This will make us look God, who is the Judge, in the face. It gives us not title to heaven, for that is only by Christ ; but it is a qualification required of us in the gospel. Nothing is ours but what we do in truth.
And again, consider that it will comfort us against Satan at the hour of death. When Satan shall tempt us to despair for our sins, as'that he will do, we may comfort ourselves with this, that we have been sincere. We may send him to Christ, for that must be the way, who hath fulfilled God's will, and satisfied his Father's wrath. Satan will say. This is true ; it is the gospel, and therefore it cannot be denied ; but it is for them that have walked according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh ; for those that have obeyed God in all things. Now when our conscience shall join with Satan, and say, we did nothing to God, we have not obeyed him, how can we answer him ? we must needs yield to the tempter. But when we can say with Peter, ' Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,' thou knowest I have laboured to approve my heart to thoe, and that I have prosecuted this desire with endeavours ; this will comfort a man in the time of temptation. Therefore let us labour to have our conversation in sincerity.
It will afford us much comfort in this life, as it did St Paul. St Paul here was in some grievous sickness, even to death, and he was disgraced as a person that regarded not his promise of coming to them. Now what doth he do in all this sickness and disgrace ? what doth he answer to them ? He comforts himself in this, ' My rejoicing is, that my conscience doth testify my sincerity.' He runs to God, and to his sincerity, as his stronghold. He approves himself to God. Something we shall have in this life first or last ; afflictions, or disgraces, and troubles will come. What is then the strong- hold of a Christian ? Then he runs to his sincerity. What would Heze- kiah have done when he received the ' sentence of death,' [if it had not been] that he had walked before God in uprightness and sincerity ? Sincerity then is worth more than the world. And he that will not labour for that which is worth more than all the world, it is a sign he is ignorant of the worth of it. A man at the hour of death he would lose all the world if he had it, for sincerity.
Therefore let us not part with our sincerity. Let us not offend against sincerity and truth by falsehood in our carriage, and in our tongues, or con- versations any manner of way, since it will yield us so much comfort in temptations, and atflictions, and at the tribunal and judgment-seat of Christ.
Let us not have false aims and ends, and do things in a false manner.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, WAX. 12. 251
It is not action only that God requires, but the manner. If we regard not the manner, God will not regard the matter. The matter of the Pharisees' perlormances was veiy good for stufl", but their hearts being naught, God regarded it not. Let us look to the manner of doing all that we do, that we do them to God, that we do them in sincerity, in a holy manner. The Scripture requires this, receive the sacrament, but thus, ' Examine your- selves,' 1 Cor. xi. 28. ' Take heed how you hear,' Mark iv. 24. Let your conversation be in the world, but thus, ' in simplicity and godly sincerity.' St Paul doth not say that he rejoiced in miracles, or in the great works that he had done, in converting of nations, &c., which yet were matters of joy ; but when he comes to joy indeed, here is his joy, that his conversation had been in ' simplicity and godly sincerity.'
And Christians must take heed that they reason not against sincerity another way, that is, to conclude they have no goodness, because they see a great deal of corruption and imperfections ; for imperfections may stand with truth. Asa, as I said, had many infirmities in his life, yet notwith- standing it is saici, that he walked in sincerity. So Hezekiah, it is said he ' walked before God uprightl}',' yet he had many infirmities and imperfec- tions. Nay, a man may well retort this upon such poor souls, that are witnesses with Satan against themseves, in the sight of their sins, that their sins being known by them, especially with hati'ed of them, it is a sign of sincerity.
Again, others are ready to say, I am not sincere, because God follows me with afflictions and distresses. Reason not so, for he therefore follows thee with afflixjtions, because he would have nothing but sincerity in thee. He w^ould make thee wholh' sincere, and purge thee as metal is purged in the fire from the dross. Therefore take heed thus of sinning against sin- cerity. Do nothing in h^'pocrisy. And when we are once sincere, let us not sin against it by yielding to the devil. This comforted Job, when his friends alleged his corruptions. ' Well,' saith he, ' you shall not take away my sincerity fi'om me,' Job xxvii. G. He looked to the eye of God, that saw him, to whom he approved his heart ; and that consideration made him sincere, and thence he comforted himself. So let us comfort ourselves in our sincerity against Satan's allegations ; as a condition of the covenant of grace, which respects not perfection but truth.