legs of a length, as I may say; his care alike conscientious to the whole will of God. The hypocrite, like the badger, hath one foot shorter than another, or like a foundered horse he doth not stand, as we say, right of all four; one foot at least you shall perceive he favours, loth to put it down. The Pharisees pretended much zeal to the first table: they prayed and fasted in an extraordinary manner; but they prayed for their prey, and when they had fasted all day, they sup at the poor widow's cost, her house they mean to devour: a sad fast, that ends in oppression, and only serves to get them a ravenous appetite, to swallow others' estates under a pretence of devotion. The moralist, he is very punctual in his dealings with men, but very thievish in his carriage to God; though he will not wrong his neighbour of a farthing, sticks not to rob God of greater matters: his love, fear, faith, are due debts to God, but he makes no conscience of paying them. It is ordinary in Scripture to describe a saint, a godly person, by a particular duty, a single grace; sometimes his character is, "one that feareth an oath," Eccles. ix. 2, sometimes one that loves the brethren, 1 John iii. 14, and so of the rest, and why? but because wherever one duty is conscientiously performed, the heart stands ready for any other. As God hath enacted all his commands with the same authority, wherefore it is said, "God spake all these words," Exod. xx. 1. one as well as the other, so God infuseth all grace together, and writes not one particular law in the heart of his children, but the whole law, which is an universal principle, inclining the soul impartially to all; so that if thou likest not all, thou art sincere in none.

Secondly, The sincere Christian is uniform, quoad subjectum; the whole man, so far as renewed, moves one way; all the powers and faculties of the soul join forces, and have a sweet accord together. When the understanding makes discovery of a truth, then conscience improves her utmost authority on the will, commanding it in the name of God, whose officer it is, to entertain it; the will, so soon as conscience knocks, opens herself, and lets it in; the affections, like dutiful handmaids, seeing it a guest welcome to the will (their mistress) express their

readiness to wait on it, as becomes them in their places. But in the hypocrite it is not so; there one faculty fights against another; never are they all found to conspire and meet in a friendly vote. When there is light in the understanding, the man knows this truth and that duty; then oft conscience is bribed for executing its office, it doth not so much as check him for the neglect of it; truth stands as it were before the soul, and conscience will not so much befriend it as to knock and rouse up the soul to let it in: if conscience be overcome to plead its cause, and shews some activity in pressing for entertainment, it is sure either to have a churlish denial, with a frown for its pains, in being so busy, to bring such an unwelcome guest with it, as the froward wife doth by her husband, when he brings home with him one she doth not like, or else a feigned entertainment, the more subtilly to hide the secret enmity it hath against it.

Thirdly, Quoad circumstantias obedientiæ. The sincere soul is uniform as to the circumstances of his obedience and holy walking; such as are time, place, and company, and manner. He is uniform as to time: his religion is not like a holyday suit, put on only at set times, but come to him when you will, you shall find him clad alike, holy on the Lord's-day and holy on the week-day too': "blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doth righteousness at all times," Ps. cvi. 3. it is a sign it is not a man's complexion, when the colour he hath while he sits by a fire dies away soon after. There are some if you would see their goodness, and be acquainted with their godliness, you must hit the right time, or else you will find none; like some flowers that are seen but some months in the year; or like some physicians that they call forenoon-men, they that would speak with them to any purpose, must come in the morning, because commonly they are drunk in the afternoon. Thus, may be in the morning you may take the hypocrite on his knees in a saint's posture; but when that fit is over, you shall see little of God in all his course till night brings him again to the like duty. The watch is naught that goes only at first winding up, and stands all the day after; and so is that heart sure that desires not always

to keep in spiritual motion. I confess there may be a great difference in the standing of two watches: one from the very watch itself, because it hath not the right make, and this will ever do so till altered; another possibly is true work, only some dust clogs the wheels, or fall hath a little battered it, which removed, it will go well again; and there is as great difference between the sincere soul and hypocrite in this case: the sincere soul may be interrupted in its spiritual motion and Christian course, but it is from some temptation that at present clogs him; but he hath a new nature, which inclines to a constant motion in holiness, and doth upon the removing the present impediment, return to its natural exercise of godliness; but the hypocrite fails in the very constitution and frame of his spirit, he hath not a principle of grace in him to keep him moving.

