uprightness preserve me for I wait on thee Two good props to a weak Christian. He may say Lord I have but weak graces to preserve me I have no parts or learning I have few friends to hold me up in thy wayes But I have thou knowest a sincere desire to please and serve thee O let integrity and uprightness preserve me and the rather for that I wait on thee I wait in the use of the means of perseverance and I wait by faith upon thy promise If sincerity will not hold me up I must fall He that walks in a narrow way must not reel if he reel he is in danger to fall The true Christian goes in such a way leaning is next to falling The upright man walks uprightly and therefore surely He hath liv'd to see great Scholars great Professors and great Preachers dwindle to nothing but by Grace he stande Sirs this is a great comfort and security to a poor soul my stock is small yet I hope I shall never break I drive but a mean trade but I perceive I go not backward better 〈◊〉 be a mean Saint than a great hypocrite my heart is sound I have no secret reserves I know nothing by my self I cannot run so fast as others but I am in the way that will certainly bring me to Gods holy hill Job 27. 5. Till I dye I will not remove my integrity from me My righteousness I hold fast my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live Among the many needless fears of the servants of God this is one that disquiets the soul when God stands only looking on namely shall I hold out I am a very weak creature the fall of one tree shakes another I have seen great Cedars fall they were once as confident as I if tryals come what will become of me Study and believe that excellent Scripture Jer. 32. 40 41. I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn from them to do them good Make a stand here poor soul. The eternal true and upright God is entred with thee even with the weakest and youngest believer into an everlasting Covenant that for his part notwithstanding all thy infirmities he will never mark never turn away from doing thy soul good O but my fear is saith many an upright heart that I shall forsake him and turn from him there is my fear Mark what follows then But I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me So then as God will not turn from thee so thou shalt not depart from him and how then shouldst thou fall away and all this is in his everlasting Covenant that â—…annot be disannulled When therefore your fears come cold upon your hearts concerning your Perseverance plead this Scripture with God fasten it on your souls fear not your falling off with a fear of Dissidence you are allow'd a fear of Caution that will make you stand the faster but beware of a fear of Dissidence that will make you fall the sooner Look you to the rise root and beginning of your Religion and God will look to the end of it Though thy grace was but like a grain of Mustard-seed yet it shall come to be a great Tree Job 8. 6 7. If thou wert pure and upright Though thy beginning was small yet thy latter end shall greatly increase He that hath taken root in Christ can never wholly wither SECT IX IX GOd will shew himself upright to the upright man In bestowing outward blessings upon him Prov. 28. 20. A faithful man shall abound with blessings To these he can make the clearest claim of these 〈◊〉 hath the truest tenure Alwayes provided that they be for his good Prov. 14. 11. The house of the wicked shall be overthrown but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish The eyes of the Lord are upon him and his house to do him good From the beginning of the year to the end of the year Health wealth peace and full contentment shall be heaped on him so far as they are good for him That upright Caleb whose Title of honour it was that he followed God fully Numb 14. 24. had a double portion so the Learned say in the Land of Canaan He that hath the soveraignty over the world and all that therein is loves them and he that loves gives and that liberally Prov. 15 6. In the house of the righteous is much treasure We count our Friends tokens among our treasure Every loaf of bread every shilling in his purse every corn yea every grass-pile in the field is a friends token to the upright man so that in his house there is a world of treasure The upright God doth in effect say to his Angels every day Recommend me to such a child this morning and carry him from me his daily bread this or that mercy that is good for him Hence that ample promise Psal. 84. 11. For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield The Lord will give Grace and Glory No good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly O blessed promise Dost thou want Direction He is a Sun Dost thou want Protection He 〈◊〉 a Shield Dost thou want Grace He will give Grace Wouldst thou have Gloâ—…y He will give that also Hast thou â—…eed of other good things for thy comfort in this life No good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightâ—…y Sit down now and think what thou â—…anst wish or need that is not here promised And this from that God that cannot deceive able and resolved to make good his word Put all the worldlings Lands and Palaces and Bonds and Bags â—…nto one scale and this one verse into the other and try whether will weigh down you will quickly discern they are lighter than vanity and this one verse of more weight than the whole world Rest your weary hearts in this if health were good for me I know I should have it if riches were good for me I should have them for I have my upright God in a bond that he will with-hold noâ—… good thing from me Nay once more seeâ—… Psal. 112. 