SERPA. XXI.] TRUTH, SINCERITY, &C. 35.1 and in all the prosecutions of those divine and eternal purposes in heaven and on earth. No alteration of cir- cumstances, no change of place, from a cross on earth to a throne in heaven, can change his compassion and love to his saints. And shall we suffer our petty changes here' on earth, from a higher to a lower part of a little mole- hill, to make such a shameful alteration in our conduct to our friends, as too often endangers our truth, and disco- vers our inconstancy? Let us consider that by our profession öfchristianity we renounce deceit and falsehood, and all the hidden things of darkness : We are children of the light, then let us walk in the light, and do the truth, and let our deed's be made manifest, that they are wrought iri God ; that is,. in the faith and fear of God, John iii. 21. Why should a christian be a deceiver, when he. bears the name of Christ the faithful and true: How inconsistent a cha= racler is it for a christian to be a liar : For a christian to be false, and violate and break his word : How dis- honourable is it to the holy name we bear. Let the children ofSatan, who is a liar from the begin- ning, delight themselves in falsehoods, and sport them- selves in their own deceivings : Let those:who renounce all hope in the promises of God, imitate the devil, who is the father of lies : But let us who trust in the God of truth, who believe in Jesus the Saviour, and make hi's truth our hope, let us imitate our heavenlyFather and our blessed Lord. Let us speak the truth and practise it. It was by a lie of the devil that our first parents were deceived and ruined : All our sin and misery sprung from that falsehood Ye shall not surely die. And it is by our faith in the truth and promise of God that we hope for salvation, While we therefore remem- ber either the spring of our ruin, or the means of our re- covery, we should love the truth, and hate lying. But there are motives of terror, as well as arguments of grace and love, that should ever influence us to since- rity and truth. We should remember that Christ our Lord has eyes like a flame of fire, that lie searches the hearts and the reins, and will render to every one accord- ing to their works, Rev. ii. 23. We should remember the dreadful threatenings that Christ the faithful and true Witness, Christ the Lord and Judge of all men, hath 2 A 2
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