2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, \'ER. 12. 245
seem indifferent, lawful recreations, &c. Recreations, and such things, are lawful ; but to spend whole niffhts uiithriftily, liasely, scandalously this way, it is not only against religion, but against civility. In a civil man's judg- ment, it is a scandal to the place and person. Therefore he that hath any truth of grace in him, he will look to himself, and look to God in the most free actions of all. You see then how we may judge of our sincerity what- soever we do. A sincere Christian stands thus affected in some measure, in some degree, in the good he doth, in the ill he abstains from. Whatsoever it be, he thinks he hath to deal with God.
Use 1. Now to stir us up to this blessed state, to labour for this frame of soul, to be sincere, to have om* conversation in sincerity, what needs be added more than this, that without it all is nothing.
1. All (nir glorious performances are mere ahominations, u-ithout sinceriUj. God will say, j'ou did it not to me, you did it for vainglory, you did it for custom or out of education, for vain and by-respects, and not to me, and do you look forfa reward of me ? You did it not for conscience ; for conscience alway looks to God. And what we do not in conscience and obedience to God, in our general or particular calling, it stands not on our reckoning with God. It is as good as if it were not done, in regard of God, and of the life to come. ' You have your reward,' saith Christ, Mat. vi. 2. It is no matter w'hat your respects be here. If you carry yourselves carefully in your place, to have the credit of men, to gain the favour of men, you have your reward. Will you look for a reward fr'om God, when what you did, 3^ou did it to the world '?
What a pitiful thing is this, that a man should do many things, many years together, and yet do nothing that may further his day of account, because it was not done out of conscience of his duty ? His conversation was not in sincerity to God. Now, if we have not truth we have nothing in religion. St Paul saith, as I said before, ' Of an idol, it is nothing,' Why ! it is a piece of wood, or a piece of gold, the materials of it is some- thing, but it is nothing to that which it should be. If a man be not true in religion, he is nothing in that. He is a true hypocrite, but a false Chris- tian. He is nothing in Christianity. He is something in hypocrisy, but that something is nothing.
All the shows in the world, and all the flourishes, they are nothing. What is the reason that excellent clerks,* men of excellent parts, die comfortless many times ? Why ! God is not beholden to them for all that they did. They sought their own praise. As the prophet Isaiah saith, ' When you fasted, did you fast to me ? ' Zech. vii. 5. When you did good works, did you do them to me ? may God say. There was no truth in it. So much simplicity, so much comfort. Sincerity is all that we can come to in this world. Perfection we cannot attain to. Christ is perfection for us. Truth is all that we can reach to, and without that all is nothing. There- fore we ought to regard it especially.
2. Again, on the other side, this is a great encouragement to be sincere, to be true-hearted in all our courses and actions ; because it [fires acceptance to whatsoever ire do ; and it is that by which God values us. God values us not by perfection, not by glorious shows, but by what we have in truth. So much truth, so much worth. A little pearl is worth a great deal of rubbish.
A little sincerity, because it is God's own creature, it is ' the sincerity of God,' it is wrought by him, it is his stuff. There is an almighty power to * That is, = ' ministers of the gospel.' — G.
246 COMMENTAUY ON
work trnlh in ns ; for by nature wo iiro nil fulsc. God gives to some men to carry thomselvos more civilly than others ; but it is nothing worth except (tO(1 change a man l)y grace ; because (iod accepts us according to sincerity. G(i(l values us by truth. So nnu^h truth, so much esteem of the God of truth.
And where this sincerity is, God bears with many infirmities. As in marriiige, tlu; husband that is discreet, that knows what belongs to mar- riage, if the heart of the wife be true, though she have many woman-like infirmities, he passeth by them as long as the conjugal knot is kept un- violate. So a Christian, if his heart be true, that he looks to God in all things, though he have many infirmities, God passeth by them. As we see in Asa ; how many faults had he committed ? He tnisted in the physicians, he used the prophet hardly, and many other faults, and yet it is said that his heart was upright all his days, because he had truth in him. It was in passion that he did this or that otherwise, So Hezekiah, although he had many infirmities, yet he could say that he ' had walked uprightly before God,' Isa. xxxviii. 3 ; and God did well esteem him for it. And when he speaks of those that were to come to the passover, ' Be merciful to those that prepare their hearts,' 2 Chron. xxx. 19, those that have true hearts, though they have many weaknesses.