2 3. The Generation of the upright shall be blessed wealth and richeâ—… shall be in his house and his righteousness endureth for ever Thy great care and feaâ—… is about thy posterity loe here 's a promise for them also the generation of thâ—… upright shall be blessed Though we cannot certainly be assured of this to every upright mans child yet this promise gives the upright man more ground oâ—… hope than any hypocrite or wicked maâ—… in the world hath There is a Stock of your prayers going in Heaven and there is a Stock of God promises in the Bible why then shoulâ—… you distrust sooner or later your postâ—…rity will certainly reap them either iâ—… temporal or spiritual mercies he maâ—… be long but he will be sure the Coveâ—…nant is made with you and yours anâ—… the generation
you hang in doubt whether you be upright or no. And accordingly I shall direct my Exhortation three wayes First to those that are upright with God and you I exhort 1. To praise the Lord and be thankful Psal. 33. 1. Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous for praise is comely for the upright You of all men have cause to be merry Praise becomes no bodies mouth but yours Be chearful in your selves and thankful to the Lord. What aâ—…les you to be lean from day to day that are Kings Sons Who can lay any thing to your charge It is God that justifieth What can dishearten you seeing the root of the matter is found in you Turn your plaints into praises Stand still and admire the distinguishing mercy of God to you that among so many Heathens the Lord should maâ—…e you Christians that among so many Hypocrites the Lord should make you upright Adore Electing admire Converting Grace say Lord who am I naturally a very Pagan an errand hypocrite that thou shouldst crown me with Truth in the inward parts And then kneel down and offer him an Hecatombe of praises charm up all the daughters of musick thy best affections and tune up thy note with Angels Blessing and Honour and Immortality be given to him that sitteth on the Throne and to the Lamb for evermore And let heart and lip and life keep tune and where thy words fail let thy deeds extol his holy Name O Lord do but tell me which way I may honour thee and thou shalt see thy Grace assisting that no service shall be too hard for such a wretch to such a God 2. Proceed and walk on in your upright way Hear David Psal. 26. 1. O Lord I have walked in mine integrity Ay but are not you weary on 't David O no hear him verse 11. But as for me I will walk in my integrity I have don 't and I will do it again It is enough for sinners to be weary of their wayes but as for me I will walk in my integrity Improve in your uprightness Job 17. 9. The righteous also shall hold on their way and he that hath clean hands shall grow stronger and stronger Get ground of your hypocrisie and weed it out of your hearts and duties day by day A little sin is a great burden to him that hath a great deal of grace as a little spot is to a very cleanly man Purge out therefore the old leaven and keep the feast with that daintâ—… fare the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth Let nothing byas those honest hearts of yours Answer your temptations that you can do any thing but lye and temporize and sin against God that Crowns cannot see you to betray Christ or wound your Consciences that you fear no body but God and nothing in the world but sin A man of uprightness must be a man of strength The more uprightness the more communion with God the more uprightness the more confidence with men the more uprightness the more comfort in your own souls 1 Chron. 29. 17. I know also my God that thou tryest the heart and hast pleasure in uprightness O do him a pleasure then by walking in your integrity and resolve with that upright Champion Job 27. 5 6. Till I dye I will not remove my integrity from me My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live SECT VI. SEcondly To those that are in Doubt whether they be upright or no. It is better indeed to doubt with a cause than to be confident without a cause and better to begin in doubts and end in certainties than to begin in certainties and end in doubts But take advice 1. Sit not down quiet in this uncertainty Who that 's charg'd with forgery will be quiet till he be cleared In the Authority of Gods unerring word I charge all men by nature with rottenness corruption and hypocrisie If you be true men clear your selves and hang not as the Papists place One of their small friends between Heaven and Hell Who that 's going a journey would be content whilst he is ignorant whether in the way or out you are going a long journey quite to eternity for your own comfort sake be at a point whether you be in the way to the Holy or to the Miserable eternity You 'l be at cost to clear and settle your outward estate O be not worse to your souls than you are to your lands you cannot imagine how far you might go in this work in one Moneths time nay in the spare hours of one Moneths time It is a sad case that is threatned Deut. 28. 