The Anatomy of Secret Sins, Chapter 5 · Section 5
SECT. V.
A Third uſe of the Doctrine ſhall be to ſtir us up to get Uſe 3 Uprightneſs, and to keep it, there are two things which Labour to get uprightneſs, and keep it.here offer themſelves, viz.
1. Motives to perſwade us.
2. Means to direct and help us.
1. For the firſt of theſe, what ſhall I ſay? how ſhall I perſwade! If all the Arguments of heaven, or earth, might be available, I have them at hand to preſent them unto you, to Motives.excite your hearts to this labour: If there be any regard of a God, of a Chriſt, of your ſouls, of your comforts here, of your happineſs hereafter, then think of Uprightneſs, content not your ſelves till you have it, Why?
1. God regards you not, if you be not upright: his eyes are upon the truth, and he will be worſhipped in ſpirit and truth; thouſands God regards you not, if not upright.of Rams and rivers of oil, daily oblations, ſolemn humblings, cryings and callings, he cannot away with them, he hides his face from them, if the heart under theſe be falſe and doubting.
The Word of God condemns you; if you be not upright, it will not acquit you; if you have Lamps without oyl, a form of godlineſs without the power thereof, though you make many prayers, though long prayers, though you give much alms, yet if your hearts be not upright in theſe, the Word will condemn you for Hypocrites, and will give you your portion, with them who ſhall have the greater damnation.
Your conſcience will ſecretly reproach and vex you in the day of your calamity; when any judgement hangs over thy head, or any affliction comes near unto thee, then will thy conſcience riſe up, and gall and wound thee for thy cloſe unevenneſſes and hypocritical practiſes of ſin againſt thy better profeſſion of holy walking. What the Prophet ſpake of the unjuſt gainer, He getteth riches, and not by right, he ſhall leave them in the midſt of his days, and at the end he ſhall be a fool: That ſay I of the Hypocrite, he heaps up duty upon duty, works upon works, but the day of tryal comes, and then he ſhall appear to be a fool. Ah, vain man! to think there is not a day for the diſcovery of ſecrets, or that there is not a God who ſearcheth the hearts and reins, who greedily hunts after the applauſe and credit of men, and declines the approbation of the great Judge. O when thy accounts are to be preſented and given up before the tribunal ſeat of the holy, and true, and terrible God; and thou ſhalt then ſay, O Lord, all the outward good I did, I did it only to get my ſelf a name; all the ſervices of Religion, I laboured in them only that men might think well of me: ſome of thy precepts I did like, but others I did not care for, becauſe they thwarted my ends; much good I did, but it was only to cloak and cover the much ſecret evil which I did love, and in which I did walk: ſo many years I lived, and kept company with Chriſtians, againſt whoſe powerfull practiſe of holineſs my heart did riſe; many a time did their heavenly diſcourſes find out and condemn my private luſt, yet I bleared their eyes, I yet wreſted with my conſcience, I would not yet leave all my ſins, and now wo is me! thou doſt love truth in the inward parts, this I knew, yet I played the hypocrite. Nay, if more may be added, then take this, the Lord God after death will ſhut the door againſt ſuch fooliſh perſons who content themſelves with lamps without oyl, and do cry, Lord, Lord, have we not preached, &c. and heard thee in our ſtreets, and yet were workers of iniquity. Look as the Lord takes notice of a mans Hypocriſy now, (ſo this people draws near unto me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me) ſo he will take notice of the Hypocrite hereafter, not only to ſhut heaven againſt him, but to caſt him into everlaſting burnings, Iſa. 33. 14. ſo then, methinks, here were motives enough to ſtir us up to be upright, becauſe elſe the Lord regards us not, neither perſons, nor works; yea, his Word condemns us, and our conſciences do condemn us; we walk under a ſentence, and ſhall die under a curſe, and God will be againſt us too in Judgement, he will not know us, but abominate us from his preſence.
2. But then if you conſider on the other ſide, How acceptable Uprightneſs is very acceptable unto God.a thing uprightneſs is to God, what delight he takes in ſuch-perſons, how his Covenant is with them, and what infinite promiſes are their Treaſuries, how God will hear their prayers, accept of their perſon, paſs over their weakneſſes, increaſe their bleſſings, eſtabliſh their comforts; what defences, and ſecret, and ſtrong, and comfortable acquittances Uprightneſs breeds in the conſcience! what conſidence it gives in our acceſſes to God, what ſolace under all our croſſes! what peace, and quietneſs, and ſtrength, notwithſtanding all contrary ſuggeſtions! what boldneſs in death, what grounds to Implead with God! what a certainty of acceptance now, and trueſt Glory hereafter! O how might theſe things work upon our hearts, to labour to be upright, &c.
