honest man an upright man And when once you hate Hypocrisie you will flee it when once you really love uprightness you 'l take pains to procure it Shall I yield to that my soul hates dwell in an house that I abhor I le never do it May so rare a Jewel as Sincerity be had and shall I live without it shall it be offered me and I deny it No whatever it cost me I will not live or dye an hypocrite Shall I be a Dunghill covered with Snow how odious shall I be when my snow-white mantle will be stript off Speak man of Reason is Simulation lovely Is Dissimulation amiable Why wilt thou wear that ugly vizard For a Name in this World lose a Soul in another For a Shadow of Religion lose the Substance of Salvation A serious hatred of Hypocrisie is not only a means to conquer it but is a conquest of it A hearty love to integrity is Integrity IV. Attend a searching Ministry 1 Pet. 2. 2. Desire the sincere milk of the Word He that would attain Sincerity must desire Gods sincere Word A searching Ministry will make a sound Professor a plain Minister will make a plain Christian. Lay your naked heart under the naked truth of God and let him write on that blank paper what he pleaseth For the word of the Lord is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Such a Sword rightly welded will cleave an hair and give a man as little rest in formality as in prophaness The word of truth is the way to create the grace of truth the sincere word a sincere heart The babe draws spirits with the milk and that nourishes And in the word truly dispensed the spirit is conveyed and if the spirit of truth step in with the word of truth then the work is done Psal. 143. 10. Thy spirit is good lead me into the land of Uprightness This good spirit will take you by the hand and not only shew you but bring you into the land of uprightness And go not so much to judge the Minister as to be judged by the Sermon Let the most of your severity be imployed upon your selves and the largest of your charity upon the Preacher The humble sincere hearer doth mostly go home with the benefit when the censorious person goes away with the talk And remember this that as it requires more grace to hear and profit by a weak or offensive Preacher so a warm and serious spirit will infuse heat and vigour into the most cold general Sermon if not into the Minister V. Be instant in prayer Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights This is a good and perfect gift O seek it from the Father of lights The Matter of such a prayer pleaseth him and the Mediator pleaseth him and so nothing can frustrate it but the Man or the Matter Add faith and forveney and the manner is sure And then let not your suit fall for your own fault nor lose a prayer for up rightness for want of an honest heart Beg also the prayers of others he may hear Job that will not hear his friends Pray and wrestle till this blessing come O Lord I have heard such a Character of uprightness that I misdoubt my self I seel much amiss I fear all 's amiss I tremble at my condition I am a Christian by profession but I am an hypocrite by nature thy word hath found me out and I am lost Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right upright spirit within me And know that the God of Heaven will give grace more freely than an earthly Father will bread Good and upright is the Lord therefore will he teach sinners in the way And thus you have the Means and do you mean to use them what are directions if you will not be directed by them O let not these words stand here to be your accusers but your monitors and remember that Practise is the End the Crown of Preaching SECT IX V. THe Fifth and last Use is for Consolation to all upright ones You are blessed men in the mouth both of Law and Gospel Psal. 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way that walk in the Law of the Lord. Mat. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God You may be crost by men but you shall be blest by God you may not see the desire of your hearts in this life but you shall see God in life everlasting you may live poor but you shall dye rich Prov. 19. 1. Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity than he that is perverse in his lips and is a fool He that 's poor in his wealth but rich in his integrity hath coyn that will pass in the other world Uprightness and Blessedness are inseparable companions O but Sir that 's my fear that my heart is rotten at the core my wayes crooked and your discourse hath increas'd my doubts that I fear I have not one dram of sincerity And my fears are increas'd upon such grounds as these Doubt 1. The Allegatiòns of Satan See saith he thy rottenness after such a Duty in such a temptation thou hast but a shew and these accusations he follows with fears and terrours in my spirit that my soul is sometimes weary of my life Resol 1. There are roots of hypocrisie in the sincerest heart as of all other sins so of this That 's remarkable Luk. 12. 1. Jesus began to say to his Disciples first of all take heed and beware of hypocrisie Christs own Disciples were in danger of this leaven All the stock below the grass is perfect Crab-tree This you may grant with grief and yet retain your integrity with comfort 2 Satans Bills are void in Law for he is the Accuser of the Brethren right or wrong he had a face to accuse upright Job that had his Maker for his compurgator And then the accusation of a condemned person is no proof in any Court of Record yea his terrors may be your evidences for he seldom or never troubles his own house while his prisoners are quiet he holds his peace but when they are broken from him he shakes his chain after them But then hold up a crucified Christ before his very face with worthy Gesner and say Huic offendi non tibi vince hunc me vinces It 's this Christ that I have offended thou fiend of Hell I never sinn'd against thee conquer him and then thou conquerest me Doubt 2. The Censures of men my Friends whisper it my Foes proclaim it and the Minister meets me in every Sermon I may be partial to my self but others will speak plain Resol 1. The censures of others should make us more severe
