 Servant A good man is Gods servant p. 47 Two forts of servants under God p. 48 His plea that we are Gods servants should be used to move the Lord to help us against sins p. 49 Service The Service of sin is the vilest Service p. 133 134 135 Gods gracious acceptance of our weak services p. 218 Divers considerations about our holy service p. 218 219 Sin Sin wherein the strength of it lies p. 13 Sins diversly distinguished p. 54 Beware of a course of little sins p. 89 Take heed of the Iterations of sin p. 90 A two-fold obedience unto sin p. 113 Several distinctions about obedience to the commands of sin p. 114 Every sin as acted is therefore the worse p. 119 The commands of sin are the vilest commands p. 122 123 How sin and we are enemies p. 137 Our strength against sin must be improved p. 17 Particular sinnings are compassable with a gracious frame not with a glorious condition p. 238 Tho things in sin p. 268 Sin vid. Dominion of Sin vid. Forgivness Sin makes God our enemy p. 277 Sin against the Holy Ghost vid. Blasphemy School-men wherein they place the sin against the H. Ghost p. 281 What this sin is called p. 288 Why it shall never be forgiven Negatively p. 288 Affirmatively p. 289 Means to preserve us from falling into this unpardonable sin p. 297 U Vain-glory vid. Hypocrisie Vpright Vprightness Case I. I fear I am not upright because of my particular sinnings Answered p. 120 Case II. Doubts from inequality about holy services Answered p. 240 241 Case III. Doubts of Vprightness from self-love answered p. 244. 245 Case IV. Whether all self-applause and vain-glory be incompatible with Vprightness Answered p. 246 247 Motives to get Uprightness p. 249 Means for the getting of upright hearts p. 251 Go to God for them ibid. Means for preserving Uprightness p. 253 Considerations to keep us upright p. 258 259 vid. Cheerfulness Uprightness vid. Fear of God vid. Faith vid. Holiness vid. Hypocrites vid. Hatred of sin vid. Humbleness of heart Some kinds of sinning contradict uprightness and what they are p. 138 139 A Christian should endeavour to be upright p. 177 What it is to be upright p. 178 Uprightness applyed severally p. 178 179. Uprightness expressed by sundry wayes and places p. 179 Uprightness described p. 182 Uprightness how it deals about Graces p. 185 Sins p. 186 Duties p. 187 Uprightness its end and scope p. 187 Why we should endeavour to be upright p. 189 God looks for it and at it ibid. It s the only thing he expects p. 191 It brings the whole man to God p. 192 God judgeth a man by it ibid. A difficult thing to be upright p. 201 To be upright is a possible thing p. 201 202 Discoveries of Uprightness p. 202 The principal care of Uprightness is the reformation of the heart ibid. The upright man makes conscience of all sins p. 204 How this may be discovered p. 205 Wherein Uprightness appears about sin p. 208 Uprightness discovered in our disposition about duties p. 209 By universality of obedience p. 210 By simplicity of obedience p. 212 By spirituality of obedience p. 213 By humility of obedience p. 215 An upright person the bent and purpose of his heart is to God p. 216 The upright person finds indulgence for offences p. 222 An
upright person the Lord is his God in Covenant p. 224 Uprightness intitles the person to the blessings of heaven and earth p. 225 Uprightness seasons all our conditions p. 226 Uprightness will be a good friend in death p. 227 I fear I am not upright Answered p. 228. Divers Cases about Uprightness p. 231 In case our abstinence from sin is out of fear of Judgement therefore not upright p. 231 W Weakness Great Weakness in the strongest Christian p. 80 Will. Three things appertain to the Will p. 109 There is a two-fold will ibid. There is a double concourse of the Wills consent to sin p. 111 World Hearts crucified to the world preserve uprightness p. 257 Be not peremptory for worldly ends p. 296 Work All the work of a Christian is not abroad p. 17 FINIS Courteous Reader These Books following are printed or sold by Adoniram Byfield at the three Bibles in Corn-hill next door to Popes-head Alley THE History of the Evangelicall Churches of the Valies of Piedmont containing a most exact Geographicall description of the place and a faithfull account of the Doctrine life and Preservation of the Ancient inhabitants together with a most naked and punctuall relation of the late bloody Massacre 1655. And a Narrative of all the following transactions to 1658. Justified partly by divers Ancient Manuscripts written many hundred yeares before Calvin or Luther by Samuel Monland Esq in fol. Divine Characters in two parts acutely distinguishing the moresecret and undiscerned differences between the hypocrite in his best dresse of seeming vertues and form of duties and the true Christian in his reall graces and sincere obedience by Mr. Samuel Crook in fol. A Commentary upon the three first Chapters of Genesis by that Reverend Divine Mr. John White late of Dorchester in fol. An Exposition upon Ezekiel by Mr. VVilliam Greenhill in 4o. The humble sinner resolved what he should do to be saved or faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the only way of salvation by Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick in 4o. The Riches of grace displayed in the offer and tender of salvation to poor sinners by Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick in 12o. The fountaine opened and the water of life flowing forth for the refreshing of thirstly sinners wherein is set out Christs earnest and gracious invitation of poor sinners to come unto the waters His complaining expostulation with the ingratitude and folly of those who neglect so great salvation His renewed Solicitation with all earnestness and the most perswasive Arguments to allure thirsty sinners to come to Christ by Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick in 4o. The Plain Doctrine of the Justification of a sinner in the sight of God justified by the God of Truth in his holy word and the cloud of witnesses in all ages wherein are handled the causes of the sinners Justification explained and applied in a plain doctrinal and familiar way for the Capacity and understanding of the weak and ignorant by Mr. Charls Chauncy in 4o. The Gospels Glory without prejudice to the Law shining forth in the glory of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost for the salvation of sinners who through Grace do believe by Richard Byfeild in 8o. A Declaration of the Faith and Order owned and practised in the Congregational Churches in England agreed upon and consented unto by their Elders and Messengers in their meeting at the Savoy in 4o. Habbakkuks prayer applyed to the Churches present occasion and Christs Counsel to the Church of Philadelphia very seasonable and usefull for these times by Mr. Samuel Balmford in 8o. A short Catechism by Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick Hidden Manna by Mr. Fenner in 12o. Safe Conduct or the Saints guidance to glory by Mr. Ralph Robinson in 4o. The Saints longing after their heavenly Country by Mr. Ralph Robinson in 4o. A Sermon at a Fast by Mr Nathaniel Ward in 4o. Moses his death a Sermon at the Funeral of Mr. Edward Bright Minister by Mr. Samuel Jacomb in 4o. A short and plain Catechism instructing a Learner of Christian Religion what he is to believe and what he is to practise by Mr. Samuel Jacomb in 8o. The Hipocritical Nation described with an Epistle prefixed by Mr. Samuel Jacomb in 4o. A Sermon of the baptizing of infants by Mr. Stephen Marshall in 4o. The unity of the Saints with Christ the head by Mr. Stephan Marshall There is now in the presse that long expected booke The Bowels of tender mercy Sealed in the everlasting Covenant by Mr. Obadiah Sedwick in fol.