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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26059	The danger of hypocrisie a sermon preached at Guild-Hall Chappel, August 3d, 1673 / by William Asheton ...	Assheton, William, 1641-1711.	1673 (1673)	Wing A4027; ESTC R1873	12,256	37

unless the Soul be united to God and Christ it neither lives the life of Grace here nor shall live the life of Glory hereafter By this time I hope you see the Reason why Hypocrites and Cast-aways shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven because though they have a name to live though they have many counterfeit Graces proceeding from the Principles of moraliz'd restrained nature yet they are dead for want of this union they are no living members of Christ's Body and therefore shall never reign with Christ as their Head And now as to the Assumption viz. That an outward Profession may be found in Hypocrites and Cast-aways in such men as shall never come to Heaven I cannot give you a more full either proof or illustration than the stories of the Scribes and Pharisees particularly the Pharisees That they were a company of errand Hypocrites we have little cause to doubt because our Blessed Saviour who knew their very Thoughts calls them so even to their faces and confutes them under that notion for a whole Chapter together as you find it Matth. 23. Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites is the burden of it That they were likewise Reprobates and Cast-aways we have great cause to think not only from their obstinate refusal of the Messiah Have any of the Pharisees believed on him But also John 7. 48. because Christ himself assures us Except your Righteousness exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes Matth. 5. 20. and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Such were these Pharisees such Hypocrites such Cast-aways And yet if you consult their Character you will find they were as zealous Professors of Religion as any can be nam'd either in the Jewish or Christian State It was no small part of their holiness and whereby they begat an Opinion of Saintship that they were a praying People and often repair'd to God's house as if they had been intimate friends of his and had frequent Communion with him They would extend their Prayers to a very great length which is an Argument they were well pleas'd in the Duty I might tell you of their fasting twice a-week their strict Observance of the Sabbath with other instances which I have not time to enlarge only I must not omit to remind you how precise they were in their Separations from other men Out of a superstitious fear it 's likely lest they should pollute themselves by a mixt Communion And yet these seeming Saints as the Scripture tells us were unnatural to their Parents devour'd Widows houses absolved men from their Oaths were full of Extortion ravening and wickedness and derided the Sermons our Blessed Saviour made because not sorted to their Covetous humour He did not flatter them with stories of their Priviledges no they could do that well enough themselves God I thank thee that I am not as other men but he tells them plainly and roundly of their damned Hypocrisie and of the sad Consequences of it from which all their mock-Devotion would not be able to secure them Ye Serpents ye Generation of Vipers how can ye escape the Damnation of Hell And this brings me naturally to the second Reason That an outward Profession of Religion R. 2. which these Pharisees had without Obedience and amendment of Life which they wanted is displeasing and abominable in the sight of God and therefore is not sufficient to bring us to Heaven That Sacrifices and other Ceremonial Observances under the Law were of Divine Institution is clear and express they being usually deliver'd with this Sanction That Soul that doth not thus or thus observe them shall be cut off from Israel And yet if you consult the writings of the Prophets you will there observe that when these Sacrifices stood in competition with any moral Duty they were so far from being accepted by Almighty God that I find them rejected with the greatest Detestation The Prophet Isaiah is very full and pertinent to our purpose read his first Chapter from the Eleventh to the Twenty first Verse I cannot stay to repeat the whole you may do that at your leisure To what purpose is the multitude of your Sacrifices Bring no more vain oblations your new Moons and your appointed Feasts my Soul hateth when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many Prayers I will not hear And why all this abhorrence Your hands are full of Blood Wash you make you clean put away the evil of your Doings cease to do evil learn to do well seek judgment relieve the Oppressed judge the Fatherless plead for the Widow To these you may add that noted place Hosea 6. 6. which is likewise cited by our Saviour Matth. 9. 13. I desired Mercy and not Sacrifice The reason of all which is this Because Sacrifices and such like performances were therefore instituted that they might keep men from Sin and the better encourage them to perform moral Duties Now that which Sacrifices were under the Law that are Preaching and Praying and receiving the Sacraments under the Gospel even Ordinances of Divine Institution which are not to be observ'd for any intrinsick worth and value in themselves but only in ordine ad aliud for the better promotion of those two grand Fundamental Duties Piety towards God and Charity towards our Neighbour Wherefore is it that we Pray unto God is it not to bewail and beg pardon for our former neglect of these Duties to implore Divine Grace and assistance that we may perform them better for the future in which endeavours if we are sincere he will then assist us by his Holy Spirit and grant our Petitions Whatsoever we ask we receive of him saith S. John But why not because our Prayers are many or long or loud deliver'd with seeming vehemency and affectation of Spirit but Because we keep his Commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight 1 John 3. 22. So likewise for Preaching Wherefore is it that you come to hear Sermons is it only to entertain your selves with a continu'd well-compos'd Discourse concerning Divine matters which perhaps you leave even at the Door of Gods house and yet can have the confidence to boast of your attainments and tell strange stories of your Conversion and of your former days of Ignorance from which you are now happily translated because you have tasted the Heavenly gift and are followers of the word I would not willingly be here mistaken This is a captious Age and we cannot be too cautious I do not come to decry Preaching or declaim against Sermons it is the abuse of them I endeavour to remove Preaching is necessary and will be of continu'd use in the Church of God it being a blessed Instrument when enforced by the Spirit to open the eyes of the blind to turn us from darkness to light from the power of Satan unto God So that as long as there is Ignorance in