Sincerity, or, The upright mans walk to heaven in two parts shewing I. that sincerity is the true way to happiness, II. that the keeping of our selves from our own iniquity is the true way to sincerity / delivered in several sermons in the parish church of St. Michael in Long-Stratton Norfolk by James Oldfield, late minister there.

1. That man that keeps himself from his own Iniquity, he is one that hath felt

the smart and burden of sin. No wise man after he hath made a good meal of such meat as he loves best, will presently take a vomit to cast it up, unless it make him sick, and load his stomach; so is it in respect of our beloved sins, till they vex us, we will not turn them out of doors; Like the Egyptians, who would be per∣swaded by no means to let Israel go, till they saw the Plagues that they suffered for it. 11. Mat. 28. Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden; implying that none but such will come. Now let me ask you this Question, what is the Reason that some of you have parted from some sins, are these sins a trouble and burden to your Souls; or else do you not rather deal with sin, as David with Absalom, who banisht him the Court, but yet loved him for all that, if so, then know that you and sin are not rightly parted, you must cast sin out of your hearts, as the Israelites cast their leaven out of their houses, they were to curse it thence.

2. That man that hath kept himself from his own Iniquity, he is one that hath duly considered the great danger of sin; we all of us hate poyson, because we know

it will cost us our lives, O, that we knew but sin as well, we should hate it as much. When Jacob knew that Esau sought his life, he presently fled away from him; so did we, but know that sin will assuredly ruin our Souls, though we love it never so well, we should part with it. Like some fish who love the bait well, and therefore do swallow down the hook, but when they perceive the danger of the hook in their bodies, vomit up their beloved baits again. O sirs have you seriously consider∣ed Death, Judgment and Hell; have you ever set the wrath of God before your eyes; if you have, I think you will never love sin more.

3. That man that hath kept himself from his own sin, will endeavour to keep others from their sins also, 2 Cor. 5. 11. all such Persons will be telling others the dan∣ger of sin, and perswading others what they can from sin: Paul was no sooner a Convert, but he presently turned a Preach∣er. Nemo acrior inter persecutores, nemo prior inter peccatores Aug. do you do so; are any of you sensible of the danger of sin, you will be telling it to others. 'Tis in this case as in other cases; have any of

you kept a Servant in your houses that is a Thief, hath purloyned your goods, and embezel'd away any of your commodities, if you find him out, you will not only turn him away, but also forewarn all others from receiving him, telling them the dan∣ger of having such a fellow in their hou∣ses; so is it here if any man hath found out the danger of his own sin, and turned it out of his heart, he will forewarn all o∣thers of their sins, and perswade them what he can to do likewise.

4. That man that hath turned his own sin out of his heart, will be much in ag∣gravating of it what he can, he will speak the worst of it that he can, nay, not only of that sin, but of every other sin also. If a Father be highly provoked by his Son, that he hath formerly been very tender of, so that he turns him out of doors, he will be always speaking against him wherever he goes, and will not endure that any should speak in his behalf. Paul before his conversion, took great delight in his sin, (viz.) in Persecuting the Disciples of Christ, but when once he was turned from it, he was always aggravating it to the height, and speaking the worst of it, and

himself for it that he could, as you may read in the first of Tim. 1. 13, 15. v. and in the 1 Cor. 15. 9. when men can connive or wink at their sins, or speak fairly of them, 'tis a sign that they have not yet re∣nounced them. Suppose a man's own Ini∣quity be Covetousness, O he will seek to daub it over, and say, why I am good Hus∣band, I do but look after the main chance, when perhaps this man is as gripple a Worldling as any that lives; suppose his sin be swearing, he will plead for it thus, there is no such hurt in it, 'tis a trick that I have got and I cannot leave it, there be others that swear as well as I, or the like, 'tis a sign when men seek to extenuate their sins, or to plead for plead for their sins, that they and their sins are still cater-cozens, they are not yet parted. O, but every true convert will loath his sin, and loath him∣self for it, 42. Job 6. here was a true sign of Jobs Repentance, in that he abhorred himself, and by the way, here we may learn a distinguishing mark and character, between a true convert and an unconvert∣ed Person; a wicked unconverted Person, always looks upon others as greater sinners than himself, and thinks other mens sins

worse behalf than his own. A true con∣vert, thinks worst of himself and his own sins; so Paul, I am the chiefest of sinners.

