Lectures Upon Psalm 51, Part 6 · Lecture 94
Lecture XCIIII. On Psalme 51.6. August 12. 1628.
Vse 2.IT followeth now that we proceed to the second and last use of the Doctrine, and that is for exhortation to stirre us all up, to seeke above all things for this uprightnesse a…d truth of heart, which God so much delighteth in, if we want it, and to make much of it to maintaine to strengthen and increase it, if by the mercy of God, wee have already attained unto it. Now for the better enforcing of this so necessary an exhortation, I will first give you some Motives that may perswade us to labour for this soundnesse, and uprightnesse of heart; secondly, I will shew you the meanes whereby it may bee obtained.
Motive.And for Motives I will not stand upon them that were brought in the handling of the Doctrine; that is to say 1 That God cannot be pleased with shewes of goodnesse, he looketh for truth of heart, in every service we doe unto him, that is, that that he desireth, and delighteth in. 2 That this is all in all with God; he valueth us and all our actions according to this; hee esteemeth highly of the smallest measure of grace, and will beare with many frailties where he seeth this; yea he counteth him a perfect man, and one that hath as much as he requireth of him, if he have an upright heart. 3 On the other side he cannot abide, that we should halt or double with him, he taketh nothing we doe in good part, if our hearts be not upright. These are certainely most effectuall motives, if we could consider them well, and weigh them in our minds to make us afraid of resting in shewes of goodnesse, and to make us labour for uprightnesse, and truth of heart. But to these I will add the consideration of the promises God hath made in his Word; not so much to any good worke that any of his servants can doe, as to the uprightnesse of their hearts in doing of it; not so much to any other grace, as to truth of heart; nor to the measure and quantity of any saving grace so much as to the truth and sincerity of it.
See this first in generall promises that God hath made unto this. Truly God is good to Israel (saith the Prophet, Psal. 73.1. Who meaneth hee by Israel? That he telleth you in the next words, the same which Christ doth, Iohn 1.47.) even to them that are pure in heart. As if he had said, How ever God may be thought in his providence to neglect the waies of men, and the worst men seeme to prosper most, and the best to be most miserable in this world (for that was the tentation he had strugled withall, and out of which now hee had recovered himselfe) yet I am sure of this, God is, and will bee good to all them that have true and upright hearts. So Psal. 125.4. Doe good, O Lord, unto those that be good. And who are they? And to those that are true and upright in their hearts, saith he. As if he had said, Whatsoever their weakenesses and frailties be, yet if they be true in their hearts, they are good men, God will certainely be good unto them (for that propheticall prayer is in the nature of a promise) he will doe them good. And Psal. 18.25. With an upright man, thou wilt shew thy selfe upright. As if he had said, To him that is in his heart true to thee, thou wilt shew thy selfe (so as himselfe and others also shall perceive it) true to him, thou wilt be as good as thy word, thou wilt make good thy promise unto him. Thus we see in generall God will be good to all them, that are upright in heart. If thy heart be upright, though thou bee never so weake in grace, though thou have many infirmities and strong corruptions in thee yet if no hypocrisie reigne in thy heart, if thy heart bee true to God, certainely thou shalt find God will bee good and gracious unto thee.
But how or wherein will hee bee so good unto them,Quest. that are upright in heart?
This you shall see in the particular promises he hath made unto them.Answ.
