are perishing things but thy testimonies indure for ever The second request he makes concerning his heart is in the words I have read O Lord let my heart be sound in thy Statutes In which words you have first David's request Let my heart be sound in thy Statutes Secondly the end or the reason why he would have it so That I be not ashamed Let my heart he dont say let my Head be sound in thy Statutes but my Heart By heart he dont mean the fleshy part that is within man for so heart is sometimes taken in Scripture but he means by heart his Soul the principal part of man and so it 's taken in the 23. Prov. My Son give me thine heart that is give We thy Soul thy reason understanding judgment will and affections I call not for thy Body I call not for thy Flesh but I must have thy Spirit I I must have thy soul The soul is express'd here by heart because the soul doth act principally in the heart Let my heart be sound 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the Hebrew word First Let my heart be perfect with thee and not divided and so it is opposite to division mens hearts are divided between God and the world Ephraim had a divided heart Secondly Let my heart be upright for so the word bears it too and so it 's opposed to Hypocrisie let my heart â—e upright and sincere and not hypocritical Thirdly Let my heart be undefiled so the word is rendred in the â— v. of this Psalm and so it 's opposed to pollution defiledness Let my heart be undefiled pure clean spotless free from Sin Fourthly Let my heart be sound having nothing but truth in it and so it 's opposed to all errors whatsoever so you have it in Tit. 2.2 Let the aged men be sober grave temperate sound in the Faith men are sound in the Faith when their hearts and ears are open to no error no corrupt opinions no false tenents no winds of Doctrine to nothing of Man nothing of Satan nothing of the world let my heart be sound in thy Statutes let not my heart have any errors in it any false Tenents in it any dangerous opinions in it but let my heart be sound in thy Statutes In thy Statutes In this Psalm you have mention of Laws Commands Precepts Testimonies Ordinances and Statutes divers appellations but noting the same thing Thy Statutes that is the appointments of God what God doth appoint to be the rule for our thoughts affections words worship and wayes what he appoints men to do those are his Statutes They are Statutes because determined of God to be standing rules for all men to conform unto and the Laws and Statutes of Nations and Kingdoms should be conformable to them Stata via 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stabile Now saith David let my heart be sound in thy Statutes the words thus opened will yield us some points to treat on Obs 1. First That a gracious heart is a jealous heart Let my heart be sound in thy Statutes I am jealous of my heart 2. That the heart is especially to be look'd after Let my heart O let my heart my eye is upon my heart 3. That it is the desire of Saints and gracious ones to have sound hearts O Let my heart be sound in thy Statutes 4. That an unsound heart will one time or other make a man ashamed Let my heart be sound in thy Statutes That I be not ashamed If the heart be unsound it will appear it will break out It will be discovered and tend to your shame Doct. 1. First a gracious heart is a jealous heart saith David O let my heart be sound in thy Statutes I have a jealousie of my heart that 't is not sound and I would not be deceived here O let my heart be sound That a gracious heart is a jealous heart you may see it in the 47. Psal 6. v. I call to remembrance my Song in the night I commune with mine own heart and my Spirit made diligent Search I Commune with my heart and I make search and diligent search to see whether my heart be sound or no so in the 139 Psal 23.24 Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my Thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Truly Lord saith he I am Jealous of my heart I am afraid of my heart I have been searching and trying of it and I am afraid there is some way of wickedness in my heart I am afraid it will deceive me and bring me to shame one day why Lord do thou search me and try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way that I cannot find out and Lord discover it to me and if there be any evil in me do not leave me to my own heart but Lord lead me in the way everlasting Thus the Church in the 3. Lam. 40 41. Let us search and try our wayes and turn again to the Lord let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens O come God is angry and hath corrected us severely our hearts have not been right with God let us search and try our wayes and turn again to the Lord we have gone aside and we were not aware of it our hearts have deceived us come come let us lift up our hearts to God he hath not our hearts yet Now this Jealousie that a holy man hath of his heart is a Godly jealousie not a wicked naughty jealousie but a Godly jealousie there is a Godly jealousie over others and over a mans self 2 Cor. 11.2 1 Cor. 9.27 Qu. Now it may be ask'd of what is he jealous in his own heart An. First