5. That man that hath renounced his own sin, will live ever after in a quite op∣posite and contrary course to that sin, 1 Gal. 23. Paul you see after his conversion, was as much for Christ as before he was against Christ, 1 Cor. 15. 10. As before his con∣version, he was more furious than all the Persecutors of Christ, so after he was more laborious, than all the Preachers of Christ. His zeal was still at the full tide, only it ran in a quite contrary channel; and this was a true mark, that Paul was a sincere convert, so if any of you would know the truth of your conversion; by this you may know it, are you as much against sin as you were formerly for sin? are you as much for godliness, as formerly you were enemies to it? if the heart be changed, the life will be changed; you may know that man hath cast off his old friend, if he seeks all manner of ways to undo him; so if you have cast off your old sin, your beloved sin, you will seek as much to

destroy, as formerly to maintain it, 6. Rom. 19.

6. That man that keeps himself from his own sin, will be less in censuring others for their sins. And the Reason is this, be∣cause he hath had experience enough what it is to grapple with sin, how easie a mat∣ter to be overcome by sin, and such a man lives in continual fear of sin, least he be foyled again, least sin should once more get into his heart, 6. Gal. 1. that man that hath conquered sin, knows the strength of sin, better than others, that have ne∣ver so much as once encountred sin; he knows that sin will make the wisest Solo∣mon a fool, the strongest Sampson weak, the ••e••kest Moses angry, the most patient Job impatient, and the couragious Peter a coward. O he hath learnt by his own experience, to see that sinners have need of pity and prayers, rather than censures and revilings, 2 King. 8. 11, 12, 13. 'Tis a worthy Speech of Dr. Harris saith he, use no more words against mens sins, than thou wilt make Prayers for their Souls in secret. All the People of God will bewail sinners, while they are as confident as Hazael, 'tis a sign that man never went about to keep

his own sin out, that thinks others can leave their sins when they will.

7. He that hath parted with his beloved sin, will part with every sin. I have heard of many men, that have set their affecti∣ons so strong upon some women, that when those women have cast them off, have professed that for their sakes, they would never Marry nor endure any wo∣men after; how strongly do sinners set their affections upon their beloved sins, but if it please God to convert them, that they and sin break, they will never endure any sin after, they have known so much by that one sin; when Sarah fell out with Hagar, she presently goes to her Husband Abraham, and bids him cast out not only Hagar the Bond-woman, but Ishmael her Child also; he that hath cast out this sin, will cast out all the retainers to it; every thing that doth but smell of sin, 1 Thess. 5. 22. here is a true note of sincerity, for when we are casting out of sin if we do not cast out every sin, we do as good as nothing, for if we cast out all but one, that one sin in time, will bring in all the rest, and many more again. When Ha∣man was angry with Mordecai, he thought

it no revenge to kill him alone, for he knew that the rest of the Jews were like him, and therefore like a wise Polititian, he sought to destroy them all; do so with sin, put out every sin, they are all of the same gang. Kings when they make laws against such and such things, do not make them for particular Persons, if such a one or such a one, do so or so, he shall suffer so and so, but for all in general; so if Christ be King in thy heart, and thou be a con∣vert one of his Subjects, his Laws will be general against every sin.

8. All they that have parted with this sin, their own sin, their beloved sin, will never return to it more, 2 Sam. 13. 15, 16, 17. so wilt thou deal with this sin, bolt and bar thy heart against it; the hatred will be irreconcileable, 17. Ex. 16. never make a league with this sin more, herein was Jobs sincerity, 34. Job. 32. such a man would not be in his former condition, liv∣ing under the power of that sin, no not to gain Ten Thousand Worlds; they are dogs that return to their vomit, and Swine that return to their wallowing in the mire again; we do not read or very seldom of the Saints being twice in the same sin;

or if they have, yet they have not return∣ed with delight to it, or it was not through∣ly purged out at first. In the Gospel we read when our Saviour cast out the Devil out of many Persons, he charged him ne∣ver to return again, 9. Mark 25. so when Christ converts a Soul, he turns out sin, as here he turned out the Devil; so that tho sin still hanker about that man, yet it is never entertained more, 'tis never receiv∣ed into the heart more, there is not that love, familiarity and friendship, that their was before, but now if sin be only like a quartan Ague, to go away for a certain time and then return, that man is no true convert, but his estate is sad, like an Ague, the fit gets strength and returns more vio∣lently, there is a dreadful place to this pur∣pose in the 11. of Luk. 24, 25, 26. and in the 2 Pet. 2. 20.

All these are sure and certain marks of that man, who like David in the Text, hath kept himself from his own Iniquity; and happy is that man that can find these in him; he is far happier than the great∣est King or Prince in the World. We read of Alexander the Great, and when he had conquered the whole World, that he

fate down and wept, that he had no more Worlds to conquer, he that hath conquer∣ed this sin, may rejoyce that he hath no more to conquer.