First, Concerning corporall and earthly blessings, he hath promised to bee good to them foure waies. First, In their habitations and families, Pro. 14.11. The tabernacle of the upright shall flourish. If thy heart be upright Gods secret shall be upon thy tabernacle as Iob speaketh, Iob 29.4. His secret providence shall protect and prosper thee in it. Secondly, He hath promised to be good to them in their children and posterity, Psal. 112.2. The generation of the upright shall be blessed. All thy care is for thy children; the best way thou canst take to provide well for them is this, be thou upright in heart, yea the greater thy cares are that way, the more carefull be thou to walke uprightly with God, and he will take that care upon him; the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Thirdly, He will be good to them in all other the comforts of this life, Psal. 84.11. No good thing will he withhold from them that walke uprightly. Be thou upright in heart, and if wealth be good for thee, thou shalt have wealth; and if health be good for thee, thou shalt have health; and if credit bee good for thee, thou shalt have credit, No good thing will he withhold from them that walke uprightly. Fourthly, He will be thus good unto them, even in times of common calamity and combustion; even when he is in greatest fury against the world and the places that they live in, yet even then he will be in a speciall sort, carefull of and good unto them that are upright in heart. They shall not bee ashamed in the evill time (saith the Prophet, Psal. 37.19.) and in the daies of famine they shall be satisfied. Thou tremblest at the thought and consideration of those evill times, that approach so fast towards us and our nation, labour thou for an upright heart and thou shalt find God will be good to thee, even when the worst times shall come. Thou hast no such way to prepare and arme thy selfe against the expectation and feare of evill times, as to looke to thy heart, to make sure that that be found and upright. The Lord is a sunne and shield (saith the Prophet, Ps. 84.11. but marke what followeth in the latter end of that verse as I told you even now) no good thing will he withhold from them that walke uprightly. If he see that to be good for thee he will be a sheild to thee when the evill day shall come, In the time of trouble he will hide thee in his pavillion, as David speaketh, Ps. 27.5. When a thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand and at thy right hand (as the Prophet speaketh, Ps 91.7.) he can so hide thee that the judgement shall not touch thee. Thus he did hide diverse when he sent his destroying Angell to smite the city and other parts of the land with the pestilence, and thus he can hide thee when he shall send his destroying Angell to smite our land with the bloudy sword, if it please him; Nay thus he will hide thee if he shall see that good for thee, he will be a sheild unto thee, Pro. 2.7. He is a buckler to them that walke uprightly. But if he will not be a sheild he will certainely be a sunne unto thee, he wil be a comforter to thee in that day. VntoUnto the upright there ariseth light in the darknesse, saith the Prophet, Psal. 112.4. As when there was palpable darkenesse in all the land of Egypt, all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings, Exod. 10.23. So in times of greatest misery and perplexity that shall come upon the land, certainely God will be a sunne to them that walke uprightly; to the upright there shall arise light in darkenesse; they shall find comfort in God even in that day, yea more then, then ever before. Thus you have seene how God will doe good to them, that are upright in heart in outward things.
But that is not all, he will be better to them then so, he will do good to them also in spiritual things. Three speciall blessings of this kind hee hath promised them.
First, Such shall never fall away nor loose his favour and grace. O continue thy loving kindnesse (saith the Prophet, Psal. 36.10. and a propheticall prayer hath the nature of a promise as I told you before) unto them that know thee, and thy righteousnesse to the upright in heart. And Psal. 112.6. Surely he shall not be moved for ever. Thou art oft much disquieted with the feare of this, that thou shalt never be able to hold out to the end; thou fearest that thou maist fall, that thou shalt fall before thou dyest; labour to be upright in heart, and God will continue his loving kindnesse unto thee, he will love thee to the end, surely thou shalt never be moved. Though the seed was lost upon all the other three sorts of hearers, though they all fell away and lost those beginnings of grace they had received, yet he that had an honest and good heart (as our Saviour speaketh, Luke 8.15) he kept it. If thy heart be not …ound thou that makest profession of the truth with greatest forwardnesse and zeale, maist become a Papist before thou diest and a persecuter of that truth which thou now professest; and thou that seemest to be most reformed and sanctified in thy life, maist prove a most profane and debaushed man. The Prophet speaking of those Israelites that perished in the wildernesse, who though they had made a most zealous profession, as you may read, Deut. 5.27. Speake thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speake unto thee, and wee will heare it, and doe it; yet afterward became some of them grosse Idolaters, some of them beastly adulterers; the Prophet I say giveth the reason of this, Psal. 78.37. why they were not more stedfast in his covenant; for their heart (saith he) was not right with him; and verse 8. They were a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God: even then when they made the best shewes, their heart was never right. Thou canst not be sure to be preserved from any sinne (how foule soever it be, and how much soever thy heart seemeth now to abhorre it) pay thou shalt be sure to fall fearefully one way or other, if thy heart be not upright, 2 Chron. 12.14. He did evill, because hee prepared not his heart, to seeke the Lord; that was the cause of all Rehoboams lewdnesse, he professed the true religion and made excellent shewes of goodnesse for three yeares, 2 Chron. 11.17. but he fell fearefully, hee had no care of his heart, his heart was never right. The Apple that is rotten at the Core, though it seeme never so beautifull, will quickly putrifie; and so will every professour that is unsound at the heart. But if thy heart be upright, feare not, certainely thou shalt hold out, and persevere to the end.