Object. But you will ſay now, why, what may we do to get uprightneſs, and to maintain it?
Sol. Now we come to the means of uprightneſs, for which Means.take theſe particulars into your conſideration;
1. Directions for the getting of it.
2. Directions for the preſerving of it.
3. Some other conſiderations and meditations: for the Directions to get uprightneſs of heart. Go to God for it.firſt, I commend theſe things unto you.
1. If ever you would have upright hearts, you muſt then go to God for them. Hypocriſy is a natural weed, we need not go beyond our ſelves to find a cauſe of it: even a Child is able to frame actions to the eye of others: but uprightneſs is a flower of heaven: only that God who can make new, is able to make the heart upright. I pray you to conſider that all the holy qualities and tempets of the new Covenant, come from no other ſpring then Gods grace; none can beſtow them but God, and he can do it. Now the upright heart is a ſpring of the Covenant, Jer. 31. 39. I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever. Is there here a perſon this day who is ſenſible of the guile of his ſpirit, of the hypocriſie in his heart, that he cannot be ſo for God as he ſhould, that he is uneven, and oft-times crooked in his walkings? why? go to God! pray with David, Pſalm 51. 1. O create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right ſpirit within me.
But you will ſay, may an hypocrite come to God, will God regard him though he calls upon him, will he not ſhut out his prayers; will he heare the prayer of him who regards ſin in his heart.
I Anſwer.
Sol. It matters not how much hypocriſie hath been hatched within thee. and acted by thee heretofore, If now thou commeſt to be ſenſible of thy hypocriſie and to condemn it, & to bewail it, & to abhor it, if former hypocriſie be now come to hearty conflict, though be giving out into many thoughts of ſelfe and baſe ends, yet be not diſmayed, go to God, he can ſubdue it, and he can take out that guile of thy ſpirit, and he can faſhion a ſtraitneſſe and rightneſſe of heavenly frame within thee; he is able to make good whatſoever he hath promiſed.
Secondly if you would finde uprightneſſe in you, then get an Get a predominat love of God and his wayes.exceeding and predominate love of God, and his wayes: Love is of great force and influence to a mans ways and actions, it is like the Rudder which doth maſter the ſhip in the motion, it can turne and winde it any way; ſo doth love prevaile with the ſoule: it hath a command over it, about a mans ways and actions; if a man had a ſtrong love of God, if he did heartily, and with great affections, incline and ſtrive for God, for his glory, for his truth, this would prevaile with him to be upright, Deut. 10. 12. the love of God is put in as a meanes to walke in all his wayes, and to ſerve him with all our hearts.
The want of uprightneſſe, comes from the want of love; as the falſneſſe of a woman to her husband, growes upon want of conjugall love: it is the love of the world which draws a man ſo often aſide, which makes him off and on, and it is the love of ſin, which makes a man ſo hypocriticall.
If a man could love God above all, he would delight to walk with him, he would be careful to pleaſe him, fearful to offend him, ready to obey him, would be kept in for God, he would not make ſo many ſtrayings, he would minde Gods glory more.
Thirdly get to hate ſin, A ſecret love of ſin (after all reſtraints and pauſes) will draw the ſoule aſide, It will (like a covered Get to hate ſin.diſeaſe) break out againe.
There are three things in hatred which contribute to uprightneſſe.
1. It is an inward averſation: the very heart is drawen off from an object, and the heart is filled with a loathing and a deteſtation of the evill: not the tongue and looks onelyonly, but the very inclination of the will is turned aſide.
2. It is univerſall, for hatred is of the kinde: the will in the whole latitude of it, is the object of hatred, I hate every falſe way, ſaid David, Pſal. 119.
3. It is permanent and durable: paſſion is a ſtorme which will quickly off, but hatred is a ſetled quality, arguments allay it not, nor doth time remove it: what have I to do any more with Idols, ſaid Ephraim, Hoſea. 14. 8. They ſhall defile their coverings, and ſay unto them get thee hence, Eſa. 30. 22. So that if a man could get the hatred of ſin, he ſhould quickly finde an even uprightneſſe.
The cauſe why a man is not even in his walking, is either becauſe,
1. His heart is not bent againſt ſinne, but gives a delightful way unto it, it doth not reſiſt and loath it, but harbours and favours it.
2. Some one particular luſt winnes and gaines upon the ſoule; though ſome are unacted, yet one ſpeciall luſt is retained which hath power to command and rule the life.
3. He is carried againſt ſin upon mutable, and decaying grounds, which being removed, the heart then returnes to its proper and naturall bent.
