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.

Answ. 1. I will lay down some proposi∣tions.

1. It cannot be denyed, but that the Saints themselves are subject to this falling sickness, they have in them the seeds of Apostacy as well as others. This appears from many examples in Scripture, Abra∣ham twice denyed his Wife Sarah, nay and that was not all, he made a bargain to do so still, 20. Gen. 13. David, what did he less than commit murder intentio∣nally, when he swore he would be the death of Nabal and all his innocent Fami∣ly, so he confesseth, 1 Sam. 25. 32, 33, 34. yet after this he commits actual mur∣der on Uriah; how oft in the Book of Judges did the Church sin the sin of Ido∣latry, and repented and fell again and a∣gain; now we must unchurch the Church of the Jews, if we say that the People of God never relapse, or fall into the same sin after Repentance. Vid. Dr. Goodwins folly of relapsing.

2. The Scripture doth no where tell us, that if a man after Humiliation or Repentance fall into the same sin again,

he shall not be pardoned, nay we may prove the contrary.

1. God will certainly forgive us as much as we are commanded to forgive our Bro∣ther, 17. Luk. 3, 4. 18. Mat. 21, 22. Now God is much more infinite in mercy than we are, and certainly if God will not li∣mit us any time from forgiving our Bre∣thren, we ought not to limit the mercy of God, as to say if we commit a sin so many times, it shall not be forgiven.

2. There is no sin exempted from par∣don in Scripture, but the sin against the Holy Ghost, and the reason of it is this, that sin shall never be pardoned, because he that commits it can never repent of it. But now a man may repent of his falling again into the self same sin, and therefore that sin may be pardoned, 3. Je∣remiah 12.

3. A man may commit the same sin of∣ten, and yet be in Christ, and in a state of grace for all that; Peter thrice denyed Christ, and yet Christ did not reject him for all that, and the Disciples of Christ, we read that twice they contended for the Superiority and Supremacy, and yet for all this they continued still in the favour of

Christ; the reason of this is, that all those that are in Christ once, are ever in Christ, 13. John. 1. 'tis not all the sins in the World can take off the love of Christ from any of his Saints. Christ will never suffer any of his Saints so to fall as to fall quite away. Though like Eutichus they fall from the third loft, yet there is life, the life of Grace in them.

4. A man may commit the same sin of∣ten, and yet for all that, that sin may not be his beloved sin his own Iniquity; he may commit it only out of fear, as Abra∣ham and Peter did, or through the violence of the Temptation, as David his murder the second time, or through the strength and power of corruption, or for want of watchfulness, &c. Now for all this a true Saint commits the same sin again and a∣gain, yet he may not love it, nor delight in it, nor desire to live in it, his heart may be another way for all that. These things may serve for consolation to such as are herein concerned, but withal,