conquer; and he loves all divine truths, even those which he cannot
First, I shall premise something concerning upright hearts.
Secondly, I shall premise something concerning the ways of God. And,
Thirdly, The reasons why upright hearts will hold on in the ways of God, in the ways of well-doing, notwithstanding all the afflictions, troubles, and discouragements they meet withal.
Concerning upright hearts, I shall only premise these four things:—
1. First, An upright heart hates all sins, even those which he cannot conquer; and he loves all divine truths, even those which he cannot practise. An upright heart, he hates all sin. All sin strikes at God, at his holiness, as well as at an upright man's happiness. It strikes at God's glory, as well as at the soul's comfort; therefore the soul strikes at all. All sins, in the eye of an upright heart, are traitors to the crown and dignity of the Lord Jesus; therefore the soul riseth in arms against all. An upright heart, he looks upon sin to be malum catholicum—A catholic evil. An upright heart, he looks upon sin as that which hath thrown down the most righteous man in the world, as Noah; as that which hath thrown down the best believer in the world, as Abraham; as that which hath thrown down the best king in the world, as David; as that which hath thrown down the best apostle in the world, as Paul. It looks upon sin as that which hath thrown down the strongest, as Samson; and the wisest, as Solomon; and the meekest, as Moses; and the patientest, as Job; and so his soul riseth against it. In Ps. 119:104, 'Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.' 'Therefore I hate every false way:' sanethi, from sane. The original word, שנא, signifies to hate with a deadly and irreconcilable hatred; to hate so as that nothing will satisfy but the destruction of the thing hated. It is the same Hebrew word that is used to express Absalom's hatred of Amnon for defiling of his sister Thamar, 'My soul hates him.'