of God, even to the least babe that is newly born this day to Christ. The new convert hungers after holiness, and that sincerely. And wherefore all this care so to lay the promises, but to shew that when we go to make use of any pro- mise at the throne of grace, we should not question our welcome for any of our infirmities, so this stamp of sincerity be upon our hearts. Indeed, if sincerity did not thus much for the saint, there could not be a prayer accepted of God at the hands of any saint that ever was or shall be on earth to the end of the woi-ld, because there never was nor shall be such a saint dwelling in flesh here below in whom eminent failings may not be found. The apostle would have us know that Elijah, who did as great wonders in heaven and earth too by prayer, as who greater ? yet this man God could soon have picked a hole in his coat. Indeed, lest we atti-ibute the prevalency of his prayers to the dignity of his person, and some eminency which he had by himself in grace above others, the Spirit of God tells us, he was of the same make with his poor brethren : ' Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed,' &c. Jam. v. A weak hand with a sincere heart is able to tiuui the key in prayer.
CHAPTER VIII.
AN ACCOUNT WHY SrNCERITY COVERS THE SAINTs' UNCOMELINESS.
Quest. Now follows the fourth queiy. Whence is it that sincerity thus covers our failings ?
Section I. — Reason 1. It flows from the grace of the gospel covenant, that relaxeth the rigour of the law, which called for complete obedience, by resolv- ing all that into this of sincerity and truth of heart. Thus God, when entering into covenant with Abraham, expresseth himself, ' I am the Almighty God ; walk before me, and be thou perfect,' or sincere. Gen. xvii. 1. As if God had said to him, Abraham, see here what I expect at thy hands, and what thou mayest expect at mine. I look that thou shouldst ' set me before thee,' whom in thy whole course and walking thou wilt sincerely endeavoin* to please and approve thyself to, and at my hands thou mayest promise thyself what an Almighty God can do, both in protecting thee in thy obedience, and pardoning . of thee, wliere thou fallest short of perfect obedience ; walk but in the truth of thy lieart before me, and in Christ I will accept thee, and thy sincere endeavour, as kindly as I would*have done Adam, if he had kept his place in innocency, and never sinned. Indeed a sincere heart by virtue of this covenant might (I mean, the covenant would bear him out, and defend him in it, relying on Christ,) converse with God, and walk before him with as much freedom, and more familiarity, by reason of a nearer relation it hath, than ever Adam did, when God and he were best friends. ' If oiu- heart condemn us not,' then, saitli the apostle, ' we have confidence towards God,' 1 Jo'hn iii. 21 ; we have a boldness of face. And it is not the presence of sin in us, as the covenant now stands, that conscience can, or, if rightly informed concerning the tenure of it, will con- demn us for ; Paul's conscience cleared him, yea aft'orded matter of rejoicing and holy glorying, at the same time that he found sin stirring in him. No; conscience is set by God to judge for him in the private court of our own bosoms, and it is boimd vip by a law, what sentence to give for or against, and that in the same by which Christ himself will acquit or condemn the world at the last day. Now when we go upon the trial for our lives before Christ's bar, the greatest inquest will be, whether we have been sincere or no ; and as Christ will not then condemn the sincere soul, though a thousand sins could be objected against it, so neither can our hearts condemn us.
Quest. But here it may be asked. How comes God so favourable in the covenant of the gospel, to accept an obedience so imperfect at his saints' hands, who was so strict with Adam in the first, that the least failing, though but once, escaping him, was to be accounted unpardonable ?
Answ. Tlie resolution of this question takes in these two particulars. P'irst, In the covenant God made with mankind in Adam, there was no sponsor, or surety, to stand bound to God for man's performance of his part in the covenant, which was perfect obedience, and therefore God could do no other but stand strictly with him ; because he had none else, from whom he might recover his glory, and thereby pay himself for the wrong man's fault might do
GIRT ABOUT WITH TRUTH. 237