and wants and though the graces reqâ—ired in a worthy receiver be very small and weak in us yet if they be in truth we shall in Christ be accepted as worthy receivers But without uprightnesse of heart the most glorious shew that can be made either in our preparation or in the receiving of the Sacrament is but hypocrisie 2. Secondly the necessity of uprightnes is proved by the aâ—thority of God speaking in the scriptures as 1. By the commandement of God imposing a necessity of duety Deut. 18. â—3 Ios. 24. 14. who so requireth it as a maine and principall duety Gen. 17. 1. 1 Sam. 12. 24. Mich. 6. 8. which in all dueties is as it were all in all and without which all is nothing Act 24 16. For this cause Israel was called Ieshurun Deut. 32. 15. 33. 5. 26. Es. 14 2 because this was the thing which the Lord required cheifely in every Israelite this is the true Israelite Iohn 1. 47. Rom. 2. 29. This is Iacob Ps. 24. 6. or this is the generation of Iacob who was ish T am perfectus or integer Gen. 25. 27 this the Israel of God Gal. 6. 16. Secondly by the testimony of our Saviour Mat. 5. 20. except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the scribes and Pharisies whose righteousnesse consisted in outward appearance not in inward truth they being soured with the leaven of hypocâ—â—sy you shall not enter into the kingdome of heaven If therefore we have a forme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of godlynesse but deny the power thereof 2 Tim. 3. 5. if we have lampes without oile Mat. 25. 3. greene blades without root Luke 8. 13. greene leaves without fruit Matth. 21. 19. we cannot please God And thirdly by the oath of God in this place inferring a necessity of 〈◊〉 that those who are the redeemed of the Lord shall worship him in holinesse and righteousnesse before him 3. Thirdly if we be not upright then are we hypocrites for not to be upright is to be an hypocrite But pocrisy is a sinne most odious into God and most pernicious to the hypocrite For as the upright are the Lords delight so they that be of a perverse heart that is to say the hypocrites are an abominatâ—on to him Pro. 11. 20. And so pernicious it is to him that is infected therewith that as there is no assurance of his salvation for what hope hath they hypocrite when GOD shall take his soule Iob 27. 8 so there is great certainly of their damnation unlesse they repent wherof there is less hope in an hypocrite then in an open sinner For which cause our Savioâ—r CHRIST telleth the Mâ—t 21. 32. pharisaicall hypocrites that publicanes and hâ—râ—oâ—s enter into the Kingdome of heaven before them And such is the certainty of their damnation that our Saviour Christ when he would signify that the wicked servant of whom he speaketh Mat. 24 48. should certainly be damned he saith he should have his portion with hypocrites where shal be weeping and gâ—ashng of teeth v. 51. Seeing therfore uprightnesse is a grace so excellent that it goeth under the name of perfection that it is the inward bewty of the spouse of Christ wherein especially he is delighted that it is not onely pleasing to GOD but also the pleasing of him so profitable that all good things are promised to the upâ—ight and no good thing kept back from them so necessary that in it consisteth the soundnessâ— of all saving graces and of all religious worship in so much that without it the best graces are counterfeit and all our best worship but hypocrisie so necessary as that without it men can have no assurance that they are redeemed of the Lord or that they shall bee saved but that as without it they being no better then hypocrites have no sound hope that they shal be saved so there is a certainty and assurance that they shal be condemned it behooveth us by all meanes to labour for this vertue which is so excellent in it selfe so pleasing to God so profitable and so necessary to us Other meanes to uprightnesse And first for asmuch as it is the gift of God from whom every good and perfect gift doth come Iam. 1. 17. for it is he that maketh our way perfect Ps. 18. 3â— it is he that sweareth in this place that he will give those that are redeemed to worship him in holynesse and righteousnesse before him we are therefore to begge this grace at the hands of God by hearty and faithful prayer after the examplâ— of David Ps. 51 10. Create in me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within me and Ps. 119. 80. let my heart be sound or thamim upright in thy statutes that I be not ash med 2. To our pâ—ayer let us joyne ouâ— endevour to keepe a watch over our heart and as Solomon exhorteth Pro. 4. 23. above all kâ—eping to â—â—epe our hearts foâ— out of â—t are the issues of lâ—â—e that is as it is the â—ountaine of life so of living well or ill from whence all our saying and doing doe streame The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and the evill man out of the evill treasure of his heart bringeth forth evill things for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Luk. 6. 