But now if ſpiritual hatred of ſinne were implanted, then the combat twixt ſin, and the perſon would be inward, the very heart would loath the nature and inclinations of it, and it would be univerſall and conſtant, ſo that here would ariſe a generall evenneſſe in a mans coverſation. Unevenneſs though it appear without, yet it begins within the heart, is the maine wheele of a mans courſe, and therefore if love gets the heart for God, and hatred rules the heart againſt ſin, you may very well believe that theſe two will yeeld out a very upright endeavour and courſe of holineſſe. In ſpirituals, that which keeps the fountaine, doth keep the ſtreame, and that which betters the heart, doth likwiſe well order the life.
2. For the ſecond which reſpect the preſerving meanes, take Directions for preſerving it.theſe directions.
1. Firſt if you would preſerve uprightneſſe, you muſt preſerve Preſerving a… holy feare of God.an holy feare of God; you know the promiſe, I will put my feare into their hearts, and they ſhall not depart from me, Jere. 32.
Sinning is the only departing from God, He never leaves us but for ſin, our departing is our unevenneſs, and we never leave him but by ſinne, and our unupright walkings; but that now which keeps us from departing, is feare? The feare of the Lord is a fountaine of life, to depart from the ſnares of death, Prov. 24. 27. If a man could alwayes keep an awful and powerfull regard to God: that he ſtood in awe of his attributes, and of his word, he would keep plaine with God, he would not tranſgreſſe for a morſel, nor thinke that it may be ſafe for him to ſin.
An Holy feare of God hath theſe two Properties.
1. It puts the ſoule and actions, in Gods preſence, one ſaith that God is all eye to ſee every thing, and all eare to heare every thing, ſo doth holy feare repreſent God, as one who is now beholding all that I do, and as one who underſtands my thoughts afar off, from whom no not the whiſperings of the minde; nor the imaginations of my heart, nor the cloſeſt, and moſt ſecret actings can be concealed. Its ſtands in awe of this all diſcovering God, how can I do this great wickedneſſe and ſinne againſt God, ſaide Joſeph, when there were none but he and his miſtreſſe and his God together, Gen. 39. 9. I feare his juſtice, that it will breake out upon me, if I ſhould dare to ſin; and I feare his mercy, that it will draw off, if I preſume to offend, Pſal. 4. 4. Stand in awe and ſinne not, Pſal. 119. 161. Princes alſo have perſecuted me without a cauſe, Why? this might ſtirre up ſtrange qualities in David, O no) but my heart ſtandeth in awe of thy word, q. d. I dirſt not breake out to ſin for all that; thy word which I feared kept me in.
2. Faith breeds and preſerves uprightneſſe and evenneſſe, I …aith preſerves uprightneſſe.remember the Apoſtles caution, Heb. 3. 12. Take heed, brethren, leaſt their be in any of you an evill heart of unbeliefe in departing from the living God: unbeliefe it is the root of all hypocriſie and appoſtacy that men are but halfe in duties, it is becauſe they do not (indeed) believe the extent of obedience to God; and that they keep ſome private luſt, it is becauſe they do not (indeed) believe the truth of Gods juſtice, & power, & wrath. But ſaith cauſeth evenneſſe, foraſmuch
1. As it ſets up prevailing argu…ents, the ſoul never doubtes in the way, but by the ſtrength of falſe arguments, either falſe pleaſures, or falſe profits is forcible with the heart, & inſnares it; we ſtep aſide alwaies by the cunning of error. But faith not only diſcovers falſe inducements, but alſo bringes better and ſtronger motives, it knowes and teacheth where the ſoule will be at a loſſe, and holds it off by the goodneſſe, and kindneſſe, and loving favour of God: who would venture his comfortable aſpect of God, and ſweet communion with Chriſt, for a morſel of ſtollen bread, or for one draught of unlawful pleaſure?
2. It conſtraines the heart to ſingular love of God and Chriſt: the more faith the more love: all true faith is inflaming, for it ſees and feels much love, and therefore kindles much; now much love raiſeth much evenneſſe in walking, whiles the love is kept up cloſe to God, the heart and life ordinarily are kept in an upright motion: for all true love is tender and careful, and pleaſing.
