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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93061	The hypocrites ladder, or looking-glasse. Or A discourse of the dangerous and destructive nature of hypocrisie, the reigning and provoking sin of this age. Wherein is shewed how far the hypocrite, or formal professor may go towards heaven, yet utterly perish, by three ladders of sixty steps of his ascending. Together with a looking-glass, clearly discovering that lurking sin of hypocrisie. As also another glass to try sincerity of grace by. / By Jo. Sheffeild minister of the word at Swithins London.	Sheffeild, John, d. 1680.	1657 (1657)	Wing S3063; Thomason E1570_1	172,287	360

love and patience of hope c. 1 Faith is the first watering grace humility plants faith waters sincerity gives the increase perseverance crowns and a working faith is a watering faith It is a principal member and holds the head to get more nourishment to it self first then conveyes to all the fellow-members other holy graces Faith begins to work so soon as it begins to bee works in desires longings pantings hungrings thirstings when it is yet weak but as it gets more strength it undertakes greater works it works first may bee on a threat then on a promise some single promise afterwards upon all the bundle of the promises then upon commands then upon all duties at last it is able to indure all trials 1 A working faith works upon Christ and works it self into him as the Cony works into the Rock 2 It works upon the promise as a strong stomach on wholesome meat concocts it and getteth strength from it 3 It works upon corruption as Aqua-fortis upon iron to eat it asunder or as a Corrosive on corrupt flesh to consume it 4 It works against temptation as the Pioner works for his life to countermine such as would blow him up 5 It works and tugs at a duty as a Mariner at Sea who hath his hand on the Rudder and his eye fixed on heaven 6 Against Satan it works as a hardy Souldier that stands in the breach and will dye in the place rather than give ground 7 It may bee said to work with God as Jacob did it wrestles strives intreats holds his hold and will not let go without a blessing and when all other emergent works are out of hand it hath one constant business to pursue which as the good huswifes work is never at an end to work up the work of his salvation with fear and trembling So that a true Phil. 2. 12. faith is alway accompanied with and may bee said to bee perfected by works Jam. 2. 22. That it may bee said to every true beleever as to the Church of Thyatira I Rev. 2. 19. know thy works and charity and service and faith and patience and thy works again and the last to bee more than the first This is the lively faith the lasting faith To beleeve is a work Joh. 6. 29. But the faith of hypocrites is a dead liveless imaginary faith Those are the Solifidians and Nullifidians who are the Nullioperists Many think faith hath an easie and idle life of it a Ladies life neither to toyl or spin yet to bee cloathed above Solomon in all his glory with the rich robes of Christs righteousness or the life of an Vsurer who whether hee sleep or wake his profit comes tumbling in and hee hath no more to do but to tell and take it as if faith had nothing to do but to tell the promises accept a Saviour receive a pardon challenge a priviledge and wait for the Rent-day of full payment as if it were to wash his steps in butter anoint his head with oyl and swim in the Rivers and floods and brooks of honey and butter Job 20. 17. Those deeps of the love of God and the blood of the Lamb but these are much mistaken This is the wages not the work of faith the Holy-day work as I may say and not the work-day business Faith hath business for both hands Active and Passive work as well as Applicative Faith is a stout Champion therefore the Lord sets it as David did Vriah in the face and front of sharpest encounters It is sent into the soul as the soul into the body to animate move and guide it or as the Labourer into the Vineyard to work there It must purifie the heart Act. 15. 9. as well as pacifie it Sanctifie Act. 26. 18. as well as justifie Rom. 5. 1. It must fight the fight of faith 1 Tim. 6. 12. Conquer the victory of faith 1 Joh. 5. 4. It must pray the prayer of faith Jam. 5. 15. It must obey The obedience of faith Rom. 1. 5. and 16. 26. It must bee a shield to quench fiery darts Eph. 6. 