Again, The sincere Christian is uniform as to place and company. Wherever he goes he carries his rule with him, which squares him; within doors amidst his nearest relations, David's resolve is his, Psal. ci. 2. "He will walk within his house with a perfect heart;" follow him abroad, he carries his conscience with him, and doth not bid it, as Abraham his servants, when ascending the mount, to stay behind till he comes back. The Romans had a law that every one should, wherever he went, wear a badge of his trade in his hat, or outward vestment, that he might be known: the sincere Christian never willingly lays aside the badge of his holy profession. No place nor company turns -him out of the way that is called holy. Indeed his conscience doth not make him forego his prudence; he knows how to distinguish of place and place, company and company; and therefore, when cast among boisterous sinners and scornful ones, he doth not betray religion to scorn, by throwing its pearls before such as would trample on them, and rend him, yet he is very careful lest his prudence should put his uprightness to any hazard. "I will behave myself wisely (saith David in the forenamed, Psalm) in a perfect way;" that is, I will shew myself as wise as I can, so I may also be upright. Truly, that place and company is, like the torrid zone, uninhabitable to a gracious soul, where profane

ness is so hot that sincerity cannot look out, and shew itself by seasonable counsel and reproof, with safety to the saint; and therefore they that have neither so much zeal to protest against the sins of such, nor so much care of themselves as to withdraw from thence, where they can only receive evil and do no good, have just cause to call their sincerity into question.

SECT. IV.

Fourthly, The sincere Christian is progressive, never at his journey's end till he gets to Heaven: this keeps him always in motion, advancing forward in his desires and endeavours; he is thankful for little grace, but not content with great measures of grace: "When I awake," saith David, "I shall be satisfied with thy likeness, Psalm xvii. 15; he had many a sweet entertainment at the house of God in his ordinances; the Spirit of God was the messenger that brought him many a covered dish from God's table, inward consolations, which the world knew not of, yet David has not enough, it is Heaven alone that can give him his full draught. They say the Gauls, when they first tasted of the wines of Italy, were so taken with their lusciousness and sweetness, that they could not be content to trade thither for this wine, but resolved they would conquer the land where they grew : thus the sincere soul thinks it not enough to receive a little now and then of grace and comfort from Heaven, by trading and holding commerce at a distance with God in his ordinances here below, but projects and meditates a conquest of that holy land and blessed place from whence such rich commodities come, that he may drink the wine of that kingdom in that kingdom. This raiseth the soul to high and noble enterprises, how it may attain to further degrees of grace every day than another, and so climb nearer and nearer Heaven. He that aims at the sky, shoots higher than he that means only to hit a tree. "I press (saith Paul) toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus," Phil. iii. 13. Others admired Paul's attainments (O that they had Paul's grace, and then they should be happy!), but he

would count himself very unhappy if he might have no more; he professeth he hath not apprehended what he runs for; the prize stands not in the midway, but at the end of the race, and therefore he puts on with full speed, yea makes it the trial of uprightness in all, ver. 15. "Let us therefore as many as be perfect (that is sincere) be thus minded." It is the hypocrite that stints himself in the things of God. A little knowledge he would have, that may help him to discourse of religion among the religious, and for more he leaves it as more fitting for the preacher than himself. Some outward formalities he likes, and makes use of in profession, as attendance on public ordinances, and sins which would make him stink among his neighbours, he forbears; but as for pressing into more inward and nearer communion with God in ordinances, labouring to get his heart more spiritual, the whole body of sin more and more mortified, this was never his design: like some slighty tradesman that never durst look so high as to think of being rich, but thinks it well enough if he can but hold his shop-doors open, and keep himself out of gaol, though with a thousand shifting tricks.

CHAP. XIII.

A WORD OF DIRECTION TO THOSE WHO UPON TRIAL ARE FOUND UNSOUND AND FALSE-HEARTED.

HAVING laid down characters of the sincere heart, it will be necessary to make some improvement of them, as the report shall be that conscience makes in your bosoms, upon putting yourselves to the trial of your spiritual states by the same. Now the report that conscience makes, after examination of yourselves by those notes prefixed, will amount to one of these three inferences either it will condemn thee for a hypocrite, or pronounce thee a sincere Christian, or thirdly, bring in an ignoramus, and leave thee in doubt whether thou art