SERJvL-XXI.] T1UJTII, - SINCERITY, &C. 353. truth ; and it is a most inconsistent thing for the profes- sors of this gospel to be guilty of falsehood. God the Father is the God of truth ; and never did he give sa glorious a demonstration of the sincerity of his love, of the faithfulness of his promises, and of the con- stancy of his compassionate design to man, as in sending his own Son into the world, according to his ancient pro- phecies of a thousand years, and bestowing upon us Je- sus the Saviour. Jesus Christ, by whose name we are called, he is the true and faithful witness, Rev. iii. 14. Truth and grace, and peace came by him, John i. 17. He is called the truth, John xiv. 6. He came down to bring life and im- mortality to light by his gospel ; he came to tell us, and he well knew, that in his Father's house were many man- sions ; and if it were not so, says he, I would have told you ; But it is not my business to be a deceiver to men : Therefore all the life, light, and immortality that I have discovered to you in my preaching, it is all sincere, it is all real. When you enter into the other world, trusting my promises, you will find all my words fulfilled. I would not have raised your expectations, if it had been otherwise. Again, the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of truth ; it is he that guides us into all truth, John xvi. 13. And the name of this Father, and this Son, and this Holy Spirit, is called upon us in our first admission to christianity So that we wear the ,name of the God of truth upon us, and shall we indulge temptations to falsehood ? Shall we practise de- ceit, who profess a gospel of such truth, and upon whom the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the name of the God of truth is pronounced in baptism ? God is sincere in his revelations of grace, and discove- ries of his pardoning mercy ; for he sent his own Son to die for us, and this is a proof of his sincerity in his de- signs of love. Let us then be sincere in love to our God, to our fellow-creatures, and fellow -christians. Jesus Christ is sincere in the profession of his leve, and he hath given us an infallible pledge of it, for he hath given his life for us. Greater love /math no man than this, that a man lay down his life,for his friends, John xv. 13. But he bath laid down his life for enemies, and vo i. r, a A
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