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.

2. After we have got this sin out. Bre∣thren, 'tis not enough to turn this sin out, but we must keep it out else 'twill return again, 12. Mat. 43, 44, 45. O prevent its return again, have a care of returning to it again, that will be very dangerous, and therefore I will at present give you the ad∣vice the Prophet gave to the King of Israel 1 Kings 20. 21, 22. so observe mark what you do, be not secure, sin will rally up a∣gain, and the Devil will give you another onset. Brethren, I might here as it were enter into a new field, and inlarge my self very much, but my intent is to put a period

to this discourse, and therefore I will only lay down two directions in this case, and so conclude.

1. Pray much against this sin, even af∣ter you have thrown it out; prayer will fetch down strength from Heaven to resist. A praying Christian is a powerful Christi∣an; the Devil trembles at the Prayers of a true Saint, O then neglect not this duty.

2. Be watchfull against this sin; what Solomon saith of a Vertuous Woman may be applyed to this case, 31. Prov. 18. when a man comes to see the happiness of being freed from his own Iniquity, O this makes him watchful and industrious that he come not into the slavery of sin again, the good Christian keeps his Watch-candle always burning. It was an excellent saying of Luther, apperuit nobis in paradiso oculos Sa∣tan; nunc omnis labor in eo nobis est, ut eos iterum claudamus & obturemus. Christ he bids us watch, and he would feign find us waking when he comes, but the Devil he would feign find us sleeping when he comes; security that brings sin to us again. O Brethren, after we have taken pains to cast out this sin, let us not be so careless and negligent as to suffer this sin to get

possession again. And this is the way the Text points out to us to keep this sin out to be watchfull against it, the word in the Text is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 I kept my self, it signify∣eth, as I noted at the beginning of my en∣tring upon this Text, the care and diligence of a Sentinel, that stands upon his Watch∣tower to descry an enemy coming. O Brethren, are we Christians let us be al∣ways upon our guard, always upon our Watch tower. Brethren, we can never be too carefull in this business, our Souls our everlasting condition depends upon this, as ever we hope to appear in the presence of God at the Day of Judgment, let this be the Rule of our whole lives here upon the Earth, To live uprightly before God, and to keep our selves from our own Ini∣quities.