Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n
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A04270
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The ioy of the vpright man In a sermon preached at Grayes Inne: By I. B. Wherein is declared the hidden comfort, the sure reward, the present condition of the vpright-hearted.
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Barlow, John, b. 1580 or 81.
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1619
(1619)
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STC 1439; ESTC S116383
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22,522
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44
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THE IOY OF THE VPRIGHT MAN IN A SERMON PREACHED AT GRAYES INNE BY I. B. WHEREIN IS DECLARED THE hidden comfort the sure reward the present condition of the vpright-hearted PSAL. 126. 6. They went weeping and carried precious seede but they shall returne with ioy and bring their sheaues LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Nathaniel Newbery and are to be sold at his shop vnder Saint Peters Church in Corne-hill at the signe of the Starre and in Popes-head Alley 1619. TO HIS MVCH RESPECTED AND APPROVED FRIEND Mr. DA. M. IT hath been the custome of them that penned the Booke of Bookes the Bible to direct seuerall writings to some particular and priuate persons although it was in their mindes that the Church in generall should also receiue edification and comfort by them So then I haue in this respect trod in their stepps whose patterne cannot but be worth the imitation Were it as conuenient as lawfull I would fully haue set downe your name but to auoide the least appearance of euill I haue omitted that and though many reasons might be produced why I made choice of you before others yet it would be tedious and to no purpose to relate them wherefore let these following suffice I assure my selfe that it will be well accepted and as from the hands of a true though meane friend receiued I also so farre as my iudgement leades me verily beleeue that the Lord hath begun his good worke in you wherefore though the meanes be but weake the powerfull Creator can vse it as an instrument to fur-ther the same He that could cure the blind man with clay and spittle can produce the like effects by an ordinarie meanes who doubteth I will not proclaime to the eares of the world what kindnesses I haue receiued from you for that might seeme to smell of flattery or by a more secret manner of begging to craue some future fauour But this I will onely mention that it is out of Christian affection and a singular desire of your good comfort as also to declare my remembrance of you that I haue in this kind put pen to paper And to say much in one word If I haue more than an ordinary affection to any priuate person the current thereof runneth towards your selfe Let these lines what euer they be therefore the rather find a friendly entertainement and not so onely but especially striue to apply them to what end I haue aimed at in the penning of them They will plainely declare vnto you by what meanes we are to stand iust before God of which mystery the vulgar people are for the most part ignorant of or not thorowly grounded in Againe you shall find in them that the spiritual estate of a Christian is secret not onely to others but often hidden from himselfe especially at the time of his effectuall vocation for then he is like the late manured field naked and bare without the least true apprehension or sight of sauing grace and good graine in the furrowes of his soule By this you may vnderstand who are the reapers of Gods greatest benefits And finally you shall euidently see confuted the opinion of those that hold there is no mirth or comfort in a Christian course who cry out what turne Puritane become a Precisian then farewell all ioy and welcome melancholy But we say leauing those names to whom they of right pertaine that faith in the promises of God and obedience to his precepts will expell feare quiet the troubled soule and make a sad heart the merriest man in the world for faith in the Gospell sets vs euen with God and obedience to the Law will bring vs to his presence where all the righteous and vpright-hearted shall bathe themselues in Riuers of pleasure that shall neuer be dried vp but spring flow and be full for euer To the which the Lord bring you in a conuenient season through the merits of his Sonne by the hand of his blessed Spirit Amen Amen Your friend if friend to any I. B. THE IOY OF THE VPRIGHT MAN PSAL. 97. 11. Light is sowne for the righteous and ioy for the vpright in heart THese words consist of a double proposition but some vnderstand that like Pharaohs dreames though diuers the same thing is onely meant Others thus that the first part of the verse is vnderstood of Iustification the latter of Sanctification for they both vsually goe together and the one is neuer in Gods children separated from the other for if the Lord iustifie any person through Christ in some measure he sanctifieth the same by his Spirit these like Naomi and Ruth runne together In the former proposition are two things to be considered first that light is sowen secondly for whom and that is for the righteous Againe in the latter proposition are two things also to be noted the one that ioy is sowne the other who shall reape it viz. the vpright in heart But for the better vnderstanding of the words we must know that this Text is an Allegory that is a continued similitude wherein we may obserue fower things First the sower and that is God Secondly the seede and that is ioy and light Thirdly the reapers and they be the iust and vpright in heart Fourthly the ground where and that is in Gods Word and workes earth and heauen within vs and without vs. This metaphor of husbandry is often vsed in the Scripture for First it is of antiquitie our first parents were to till the ground Secondly it is of good report therefore to bee thought vpon Thirdly it is profitable for he that soweth shall reape Lastly it is of necessitie for grounds must bee plowed vp or they will not bring forth any good fruite but briars thistles and all vnprofitable rubbish Now wee will proceede to the meaning of the words And first for Light Light is either taken litterally or tropically Litterally two waies First either for an accident or qualitie in a subiect as in the Sunne or any cleare body or Secondly as an effect proceeding from its cause and so the Fier Moone and starres are said to be Lights and to giue light Gen. 1. 15. Eccles 11. 9. Againe light is metaphorically applied many waies First God is said to be light 1. Iohn 1. 5. Secondly Christ is called the light Iohn 3. 19. Thirdly the Ministers are stiled Lights Matthew 5. 14. Fourthly the Gospell walke in the light Iohn 12. 36. Fifthly the precepts and word was to Dauid a Lanthorne or light Psal 119. 105. Sixthly Grace is called light Ephes 5. 13. 14. Seuenthly deliuerance from danger Esth. 8. 16. In a word light is taken for all true comfort and spirituall blessings that wee receiue from God through Christ temporal or eternal and so it may be taken in this place though more particularly of deliuerance from trouble or some present danger the people of God were cast into for the Kingdome of Christ is fore-spoke of and prophecied in this
