The Godly Man's Picture

4. Sincerity is Gospel perfection, Job 1. 8. Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect, and an upright man. Though a Christian be full of infirmities, and like a Child that is put ⟨p. 137⟩out to Nurse, weak and feeble, yet God looks upon him, as if he were completely righteous: Every true Saint hath the Thummim of perfection upon his breast-plate.

4. Sincerity is Gospel perfection, Iob 1. 8. Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect, and an upright man. Though a Christian be full of infirmities, and like a Childe that is put ⟨p. 137⟩out to Nurse, weak and feeble, yet God looks upon him, as if he were compleatly righteous: Every true Saint hath the Thummim of perfection upon his breast-plate.

5. Sincerity is that which the Devil strikes most at: Satan's spite was not so much at Jobs Estate, as his integrity; he would have wrested the Shield of Sincerity from him, but Job held that fast, Job 27. 6. A Thief doth not fight for an empty purse, but for money: The devil would have robbed Job of the Jewel of a good Conscience, and then he had been poor Job indeed: Satan doth not oppose Profession, but Sincerity: Let men go to Church, and make glorious pretences of holiness, Satan doth not oppose this; this doth him no hurt, nor them no good; but if men will be sincerely pious, then Satan musters up all his forces against them: Now that which the Devil doth most assault, we must labour most to maintain: Sincerity is our Fort-Royal, where our chief treasure lies; this Fort is most shot at, therefore let us be more careful to preserve it: While a man keeps his Castle, his Castle will keep him: While we keep Sincerity, Sincerity will keep us.