Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-05-22
lorigina J
SINCERITY.

Many persons think that 1t makes no sort
of difference what we believe, provided we
are sincere. While many are willing to
adopt this theory with regard to. religion,
there are but few persons who dare adopt it
with respect to their secular affairs The
theory which teaches that it matters not what
one believes, provided he is sincere, ignores
the fact that there is difference between truth
and error. Rather, according to this theory,
there is no falsehood, no wrong, when there
is sincerity. Such theory, if reduced to
practice in all the departments Of life, would
ruin the world in few weeks.
Sincerity is good thing, but it is far from
being the best thing. Men are just as sincere
in doing evil as they are in doing good. Paul
was sincere when he prosecuted the Church
even unto the death of many of its members.
Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles was no more
sincere than Saul the persecuror of the Church
of God. Paul the preacher thought he was
right. So did Saul the prosecutor. We may
ask, was there no difference between Paul be-
fore his conversion and Paul after his con.
version9 His sincerity before his conversion
was as marked as it was after. In this
respect there was no change. His misguided
zeal was just as great in tearing down the
walls of Zion as his sanctifed sincerity, after
his conversion, was in building up what he
had before torn down.
Those who claim that all that is necessary
in order to please God is that we be sincere
in our religious beliefs and in our mode and
manner of worship, should remember that we
are 80 constituted that we can be as sincere
in believing a falsehood as we can in believ.
ing the truth, and that we can be as sincere
in sacrificing our children to cruel monsters,
which we may call gods, as we can be in of:
fering to the true God the sacrifice of broken
and contrite spirit.
It seems ridiculous to say that he who sim
cerely believes falsehood is as certainly in
the path of rectitude as he who buys the
truth and sells it not So far as sincerity is
concerned, there is no difference between the
most degraded pagan and the most illustrious
Christian.
Sincerity in wrong-doing never shields any
one from the punitive effects which follow the
transgression of law. He who is in the wrong
road will not reach the place aimed at be-
cause he is sincere in his error. The James
town colony thought they had found gold.
They were told by one who knew that they
were deceived. In their intense sincerity
they continued to dig up the ground and store
away ton after ton of it in their ship. Their
sincerity had no effect upon the dirt and
rocks. It was found, when taken to Eng
land, that there was no gold in it. The result
was, the infant colony was partially ruined.
Neither sincerity nor inaincerity can change
the nature of anything. That individual
who insincerely accepts the religion of the
Bible Gf such thing be possible), does not
nullify the truth. Neither does he who sim
cerely believes lie, change lie into the
truth.
1t is the duty of all to buy the truth, to
embrace the truth, and practice the truth.
We must first be right, then sincere.