66. And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee and thou shalt fear day and night O but what is it then to have everlasting life hang in doubt before a man the soul daily taking wings and you know not whither O sit not down quiet with this uncertainty 2. Set about the means to clear up your condition Knock at each Ministers door that 's near you and borrow light from the Wise. When you have a doubtful distemper you run to the Physician when you have a knot in your deed you run to the Lawyer you are at a demur concerning the state of your souls O run to the Minister Put on boldness and fear not he deserves not the name of a Preacher that is not gladder of your company than of the greatest Mammonist within his charge Open your mind freely Sir I am in a great dismay about the state of this my soul this I can say for my self and this against my self Deal truly with me and give out a perfect lot Be take your selves to the most searching Books try your selves by the above-named marks but above all to the Law and to the Testimony But be not hasty to conclude upon the reading any of these either for or against your selves without good advice lest you rush on the Rock of Presumption or be swallowed up in the Quicksand of Despair Get into the right method and then spare not for a little pains He must give diligence that will make his calling and election sure This course hath been found useful to some namely single out some trying Scripture as for Instance that Psal. 119. 140. and spend your spare minutes in one day or week to know the True meaning of it the next day or week compare your selves by it with all faithfulness spend another day or week in urging all such objections you can justly find against your plea and a fourth day or week in a sound Reply unto them And then lay them before God and joyn your earnest prayer to the searcher of all hearts to clear and settle you And when this is done try another and a third The comfort will pay the trouble The answer of a good Conscience is worth some serious thoughts or else it is worth nothing SECT VII THirdly The Exhortation runs to them that want it
is left as the Epiâ—…me of the General history of Davids life It is twice recorded in the Scripture 2 Sam. 22. and in this Book of Psalms for the Excellency and Sweetness thereof surely that we should take double notice of it Holy David being near the shore here looks on his former Dangers and Deliverances with a thankful heart and writes this Psalm to bless the Lord As if each of you that are grown into years should review your lives and observe the wonderful Goodness and Providence of God towards you and then sit down and write a modest Memorial of his most remarkable mercies for the comfort of your selves and your posterity An excellent practise What a comfort would it be for you to read how good your God was to your Father or Grandfather that are dead and gone So would your children rejoyce in the Lord upon the reading of his Goodness to you and you cannot have a better pattern for this than holy David who wrote this Psalm when he was threescore and seven years old when he had out-liv'd most of his troubles and almost ready for his journey to his Father in heaven he resolves to leave this good Report of him upon Earth And I pray mark how he begins he setâ—… not up Trophies to himself but Triumphs in his God I will love thee O Lord my strength As the love Of God is the beginning of all our mercies so love To God should be the end and effect of them all As the stream leads us to the spring so all the gifts of God must lead us to the giver of them Lord thou hast saved me from sickness I will love thee from Death and Hell I will love thee on me thou hast bestowed Grace and comfort I will love thee O Lord my strength And after he had heaped on God all the sweet names he could devise vers 2. As a true Saint thinks he can never speak too well of God or too ill of himself then he begins his Narrative I. Of his Dangers verse 4 5. Snares of death Flouds of ungodly men Sorrows of Hell Hell and Earth are combin'd against each Holy man and will trouble him sufficiently in this World if they cannot keep him out of a better II. Of his retreat and that was earnest prayer to God verse 6. I called upon thâ—… Lord and cryed unto my God When our Prayers are Cryes ardent and importunate then they speed my Cry came before him â—…ven into his ears The mother trifles while the child whimpers but when he raises his note strains every nerve and tries every vein then she throws all aside and gives him his desire While our Prayers are only Whispers our God can take his rest but when we fall to crying now will I arise saith the Lord. III. Of his Rescue verse 7. to 20. By the powerful and terrible Arm