2 Of Sincerity towards God and Man. Vol. I. uncharitable Proverb, That out ofNazareth arifeth no Prophet ; but having an honeft and fincere Mind, he was not fo carried away by apopular Prejudice, as not to have Patience to be better inform'd, . and therefore was eafily perfwaded to go andfee our Saviour, and to difcourfe withhim himfelf, and being fatisfied that he was the Mefas, he prefently owns him for filch, calling him the Son of God, and the King ofIfael. And becaufe Sincerity is the very Heart and Subitanee of Religion, it concerns us not only to endeavour after this Temper and Difpofition, - but to enquire into theNature and Properties of it, that we may know when we have it, and may have the Comfort of it. I !hall mention five orfix Properties ofa fincerePiety, by which Men may fufficiently know the Integrity of their Hearts towards God. h. Our Piety is then fincere, when the chief Reafons and predominant Mo- tives of it are Religious ; and I call that a Religious or Rational Motive, which regards God and another World, in Oppofition to Men, and to our prefent Tem- poral Advantages ; when the principal and fwaying Motives of our Piety, are a Senfe of God's Authorityover us, and of our Duty and Obligation to him ; a Fear of his Difpleafure and Threatnings, and the Hopes of the glorious Reward which he hath promifed to Obedience ; thefe Motives are properly Religious, becaufe they refpe&God, and are the Arguments to Obedience, which he him- felfoffers to us, to perfwade us to our Duty ; and that is a fincere Piety, which is wrought in us by thefe Confiderations, how unequally foever mixed ; for even in the molt ofMen, Fear does many times prevail more than Love, and, in cafe of great Temptation, may preferve Men from Sin, when perhaps no other Con- fideration will do it. On the contrary, that is an unfincere Piety, to which we are moved meetly by the Regard of Men, and the Confideration of fome Tem- poral Advantages. And when thefe have the chief Influence upon us, it is eafy for any Man to difcern in himfelf ; for he that will carefullyobferve himfelf; can hardly be ignorant of the true Spring and Motive of his own Actions : But there is one Sign whereby a Man may certainly know that his Heart is not right towards God, and that is, if when thefe Motives are abfent, our Piety and Zeal for the True Religion doth either ceafe, or is fenfibly cooled and abated ; as if Impiety, or, Popery, or any thing elfe that is bad, begin to be in Fafhion, and to have tite Countenance of great Examples; if thofe whom we fear, and upon whom we depend, do difcover any Inclination that way ; ifthe Garb of Religion ceafe to be for our Intereft, or, in the Revolution of Things, happen to be con- trary to it : If in any of thefe Cafes, we let fall the Profeflìon ofour Religion or.negleét the Practice of it, this is a plain and undeniable Demonftration of the Infincerit ofour former Piety. 2. A fincere Piety mull be rooted in the Heart, and be a living Principle with- in us; for, as the Apoftle reafons in another Cafe, he is not a yew who is one outwardly, hut he who is one inwardly, and in the Heart; and, without this, all outward Afts ofPiety and Devotion are Hypocrify,'aPicture of Religion, and a form of Godlinefs; without the Life and Power of it. 3. AThird Evidence of a fincere Piety is, when Men are Religious in private and in fecret, as well as in publick and in the open view ofMen. He is trulyde- vout, who is fo in his Family, and in his Clt fet, where he bath noWitnefs, but God, and his own Soul, as well as in the Church. He is a downright honeft Man, who will make good his Word, and perform his Promife, when no proof can be made of it, and no Law compel hint to it, as readily as if there had been an hundred Witneffes ofit. He is fincerelyjuft, who willnot detain from another his Right, though he be ignorant of it; nor wrong any Man, dio' he could do it . with all the fecrefie and fafety in theWorld ; who will not impofe upon ano- titers Ignoranceor Unskilfulnefs, tho' never fo much to his ownBenefit and Ad- vantage. He is truly charitable, who would not only as foon, but rather fooner give his Alms in fecret, than in the fight ofMen : And he is truly grateful, who when there is occafion and opportunity, will acknowledge,a Kindnefs and requite a Bene-
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