he is jealous least the change which he hopes is in his heart should not be thorough he is afraid 't is not a thorough change he remembers he hath heard in Scripture that one may be almost a Christian and yet not altogether a Christian as Felix said Thou hast perswaded me almost to become a Christian I but he was not a Christian he remembers and considers Ephraim was a Cake half bak'd not thorough bak'd he considers the young man in the Gospel was not far from the Kingdom of Heaven but not in the Kingdom of Heaven Now he is jealous of himself in regard of his change there must be a change in a man that is Godly a thorough change an universal change now he hath a Godly jealousie of himself least he should not be thoroughly changed Secondly he is jealous from what principle he now acts act he doth but he is jealous least he doth not act from a right principle whether he act from the Spirit of God within from the Divine nature within him Or whether he do act from reason from affection from nature from custom what principle he acts by he is jealous of he hath a Godly jealousie least his actions come
not from a right principle all men act but few men consider from what principle their actions come why they have a soul within them and an understanding within them and they act as men I but a Godly man must act higher They are partakers of the Divine nature they have the Spirit put into them they have faith put into them they have a new heart and a new spirit and they act from another principle than the world doth Now a Godly Soul is jealous from what principal he acts Thirdly A gracious heart is jealous of its own graces whether its graces be real and true graces or feigned imagined or seeming graces or restraining graces a gracious heart is very jealous very watchful very tender and careful in this point it knows that there are seeming graces which are not saving it knows that there is reprobate Silver as well as right and good Silver it knows there is Brass and Lead and Tin as well as Gold and therefore is very jealous least it should miscarry and Judge that true grace which is not true grace it 's jealous of it self and very vigilant and careful herein O that my heart may be sound and that I may not mistake nor be turned off now with common grace restraining grace but that I may have justifying grace saving grace and sanctifying grace Fourthly A gracious heart is jealous about its union with Christ union with Christ there must be if ever any of you be sav'd Christ is the head and the body must be united to the head and every member in the body must have union with the head he that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit now a gracious heart hath a Godly jealousie about its union am I united to Christ or am I not deceived am I not mistaken Is it any more than a bare profession is it any more than a bare external professional union Is it an Intrinsecal union an essential union Is it a union made by the Spirit of Christ hath Christ hold of me and I hold of Christ by Faith do I apprehend as I am apprehended Fifthly He is jealous of his apprehensions his apprehensions about truths about joys he hath other apprehensions than he had before and yet he hath a Godly jealousie about his apprehensions least he should not apprehend God aright and Christ aright and Scriptures aright and Promises aright and other truths aright He is jealous of his joy he hath sometimes joy inward joy but he fears least it should be the fruit of nature of fancy of misapprehending and of misapplying things least his joys be no other than the joys of the Stony ground So of his feelings and experiences he is jealous there least he do mistake in them build too much upon them draw other conclusions from them than he should And evry Godly man and woman hath cause to be jealous here There are so many errors which are so like truth and such false joys that men have cause I say to be very jealous Sixthly he hath jealousie in respect of his affections a gracious soul is jealous least his affections be misplaced least his affections be inordinate run the wrong way and run out too much towards things below and too little towards things above he is jealous that they be not plac'd upon the right object That his love is not where it should be his hatred where it should be Jealous least they do not work according as they ought to work in reference to the objects they are plac'd upon Is my love upon God do I love him him with all my Soul and with all my heart and with all my might Do I love him above all things in the world Is my heart with him constantly and continually Is my hatred carried out against Sin Do I hate sin in my self Do I not wink at Sin in a Wife a Child a Brother a Sister or a Relation So for his fear do not I fear creatures more than God have not I more lively stirrings in my Soul in regard of Thunder and Lightning and dangers and evils and death than I have of the great God of Heaven and Earth He is jealous of himself of his affections that way jealous least he sorrow for Sin because of the evils and mischiefs it brings him not because it is against God darkens his Glory is the breach of