Labour for uprightness Buy this truth and sell it not For the love of God be not hypocrites Consider three things 1. Uprightness is Amiable 1. In the eye of God you see that in 1 Chron. 29. 17. He hath pleasure in uprightness You that displease him by your Infirmities had need to please him by your Integrity Cant. 4. 7. Thou art fair my love sayes Christ there is no spot in thee This makes you all fair in his eyes All the beauty of Heaven and Earth doth not please God as an upright man no creature like the New creature And on the contrary no sight so odious to him as an hypocrite He that counterfeits the Kings coyn dyeth the same death with a Rebel A lukewarm Christian makes Christs stomach to rise Rev. 3. 16. And 2. Uprightness is amiable to men Where enmity to God hath not quite raz'd out all reliques of Reason and Honesty every man seems to be pleas'd with integrity and will speak for such as they think in their Consciences mean and speak uprightly Few would hurt us if we could more sincerely be followers of that which is good But an hypocrite is odious to all men like those Proto-hypocrites 1 Thes. 2. 15. They please not God and are contrary to all men He makes an ill choice that imbraces a course that God and man are agreed to abhor 2. Uprightness is Comfortable A sound upright good Conscience is a continual feast In troubles reproaches sickness death no comfort like an upright heart This will support the spirits supply with new spirits the weather-beaten Christian and make him sing in prison when his enemies shall tremble on the Throne This gave the Apostle Paul that boldness before Princes that he lived in all good Conscience Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy righteous judgments And on the contrary a man hath no comfort from hypocrisie none at all What joy can a man have when he knows his heart is rotten What comfort in a velvet patch when it only covers a filthy ulcer What content when a man dare not commune with himself he that is not welcome unto his own Conscience can be merry no where in the world 3. Uprightness is Necessary 1. To every good duty here Without it Preaching is but a tinkling Cymbal Prayer but as the howling of a Dog Religious discourse but the prating of a Parrot Nothing acceptable without it Goats-hair a rich present with it A sincere sigh of him that joyns more worth than the fained eloquence of him that makes the Prayer The two mites of the good Widow more valuable than the great sums cast in by Pharisees Our duties are not numbred but weighed they are not measured by their length or breadth but by their prosundity If they be hearty sincere the right stamp upon them they are current in Heaven or else they are but the cutting off a dogs neck the offering of swines flesh and God abhors them 2. Necessary to our eternal-Salvation hereafter Psal. 24. 4. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord He that hath clean hands and a pure heart A man may go to Heaven without Parts without Riches without Gifts but there is no coming there without uprightness that is the land of uprightness it is there all in fashion The great question at those Gates will be Man Woman where 's thy oyl Though men may be deceived God will not be mocked He that sowes the wind shall reap the whirlwind In the darkest corner of Hell there lye the hypocrites O the rage horror and torment of an hypocrite in Hell when his hope is like the giving up the Ghost O the confusion and shame that will cover him when his fellow-Professors shall see him so unexpectedly packt into Hell And what brutish madness is it to make others believe that thou art going towards Heaven and that while thou steal into Hell O sinner it is absolutely necessary to salvation that thou be upright And therefore in the Name of God inquire the means to obtain it and set about them Well will you faithfully use them Then they are these SECT VIII I. STudy Humility Hab. 2. 4. Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him Pride hath a great influence into hypocrisie and humility into uprightness He that takes a pride in being counted Great or Good no wondeâ—… that he will put on the vizard of more goodness than he hath And on the other side he that is content of an ordinary Reputation will study to be sound and not play the white Devil to get applause The humble man concludes I am a very weak creature and I am a very great sinner and what care I for a golden name and know I have but a leaden heart Do but study the pure Law of God and then study thy impure heart and be proud if thou canst where a truer heart than in Paul yet he for his part is of Saints the least of sinners the chief although the Lord reckoned him greater than the greatest of the former and less than the least of the latter Humility and Integrity are born and dye together II. Be faithful in Self-examination Psal. 77. 6. I communed with my heart and my spirit made diligent search And for this end let your Consciences be heard for the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord to search the innermost parts of the belly You think all 's right but when matters come to tryal you 'l find all 's naught While the Sun is under the cloud you can see no motes in the room but when its beams shine in you may see thousands How do young people live in the dark and little feel or fear the plague that is upon them but when once the light of saving knowledge Self-knowledge breaks in then Ephraim bemoans himself and Paul cryes out O wretched man that I am For shame live not so long strangers at home If a man do not know himself he knows nothing Commune with your own hearts and be still You commune with God in religious Duties you commune with men in your civil Callings but when do you commune with your selves Go to the Law try your selves by every command Luther going about this and beginning at I am the Lord thy God profess'd that he was so overwhelm'd thereby that he could go no further Alas your Confidence flows from your Ignorance one saving sight of your woful state would go far in your oure O lose not your souls for want of one serious thought III. Get an hatred to hypocrisie and a love of uprightness Behold them both in their own colours Read Mat. 23. That glass will shew you the face of the one and Psal. 119. will shew you the features of the other If you would put the worst badge in the world upon a man you call him Hypocrite if you would give any man the most advantageous title you write him an