16. as well as a hand to receive Christs bounty It must bee a Breast-plate 1 Thess 5. 8. It must endure trials The trial of your faith 1 Pet. 1. 7. wee are to live by faith Heb. 10. 38. Walk by it 2 Cor. 5. 7. Receive Christ by it to dwell and rule in us Eph. 3. 17. Resist Satan by this mainly that hee may not get into us or rule over us 1 Pet. 5. 9. Such a faith hath somewhat to do This faith no hypocrite can have His workless faith is a worthless faith The dead faith in the soul is like the dead flye in the boxe of ointment mars the whole Eccles 10. 1. like the Mare mortuum or dead Sea kills every thing that comes near it like the dead first born in the Egyptians houses filled the whole house with mourning Ex. 12. 29. 30. In a word like a dead image of Christ in stone or wood which though an ignorant Papist may adore an understanding Protestant will cast out of doors and abolish 2 Love is the second Nutritive grace and Labour is his Character Love is the glory of the soul and Labour the glory of Love But an unsound Professor wants both hee may have faith but hee wants love hee dreams hee loves God but hee hath no labour in his love It costs him little The spirit of love is ever the spirit of a sound minde and sincere Christian 2 Tim. 1. 9. Faith is a great strengthner but love much more faith makes the first union love the next and the last and most perfect Faith receives Christ Love roots and grounds in him Eph. 3. 17. Grows up to him in all things Eph. 4. 15. Faith makes the contract Love the consummation and the consummation is above any contract Faith Hope and Charity are the three principal Graces but Love is the principal of the three Faiths chief work is to work by love Faith and hope are onely for this life faith for present hope for Gal. 5. 6. the future Love is both for present and future this life and that to come Faith is an Evangelical grace Love an Angelical the work of faith is our work the work of love is Angels Love crowns the soul in heaven Eph. 1. 4. Love crowns the duty on earth Faith is a great uniting grace but Love a far greater Faith unites us to Christ but Love unites him to us and us to him reciprocally Faith unites but two Love unites all Faith us to the head onely Love to the head and to all the members Eph. 1. 15. Your faith in Christ and love to all the Saints Love is the union of Christians yea of Angels yea of the blessed Trinity Faith is a self-saving grace Love the world-saver Self-faith is best faith Hast thou faith have it to thy self Self-love is worst love have love one to

the light of a candle shall shine any more at all in thee but utter darkness extream torments and eternal misery But thus may an hypocrite dye the Psalmist tells us Psal 73. 3. 4. As hee hath no trouble in his life hee hath no bands in his death Death seems rather bound than hee and death more afraid of him than hee of it How often do wee hear such men say Welcome God welcome by the grace of God I have resolved my self I am fit for death I am sure of heaven and so hee sets it down in his Will and then hee must needs dye a blessed death a peaceable and comfortable death hee dyed like a Lamb. And as was said of Abner is said of him 2 Sam. 3. 33 34. Dyed Abner as a fool thy hands were not bound nor thy feet put into setters Thou hadst no trouble of conscience but didst depart in peace Wicked Nabal departed thus hee dyed as a stone no fear no horror but a fair Course as you should see And wee say commonly they dye as Lambs when as wee may say with Jeremy rather They are made drunke they Jer. 51. 39 40. rejoyce and sleep a perpetual sleep and I will bring them down like Lambs to the slaughter They leap into the midst of hell with as much confidence as that Roman leaped into the midst of the Gulph armed at all points in his bravery M. Curtius and gallantry Hee goes out as Haman to a Banket and it proves his fatal day of Execution hee expects with the Baker at this Lottery to draw preferment and hee draws death Many a wicked man goeth Judg. 11. 34 35 to his long home with as much joy as Jepthe to his own house after all his labour and hazard expecting rest honour comfort and goes home with mirth and musick and just at the Threshold his daughter and darling sin meets him in the face and gives him a sad welcome home at fight whereof hee is stricken dead and there is an end of all his musick As the Syrians were lead blinde-fold by the Prophet and 2 King 6. 