of the Lord who is in a lofty strain brought in to his servants help as if he would mingle Heaven and Earth together rather than leave his Child in the Lyons paws IV. Of the Reason of this gracious dealing of God with him verse 20 c. He was a righteous Person and he had a righteous Cause And thereupon he turns to God saying Thou hast dealt with me just as thou art wont to do For with the merciful thou wilt shew thy self merciful and with the upright man thou wilt shew thy self upright SECTION II. ANd so we are arriv'd at the Text itself which being resolv'd is an intire Proposition containing 1. A Subject aâ—… Upright man 2. A Predicate or what is spoke of him to or with him God will shew himself upright For Explication With or before him unto him An Upright The same word is oft translated Perfect hec's good throughout though not throughly not one that personates Religion but that is a Religious Person He is perfect because he would be so So Noah is termed Gen. 6. 9. Noah was a just man and perfect i. e. upright in his Generation he was a good man in a bad Age. He was like a glowing spark of fire in a Sea of Water which is perfect goodness and therefore the Holy Ghost doth so hang upon his Name as if he could not give over It is an excellent Preachers observation verse 8. But Noah was a just man and perfect in his Generations and Noah walked with God And Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the Generations of Noah Noah begat three Sons Noah Noah Noah I love the sound of thy name and so are all your names precious to God though hated by men if the Name of God be dear and sweet to you 'T is also sometimes translated Plain Gen. 25. 27. Jacob was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a plain that is an upright man dwelling in Tents Esau was a cunning hunter but Jacob was a plain man without welt or gard you might know his heart by his tongue save once when Rebeccah put a cunning trick into his head otherwise he was a most upright downright man And the plain meaning of it is a simple cordial unfeigâ—…d and exact man this is the man we are looking for Man This Substantive the Hebrews use to drown in the Adjective but here the Holy Ghost exhibits a word and a choice one too signifying a Strong Valiant man the same word Psal. 45. 3. O mighty man that 's meant of our Lord Christ who was a most strong and valiant man that could meet the wrath of God the malice of the Devil and the sin of man in the face and come off with triumph And so the Dutch translate this clause in 2 Sam. 22. With the right valiant person thou behavest thy self upright In short if the words were literally translated they run thus a man of uprightnesses that is every way you behold him an upright man like an even Dye cast him which way you will he will be found square and right A stiff and strong man to tread down both lusts within and temptations without An Athanasius contra mundum A Luther contra Romam this is a man of an an excellent spirit and such is our upright man Thou wilt shew thy self upright or wilt be upright with him for one word in the Hebrew makes all these six thou wilt upright it with him If men will deal plainly with God he will deal plainly with them He that is upright in performing his duty shall find God upright in performing his Promises It is Gods way to carry to men as they carry to him If thou hast a Design to please him he will have a Design to please thee if thou wilt Eccho to him when he calls hee 'l Eccho to thee when thou call'st On the other side if a man will wrestle with God he will wrestle with him if thou wilt be fast and loose with him and walk frowardly towards him thou shalt have as good as thou bringest if thou wilt provoke him with never-ending sins
to the purification of the Sanctuary And the Lord hearken'd to Hezekiah There were divers really upright yet not rightly and fully purified as you may see 2 Chron. 29. 34. For the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctifie themselves than the Priests Here were upright Levites yet not sufficiently purified but Hezekiah obtained for them a pardon of course for they had done what they could and the Lord had mercy on them A very great comfort for Ministers or People that through straits of time or any unavoidable hindrance are not rightly sittâ—…d and furnished for their respective duties and are afraid to come and more afraid to stay away The good Lord will pardon such a one it was an oversight the heart was sound at the bottom and God will never break with any of his for an infirmity Compare Saul and David Saul had foolishly at most covetously spared Agag and a prey and he is cast off for it and loseth his kingdom David defiles the Wife and then kills the Husband and he is spar'd he is its true sorely beaten but not turn'd out of doors Again take Peter and Judas Judas through covetousness betrays his Master and Peter through fear denyes and forswears him Judas is sent by the Gallows into Hell and Peter is receiv'd into mercy And why this different dealing why David was in the bent of his heart upright before God and Saul in the bottom of his heart was for himself