his Commands and defiles the Soul So for the manner of his affections he is jealous least they should not be real and true but hypocritical for many pretend much love and friendship and kindness and yet there 's no reality so many pretend much love to God and no reality pretend much sorrow for Sin and no reality pretend fear of God and no reality thus is he jealous over his affections with a Godly jealousie Seventhly A gracious heart is jealous over its own ends what its ends are whether its ends are right or no according to God or no he sees men have base ends and by ends and selfish ends and particular interests which carries them aside and turns them out of the way and he is jealous least his heart should have some wrong ends Religion is the pretence and Gods glory is the pretence of all men O to honour God and to countenance Religion these two ends must countenance all the base practices in the world both by Papists and others now a Godly man is jealous of his ends least he have not propounded a right end and so carry on things in order to that end Eighthly He is jealous least he should neglect any thing that may conduce to his spiritual and eternal good he is very jealous in this Paul in the 1. Cor. 9. last saith he I keep under my body and bring it into subjection least that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a cast away Saith Paul I dare not neglect the keeping under my body and bringing it into subjection to the Doctrine I pâ—â—ch least that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a cast away Now a gracious heart is as jealous as Paul Paul was jealous he durst not neglect Fasting and Abstinence and Prayer and Mortification thus a gracious heart is jealous least he should neglect any thing that might further his spiritual good so run that you may obtain be sure to cast off every weight and the Sin that doth so easily beset you cast off the world that doth so hinder O run and so run that you may obtain Ninthly Lastly he is jealous least his heart should cary out his Tongue and his hand to such expressions and actions that are not becoming his profession he is very jealous O let my heart be sound in thy Statutes let my heart never carry me out to do any thing that may prejudice thy Statutes nor to speak any thing that may disparage them let me not Judge Censure and Condemn let me
for us who knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him made the righteousness how come we to be made why by faith in him Phil. 3.9 and be found in him not having mine own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God through faith So that the way for a soul that 's troubled with sin and guilt of sin and the like is to believe in the Lord Jesus and to rest upon him who takes away sin and brought in a righteousness that is sufficient for us Fifthly if we must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and can never be truly setled in our comforts and peace without faith in him then let us fetch our comforts our peace our assurance from Christ by believing and not from any thing of our own not from our repentance and obedience and Sanctification for these are mixt with imperfections these are defiled with our corruptions these are ebbing and flowing so will your comforts and peace and assurance be so long as you feed them from these these do not make us righteous before God it may be before men or in our own eyes may make us righteous our repentance our obedience our holiness but they do not make us so before God if we raise our comforts and peace and assurance from these it is from our own actings and this savours too much of a legal spirit if we believe in Christ and fetch all from him it will be certain and lasting and solid and will be unshaken Isa 45.24 It 's a Prophesie of the Gospel times Verily shall one say in the Lord have I righteousness and strength I have none in my self and I can draw none from what self doth but in the Lord have I righteousness and strength There is sufficient righteousness and there is sufficient strength to bear up my peace and comfort and assurance so that the way to have solid comfort peace and assurance is to believe in the Lord Jesus and to fetch all from him Sixthly If believing in the Son of God do lye under a command then I infer from hence that it will be our duty to enquire whether we have obeyed this command and do believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe the right way for there is some kind of faith in Christ which is not a right faith the Gospel tells us of some that believed yet afterwards fell off from Christ Now how shall we come to know whether we do believe aright in the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God or no this may be of use unto us I shall answer it in several particulars First that faith which is a true and right faith in the Lord Jesus Christ it follows conviction of unbelief Joh. 16.8 9. When he is come he will reprove or as it is in your Margins Convince the world of sin because they believe not on me that 's the Son The spirit of God when it comes convinces men and women of their unbelief convinces them of the evil of the greatness