The Anatomy of Secret Sins, Chapter 5 · Section 1
SECT. I.
Queſt. 1. VVHat it is to be upright?What it is to be upright.
The Logicians obſerve a double quid, 1. Quid nominis. 2. Quid Rei, I will briefly therefore open the ſeveral words and phraſes which are uſed in the Scriptures to The ſeveral phraſes that import uprightneſſe opened.import uprightneſſe, and then I ſhall with more eaſe, and better ſatisfaction, Couch out unto you the lively nature of it.
For the firſt of theſe, know that uprightneſſe is ſometimes Uprightneſs applied.applied,
1. To God; Pſalme 25. 8. Good and upright is the Lord, To God:Pſalm. 92. 15. to ſhew that the Lord is upright, Eſay 26. 7. Thou moſt upright doeſt weigh the path of the just.
In this reſpect, it notes that juſt and equal nature of God, which is (as) an anſwering rule, Righteouſly diſpoſing of all his acts and dealings.
2. To man; And thus it may be applied both to good men To Man▪and bad men; for uprightneſs may be conſidered, either as ariſing out of a renued diſpoſition, or as appearing in the courſe of a renued converſation (in which reſpects it is proper to good men only) or as manifeſting it ſelf, in a particular fact, and ſo Abimelech might ſay, in the uprightneſſe of mine heart I have done this, Gen. 20. 5. Now uprightneſſe, or to be upright, as applied to good men, is delivered unto us, both in the Old and in the New Teſtament by ſundry words and phraſes. Sometimes it is called ſincerity, as Joſh. 24. 14. ſerve the Lord in ſincerity: that is ſaid to be ſincere, which is without mixture, a metaphor from honey which is then reputed pure and right when it hath none of the wax commixed with it. The heart is upright, when it is ſincere, and then it is ſincere when it is unmingled: Beloved there's a difference 'twixt
Adherence and
Commixture.
To the pureſt lana there may adhere ſome thred or ſpot uncomely, but in commixture the qualities or ſubſtances are in a ſort mutually confounded; ſin adheres or cleaves to the nature of the moſt upright perſon, but yet it mingles not, it is a thing which the renued heart is thruſting off; it would be rid of it, the new nature like a ſpring is working it off, ſo that a man may be ſaid to be upright, whoſe heart will not ſuffer any ſinne to incorporate or ſettle it ſelf: Search me, ſaid David, ſee whether there be any way of wickedneſs in me, Pſalme 139. 23, 24.
If a man hath an heart, upon which ſinful wayes do not only fall, but with which they cloſe, if his heart knows it, and allows it, and will walk in it, that mans heart is not upright in him; Sometime it is called one-neſs, or ſingleneſs, ſo Jer. 32. 39. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever, Act. 2. 46. They did eat their bread with gladneſs, and ſing leneſſe of heart.
There are two ſorts of perſons, hypocrites and upright perſons, and the Scripture opens them by their hearts.
Hypocrites are ſaid to have an heart and an heart, Pſal. 12. 2. with a double heart do they ſpeak, in the original it is, with an heart and an heart, So Hoſ. 10. 2. their heart is divided, now ſhall they be found faulty: and therefore, James 1. 8. they are called men of two mindes, double-minded men; they are in ſome things for God, and in moſt things for themſelves; now for his ſervice and anon for their luſts; look as hypocriſie mingles ſinne and the affection together, ſo it mingles God, and ſin, and the world together, it doth not look on God for Gods ſake, but for profits ſake, or pleaſures ſake, or honours ſake; On the contrary, upright perſons are perſons of one heart, or of a ſingle heart: as the Zebulonites are ſaid, not to be of a double heart, 1 Chron. 12. 33. which is expounded, v. 38. by a perfect heart: A mans heart is upright when God alone, and his ways alone, and his truth alone, ſatiſfie, and order, and bound it; when a man can ſay in truth, as they in the matter of Choice, Nay, but the Lord is our God, him will we ſerve. I have choſen the Lord to be my God, and his truths to be my guide, and his precepts to be my paths, and his glory to be my end, and hereto only will I ſtick, when the ſoul doth not halt between two, or divides it ſelf in a ſervice of any ſide or way, but keeps only to God.
Sometimes it is called perfection: and the upright are called perfect: as Gen. 17. 1. Walk before me and be thou perfect, Deut. 18. 13. Thou ſhalt be perfect with the Lord thy God, Pſalme 37. 37. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright.
There is a double perfection:
One Abſolute, in reſpect of degrees (which no man can now attain unto in this life, no not the moſt upright: for in many things we offend all.
