The thoughts of the diligent are as necessary as the hand of the diligent. With diligence there must be contrivance. If we would live plentifully and comfortably in the world, we must be diligent in our business, and not shrink from the toil and trouble of it, but prosecute it closely, improving all advantages and opportunities for it, and doing what we do with all our might yet we must not be hasty in it, nor hurry ourselves and others with it, but keep doing fair and softly, which, we say, goes far in a day. 15 8.ĥ The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness but of every one that is hasty only to want. They do all to serve their lusts, and have no regard to the glory of God in it, and therefore their ploughing is sin, and no marvel when their sacrificing is so, ch. The very business of all wicked men, as well as their pleasure, is nothing but sin so Bishop Patrick. His raised expectations, his high designs, and most elaborate contrivances and projects, are sin to him he contracts guilt in them and so prepares trouble for himself. Sin is the pride, the ambition, the glory and joy, and the business of wicked men. He that has a high look and a proud heart, that carries himself insolently and scornfully towards both God and man, and that is always ploughing and plotting, designing and devising some mischief or other, is indeed a wicked man. Much of religion lies in doing judgment and justice from a principle of duty to God, contempt of the world, and love to our neighbour and this is more pleasing to God than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices, Mark 12 33.Ĥ An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin. But even then moral duties were preferred before them ( 1 Sam 15 22), which intimates that their excellency was not innate nor the obligation to them perpetual, Mic 6 6-8. Sacrifices were of divine institution, and were acceptable to God if they were offered in faith and with repentance, otherwise not, Isa 1 11, etc. It is plainly declared that living a good life (doing justly and loving mercy) is more pleasing to God than the most pompous and expensive instances of devotion. I have peace-offerings with me, Prov 7 14. It is implied that many deceive themselves with a conceit that, if they offer sacrifice, that will excuse them from doing justice, and procure them a dispensation for their unrighteousness and this makes their way seem right, v. 16 2.ģ To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. God looks at the heart, and judges of men according to that, of their actions according to their principles and intentions and his judgment of that is as exact as ours is of that which we ponder most, and more so he weighs it in an unerring balance, ch. Whatever our judgment is concerning ourselves, the Lord ponders the heart. We are sure that the judgment of God concerning us is according to truth. The proud heart is very ingenious in putting a fair face upon a foul matter, and in making that appear right to itself which is far from being so, to stop the mouth of conscience. We are all apt to be partial in judging of ourselves and our own actions, and to think too favourably of our own character, as if there was nothing amiss in it: Every way of a man, even his by-way, is right in his own eyes. Those that are most absolute are under God's government he puts things into their hearts, Rev 17 17 Ezra 7 27.Ģ Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. The hearts of kings are unsearchable to us, much more unmanageable by us as they have their arcana imperii- state secrets, so that they have great prerogatives of their crown but the great God has them not only under his eye, but in his hand. Even kings' hearts are so, notwithstanding their powers and prerogatives, as much as the hearts of common persons. God can change men's minds, can, by a powerful insensible operation under their spirits, turn them from that which they seemed most intent upon, and incline them to that which they seemed most averse to, as the husbandman, by canals and gutters, turns the water through his grounds as he pleases, which does not alter the nature of the water, nor put any force upon it, any more than God's providence does upon the native freedom of man's will, but directs the course of it to serve his own purpose. Even the hearts of men are in God's hand, and not only their goings, as he had said, ch. 1 The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
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