SERMON V. UPRIGHT WALKING SURE WALKING. PROV. X. 9. He that walketh uprightly walketh surely. V. THE world is much addicted to the politics; the SERM. heads of men are very busy in contrivance, and their mouths are full of talk about the ways of consulting our safety, and securing our interests. May we not therefore presume, that an infallible maxim of policy, proposing the most expedite and certain method of security in all our transactions, will be entertained with acceptance? Such an one the greatest Kings iii. politician and wisest man for business (if we may take God's own word for it) that ever was or will be, doth here suggest to us. For the practice couched in our text he otherwhere voucheth for a point of policy, telling us, that a man of understanding Prov. xv. walketh uprightly: and here he recommendeth it as a method of security, He that walketh uprightly walketh surely. Treating upon which aphorism, I shall, by God's help, endeavour, first, in way of explication, briefly to describe the practice itself; then, in way of proof, by some considerations to declare, that security doth attend it. For explication. To walk (as well in the style of 12. 21. SERM. holy scripture, as in other writings, and even in V. common speech) doth signify our usual course of dealing, or the constant tenor of our practice. בתום He that his upright eth the Lord. Prov. xiv. 2. Uprightly, according to the original, might be rendered, in perfection, or with integrity: and by the Greek translators in several places is supposed chiefly to denote sincerity and purity of intention. In effect, the phrase, He that walketh uprightly, walketh in doth import, one who is constantly disposed in his ness, fear- designs and dealings to bear a principal regard to the rules of his duty, and the dictates of his conscience: who in every case emergent is ready to perform that, which upon good deliberation doth appear most just and fit, in conformity to God's law and sound reason, without being swayed by any appetite, any passion, any sinister respect to his own private interest of profit, credit, or pleasure, to the commission of any unlawful, irregular, unworthy, or base act; who generally doth act out of good principles; (namely, reverence to God, charity to men, sober regard to his own true welfare;) who doth aim at good ends, that is, at God's honour, public benefit, his own salvation, other good things subordinate to those, or well consistent with them; who doth prosecute his designs by lawful means, in fair ways, such as honest providence and industry, veracity and fidelity, dependance upon God's help, and prayer for his blessing: in short, one who never advisedly doth undertake any bad thing, nor any good thing to ill purposes; nor doth use any foul means to compass his intents. For proof. That such an one doth ever proceed with much security, from the following considerations may appear. V. I. An upright walker is secure of easily finding SERM. his way. For it commonly requireth no reach of wit or depth of judgment, no laborious diligence of inquiry, no curious intentness of observation, no solicitous care, or plodding study, to discern in any case what is just; we need not much trouble our heads about it, for we can hardly be to seek for it. If we will but open our eyes, it lieth in view before us, being the plain, straight, obvious road, which common reason prompteth, or which ordinary instruction pointeth out to us: so that usually that direction of Solomon is sufficient, Let thine eyes look Prov.iv.25. right on, and let thine eyelids look straight be-xiv. 6. fore thee.-Turn not to the right hand, nor to the left. The ways of iniquity and vanity, (if we may call them ways, which indeed are but exorbitances and seductions from the way,) ill designs and bad means of executing designs, are very unintelligible, very obscure, abstruse, and intricate; being infinitely various, and utterly uncertain: so that out of them to pick and fix on this or that may puzzle our heads, and perplex our hearts; as to pursue any of them may involve us in great difficulty and trouble. But the ways of truth, of right, of virtue, are so very simple and uniform, so fixed and permanent, so clear and notorious, that we can hardly miss them, or (except wilfully) swerve from them. For they by divine wisdom were chalked out, not only for ingenious and subtile persons, (men of great parts, of refined wits, of long experience,) but rather for the vulgar community of men, the great body of God's subjects, consisting in persons of meanest capacity and smallest improvement: being designed to make ་ 27.xvii. 24. V. SERM. wise the simple, to give the young man knowledge and discretion: to direct all sorts of people in their Psal. xix. 7. duty, toward their happiness; according to that in Prov.viii. 5. the prophet, A high way shall be there, and it shall Ps. cxix. 9. be called, The way of holiness-the wayfaring men, Isa. xxxv. though fools, shall not err therein. cxix. 130. i. 4. 8. Οδός καθα qá, LXX. Isa. xxx. 21. Ps. xxxvii. 31. They are in very legible characters graven by the Rom. ii. 15. finger of God upon our hearts and consciences, so that by any considerate reflection inwards we may easily read them or they are extant in God's word, there written as with a sunbeam, so perspicuously expressed, so frequently inculcated, that without gross negligence or strange dulness we cannot but descry them. For who with half an eye may not see, that the practice of pious love and reverence toward God, of entire justice and charity toward our neighbour, of sober temperance and purity toward ourselves, is approved by reason, is prescribed by God to us? Prov. iv. 19. Jo. viii. 12. xxxv. 6. lxxiii. 18. Jer. xxiii. 12. Hence in the holy scriptures, as bad ways are called dark, crooked, rough, slippery ways; so the a 5. CXXV 5 good ways are said to be clear, plain, direct, even ways: b The path of the just, say they, is as a shining light. All the words of my mouth are plain to him that understandeth, (or, that considereth them.) My foot standeth in an even place. The law of his Prov. iii. 23. God is in his heart: and none of his steps shall a Heb. xii. 13 Psalm v. 8. Luke iii. 5. Deut. v. 32. xxviii. 14. slide. b Prov. iv. 18. viii. 8, 9. xiv. 6. Hence it is affirmed, that an upright man doth Havra i hardly need any conduct beside his own honesty. For, The integrity, saith Solomon, of the upright Psal. xxvi. shall guide them; and, The righteousness of the πια τους συνα 10001, LXX. 12. xxxvii. 31. xxvi. 1. perfect shall direct his way. xvii. 5. xviii. 36. c Prov. xi. 3, 5. But in case such an one should ever be at a stand d V. xvi. 11. or at a loss, in doubt of his course, he hath always at SERM. hand a most sure guide to conduct or direct him. It is but asking the way of him, or saying, with the Psalmist, Shew me thy ways, O Lord, teach me a Ps. xxv. 4. thy paths; Teach me to do thy will, and, Lead me xvii. 5. in the way everlasting; O let me not wander from cxliii. 10. thy commandments: and then his ears, as the cxix. 10. prophet saith, shall hear a word behind him, say- &c. ing, This is the way, walk ye in it; then the words 21. of the Psalmist shall be verified, What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall he teach in xxxvii. 23. the way that he shall choose. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek he will teach his way. Hence is the upright man happily secured from tiring pains in the search, from racking anxieties in the choice, from grating scruples and galling regrets in the pursuit of his way. 27.33.35. e Is. xxx. Ps. xxv. 9. 12. II. The upright walker doth tread upon firm ground. He doth build his practice, not upon the (Prov. xii. perilous bogs, the treacherous quagmires, the de-5.) vouring quicksands of uncouth, bold, impious paradoxes, (such as have been vented by Epicurus, by Machiavel, by others more lately, whose infamous names are too well known, as the effects of their pestilent notions are too much felt ;) but upon solid, safe, approved, and well-tried principles; viz. these, and the like coherent with them: That there is an eternal God, incomprehensibly powerful, wise, just, and good; who is always present with us, and ever intent upon us; viewing not only all our external actions, (open and secret,) but our inmost cogitations, desires, and intentions, by the which our actions chiefly are to be estimated that he, as go |