45 and accordingly the hand worketh wherefore in reforming our lives our first and câ—eife care must be of purging the heart for that is the foundation of a godly life without which there is no sound reformation â—irst saith our Saviour CHRIST Mat. 23. 26. clense the inside of the cuppe and platter that the outside may â—e cleane also In vaine do we goe about to cleare the streames whilst the fountaine is corrupt In vain do we go about to stop the streams whiles the well-spring floweth in his full course In vaine shall we like the summer fruit be faire and mellow on the outside if we be rotten at the core In vain have men a name that they live when they are dead Apoc. 3. 1. And the rather we are to tak care of our hearts because GOD himselfe doth especially looke unto the heart 1 Sam. 16. 7. and according to the quality and disposition of the heart he judgeth of the man If the heart burne with lust the man is an â—dulterer before GOD if the heart be fraught with coveteousnesse the man is a thiefe before GOD as Iudas was Ioh. 2. 6. If the heart boyle with hatred and malice the man is a murtherer before GOD 1 Iohn 3. 15. If the heart be removed from GOD and set upon the world and the things that are therein then is the man a spirituall adulterer that is an idolater before GOD Iam. 4. 4. And finally the heart is to be kept above all keepings because it is deceiptfull above all things Ier. 17. 9. 3. Thirdly that we may learne to walk with God and to behave our selves as in his
the keeping of the law doth consist For when a woman out of the crowd cryed unto our Saviour blessed is the womb that bare thee and the papes that gave thee suck Our Saviour returned this answer Luke 11. 28. Yea rather blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it The same hath Salomon Prâ—v 29. 18. and who knoweth not that which the Apostle teach 1 Tim. 4. 8. Godlinesse hath the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come and consequently of the happinesse both of this life and of the other life 3 To the parts of Gods worship as namely to holiness Apoc. 20. 6. Blessed and holy is the man who hath his part in the first resurrection Which testimony yeeldeth unto us a double proof First because he useth the terms of 〈…〉 of life And not only to holiness in generall but to the severall branches thereof is blessedness ascribed as to saving knowledge Prov. 3. 13. Ioh. 17. 3. to faith Luke 1. 45. Ioh. 20. 29. to assiance Psal. 2. 12. 34. 8. 40. 4. 84. 12. to hope Esayâ—0 â—0 18. Ier. 17. 7. to obedience Apoâ— 22. 14. to the feare of God Psal. 112. 1. 128. 1. 4. to humilitie Mar. 5. 3. Ioh. 13. 17. to patience Iam. 1. 12. 5. 11. 4 To righteousness Ps. 106. 3. Es. 56. 1 2. and not only to righteousness it self but also to the true desire of it Mat. 5. 6. Yeâ— and to the several branches of it as to mercifulness Mat. 57. Psal. 40. 1. 2. Prov. 14. 21. to meekness Mat. 5. 4. to peace-making Mat. 5. 9. And not only to the parts of Gods worship but also to the properties Fiftly therefore to the worship of God without fear of our enemies that is in confidence Psal. 146. 5. Whether you understand it without cause of fear because there is no condemnation to theâ— that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. or without servile feâ—r in expectation of eterâ—al happiness Tiâ— 2. â—3 for this indeed is the top of our happiness in this life to worship God as without fear of damnation so in a found expectation of eternal life And this seemeth to be implyed in the Hebrew word Hithbaracu which being of a reciprocal signification signifieth that in Abrahams seed all Nations should not only be blessed but also should bless themselves that is esteem and accompt themselves blessed Sixtly To uprightness and integrity or to the worshipping of God in holiness and righteousness as before him Psal. 1 19. 1. Blessed are the upright in the way that is who walk uprightly So Psal. 84. 11. and not only the upright themselves but their children also after them are pronounced blessed Prov. â—0 7. If therefore blessedness be ascribed first of all to redemption 〈…〉 secondly to the true worship of God in general thirdly to holiness fourthly to righteousness fiftly to the worship of God without fear sixthly to integrity or to the worship of God as before him seventhly to perseverance or to the worship of God 〈…〉 days of our life Then seven times happy is that man who being delivered from the hand of his enemies hath grace given unto him to worship God without fear in holyness and righteousness before him all the days of his life By this conference of places we learn what the happiness of a Christian is in this life not to abound in wealth not to attain to great honours not to wallow in pleasures 〈…〉 graces above all the things in this world for what is our happiness that is our chief good esteeming all wordly things as dross and dâ—ng yea as loss in comparison thereof Phil. â— 8. 