Thirdly, Simplicity of heart is essentially consisting in the fixedness of it 1upon God only, when the heart doth in the chiefest manner close with God, and centre upon him, as the ultimate end through Christ. And therefore simplicity of heart is the same with oneness of heart. When a man doth not love God, and the world too, serve God, and lusts also. For though our Saviour say, This is impossible, yet many whose whole souls are engaged to the world, and the things of the world, do yet please themselves, as if they loved God also, which yet is as impossible, as with one eye to look downwards, and another to look upwards. That heart and heart which some Kings in the Old Testament are charged with, was, because they did halt between God and Belial; They would not serve God alone. Simplicity then ⟨p. 406⟩is opposed to inconstancy and unsettledness of spirit, when a man doth not with full purpose of heart cleave to Christ, and take him upon all his terms, but in some things is for him, and in some things is against him: At some times he prayeth and calleth upon God; at other times again he giveth all over. This is opposite to singleness of heart. The Apostle James calleth such an one, Chap. 1. 8. A double minded man, [Greek or Hebrew], a man with with two souls, as it were. So that this very particular is greatly to be heeded, it will penetrate and search to the very bottom of the soul. Most men undo their souls in this point; they have but wishings and wouldings in religious things; they have aguish workings of heart, sometimes hot, and sometimes cold: They have not taken our Saviours counsel, To sit down, and bethink themselves, what it will cost them to be the Disciples of Christ, what lusts they can part with, what sufferings they can endure, what powerful and fervent service they can do for God: And hence it is they are like a reed shaken with every wind. Instability and inconstancy cannot in a predominant manner consist with this simplicity of heart, no more than heat and cold in gradu intenso. There is no godly man but bewaileth the unsettledness, the unevenness of his heart, that he is not always as believing, as heavenly-minded, as weaned from the world, as he is at sometimes; but this is gradual only, his heart hath for the main fixed on God, though it be thus tossed up and down;
Thirdly, Simplicity of heart is essentially consisting in the fixednesse of it 1upon God onely, when the heart doth in the chiefest manner close with God, and center upon him, as the ultimate end through Christ. And therefore simplicity of heart is the same with onenesse of heart. When a man doth not love God, and the world too, serve God, and lusts also. For though our Saviour say, This is impossible, yet many whose whole souls are engaged to the world, and the things of the world, do yet please themselves, as if they loved God also, which yet is as impossible, as with one eye to look downwards, and another to look upwards. That heart and heart which some Kings in the Old Testament are charged with, was, because they did halt between God and Belial; They would not serve God alone. Simplicity then ⟨p. 406⟩is opposed to inconstancy and unsetlednesse of spirit, when a man doth not with full purpose of heart cleave to Christ, and take him upon all his terms, but in some things is for him, and in some things is against him: At some times he prayeth and calleth upon God; at other times again he giveth all over. This is opposite to singleness of heart. The Apostle James calleth such an one, Chap. 1. 8. A double minded man, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, a man with with two soules, as it were. So that this very particular is greatly to be heeded, it will penetrate and search to the very bottome of the soul. Most men undo their soules in this point; they have but wishings and wouldings in religious things; they have aguish workings of heart, sometimes hot, and sometimes cold: They have not taken our Saviours counsel, To sit downe, and bethink themselves, what it will cost them to be the Disciples of Christ, what lusts they can part with, what sufferings they can endure, what powerfull and fervent service they can doe for God: And hence it is they are like a reed shaken with every winde. Instability and inconstancy cannot in a predominant manner consist with this simplicity of heart, no more than heat and cold in gradu intenso. There is no godly man but bewaileth the unsetlednesse, the unevennesse of his heart, that he is not alwayes as believing, as heavenly-minded, as weaned from the world, as he is at sometimes; but this is gradual only, his heart hath for the main fixed on God, though it be thus tossed up and down;
- 13. It is fixed upon God only.