3. It purifies the heart: Faith is like fire, which hath one quality to aſcend and another to burne: ſo faith it negotiates for us at heaven, and likewiſe it breeds more intrinſecall renovation of the heart by holineſſe: faith is the beſt friend to our graces, the ſureſt helpe to our affections, the ſtrongeſt prop to our duties, and the ſoreſt enemy to our ſinnes: No grace doth ſo much for the heart as faith, our aſſiſtance for good and our reſiſtance of evil depends moſt on it, we finde experimentally, that many ſinnes then breake out when we looſe the ſight of God: as long as we can eye God, the ſoule is ſafe; ſee God in his promiſes, ſee God in his precepts, and ſee him in his Threatnings, and then we hold up and go on: but if once we loſe him in the ſight of his promiſes, then impatience and murmuring, and diſcontents, and unlawfull projects, and wayes appeare in the heart and life, ſo alſo if we loſe him in the ſight of his precepts, which guide and binde, Now looſneſſe, and careleſneſſe, and indifferency appears: and loſe him in the ſight of his threatnings, now pride and preſumption and other bold adventurings appeare. But if we could by faith ſee him who is inviſible, if we could ſee the goodneſſe and fidelity and immutability of his promiſes for all kinde of good ſupplies and if we could ſee the power, and authority, and equity of all his precepts, reſpecting our actions and ways, and if one could behold the juſtice and terror of the Lord by faith in all his threatnings: O how might the ſoule be bounded and kept! like a river twixt its banks in a conſtant and ſweet courſe of even and upright walking.
3. If you would preſerve uprightneſſe, then you muſt get and Get and preſerve humbleneſſe of heart.pr…ſerve humbleneſſe of ſpirit, Remember this, that the humble Chriſtian receives moſt good, and lives beſt. The ſlow hands writes the faireſt copy; and the low valley, of all the parts of the earth is moſt yearly fruitfull: Highneſſe of ſpirit and much unevenneſſe, ordinarily keep company.
There are three properties in humbleneſſe, which ſhew that Simile.it much conduceth to uprightneſſe.
One that it is much with God: hence we read of the cries of the humble, and the deſires of the heart; the humble ſoule is like the weake Ivie which clinges about the ſtrong oake, ſo it is much with a mighty God; you ſhall ſeldome finde the humble perſon without a teare in his eye, a complaint in his tongue, a prayer in his heart, either you finde him upon his feet ſtanding, to hear what God will ſay, or upon his knee, craving what God will give.
2. Another, that it ha…h much from God: There be high mountaines which be above all cloudes; the proud heart is moſt empty, becauſe moſt lofty, but God gives grace unto the humble, Jam. 4. the poor beggar gets the almes, and the low valley gets the ſhowers; and the humble heart the grace of God; and that both preventing grace which makes good an aſſiſting grace with holds on in good, thou haſt hard the deſire of the humble.
3. A third, that it doth all for God: there are two things which the humble perſon doth moſt eye.
One is Gods rule, another is Gods glory, as a good ſervant who takes commandes from his maſters mouth, and layes out himſelfe for his maſters advantage: All is from him, and by him, and therefore all muſt be to him, ſaith the humble heart.
Now all theſe conduce directly to uprightneſſe, he is beſt in walking with God, who is moſt in calling up on God; prayer being like the firm and ſolid ground which enables the feet to ſtand beſt. And God is near to the humble: the weak child is preſerved from moſt falls, which is held by the hand of the mother, or carried in the boſom of the Nurſe: Where divine ſtrength is moſt communicated, there the life is moſt uniformly ordered: and then humbleneſs refers all to Gods glory, it puts the cauſe of gift upon him, and the honor of their uſe, which is directly oppoſite to Hypocriſie; therefore labour to be humble, get to be ſenſible of your ſelves, both for naturals, and alſo ſpirituals; in the one, ſee your vileneſs; in the other, your emptineſs, &c.
Fourthly, If you would get and preſerve uprightneſs, then Get your hearts to be crucified to the world.get your hearts to be crucified to the world. Hypocriſie and worldlineſs are ſeldom far aſunder; It is rare to find an Hypocrite, but he is one, who is either ſtrongly ambitious of honor, or greedily deſirous of Riches: ſearch the Scrriptures, and you ſhall find it ſo, and very cleerly in the Phariſees. Now when the heart is ſet upon the world, it is eaſily drawn aſide; it will ever & anon be uneven: the bowl which hath a bias cannot run longe in a ſtrait line. They that will be rich fall into temptation and a ſnare, into many fooliſh & hurtfull lusts, &c. For the love of mony is the root of all evil, 2 Tim. 6. 9, 10. A thing of naught turns aſide the heart which is worldly: the look of a man, the hope of a nod, a change of garments, a morſel of bread, a meals meat, a few pieces of ſilver, all of theſe are to a worldly hearr, like the winde to the ſhip which turned the ſails round about. Therefore take heed of the world; moſt of our uneven carriages ariſe from want of faith to exalt God, and from the enthraling of our hearts to the world, we are under either the diſcouragements of the world, and the fear of them make us to ſtep awry, or elſe the encouragements of it, and the hope, and love of them makes us to omit duties, or put out our hearts to wickedneſs. The ſear of man, and the too high account of carnal power, and too much love of our ſelves, and the world are ſore enemies to uprightneſs of heart or life; he who will know no Lord but Chriſt, and no ſafety like that of God, and no good like that which is heavenly, his ſpirit is ſound, and his life will be upright.
