keep the door open to let in another temptation which he much desires to convey into his bosom by the favour, and under the shadow of this, and it is ordinarily this, to scare the Christian from duty, and knock off the wheels of his chariot, which used so often to cai-ry him into the presence of God in his ordinances, merely upon a suspicion that he is not sincere in them ; and better stay at home without hearing, or joining with God's people in any other duty, than go up and shew the naughtiness of thy heart, saith the devil. Had the serjient a smoother skin, and a fairer tale, when he made Eve put forth her hand to the forbidden fruit, than he comes with in this temptation, to persuade the poor Christian not to touch or taste of that fruit which God hath com- manded to be eaten, ordinances, I mean, to be enjoyed by thee ; yet. Christian, thou hast reason, if I mistake not, to bless God, if he suffers thy enemy so far to open his mind, by which thou mayest have some light to discover the wickedness of his design in the other temptation of questioning thy sincerity. Dost thou not now perceive, poor soul, what made the loud cry of thy hypo- crisy in thy ears? The devil did not like to see thee so busy with ordinances, nor thy acquaintance to grow so fast with God in them ; and he knew no way but this to knock thee oft". Bite at liis other baits thou wouldst not : sin, though never so well cooked and garnished, is not a dish for thy tooth, he sees ; and therefore eitlier he must affi'ight thee from these by troubling thy imagination with fears of thy hypocrisy in them, or else he may throw his cap at thee, and give thee for one got out of his reach. Dost thoii think, poor soul, that if thy heart were so false and hypocritical in thy duties that he would make all this bustle about them? He doth not use to misplace his batteries thus, to mount them where there is no enemy to offend him; thy hypocritical prayers and hearing woidd hurt him no more than if none at all. Neither doth he use to be so kind as to tell hypocrites of the falseness of their hearts : this is the chain with which he hath them by the foot, and it is his great care to hide it from them, lest the rattling of it in tlieir conscience awaken them to some endeavour to knock it off, and so they make an escape out of his prison. Be therefore of good comfort, poor soul : if thy conscience brings not Scriptiu'e proof to condemn thee for a hypocrite, fear not the devil's charge ; he shall not be on the bench when thou comest to be tried for thy life, nor his testimony of any value at that day : why then shoidd his tongue be any slander to thee now ?
Section III. — 3. Neglect no means for the getting thy truth of heart and sincerity evidenced to thee ; it is to be had. This is the ' white stone with the new name in it, which no man knoweth but he that receives it,' promised Rev. ii. 17. And I hope thou dost not think this to be such an ens rationis, an imaginary thing, as the philosopher's stone is, which none could ever say to this day that he liad it in his hand. Holy Paul, he had this ' white stone ' sparkling in his conscience more gloriously than all the precious stones in Aaron's breast- plate, 2 Cor. i. 12 : ' Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that, in simplicity and godly sincerity, we have had our conversation in the world.' And Job, sure, was not without it, when he durst with such a confidence appeal to the thoughts that God himself had of him ; even then when God was ransack- ing and searching every corner of his heart by his heavy hand, Job x. 7 : ' Thou knowest that I am not wicked.' Mark, he doth not deny he had sin in him, that you have again and again confessed by him, but that he was ' not wicked,' i. e., a rotten-hearted hypocrite ; this he will stand to, that God himself will not say so of him ; though, for his trial, the Lord gives way to have him searched, to stop the devil's mouth, and shame him, who was not afraid to lay suspicion of this spiritual felony to his charge.
Obj. But may be thou wilt say. These were saints of the highest form, and though they might come to see their sincerity, and have this ' white stone ' in tlieir bosoms, yet such jewels cannot be expected to be worn by ordinary Christians.
A»s. For answer to this, consider, that the weakest Christian in God's family hath the same witness in him that those had, 1 John v. 10: 'He that belie veth on the Son of God hath the witness in him.' Mark, it is indefinite, ' every one that believeth ;' not this eminent Christian, or that, but every one. 'The witness,' the same Christ and Spirit dwell in thy heart, that do in the highest saint on earth ; the same blood tliou hast to sprinkle, and the same water
GIRT ABOUT WITH TRUTH. 07 1^