was hugged for a state saint. Set but hypocrisy upon the stage of power and greatness, and it will not be long before its mask falls off. The prophet meant thus much, when he made only this reply to Hazael's seeming abhorrency of what he had foretold concerning him, 2 Kings viii. 23 : ' The Lord shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria;' as if he had said, Hazael, thovi never yet didst sit in a king's chair, and knowest not what a discovery that will make of thy deceitful heart. Mark from whence Rehoboam's revolt from God is dated, 2 Chi'on. xii. 1 : ' It came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord.' Policy bade him conceal his intentions, while he had settled himself in his throne, lest he shoidd have hazarded his crown ; but that set on sure, and his party made strong, now all breaks out ; like a false captain, who victuals his castle, and furnisheth it with all kind of provision and ammunition, and then, and not till then, declai-es himself a traitor, when he thinks he is able to defend his treason. But here also sincerity preserves the gracious soul. Two famous instances we have for this: one in Joseph, who had his unnatiiral brethren, that would once have taken away his life, — yea, who did that which might have proved worse, ■ for all that they knew, barbarously sell him as a slave into a sti'ange land, — these he had strangely brought into his hands, while he was in all his honom' and power in Egypt ; and now, when he might have paid them in their own coin, without any fear or control from man, behold, this holy man is lift above all thoughts of revenge; he pays their cruelty in his own tears, not in their blood; he weeps over them for joy to see them, that once had no joy till they had rid their hands of him ; yea, when their own guilt made them afraid of his presence, measuring him by tlieir own revengeful hearts, how soon doth he deliver them from all fears of any evil intended by him against them ! yea, he will not allow them to darken the joy which that day had with them brought to him, so much as by expressing their own grief before him, for their own cruelty to him, so perfect a conquest had he got of all revenge, Gen. xlv. 5. And what preserved him in his hour of great temptation? He told then), Gen. xlii. 18 : ' This do and live, for I fear God;' as if he had said, Though you be here my prisoners at my will and mercy, for all that you can do to resist, yet I have that which binds my hands and heart too, from doing or thinking you evil, ' I fear God.' This was his preservative; he sincerely feared God. The other instance is Nehemiah, governor of that colony of Jews, which, vmder the favour of the Persian princes, were again planting their native country. By his place he had an advantage of oppressing his brethren, if he durst have been so wicked ; and from those that had before him been honoured with that office, he had examples of such as could not only swallow the common allowance of the governor, without rising in their consciences, which shewed a digestion strong enough, considering the peeled state of the Jews at that time, but could, when themselves had svicked the milk, let their cruel servants suck the blood of this poor people also by illegal exac- tions ; so that Nehemiah, coming after such oppressors, if he had taken his allowance, and but eased them of the other burdens which they groaned under, no doubt he might have passed for merciful in their thoughts; but he durst not go so far. A man may possibly be an oppressor in exacting his own. Nehe- miah knew they were not in case to pay, and therefore he durst not require it. But as one who comes after a bad husbandman that hath driven his land, and sucked out the heart of it, casts it up fallow for a time till it recovers its lost strength, so did Nehemiah spare tliis oppressed people ; and what, I pray, was it preserved him from doing as the rest had done? see Nehem. v. 15 : ' But I did not so, because of the fear of the Lord.' The man was honest, his heart touched with a sincere fear of God, and this kept him right.
CHAPTER XVn.
OF A RECOVERING STRENGTH THAT SINCERITY HATH, AND WHENCE.
Secondly, Sincerity hath a recovering strength with it. When it doth not privilege from falling, yet it helps up again ; whereas the hypocrite lies where he falls, and perisheth where he lies ; who, therefore, is said ' to fall into mischief,' Prov. xxiv. 16. The sincere soul falls as a traveller may do, by stumbling at some stone in his path, but gets up, and goes on his way with more care and
GIRT ABOUT WITH TRUTH. Og]