The other Evangelical, which conſiſts in the evenneſſe of deſire and endeavour: when a man ſets up and exalts the word of God, and ſtrives to ſquare his heart and his life in all things thereby.
As Paul, exerciſing himſelf to have a conſcience void of Note. offence, and willing to live honeſtly in all things; when a man doth (as it were) meaſure his paths as by a line, he doth ſet them by the compaſſe of a divine rule or warrant, not willingly ſtragling on the right hand, or bending toward the left: not willingly omit the leaſt duty, and commit the leaſt ſin; he is an upright perſon when the heart is as large as the precept, and the whole will of God is complied with, in will, and deſire, and endeavour.
Sometimes it is called a ſpirit without guile, ſo, Pſal 32. 2. Bleſſed is the man in whoſe ſpirit there is no guile, and Chriſt of Nathaniel, Joh. 1. 47. Behold an Iſraelite indeed, in whom is no guile. An hypocritical heart is a cunning heart, it hath many deviſes, ſhufflings, windings, and turnings, this heart is not plain and ſound: Therefore the hypocrites are ſaid to have corrupt thoughts, and to flatter with their tongu…s, and to have crooked wayes: They do not indeed hate the ſin which they pretend, nor love that holineſſe which oft-times they praiſe, and ſometimes act: ſome ends they have of Religion for their belly, and for their own advantage, but they do not heartily hate ſinne, nor truly love holineſſe. Now on the contrary, an upright heart is without guile, it is even plain and down-right, therefore is it in the parable called an honeſt heart, and ſaith Paul, we ſpeak the truth in Chriſt; and upright walking is ſtiled a walking in truth, and ſerving of God in truth and in ſpirit; The meaning is this, that the upright man is indeed that which he profeſſeth: his life and profeſſion is not a painting which owes it ſelf to an Artificer, but a natural colour which owes it ſelf to the ſoundneſſe of temper: he is one who hath truth in the inward parts (as David ſpeaks, Pſal. 51. 6.) He doth without baſe ends directly love God, and from his very heart hate ſinne. Though he cannot expreſſe himſelf in that flouriſh of formality, yet for Chriſt, he can plainly ſay as Peter, Lord thou knoweſt all things, thou knoweſt that I love thee; And touching ſinnes, as David of Gods enemies, I hate them with a perfect hatred: this he is in good earneſt.
Sometimes it is called the allneſſe, or whollineſſe of heart, ſo Deut. 4. 29. If thou ſeek him with all thine heart, Deut. 26. 16. Thou ſhalt keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy ſoul, Pſal. 119. 10. with my whole heart have I ſought thee, &c. when the heart is upright, the whole man comes in unto God, all the ſoul, and all the body: none ſhall diſpoſe of them but God: And God ſhall diſpoſe of him in every precept: the very bent of a man is to pleaſe God in all things; and the whole ſoul, in the underſtanding, will, memory, affections, bears a reſpect to all his Commandments. There be other phraſes to ſet out this buſineſſe of uprightneſſe, but I muſt paſſe them over, and pitch upon the deſcription.
2. Now to the ſecond quid Rei, I conjecture that uprightneſſe The deſcription of uprightneſs.may be thus deſcribed.
Uprightneſs is a ſound and heavenly frame or temper of a gracious heart or ſpirit given by God, by which graces are acted, ſinnes are oppoſed, duties are performed affectionately, directly and plainly, In reference to God, and not for by-reſpects.
I will briefly open this deſcription in its particulars.
Firſt, it is the temper or frame of the heart: The ſeat of uprightneſſe The ſeat of it is their heart.is the heart or ſpirit: hence is it ſtiled uprightneſſe of heart, 1 King. 3. 6. Thou haſt ſhewed unto▪ thy ſervant David my father great mercies, according as he walked before thee in truth, in righteouſneſſe, and in uprightneſs of heart: So 'tis ſtiled ſingleneſſe of heart, Act. 2. 46. and Truth in the inward parts, Pſal. 51. 6. and a ſervice in ſpirit, Rom. 1. 9. God is my witneſs whom I ſerve with my ſpirit in the Goſpel of his Sonne. Hypocriſie is a colour but skin deep; A painting which lies only upon the ſuperficies or ſurface of the wall, upon the viſibles or outwards of profeſſion or action: but uprightneſs, like health, it is an inward criſis or temperature; as the converſation renders it ſelf to the eye of man, ſo the inward diſpoſition ſtrives to render it ſelf to the eye of Gods approbation; if a man be upright, it is with him as with Solomons Temple, though the outward parts were comely, and uniform; yet the inſide was covered with the moſt precious gold, and had the ſweeteſt incenſe.
