Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/190

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178
Of Truth and Uprightnesse.

God made man upright. Eccl. 7. 29 and they that walk according to the word, though they have their infirmities,1 King 22.43. are said to be upright. Psal. 33. 1. Prov. 29. 10. It is diversly rendred by the Greeke Interpreters, most commonly right or upright.εὐθης
εὐθὺς
ὀρθὸς
δίκαιος
Sym. ὀκουπια
ζόμενος
καθαρὸς
ἀρτὸς
ἄγαθος
καλὸς
ἀληθινὸς
ἄμεμπτος
ὅσιος
κατορθῶν
κατευθουνον
δικαιοσύνη
ἁπλότης
Dan. 11.6.
συνθήκη
Psal. 7. 11. and 19. 9. Isai. 40. 4. Mic. 2. 7. Prov. 11. 6. and 12. 6. Prov. 8. 9. Just. Job 1. 1. Prov. 3. 32. Prov. 17. 20. Numb. 23. 10. Pure. Job 33. 3. Good, or what doth please. Deut. 12. 28. and 6. 18. and 13. 18. True, or unblameable, Job 2. 3. and 1. 8. Job 8. 6. and 41. 7. and 17. 8. Holy, Deut. 32. 4. He that directeth his way aright. Mic. 7. 2. Prov. 14. 11. and 15. 8. Prov. 2. 7. Valiant or couragious, Prov. 15. 19. Holinesse, Deut. 9. 5. Righteousnesse and simplicity, 1 Chron. 29. 17. and Truth, Isai. 45. 19. And every where true and upright, or upright and perfect, and truth, uprightnesse, and integrity, Deut. 9. 5.   1 Sam. 12. 23. Job 1. 1, 2. Psal. 33. 1.   1 Ki. 3. 6. are joyned together as in substance noting the same thing. So that uprightnesse cannot be taken negatively for the want of unrighteousnesse only, but positively for truth, and righteousnesse, or rather that which is equivalent to both. For the Greeke straight, Luke 3. 4, 5. the Syriac Interpreter useth a word that signifieth equall, polished, smoothed, made even or pure, comming of a root that is to polish or make smooth, as Masius in Peculio and David de Pomis in his Dictionary teach. And Ferrarius turneth the word pure, sincere, plaine, which answereth to that of the Prophet, Isai. 40. 4. In Luke 8. 15. for a good and honest, it hath the same word, as if it was a polished heart, made even and smooth: or if you will, a sound heart, intire and well constituted, and set in frame, as amongst the Arabicks, the root is to heale, or restore whole or intire. Upright or strait is opposed to crooked and oblique: but to this present purpose, That is upright which doth answer to the rule of the divine Law, concerning the love of God and our Neighbour. An upright man is he who by faith working by love doth study to conforme himselfe to the Law in all duties of holinesse, sobriety, justice, or mercy. An upright man is he, who doth not writhe or bend himselfe, nor (as we say) serve the time or humours of men, but God and his conscience, though nothing forbids him, who serves God and his conscience, to serve the time, when it may be done without detriment to the glory of God or to his conscience. A straight way is shortest betwixt the points. Now the Word of God directeth the shortest and nextway