Secondly, Such as are upright in heart shall have strength given them of God to endure any tryall he shall be pleased to bring them unto. The eyes of the Lord (saith the Prophet, Hanani, 2 Chron. 16.9.) run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himselfe strong in the behalfe of them, whose heart is perfect towards him. When thou thinkest of the fiery triall that all Gods people may be brought unto thou tremblest much and fearest that so weake a wretch as thou art shall never be able to endure it. But looke thou to thy heart, that that be upright and sound and certainely though thou be so weake, God will shew himselfe strong in thee when that triall shall come. What a measure of strength and courage shall we find in the booke of Martyrs that a number of weake and simple women and children did shew in the time of that fiery triall? More a great deale (it is to be feared) then would bee found now if the like triall should come. Wee have much more knowledge now then they had, but they had better hearts then we have. Feare not thine owne weaknesse, if thy heart be upright. For as it is not any strength that is in thee that can make thee stand in such a triall, In his owne might shall no man be strong, saith Anna in her song, 1 Sam. 2.9. if ever we be strong at such a time, it must be in the Lord onelyonly and in the power of his might, as the Apostle speaketh, Ephes. 6.10. so the sense we have of our owne weakenesse, is no hinderance to the Lords strengthening of us but a furtherance unto it rather, His power is made perfect in weakenesse, 2 Cor. 12.9. As if he had said, it useth to shew it selfe most, in them that have most sense of their owne weakenesse. Out of weakenesse (saith the Apostle of the Martyrs in the time of Antiochus, Hebrewes 11.34.) they were made strong.
Thirdly, and lastly, Such as are upright in heart shall be sure to have a comfortable issue and a joyfull deliverance out of all their tentations. Marke the perfect man (saith David▪ Ps 3….37) and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace. Thou art oft subject to grievous tentations and spirituall desertions that maketh thy life wearisome and burdensome unto thee. Thy well-be…oved is gone, thou hast no sense of Gods favour. Thou art apt to say with Zion, Esa 49.14. The Lord hath forsaken me, Thou art troubled with strong and fearefull tentations unto desperation. Well for all this, if thy heart bee upright (though thou perceive it not) nay if ever it were upright, certainely they shall end in joy. Marke the perfect man, and behold the upright, (As if he had said, It is our great sinne that we observe no better the manifold examples and experiments God giveth us of this) for the end of that man is peace. Yea proportionable to the measure of thy desertion and discomfort, shall thy joy be in the end. According to the comparison the Lord useth in this case, Ps. 7.11. Light is sowen for the righteous; and gladnesse for the upright in heart. And 126.5. They that sow in teares, shall reape in joy. Proportionable to the seed…esse of their sorrow, shall the harvest and crop of their joy be.
Now then (to conclude all that I have said of these motives) seeing there be so many promises made,Applic. so many excellent priviledges belonging to them that are upright in heart, let us not any longer content our selves with shewes of goodnesse, with professing, and thinking we are Christians, we feare God, we serve him; But let us be ashamed of, and bewaile, and strive against our hypocrisie and our halting with God; Let us labour to attaine to that uprightnesse of heart, which we have heard at large described to us out of Gods Word, and which the Lord our God so much delighteth in.
And for our helpe herein I will shew you some of the principall meanes which God hath in his Word directed us to use, for the obtaining of it. And I will passe over them as briefly as I can.
First,Means. 1 It is not possible for a man to have an upright heart, till his heart have first been truly humbled for sin. Behold (saith the Prophet, Hab. 2.4.) his soule which is listed up, is not upright in him. It must be humbled before it can be upright. As when a bell is crackt, it can never be mended, till it have beene first broken in pieces, and melted, and cast a new; so before the heart of man that is so full of cracks and unsoundnesse can be made sound and whole, it must first be broken. David could not rid himselfe of that guile that was in his heart, till he tooke this course, till with an humbled soule hee did acknowledge against himselfe his wickednesse to the Lord, as is plaine, Psal. 32.2-5.
