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not be available for the making him happy, because he is not capable of being fo; yet it will be for the leffening his Punishment. He shall be in a much more fupportable Condition among the Miferable, than those that have been unmerciful, or cruel, or uncharitable in their Lives. O therefore what remains, but that, confidering all these things, we should be stedfaft, unmoveable, always abounding in 1 Cor.25. thefe Works of the Lord, forafmuch as we know that our Labour fball not be in vain in the Lord? Giving all diligence to add to Faith, Vir- 2 Pet. 1. tue; and to Virtue, Knowledge; and to Know- 5, &c. ledge, Temperance; and to Temperance, Patience; and to Patience, Godliness; and to Godliness, Brotherly Kindness; and to Brotherly Kindness, Charity. By our good Works, making our Calling verfe 10. and Election fure, (fo fome Copies have the 10th verfe of Pet. 1.) that doing these things we may never fall, but an Entrance may be miniftred to us abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jefus Chrift.

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BOW-CHURCH,

On the 29th of September, 1680.

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Pfalm cxij. 4.

To the Upright there arifeth Light in the Darkness.

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1 Tim. 4.

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Odliness, faith St. Paul, bath the Pros mife of this Life, as well as of that which is to come. Of this Propofi

tion of his, the Pfalm we have now before us, may seem to be an Explication or Paraphrafe.

For in this Pfalm Two things are defigned, a Defcription of the Pious Man and a Defcription of his Bleedness in this Life: Each of which is done in five Inftances or Particulars.

The Terms wherein the Pious Man is here defcrib'd, are thefe following.

First, He is one that feareth God, and greatly delighteth in his Commandments, ver. 1. Secondly, He is one that is Righteous and Upright in his Converfation, ver. 4. and 6.

Thirdly,

Thirdly, He is one that is prudent and difereet in the managing of his Affairs, ver. 5. He guideth his Affairs with Difcretion.

Fourthly, He is one whofe Heart is fixed, trufting in the Lord, ver. 7

Laftly, He is one that is extreamly Charitable. He is gracious and full of Compaffion, ver. 4. He fbeweth Favour and lendeth, ver. 5. He hath difperfed, he hath given to the Poor, ver. 9.

Now the Bleedness of fuch a Man as this, as to this Life, is defcrib'd in the five Inftances following.

The firft of which is, A great and happy Pofterity; thus, ver. 2. His Seed fhall be mighty upon Earth; the Generation of the Upright shall be blessed.

The fecond is, A Plentiful and an Amplé Fortune; thus in the third verfe, Riches and Plenteousness fhall be in his Houfe:

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The third is, A lafting Fame and Reputation; thus again in the third verfe, His Righteousness remaineth for ever; and likewife in the fixth verfe, He shall be had in everlasting Remembrance..

The fourth is, Honour, and Power, and Dignity, even fuch as fhall excite the Envy of the Wicked; thus in the ninth verfe, His Horn fhall be exalted with Honour, the Wicked ball fee it, and fhall be grieved, &c.

The fifth is, Great Safety and Peace in the Midft of Dangerous and Troublesome Times: Thus in the Text, To the Upright there arifeth Light in the Darkness, i. e. Light in the greateft Straights and Difficulties; for that is the

Meaning

Meaning of Darkness in this place. Times of Darkness, in the Scripture-language, are Evil, and Difficult, and Dangerous Times. Now upon account of this Light that arifeth to the Upright Man in Evil-times, it comes to pafs as it followeth, ver. 6, 7, 8. that fuch a one fball not be moved for ever, neither fhall be be afraid of evil-tiding, for bis Heart is established, and be fhall not fhrink until he fee his Defire upon his Enemies. Or, as the Chaldee perhaps better renders it, until he fee Redemption in DiStress.

This is the juft Analysis of the whole Pfalm. Now of thefe feveral Characters whereby the Pious Man is defcrib'd, I have pitch'd upon that of his Uprightness to give an Account of, and to recommend to you at this time. And of the feveral Inftances of the Blefjedness of fuch a Man, I have pitch'd upon that of Safety and Peace in the midst of Perilous and Troublefome Times. These two Points I have chofen to entertain you upon, as judging them moft fuitable to the prefent Occafion, and to our prefent Circumftances. And we find them both join'd together in the Words of the Text, To the Upright there arifeth Light in the Darkness.

Here then we have two 'Things to confider; First, The Perfon to whom the Promife here made, or the Blefjedness here mentioned doth belong; It is the Upright Man. Secondly, The Promife, or the Blefjedness it felf; It is Light in Times of Darkness.

I begin

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'I begin with the Character of the Perfon to whom this Promife is made, He is the Upright Man, or, as in our more common Language we express him, the Honeft Man, the Man of Integrity. We all know fo well what is meant by these Words, that it would render the thing more difficult to offer Critically to give Light to them. As all thofe General Terms, whereby a Man's whole Duty is expreft in Scripture, have their several Respects and Confiderations which difference them one from the other, though they be all equally comprehenfive; fo hath this Term of Uprightness. That which it immediately and particularly refpects is the Goodness of a Man's Principles, and the Suitableness of his Actions to them. Or thus, The Conformity of a Man's Mind to the Eternal Rules of Righteoufnefs, and the Conformity of his Actions to the Principles of his Mind. This is that upon account of which any Person is denominated Upright, and contrary to this is all Hypocritical and Partial Dealings in Matters of our Duty. So that if we would give the Definition of an Upright Man, it should be in fuch Terms as thefe: He is a Man that in all things follows the Dictates of his Conscience. Or, he is one, that makes his Duty the Rule of his Actions. Or, he is one, that always propofeth to himself Righteous Ends, and purfues thofe Ends in Righteous Ways.

This is the general Defcription of the Upright Man: But for the more lively Difplay of him, and the rendring him, as more Amiable fo more Imitable, it will be fit that we represent

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