liypociite it is not so ; there one faculty lights against another ; never are they all found to conspire and meet in a friendly vote ; when there is light in the luulerstanding, the man knows this truth and that dutv ; then often conscience is bribed for executing its olhce, it doth not so much as check him for the neglect ot it ; truth stands as it were before the soul, and conscience will not so much befriend it as to knock, and rouse up the sold to let it in ; if conscience be over- come to plead its cause, and shews some activitv in pressing for entertaimuent, it is sure either to have a churlish denial, with a frown for its pains, in being so busy to bring such an unwelcome guest with it. as the froward wife doth by her husband, when he bi'ings home with him one she doth not like, or else a feigned entertainment, the more subtilly to hide the secret enmity it hath against it.
Thirdly. Quoad circiimstantias obedieiitia : the sincere soul is unifonu as to the circumstances of his obedience and holy walking ; such as are time, place, and company, and numner. He is uniform as to time : his religion is not like a holiday suit, put on only at set times ; but come to him when you will, you shall find him clad alike, holy on the Lord's day, and holy on the week day too, Psa. cvi. 3: 'Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteous- ness at all times ;' it is a sign it is not a man's complexion, when the coloirr he hath while he sits by a lire dies away soon after. There are some if } ou would see their goodness, and be acquainted with their godliness, you must hit the right time, or else you will find none, like some flowers that are seen but some months in the year ; or like some physicians that they call forenoon men, they that would speak with them to any pm-pose. must come in the morning, because commonly they are drunk in the afternoon ; thus, may-be in the morning, you may take the liypocrite on his knees, in a saint's posture, but when that tit is over, you shall see little of Ciod in all his course, till night brings him again of course to the like duty. The watch is naught that goes only at first winding up. and stands aU the day after; and so is that heart, sure, that desires not always to keep in spiritual motion. I confess there may be a great ditlerence in the standing of two watches ; one ti-oni the very watch itself, because it hath not the right make, this will ever do so till altered ; another possibly is true work, only sonii? dust clogs the wheels, or a tall hath a little battered it. which removed, it will go well again. And there is as great ditlerence between the sincere soul and hypocrite in this case ; the sincere soul may be interrupted in its spiritual motion and Christian course, but it is from some temptation that at present clogs him ; but he hath a new nature which inclines to a constant motion in holiness, and doth, upon removingthepresent impediment, return toits natural exercise of gotUiness : but the hypocrite fails in the very constitution and frame of his spirit, he hath not a principle of grace in him to keep him moving.
Again, The sincere Christian is uniform as to place and company ; wherever he goes he carries his rule with him. which squares him : within doors, amidst his nearest relations. David's resolve is his, Psa. ci. '2 : ' He will walk within his house with a perfect heart ;' follow him abroad, he carries his conscience with him. and doth not hid it. as Abraham his servants, when ascending the mount, to stay behind till he comes back. The Romans had a law. that every one should, wherever he went, wear a badge of his trade in his hat. or outward vestment, that he might be known. The sincere Christian never willingly lays aside the badire of his holy profession. No place nor company turns him out of the way that is called holy. Indeed his conscience doth not make him forego his prudence ; he knows how to distinguish place and place, company and company, and therefore, when cast among boisterous sinners and scornful ones, he doth not betray religion to scorn, by throwing its pearls before such as would trample on them, and rend him ; yet he is very careful lest his prudence should put his uprightness to any hazard : ' I will behave myself wisely.' saith David, in the forenamed Psalm, " in a perfect way ;' that is, I will shew myself as wise as I can. so I may also be upright.' Truly that place and company is like the Torrid Zone, uninhabitable to a gracious soul, where profaneness is so hot that sincerity cannot look out and shew itselt', by seasonable counsel and reproof, with safety to the saint ; and therefore they that have neither so much zeal to protest against the sins of such, nor so much care of themselves as to withdraw from thence, where they can only receive evil, and do no good, have just cause to call their sincerity into question.
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