The deceit fislvefe .o f Mens heart. 351 Roney, proved alío at laft unfaithful) to him in the matter of his life it Cede. And Solomon tels us , how he that will lie ordinarily in common fpeech , will lie alío before the judgement -feat, when he is pro- duced asa witnefi'e : as contrarily, he that is a true witneffe- bearer there, will not lie in his ordinary difcourfe. For this I take to be the meaning of that Proverb. A faith. fu l witne, ffe will not lie : but a falfe r itneff bloweth forth lies, if a man be truly faithfull in much, he muff needs alto he faithfull in little. For the fame God that requires his fidelity in the one , requires it alto in the other. Saint Paul upon this ground confirmes hisfincerityin a matter of private promiCe to the Corinthians, concerning his comming to them, by his fincerity in the preaching of the C ofpel,a farre greater matter:Godis »'itneffè, faith he.tbat oxr word, that is, promife of comming, towards von was notyea and nsy : Why? for the son of God, that is, my preaching of him , was not yea and nay. Negle& then of (mall matters may jufily bring our obedience in greater matters into fufpition of unfaithfulnefíe. And therefore in this regard muff confcience be made of obedience, even in the final- left matters,and that upon the death,narnely,that we may approve our obedience ro bee found and free from deceit.For in greater matters if we fbould not fiand out,all the world would cry amine ofus. And here it would be hard to fay , whether the fhame of theworld, or confcience of Gods commandement urged us. But in leffe matters the world rather will cry fhame ofus,ifwe do timid out:And thereforein our obedience here G ods commandement feemeth, to Pro.r4. s; expounded.
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