Characters of a Sincere Heart, Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Where the Heart is upright with God, it is without guile and hypocriſie.
THe tenth Character of ſincerity, is Charact. 10. A ſpirit without guile. Sect. 1.a ſpirit without guile and hypocriſie. Nathanael had this teſtimony from Chriſt, John 1. 47. Behold an Iſraelite indeed, in whom is no guile. And to have a ſpirit without guile, is that grand diſtinguiſhing Character which the Pſalmiſt appropriates to a bleſſed man, Pſal. 32. 1, 2. Eleſſea is he whoſe tranſgreſſion is forgiven, whoſe ſin is covered. Bleſſed is the m…n unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, … in whoſe ſpirit there is no guile. Who are they who are thus bleſſed? Such whoſe ſins are forgiven, and not imputed to them. And who are they whoſe ſins are forgiven, and not imputed to them? Such in whoſe ſpirit there is no guile. Only thoſe who are pure in heart ſhall ſee God. Purity of heart is one of thoſe tranſcendent Beatitudes mention'd in our Saviours Sermon upon the Mount, Matth. 5. 8. Bleſſed are the pure in heart, for they ſhall ſee God. They are ſaid to be pure, in oppoſition to profaneneſs; and pure in heart, in oppoſition to hypocriſie. They only ſhall be partakers of the bleſſed Viſion, whoſe hearts are pure, (i. e.) ſincere with God. True Believers, whoſe hearts are upright, and their lives holy, they ſhall ſee ſome manifeſtations of God by his Word, and by his Providences; and they ſhall ſee the footſteps and out-goings of God in the Sanctuary. But what they ſee here, is but little in compariſon of what they ſhall ſee and enjoy in glory. For (ſaith the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 13. 12.) we ſee through a glaſs, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then ſhall I know even as alſo I am known.
Sect. 2 Every upright perſon is compounded of three ſigniſicat words, which comprehend the whole duty of integrity: And they are ſimplicity, ſingleneſs, and ſincerity.
The firſt word is ſimplicity; and this 1. Simplicity.is oppoſite to a double heart, and to ſuch a heart as is uſually call'd, a heart and a heart. This ſimplicity of the heart was a ground of the Apoſtles rejoycing, and of all true Believers: For ſaith the Apoſtle, 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our rejoycing is foreign.this, the teſtimony of our conſcience, that in ſimplicity, &c. And it's the high commendation aſcrib'd to the Children of Zebulun, 1 Chron. 12. 33. that they were not of a double heart. St. James ſtamps a brand of infamy upon a double minded man, in that he is unſtable in all his waies, foreign.James 1. 8. He is unſixt, unplaced, and ſo unſettled, as you know not what to judg of him, nor (as we uſe to ſay) where to find him: A man may as ſoon hold the wind in his hand, as hold faſt an unſtable man.
A ſecond word is ſingleneſs: Now 2. Singleneſs.ſingleneſs and uprightneſs differ only in the ſound of the name pronounced; they agree in the ſame ſenſe altogether, as being of a ſynonimous ſignification. Of this ſingleneſs of heart we have a clear evidence of the Primitive Converts, Acts 2. 46. They continued daily foreign.with one accord in the Temple, and breaking bread from houſe to houſe, and eat their meat with gladneſs and ſingleneſs of heart, praiſing God. It's the obſervation of judicious Mr. Calvin upon the place, Quia in laudando Deo non poteſt eſſe cordis ſimplicitas niſi conſtet in omnibus vitae partibus, ideo certum eſt ejus fieri mentionem hoc ſenſu quod fideles eain ubique colueriat. Calv. in Loc.That ſimplicity of heart, and praiſing of God, are joyn'd together: And the reaſon he gives is this; Becauſe in praiſing of God, there cannot be ſimplicity of heart, unleſs it conſiſt in all the parts of our lives, &c. This ſingle and undivided heart is highly eſteem'd of in the ſight of God: Wherefore we are commanded to turn unto the Lord with all our hearts, Joel 2. 12. And the Pſalmiſt profeſſeth, Pſal. 119. 10. With my whole heart have I ſought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. An entire, ſingle, one heart, are all one in ſenſe; and ſuch a one only obtains acceptance in the ſight of God, the ſearcher of all hearts.
A third word is godly ſincerity; ſo I 3. Sincerity. 2 Cor. 1. 12. foreign. … ſite cerâ.call it, becauſe it's ſo call'd by the Apoſtle; godly ſincerity, or the ſincerity of God. Hereby is neceſſarily to be infer'd, that we muſt not only be ſincere in all that we do towards men, but in all that we do towards God. Simplicity and godly ſincerity are joyn'd together by the Apoſtle, and they cannot be parted aſunder. The Apoſtle likewiſe prays for the Philippians, Phil. 1. 10. That ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be ſincere, and without offence till the day of Christ. In this place here are two ſignificant words to be explained; one is, ſincere: foreign in the Original, and according to the received Etymology, derived from foreign, ſol, and foreign, judico: And this is as (moſt ſay) an alluſion to the practiſe of Eagles, who turn the faces of their young ones to look upwards towards the Sun, and if they cannot behold the Sun, they throw them down as ſpurious, and not of the breed of Eagles. Thus far this alluſion may be improved, That all our thoughts, words and actions, ſhould be ſo genuine, and ſo rightly ordered, as they may behold the Sun of Righteouſneſs, and be approved of by Almighty God. Another word to be opened in that Text, is foreign. Qui inoffenſo curſu pergit. Qui non poſsit offendi qui nuſquam offendat.inoffenſive; in the Original it's foreign: (i. e.) We ſhould ſo look to our ſteps as that we may not ſtumble; and we ſhould walk ſo prudently, as we may neither give nor take offence. This inoffenſive walking the Apoſtle injoyns in the extent and latitude of it, 1 Cor. 10. 32. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God. The ſame Apoſtle gives in ſpecial charge to the Corinthians, 2 Cor. 6. 1. We then as workers together with him, beſeech you alſo that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. And how muſt they evidence their not receiving the grace of God in vain? He adds verſe 3. Giving no offence in any thing, that the Goſpel be not blamed. All Miniſters, in an equal manner, ought to keep up the honour of their Miniſtry, by a faithful and diligent diſcharge of their duty, and by the holineſs of their lives and converſations. Many foulmouth'd raſh Cenſurers are ſo ignorant, as not to diſtinguiſh between the Miniſters and Miniſtry, and therefore blame the whole Miniſtry for the default of ſome particular Miniſters: Wherefore Miniſters and People, eſpecially ſuch as are Profeſſors of Religion, muſt labour to walk ſo unblamably, as they may (what in them lies) preſerve the Reputation and Honour of the Goſpel-Miniſtry. Inoffenſive and circumſpect walking, is the wiſeſt walking. See (ſaith the Apoſtle, Epheſ. 5. 15.) how circumſpectly foreign.you walk. Not only the matter, but the manner is required; and this preciſe walking is the wiſeſt walking. Not as fools, but as wiſe. They who walk in diſſolute courſes, and live without God in the World, they are the fools, and ſo will be found to be another day: And an eſpecial effect of circumſpect wiſe walking conſiſts in redeeming of time. Redeeming the time, becauſe the daies are evil, Epheſ. 5. 10. He then whoſe heart is without guile, evidenceth it ſo to be in the integrity of his life and converſation; as a good tree is known by the good fruits which it bears. And this upright walking is the only ſure and ſafe walking; but the contrary thereof is alwaies accompanied with variety of dangers and miſchiefs: As Solomon ſaith, Prov. 10. 9. He that walketh uprightly, walketh ſurely; but he that perverteth his waies ſhall be known.