2. And as St James saith, ' A double-minded man is unconstant in all his urn/s.' That is another reason to move us to simplicity of disposition ; for where doubling is, a man is unconstant in all his ways. What doth St James mean by this, where he saith, ' A double-minded man is unsettled ?' Because a double-minded man, he looks with one eye to religion, and to those things that are good, and with another part of his heart to the world ; and hereupon he can never be settled any way. Why ? Because having unsettled intentions, having false aims, double aims, he will be crossed con- tinually. Please God he would, he would be religious. That is one inten- tion. But now comes the world and religion to dash one against another, and then he must be inconstant, because he hath not simplicity, he hath not a ' single eye,' as Christ saith, ' If the eye be single, then the body is light.' He hath not a right intention, a right judgment of things ; he judgeth too high of the world, and not high enough of gi-ace and goodness. And hereupon it comes, that when the world comes to cross his good inten- tions, having his mind on earthly things, because it is cross to religion, his mind is unsettled.
Again, by terrors of conscience, a double-minded man, that will please God, and yet be a worldling, is inconstant in all his ways. If his eye were single, then all his body would be light ; that is, if a man had a single judgment to know what is right, to what in life, and in death to stick to, all would be single. The judgment and intentions go together. When a man's judgment is convinced of the goodness of spiritual things, upon judg- ment follows intention. When a man desires and resolves to serve God, and to please him in all things, then all the body and his afi'ections are lightsome. His aftections and his outward man goes with a single eye. A man that hath a false, weak judgment, and thereupon a false, weak, double
236 COMMENTARY ON
intention, his body is dark, lie hatli a darksome conversation. A double- minded man is inconstant in all his ways. Therefore we should labour for this simplicity in all our conversation.
3. Afijain, we should the rather labour for this simplicity, because it is part of (he iinntje of O'nd. Therein wc; resemble God, in whom is no mix- ture at all of contraries : but all is alike.
4. And as it resembles God, so it bears us out in the presence of God, and our own conscience ; as he saith here, ' Our rejoicing is this, the testi- mony of our conscience, that in simplicity,' &c. Now God is greater than conscience. A man that carries himself in simplicity, and in an uni- form, even manner to God, and to men, that man hath comfort in his con- science, and comfort befoi'e God.
And of all other sins, the time will come that none will lie heavier on us than doubling, both with men and with God, when it will appear that we have not been the men that we carried ourselves to be.
The reason is, the more will there is in a sin, and the more advisedness, the greater is the sin ; and the greater the sin is, the gi'cater the terror of conscience ; and the greater that is, the more fear and trembling before Ood, that knows conscience better than we do.
Now where there is doubling, where a man is not one in his outward and inward man, in his conversation to men, when there is a covering of hatred, and of ill afl'ections with contraiy pretences, there is advisement, there is much will and little passion to bear a man out, to excuse him ; but he doth it, as we say, in cool blood, and that makes dissimulation so gross, because it is in cool blood. The more will and advisement is in any sin, the greater it is, so the aggravation of sin is to be considered ; and where temptations are strong, and the less a man is himself, so there is a diminution, and a less aggravation ; as when a man is carried with passion, with infirmity, or the like. But usually when men double they plot.
David he plotted before and after his sin. He doubled before and after his sin. That was laid to his charge more than all that ever he did in his life. He was a man ' after God's own heart, except in the matter of Uriah,' 1 Kings xv. 5. Why ? Because in that he plotted. We see before what many shifts, and windings, and turnings he had to accomplish it. He sends Uriah to Joab, and gives him a letter to place him in the fore front, and useth many projects.
And after it was committed, how did he cover it ? And when it was hid from men, he would have hid it from God a great while, till God pulled him from his hiding-place, and him* confess roundly, Ps. xxxii. 3, till he dealt directly with God, ' My bones were consumed, and my moisture was turned into the drought of summer.' He hid it from men, and would have hid it from God. Therefore, because there was much plotting in that sin, that is set down as the only blemish in all his life. He ' was a man after God's own heart, except in the matter of Uriah.' Many other faults are recorded in the Book of God of David ; but because there might be some excuse, they were from infirmity, or out of passion, or oversight, &c., they are not so charged on him. But this was with plotting. It was in cold blood. There was much will and advice in it ; therefore this is doted f for a great sin.