All counterfeit things are beſt in their ſhew, and worſt in their ſubſtance and vertue: But uprightneſſe is beſt there where leaſt can be ſeen: The actions are nothing to the Inward affections and deſires.
We do but as the Queen of Sheba, here, no not halfe of the goodneſſe of an upright man by what he doth, if you would but look into his heart and converſe with him there a while, you ſhould find, the heart, the diſpoſition, the deſire of his ſoul, infinitely to exceed all that he doth, Pſal. 119. O how I love thy law, O that my ways were ſo direct?
The heart oftimes mournes, when the eyes can ſhed no teares, and the heart believes, when the tongue cannot ſpeake much faith, and the inward man (the heart) would doe that and much more, then what is done or performed.
Secondly, it is a temper or frame of the heart, a compoſition: It is the temper and frame of the heart. It is not a ſingle or tranſient act or motion.as it were in which methinks, two things may be obſerved.
1. One that uprightneſs is not a ſingle, or tranſient act or motion: I thinke that even an Hypocrite, whoſe heart is rotten, corrupt, falſe, abominable, may yet, as ſtep out into actions materially good, ſo feel motions within him both againſt what is evill, and unto what is good, he may (either through the force and power of evidence and conviction in his judgement, or through the unreſiſtable actions, of his inlighted and ſtirred conſcience, or through the great deſire, of a glorious bleſſedneſſe, have many fits and inward humours of being good and doing good.
But all this is paſſion and not temper: the Philoſopher In his Rhetoricks accurately diſtinguiſh twixt the readineſſe, which ſpringes out of a naturall complexion, and that which ariſeth out of a violent Anger and paſſion which ſoone fades off, being not rooted in nature, but in diſtemper: ſo is it whith the Hypocrite. But uprightneſſe is a temper and frame, like an inſtrument well tuned, or if that hit not full, like a complexion, which is a uniform (if not principle yet) inſtrument of actions. It is like that leaven, of which Chriſt ſpake, which invades the whole lump, it ſweetly ſeaſons and diſpoſes the whole man for God, as the bent of the ſtone is to the center, and of the fire to aſcend.
Another, that uprightneſs is rather a generall Influence in It is rather a general influence in the graces, then any diſtinct grace.the graces, then any diſtinct grace: I will not make this point a controverſy, only ſo far as I yet apprehend, uprightneſſe is rather the temper of a grace; then the grace it ſelfe; It is not feare, but feare rightly tempered and ordered, it is not love, but love rightly ſet; it is not deſire, but this orderly carried.
3. It is a ſound and incorrupt and heavenly frame of The qualities of it.heart.
1. A thing may be termed, ſound or ſolid, either when it is Sound.reall, not light, ſlight, ſuperficiall, or when it can abide triall: as true gold is Really ſo and not in colour only, and if you reduce it to the touchſtone you ſhall finde it ſo: if you caſt it into the fire, &c. Thus it is with the heart that is upright, and it hath not a forme of Godlineſſe, but the power; and not a name that it lives, but the life it ſelfe: it is (indeed) holy, humble, meeke, believing, loving of God and his ſervants, deſirous to walke with God, Pſal. 116. 160. Lord truly I am thy ſervant, &c. q. d. I am ſo indeed: this is not a complement, a garb, a pretence but a reallity, ſoe is it with the man indeed: an Iſraelite indeed, ſaid Chriſt of Nathaniell, Joh. 1. 47. Yea, ſo reall, that if you bring the heart either to the examination of the word (which being truth can finde out all truth) or to God himſelf who can ſearch the heart and reines, or to conſcience that heareth witneſſe, 2 Cor. 1. 12. or to afflictions, yet even there can upri…htneſſe find approbation and teſtimony, that the perſon doth love, and ſerve, and feare him, Job. 1. 8. the Lord ſaid unto Satan, haſt thou not conſidered my ſervant job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and eſcheweth evil.
2. Againe, it is an Inccorrupt frame: though the extreme parts may ſometimes be faulty, yet if the vitalls be ſound, if the Incorrupt.heart, if the lungs, if the liver be ſo, we ſay that man is a ſound man; In morals it holds ſoe, that if the heart be void of all obliquity the perſon is upright; Many infirmities in action may conſiſt with uprightneſſe, but not in affection, the very bent of the heart is ſet againſt ſin, without diſtinction of great or leſſe, advantagious or incommodious, honourable or diſhonorable; if it be not ſo, then the heart is corrupt,; it mingles, it is not ſincere and upright, but of this more anon.
