The Anatomy of Secret Sins, Chapter 5 · Section 2
SECT. II.
Queſt. 2. NOw I proceed to a ſecond queſtion why we ſhould ſtrive and aim at (as David here did) and Why we ſhould endeavour to be upright.endeavour to be upright.
There are abundant reaſons thereof, I will deliver a few unto you.
Firſt, this uprightneſſe is the great thing which God looks for; Uprightneſs is the great thing that God looks for.Joh. 4. 23. The true worſhippers ſhall worſhip the Father in Spirit and in truth, for the father ſeeketh ſuch to worſhip him. Gods ſeeking, notes either his grace which prevents us, or his pleaſure which enjoyns us: The father ſeeketh ſuch to worſhip him (i.) the Lord by all means would have men in his ſervices to come with ſpirit and truth, to be upright, Prov. 23. 26. My ſon give me thy heart, q. d. though the body be made by me; and every part thereof, and though that whole frame be made for me, as well as by me, and thou art to glorifie me in thy body, yet that which I principally enjoyn thee in thy ſervices, is to bring them with thy heart, with affections, intirely and not pretenſively.
Nay, ſecondly, this is it which the Lord looks at: See Jerem. This is it the Lord looks at.5. 3. Are not thine eyes upon the truth: q. d. Why? it is not your words which God doth ſo much regard, nor is it your looks, nor your tears, nor your cries; that which the Lord ſets his eye on, is the truth of the heart, in and under all theſe; uprightneſſe there; Excellent is that place in 1 Chr. 29. 17. I know alſo my God (ſaid David) that thou trieſt the heart, and haſt pleaſure in uprightneſſe: As for me, in the uprightneſſe of my heart I have willingly offered all theſe things. In that place you finde David contributing toward the building of the Temple, and ſtirring up others to that work; and David for his part gave like a King thereto, even three thouſand talents of gold, of gold of Ophir (ver. 4.) And ſeven thouſand talents of refined ſilver: and the chief of the Fathers, and the Princes gave alſo five thouſand talents of gold, and ten thouſand d…ammes, and of ſilver ten thouſand talents, and of braſs eighteen thouſand talents, and one hundred thouſand talents of iron, beſides precious ſtones, v. 6, 7, 8. Now what a goodly gift was all this, but David preſently ſubjoynes, I know my God that thou trieſt the heart, and haſt pleaſure in uprightneſſe, q. d. O Lord all this is nothing, thou wilt not accept of it, thou wilt not look upon it, if uprightneſs be wanting, O that is it which thou regardeſt, the heart, the heart thou trieſt, and if uprightneſſe be found there, that is it which thou regardeſt: You read of the Jews, that they made many prayers but God would not hear them, brought many oblations but they were vaine, (i.) is of no account, Eſay 1. 11, 12. and 15. They remember the ſolemne feaſts, but prevailed not with God, he did ſhut his eyes: nay, they were at their ſolemn faſts too; but God took no knowledge, Eſay 58. 3. He gives the reaſon in both places, in Eſay 1. 15. your hands are full of blood, ver. 16. waſh ye, &c. and Eſay 58. 4. Behold ye fast for ſtrife and debate, to ſmite with the fiſt of wickedneſs, ver. 6. Is not this the faſt which I have choſen, to looſe the bands of wickedneſſe. q. d. away ye hypocrites, do you commit and allow cruelties, and villanies, and oppreſſions, and whoredomes, and then bring multitudes of ſacrifices and oblations, and cryings, and think that I am taken with theſe; go and cleanſe your hearts, mend your lives, leave your ſins, be plain & upright with me, that is it which I look at more then any thing, that is it which pleaſeth me; Hence it is that oftimes in Scripture, that the Hebrew word [Jaſhar] which ſignifies Right, is many times tranſlated foreign, pleaſing, as Numb. 23. 27. perhaps it will ſeem right in the eyes of the Lord, we tranſlate it, peradventure it will pleaſe God: ſo true is that of Solomon, Prov. 11. 20. Such as are upright in their way, are his delight, yea, and ſo that phraſe of walking with God (which is nothing elſe but the path of the juſt or upright) is rendred by the Septuagint pleaſing of God; as Gen. 5. 22. 24. holy Enoch walking with God: The ſeventy renders it, he pleaſed God.
