a truly honest man, without fraud and guile, without any arts of hypocrisy and deceit.

In speaking of this virtue of sincerity, which is the highest character and commendation of a good man, I shall consider it

First, As it respects God.

Secondly, As it respects man.

First, As it respects God, it imports the sincerity of our piety; that we heartily believe, fear, and honour God; and that our outward expressions of piety and obedience, are the genuine issue of our inward apprehensions of him and affections towards him. And because sincerity is the very heart and substance of religion, it is fit that we should particularly enquire into its properties, that we may know when we have it; I shall mention a few of these properties.

1. Our piety is then sincere, when the chief reasons and motives of it are religious, that is, regard God and another world, in opposition to men, and to our present worldly interest. On the contrary, that is an unsincere piety, to which we are moved merely by the regard of men, and the consideration of some temporal advantages.

2. A sincere piety will be rooted in the heart, and be a living principle within us. Unless there be piety in our hearts all outward acts of it are hypocrisy, a picture of religion, and a form of godliness, without the life and power of it.

3. A third evidence of a sincere piety is when men are religious in private as well as in public. He is truly devout, who is so not only in the church, but in his family and in his closet, where he has no witness but God and his own soul. He is really honest, who will keep his word, and perform his promise, when no proof can be made of it, and no law compel him to it. He is sincerely just who will not wrong another, though he could do it with all secresy and safety.

And indeed there is scarce any act of piety and virtue, the sincerity of which may not by this evidence be known by us: as, on the contrary, he may for certain conclude himself an hypocrite, who is not the same in the presence of God only, and his own conscience, that he is in the sight of men.

4. Another evidence of a sincere piety is a constant tenor of goodness in the course of our lives. The habits of any known sin, the deliberate neglect of our duties, and even single acts of more heinous crimes, will bring in question our sincerity. He is not sincerely good who doth not seriously endeavour to be as good as he can, and who doth not make use of that assistance which God is ready to afford, to all the purposes, though not of a perfect, yet of a sincere obedience to his laws.

5. Another evidence of a sincere piety is that our obedience to God be uniform and

universal, equally respecting all the laws of God, and every part of our duty. St. James determines, that he who keeps the whole law, saving that he offends in one point, is guilty of all; that is, is not sincere in his obedience to the rest.

It is very possible that men may be devout and zealous in religion, very scrupulous in the service of God, and yet, because of their palpable defects in points of justice and honesty, of meekness and humility, of peace and charity, may be gross and odious hypocrites.

If we would approve the integrity of our hearts, and evidence to ourselves the sincerity of our obedience, we ought impartially to regard all the laws of God, and every part of our duty; and if we do not, our heart is not upright with God. It is observable, that sincerity in Scripture, is often called by the name of integrity and perfection: because it is integrated and made up of all the parts of our duty.

6. The last evidence I shall mention of the sincerity of our religion is, that it holds out against persecution. This is a trial to which God doth not always call his faithful servants; but they are always to be prepared for it in their minds. This our Saviour makes the great mark of a true disciple: If any man, saith he, will be my disciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. This is a cer

tain sign, that men have received the word into good ground, and are well rooted in their religion, when they are not shaken by those fierce assaults: For many (as our Saviour tells us) hear the word, and with joy receive it; but having not root in themselves, they endure but for a while; and when persecution and tribulation ariseth because of the word, presently, they are offended. So that constancy to our religion, in case of danger and suffering for it, is the best proof of our sincerity.

II. I proceed now to the second consideration of sincerity as it regards man. And so it signifies a simplicity of mind and manners, a singleness of heart, a freedom from all false appearances and disguises of ours, in word or action it is to speak as we think, is to do what we pretend and profess; to perform what we promise; and in a word really to be what we would seem to be.

We are not, indeed, obliged to tell every man all our mind; but we are never to declare any thing contrary to it. We may conceal as much of ourselves as prudence requires, but we must not make a false appearance of what we are not, either by word or action. Contrary to this virtue is, I fear, most of that compliment which is current in conversation; and which for the most part is nothing but words to supply the emptiness of discourse; and a pretence to that kindness and esteem for per

sons, which either we have not, or not to that degree which our professions seem to import. This, if it be done with design, is what we call flattery; a very odious sort of insincerity; and so much the worse, because it abuseth men into a vain opinion of themselves, and an ill grounded confidence of the good-will of others towards them: and so much the more dangerous is it, because it plays in such a manner upon our self-love, that few have wisdom and firmness enough to be proof against it.

Contrary to sincerity are likewise all the arts of deceit which men practise upon one another in their ordinary intercourse. These, though looked upon by many as signs of great shrewdness, admirable instruments of business, and necessary means of compassing our ends; yet by the sufferers from them are always accounted great dishonesty: and he that will have the patience to observe the end of them, will find them to be great follies. It is only for want of true wisdom and understanding, that men turn aside to tricks, and make dissimulation and lies their refuge. It is Solomon's observation, that he that walketh uprightly, walketh surely; but the folly of fools is deceit.

The folly of fools, that is, the most egregious piece of folly that any man can be guilty of, is to play the knave. The vulgar translation renders this clause a little otherwise, the fool turns aside to tricks: to make use of these, is a

Y