Hezekiali knew this, and therefore on his sick bed he doth nob tell God of his great services he had done, though none had done more, but only desires God to take notice of the truth and sincerity of his heart : ' Remember that I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight,' Isa. xxxviii. 3.
CHAPTER XIX.
A BRIEF APPLICATORY IMPROVEMENT OF THE ' POINT, BOTH IN GENERAL AND PARTICULAR BRANCHES ALSO,
It remains that the point bp applied in its several branches, which were three : sincerity hath a preserving strength, a restoring strength, and a comforting strength. But for quick despatch, we shall do it under two heads, blending the two former into one.
Use 1. First, Therefore hath sincerity a strengthening virtue, whereby it either preserves the. soul from falling into sin, or helps the Christian fallen up again.
First, This affords thee. Christian, a fiirther discovery of thy heart, whether sincere or not; put it here upon the trial. Dost thou find a power imparted to thee, whereby thou art enabled to repel a temptation to sin, when thou hast no weapon left thee to defend thee against it, but the command forbidding it, or some arrow taken out of the quiver of the gospel, such as the love of Christ to thee, thy love to him, and the like? May be the temptation is laid so cunningly, that thou mayest sin, and save thy credit too, having a back-door opened to let thee into it secretly. Thou shalt hazard nothing apparently of thy temporal concernment; yea, rather greatly advantage it, if thou wilt hearken to the motion. Only God stands up to oppose it ; his Spirit tells it is against his glory, inconsistent with the duty thou owest, and love thou professest to him. Now, speak what thou thinkest of sinning, the case thus stated, canst thou yet stand it out valiantly, and tell Satan, sin is no match for thee, till thou canst have God's consent, and reconcile sinning against him and loving of him together? If so, bless God that hath given thee a sincere heart, and also for opening such a window as this in thy soul, through which thou mayest see that grace to be there, which seen, is the best evidence that God can give thee for tliy interest in him, and life everlasting with him. Wert thou a hypocrite, thou couldst no more resist a sin so offered, than powder fire, or chaff the wind.
Again, When thou art run down by the violence of temptation, what is the behaviour of thy soul in this case? Dost thou rally thy routed forces, and again make head against thy enemy, so much the more eagerly, because foiled so shamefully? Or, art thou content to sit down quietly by thy loss, and choose rather to be a tame slave to thy lust, than to be at any further trouble to continue the war? The false heart is soon cowed, and quickly yields subjection to the conqueror; but the sincere Christian gets heart, even when he loseth ground ; uprightness makes the soul rebound higher in holy purposes against sin, by its very falls into sin. Job xl. 5 : ' Once have I spoken,' he means foolishly, sinfully, 'but I will not answer; yea, tv/ice, but I will proceed no further.' This made holy David beg of God to be ' spared a little, that he might' have time to 'recover his strength iDcfore he went hence.' Loth was he to go beaten out of the field; might he but live to recover his losses, by repentance of, and some victory over, those sins that had weakened and worsted him, then death should be welcome : like that brave captain, who, wounded in fight, desired some to hold him up, that he might but see the enemy run before he died, and he should close his eyes in peace. Deal, therefore, impartially with thy own soid ; which way do thy fiills and failings work? If they wear oft^ the edge from thy conscience, that it is not soon keen and sharp in its reproofs for sin ; if they bribe thy affections, that thou beginnest to comply with those sins with which formerly thy contest was, and likest pretty well their acquaintance ; thy heart is not right : but if still thy heart meditates a revenge on thy sin that hath overpowered thee, and it lies on thy spirit, like undigested meat on a sick stomach, thou canst have no use and content to thy troubled soul, till thou hast cleared thyself of it, as to the reigning power of it ; truly then thou discoverest a sincere heart.
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