Instead of entering into a general description of " the righteous," I shall take that particular repre- sentation here given of them, " the upright in heart :" for this is peculiar to the righteous, and to them alone ; and at the same time there is not a righteous person in the universe whom it does not accurately depict.
Now, uprightness of heart necessarily includes,
1 . A mind open to the reception of truth —
[The mind of a natural man is closed against divine truth : he hates the light, and will not come to it : and if it be obtruded upon him, he shuts his eyes against it, lest it should discover to him his corruptions. But a man that is upright in heart will come to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest. He desires to know the whole mind of God ; and is as thankful for the light which opens to him his sins, as for that which brings to his view the Saviour of the world. He is conscious that there is a film upon his eyes : but he begs of God to remove it : he is sensible that, through the weakness of his vision, the very light itself will blind him : and therefore he entreats of God to send his Holy Spirit into his soul, to " open the eyes of his understanding," and to " guide him into all truth." Whilst "his eye was evil, he was in total darkness:" but having attained " a single eye, his whole body is full of light0."]
2. A will determined to follow the truth as far as
it is discovered —
[He complains of no doctrine as " an hard saying," nor of any " commandment as grievous." When he goes to the Lord for instruction, he says with Paul, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" ' Only declare to me thy blessed will, and I am ready, and determined, through grace, to execute it.' As to consequences, he will not regard them. What is duty ? will be his only inquiry. He will expect to have his conduct dis- approved by an ignorant ungodly world ; but " he confers not with flesh and blood." It is a settled principle in his mind, " If I please men, I cannot be a servant of Jesus Christ d." He will give his whole soul to God, to " be poured into the mould of the Gospel," and to be employed in " magnifying the Lord, whether by life or death e."]
3. A conscience faithfully inspecting the whole conduct, and bringing it to the test of God's word —
[Conscience in the natural man is partial. Indeed, in multitudes who profess religion, it is far from being a faithful monitor : it will deny in practice what it admits in principle,
c Matt. vi. 22, 23. d Gal. i. 10. e Phil. i. 20.