Characters of a Sincere Heart, Title page – Dedication
CHARACTERS OF A SINCERE HEART, And the COMFORTS thereof. Collected out of the. WORD OF GOD,
By HEN-WILKINSON, D. D. Late Principal of Magdalen Hall in the Univerſity of OXFORD.
1 Sam. 16. 7. Man looketh on the outward appearance, but Lord looketh on the heart.
Pſal. 51. 6. Behold thou deſireſt truth in the inward parts… and in the hidden part thou ſhalt make me to know wiſdome.
OXFORD, Printed by L. LICHFIELD, Printer …e Univerſity, for RIC. DAVIS, Anno Domini, 1674.
To the much Honoured and virtuous Lady HESTER HONYWOOD of Marks-Hall in the County of of Eſſex: Grace, Mercy, and Peace from God our Father, and Jeſus Chriſt our Lord.
Honoured Madame,
DEDICATIONS of Books to Perſons of great rank and Quality, are of great antiquity, for St. Luke Dedicates Luke 1. 3. Act. 1. 1.two Treatiſes To the moſt excellent Theophilus. And now a daies it's uſual to dedicate Books to ſuch Perſonages, who are (probably) ready to approve them by their Patronage and practice.
As to my own concernment, I the rather prefix your name to this little Treatiſe, not only to acknowledge with all thankfulneſs, the many great Favours, which I have received from you, but eſpeciall… I am encouraged to preſent thoſe things to your view whereof you have had ſo large experience as you can give Testimony to the truth of them, both as to your judgement and affections.
I therefore am your remembrancer of thoſe things, whereof (as I doubt not) you have experimental knowledge, and my deſign is to comfort you with thoſe comforts, wherewith I my ſelf have been comforted: It's the charge which the Angel gives unto the Church of Thyatira—But that which you have already, hold Rev. 2. 25.faſt: And the Apoſtle's charge is ſutable unto that,—Let us hold faſt Heb. 10. 23.the profeſſion of our faith without wavering, (for he is faithful that promiſed.) Likewiſe for ſelf examination, and tryal of our evidences for heaven, we are frequently commanded,—More particularly St. Paul chargeth the Corinthians, and us as well as them.—Examine your 2 Cor. 13. 5.ſelves: know ye not your own ſelves, how that Jeſus Chriſt is in you? except ye be Reprobates. So likewiſe the Church (after ſhe had undergone great afflictions and ſufferings) makes this ſerious deliberate reſolution—Let us ſearch and try Lam. 3. 40.our waies, and turn again to the Lord.
You being (Madam) an old Diſciple, and an experienced Chriſtian, cannot but know, that it's a duty of great concernment, and in an eſpecial manner incumbent upon all faithful Miniſters to endeavour in their Preaching to diſtinguiſh the pretious from the vile: for ſo ſaith the Lord to the Prophet Jeremiah. If thou Ier. 15. 19.take forth the pretiou… from the vile, thou ſhalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee but return thou not to them.
Our bleſſed Lord and Saviour, the beſt Example and the exacteſt Pattern for our imitation▪ in that incomparable Sermon which he Preached in the Mount, makes mention of ſeven Beatitudes, each of them being a rare diſcriminati…g character, whereby good and bad, bleſſed and curſed, are diſtinguiſhed one from another: For if the poor in ſpirit be bleſſed, then the rich & proud in ſpirit are curſed; & if the pure in heart be bleſſed, then the impu…e in heart muſt be curſed, &c. Becauſe of Contrarieties there are contrary conſequences. And Christ himſelf is the beſt Interpreter of himſelf, for when he pronounced bleſſings upon ſuch as Luke 6. 20. 21. 22.were poor, and hungred, and wept, v. 24, 25, 26.he pronounced woes againſt ſuch as were rich and full, and of whom all men ſpeak well.
Likewiſe our Saviour ſhewes the abſolute and indiſpenſible neceſſity of Regeneration and being born from above, as may appear by Chriſts anſwer to Nichodemus.—Jeſus anſwered, and ſaid unto him, Verily, verily Ioh. 3. 3.I ſay unto thee, except a man be born again he cannot ſee the kingdome of God. And Regeneration is a Characteriſtick note of diſtinction between the old and new birth. Farther, Christ puts a vaſt difference between a good and a bad tree: For (ſaith he) A good tree cannot Matt. 7. 18, 19, 20.bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not good fruit is hewen down, and caſt into the fier, wherefore by their fruits you ſhall know them: And Chriſt makes Love one to another, a mark Ioh. 13. 35.af his Diſciples.
