Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_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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Dr. MANNYNGHAM's SERMON Preach'd before Her Majesty AT WHITE-HALL February the 28th 1693 4. 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 D.D. Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties and Rector of St. Andrew-Holborn Publish'd by Her Majesty's Special Command LONDON Printed for S. Smith and B. Walford at the Princes-Armes in St. Paul's Church-yard 1694. PSALM CXXXIX 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 THis Psalm is supposed to have been made by David when he was under the Persecution of Saul when his Enemies accus'd him of Wicked Designs against the Government and laid many things to his charge of which he knew himself to be no ways guilty This put him upon the Justification of himself and the clearing of his Innocency betwixt God and his own Soul which he performed in a very solemn and deliberate manner by appealing to the Omniscience of God when he had with much exactness and a peculiar elegancy describ'd it in the former part of this Psalm For here he acknowledges the Spiritual Nature of God whereby he is present to all the Thoughts of our Minds to all the Desires of our Hearts to the most secret Designs and hidden Counsels of the Soul That there is no getting out of his Presence no concealing any thing from his Knowledge that there is no Night no Darkness with respect to Him but that all things are in a full Light and Manifestation to his All-seeing Eye Now when he had declar'd what just Apprehensions he had of the Divine Nature and how clearly he was convinc'd That there was no Thought of his Mind no Word of his Mouth no Inclination of his Heart but what was perfectly known to that Infinite Spirit who gave him his Soul and fram'd all the Parts of his Body who knew his down-sitting and his up-rising who was about his Paths and about his Bed and was acquainted with all his ways when he had wrought such a full Conviction and Awe in his Soul of the Infinite Knowledge and Presence of the Divine Power then he deliver'd himself up to the Trial and Examination of that All-knowing Spirit desiring that he would search to the very bottom of his Heart discover all the Foundations of his Soul and see if there were any wicked way in him any evil Purpose or Design any mischievous Imagination of which his Enemies accus'd him And if he found that he was innocent and clear that he would still protect and assist him under that Integrity of his Heart of which he was so greatly Conscious to himself that he would lead him in that Path of Vprightness and sincere Piety which would be sure to bring him at length to Everlasting Life Now tho' this solemn Appeal to God which David made in this Psalm may seem to concern his Innocence only in respect to those particular Crimes which were then objected against him as that he had enter'd into a Confederacy against the Crown and Life of Saul and in pursuance of that Design was a Favourer and Supporter of Wicked and Bloody Men the Thoughts of which he utterly detested and declar'd That he hated them with a perfect Hatred yet we cannot conceive but that when David vindicated himself from those particular Accusations he likewise at the same time appeal'd to God for the General Integrity of his Heart for so the Acknowledgment of the Omniscience of God did require him to do who was acquainted with all the Designs of his Heart and if he had indulg'd himself in any Evil way whatever he could not expect any Protection and Assistance from God The particular Crimes therefore which were objected against him were the Occasion of his appealing to God for the General Integrity of his Heart as far as his own Search and Examination could reach and if God by his severer Scrutiny by any further Trial of Afflictions should discover to him any Deceitfulness of his Heart or any way of Wickedness which he himself had not yet observed he was ready to forsake it upon Conviction and to be lead in the Upright Path the way Everlasting 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 Which Words may afford us these Three Considerations 1. What is that Sincerity and Integrity of Heart which God indispensably requires from all of us See if there be any wicked way in me II. How we may best judge of this Sincerity and Integrity of our Hearts viz. by searching and examining our own Consciences and especially by being willing to appeal to God's Omniscience in that Matter Search me O God and know my Heart Try me and know my Thoughts III. That it is only this Sincerity and Integrity of the Heart which can entitle us to the Protection and favourable Assistance of God Lead me in the way Everlasting 1. What is that Sincerity and Integrity of Heart indispensably required from all of us See if there be any wicked way in me Now according to the Psalmist's own Expression in another place God requires Truth in the inward Parts That the real Intention of our Minds should be to please him in all things or that our Obedience should be perform'd upon a True Principle the Authority of God or a Conformity to his Will which is that we mean by Sincerity There are many Ends which Men may propose to themselves in the same Action or Undertaking but that which makes an Action Religious is the performing of it with a principle regard to God and to His Commands A Man may be sober and temperate because it is agreeable to his Constitution and conducing to his Health because he would preserve a fair Reputation in the World or to keep himself in such a State of Mind and Body as may give him the truest Relish of sensual Pleasures and a long Enjoyment of Temporal Ease and Happiness Upon such Principles as these the more Refined Epicureans may be very temperate and sober Persons and look like men of great Moderation in the Eyes of the World and yet be high Sensualists still But whosoever governs his Appetites upon a true Principle of Religion does it upon the account of the Laws of God and in imitation of the Example of Christ that by withdrawing himself from the Pleasures of this World his Heart may be more fix'd upon Spiritual and Heavenly Enjoyments and that he may live in a Preparation to part with all his present Satisfactions when the Providence of God shall lay the Cross upon him or when Death shall summon him to depart out of this World All the outward things in Religion are capable of being Dissembled or at least of being acted upon Low and unworthy Designs Men
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