Mark the perfect man and behold the upright you may see them both at once His heart is intirely devoted to the will and wayes of God The hypocrite he hath ever some exceptions and reservations Such a sin I must not leave such a grace I cannot love such a duty I will not practise thus far I will yeild but no farther thus far I will go it is consistent with my carnal ends but all the world shall not perswade me farther The Judgement of the hypocrite will drive beyond his Will his Conscience beyond his Affections he is not intire his heart is parted and so he is off and on The Upright man hath but one Happiness and thâ—…t is the injoyment of God but one Rule and that is his holy Will but one Work and that is to please his Maker and thereupon he is intire and certain in his choice in his desires in his wayes and contrivances And though there may be some demurs in his prosecution of his main business yet there is no hesitancy and wavering between two objects for he is intirely fixt and resolv'd therein and so may be said to be perfect and intire wanting nothing There is in every hypocrite some one Fort or strong hold that hath never yielded to the soveraignty and empire of Gods will Some lust castles it self in the will but where integrity enters it brings every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Lord saith he I am wholly thine do what thou wilt with me say what thou wilt to me write what thou wilt upon me Other Lords have had dominion over me but by thee onely will I make mention of thy name Isa. 26. 13. here is the upright man 5. An Upright heart is Plain without Guile Psal. 32. 2. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no Guile Here is a blessed word indeed Alas we have great and many iniquities were it not happy for us to be as if we had never sinned why non-imputation will be as well for us as if there had been no transgression sins remitted are as if they had not been committed The debt-book crost as good as if never entred But who is this blessed man In whose spirit there is no Guile that is 1. no fundamental guile that hath not deceitfully covenanted with his God 2. That hath no approved guile to approve and yeild to any way of wickedness that doth not juggle with God or men or with his own Conscience that hides not his Idols under him when God is searching his Tent but as it follows there verse 5. acknowledges and hates and leaves his sin When the Upright man confesseth his sin his heart akes and he is deeply troubled for it he dissembles not the hypocrite proclaims open war but maintains secret intelligence with his lusts When the upright man prayes for any grace he earnestly desires it and he takes pains to compass it too for he is in good earnest and dissembles not The hypocrite is afraid in his prayers to be taken at his word for he loves not the image or grace of God at all And so in every thing else there is nothing but guile in him he that will dissemble with God will dissemble with any man in the world See the wide difference between Saul and David Saul is charged with a fault 1 Sam. 15. 14. lie denies it the charge is renewed verse 17. still he minces the matter looks for fig-leaves to cover all But plain-hearted David is another man he is charg'd and he yields one prick opens a vein of sorrow in his heart he tells all he makes a Psalm of it and therein concludes this Psal. 51. 6. Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts The plain-hearted man sayes God is for me with the upright man I will shew my self upright SECT VII III. ANd thus you have the Nature of uprightness a little opened and now let us consider the Object about which this uprightness is conversant And the great business of the upright heart is about 1. Inward Religion 2. Universal 3. Constant 1. He is a Student and Practitioner of Inward Religion Diligent he is in the outward acts of it also but that he hath common with the hypocrite but his greatest study is to be good within Rom. 2. 28 29. For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly that is he is no Jew as to the esteem and acceptation of God or as to the spiritual priviledges of the Covenant neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the flesh to wit that is not the Circumcision which God chiefly looks at and which a man is chiefly advantag'd by But he is a Jew which is one inwardly that is a Saint in soul and Circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter It is not water on the face but blood on the heart which makes a saveable Christian. O Sirs what change hath there been on your spirits what fear and love and sanctity is there in your hearts look to this or else you will break like bubbles And then it follows Whose praise is not of men but of God that is whose aim and whose honour it is not to be prais'd of men but of God The Upright man trades in Invisible things 1. The upright man studies to obtain invisible Graces Psal. 45. 13. The Kings daughter is glorious within In the hidden man of the heart is the beauty of an upright man To be drest with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit with a compos'd and serious spirit with a penitent and believing spirit Ah beloved how like are many of us to the River which Athenaeus mentions whose upper waters are sweet but brackish at the bottome like fine clothes silk without and canvas within a smooth carriage and an unpolish'd uncircumcis'd heart the upright man would not be so He looks not at things that are seen but at things that are not seen Grace and Glory are the study and ambition of the inward Christian. The hypocrite may be forward for unsanctified Gifts Simon Magus would give money for such O the time and cost and strength that many men spend to attain the gift of Knowledge of Prudence of Language of Elocution of memory and such like that never spend a serious thought to attain the grace of Repentance Faith Self-denial sincere love to God and godliness but this is the great design in the upright heart O that I may be stored with the saving knowledge of my God and of my self Here 's an Ordinance O that I may have my faith increased my love inflamed the back of my patience strengthned by this holy Duty These are the Pearles our Merchant seeks for 2. The Upright man studies to perform invisible Duties There is an Outside and an Inside in Religion The bended knee that 's the outside in prayer The broken heart that 's the inside To hear Gods