And after Chriſts Example, his Apoſtles lay down marks and ſignes to diſtinguiſh the good from the bad. For inſtance, How frequently, doth St. John preſs the grace of love, and lays it down as an infallible ſign of one that is tranſlated from death to life—We know that we have paſſed 1 Ioh. 3. 14.from death to life, becauſe we love the Brethren: He that loveth not his Brother abideth in death. Saint Peter expreſly manifests what we ſhould avoid—Wherefore laying 1 P…t. 2. 1, 2, 3.aſide all malice and guile, and hypocuſies, and envies, and all evil ſpeakings, &c and he injoynes what we ſhould reduce unto practice, As new born babes, deſire the ſincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby. And it follows by way of Character, repreſenting ſuch who are new born babes in theſe words. If ſo be that ye have taſted that the Lord 2 Cor. 5. 17.is gracious. Saint Paul gives an evident ſign of ſuch who are in Chriſt by the new Creature wrought in them. Thefore if any man be in Chriſt he is a new Creature: old things are paſt away, behold all things are become new. And, to mention only one more ſcripture to this purpoſe, The Apostle diſcovers a great difference between the old man and the new, and Eph. 4. 21. 22, 23, 24.thus Preſſeth our duty upon us: If ſo be that ye have been taught by him as the truth is in Jeſus, That ye put of concerning the former converſation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful luſts: And be renewed in the ſpirit of your minde: and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteouſneſs, and true holineſs.
Now having ſuch abundant warrant from the example of Chriſt and his Apoſtles, I question not in the leaſt, but that in the exerciſe of our Miniſtry we obliged according to the Rule of the word of Gods to lay down Characters of a Regenerate eſtate, and to diſtinguiſh ſincere and real Profeſſors, from ſuch who are only Nominal and Hypocritical. Many there are who name the name of Chriſt, but depart not from iniquity: But it's the expreſs command of the word: And let every one that nameth the name of Chriſt depart from iniquity. Many there are that content themſelves, with the Angel of the Church of Sardis, to have only a bare name to live; But he is reproved by Chriſt, Rev. 3 1, 2. And unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write, theſe things ſaith he …. 3. 1. 2.that hath the ſeaven ſpirits of God, and the ſeaven Stars, I know thy works, that thou haſt a name, that liveſt and art dead. Be watchful and ſtrengthen the things that are ready to dye: … I have not found thy works perfect before God. Many there are who reſt ſatisfied with a bare form, and deny the power of godlineſs: But the Apoſtles command is—Having a form of godlineſs, 2 Tim. 3. 5.but denying the power thereof: from ſuch turn away.
The Sincerity of the Heart is that which God requires. Behold thou deſireth truth in the inward parts: Pſal. 51. 6. Joſh. 34. 14. Ioh. 4. 24.God muſt be feared and ſerved in ſincerity and in truth: God is a ſpirit, and his worſhip muſt be a ſpiritual worſhip: So ſaith our Saviour, God is a ſpirit and they that worſhip him, muſt worſhip him in ſpirit, and in truth. The fruits of the ſpirit are reck…n…d up by the Apostle to be in all goodneſs, righteouſneſs and truth. Goodneſs may Eph. 5. 9.be reckoned to the duties of the firſt Table, and righteouſneſs to the duties of the ſecond Table, but Truth (i e.) Sincerity, refers to both Tables reſpectively. Sincerity is the ground of rejoycing, For (ſaith the Apoſtle) Our rejoycing is this, the Teſtimony Cor. 1. 12.of our Conſcience, that in ſimplicity, and godly ſincerity, not with fleſhly wiſdome, but by the grace of God, we have had our converſation, and more abundantly to you ward. And the ſame Apostle prayes for the Philippians, That Phil. 1. 10.ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be ſincere, and without offence till the day of Chriſt. And although he is ſenſible of his own, and of his Brethrens inſufficiency for the great work of the Miniſtry, as may appear by that Queſtion which he propounds: And who is ſufficient for theſe things? 2 Cor. 2. 16.Yet he makes this profeſſion of his own, and his brethrens ſincerity. For (ſaith he) we are not as many v. 17.which corrupt the word of God: but as of ſincerity, but as of God in the fight of God, ſpeak we in Chriſt.
To draw to a cloſe of this Epistle: It is the ſincerity of the Heart, which both to Miniſters and people is a great ground of conſolation. The grand deſign which I only drive at in this ſmall Treatiſe, is to ſtir up my ſelf and others, that every one in good earneſt may Chatechiſe his own heart, and propound this great needful Question. Is my heart ſincere with God? For anſwer to this queſtion, I have by way of Character, according to the Rule of the word of God, endeavoured to declare in ſeveral particulars, wherein the ſincerity of the heart conſists.
This Treatiſe I preached as to the ſubſtantials thereof, (which ſinc… I have unlarged) in the publick Congre…ation at Cosfield in Eſſex. T… you (much Honoured Madam) I offer …his Mite, or Teſtimony of my graceful acknowledgment of theſe many ſignal favours, which both my ſelf and my neareſt Relations have recieved from you, both in our ſickneſs, and health, God hath made you a worthy instrument to do good to many, and I hope you will fare the better for their prayers. That Bread which you have caſt upon the waters, you ſhall find after many daies. May the Lord lengthen out your daies, for the glory of God, and for your own good, and the good of many others: And may you be one of thoſe of whom the Pſalmiſt makes mention; Thoſe that be planted in Pſal. 92. 13.the houſe of the Lord ſhall flouriſh in the Courts of God; They ſhall ſtill bring forth fruit in old age; They ſhall be fat and flouriſhing. I commend your ſelf, and all your Relations, to the Gracious Providence of God, beſeeching him to guide you by his counſell till he bring you to glory. I remain
Sible Henningham in Eſſex, Jan. 1. 1674. Madame Your Servant for Chriſt ſake, HEN. WILKINSON.