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and St. Paul, and the chriftian congregation with him.

BUT farther,

(3.) THIS fimplicity or purity of heart is oppofite to all bypocrify and diffimulation with God. Hypocrify in the fervice of God is either voluntary and fudy'd, of which it is to be fear'd there are too many guilty; or it is involuntary, proceeding from ignorance or careleffnefs, or the want of principles and an inward fenfe of things, of which they may be truly faid to be guilty, who by their refort to publick offices, by their prefence at the prayers, and praises, and inftructions of the Church, and by their outward gefture and conforming appearance do seem to worship God, but yet in truth and reality have no inward fenfe of what is done, nor any care and confcience to understand it. Their minds are upon the world, upon their fecular business or diverfions, and it may be worse, projecting for their lufts and vices, while they pretend to be worfhipping God; who fees into the inmoft corners of their hearts, and first or laft will make them know he is not to be thus mocked. We ought not therefore to deceive our felves with the vain conceit of impofing upon him; but whether we are in publick or in private devotion, attend closely and serioufly to what we are then about; to defire inwardly what we pretend in words to pray for; to exercise real repentance in the confeffion of fin; to believe, when we recite the creed; to blefs God from the bottom of our hearts, when we fing or repeat the pfalms or other offices of praife; to attend with a fincere aim of being improved and edify'd in chriftian practice, when we read or hear the holy Scriptures, fermons and good books; or

Acs xx. 36. Acts xxi. 5.

else

elle we perform a vain, hypocritical and formal fervice, which can never please God, or forward our own falvation. But this fincerity is not confin'd only to acts of devotion, either at Church or any where else; it must extend to our whole conduct in religion, at all times, in all places, and in all particulars. We must not only carry a fair outfide to the world, as if we affected no more than the reputation of being good and virtuous, or put on the form of godliness to ferve our little turns and interefts in the world; for fuch hypocrites are very often difcover'd even in this world, and fhall certainly be fo with everlasting shame and difgrace in that which is to come; but we must be real and ingenuous in a matter of fo great concern; we must obey God with an integrity of heart, as well as plaufible behaviour. We must have respect to all God's commandments; endeavour to mortifie our fecret pride and luft, our envy, cenforiousness, peevishness and fenfual appetites, which are either invifible to the world, and wholly lodg'd within us, or are little take notice of, and do not expofe our credit amongst men; as well as abftain from notorious lewdness, drunkenness, fwearing and curfing, violence or knavery, and the like; which betray an outward contempt of religion, and carry disgrace along with them. We must not pretend to compound with God and virtue, retaining our most agreeable and beloved fins, and fhaking off the reft; nor must we content our felves with tithing Mint, Anife and Cummin, being very exact in the ceremonial, or less fubftantial parts of our duty, and neglecting the weightier matters of the law. If we do, we are no more than Scribes and Pharifees, egregious hypocrites in the fight of God, and very

* Pfal. cxix. 6.

far

far from that purity of heart, that fimplicity and fincerity recommended to us in the text. But,

2. WE are to confider it with regard to man; and this will alfo fall into feveral particulars. As,

(1.) IN the cafe of witness and depofition. The two grand rules of fincerity herein, are truth and impartiality. An evidence or witness, in what case foever he is called upon his oath, muft give in nothing but what is true; he muft vouch nothing contrary to his knowledge, and nothing more than he knows; and because the breaking or concealing of truth may be of the fame ill confequence as downright falfhood, he must be also full and impartial in his depofition; not ftifling or fuppreffing any thing which is requifite to the understanding the cafe, nor wilfully framing his words in fuch an obfcure or double manner, that they may be eafily misunderstood. But all he fays fhould be literally true and clear, without any difguife or artifice whatever. And this would retrieve the honour of our publick courts, which are too often horribly abus'd and ftain'd with perjury.

(2) ANOTHER inftance of fincerity is in the matter of truth and friendship. To be faithful in every concern wherein another man does reafonably depend upon us, is but common juftice; and if we have encourag'd him fo to depend upon us, by pretences of particular friendship and affection to him, we are ftill the more engaged to it. We are to attend his business with that honest care and diligence with which we would attend our own; to do the best we can for him, as for our felves; deal plainly and fincerely with him upon all occafions; deciev ing him in nothing, betraying him in nothing. The contrary to all this, diffimulation or treachery, or breach of truft, are not only not to be reconcil'd with that purity and fingleness of heart to

which our Chriftianity binds us, but contrary to the light and law of nature, and defervedly infamous with all men.

(3) A third particular wherein fincerity is of mighty ufe, is the affair of contract, or merchandizing; in which are included all the ways of fale, and bargain and exchange, which we use amongst men. In thefe fimplicity and honefty are more to govern than the letter of laws and ftatutes, which cannot provide for all accidents, or against all evafions. The custom of marts and publick places of fale, with other human regulations of trade and commerce, may indulge many things for the fake of peace which Chriftianity cannot countenance; and though when the bargain is concluded, the buyer (how much foever impofed upon) has no remedy by law, this purity of heart, (the fincerity or uprightnefs we are now fpeaking of,) obliges the feller not only to ftrict juftice and moderation before the contract, but (if it be concluded upon ignorance or mistakes) to the making of due amends and fatisfaction after. For it * feeks not its own intereft only but the good of others. And St. Paul has exprefly required of us, that † no man go beyond or defraud his brother in any matter; and has given a reafon for it which fhould make us tremble, becaufe the Lord is the avenger of all fuch.

(4) SINCERITY and fimplicity are to run thorough all our promifes and engagements one to another. And here the rule is plainnefs in the act of promifing, and honefty in the due performance of what we promife. The moft facred of all fuch contracts is Marriage; and much more fo to Chriftians than to all other people in the world: For to us, it represents a great myftery and a great love, the love of Chrift to his Church, and his

I Cor. x. 24.

The iv. 6. Eph. v. 23, to 33.

union with it; and therefore calls for the greatest endearment, and the most faithful performance, in imitation of that great example. The hufband is fo to love his wife, even as Chrift loved the Church, aud himself for it: And the wife is to be fo gave faithful, fo fubject to the husband in all things, as the Church is, or ought to be to Chrift. This is the true meaning and extent of the marriage-vow: And if we do not thus confider it, if we consult the enjoyment only, or the fortune, and mind not the duty and affection this engagement carries with it; or if we do confider this without intending or regarding to perform it, we act against that integrity and purity of heart which is the principle of honeft men; we fcandalously break our faith, and abuse the perfon to whom in the folemn presence of God we plighted it. But befide the marriagevow, all other covenants, contracts and promifes, of whatever kind, if lawfully made, are to be honeftly and carefully obferv'd; and if unlawful, ought not to be made. We muft deal plainly and fairly, without any equivocation, double-meaning, trick, or artifice, in the making of them, or any fhuffling or evafion in the execution. And this is the rather to be infifted on, because it has prevailed by custom for men to lay hold on the little circumftances in law, which may be thought to give them an advantage against their obligation; and think the point of confcience fafe enough, if they fall not within the reach of human punishment. But this is not what will bear us out with God; for to him we must account for our fimplicity and honeft ufage of one another. Let us therefore obferve rather what Chriflianity requires, than what the law of the land cannot hinder; what is honou rable and honeft, than what is merely fafe and indemnifying.

() AND

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