OfSincerity towards. God and Mata.. Vol. I. the tiidît Ofdeceit ; one fpeaketh peaceably to his Neighbour, hut in his heart he lieth in wait. Shall not Ivifit for there things; faith the Lord? andfhall not my Soul be avengedof fuch a Nation as this ? Such were the Manners ofthe People of Ifrael at that time, which were both the forerunner and the caufe of thofe terrible Calamities which befell them after- wards ; and this Chara&er agrees but too well to the prefent Age, which is fo wretchedly void of Truth and Sincerity ; for which Reafon there is the greater need to recommend this Virtue to us, which feems to be fled from us, that truth and righteoufnefsmay return, andglory may dwell in our land, andGodmayPhew his mercy upon us, and grant us his Salvation, and Righteoufnefs andPeace may kifs each other. To this End give me leave to offer there following Con- fiderations. Firft, That Sincerity is the higheft Commendation, and the very befb Cha- rafter, that can be given of any Man ; it is the folid foundation of all Virtue, the Heart and Soul of all Piety and Goodnefs; it is in Scripture called perfeflion, and frequently joyned with it ; and throughout the Bible, there is the greateft firefs and weight laid upon it ; it is fpoken ofas the fum and comprehenfon of all Religion. Only fear the Lord,' and ferve him in fincerity and truth, fays Jofhua to thePeople of, Ifrael, 7of. 24. 54. God takes great pleafure in it; fo David allures us, r Chrón 29. 17. 1know, my God, that thou trye/t the Heart, and haft pleafure in uprightnefs : And again, Thou loveft truth in the inward "parts. To this difpofition of mind the Promifes of divine Favour and Blefling are particularly made, Pfal. 15. r, 2. Lordwho (hall dwell in thy Tabernacle ? who (hall dwell in thy Holy Hill ? He that zvalketh uprightly, and worketh righte- oufnefs, andfpeaketh the truth from his heart. PfaI. 32. 2. Bleffed is theMan, unto whom thé Lord imputeth no fin, and inwhofe Spirit there is noguile. And 'tis obfervable that this Character ofour Saviour here givenof Nathanael, is the only full and perfeft Commendation that we read was ever given by him of any particular Perlon. He eommends fome particular Alts ofPiety and Vir- tue in others, as St. Peter's Confeffìon of him, the Faith of the Centurion, and of the Woman that was healed by touching the Hem of his Garment, the Charity of the that caft her twoMites, into the Treafury, and the Bounty of that other devout Woman who poured upon him a Box of precious Oynt- ment : But here he gives the particular Character of a good Man, when he fays of Nathanael, that he was an Ifraelite indeed, in whom was no Guile. And the Apoftle mentions this quality, as the chief ingredient into the Character of the belt Man that ever was, our bleffed Saviour, who did no Sin, neither was Guile found in his Mouth, Secondly, The rarityof this Virtue is a farther commendation of it. A fin- cerely pious and good Man, without any guile or difguife, is not a Sight to be feen every Day. Ont Saviour in the Text flieaks of it, as a thing very extraordi- nary and of fpecial remark and obfervation, and breaks out into fume kind of wonder upon the Occafion, as if to fee a Man ofperfeft Integrity and Simplicity were an occurrence very rare andunufual, and fuch as calls for our more efpecial Attention and Regard, Behold (faith he) an Ifraelite indeed, in whom there is no Guile. Thirdly, Thewant of Sincerity will quite fpoil the Virtue and Acceptance of all our Piety and Obedience, and certainly deprive us of the Reward of it. All that we do in the Service of God, all our external Obedience to his Laws, if not animated by Sincerity, is like a Sacrifice without a Heart, which is an abomination to the Lord. Fourthly, Hypocrify and Infincerity is a very vain and foolifh Thing ; it is de- figned to cheat others, but is in Truth a deceiving of our felves. No Man would flatter or diffemble, did he believe hewere feen and difcover'd ; an open Knave is a great Fool, who déftroys at once both his Defrgn and his Reputation : And
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=