to the purification of the Sanctuary And the Lord hearken'd to Hezekiah There were divers really upright yet not rightly and fully purified as you may see 2 Chron. 29. 34. For the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctifie themselves than the Priests Here were upright Levites yet not sufficiently purified but Hezekiah obtained for them a pardon of course for they had done what they could and the Lord had mercy on them A very great comfort for Ministers or People that through straits of time or any unavoidable hindrance are not rightly sittâ—…d and furnished for their respective duties and are afraid to come and more afraid to stay away The good Lord will pardon such a one it was an oversight the heart was sound at the bottom and God will never break with any of his for an infirmity Compare Saul and David Saul had foolishly at most covetously spared Agag and a prey and he is cast off for it and loseth his kingdom David defiles the Wife and then kills the Husband and he is spar'd he is its true sorely beaten but not turn'd out of doors Again take Peter and Judas Judas through covetousness betrays his Master and Peter through fear denyes and forswears him Judas is sent by the Gallows into Hell and Peter is receiv'd into mercy And why this different dealing why David was in the bent of his heart upright before God and Saul in the bottom of his heart was for himself Peter resolved to lose his life before he would forsake his Saviour and Judas never followed him but for the bag And therefore the Lord graciously pardons the unwilling infirmities of his people for he sees the integrity of their hearts As a faithful Husband is more satisfied with the bewailed failings of his poor Wife than with the studied observances of an adulteress so the Lord our God he can better connive at and bear with the mourn'd for infirmities of his dear children than with the fain'd compliance of rotten hypocrites And what a treasure of comfort is this for you that fear God and let none else meddle with it your infirmities are many and your fear great lest they should sink you for ever you have such raging passions brutish lusts frequent distractions base distrust un-heavenliness of heart out of ordinances and dulness in them these are your burden these your fear now all these are within the Grant of pardon made in the Covâ—…nant of Grace and you that are upright in heart if any in the world have an undoubted interest therein and so are forgiven in Heaven and will be forgiven in your Consciences so far as is good for you and shall be forgiven at the last day And you have Gods word for it Psal. 32. 1 2. Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven whose sin 〈◊〉 covered But who is he that may claim this blessing Verse 2. In whose spirit there is no Guile that is an upright man that is no hypocrite When therefore you have fallen into sin do not sit poring and questioning your eternal state but speedily and seriously set about the work of repentance and faith in the blood of Christ that you may be made whole Indeed after some great fall or extraordinary fit of spiritual slumber it is not amiss to clear and resettle the ground work so far may the building be decayed that it may be easier to build anew than to repair the old But it is neither wisdom nor duty upon every slip to condemn your state or to conclude that because you are wounded or sick therefore you are dead Question your act but not your state condemn your acts of sin but do not condemn your state of grace nor brew more tears than you need to drink For supposing you to be true men to God resign'd to him resolv'd for him and walking with him to your power he hath graciously promised to pardon iniquity transgression and sin sins of all sorts and sizes of them that fear him and hope in his mercy And mark it for your comâ—…ort that it belongs to Gods Truth and Uprightness to pardon such a sinner 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is Faithful and Just to forgive 〈◊〉 our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness It is happy for us that we can plead mercy to God for pardon but when we do uprightly confess and forsake our sins we may plead his justice and faithfulness O Lord as thou art just and faithful bestow a pardon on me I beg it in the uprightness of my heart bestow it in the uprightness of thy word For thou hast said with the upright man I will shew my self upright SECT II. II. THe Lord will shew himself upright to an upright man in Defending his Person He is made sometimes the Butt of malice Hell and earth conspire against him as in this Psalm vers 4 5. Snares of death flouds of ungodly men sorrows of Hell all bent against him A plain argument of the sad deâ—…eneracy of mankind to be so desperately set against the Image of God in man and hate those that never did them wrong and that for his sake that alwayes doth them good yet so is the case the most innocent man cannot escape by them unto Heaven without many onsets they bend their bow and lay their snares can hardly sleep for rage Wrongs and Scorns and Fines and Prisons are their usual Charity he that departs from evil ever makes himself a prey The generality of the world are alienated from the life of God and enemies in their minds to all that live it and O that I could speak and write it in tears of grief and compassion A Drunkard a Swearer a Whoremonger may live quietly by them He that never read the Scriptures that never prays with his Family shall have all their good will and go quietly by them into destruction but if a mans Conscience be once awakened if he retrive his course and fall to earnest prayer change his company and sinful courses dare not prophane the Sabbath or take Gods Name in vain or swear as before then up do all his neighbours rise against him watch him censure him malign him and if possible insâ—…are him while he poor heart thinks them no hurt prays for them and only strives to save his own soul and others if he can But here you may rest safoly Prov. He is a Buckler to them that walk uprightly The Buckler covers the Souldier and God coveâ—… the upright man They must shoot through God that can wound you to your 〈◊〉 They hit him in the eye that aim at you and they that will incounter him meddle not with their match Exod. 19. 4. I bear you on Eagles wings Other Fowls bear their young in their claws so that the Fowler may kill the young and the old one be safe but the Eagle carrieâ—… her young on her wings so that who wounds the young must shoot through the dam so doth