of this sin above all sins you think it may be other sins are very great and grievous sins Drunkenness Whordom Idolatry and the like yea but unbelief is the great sin of all that 's the soul damning sin and when faith comes all other sins are taken away but if you be unbelievers the guilt of all your other sins are bound upon you so that it convinces the soul of unlelief now have you had any conviction of what unbelieving hearts you have naturally how backward you are to believe how you put away promises and motions of the spirit well if you have a right faith it follows conviction of unbelief Secondly if you would know whether your faith be right or no in the Son of God then answer how you came by your faith How came you by your faith is it from your selves wrought by your own fancies from your reasonings is it a fillogistical faith only as thus he that believes shall be saved I believe and therefore I shall be saved this now is but a work of your own reasoning but the faith that is right is wrought by the power of God and is the gift of God Col. 2.12 Buried with him in Baptism wherein you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead There was the operation of God in raising Christ from the dead and the same operation of God is put forth in the hearts of those that do believe and the Ephesians they could witness unto it Eph. 1.19 And what saith he is the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places Why there was power and greatness and exceeding greatness of power towards us who do believe yea according to the working of his mighty power the power that raised Christ from the dead even that mighty power was put forth in our souls to raise us out of the grave of unbelief to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ so that in the 1 Thess 1.5 our Gospel saith he came not unto you in word onely but also in power and in the Holy-Ghost The power of the Holy-Ghost was put forth in working faith in the Thessalonians and so the power of God and his spirit is put forth in the working faith in any soul and usually some promise or some Gospel truth is set upon the heart in power where there is a right faith wrought as Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest and God so loved the world as he gave his onely begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life and whoever will let him come without money and without price c. Gal. 4.28 29. Now we Brethren as Isaac was are the Children of promise Children that are born of the promise But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit c. so then they are born after the spirit the spirit sets on some promise some word of God which is a seed of faith and of grace and life in the soul and so you come by your faith that way Thirdly That faith which is right in the Son of God excludes all boasting Rom. 3.27 where is boasting then 't is excluded by what Law of works nay but by the Law of faith 't is faith that excludes boasting and Rom. 4.2 If Abraham were justified by works he hath whereof to glory but not before God So the soul now if it were justified by its own actings it hath cause to boast but he that is justified in Christ he hath no cause to boast the soul sees it could never come to Christ except
all in his own name and for himself and not for Christ he had a covetous heart So Annanias and Saphira miscarried they did things in their own name so Demas he did things in his own name the world was still upon him and he miscarried and Godly men and women they miscarry they begin not with Christ they do not things in the name of Christ they do not do things for Christ and therefore they miscarry fearfully because Christ is not taken along with them This is a true cause if not the onely cause why Saints and precious ones miscarry in their actions Secondly see hence why Godly men and women have so much guilt and fear upon their spirits which appears in ill times especially when Gods judgments are abroad and dangers are at hand Oh how guilty are they how fearful are they what 's the reason of this it's because the thoughts and words and actions have not been in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we have thought our own thoughts and spoke our own words and done our own wills and hence it comes to pass that we are full of guilt and full of fear in 12. Mat. 36. I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment God hath many dayes of judgment here in the world before the great day of judgment hereafter For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Our words condemn us and we find guilt upon us for our words and our actions do condemn us and we find guilt upon us for our actions Rom. 2.7 8. Who will render to every man according to his deeds to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life but unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile We find fears and we fear tribulation and fear ruine and destruction because our actions have not been done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for his honour and glory but for our selves Fourthly if Christians must do all in the name of the Lord Jesus then nothing is to be