Serro. I. Of Sincerity towards God and Man. a Benefit to the Relations of his Deceafed Friend, though he be fure that all me- mory of the Obligation dyed with him, and that none are confcious of it, but God. and his own Confcience. And indeed there is fcarce any ad of Piety,: and Vertùe, the fincerity of which may not by, this Evidence be knownby us : As on the contrary a Manmay for certain conclude himfelf a Hypocrite, if lie be not the fame in the prefence of God, and his own Confcience, that hers in the fight of Men. 4. Another Evidence of a fincere Piety is a conftant tenour of gooduefs in the general courfe ofour Lives. I donot now fpeák of the firít beginnings ofPiety, in new Converts, which are many times very impeded, and fuch as afford little orno evidence of a Man's Sincerity; but in thofe who have made any confiderable progrefs in Goodnefs; the habits ofany known Sin, and the wilful and deliberate neglect of our Duties, and even the fingle ads of more heinous Crimes, will bring' in queftion our Sincerity, and are-by no means to be fhelter'd under the name of Infirmity; for thefe the Grace of God, if we be not wanting to our (elves, will enable us to fubdue ; and he is not fincerely good, who doth not feriouflyendeavourto be as good as he can, and does not make ufe of that Grace whichGod is ready to afford to all the Purpofe5, tho' not of a perfect, yet of a fincere Obedience to the Laws of God. g. Another Evidenceof a fincere Piety is, that our Obedience to God beuni- formand univerfal, equally refpeding all theLaws of God, and every part of our Duty; . that it do not content it felf with an efpecial regard to force Precepts of the Law though never fo confiderable, and allow it felf in the breach, or neg- led of the reft ; no nor with obferving the Duties of one Table of the Law, if it overlook the other ; no nor withObedience to all the Commandmentsof God, one only excepted. St. 7arnes puts this cafe, and determines, that He that keeps the whole Law, laving that he offends in ohe point, is guilty ofall, that is, is not fincere in his Obedience to the reft. And therefore we muff take great heed that we do not .fet the Commandments of . God at odds, and dafh the two Tables of the Law, againft.one another, left, as St. fames Pays, we break the whole Law : And yet I fear this is too common a fault, even amongff thofe who make a great profeflron:of Piety, that they are not fufficiently fenfible of the obligation and neceffity of the Duties of the fecond Table, and ofthe excellency of thofe Graces, and Vertues, which refped our Carriage and Converfation with one another: Men do not feem to confider,- that God did not give Laws to, us for his own- fake, but ours ; and therefore that he did not only defign that we 'Mould honour him, but that we fhould be happy in one another; fol. which reafön he joyns with our humhle_and dutiful Deportment towards himfelf, the Offices of Juftice and. Charity towards others,' Mich. 6. -8. He hash _thawed thee, Oman, what is good ; and what cloth the Lord require of thee, but to do ju/lièe,::and to love mercy, and to walk humblywith thy God? And r John 4. 2 t. This Commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God, loveth his Brother alfo. And yet it is tóö vifible that many, who make a great profeffion of Piety towards God, are very defective in Moral Duties; veryunpeaceable, and turbulent in their Spirits, very peevifh and paftìonate, very conceited and cenforious, as if their profeflion of Godlinefs did exempt them from the care and praftice of Cliriffian Vertues But we mutt not fo fix our Eye upon Heaven, as to forgetthat we walk upon the Earth, and to neglect the ordering of our Steps, and Converfation among Men, left while weare gazing upon the Stars, we fall into the Ditch of grofs and foul Immorality. It is verypoffrblc, that Men may be devout and zealous in Religion, very nice and fcrupulous about the Worfhip and Service of God; and yet becaufe of their palpable defect in points of Juftice and Honefty, of Meeknefs and Humility, of Peace and Charity, may be grofs and odious Hypocrites. For Menmuff not think for fonie Ads, either of outward or inward Piety, to compound with God for the neglect of Mercy and Judgment,' or todemand it as a right. from B 2 Men
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