A man's nature is inclined to favour downright-dealing men, and to hate the contrary. You see the three young men, when they were threatened with fire, come what will, ' 0 king, we will not worship the image of gold which thou hast set up,' Dan. iii. 14, seq. They would be bm-ned first. What lost they by it ?
Howsoever, if we should lose, as it is not to be granted that we can lose anything by direct dealing, ' For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof,' Ps. xxiv. 1, and the hearts of men are his. But suppose they do, yet they gain in better things, in comfort of conscience, and expectation and hope of better things. Faith is the ground of courage, and the ground of all other graces that carry a man's courage in a course of simplicity in this world.
Therefore, if we would walk simply, and have our conversation in the world in this gi-ace, let us labour especially for faith to depend upon God's
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promises, to approve ourselves to him, to make him onr last and chief end, and our communion with him, and to direct all our coui'ses to that end. This is indeed to set him up a throne in our hearts, and to make him a God, when rather than we will displease him or his vicof^t'rent, his vicar in us, which is conscience (that ho hath placed in us as a monitor and as a witness), we will venture the loss of the creature, of anything in the world, rather than we will displease that vicar which he hath set in our hearts. This, I say, is to make him a God ; and he will take the care and protection of such a man. St Paul here, in all the imputations, in all crosses in the world, he retii-es home, to himself, to his own house, to con- science ; and that did bear him out, that ' in simplicity he had his conver- sation in the world.' The next particular is,
' In sincerity.' The apostle adds to simplicity, this ' godly sincerity.' And he may well join these two together, for plainness and truth go to- gether. A plain heart is usually a true heart. Doublcness and hypocrisy, which are contrar\', they always go together. He that is not plain to men will not be sincere to God. Simplicity respects our whole course with men. Sincerity hath an eye to God, though, perhaps, in matters and actions towards men. Sincerity is alway with a respect to God ; and so it is op- posed to hypocrisy, a vice in religion opposite to God.
Now this sincerity that the apostle speaks of, it is a blessed frame of the soul, xvroiight by the Spirit of God, iclierebij the soul is set stroujht and rir/ht in a purpose to please God in all things (and in endeavours answerable to that purjwse), and to offend him in nothinr/.
I make a plain description, because I intend practice. There may be some nicer descriptions.
But, I say, it is a blessed frame of the soul, wrought by the sincere Spirit of God, whereby the soul is set straight and right to purpose, and to endea- vour all that is pleasing in God's sight ; and that with an intention to please God, with an eye to God, or else it is not sincerity. It is such a disposi- tion and frame of soul that doth all good, that hates all ill, with a pm-pose to please God in all, with an eye to God.
And therefore it is called 'sincerity of God,' or 'godly sincerity;' and it is called so fitly : because God is not only the author of it, but God ia the aim of it, and the pattern of it ; for he is the first thing that is sincere, that is simple and unmixed. God is the pattern of it. It makes us like to God, and he is the aim of it. A man that is sincere aims at God in all his courses : wherein he aims not at God he is not sincere. It comes from God, and it looks to God. For naturally we are all hypocrites. We look to shows. Therefore sincerity is from God.
And it is the sincerity of God especially, because, where this sincerity is, it makes us aim at God in all things, it makes us have respect to him in all things, as the creature should have respect to the Creator, the servant to the master, the son to the father, the subject to the prince. The rela- tions we stand in to God should make us aim at him in all things.
The observation from hence is this,
Doct. A Christian that hopes for joy, must have his conscience witness to him, that his conversation is in the sincerity of God.
As the apostle saith here, ' This is the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation,' &c.
Now to go on with this sincerity, and lay it open a little. Sincerity, it is not so much a distinct thing, as that which goes with every good thing. Truth and sincerity, it is not so much a distinct virtue, and grace, as a