4. Given by God; ſo the Prophet Jerem. 32. 39. I will give them one heart and one way? Every man naturally is an Hypocrite, Given by Godwould ſeem to be that which he is not, and ſo likewiſe miſdirects all his actions to a wrong end: God hath ſet a certaine beauty in goodneſſe, and left a notion of vileneſſe upon ſin, ſo that moſt men though they hate goodneſs, yet would be thought good (they think it a mo…e Creditable title) and though they love and act ſinne, yet would not be thought or reputed evill.
Beſides this, if we did but ſeriouſly obſerve and confeſſe how it is in our own ſpirits, we ſhould finde in all our pious pretences (take us in our naturalls) we are all of us moſt formall and Artificiall hypocrites: Draw neare to God with our lips, but our hearts are far from him, and come to Church when we minde neither prayer nor Sermon, and liſten oftimes, and (God knows) not to obey but to cenſure, or but to get matter to talk of and the like: and when we have got ability to ſpeake of any good, the Lord be mercifull unto us, we do it not minding Gods glory, but our owne vaine applauſe and eſtimation; Soe then the hypocricall heart is from our ſelves, but the upright heart is from God; Every good and perfect gift is from above, James 1. 18. The perfect heart is from the perfect God, the true heart from the God of truth; It is he who teacheth truth, and makes upright, and writes his law in the inward parts.
5. The fifth thing which I would obſerve in uprightneſſe, is its office of adminiſtration, it is ſuch a thing as deales, 1. about graces. Its office and adminiſtration.2. about ſins. 3. duties.
1. For our graces] uprightneſſe lookes to them that they be rightly acted: Beloved, uprightneſſe doth not give grace: It deals about graces.but orders and directs the acts and operations thereof.
Two things I grant! that all the habits of grace (are in themſelves intrinſecally conſidered) really true; and though imperfection may be in them, yet no morall falſity or counterfeitneſs: and that the actions of thoſe holy habits, conſidered intirely as ſtreaming from them (only as ſo) are likewiſe truly holy, and good.
But then, theſe acts or actions of gracious habits as working in a ſubject which hath ſome falſneſſe and byneſſe yet remaining, may by reaſon of that corruption be miſdirected & miſguided.
3. For hypocriſie doth not only conſiſt in the putting of a good ſhape upon an evill action (as a faire colour upon a rotten thred) but alſo in the ill intention or application even of an act (in it ſelfe) truly good. Charity (without all doubt) is a gracious quallity, yet if uprightneſſe attends not ſome of it acts, they may be referred to a private and vaine glorious end, the like may be ſaid of ſome other graces, as of the love of God, and the feare of God, &c.
2 For ſins) here alſo uprightneſſe comes into act it ſelfe: holineſſe (which is nothing elſe but the newneſſe of Nature) that makes oppoſition to ſin, But uprightneſſe, that now is an evenneſſe For our ſins.or impartiality of oppoſition.
To oppoſe a little ſin, and yet to cloſe with a great ſin, to oppoſe many ſins, and yet to hold a knowne and a willing confederacy with any one, to oppoſe ſin in others, and yet to act it our ſelves, to oppoſe ſin as open to the eye of man, and yet to fall to it in ſecret, where it is naked to the eye of God; To oppoſe a ſin to which conſtitution and age deny concurrence of delight or ſtrength, and yet to wallow in others agreeable to our complexions, conditions, and yeares; to oppoſe the unprofitable ſin, which brings nothing in but paine, and yet to admit of gainfull ſins, which come with rewards of divination in their hands, to oppoſe any ſin, only becauſe it is paineful, and not becauſe it is ſinfull; To oppoſe ſin in our ſtraits, and not in our liberties, in ſickneſſe, and not in health, when only we feare death and not at all under life and ſtrength; I ſay all theſe are but hypocriſies, there is an unevenneſſe of the heart as was in Saul, who ſpared the choiſeſt, and mortified the courſeſt of the cattle, or as in Balaam, who would have been happy in his death, though a Curſer of Gods people (in reſpect of his own intention) in this life.
I Confeſſe this to be true, that uprightneſſe is not the utter Annihilation of ſin, No, that effect appertaines to glory, and perfection above; but it is the even and Impartiall oppoſition of ſin: of ſecret ſins, and of preſumptious ſins, (as David here in this Pſalm) of great and ſmall; in a word it is a conjunctive oppoſition of ſin, that is it carries the heart againſt all ſin, Pſal. 119. 1. Bleſſed are the undefiled in the way, v. 3. They do no iniquity (i) their hearts are for no ſin: and the prime reaſon of all this oppoſition, I ſay the prime and immediate reaſon, is direct and not reflexive; It is becauſe ſin is ſo oppoſite to God and not primarily, becauſe it its ſo painfull in the event to the perſon.
