Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n
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A51819
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A sermon on the sincerity and integrity of the heart preach'd before Her Majesty, at White-Hall, February the 28th, 1693/4 / by T. Mannyngham ...
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Manningham, Thomas, 1651?-1722.
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1694
(1694)
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Wing M500; ESTC R6583
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9,885
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33
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not a natural Averseness in Man to behold his own Deformity or at least to acknowledge it to be such Can a Man be easily brought to search and probe his own Wounds Will not he presently draw back his Hand and think he has done enough before he has gone half way or before he has reach'd to the Bottom and Core of his Disease When men knock at the Door of their own Hearts are not Self-love and Pride and Security ready to step out and to tell them all is well If they be so resolute as to make a further Entrance they discover perhaps a great many Sins but they are so Painted and Varnished over by Pretences and Excuses taken from the Customs and Examples of the World that they hardly know how to condemn themselves for entertaining such modish and fashionable Guests If they chance to be somewhat more inquisitive and to open another Scene in their Hearts they find perhaps a multitude of strong and confirmed Habits of Sin which have dwelt there a long time and now plead Possesion They think it almost impossible to get out these setled and rooted Inhabitants and now they are come to such Strength to such a twisted and multiply'd Interest they think they had better be let alone than disturb'd to no purpose If they still go on to make a deeper Search behold there appears a Fountain of Evil continually bubling up into impure Desires sensual Lusts worldly Designs and vile Imaginations then they presently conclude That this is that which men call Original Sin the bed of Corruption the brackish Fountain of Impure Streams which Poisons all our Nature And as to this they think it sufficient to acknowledge that there is such a Noisome Dungeon in every Man's Heart as well as in theirs that there is no Obligation to cleanse it but to lament and bewayle themselves for it is enough Thus we see how some who undertake a self-examination may be lead through all the Apartments of Sin and Wickedness without much concern and be impos'd upon by a train of cheats and delusions and think there is little for them to correct and amend because they have not yet discover'd the great cheat of all the Decitfulness of their own Hearts For if they had found out that and been well aware of it they would soon have confess'd that no fashionable Customs of the World no Growth no strength of Habits could be any excuse for Wilful Sin and that Original Corruption was no such Torrent of Evil but that it might be weakned and diverted and that they were mens actual and voluntary Sins which fed and heightned that Fountain and made it so often over-flow that Repentance and Prayer and Watchfulness and a constancy in good Duties might easily keep it within its Bounds and reduce it to that low State that tho' it might sometimes make attempts against a Life of Vertue yet it should seldom prevail in such Instances as could be interpreted to interrupt a Course of Goodness But now if People would examin their Hearts to some purpose they must allow themselves a considerable time to do it in especially those who have not accustom'd â—hemselves to this Duty already they must set about it with much thoughtfulness and concern they must make themselves very sensible of the horrid Nature of Sin and that there is no escaping the Wrath of God if they wilfully retain Iniquity in their Hearts they must be very careful that they be not impos'd upon in this so necessary a Work by the Wiles of Satan by the prevailing Vitiousness of the Age by the Treachery and Deceitfulness of their own Hearts They must recal as many particular Transgressions as they can and work into their Minds a more earnest and ready Watchfulness against those Sins which their Constitutions and their Callings and their way of Life and their frequent Falls have made them most liable to They must compare their Actions with the Rule of God's Word with the Vows and Engagements they have already made with the strictness of that profession they are under and with the Spiritual Nature of those Rewards they are preparing themselves to receive And if they would be further satisfy'd of the Sincerity and Integrity of their Hearts they cannot refuse the Appealing to God's Omniscience that they are serious and hearty in what they are doing that they really design to get a full Knowledge of themselves that they are not willing to conceal or cover any one Sin but that having made such Discovery of their Hearts as they are well able to attain to they are willing and desirous that God would try them further by that Word of his which is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword that is able to divide asunder the Soul and Spirit the Joynts and Marrow and is a clear discerner of the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart That if it may be for their further good God would melt them down in the Furnace of Afflictions and then make them sensible what Dross there was adhering to them what mixture of Impurity which nothing but that Fire could have reveal'd These are Trials which cannot be propos'd and desir'd but by an Honest Heart which must needs give us a testimony and Comfortable assurance that we are Sincere and that it is our full purpose to serve God all our days and in all the Circumstances of our Lives with clear Sincerity and Integrity of Heart especially if we give our selves some leasure to consider what we do when we make this Solemn Appeal to God and with David in this Psalm imploy our Minds for some time on the Spiritual Nature and Omniscience of God before we desire to be Try'd and Prov'd and Examin'd by it He confesses that it was God that made him and that saw his Substance before it was fashion'd into the curious fabrick of an Humane Body That 't was his secret power that fram'd the wonderful structure that fitted all the innumerable parts with due proportion and Contexture and made it a suitable Habitation for an Immortal Soul He confesses how the same Spirit and power is present to all the thoughts of his Heart that there are no foldings no dark recesses that can conceal any thing from him that all the branchings of his Soul the imaginations of his Heart the compass of his conversation are register'd in his Book no night no retirement that can shut out God no hiding from his Spirit thô he should travel into the remotest Countries or remain in the uttermost parts of the Sea nay thô he should go down into Hades and make his abode in the Regions of departed Souls even there his Power and his Hand would find him out And when he had with such deliberation and exactness consider'd and acknowledg'd the Omniscience of God and view'd it in several Lights and imprinted it on his Mind by variety of Expressions then he offers his whole Heart to be taken in
