have I done this," he had boldness to expostulate and reason his case with God.

An upright man in

his sickness, or in any other calamity, yea at all times, when he needeth God's help, can be bold to come before God notwithstanding his sins that remaineth in him, his original sin, and his many actual transgressions. So did Hezekiah, upon his death bed, as he thought, saying, "Remember, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done good in thy sight." So did Nehemiah, saying, "Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy." This uprightness giveth boldness with God, but without all presumption of merit, as you see in good Nehemiah.

9. Lastly, Whatsoever the upright man's beginning was, and whatsoever his changes have been in the times that have gone over him, both in the outward and inward man, in his progress of Christianity; mark this, his end shall be peace. The last and everlasting part which he shall act indeed, and to the life, is, everlasting happiness.

And, to contract all these motives into a short, but final sum, "The Lord is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."

VI. Means to subdue Hypocrisy and promote Uprightness.

It remaineth now that you should know by what means you may abate and subdue hypocrisy; and may get, keep, and increase this grace of uprightness.

1. You must, by a due and serious consideration of the evils of hypocrisy, and advantages of uprightness, fix in your heart, by the help of Christ, a loathing and detestation of the one, and an admiration, love, and longing desire of the other; with a sincere purpose of heart, by the grace of God, to be upright. This must first be wrought, for until a man stand thus affected, and resolved against hypocrisy, and for uprightness, he will take no pains to be free from the one, nor yet to obtain the other.

2. You must be sensible of that hypocrisy which yet is in you, and of the want of uprightness, though not altogether, yet in great part. For no man will be at the pains to remove that disease whereof he thinketh he is sufficiently cured, though he judge it to be never so dangerous; nor yet to obtain that good of which he thinketh he hath enough already, though he esteem it never so excellent.

Hitherto, both in the motives and means, I have endeavoured to gain the will: to will and resolve to be upright, and to be willing to use all good means to be upright. Now those means that will effect it follow.

3. Do your best to root out those vices that beget and nourish hypocrisy; and to plant in, their room those graces which produce and strengthen uprightness.

The chief vices are ignorance and unbelief, selflove, pride, and an irresolved and unsettled heart, unstable and not firmly resolved what to choose, whereby it wavers and is divided between two objects, dividing the heart between God, and something else, either false gods, a man's self, or the

world; whence it is, that the scriptures call a hypocrite a man that hath a heart and a heart, one that is double-minded.

The graces are, a right knowledge of God and of his will, and faith in him; self-denial, humility, and lowly mindedness; stability, and singleness of heart towards God. For, the more clear light you can get into your mind, the more truth you will have in your will. And when you can so deny yourself, that you can quite renounce yourself, and first give yourself to Christ, and unto God, then there will follow readiness of mind, and heartiness of will, to do whatsoever may please God. Also, the more humility you have in your mind, the more uprightness you will have in your heart: for "while the soul is lifted up, that man's heart is not upright in him," saith God. Lastly, when your eye is single, and your heart one, and undivided, you will not allow yourself to be in part for God, and in part for mammon, in part for God, and in part for your lusts, whether of the flesh, or of the world, or of the pride of life; you will not give your name and lips to God, and reserve your heart for the world, the flesh, or the devil; but by your will, God shall be all in all unto you.

4. If you would be in earnest and in truth against sin, and for goodness, you must represent sin to your thoughts as the most hurtful, hateful, and most loathsome thing in the world; and must represent the obeying and doing of God's will to your mind, as the best and most profitable, most amiable, most sweet and excellent thing in the world. Hereby you may affect your heart with a

thorough hatred and loathing of sin, and with a hearty love and delight in God's commandments. If you do thus, you cannot choose but shun sin, and follow after that which is good, not in pretence only, but in deed and in truth, with all your heart. For, a man is always hearty against what he truly hateth, and for what he dearly loveth.

5. If you would be sincere, and do all your actions for God's glory, and for his sake, you must, by the light of God's word and works, fully inform and persuade yourself of God's sovereignty and absoluteness, and that, because he is the first absolute and chief good, he must needs be the last, the absolute and chief end of all ends. For he that is Alpha, must needs be the Omega, of all things. Since all things are of God, and since he made all things for himself, therefore you should, in all things you do, be upright, intending God's glory as your principal and ultimate end in all things.

6. Consider often and seriously, that how close and secret soever hypocrisy may lurk, yet it cannot be hid from the eyes of God, with whom you have to do, and before whom you walk, who will bring every secret thing to judgment. Wherefore take continual notice, that you are in the sight of God that made your heart, who requireth truth of heart, and who perfectly knoweth the guile or truth of your heart. This will much further your uprightness; for who can dare to promote and dissemble in the presence of his Lord and Judge, who knoweth his dissimulation better than himself?

7. Unite yourself more and more strongly unto your head Christ Jesus, by faith and love; con

tinually renounce your own wisdom, righteousness, and strength, that you may every day be more and

more united unto him. hope in him, from whence

Grow daily in faith and you shall more and more partake of his fulness, even grace for grace. For the measure of your uprightness will usually be in proportion to your faith. For in proportion as the branch partaketh more of the vine, so it draweth more virtue and beareth more good fruit.

8. You must, with a holy jealousy of the deceitfulness of your heart, examine yourself often; not only of what you have done, and now do, but of the motives and ends of your religious actions; as was before directed in the marks of uprightness. Lay yourself often to the rule of uprightness, that is the will of God, and finding yourself defective, study and labour to amend, and be upright, and that to the utmost of your power.

9. Excuse that measure of uprightness which you have, and be more thankful for the little you have, than discouraged as many are, because they have no more. If you find yourself upright, be abundantly thankful, and resolve to keep and increase it by all means. Keep your heart thus with all diligence; then, as all other graces, so this of uprightness, will increase in the using.

10. Use the means of all means, the catholicon for all graces, which is prayer. Think not to gain uprightness by the power of your own might: but in the sense of your insufficiency, repair often to God by prayer; even to him who made your heart, in whose hands your heart is, who best knoweth the crooked windings and turnings of your heart, who