done in but own names to do things in our own names is not currant is not legal is not warrantable who authorized you will Christ say to do this or that in your own name what warrant have you what word have you for it to do it in your own name no neither must we do things in our own strength nor in our own wisdom we think we are wise and we are able but Prov. 3.5 6 7. Lean not unto thine own understanding dont lean to thy own understanding thou art but a fool unto God and thy wisdom is nothing lean not to thine own understanding in all thy wayes acknowledge him Mark in all thy wayes acknowledge him look up to him do things in his name by his wisdom by his strength not by thy own and he shall direct thy path is not Gods direction better than our own Gods councel better than ours Gods strength better than ours lean not then to your own wisdom acknowledge him in all your wayes be not wise in thine own eyes We are loth to lay down our own wisdom and our own apprehensions and conceptions Prov. 23.4 Labour not to be rich cease from thine own wisdom make not that thy design I will be rich and like the great ones in the City and I will be high and I will be so and so this is thy own wisdom thy own folly indeed we are not to do any thing in our own names no nor in the name of Angels nor of Saints the Papists do many things in the name of this Saint and the other Saint and in the name of the Virgin Mary they do many things pray in her name and act in her name and suffer in her name but this is not in the name of Christ whatsoever ye do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Therefore remember we are to do nothing in our own names or in the names of any but in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Fifthly I infer hence that whosoever would steer a right course in this world and have his thoughts words and actions accepted and blessed must have a special eye unto the Lord Christ we must look to him as the Pole-star as Marriners their eye is much upon the Pole-star or the compass upon which they sail by their eye is upon these otherwise they will go out of their way and miscarry but if we observe the courses of men and women they sail most by the compass of the world look what the world doth and such and such a man doth that they will do or if not so yet by the custome of places where they are why 't is the custom of the place to do thus and thus or else according to the tradition of the Elders our Elders did so they wash'd their hands before meat and we will do it or else they look to the Laws of men But this is not yet in the name of Christ or else they do things by their own wills and lusts they will have these fulfilled but where 's the name of Christ all this while men go wrong and out of the way not looking at Christ few direct their course by Christ his name his councel according to his will and his word It was otherwise with that blessed Apostle Paul Paul had his eye upon Christ therefore he saith in 1 Cor. 11.1 Be ye followers of me as I am of Christ I have Christ alwayes in my eye I begin with Christ I go on with Christ I end with Christ I have Christ alwayes in my eye dont follow me at all if I dont follow Christ I am a learned man and you think you may follow me because I am a learned man or I am an Apostle and you will follow me therefore but if I dont follow Christ notwithstanding my learning and my Apostleship dont follow me it is Christ you must have in your eye it is Christ you must regulate all by he must be your Pole star he must be your compass so in 5 Eph. 1. Be ye therefore followers of God as dear Children dont follow the world dont follow the customes of places dont follow any but God and be followers of God as dear Children Children will follow their Parents and follow no others So then if we would steer our course aright we must be followers of Christ and eye Christ and eye God and take up all from them and not from men Sixthly if we must do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ according as we have opened then here see to whom we owe the success of all we do 't is not to our selves
is Lord in your heart he is Lord in your spirits he is Lord in your tongues he is Lord in your heads he is Lord in all your wayes therefore look upon him as Lord and Moderator of all your thoughts words and actions and this will help you to do things in his name Secondly if you would do things in his name then mind the very example and practice of the Lord Jesus Christ himself he did not do things in his own name but he did all in his fathers name and therefore we should do all in his name when he requires it of us as the Father required it of him he did all in his Fathers name in Job 5.43 I am come in my Fathers name and ye receive me not I am come but I come in my Fathers name I dont come in my own name I run not on my own head I come not with my own will or my own words to do what I would but I am come in my Fathers name and the Fathers works he did in Joh. 10.25 Jesus answered them I told you and ye believe not the works that I do in my Fathers name they bear witness of me all the works that I do I do in my Fathers name not in my own