2. He doth not only cleave to God, but chooseth that way which God hath prescribed men to walk in, whether the way of faith in Christ ; as John xvii. 3, ' This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent ; ' or the way of new obedience ; as Eccles. xii. 13, ' Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter ; fear God, and keep his commandments ; for this is the whole duty of man.' So Solomon concludeth his discourse about true happiness ; so that he is good, and doeth good, and so is conformed to God his pattern.
3. Yet he is in both sincerely, not perfectly good : Ps. cxxv. 4, ' Do good, 0 Lord, to those that be good, and to them that are upright in heart ; ' that is, truly and sincerely good, though not exactly and per- fectly, according to the rigour of the law ; for so Eccles. vii. 20, * There is not a just man upon earth, that doth good, and sinneth not ; ' but he ' hath a good and honest heart,' Luke viii. 1 5. Set to obey and please God in all things, though he cannot do all the good that he would.
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And these upright in heart are opposed in the psalmist to such * as turn aside to their crooked ways/ ver. 5, or the ' backsHder in heart ' spoken of in the text. Their honest and sincere endeavours shall be accepted and rewarded by God. Well, then, a good man is one whose heart is turned to God, and who keepeth up his affections to him, and walketh according to his counsel, in the way which he halh pre- scribed. These are the two persons that seek satisfaction and happi- ness in their different courses. These two contrary competitors have their contrary choices ; and though they differ in their disposition, they do not encroach one upon another in the object pursued after. The godly, being taught by God, leaveth the world to the carnal, and taketh God for his portion ; the worldling scrapeth on the earth, and leaveth God and his saving grace to the godly.
II. I come now to show you that both desire to be filled or satisfied ; the good and the bad, that so seldom agree in anything agree in this, that both would be happy : Ps. iv. 6, ' Many say, Who will show us any good ? ' You can no more doubt of this, that man would be happy, than that man loveth himself. Man's heart is a chaos of desires ; like a sponge, it sucketh something from without, and seeketh to draw it to itself. They must have something which they apprehend to be good ; for no man can live without some oblectation and delight. No man hath sufficiency in himself, but seeketh abroad for it. Now according to men's choice, so is their search and so is their obtaining, and in both consists their true happiness or true misery. The back- slider in heart must be filled, and the good man must be satisfied. The carnal would fain fill their minds with the vain delights of the world ; they go no farther than riches, honours, and pleasures, and despise God and his saving blessings. They would have ' their good things in their lifetime,' Luke. xvi. 2.5. And therefore they are always sucking upon the breasts of the world's consolation : Luke vi. 24, ' Woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation.' They continually seek to fill themselves, and please their fleshly minds ; and therefore either glut themselves with carnal delights, and are always * making provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lust thereof,' Kom. xiii. 14. Cater for the body, but neglect the soul ; or else they ' seek to join house to house, and field to field,' Isa. v. 8 ; or to be built a story higher in the world. They are of the earth and incline to the earth, and therefore earthly things are the height of their desires, and they are filling and stuffing their hearts with the comforts of them more and more. This is the comfort they live upon, the happiness they affect. The godly man he must be satisfied too : he is a poor empty creature, and therefore is ' hungering and thirsting after righteousness, that he may be filled,' Mat. v. 6. He must have more of God, and more of Christ, and more of grace ; and therefore he is sucking and drawing, and can never be satisfied till he be ' filled up with all the fulness of God,' Eph. iii. 19.
III. That they may be filled, they take their several ways; the one his own ways, the other God's direction. For of the backslider it is said, ' He shall be filled with his own ways.' He despiseth God's counsel, and taketh his own course, to live a pleasant and carnal life here. So by the same proportion, the good man, that hath chosen
468 SERMON UPON PROVERBS XIV. 14.
God for his portion, taketh God's way, and obeyeth the call and invita- tion of wisdom.