Seeds-man of the earth and heauen hath prouided why then striue to be vpright in heart Noah was a righteous Preacher Lot was iust Paul had a good conscience Ezekiah walked before the Lord with an vpright heart and these were freed from many dangers on earth died at the last with honour and now are reapers of that vnspeakable light in the kingdome of heauen But because many boast of their owne righteousnes crie Stand apart I am more holy than thou yet are not of this number we will giue some true trials and notes of vpright and iust men First an vpright man lookes backward and forward wipes off the score both with man and the Lord. If hee haue wronged any by forged cauillation with Zacheus if he be of abilitie then he maketh full restitution if hee be not yet will he make confession to the partie if conuenient craue pardon with a resolution that if euer the Lord enable him he will restore to the vttermost farthing and will not faile in the meane time to inuocate the Lord that he who by him hath been iniured may some way or other gaine more through his bountie than by his wickednes he hath been depriued of This is a true note of one vpright in heart for restitution is of absolute necessitie to righteousnes at the least in resolution and will where wealth to restore is wanting And Iudas in this went beyond many and will rise vp in iudgement against many for he so will not they made restitution And for time to come hee will doe to his brother as he would be done vnto alwaies endeuouring to keepe a good conscience with euery person in euery action Wee haue some that turne to their former courses when as they haue acknowledged their sinne and made their neighbour satisfaction as the theefe that when the sore is worne out of his hand and the print of the burning iron falls to filching but an honest heart will steale no more neither willingly wrong any man either outwardly in action speech or inwardly by cogitation resolution for he holds that the least motion of the will whereby his brother is wronged is a sinne and to be abandoned And marke this he will proportion his almes according to his abilitie and the poore mans necessitie For the righteous measureth all his affaires by iudgement Thus much of his carriage towards man now follow trials or signes of his iustice towards God First hee will truly confesse that it is the Lords mercie hee was not long agone for his sinnes consumed Againe he mourneth and weepeth that he hath offended so good a God so mercifull a Father Thirdly he only relies vpon the meere mercie of God and sole merits of Christ Iesus for remission and iustification hee hateth mans merits as he loueth the Lords mercie Besides hee taketh no action in hand but he seeketh good ground for it out of Gods booke hee doth not like a carelesse Carpenter worke at an aduentrue without his Rule but like a boy that would speake true Latin who first lookes at the precept then speaketh so hee hath first an eye to the word and then to his worke Furthermore hee endeuoureth to bring the whole man to the subiection of Gods law as all the vnderstanding all the affection all the will he would haue the corrupt part of serue God as well as the regenerate And this is only to be found in the righteous and in none other for hee would giue all his members and all of all his members as so many weapons to serue the Lord in righteousnesse And finally in all matters of triall hee will appeale to God and make him chiefe Iudge of all things for hee knoweth that the Lord is iust and loueth not iniquitie neither will peruert iudgement And this is the cause why good men haue so longed that Christ would come to iudge the earth for then they shal haue their faithfulnes discouered ratified rewarded If thou finde these things in thee thou art one that shall reape all good fruits in the land of righteousnes but if not the weeds of Gods wrath in the land of wickednes And this shall suffice for the first proposition the second succeedeth to be handled in its order whence we collect that Doct. 3 The vpright man shall be the only merry man Nay he is already the ioyfull man Few thinke so but it is so This doctrine may be confirmed by the seuerall actions done by the righteous being in diuers conditions and of contrary vocations functions Was not the King glad when the people said vnto him Come let vs goe vp to the house of God Did not the people goe home and make great mirth that they vnderstood the word that was taught them Are the Christians said to continue with one accord in the Temple and to eate their meate together with gladnesse and singlenes of heart The Apostles sung Psalmes in prison The Thessalonians receiued the word with great ioy in affliction Did not some returne home reioycing that they were counted worthie to suffer for the Name of Christ Iob saith The righteous shall laugh at death And Stephen had boldnes at his departure And thete is neuer an action in Christianitie but as euery flower hath his smell so it hath and yeeldeth comfort and consolation for all her waies are waies of pleasure and all her paths prosperitie Paul prayed and gaue thankes with great reioycing and wonderfull is that ioy which the vpright haue and doe feele in these priuate and hidden duties for then the Lord reueileth himselfe most cleerely answereth the poore petitioner familiarly yea God like man giueth his greatest gifts to his dearest children in priuate for hee vpbraideth no mans person And how haue the vpright been rauished in minde with the meditation of the glorie of God and his wonderfull workes Surely as a man beholding the Sunne with a corporall eye in his brightnes dazeleth turneth back his face and cannot endure it so may the vpright man with the eye of his faith see such excellencie in the Sonne of righteousnes that for the time he may be astonied varie the obiect and say I haue enough These things be secret yet most certaine and the reasons be as cleere as the noone day Reason 1 For first his sinne is pardoned And is not a pardon to a poore condemned person a thing that yeeldeth great ioy vnspeakable comfort When a castaway heareth but of such a matter how will his dead heart reioyce his cold spirits dilate them themselues and his sorrowfull soule gather consolation From this ground Christ vnto the man that was sicke of the palsie said Be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Remission of sinne is the mother of great mirth and this the vpright man is assured of Psal 32. 2. Reason 2 Againe he is clothed with the righteous robes of Christ and adorned with all the sauing graces that are