name Now here 's a good example for us to mind the Lord Christ he did all in his Fathers name and so should we do all in Christs name and if we do them in his name we do them in the Fathers name also Paul did all in Christs name and we should do all in Christs name He did all in his Fathers name and his example is an unerring example Thirdly If we would do all in the name of Christ then let us get lowâ—â—â—o the Lord Jesus Christ 'T is want of love that makes us do so little in the name of Christ if we had love enough to Christ it would make us act in his name the name of Christ is an Oyntment poured out therefore do the Virgins love thee if we did look at the name of Christ as an Oyntment poured out sweet and precious and saving and comforting indeed O it would make us love the Lord Jesus as the Virgins do A Wife that loves her Husband it will make her do all in her Husbands name Oh if we had love to Jesus Christ we would do all in his name why the Lord Christ he loved his Father and saith he I keep his Commandements and abide in his love 'T is love will make you do things in the name of Christ the more love is in any soul the more it will act in the name of Christ and honour him Fourthly Lastly if we would do all in Christs name then let us consider the great reward that we shall have the reward will be great if we do all in his name I there will be a reward here and a reward hereafter we glorifie him and honour him much if we do all in his name I all the glory will be his now if we glorifie him we shall have a reward in our very acting how sweet is that action which is done aright in a right manner to a right end from a right principle how sweet is it as the Psalmist saith in keeping of thy Commandements there is great reward in the very keeping of the commands of God and Christ is great reward 〈◊〉 is great peace great comfort great content sweetness communion with God and at the end there is great reward Crowns of Glory a Kingdom Rivers of pleasure great reward so in doing things in the name of Christ there is a great reward in the very doing of it great sweetness great content to the soul great peace great communion with God great favour of Christ and afterwards there will be a great and glorious reward for the soul that doth so in the 12. John 26. If any man serve me saith Christ let him follow me and where I am there shall also my Servant be if any man serve me why who serves Christ better than he that doth all in Christs name if we be the Servants of Christ we shall do all in the name of Christ and what then Let him follow me and where I am there shall also my Servant be and if any man serve me him will my Father honour He shall be honoured by me and honoured by my Father honoured in Earth and honoured in Heaven honoured with a Kingdom and Glory and honoured with fruition of nâ—e and of my Father and all that is desirable Therefore consider of the great reward you shall have if you do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ The preciousness of the Word Psal 19.10 More to be desired are they then Gold yea then much fine Gold THe Psalmist had lay'd down in the former part of the Psalm many commendations of the Law the Statutes the Commandements the Testimonies and Judgments of the Lord. And here he draws up a conclusion concerning them all They are more to be desired then Gold then much fine Gold The words themselves are a Doctrine or an Observation and you may take it thus Doct. Divine truths are more to be desired then the choicest Treasures of the earth then all earthly treasures Two things are here to be done First to shew you that Gold is desirable and truths upon the same account Secondly that divine truths are more desirable then Gold or Silver or any earthly treasures whatsoever For the first two things there First what desire is Secondly that Gold is desirable and the truths of God upon the same account First what desire is desire is the reaching out of the soul after some good affected not in possession but absent saith David O that I had of the water of the Well of Bethlehem here 's the reaching out of his soul after some good affected 2 Sam. 23.15 saith Rachel give me Children or else I dye here 's the reaching out of her Soul after Children It is after good affected Either seeming good or real good affected Love is the root that bears desire and desire is the branch or fruit the hand and opperation of Love what we have no Love to we dont desire but what we have some Love too that we do desire It is the affecting of Good either seeming or real Solomon he desires wisdom that was a real good and he had real desires of it The desire of the Righteous is onely to good saith Solomon and there are seeming goods Eve desires the fruit 't was but a seeming good to her for it brought woe and sorrow to her and all hers Amnon desires Tamar it was a seeming good but a real evil Achan desires the Wedge of Gold it was his ruine Gehezi desires the Garments and the Wedge of Gold Now there must be good real or in appearance where desire is carried out unto it the soul sees some amiableness in the thing it doth desire and so it puts forth its desires after it