io Of Sincerity towards God and Man. Vol. L walks in the dark, all his Pretences are fo tranfparent, that he that runs may read them, ; he is the loft Man that finds himfélf to be found out, and whilft he takes it for granted that hemakes Fools of others, he renders himfelf ridiculous. Add to all this, thatSincerity is the inoft compendiousWifdom; and an excellent Inftrument for the fpeedy dìfpatch of Bufinefs ; it creates confidence in thofe we have to deal With, faves the labour of many Enquiries, and brings things town iffue in fewWords : It is like travelling in a plain beaten Road, which commonly brings a Man foòner tohis Journeys end, than By-ways, in which Men often lofe themfelves. In a word,whatfoever convenience maybe thought to be in Falfhoocf and Dif tnulation, it is foon over ; but the inconvenience of it is perpetual, be- code it brings a Man under an everlafting jealoufie and fufpicion, fo that he is not believed when he fpeaks truth, nor trufted when perhaps he means honeftly: When a Man hath once forfeited the Reputation of his Integrity, he is fet fait, and nothing will then ferve his turn, neither Truth nor Falfhood. And l have often thought, that God bath in great Wifdom hid from Men of falfe and difhoneft minds the wonderful Advantages of Truth and Integrity to the profpetity even of our worldly Affairs ; thefe Men are fo blinded by their Cove- toufnefs and Ambition, that they cannot look beyond a prefent Advantage, nor forbear to feize upon it, tho' byways never fo indire&; they cannot fee fo far, as to the remote Confequences of a steady Integrity, and the vaft Benefit and Ad- vantages which it will bring a Man at laft. Werebut this fort of Men wife and clear-lighted enough to difcetn this, they would be honeft, out ofvery Knavery, riot out of any love to Honefly and Virtue, but with a crafty defign to promote and advance more effeftualiy their own Interefts ; and therefore the Jufticeofthe Divine Providencehath hid this trueft point of Wifdom from their Eyes, that bad Men might not be upon equal Terms with the Juft and Upright, and ferve their own wicked Defigns by honeft and lawful means. Indeed, ifa Man were only to deal in the World for a day, and fhould never have occafion to converfe more with Mankind, never more need their good Opi- nion, or goodWord, it were then no great matter (fpeaking as to the Concernments of this World) if a Man fpent his Reputation all at once, and ventured it at one throw : But if he be to continue in the World, and would have the advantage of Converfation whilft he is in it, let him make ufe of Truth and Sincerity in all his Words and Allions, for nothing but this will Taft and hold out to the end; all other Arts will fail, but Truth and Integrity will carry a Man through, and bear him out to the lair. 'Tis the Obfervation ofSolomon, Prov. 12. 19. The lipofTruth is eflahlifb d fir ever : but a lying tongue is but for a moment. And thewifer any Man is, the more clearly will he difcern, how ferviceable Sincerity is to all the great Ends and Purpofes of humane Life ; and that Man bath made a good progrefs, and profited couch in the School of Wifdoin, who valueth Truth and Sincerity according to their worth. Every Man will readily grant them to be great Virtues, and Ar- guments of a generous Mind, but that there is fo much oftrue Wifdom in them, and that they really ferve to profit our Intereft in this World, feems a great Pa- radox to the generality ofMen; and yet I doubt not but it is undoubtedly true, and generally found to be fo, in the experience of Mankind. Lajtly, Confider that it is not worth our while to dißèmble, confidering the fhortnefs and efpecially the uncertainty of our Lives. To what purpofe fhould we be fo cunning, when our abode in this World is fo fhort and uncertain ? Why íhòuldany Man by diffembling his Judgment, or offing contrary to it, incur at once the difpleafure of God, and the difcontent of his own Mind ? Efpecially if we confider, that all our Diflimulation thall one day be made manifeft and pub- lifhed on the open Theatre ofthe World, before God, Angelsand Men, to our everlaftingfhameand confufion ; all Difguife and Vizards (hall thenbe pulckt off, and every Man (hall appear in his trueColours. For then the fecrets ofMenfhall be judged, and God will bring every Work into fudgmeiit, and everyfecret thing, whether
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