3. Again, that we may be sincere, let us labour to mortiftj all our earthb/ affections to the irorld ; for how can we be sincere when we seek for honours, and pleasures, and riches, and not for better things ? Therefore we must know that there is more good to be had in truth, in a downright Christian profession, than in all worldly good whatsoever. And if we be hypocrites in our profession, there is more ill in that than in anything in the world. This will make us sincere, when we can be persuaded that we shall get better things by being sincere in religion than the world can give us, or take away from us. For why are men insincere and false-hearted ? Because they think not religion to be the true good. They think it is better to have riches than to have a good mind. These things therefore must be mortified ; and a man must know that the life of a Christian is in- comparably the best life, though it be with the loss of liberty, yea, with the loss of life itself.
Simon Magus grew to false affections in religion, because he thought to have profit by it. So the Pharisees, they had naughty hearts, and there- fore they had no good by religion. No man can profit by religion so long as his heart is naught, so long as there is some idol in his heart. A good Christian had rather have a large heart to serve God, and rather grow in the image of God, to be like him, than to grow in anything in the world, and that makes him sincere out of a good judgment ; because Christian ex-
218 COMMENTARY ON
cellency is the best excellency incomparably. For he knows well what all else will be ere long. What ! will all do good, riches, honours, friends ? What good will they do in the hour of death ? There is nothing but grace, and the expression of it in the whole conversation, that will comfort us. Therefore he undervalues all things in the world to sincisrity and a good conscience.
4. Again, that we may have our conversation in sincerity, let us labour in everything we do to approve oKisclrca to tlw eye of God. We see the Scripture everywhere shews, that this hath made God's children conscien- tious in all their courses ; even when they might have sinned not only securely, but with advantage. What kept Joseph from couunitting folly with his mistress ? * Shall I do this, and sin against God ? ' Gen. xxxix. 9. And so Job in chap, xxxi., he shews what awed and kept him from ill-doing ; in ver. 3, ' Doth not he see my ways, and account all my steps ? ' This was it that kept him in awe. So the church of God, Ps. xliv., being in great distress, they kept themselves from idolatry, and from the conta- gion of the times wherein they lived. Upon what ground ? You shall see in verso 21, 'If we had done thus and thus, shall not God search it out? for he knows the vei*y secrets of the heart.' So a Christian being per- suaded of the eye of God upon him, it makes him sincere. The eye of God being ten thousand times brighter than the sun, he being light itself. He made the heart, and he knows all the turnings of the heart. The con- sideration of this will make us sincere in our closets, in our very thoughts ; for they. all lie open and naked to his view.
What is the reason that men practise secret villany, secret wickedness, and give themselves to speculative filthiness ? Because they are atheists. They forget that they are in the eye of God, who sees the plots and projects of their hearts, and the nets that they have laid for their brethren. There- fore David brings them in saying, ' Tush ! God sees us not,' Isaiah xxix. 15. And that is the reason they are unconscionable in their desires, in their hearts, in their secret thoughts. It is from a hidden atheism. For if we did consider that the eye of God sees us in all our intents and actions, and sees us in what manner we do all, and to what end ; that he sees every action, with the circumstances, the aims, and ends ; if the heart did well ponder this, it would prevent a great deal of evil.
Conscience is the witness of our conversation, a witness that will keep us from offending. If there were a witness by, and that witness were a great person, a judge, &c., it would keep us in our good behaviour. Now when a man shall consider, I have a witness within me, my conscience ; and a witness without, which is God, who is my Judge, who can strike me dead in the committing of a sin, if he please : this would make men, if they were not atheists, to fear to sin.
Let us labour therefore to approA^e our hearts to God, as well as our con- versations to men ; set ourselves in the presence of God, who is a discerner of our thoughts as well as of our actions ; and that which we should be ashamed to do before men, let us be afraid to think before God. That is another means to come to sincerity.