Additions to the Saints Everlasting Rest, Section 14
§ 14 SECT. XIV.
HAving thus viewed these severall Graces, and found, that It is the prevalent Degree wherein their Sincerity, as they are Saving, doth consist; I will next briefly try this point upon some of the ordinary Marks of Sincerity besides that are given by Divines. In which I shall not speak a word in quarrelling at other mens judgements (for I shall speak but of those that I was wont to make use of my self:) but only what I conceive necessary to prevent the delusion and destruction of souls.
1. One Mark of Sincerity commonly delivered is this: To love the children of God because they are such. I the rather name this because many a soul hath been deluded about it. Multitudes of these that since are turned haters and persecutors of the Godly, did once, without dissembling, love them. Yea multitudes that are killing them by thousands (when they differ from them in opinion, or stand in the way of their carnal interest) did once love them, and do love others of them still. I have proved before that a wicked man may have some love to Christ, and then no doubt but he may have some love to a Christian, and that for his sake. Quest. But may he love a Godly man for his godliness? Answ. Yes, no doubt: Those before-mentioned did so. If a wicked man may have some degree of love to godliness, then he may have some degree of love to the Godly for it: But that he may have some degree of love to godliness is evident, 1. by experience of others, and of the Godly before conversion, who know this was their own case. 2. The understanding of an ungodly man may know that Grace and Godliness is good, and therefore his Wi…l may in some degree choose and affect it. 3. That which drew moral Heathens so strongly to love men for their Virtue and Devotion, the same principle may as well draw a man that is bred among Christians, to love a Christian for his Virtues and Devotion to Christ.
Object. But doth not the Scripture say, that we know we are translated from death to life, because we love the Brethren?
Answ. Yes, But then you may easily know it speaks of sincere Love. So it saith, Whosoever believeth shall be saved: And yet Matth. 13. Christ sheweth that many Believe who yet fall away and perish for want of deep rooting. So that the Sincerity of this love also lieth in the Degree, and therefore when the promise is made to it, or it made a mark of true Christians, you must still understand it of that Degree which may be called Sincere and Saving. The difference lieth plainly here. An unsound Christian, as he hath some Love to Christ, and Grace and Godliness, but more to his Profits or Pleasures or Credit in the world▪ so he hath some Love to the Godly (as such, being convinced that the Righteous is more excellent then his neighbour;) but not so much as he hath to these carnal things. Whereas the sound Christian, as he Loves Christ and Grace above all worldly things; so it is Christ in a Christian that he so Loves, and the Christian for Christs sake, above all such things. So that when a carnal professor will think it enough to aIf a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you say to them, Depart in peace; be …ou warmed and filled: but give them not those things which are needfull to the body, &c. Jam. 2. 15, 16. Hereby perceive we the Love of God, because he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren. But who so hath this worlds good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? Let us not Love in word and tongue, but in deed and in Truth. 1 Joh. 3. 16, 17, 18.wish them well, but will not hazzard his worldly happiness for them (if he were called to it) the Sincere Believer will not only Love them, but Relieve them, and value them so highly, that if he were called to it, he would part with his Profits or Pleasures for their sakes. For example, In Queen Marier daies, when the Martyrs were condemned to the fire, there were many Great men that really loved them, and wished them well, and their hearts grieved in pity for them, as knowing them to be in the right: But yet they loved their Honour and Wealth and Safety so much better, that they would sit on the Bench, yea and give sentence for their burning, for fear of hazzarding their Worldly happiness. Was this Sincere Saving Love to the Brethren? Who dare think so? especially in them that went on to do thus. Yet what did it want but a more intense degree, which might have prevailed over their love to carnal things? Therefore Christ will not at the last Judgement, enquire after the bare act of Love: but whether it so far prevailed over our Love to carnal interest, as to bring us to Relieve, Clothe, Visit them, &c. (and Christ in them) that is, to part with these things for them when we are called to it. Not that every man that loves the Godly is bound to give them all he hath in their necessity: For God hath directed us in what order to bestow and lay out our estates; and we must begin at our selves, and so to our families, &c. so that God may call for our estates some other waies. But (mark it, you false hearted worldlings) he that doth not so much love the ordinary sort of the Godly (and Christ in them) as that he can finde in his heart to bestow all his worldly substance for their relief, if God did not require him otherwise to expend it, this man hath no saving Love to the Godly. If therefore you would not cheat your selves (as multitudes in this age have done) about your Love to the Brethren, try not by the bare act, but by the radicated prevalent degree of your Love.
