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. As to the former, no man accu∣seth you of any sin, it doth not thence follow that no man can accuse you of any sin; so here you say your Consci∣ence doth not accuse you, O it follows not, that therefore your Conscience can∣not accuse you; there be many vile Per∣sons in the World, whose Consciences never yet smote them for many sins that they committed, it doth not therefore follow that they never committed them, you must know this, that Conscience

doth not speak always; some mens Con∣sciences are like some Devils we read of in the Gospel, they were dumb De∣vils, so there are dumb Consciences: Nay, and where Conscience doth some∣times speak, sometimes it holds its tongue. An example in David, when David cut the lap of Sauls Garment, 'tis said his heart smote him, there Con∣science spake, 1 Sam. 24. 5. but when David had committed those two great sins of of Murder and Adultery, 'tis not said then that Davids heart smote him, no he lay a whole Year in that sin with∣out any remorse of Conscience at all, till the Prophet Nathan came and re∣proved him for it. Divines they tell us that great sins do vastare conscientiam, they sear and harden the Conscience that so it speaks not at all. O Brethren, be afraid of your selves when you sin, and your Consciences let you alone and never tell you of them.