THAT YE MAY BE SINCERE

 
 
That ye may be sincere
Philippians 1:10
 
SINCERITY is a great ornament; and
  it is one of the essentials of the Christians character.
 
A man must be sincere, or
  he cannot be a Christian.
 
To be sincere is to be simple, open, free from
  fraud or duplicity;
  a double minded man, or
  a double faced man, or
  a double tongued man,
  is no Christian, let him be what else he may.
 
God’s Israelites have no allowed guile.
 
They hate hypocrisy and pretense.
 
To be sincere is to be pure, bearing examination as to
  principles, possessions, and practices;
  any man who does not frequently examine himself, and
  who is afraid to be examined by others,
   has reason to question his sincerity.
 
O may we be sincere!
 
Sincerely believing God's truth,
  sincerely seeking God's glory,
  sincerely doing God's will, and
  sincerely seeking to promote God’s cause!
 
Without sincerity, our profession is a lie;
  our pretensions, an insult to God; and
  our end will be according to our deeds.
 
Reader, are you what you professed to be?
 

Is there pretense,
  no putting on,
  no deception in your profession or conduct?
 
O “That you may be sincere.”

 

May we be kept sincere,

And after Jesus breathe,

Still walk in godly fear,

And close to Jesus cleave

In all sincerity rejoice,

And here thy kind approving voice.

 

James Smith 1849