may give Alms out of a Principle of Vain-glory make long Prayers as a Preface to Injustice Fast and Mortifie only to appear Devout receive the Sacrament in compliance only with Custom and the expectation of Neighbours They may Read the Bible out of Curiosity or in order to make Objections against it or only to fill their Memories with its Phrases without considering the Wisdom and Holiness of those Writings or without making them a Rule of Faith and a Law of Life And many may come to Church only to make their best Appearance and to be Diverted rather than Edified by a Sermon whereas the only solid and lasting Principle of these and such like Duties is a Sense of our Obligation to God a complying with his Authority and Will a Design of promoting his Glory by our hearty and ready Obedience and of saving our Souls in the Day of the Lord. There are some secular Considerations which may come in as Vnder-Motives to our Duty because God has been pleas'd to make use of them to invite us to Vertue and Holiness such as a good Name or fair Reputation in the World Health and Plenty and Length of Days which are represented in the Book of Proverbs as the Noble Retinue and the Lovely Attendants of true Wisdom and Piety such as serve to make her Amiable and Glorious in the Eyes of all People and therefore must be allowed to have some attracting Force in them and to be inducements to a good Life but then we must take care that they be so in a subordinate manner that they be not the chief and principle Things for which we are willing to serve God for these outward Advantages are but Accidental or the usual Blessings of an ordinary Providence they are not the certain Fruits of Righteousness or its Essential Reward Persecutions Afflictions and a calamitous State of Affairs may hinder us of those Ornaments of Vertue and spoil us of those Motives to Religion but nothing can break our good Purposes when they are Bottom'd upon the true Principle the Authority and Will of God In quiet Times and when the Age is in good Temper Religion may be very profitable even towards the bettering of our Circumstances in this World it may bring us to great Honour and place us in the Favour and Esteem of most People It may be attended by Riches and Plenty and the fairest Accommodations of this Life and all the while none of these splendid things may in the least abate of the sincerity of our Hearts because we are resolv'd to continue in the same design of serving God tho' he should take away the Hedge that is about us And tho' his Providence should deliver us over to bitter Trials yet with Holy Job we would hold fast our Integrity Vertue is always Virtue and Duty is ever Duty to the sincere Christian his outward Condition or his Fortune may alter but his Heart and his good Intentions are still the same His Eye is upon God and his Laws upon his Immutable Nature and Holiness That is his Compass to Saile by in the Voyage of Life and let it be never so Dark and Cloudy he still Steers on All other Motives may vary and change but the Fear and Love of God is our sure Direction and will establish us in the right way As Sincerity has respect to the Principle upon which we are to act so the Integrity of the Heart has respect to all the Commandments of God it will not consist with a Partial Obedience it will not allow of any one Sin tho' mens Constitutions and Natures their Business and Imployments the Examples of the Age and the Vitious Customs of the World plead ever so hard for the retaining of that one Sin for the allowance of any one Sin which we know to be such is a direct Violation of the Authority of God and is inconsistent with a State of Pardon and Grace If we be contented that there remain any way of Wickedness in us we have not yet truly Repented neither can we expect that our Prayers should be heard for if we regard Iniquity in our Hearts the Lord will not hear us What the Psalmist here calls any Wicked way we may understand either of a habit and course of Sin or of any Indulgence to any one beloved Lust or of any secret Design and Purpose of committing any Evil whatever If there be any thing of this Nature permitted to remain within our Souls we have not that Integrity of Heart which God indispensably requires to make our Repentance true and our Religious Service acceptable to him But then we should do well to consider That the Integrity of the Heart is to be judg'd of by the Truth and Seriousness of our Resolutions and Endeavours both to discover what ways of Wickedness there are in us and then to put them from us and to guard our selves against them for the future by an honest and hearty Diligence As to some Remains of Corruption some Tendencies towards Evil some Strivings of the Flesh with the Spirit some sort of Infirmities and Slips which are not seperable from the strictest Life and some Defects and Imperfections in our best Actions These are the Misery and Burden of our Fallen Nature these are Matter for the Exercise of a continual Humiliation and notwithstanding these Infirmities our Hearts may be right with God when we allow ourselves in no way of Wickedness in no Course of Sin in no Indulgence of Appetites in no Design of complying with any evil Thoughts Desires and Tendencies but sincerely endeavour to suppress and weaken the Remains of our Corruption and to perfect Holiness in the fear of the Lord. Thus we see what is that Sincerity and Integrity of Heart which God indispensably requires from all of us to qualifie us for his Pardon and Grace and to make us true and real Christians Sincerity requires that we serve God upon a Right Principle without Hypocrisie and with a due Sense of his Authority and good Pleasure Integrity calls for our Resolution and Endeavour to obey all the Commandments of God without making a Reserve for any way of Wickedness whatever The 2d Thing I propos'd was how we may best judge of this Sincerity and Integrity of our Hearts viz. by examining of our own Consciences to that degree as to be willing to appeal to God's Omniscience in that Matter Search me O God and know my Heart Try me and know my Thoughts The Examining and Searching of our own Hearts is a necessary and a difficult Duty all pretend to it but there are few I fear who perform it thoroughly Most People will allow it to be a requisite Forerunner to the Receiving of the Blessed Sacrament and before the Solemn Festivals they will generally set aside some time to consider of their ways and Lives But do they find it an easie matter to descend into themselves and to search to the bottom of their Souls Is there