9 For as without these spiritual graces all wordly things are â—ain and unprofitable yea to them that set their hearts on them hurtful and peâ—â—icious So having fought and obtained these graces all temporal blessings shal be added unto us or if we seem to want any of them our seeming want thereof shall not hinder our happyness And therefore our Saviour pronounceth the faithful though living in poverty hunger sorrow and persecution happy and blessed Luke 6. 20. 21. 22. CHAP. IIII. Of the gift promised by this Oath in general and of the two parts thereof joyntly THus much of Zacharies exposition of Gods Oath now we come to the words thereof that he would give us c. The thing then promised in this Oath is a gift Of this gift we are to speak first in general and then in particular In general we may observe first the main difference between the Covenant of works made with all mankind and the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham and his seed the heires of promise In the former the Lord 〈◊〉 perfect obedience to the performed by our selves to our justification and salvation and denounceth his fearful câ—rse against those that do not continue in a total and perfect obedience In the latter the Lord iâ— in stead of requiring perfect obedience to be performed of us to our justification and salvation promiseth to those which believe redemption and justification without works and being redeemed and justified by faith he promiseth to give them grace to walk in new obedience as being an unseparable fruit of our redemption and justification and as the high-way wherein we are to walk towards our glorification Of this new Covenant the holy Ghost prophesieth by Ieremy Chap. 31. vers 31. 32 33. Behold the days come saith the Lord that I wil make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not according to the Covenant which I made with their fathers when I brought them out of Aegypt which was the covenant of works but this shal be the Covenant that I wil make with them I wil put my law in their inward parts write it in their hearts c. which is the covenant of grace recited by the Apostle Heb. 8. v. 8. 9. 10 of which being a better Covenant Christ is the mediator v. 6. according to that Iohn 1. 17. This Law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ. The same Covenâ—nt repeated by Ezekiel Chap. 36. 26. 27. The Gospel therefore or Covenant of Grace is not a new law nor Christ a new law-giver as the Papists absurdly teach confounding the Law and the Gospel saving that they teach that the Gospel requireth more perfect obedience to be performed by our selves then the Law it self doth prescribe unto justification but to them that are redeemed and justified by faith it promiseth grace to walk in new obedience Howbeit this is true that as men deprived themselves of what was promised in the Old Covenant by disobedience So if men do live in sin without faith and without repentance not so much as desiring caring and endeavouring to worship God in holyness and righteousness they can have no assurance that they are within the Covenant of grace made only with those that truly beleeve God having promised
vaine and likewise S. Paul Gal. 6. 3. If a man think himselfe to be something when he is nothing he deceiveth himselfe Both of them are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is unsound being not inwardly and in truth that which in profession and outward shew they would seeme to be to both of them the description of an hypocrite doth agree they have a formality of religion but deny the power thereof 2. Tim. 3. 5. The former is the grosse and notorious hypocrite who doth best deserve the name for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an hypocrite in the greeke tongue signifieth a stage-player whose profession it is to take upon him the person of another man the other is the close and the most ordinary hypocrite who being not the man which he professeth or taketh himselfe to be acteth also another person as well as the other though not so grossely and as it were upon the stage seeming to himselfe and desirous to be reputed of others that which in deed he is not a good Christian having a name that he liveth but is dead Apoc. 3. 1. The former is a damned hypocrite damned in his owne conscience the other is a sâ—lfe-pleasing and a selfe-deceiving hypocrite pleasing himselfe by reason of his profession in his pride and selfe-love in his vaine presumption and carnall security in his infidelity and impeâ—â—itency professing himselfe to be a true Christian and yet being a meere worldling a carnall Gospeller a temporizing and temporary professour Of which sort by how much the greater is the number for the world is full of such by so much the greater must our desire and care be that we may be cryed and proved and vpon tryall found to be sound and upright Christians Our desire we must expresse in prayer to God that we may be proved and vpon tryall approved for untill we be tryed we know not our selves saying with David Ps. 139. 