11. He that is filthy let him be filthy still So when a man is uprightly bent to serve him he spurs them on with his word and spirit saying He that is righteous let him be righteous still and thus herein to the upright man he shews himself upright SECT IV. IV. THe Lord shews himself upright to the upright man In hearing his prayers Prov. 15. 8. The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord But the Prayer of the upright is his delight No musick so sweet to men as sincere prayers are to God The upright man delights to pray and the upright God delights to hear How pleasant is the childs first language to the father he had rather hear it than an elegant Oration and the reason is first it is his own child and secondly it speaks poor thing as it thinks there is no colour upon its words nor dissimulation in them Even so the prayers of the upright man are most welcome to God his heavenly Father for the child is his own and then his prayer is the counterpane of his heart He cries against his sin and also he hates it he sues for Grace and he doth heartily long and indeavour for it and Hearts can come into Heaven when Words must stand at door He gets out of the hearing of many a starch't Oration but Psal. 145. 18. He gets nigh to them that call upon him to them that call upon him in Truth O when confessions are the sad note of a bleeding heart when supplications are the real breath of an hungry soul the Lord listens to such melody There is a vast difference between the formal note of a young beggar and the sensible cries of him that is half starved we neglect the former and are ready to serve him only with reproof but when the other cries that begs in truth his face cries his rags cry his tears cry the whole beggar cries then we draw out our heart and hand unto him even so doth our gracious God he slights and hates affected words coming from an unaffected heart but when the heart comes up with them then he comes and brings his alms with him and his reward before him O what incouragement should this give to an upright heart Thou hast an ear for God and he hath an ear for thee Thou art ready and quick in thy obedience he is as quick and ready in his audience thou art punctual to yield to him in any thing he is punctual to yield in any thing unto thee In a word thou art resolved to do his will he is resolved to do thine Hence Lâ—…ther boldly Fiat voluntas mea quia tua est Let my will be done because it s thine Thine are broken prayers but they are upright prayers There is no Rhetorick in them â—…but there is Logick in them there are arguments that will conquer God himself There is no argument on earth like Integrity nor in Heaven like the Blood of Christ. Object Ah but then I fear my state and doubt of my sincerity in that I have pray'd long for such a child for a better memory for strength against some sins and have received no answer and so may conclude my self a very hypocrite Answ. 1. God often delights in prayer when he seems to deny it and never denies his servants but when the deniâ—… is better then a grant You must distinguish between delaying and denying our God delayes to try us not to deny us to make us cry the louder so he put off Jacob to whet him on the more seem'd to be weary of his company but he would not pass so lames him yet hee 'l pray and wrestle on one leg rather then give out So the woman of Canaan Drink is more welcome when very thirsty and when the Lord sees you cannot be without a mercy you shall have it And then the Greatness of the mercy shall pay for the length of its stay and like money at Interest so your prayâ—…s which have been long on the file shall bring the greater increase back again Answ. 2. God often hears our Prayers when we perceive it not In this sence he speaks once and twice yet man perceives it not Psal. 138. 3. In the Day when I cried thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. On the same Day that his letter was sent he had an answer and what was it Why he was strengthned with strength in his soul. If he were not answered in the Letter yet he was answered in the Better He often gives Gold when we ask for Silver If he denied Abraham for Ismael he gave him Isaac He denies Moses Canaan but gave him Heaven Sometimes our thirst for more makes us think we have received none As rich covetous people never have enough because their desires are insatiable When you are arrived at Heaven you shall see that the Lord did book every Petition and answer it in the best manner for you It may be you are denied for one child but God gives it you for another or perhaps the Grandchild reaps the prayers that you sowed for the Father The Lord gives you not a stronger memory but yet bestows on you a softer heart you discern no strength against some sins yet you have deeper throws of repentance for them Still this is a truth inviolable that the upright mans Prayer when it is put up in Christs name for things agreeable to Gods will is graciously heard and answered in mercy Let not therefore your Fathers seeming denials trouble you for our wise God sometimes yields to the suits of Satan himself while he demurrs upon the supplications of his own Servants I had almost said of his own Son Compare Job 2. 5. and Luke 8. 32. with Gen. 17. 18. and Mat. 26. 39. But then his Grants to Satan are for his greater Confusion and his Denials to his Children are for their greater Consolation SECT V. V. THe Lord shews himself upright to the upright man In comforting him in his straits Psal. 116. 6. The Lord preserveth the simple that is the upright I was brought low and he helped me His integrity freeth him not from the common infirmities of mankind as wants sickness prisons losses crosses unkindnesses and death it self at last but his God takes special care to support and comfort him and at length deliver him In all these storms he is sure of Sunshine and you know the Sun-beams when it shines do guild every drop that the clouds pour down and make the storm as a calm So the face and favour of God doth refresh the upright in heart for Psal. 11. 7. The righteous Lord loveth righteousness his countenance doth behold the Upright And unworthy is that man of Heavens Glory that prefers not the sharpest sickness the darkest prison the heaviest cross with the light of Gods countenance before the riches of Egypt with his frowns This made Paul and Silas sing in prison when
