Then besides, St Paul was conscious of his own sincerity ; for grace carries its own witness with itself, as he saith here, I know my conversa- tion. * This is the testimony of my conscience, that in simplicity and sin- cerity I have walked before you.' He knew that sincerity is accompanied with constancy and perseverance. It is a rule that alway constancy and perseverance are companions with simplicity and sincerity. I have begun in sincerity hitherto, now I am sincere, and have expressed to you the truth of my heart, and of my courses ; and as I am, so I mean to be ; therefore, having begun in sincerity, I know I shall end in pei'severance and constancy.
Truth of gi'ace is accompanied with constancy. All other things are but grass, they are but shows, they will vanish ; but sincerity, the tnith of grace, is a divine thing. ' The word of the Lord,' that is, gi-ace wrought by ' the word of the Loi-d, that endures for ever,' 1 Pet. i. 25. Where there is truth of gi'ace, though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed, there is perseverance to the end. St Paul knew this weU, and therefore he builds his trust on these things, on these com'ses that he took.
We should all take the like course, look to St Paul's grounds, and take his courses. Those be they that will hold out to the end. Judicious con- sideration of all the difficulties, to put into the balance what impedimenta we shall have from the world, and what will be great to us when it is balanced with the glory to come ! And withal, to aim forward still, as St Paul did. And take another course that he took likewise, to depend upon grace con- tinually. He knew there was a throne of grace open to him alway for the time to come, as well as for the time past, and present. He knew that Christ in heaven was alway full of grace ; he knew he should not want in any exigent when he should go to him ; he knew that God would not des-
* Qu. 'goes?'— Ed.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VEK. 13. 309
titute or forsake any of his children, them that he hath called to see the necessity of wisdom, and of courage, and comfort. '• Let us do therefore as St Paul was answered from heaven, say, ' His grace is sufficient for us,' 2 Cor. xii. 9 ; if not to keep us from all sin, yet to keep us in comfortable courses, to keep us in sincerity and simplicity. The grace of God is suffi- cient to bring us to heaven.
Let us persuade ourselves, that if we go on in Christian courses, in that confidence, God will give us gi-ace to bring us to heaven. This was St Paul's confidence, therefore he saith, 'I trust you shall acknowledge to tLe end,' because I know that I shall continue in simplicity and sincerity to the end. God will keep me, I shall have gi'ace to beg, and he will give me gi'ace ; for his gifts in this kind can never be repented of.
Let us take from St Paul this course, and this comfort : this course to trust in God for the time to come ; to have constant resolutions for the time to come, to cleave to God, and to good courses.
Let us every day renew our covenants in this kind, and our resolutions to do nothing against conscience, to go on in Christian courses ; let it be our constant course. For as God's children know they shall continue to the end, so it is wrought from resolution so to do ; and this resolution stirs them up to depend upon God by prayer, that he would ' knit their hearts to him, that they may fear his name,' Jer. xxxii. 40 ; that he would give them grace sufficient, &c., that he would establish their hearts, as Da^dd prays.
This resolution, it drives them to prayer, and to all good courses, that God would stablish them in every good work, in every good thought and desire, and that he would knit their hearts nearer to him. Eesolve, therefore, every day, in dependence upon God, to take good com'ses, that so whensoever any judgment of God shall come, or when the hour of death shall light on us, it may not come as a snare, that it may take us in good resolutions. It is no matter how we die in outward respects, if we die in good resolutions.
As we resolve, so we are ; for our resolutions are full of will. Wishes and resolutions : they carry the whole man with them ; and God esteems a man by his will. For if there be impediments that are not impossible to man, resolution will break through all. God judgeth men by their resolu- tions : ' Teach me, 0 Lord, thy statutes, and I will keep them even to the end. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments,' Ps. cxix. 106. Every day take we these promises to ourselves, and bind ourselves with them to God.
In vows, be chary. I do not speak of them now, I speak of purposes and resolutions, alway take in God with them. I trust in God, depend upon God in good courses (that God do not punish us, and give us into deser- tion for our presumption), and then we may know that our state is good. Look to St Paul, and see the property of a good conscience. It looks back, it looks to the present, and to the time to come. ' Our rejoicing is this,' that we have had our conversation hitherto well. Is that enough for a good conscience ? No ! you have acknowledged me to be as I have writ- ten, to have a good conscience in my ministerial course, and in my conver- sation ; and you shall acknowledge me still.