3. For duties: here uprightneſſe expreſſeth it ſelfe, both for matter, wherein, it doth not ſhuffle and cut, pick and chuſe, For duties.take the lighter (like the hypocriticall Phariſees) and leave the heavieſt to others, but it makes a man to have (with David, Pſal. 119. 6.) a reſpect to all Gods commands.
For the manner, Any performance will not ſerve, where the heart is upright, David danceth before the Lord withal his might; and Paul ſerveth God in his ſpirit, That which came next to hand will ſerve Cain, but Abel muſt preſent the beſt of the Cattle, not the lame and the blind, the beſt, God, ſhall have the beſt manner of ſervice, If I heare, that ſufficeth not, unleſſe it be with reverence and faith; If, I pray, that ſufficeth not, unleſſe with brokenneſs of heart, humbleneſſe of ſpirit, fervent affections, and faith in Chriſt: A meer tale of bricke will ſerve for Pharaoh, though the Iſralites reputed the ſervice a bondage, but when we bring offerings to the Temple, they muſt be willing, and of the beſt too.
6. The laſt thing which I would obſerve in uprightneſſe is its end and ſcope.Its end and ſcope.
Beloved I pray you to remember that uprightneſſe cauſeth a threefold reference of our ſervices: one is to Gods precept: that's the ſquare and Rule and compaſſe of upright motions.
Another is to Gods glory, that's the ſpring which turnes the wheels, the winde which blowes the ſayles: it is for Chriſt ſake, ſaid Paul: and whatſever yee do, do all to the glory of God, ſaid he againe.
A third is to Gods acceptance and approbation, ſo that God will accept, and commend, and approve, 2. Cor. 5. 9. we labour that whither preſent or abſent, we may be accepted of him, 2. Cor. 10. 18. Not he that commendeth himſelfe is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.
More plaine and punctual is that of the ſame Apoſtle, in Rom. 2. 29. He is a few which is one inwardly, and circumciſion is that of the heart in the ſpirit, and not in the letter, whoſe praiſe is not of men but of God.
The ſchoolmens obſervation is ſound and true that a particular deficiency is ſufficient to marre a good, morally conſidered, but an vniverſall concurrence of circumſtances, is required to make the action good. Look, as in reading of Hebrew, leave out but one tittle, one point, you mar the ſenſe, or as in a doſis of Phyſick, leave out one ingredient you ſpoyle all. Soe our actions if one circumſtance be left out, if the Right and genuine end, be not eyed, it is enough to blanch them with hypocriſie, though for ſubſtance they may be commanded to pray, and to give alms, no man will queſtion that theſe duties ſubſtantially conſidered, are good, and ſuch which the upright perſon doth performe. But then if a man prayes, or gives almes to be ſeen of men, Chriſt tells him that he playes the Hypocrite; If in the performance of any piouſly externall duty we ſet our ſelves as the end, if all theſe things be done, and with very much fervency and Aſſiduity, yet only to play the Merchants for our ſelves, to make a bridge over to our own eſtimation to blow up our names; This is but Hypocriſie, and I fear a kind of Idolatry, we fall down and worſhip our ſelves, like the men of Shechem who would admit of circumciſion, ſhall not their cattle, and all that they have be ours; The like indifferentneſſe may be found in men forward for outward duties, ſhall not profit be ours, preachers good opinion ours, The Glory and Credite ours, this is a groſs Hypocriſie?
Now uprightneſſe conſiſts in this, to devolve all the honor of holy ſervices on God, like the faithfull ſervant, who workes painefully, and ſpeakes conſideratly and all this for his Maſter; or like the ſhadow which in the dyall moves from point to point, and all this points upward to the ſunne in it motions; The humble heart knowes no fountaine but Gods grace. and the upright heart knowes no end, but Gods glory.
They diſtinguiſh of a double end.
One is finis op…ris, the end of the work, and that ſhall be our glory hereafter, as the Apoſtle ſpake of faith, the end of your faith the ſalvation of your ſouls, 1 Pet. 1. 9.
Another is finis operantis, the end of the workman, and that (if the heart be upright) is Gods glory, for of him, and through him, and to him, are all things, to him be glory for ever, Rom. 11.
Yet by your favour this I muſt ſuggeſt by the way, (and perhaps ſhall handle it more copiouſly ſhortly) that in a way of ſubordination; an upright heart may do God good ſervice: and his glory no wrong, if with all in its fit place, and order, and meaſure, it caſt an eye alſo on its own reward, Moſes had an eye to it, Heb. 11.