and Uprightness and therefore as long as there is a drop of goodness or a dram of uprightness in God the penitent sinner shall never lack a guide And to this refers that promise Isa. 30. 21. Of a voice behind you saying this is the way walk ye in it when ye turn to the right hand or to the left alluding as some think to a Schoolmaster prompting his Scholar over the shoulder how he should pronounce his words when he poor child is puzzled and knows not what to say even so will God lead his upright ones in the way that he shall chuse when they are in the dark and you shall find that Scripture true Prov. 13. 6. Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way But wickedness overthroweth the sinner Resolve then in such cases after you have us'd the means of illumination as Jehoshaphat in another O Lord I know not what to do but mine eyes are unto thee I perceive the blindness of my eyes but thou seest the uprightness of my heart I would do thy will if I knew it teach me thy way and I will walk in thy truth consider my weakness and neither leave me in perplexing doubts nor suffer me to erre from thy will And be sure God will not forsake thee for it is plain that many an honest heart is preserved in the way of truth when many of great but unsanctified parts have fallen into damning errors With the upright man he is us'd to shew himself upright SECT VII VII GOds uprightness will yet appear In clearing his integrity Sincerity hath the sweetest visage but bad men put on it often the foulest vizard and many a dear Saint wears the note of an hypocrite to his grave Though you see that no man is so far from hypocrisie as this man no sin he hates more yet this character is usually fastned on our plain-hearted man It is the subtlety of Satan to charge the Saints with those sins whereof he is sure they can hardly clear themselves till the day of judgment And those are commonly these two 1. Covetousness 2. Hypocrisie Both which for the nature of them lye so within that it is almost impossible to refell his charge Hence the Apostle is driven in the former to make his appeal to God 1 Thes. 2. 5. For neither at any time us'd we flattering words as ye know for this you can clear us nor a cloak of Covetousness God is witness herein God only can purge us And the like the latter Rom. 1. 9. For the Lord is my witness whom I serve with my spirit c. And the upright Lord will clear up these mens integrity first or last Holy David lay under many heavy charges and that for a long time How long will ye turn my glory into shame Naught he was not fit to live in his own native Country he hatch'd treason against Saul and undermin'd his Government and Religion he had none but at length his Righteousness did shine as the noon-day Saul himself was convincâ—…d of his integrity and acquitted him though thereby he condemn'd himself So upright Job past for a notorious hypocrite among his enemies for he was accounted no other by his friends but the Lord brought out his Justice as a Lamp that burneth And what is more common in the World than to brand every one for an hypocrite that is but serious in his Religion If any man do humbly and conscientiously indeavour to live according to his Covenant in Baptism do set himself against the world the flesh and the devil and deny the pomps and vanities wherein the generality of men do wallow presently his envious and carnal neighbours when they can tax him with nothing condemn him for an hypocrite his outside is smooth but inwardly he is an arrand hypocrite but his upright God that knows his heart will clear him sooner or later at furthest at that great day of setting things at right The Lord Jesus will come with his thousands of Saints Jude vers 15. to convince the ungodly world of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him See here you implacable wretches this is the man this the woman whom you condemn'd for hypocrites they were praying for you while you were cursing them I knew their uprightness and will now declare it Thus shall it be done to those I delight to honour and you must go with a curse into eternal torments Rejoyce in the Lord therefore O ye Righteous and be glad all ye of upright heart Be not dismay'd at mens rebukes these Reproaches do but adde to your Crown And God permits them to make you search your hearts the more Though these be poor commodities yet you may make a trade of them and live the better for them They charge you with the Foxes pranks and you have the Foxes Nature They charge you with one fault and thereby you find out another they write Hypocrite and you subscribe Formal Dead Secure and chief of Sinners And know for your comfort that your names shall have a Resurrection as well as your bodies and you shall shine in glory when your enemies shall only shine in flames And even in this world your God doth justifie you in their Consciences the most of them could wish their souls in your souls stead for all their talk at least when pale death stares them in the face then O let me dye the death of the Righteous and let my latter end be like his It is not oft that an hypocrite goes undiscovered to his grave nor very oft that an upright man dies without the testimony of the Centurion even from men Certainly this man was a dear child of God SECT VIII VIII THe Lord shews himself an upright God to the upright man In Stablishing him to the end its elementary fire that goes out the Coelestial ever burns Prov. 10. 29. The way of the Lord is strength to the upright He only is the persevering man The fixed Stars appear but small the blazing Star looks far greater but the former abide from age to age and the latter being but exhalations compounded of corruptible matter are spent and consumed to nothing they had perhaps more eyes fixed on them than on the others but they waste away Even so an hypocrite may make a greater blaze in his profession may be more admired and talk't of in the world but the real Saint is fixed he abides no tempest can shake him he is built on a Rock and abideth for ever The way of the Lord is strength to the uprighs Every prayer strengthens him every Sermon strengthens him yea every temptation like the wind to a well-rooted tree causeth his roots to spread and stand the stronger moved he may be but not removed fall he may but not fall away and yet an upright tree you know falls not so soon as that which leans An upright man never makes a right Apostate Psal. 25. 21. Let integrity and