3. Now to all that hath been ſaid, let me add a few daily meditations, which may be of great force to keep us in upright walking.Conſiderations to keep us upright. God ſearcheth the heart, and beholds our wayes.
Four conſiderations more.
1. One, that God ſearcheth my heart, and ſtill looks upon my ways. Whether ſhall I go from thy preſence, ſaid David, Pſalm 139. And all things are naked, and open to him, with whom we have to deal, ſaid the Apoſtle, Heb. 4. There can be no action hid from an all-ſeeing eye. Nor can the ground, and motives, and ends of our actions be ſecret to him who ſearcheth the heart and reins, and underſtands our thoughts a far off: we may blind the eyes of men, but we cannot delude the eye of God. The Lord ſeeth me in the dark, and my private courſes are as obvious to him, as the mountain to the ſun at noon-day; what way I take he well obſerves, and which way my heart runs, what it favours, and what it diſlikes; what I do, and what end I have in all my doings, and what principles and rules ſway within the chambers of my breaſt: This daily meditation may be of force to look both to the matter of our doings, and to the manner; and ſo incline us to upright walking.
2. Another, That I muſt one day appear before God, and then I muſt one day appear before God, and then all my ſecrets will be diſcloſed.all ſecrets ſhall be diſcloſed. The upright man may be ſhaddowed out by an heart in a clear glaſs, through which any one may ſee the pulſe and motion of it.
But this is ſure, that however in this life, our actions and wayes may be wrapt up with many devices and hidden conceits of Hypocriſie. Yet at the day of Judgement every man ſhall be throughly opened, anatomized, as it were, and orderly cut up. What his heart did love or hate, what publick or private wickedneſs it did act, and would not forſake, what pretences to cover ſecret ſinnings, what bawlkings and declinings of known duties, what ingenuous or ſordid ends in all, and every performance; all theſe, and more then theſe muſt be ſpread open at the day of Judgement, before the eyes of men and Angels.
Of which did we believingly conſider, probable it is that we would attend to uprightneſs of heart and life, to preſent a fair copy of our ſelves to the eye of God.
3. A little unevenneſs will mar the comfort of a great deal of A little unevenneſs will marre the comfort of our uprightneſs.uprightneſs.
There are two ſorts of unevenneſs in walking. One, is Habitual and allowed, which marres the juſt hopes and expectations of glory. Foraſmuch as that is either groſs profaneneſs, or cunning Hypocriſy, both which are excluding ſins.
Another, is Actual, which is a trip, a ſtumble, an out-ſtripping in the courſe of a pious walking. I confeſs it may befall the beſt, yet it will imbitter our ſoules: All the good courſe which a man hath led, and actions which he hath ſincerely done, cannot ſo much comfort him, as many particular obliquities and unevenneſſes may ſad and perplex him. As in a Simile.wrinch of the foot, the preſent pain ſhuts out the ſenſe of all former ſtrength; or as in the ſickneſs of the ſtomack, the preſent diſeaſe cloſeth up the ſenſe of all health; ſo the particular miſcarriages in a Chriſtian courſe they may fold up, or at leaſt ſuſpend the taſt of all the ſenſible comfort which uprightneſs formerly yielded and ſhot forth. They may break the bones of David, Pſalm 51, and melt the ſoul of Peter, and caſt us both to darkneſs of trouble and ſorrow, and the labour of many active endeavours, before we can ſee God to be our God again, and be perſwaded that our eſtate is really right and ſound.
4. That God is to be ſet up above all. It is an hard (yet it is That God is to be ſet up above all.an uſefull) thing to aſcribe unto God the Original of excellencies, that he is God, and that Power, Might, and Glory, and obedience, belongs unto him, that he made us, and not we our ſelves, and that our beings as they are depending upon his power, ſo our wayes, upon his Rule; and he is Lord of Lords, all are under him, and being the univerſal efficient, he ought alſo to be our univerſal end.
God is ſet up above all other. 1. When his Rule and Word ſwayes us againſt all other. 2. When his Glory is ſingly or ſupreamly aimed at above all other things, and both theſe complear uprightneſs
FINIS.