23 24. Ps. 26. 2. search me O LORD and know my heart that is make it knowâ— vnto me try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any way of wickednesse in me and lead me in the way everlasting that is in the way which leadeth to everlasting life Now GOD doth try both the upright and the hypocrite though in a dâ—fferent manner The upright he tryeth both by proving them himselfe and that for their good Deut. 8. 16. and by suffering them to be tempted by others and that either to manifest his graces in them to his owne glory their comfort and good example of others thus he tryed Abraham Gen. 22. 12. Iob and all the martyres or to discover unto them their owne weaknesse that they may be humbled and be made the more circumspect for the time to come And to that end he doth not only suffer them to be tempted unto evill but also sometimes when he leaveth them for a time unto themselves to take a foyle Thus God for a time left Ezechias to try him that he might know all that was in his heart 2 Chron. 32 31. and therefore those who come to serve the Lord must prepare their soules for temptation Eccles. 2. 1. But howsoever the Lord suffereth them to be tempted yet he doth not lead them into temptation and though he permitteth them sometimes to fall yet he doth not suffer them to fall away from him The Lord also trieth the hypocrites that their hypocrisie may be discovered Therefore our Saviour adviseth his disciples Luke 12. â— 2. to beware of the â—eaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisie and his reason is because nothing is covered which shall not be discovered And thus he doth not onely by suffering them to be tempted leaving them to themselves but also sometimes for a punishment of their former wickednesse and hypocrisie he leadeth them into temptation giving them over to their own lusts and to the temptations of Satan not only to fall into sinne but also to fall away from God which falling away is an evident signe of hypocrisie 1 Ioh. 2. 19. wherefore as the sonne of Syrach well admonisheth c. 1. 28. 29 30. Come not to the Lord with a double heart be not an hypocrite in the sight of men and take good heed what thou speakest Exalt not thy selfe lest thou fall and bring dishonour upon thy soule and so God discover thy secrets and cast thee down in the midst of the congregation because thou camest not in truth to the feare of the LORD but thy heart is full of deceipt Our care we must shew by trying our selves as the Apostle exhorteth 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether that you be in the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is prove your selves whether you be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sound and upright Here therefore we are to set down the notes both of the uâ—râ—ght and also of the hypocrites The knowledge whereof as it will be comfortable to so many as are true Christians so it will be profitable to the rest These notes are either more generall speciall Generall notes of uprightnesse The urst generall note is set downe in the place even now cited 2 Cor. 13. 5. Prove your selves know ye not your owne selves how that Iesus Christ is in you unlesse you be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is not â—ound or approved Christians but hypocrites for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which commonly is translated reprobate doth not signifie a reprobate opposed to elect but to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him that is approved See vers 6 7. But how shall we know that CHRIST is in us seeing he is in Heaven and we upon earth we may kâ—ow it by his spirit 1 Joh. 3. 24. which dwelleth in us Rom. 8. 9. 11. and in all his members which by reason of the union which is betwixt them and their Head are said to be in Christ and Christ in them for even as in the naturall body the feet are united to the head by the same soule which being principally seated in the Head is also in all the members so in the mysticall body of CHRIST the lowest members which are upon earth are united to their Head by the same spirit which being prâ—ncipally in the head is also in all the members But how shall we know that the spirit of Christ is in us if we be led by the spirit Rom. 8 14. Gal. 5 18 that is if we live not after the flesh but after the spirit And how shall we know that by the fruits of the spirit and of the flesh which the Apostle hath set downe Gal. 5. 19 22. The works of the flesh saith he are manifest which are these adultery fornication â—ucleannesse lasciviousnesse idolatry witcherast hatred or â—mniâ—yes câ—ntentions â—mulations indignations strife seditions or divisions heresies or sects envyings murthers drunkennesse revellings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comessationes expressed elswhere by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 carpula which is translated surfettings Luke 21 34 both of them