Thirdly, this ſeemes to be the only thing that God expects, 1 Sam. 12, 24. onelyonly fear the Lord, and ſerve him in truth with all This is the only thing which God expects.your heart, Deut. 10. 12. And now Iſrael what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, and to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to ſerve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy ſoul. When the Lord did enter into the Covenant with Abraham, Gen. 17. and promiſed to be an Al-ſufficient God unto him: what doth he require of Abraham but only this, be thou upright: when he advanced Solomon to the Kingdome, and enricht him with honour, and wealth, and wiſdome, above all that ever ſat on the Throne, what did he require of him, 1 Kings 3. 14. Walk in my wayes, keep my Statutes as thy father David did; How was that? ſee back to verſ. 6. David my father walked before thee in truth and righteouſneſs, and in uprightneſſe of heart. When Paul had commended many ſingular things of knowledge and duty to the Corinthians, he cloſeth up all with, finally, my brethren, be perfect, 2 Cor. 13. 11. q. d. Will you have me to give you all in one word, why then be perfect, be upright.
4. Uprightneſs doth bring the whole man unto God; It is that Vprightneſſe. doth bring the whole man to God.which commands all, and carries all with it: the thoughts, theſe inward and ſweet breathings of the minde, Let the meditations of my heart be alwayes acceptable in thy ſight, O Lord my ſtrength and my Redeemer, ſaith upright David in Pſalme duplicate page duplicate page 19. 14. The words, Let the words of my mouth be acceptable; ſo he there, the mouth of the righteous ſpeaketh wiſdom, and his talk is of judgement, Pſalm 37. 30. The heart, the Law of his God is in his heart, Pſalm 37. 31. my heart is fixed, ſaith David; again, the converſation, that is ordered aright, Pſal. 50. hath a man any gifts, many gifts, why uprightneſſe brings in their uſe and ſtrength to God, hath he any graces, why? uprightneſs brings in their ſervice to God: it keeps us in with God, and are one with God, and will not ſuffer us to deal falſely with God.
5. God judgeth of a man by his uprightneſſe; thou art in his judgement good or bad, according to the preſence or abſence God judgeth of a man by his uprightneſſe.of uprightneſſe; this is that which diſtinguiſheth twixt the precious and the vile, twixt the faithful and the unſound. In outward appearances, and in the colour of viſible ſervices, the good and the bad may go hand in hand, both may hear, both may read, both may pray, both may preach, both may receive the Sacrament, both may give almes, but God judgeth not as man iudgeth by outward appearance, he is a ſpirit, and truth it ſelf, and therefore judgeth of actions by the ſpirit and as done in truth; he ſearcheth the heart and reines, and notwithſtanding all the outward appearances of the ſtrict and pompous Phariſees, yet he reputeth them as hypocrites, and ſo condemns them, Matth. 23. 28. mettals (you know) are not judged and valued to be gold by the guilt put upon them, but by that power and excellent ſubſtance which is in them. And the natural gold, though it look (ſometimes pale) if yet it hath the true nature of gold is judged and reckoned above all counterfeit and gilted pieces; ſo even pompous ſervices, which ſeem fair and glorious to the eyes of men, may be rejected of God; and the pretenders ſeverely cenſured, becauſe their hearts under theſe, are falſe and rotten, like a dead man cloathed with a faire robe, or a Sepulchre garniſhed outwardly, yet within filled with dead and loathſome carcaſes; And the upright Chriſtian, whoſe works are not ſo ſpecious to the ſight, whoſe prayers may be ſparing in words, yet filled up with ſighs and g…oanes, and whoſe ſervices may be interrupted with many diſtractions (by him reſiſted and bewailed) may be graciouſly accepted and rewarded, becauſe his ſincerity is obſerved by Gods eye. The poore widow could caſt in but a mite, a very ſmall doit, yet of great account was it, it was more in Chriſts expoſition, then the treaſure caſt in by others, why? becauſe ſhe did it in uprightneſſe, her heart laid down the mite, and only their hands put in their gifts; her gift was to ſuccour the poor; the end of their bounty was to flame their own praiſe. The Church of Philadelphia hath more praiſe then all the other Churches, and yet we read ſhe had but a little ſtrength, Rev. 3. 8. A little ſtrength, yea, but it was upright for ſhe held faſt the truth, and God judged of her by that.
Thus for the explication of the propoſition; now I proceed to the Application of it to our ſelves, which I ſhall reduce to theſe heads.
1. Of Trial and Examination.
2. Of Conſolation.
3. Of Caution.
4. Of Exhortation.