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.

3. Use Consolation to all those that can say with David in the Text, I have kept my self from mine Iniquity. This is the proper use of the Text, David he comforts himself with this consideration, this one thing was better to David than his honors and riches, than his Crown and Kingdom. This was Davids cordial in the Wilderness, and his Song of rejoicing upon his Throne. I will desire you once more to look upon the Title of this Psalm, and read it over, a Psalm of &c. in the Title David rejoy∣ceth over his outward Enemies, among which he reckons Saul as the chiefest, but in the Psalm David triumpheth over his Spiritual Enemies, and among these he reckoneth his own Iniquity as the King, the chiefest v. 21, 23. this was a far great∣er comfort to David, that he kept himself from his own Iniquity, than his being kept from the power and malice of Saul his chiefest Enemy. And therefore David leaves this upon record for all the World to take notice of it; and seems to intimate thus much to us, that this was the Reason why God delivered him from his greatest

Enemy, because he kept himself from his own Iniquity, v. 24 Here then beloved, we see the Fountain for a dry and thirsty Soul. Here is the true cordial in calami∣ty, the surest comfort under the greatest conflict; let Men and Devils muster up all their Armies, and rally up all their Re∣giments against the Saints, they cannot hurt those who have kept themselves from their own Iniquities: Sincerity my Friends, is such armor of proof, that no bullets of afflictions, no chain shot of tribulations, no poysoned darts of Temptations, no fie∣ry granadoes of persecutions are able to pierce or enter into That man that hath kept his own Iniquity out, need not fear any sorrows entring into his Soul. No won∣der that those who keep common tipling∣houses, to which Drunkards and Swear∣ers, and wicked Persons of all sorts have free resort, are seldom quiet, but singing and ranting, railing and reviling, wrang∣ling and fighting are the dayly dishes they feed upon. Just so are the hearts of all sinners, where this Iniquity as the Master, keeps a common Inn for all other sins to resort unto, their is no quietness no com∣fort, no peace in that Soul, 57. Isaiah 20, 21.

'tis seldom that a sinner dines a good day; and therefore Solomon tells us that even in laughter the heart of the wicked is sorrowful, 2 Kin. 9. 22. this thine Ini∣quity is the true Jezabel, and all other sins are but her brats and bastards; cast out this Jezabel and thy Soul shall live, fling but this Jonas over-board and their will be presently a calm. O the Heaven that there is in that Soul, whereinto neither this Iniquity, nor any other wicked thing doth enter. Give me leave in a few words as I am able to shew you some part of the happiness of that man that can say as in the Text, I have kept, &c.

1. There is nothing to hinder the Uni∣on and Marriage between Christ and that Soul; here what Paul tells us concerning the Laws of Wedlock, in the 1 Cor. 7. 39. This is the case of every man, while we are in our natural unregenerate condition (mark it well) we are wedded every one of us to this our own Iniquity, every Soul is bound to this Husband; now the Mini∣sters they publish the Banns of Marriage between Christ and the Soul, will you sin∣ners accept of Christ, Christ is desirous to have you, he hath a great love to your

Souls, he is willing to espouse you, to make you happy; every Minister is the Friend of the Bridegroom, in every Sermon, we ask the Banns between Christ and your Souls, and tell you that Christ for his part is very willing, nay earnestly desirous of you, why then what is it that hinders, where doth it stick; O beloved, I will tell you the very truth, as I expect to an∣swer for your Souls and mine own, at the great day of Judgment; why 'tis this sin our own Iniquity in every one of our own bosoms, that steps in and forbids the Bans, sin cries out the Soul is mine, 'tis my Wife, Christ hath nothing to do with her while I live. O Friends, consider seriously what you do, while you maintain this sin in your hearts, you stand most in your own light, and refuse Christ to be your Hus∣band. But now kill this sin, and then you are free to accept of Christ, and here is the happiness of every true Saint, Christ and his Soul is united, assoon as sin and his Soul is parted, 7. Rom. 24. it implies thus much; O how happy a man should I be, were I but once freed from this sin, which is as a body of death to me. I have read of a cruel Tyrant, who invented this cru∣el

kind of death for Malefactors, that he did not kill them presently, but tyed them while they were living, to the stinking Carcasses of dead men, and so were pining to death by degrees, by the very noysom∣ness of those Carcasses; O sin is a most noysom Carcass, could you but once smell the stink of it, you would cry out with the Apostle, O wretched Man or Woman that I am, &c. but the Soul that is freed from this sin, may sit and sing with the spouse, my beloved is mine and I am his. O the spiritual joy and comfort, that is in that heart, when Christ and the Soul meets. If John the Baptist leaped for joy in the Womb of Elizabeth, when the Vir∣gin Mary came but into the House, how then will that Soul leap, when Christ is entred into the heart. But the wicked they loose this happiness, because they will not part with sin; what said Balaam to Balak in the 24. Num. 11. so will Christ say to sinners, depart from me ye cursed, flee away, I thought to have espoused you, and to have promoted you to great honor, but sin hath kept you back from honor and happiness.

