OfSincerity towards God andMan. Voh I. Men to be excufed from the great Duties and Venues of Humane Converfation ; or pretend to be above them, becaufe they relate chiefly to this World, and to the temporal happinefs of Men ; as if it were the privilege of great Devotion, to give a Licenfe to Men to be peevilh and froward, fower and morofe, fuper- cilious and cenforious in their Behaviour towards others. Men mutt have a great care, that theybe not intent upon the outward parts of Religion, to the prejudice of inward and real Goodnefs, and that they do not fo ufe the means of Religion, as to negleft and lofe the main end of it; that they do not place all Re- ligion in Fatting and outward Mortification : For though thefe things be very ufe- ful and neceffary in their place, if they be difcreetly managed, and made fubfer- vient tothe great ends Of Religion ; yet it is often feen thatMen have fo unequal a refpe& to the feveral parts of their Duty, that Fatting and Corporal Severity, thofe meager and lean Duties of Piety, in comparifon, do like Pharaoh's lean kine, devour and eat up almoft all thegoodly andwell favoured, the great arad fub- Rantial Duties of the Chriftian Life ; and therefore Men mutt take great heed, left whilft they are fo intent upon mortifying themfelves, they do not mortifie Virtue and good Nature, Humility and Meeknefs and Charity, things highly valuable in themfelves, and amiable in the Eyes of Men, and in the fight of Godof great price. For the negleft of the Moral Duties of the fecond Table is not only a mighty fcandal to Religion, but of pernicious confequencemany other ways. A fierce and ill governed, an ignorant and injudicious Zeal for the Honour of God, and fomethingor other belonging neceffarily, as they think, to his true Worfhip and Service, hath made many Men do many unreafonable, immoral and impious Things, of which Hiftory will furnifh us with innumerable Inftances, in the prafticeof the Jefuits, and other Zealots of the Church of Rome ; and there are not wanting too many Examples of this kind amongftour felves : For Men that are not fober, andconfederate in their Religion, but give themfelves up to the condo& of blind prejudice, and furious zeal, do eafily perfwade themfelves that any thing is lawful, which they ftrongly fancy to tend tó the Honour of God, and to the advancement ofthe caúfe of Religion. Hence fobie have proceeded to that height of abfurdity, in their Zeal for their Religion and Church, as to think it not only lawful but highly commendable and meritorious, to equivocate upon Oath, and break Faith with Hereticks, and to deítroy all thofe that differ from them ; as if it were Piety in fome cafes, to lie for the Truth, and to kill Men for God's fake. So that if we would approve the integrity of our Hearts to God, and evidence to our felves the fincerity of our Obedience, we ought impartially to regard all the Laws of God, andevery part ofour Duty : And if we donot, our heart is not upright with God. 'Tis obfervable that fincerity in Scripture is often called by the name of Integrity, and Perfeltion, becaufe it is integrated, and made up of all the parts ofour Duty. 6. The lait Evidence I (hall mention of the fincerity ofour Religion is, if it hold out againft perfecution, and endure the Fiery Tryal. This is the utmoft proofof our integrity, when we are called to bear theCrofs, tobe willing then to expofe all our worldly interéft, and even Life it felf, for the Caufe of God, andReligion. This is a Tryal which God doth not always call his faithful Ser- vants to ; but they are always to be prepared for it, in the Purpofe and Refolution of theirminds. This our Saviour makes thegreat Mark ofa true Difciple, ifany Man (faithhe) will be my Difciple, let him deny himfelf, and take up his croft and follow me. This is a certain fign,; that Men have received the word into good ground, and are well rooted in their Religion, when they are not (haken by thefe fierce affaults; for many (as our Saviour tells us) hear the word, and with joy receive it ; but having not root in thenfelves, they endure butfor a while, and when perfecution, or tribulation arifeth, becaufe ofthe word, prefently they are offended ; nay force, when they fee Perfecution coming at a drítance, wheel off and
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