but in secret in his closet After consideration of the Law of God and after the survey of his own heart an upright man if there be no eclipse upon his spirit can appeal to the all-searching God in his closet concerning the uprightness of his heart and this I think few hypocrites can reach to do Thus Peter could say John 21. 17. Lord thou that knowest all things thou knowest I love thee I appeal from Satan and the World to thee whether I do not love thee above all the world and above my self if my heart were open'd whether thou wouldst not find Jehova and Jesus and Holiness to the Lord written there The just man dare appeal to the severest Judge and a sincere Saint to an all-seeing God Psal. 139. 23 24. Search me O Lord 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 So if you can say Lord look at me every way try me by the light of thy word search me to the quick I appeal to thee thou knowest I am Gold not Gilded I am thine thy Name is on me and thy Nature is in me thou that knowest all things knowest I love thee No plainer sign of a cheat than unwillingness to come to tryal but he that dare bring his heart to the most trying Books to the most searching Ministers to the all-searching God is sound at heart and a Saint within I should have nam'd no more but that I find two more signs within the â—…ken of my Text with which I shall conâ—…lude this Use. V. The fifth mark of an upright man is He trades not in Presumptuous sins Psal. 19. 13. Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over me Then shall I be upright The Tyranny of sin is one thing the Dominion of sin is another It is the opinion of Divines that though a child of God may have a Darling sin one sin to which he is more inclin'd then another yet he hath not a Reigning sin that is I suppose they mean no sin hath the absolute command of the whole soul no there is a seed of God in a sanctified heart that cannot so yield to sin So that the difference between the sin of an upright man and another lies not so much in the nature and kind of the sin committed as it lies in the heart of a sinner That may be an Infirmity in one that is a grosser sin in another A less sin chosen is worse than a greater sin fallen into without choice a less allowed than a greater disallowed The presumptuous sinner adds the contempt of God to his sin and so is said to siâ—… with an high hand Numb 15. 30. thâ—… first place I take it that speaks of such But the soul that doth presumptuously râ—…proacheth the Lord and shall be utterly oâ—… off and no sacrifice admitted for him which interprets that Heb. 10. 26. If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin And both opposed to sinning ignorantly nâ—…d yet not every sin of knowledge a presumptuous sin but when a man knows it but cares not heeds not God or his will but lifts up an high hand against him and will venture It is one thing to sin willingly another thing to sin wilfully There is of the will in most sins but not the whole will There is a predominant motion of the will toward it but there is in it an habitual hatred of it Rom. 7. 20. Now if I do what I would not it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me There is in every sin an interpretative contempt of God but I conceive to create a Presumptuous sin there must be actual presumption and contempt of God whereof certainly that man was guilty that was stoned to death for gathering sticks on the Sabbath day and thereupon his Tragedy is related immediately upon the Law against presumptuous sinners Numb 15. An upright man hath a radical hatred of sin and he that hates sin can scarce sin presumptuously VI. The sixth and last Character of an upright man is He keeps himself from his own iniquity You have this in the next verse but one before the Text. I also was upright before him prove it I kept my self from mine iniquity Every man hath some sin of his own We are capable of every sin but we are not inclin'd to every sin Our constitutions usually do chuse our darling sin our condition of life or calling may nurse it up This Sin is the tryal of our sincerity An hypocrite chides it before folks but keeps it under his tongue cordially favours it and so makes provision for it in effect prefers it before Christ and Heaven 'T is this sin that sends most men to hell They 'l part with many but skin for skin yea soul and all will a man give for the life of this And there is no wickedness too great to wade through to the fruition of it Now an upright man had at his Conversion the deepest prick in this vein The dearer the sin the dearer it costs in Repentance and thereupon he keeps a jealous eye upon it and is whetted also with an holy revenge against it for displeasing such a God as now he finds him to be and for hindring so much the comfort of his soul that he mainly hates this sin and indeavours to prevent and crucifie it He most hates it though he can least vanquish it And thereupon he faithfully makes use of all the means he knows to mortifie it and carefully avoids all occasions that may further it he grieves bitterly for his relapses into it and gives no rest to his God or his soul till he see the funerals of it he is resolv'd to dye in the conflict before he will make a peace Now feel your Pulse for the Lords sake and deceive not your own souls These signs will state your case if you will but prove your own selves The explication of them is ours the application of them is yours Do not shut the book till you have opened your hearts and found either the name of a Saint or an Hypocrite Why do you retreat It is not your enemy but your Physician that is at door To try your case can do no hurt If all be right you may have the comfort if all be naught yet you may have a cure Rush not blindfold into Hell Put us not to our best skill in describing Characters and then let them alone as you found them for want of pains If this work not remember we have told you that the clearest sign of an hypocrite is he dare not come to tryal SECT V. THe Fourth Use is by way of Exhortation Have you made a faithful scrutiny Then upon tryal either you find the Characters of sincerity or else you find them not or else