Secondly,Means. 2 He that would have an upright heart must labour for a true faith, for assurance of Gods fatherly love to him in Christ. Let us draw neere (saith the Apostle, Heb. 10.22.) with a true heart, in full assurance of saith. For it is faith onelyonly that purifieth the heart (as the Apostle speaketh, Acts 15.9.) as from all other corruptions, so from that falshood and hypocrisie that is in it, by nature. When David had professed, Psal. 16.…. that he had walked in his integrity; he nameth this to be the cause of it, and the meanes whereby hee was brought unto and preserved in this integrity, verse 3. For thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes; when wee once know that the service we doe is unto our father that hath so dearely loved us this will make us serve him heartily and unseignedly.
Thirdly,Means. 3 He that would have, and keepe an upright heart must take heed of living in any knowne sinne, of doing any thing against his conscience. Keepe thy servant from presumptuous sinnes (saith David, Psal. 19.13.) let them not have dominion over me, then shall I be upright. The end of the commandement is love (saith the Apostle, 1 Tim. 1.5.) out of a pure heart, and a good conscience. Purity and truth of heart, can never be had or preserved without a good conscience.
Means. 4Fourthly, He that would have an upright heart must thinke oft of this and keepe it in his minde that Gods eye is upon him wheresoever he is, and whatsoever he goeth about. This the Lord himselfe prescribeth unto Abraham, Gen. 17.1. as a meane to breed and preserve uprightnesse of heart in him. Walke before me (saith he) and be thou upright. By this meanes Paul kept his heart upright in his ministery (and so may we do now) from seeking his owne praise or advantage, or the humouring of men. As of sincerity (saith he, 2 Cor. 2.17.) as of God, in the sight of God, so speake we in Christ. By this meanes Noah kept himselfe upright in a most corrupt age (and so may we do now, as bad as the times are) Noah was a just man (saith the Holy Ghost, Gen. 6 9.) and upright in his generations, Noah walked with God. He looked not to the practise of men, but set the Lord alwaies before him, and walked as in his sight and presence, and that kept him upright. By this meanes the Church and people of God, kept themselves upright in times of extreame trouble and persecution (and so may we doe when the like times shall come upon us) All this is come upon us (say they, Psal 44.17, 18.) even all that they had mentioned in eight verses before) yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsly in thy covenant, our heart is not turned backe. Why, What was it that kept them from halting with God in such a time as that was? That they tell us, verse 21. even the consideration of this tha… they could not hide themselves from God, they were ever in his eye, Shall not God search this out? (say they) for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. Certainely a secret Atheisme that lodgeth in our breasts whereby either we beleeve not, or remember not, that Gods eye is upon us, is a chiefe cause (as of all other foule sins; according to that, Ezek. 9.9. The land is full of bloud and the city full of perversenesse: for they say, the Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not; so is it a chiefe cause) of all that falshood and hypocrisie that is in our hearts.
Means. 5Fiftly and lastly, He that would have an upright heart must diligently observe the falshood and hypocrisie of his own heart, how apt it is to halt and dissemble with God in every service he doth unto him; and out of an humbled soule for it, complaine much to God of it, and beg helpe of him against it. By this meanes David here laboureth to get an upright heart; he complaineth to God in this verse of the want of that truth in the inward parts, which God so much delighteth in (for as we have heard, he speaketh of that here for the aggravation of his sin) and then he beggeth of God helpe against this falshood of his heart, verse 10. Create in me a …leane heart, ô God, and renew a right spirit within me. And so doth he likewise, Psal. 119.80. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed. As if he had said, O Lord give me a sound heart. And certainely one chiefe cause why hypocrisie so much prevaileth that increaseth in our hearts, is, because we observe it no more, nor take our selves with it, we feele it no burden, nor trouble to us, we complaine not more to God of it, nor cry more earnestly to him, for helpe against it. We have not, because we aske not, as the Apostle speaketh in another case, Iam. 4.2.