This work was too high for me ; and, as it is now done by so weak a hand, is too low for so many judicious eyes to look down to. Yet, according to your command, I have published these notes, which I humbly present to your Honours. They were once in your ear, they are now in your eye, and the Lord ever keep them in your hearts ! Solomon bids us ' buy the truth,' but doth not tell us what it must cost, because we must get it though it be never so dear. Midti amant veritatem lucentem. oderunt redarguentem, We should love it both shining and scorching. The desire of my soul is, that you may deal so with those truths which here in all humbleness is presented to you. Oh that we may be all doers of the word, and not hearers only, lest we deceive our own souls ! When I stood upon my watch to see what the Lord would say unto me, that I might speak unto you a word in season — or as the Hebrew has it, Prov. xxv. 11, VJSJ<-'?J/, gnal ophnau, upon the wheels, i.e., with a due concurrence and obser- vation of all circumstances, of time, place, persons, &c., which are as the wheels upon which our words and speeches should run — He directed me to make this discovery of upright hearts' progress in the ways of God, notwithstanding all afflictions, &c., that do befall them ; which gives me hope that God intended to send home into your hearts some light and influence from this truth, to encourage and keep up your spirits against all the opposition which you may find in the cause of God and the kingdom, and to maintain your zeal and forwardness therein, that justice and judgment may run down as waters, and right- eousness as a mighty stream. If justice do not work the salvation of sinners' souls, yet it will work to the restraining of their sin— the measure of their wickedness will be less. That is a grave speech of ISeneca's, Ut nemo pereat, nisi quern perire etiam pereuntis intersit, That none perish but those to whom it is an advantage to perish. And yet, Right Honourable, I desire that justice and clemency may go together. Nero's speech has great praise, wlio, when he was to subscribe to the death of a man condemned, would say, Utinam nescirem literas, I wish I did not know how to write. Right Honourable, you have the
338 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY.
largest opportunities to li(mour God and to do good to his saints that ever any men had since the world began. God hath hiid out works for you, fit for truly noble spirits. You have many precious saints to take care of ; use them kindly, and ' the good-will of him that did dwell in the bush shall rest upon you.' Be not exasperated against any of them, by those who are so enraged, that they would have fire to come down from heaven and consume them. I hope there be a generation that Avill not abuse that liberty that shall be granted them according to the word, but will, in the midst of all their liberties, be faithful servants to peace and concord, according to that which Master Calvin writes to Farel, Nos liheri servi sumus pads et concorcUcE. I hope God will arise in you, and cause you to do his work his own way. The Lord God guide your Honours, and give every one of you to act like the angels of God, cheerfully, freely, readily, sincerely, and unweariedly in your generation, that in all your ways Christ may own you, and that all the godly of the land may rise up and call you blessed ; and let the blessing of hira that was in the bush be upon you and yours for ever ; and let all the precious sons of Zion that loves the God of heaven, who is the Saviour of this nation, say Amen. — Honoured and worthy Senators, I am, your Honours' in all humble service for Christ,
GOD'S DELIGHT IN THE PROGRESS OF THE UPRIGHT.
Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy ways.— Vs. XLIV. 18.
Curiosity is the spiritual adultery of the soul. Curious divisions do rather affect the ear than warm the heart : they do but rack and dis- joint the sense of Scripture. And therefore, as he speaks, 2 Sam. xviii. 23, ' We will run by the way of the plain.'
' Our heart is not turned back,' &c.
These words look to the front and. to the rear; they look forward and backward. They look forwards upon the tossed and affiicted estate in which the church was, as you may read from ver. 9-17 ; and they look backward to the broken and persecuted estate of the church, expressed in ver. 19-24, ' Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death, and though we be every day as sheep accounted for the slaughter ; yet we have not forsaken thee, neither have we dealt falsely in the covenant. Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy ways.'
' Our heart,' Lihhenu. The Hebrew word, 3l7, or Greek, KapSla, that is rendered ' heart,' both in the Old and New Testament, doth signify the understanding, mind, will, affections, conscience, the Avhole soul. ' Our heart is not turned back.' Our understandings and minds are the same as they were in a summer's day, though now we be in a winter's storm — though now we be afflicted, tossed, broken, and perse- cuted; yet notwithstanding, ' our heart is not turned back' — our mind, will, affections, and conscience, our whole soul, is the same now as before. ' Our heart is not turned backward, neither have our steps declined from thy ways.'
' Our heart is not turned back.'
This notes their progress in the ways of well-doing ; for the old saying is, Non progredi est regredi, Not to go forward is to go back- ward. ' Neither have our steps or our goings declined from thy ways.' It notes their settled course of walking in the ways of God ; and. in short, the sum of all is, though we have been afflicted, tossed, broken
340 god's delight in the [Ps. XLIV. 18.
and persecuted, yet our hearts have held on in the ways of the Lord, and we haA'e not departed from our God. ' Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy ways.'
Ki<;ht Honourable, there is but one observation that I shall speak to this day, and that is this : that doctrine —
Upyigfit hearts will hold on in the ways of God, and in the ways of icell-doing , notivitlistanding all affiictions, troubles, and discourage- ments they meet loithal.
That is the sum and the scope of this verse here. The church was afllicted, tossed, broken, and persecuted; and yet this is still the burden of the song, ' Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy ways.'
I judge it a point seasonable in every respect. I shall only eye the scriptures that prove it, and then open it to you.
The scriptures that prove it ai-e these : Ps. cxix. 23, 24 ; Josh, xxiv. 15 ; Neh. iv. 13, 17 compared ; Mai. iii. 13-17 ; 2 Cor. xi. 23-30. These scriptures speak out this truth, that upright hearts will hold on in the ways of God, and in the ways of well-doing, notwith- standing all the afHictions, troubles, and discouragements they meet withal.