Peter resolved to lose his life before he would forsake his Saviour and Judas never followed him but for the bag And therefore the Lord graciously pardons the unwilling infirmities of his people for he sees the integrity of their hearts As a faithful Husband is more satisfied with the bewailed failings of his poor Wife than with the studied observances of an adulteress so the Lord our God he can better connive at and bear with the mourn'd for infirmities of his dear children than with the fain'd compliance of rotten hypocrites And what a treasure of comfort is this for you that fear God and let none else meddle with it your infirmities are many and your fear great lest they should sink you for ever you have such raging passions brutish lusts frequent distractions base distrust un-heavenliness of heart out of ordinances and dulness in them these are your burden these your fear now all these are within the Grant of pardon made in the Covâ—…nant of Grace and you that are upright in heart if any in the world have an undoubted interest therein and so are forgiven in Heaven and will be forgiven in your Consciences so far as is good for you and shall be forgiven at the last day And you have Gods word for it Psal. 32. 1 2. Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven whose sin 〈◊〉 covered But who is he that may claim this blessing Verse 2. In whose spirit there is no Guile that is an upright man that is no hypocrite When therefore you have fallen into sin do not sit poring and questioning your eternal state but speedily and seriously set about the work of repentance and faith in the blood of Christ that you may be made whole Indeed after some great fall or extraordinary fit of spiritual slumber it is not amiss to clear and resettle the ground work so far may the building be decayed that it may be easier to build anew than to repair the old But it is neither wisdom nor duty upon every slip to condemn your state or to conclude that because you are wounded or sick therefore you are dead Question your act but not your state condemn your acts of sin but do not condemn your state of grace nor brew more tears than you need to drink For supposing you to be true men to God resign'd to him resolv'd for him and walking with him to your power he hath graciously promised to pardon iniquity transgression and sin sins of all sorts and sizes of them that fear him and hope in his mercy And mark it for your comâ—…ort that it belongs to Gods Truth and Uprightness to pardon such a sinner 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is Faithful and Just to forgive 〈◊〉 our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness It is happy for us that we can plead mercy to God for pardon but when we do uprightly confess and forsake our sins we may plead his justice and faithfulness O Lord as thou art just and faithful bestow a pardon on me I beg it in the uprightness of my heart bestow it in the uprightness of thy word For thou hast said with the upright man I will shew my self upright SECT II. II. THe Lord will shew himself upright to an upright man in Defending his Person He is made sometimes the Butt of malice Hell and earth conspire against him as in this Psalm vers 4 5. Snares of death flouds of ungodly men sorrows of Hell all bent against him A plain argument of the sad deâ—…eneracy of mankind to be so desperately set against the Image of God in man and hate those that never did them wrong and that for his sake that alwayes doth them good yet so is the case the most innocent man cannot escape by them unto Heaven without many onsets they bend their bow and lay their snares can hardly sleep for rage Wrongs and Scorns and Fines and Prisons are their usual Charity he that departs from evil ever makes himself a prey The generality of the world are alienated from the life of God and enemies in their minds to all that live it and O that I could speak and write it in tears of grief and compassion A Drunkard a Swearer a Whoremonger may live quietly by them He that never read the Scriptures that never prays with his Family shall have all their good will and go quietly by them into destruction but if a mans Conscience be once awakened if he retrive his course and fall to earnest prayer change his company and sinful courses dare not prophane the Sabbath or take Gods Name in vain or swear as before then up do all his neighbours rise against him watch him censure him malign him and if possible insâ—…are him while he poor heart thinks them no hurt prays for them and only strives to save his own soul and others if he can But here you may rest safoly Prov. He is a Buckler to them that walk uprightly The Buckler covers the Souldier and God coveâ—… the upright man They must shoot through God that can wound you to your 〈◊〉 They hit him in the eye that aim at you and they that will incounter him meddle not with their match Exod. 19. 4. I bear you on Eagles wings Other Fowls bear their young in their claws so that the Fowler may kill the young and the old one be safe but the Eagle carrieâ—… her young on her wings so that who wounds the young must shoot through the dam so doth