in trying our selves To doubt of sincerity is one thing to try it is another When they charge the State of hypocrisie upon us we should mourn for the Habits of hypocrisie in us and bless God that their opinion for substance is not true they do but say what you might have been And when your estate is question'd never so unjustly 't is a good way to pass a Fine upon it and make it surer And so you will be gainers not losers by such surmises 2. While your heart is right with God heed not the censures of men Who more upright than Job yet hypocrisie was his charge an hypocrite was his badge so David so our dear Lord Jesus himself The malicious world will be sure as was said to charge those faults on you whereof there is no clearing in this life Resolve with Paul 1 Cor. 4. 3. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you or of mans judgment but he that judgeth me is the Lord. We shall at last fall to an equal sentence and till then we have reason to rejoyce that we are counted worthy to suffer this reproach for his Names sake Nazianzen saith we must be dung'd with reproaches that we may be more fruitful Doubt 3. The cry of my own Conscience And if a mans heart condemn him who can acquit him this hath alwayes been my fear and who can clear him that is condemn'd of himself Resol 1. You must distinguish between Hypocrisie dwelling and Hypocrisie reigning where it only dwells it is as grâ—…vel in the shoe as the mote in the eye as the Souldier in his Quarters you are weary of it it makes you halt you give it no rest you are very sick of it where it reigns you cannot indure to be touch'd or searchâ—…d and it orders your life and actions your main design is to cloak with God and to cheat the world 2. Conscience rightly inform'd may go far in this decision But Conscience is not Regula regulans but Regula regulata It s like the Dial that must be set by the Sun of Gods word and rightly determines only by vertue of that And sometimes such pangs and terrors overwhelm the Conscience that then it is not a competent Judge of the cause If every man whose Conscience pricks him were an hypocrite God help the greatest part of Conscientious Christians Doubt 4. My sad Experience 1. of my Dryness in secret Duties I am better in the assembly than in my family better in my family than in my closet and there an upright man is best He that is enlarged and enlivened with others and straitned in his own bowels cannot be upright Resol 1. The more company we have in Ordinances the more inlargement we may expect and yet upright withall Our Saviour himself when he saw the multitudes it opened his mouth Mat. 5. 1. and we read but few such Sermons from him as that was for besides that the numerousness and seriousness of others is a rational means to quicken us that are about the same work we may expect more of the manifestations of the Divine Presence where the persons and graces of so many are that are dear to God 2. But yet every upright man will be serious and hearty in secret and earnest withall He would not be hired out of his secret devotions and a little truth and zeal in a closet is more than the larger expressions of them with a multitude what is done in secret provided you do it of choice and in Conscience to God hath more genuine features of real integrity than much more in publick for that must needs proceed from the love of God and of his service O but 2. I have experience of Decayes in my soul and no growth The path of the just is like the shining light that shines more and more to the perfect day I â—…eel my self rather worse every way but not better Resol 1. It is not easie to determine of spiritual growth or decayes For its object is various some grow more visibly in zeal others in knowledge others in stability some more in the roots some more in the bulk some more in fruit And then to discern growth is a work of time our progress in grace is not so discernable as our entrance for the change here is specifical there only gradual and the younger children are the more is their growth discerned 2. A sensible sight of your decayes is a true sign of growth the clearer the sight the less motes are discerned when there is joyn'd withall a grief for our defects Descendendo ascendimus we grow higher in Gods esteem by growing lower in our own Corruption doth not usually discover corruption nor decayes decayes If therefore you find that you hate sin as heartily and can wisely prevent it that you can be fully as serious and spiritual in your duties as wise in reproofs though perhaps not so frequent as heretofore you have no just cause to charge your self with decayes much less with dissembling in Religion Yea but 3. I have experience of Inconstancy my soul is in a perpetual Ague one while burning hot another while key-cold unconstant in avoiding evil and more unconstant in the performance of what is good and this is an hypocrites temper and this is mine Resol 1. A perfect setledness is not to be expected in this life Our day will have a night our Sunshine will have eclipses suavis hora brevis mora hath been an old complaint Grace that dwells in such a soul a soul that dwells in such a body a man that dwells among such variety of business companies and temptations cannot escape much variableness and daily alterations Though thou art upright in the way yet thou art but in the way viator not comprehensor Heaven is the only state of invariable holiness and happiness 2. The inconstancy of an hypocrite iâ—… about the choice of the end about the very object of the soul whether he shall chusâ—… Christ or Corruption God or Mammon The upright man is fully resolved in this and his inconstancy is only in the use of means not whether he should pray or not pray meditate or no but he hath not alwayes the same degree of love to them heat and delight in them and comfort from them And this must be mourn'd for here but can be cur'd only in Heaven Doubt 5. The Deceitfulness of the heare this is so great that after all my tryal I may be mistaken there are lamps that may delude a man even to the gates of Heaven And I am sure my heart is one of the worst of the kind and so most likely to deceive and be deceived Resol 1. Though the Heart be deceitful in its self yet it is discernable by the help of Gods spirit Jer. 17. 10. I the Lord search the heart and he can and will lead every diligent self-searcher into the darkest corners thereof God and man together may