2. Another ordinary Mark of Sincerity is this, [When a man is the same in secret before God alone, as he is in publike before men: making conscience of secret as well as open duties.] But, no doubt, as many a godly man may be the more restrained from sin, and incited to Good, from publike (and perhaps carnal) motives, and so may be better in appearance publikely then he is in secret (for all men have some hypocrisie in them;) so many an unregenerate man may make conscience of secret duties as well as open; yea even of the thoughts of his heart. But still both secret duties and open are at the dispose of his carnal interest; for he will follow them no further then is consistent with that: so that this Mark doth but shew a mans sincerity in opposition to gross hypocrisie or dissembling, but not the sincerity of grace as it is saving.
3. Another ordinary Mark of sincerity is thus delivered: [When a man loves the closest and most searching preaching of the Word, and that which putteth on to the highest Degree of Holiness.] If he therefore Love it, because it putteth himself on to the Highest Degree of Holiness, and so far Love it, as that he is Willing to be searched, and put on by it, and if he therefore come to this Light, that he may know his▪ Evil thereby, that he may mortifie it, and may get Christ and his Interest advanced in his Soul; then it is a sign that he hath that Degree which I have mentioned wherein sincerity of saving Grace doth consist: But many a wicked man doth Love a searching Preacher in other respects, and one that draweth men to the highest strain; partly, because he may Love to have other men searched, and their Hypocrisie discovered, and be put on to the highest: And partly because himself may be of, and delight in the highest strain of Opinion, though his heart will not be true to his Principles. Nay many a man thinks that he may the more safely be a little more indulgent to his Carnal Interest in Heart and Life, because he is of the strictest Opinion: and therefore may Love to hear the strictest Preachers. His Conscience is so blinde and dull in the Application, that he can easily over-look the inconsistency of his Judgement, and his Heart, and Practice. O how glad is he when he hears a rowsing Sermon, because, thinks he, this meets with such a man, or such a man; this fits the profane, and the lower sort of Professors. ▪So that in these respects he may Love a searching Preacher.
4. Another common Mark of Sincerity is [When a man hath no known sin which he is not Willing to part with.] This is a true and sound Mark indeed. For it signifieth not only a dislike, nor only a hatred of sin, but such a Degree as is prevalent in the Will, as I have before described: That Christs Interest in the Will is prevalent over all the Interest of the Flesh. So that this is but in effect the same Mark that I have before delivered. Except this Willingness to part with all sin should be but a cold unconstant Wish, which is accompanied with a greater and more prevalent Love to it, and Desire to enjoy it: and then who dare think that it is any Mark of saving Sincerity? The like I might say of Hatred to sin, Love to Good, and many the like Marks: That the Sincerity lieth in the prevalent Degree: So also of the Spirit of Prayer (which is another Mark) the Spirit of Prayer so far as it is proper to the Saints, lieth in Desire after the things prayed for (with the other Graces which in Prayer are exercised) For an Hypocrite may have as excellent words as the best, and as many of them. Now these Desires must be such prevalent Desires, as is aforesaid.
I think if I could stand to mention all the other Marks of Grace (so far as I remember:) it would appear that the Life and Truth of them all lieth in this one, as being the very point wherein saving sincerity doth consist, viz. in the prevalency of Christs Interest in the soul above the Interest of Inferiour Good: and so in the Degree, and not in the bare Nature of any Act.