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Tim.4.8.

SERMON V.

PREACHED AT

BOW-CHURCH,

On the 29th of SEPTEMBER, 1680,

PSALM CXII. 4.

To the Upright there arifeth Light in the Darkness:

ODLINESS, faith St. Paul, hath the Promife of this Life, as well as of that which is to come. Of this Propofition of his, the Pfalm we have now before us, may seem to be an Explication or Paraphrafe.

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For in this Pfalm Two Things are defigned, a Description of the Pious Man; and a Defcription of his Bleffedness in this Life: Each of which is done in Five Inftances or Particulars.

The Terms wherein the Pious Man is here defcrib❜d, are these following;

Firft, He is one that feareth God, and greatly delighteth in his Commandments, ver. 1. Secondly,

Secondly, He is one that is Righteous and Upright in his Converfation, ver. 4, and 6.

Thirdly, He is one that is Prudent and Difcreet 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 Bleffedness of fuch a Man as this, as to this Life, is describ'd in the Five Instances 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 bleffed.

The Second is, A Plentiful and an Ample Fortune; thus in the Third Verfe, Riches and Plenteoufnefs fhall be in his Houfe.

The Third is, A lafting Fame and Reputation; thus again in the Third Verfe, His Righ teousness remaineth for Ever; and likewife in the Sixth Verfe, He shall be had in everlasting Remem. brance.

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. c. Light in the greatest

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Straits and Difficulties; for that is the 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 shall not be moved for Erver, neither fball he be afraid of Evil-tiding; for bis Heart is established, and he fball not sbrink un til he feeh is Defire upon his Enemies. Or, as the Chaldee perhaps better renders it, until he fee Redemption in Diftreß.

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This is the juft Analysis of the whole Pfalm. Now of these 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 Bleffedne of fuch a Man, I have pitch'd upon that of Safety and Peace, in the midft of perilous and troublesome Times. Thefe Two Points I have chofen to entertain you upon, as judging them moft suitable to the prefent Occafion, and to our present Circumftances. And we find them both join'd toge ther 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 Promile here made, or the Bleffedness here mentioned, doth belong, It is the Upright Man. Secondly, The Promife, or the Blefjedne itself, It is Light in Times of Darkneß.

I begin with the Character of the Perfon to whom this Promife is made, He is the Up

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right Man, or, as in our more common Language we exprefs 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. them. As all those General Terms whereby a Man's whole Duty is exprefs'd in Scripture, have their several Refpects 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 con1 trary 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 Di&tates of his Confcience. 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 those 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'

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represent him a little more particularly under those several Refpects and Capacities, in which his Uprightness is principally seen and expreft.

And here we muft confider him with refpect to God, and with refpect to Men. Under the former Confideration we are to view his Religion, under the latter his Civil Conver fation.

And none ought to be furpriz'd, that in the Character of an Upright Man, we take Notice of his Religious Carriage towards God. For in Truth, that is a Point which is effentially neceffary to Uprightnefs. He (faith Pro. 14.2 Solomon) that walketh in Uprightness, feareth the Lord. Indeed, take away Religion, and the Fear of God, and the Foundation of Uprightnefs is deftroy'd. For all the Principles of Confcience, and all the Obligation to live up to those Principles, is thereby taken away. He that hath no Senfe of God and Religion, can never think himself bound to obferve any Rules in his Actions and Behaviour, but what are fubfervient to the carrying on his private fenfual, worldly Intereft: and confequently, whatever is inconfiftent with that, be it never fo base, and vile, and injurious, he cannot take himself, in point of Duty, oblig'd to stick at it, when he hath the leaft Temptation to it. The Refult of which is, That he may commit all the Villanies in the World, and yet think himself as Innocent, and his Actions as Commendable, as if he had been never fo Honeft and Vertuous.

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