2. There is no sin shall be laid to that

man's charge, O this is a great happiness, and the most wicked Person in the World will acknowledge as much, and cry out, O that my sins were pardoned, O that God would not lay sin to my charge, 32. Ps. 1, 2. now this is the blessedness of eve∣ry one, that keeps himself from his own Iniquity. Brethren, know this, that if we our selves do not own any sin, God will never Father any sin upon us, assoon as we cast any sin out of our hearts, God he presently blots that sin out of his Book, 18. Ezek. 30. O that you would but heark∣en to this word; turn from your Iniquity and your Iniquity shall not be your ruin. 8. Rom. 1. let not sin command you, and sin shall never condemn you. O here is comfort indeed; go to a poor Prisoner and tell him you will give him a great Estate a Thousand a Year, tell him how bravely he shall live then, and eat and drink of the best: O but saith the poor Prisoner I have committed a great fault for which the Judge will not pardon me, I must dye for it, and what will all these things that thou dost promise do me good, If I had but my pardon to save my life, that is all that I desire, that's better than all; so here, tell

a man of worldly prosperity, and glory, and honour, and pleasures; alass, what will all this do me good, if my sins be not pardoned, and I must be sent to Hell; sin unpardoned, that causeth sorrow in the best of outward conditions, but sin par∣doned causeth joy in the worst of all con∣ditions; what saith such a man, what care I for poverty, losses, troubles, I can triumph in all, because I know that my sins are blotted out, and I shall be eternal∣ly happy.

3. All things shall work together for their good, 8. Rom. 28. now who are they that love God, why, we may certainly conclude, that 'tis they who do not love any sin. How did God testifie his love to us, but by parting with his own Son for our sakes; so shall we sufficiently testifie our love to God, if we can part with our own sin for his sake, now such and all such have this priviledge, that nothing shall hurt them, nay every thing shall do them good. All evils whatever, shall be to such Persons like Josephs Prison, the way to preferment. O what a comfort is this to us in a World so full of evils, e∣vils of sin, evils of sufferings, evils of

temptations, evils of afflictions. A sick man will joyfully drink the bitterest po∣tion, when he knows it will do him good, so the Saints rejoyce and are com∣forted in all their miseries, here knowing that they shall work for their greater glo∣ry hereafter.

4. They shall have this priviledge to have their Prayers heard and answered; saith David in the 66. Psal. 18. if I regard Iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me; therefore by the rule of con∣traries, we may conclude, that if we do abhor, and forsake, and turn Iniquity out of our hearts, then God will hear our Prayers, 2. Hos. 17. what was Baalim, why this was their Iniquity, their great Idol, well what follows v. 21, 22. O Friends, consider well this priviledge, you that come to Church and say your Prayers, for what end is it that you Pray, if you desire not that God should hear you, if not you Pray in vain, if you desire that God should hear you, put away your Iniquities; we read of Hannah, that when God answer'd her Prayers, she was comforted, her coun∣tenance was sad no more, on the other side see the 4. Gen. 5. O we may guess

whither God hears our Prayers or no by our faces, and by mens very looks. O Friends, prize this priviledge of having your Prayers answered, and do not loose it for the love of a few sins, did you but know what is gained by Prayer, you would not part with this priviledge for all the sins in the World.

5. These Persons only are fit to dye, these are the Persons that do triumph over death, 1 Cor. 15. 55. Death is a cruel bi∣ting venomous Serpent, it makes the proudest to stoop, the strongest to trem∣ble, lays the stoutest man upon his back, and makes the greatest Beauty to look pale; but now saith a Saint come death I fear thee not, I have taken out thy sting, which was mine own Iniquity, now do thy worst, I shall live in spight of thee, O you that are afraid to dye, come learn this lesson, learn how to unsting death; sin brought death into the World, turn out sin, and you shall not need to fear death. A man that is in debt, and hath a writ out against him, he is fain to hide and keep close, but assoon as the writ is out of date, then dare he boldly go abroad, and look the Serjeant in the face; when we are as∣sured,

that our sin is cancelled out of God's Book, then death's writ signifies nothing to us, we can smile in the very face of this grim Serjeant. O learn to live with∣out sin, that you may dye without sorrow, O how happy are all they, whom death it self the worst of evils cannot make mi∣serable. And thus you see some of the parts of their happiness, who can say as in the Text, I have kept &c. here is com∣fort enough for any man, and Brethren, if you do but remember them so as to consi∣der them again, you will find that it is a far greater happiness, than the greatest Kings and Princes in the World have in all their plenty and prosperity; here is happiness in life, all things work for our good; all our Prayers answered; at death, unsting it; at judgment, no sin charged; after, to all Eternity espoused to Christ and be with the Lord. But least any should take this comfort to themselves to whom it doth not belong, I will lay down some Marks and Characters of such Persons as those are, who keep themselves from their own Iniquities.

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.