III. A third sign of an upright man is, He willingly obeys God. 1 Chron. 28. 9. And thou Solomon my Son, serve thou the God of thy Fathers, with a perfect heart, and a willing mind. What he does, his will is in it. He will do what he can, yea more than he can. An hypocrite doth more than he would. He acts not, but is acted by profit, credit, and the like; and when this wind blows not, he stands as the Windmill, stock still. Love to God oils the wheel of obedience, and then a man runs the way of his Commandments, when the Lord hath enlarged his heart, Psal. 119 32. Amor meus, pondus mcum. Happy for ever that man, whose principle of motion is within. An hypocrite he hath no hearty good will to the very duties he performs; he prays, but he hath no good will to prayer; he gives, but his will is another way, his obedience is against his mind; his interest draws him one way, his mind goes another; and what a wretched life must he live, the generality of whose visible actions go against the frame of his mind, and so neither God, nor himself hath pleasure in them? 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man hath and doth. Try your selves therefore; do you ⟨p. 146⟩find that your wills are pressed for God? do you obey your Master, as your servants should obey you, with good will, doing service as to the Lord, and not to men? 'Tis true, you will find another Law, another will drawing the other way, but if you can say with Paul, Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man, your hearts are upright: you grieve for your unwillingness, you bring your wills to every ordinance, and use the means to make them better; and cordially desire to do his will on earth, as it is done in Heaven. The crossness of your will is your greatest burden; and you are getting ground herein, are you not? then your case is good.
III. A third sign of an upright man is, He willingly obeys God. 1 Chron. 28. 9. And thou Solomon my Son, serve thou the God of thy Fathers, with a perfect heart, and a willing mind. What he does, his will is in it. He will do what he can, yea more than he can. An hypocrite doth more than he would. He acts not, but is acted by profit, credit, and the like; and when this wind blows not, he stands as the Windmill, stock still. Love to God oyls the wheel of obedience, and then a man runs the way of his Commandments, when the Lord hath inlarged his heart, Psal. 119 32. Amor meus, pondus mcum. Happy for ever that man, whose principle of motion is within. An hypocrite he hath no hearty good will to the very duties he performs; he prays, but he hath no good will to prayer; he gives, but his will is another way, his obedience is against his mind; his interest draws him one way, his mind goes another; and what a wretched life must he live, the generality of whose visible actions go against the frame of his mind, and so neither God, nor himself hath pleasure in them? 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man hath and doth. Try your selves therefore; do you ⟨p. 146⟩find that your wills are prest for God? do you obey your Master, as your servants should obey you, with good will, doing service as to the Lord, and not to men? 'Tis true, you will find another Law, another will drawing the other way, but if you can say with Paul, Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man, your hearts are upright: you grieve for your unwillingness, you bring your wills to every ordinance, and use the means to make them better; and cordially desire to do his will on earth, as it is done in Heaven. The crossness of your will is your greatest burden; and you are getting ground herein, are you not? then your case is good.