18 19 20. knew not whether till hee had delivered them into the hands of the King they fought against Then were their eyes opened so are many by security betrayed into the hands of their deadly enemy Satan and their eyes never opened till they are in the jaws of hell Isa 57. 2. The godly man is said to enter into peace at death Then his peace begins The wicked may depart in but not into peace but into pain he dyes in peace and his peace dyes with him They muffle their consciences as condemned Malefactors when led to execution use to muffle their faces as if there were more hurt and danger in seeing and forethinking than feeling the stroak of death or pains of hell CHAP. XV. The third Ladder SECT 1. Contains the five first steps HEre wee shall joyn a third Ladder to the former two whereby the Hypocrite shall bee raised not onely to the height of Hamans Gallows fifty Esth 7. 9. Cubits high but to the height of that vast and massy Image of gold erected in the Plain of Dura which was sixty Dan. 3. 1. Cubits high yea I perceive by further enquiry and pursuit after the Hypocrite I might make the sixty Rounds I promised at first sixscore as David when required to bring an hundred foreskins 1 Sam. 18. 17. of Philistims found it no hard matter to make them two hundred and brought them in full tale to Saul 1 The Hypocrite may come home to the Prophet or Minister or send for him to come to him to entertain some private conference with him in his exigency and to take advice of him what hee had best do fain hee would have a word of peace and comfort from God in his distress But the mean time hee cares not to hear of sin or judgement or duty but hee hopes that God will fetch him off now hee is in straits and hee will take it mighty kindely from him See examples in Jer. 21. 1 2. Zedekiah sent to Jeremy saying Inquire I pray thee of the Lord for us for Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon maketh war against us if so bee that the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous works that hee may go up from us The like Jer. 37. 17. The King takes him aside secretly and asketh if hee had any word from the Lord for him hee told him hee had and what it was The like again Jer. 38. 14 15 16 c. Ezek. 20. 1 2. 2 Hee may propose many cases and put forth as profitable questions as any man alive What question so necessary and weighty as that of the young man Matth. 19. 16. and of the Lawyer Luke 10. 23. What shall I do to inherit eternal life This is the Primum Quaerendum and Vnum Necessarium yet one may have his thoughts and much discourse about it and miss it The humbled Jayler asked this question and was saved This proud young Act. 16. 30. man asked also and was not saved The one was a curious Questionist the other a broken-hearted Penitent the one inquired the way to Sion with his face and heart both thitherward the other inquired the way to Heaven with his face thither indeed but his heart Mammonward This young man came not yet to interrupt our Saviour with an idle question as hee Luke 13. 23. or to tempt Christ with any captious question as they Matth. 19. 3. or with ensnaring questions to puzzle him if they could Matth. 22. 16 17. or to trouble him so much as to make answer about frivolous questions as washing of hands and cups c. But the question and matter hee discoursed of was the most material point hee could have fallen upon with him who was best able to answer it had his heart been right 3 An Hypocrite may of his own accord make free and full and open and particular confession of all his sins and own the shame and apply the threats and take upon him the guilt and tumble under the judgements of God pursuing and overtaking him for his sins Hee may cast off all regard to fear and shame hee may have no sense and respect to pleasure reputation and esteem or credit with men hee hath no eye to profit ease or advantage but saith Let All go I am dead to them all sin as sin and wrath as wrath onely terrifie him and hee seeks no comfort Thus it was with Judas after his foul sin His soul was Mat. 27. 3 4. heavy even to death yea to very despair hee cryes out My sin is ever before mee My sin my sin lyes at the door My sin Gen. 4. 13. Job 20. 14. 2 Sam. 13. 13. is greater than I can bear My sin is turned into the gall of Aspes it lyes down and riseth up with mee And I whither shall I cause my shame to go

Witness or Surety at the Baptisme of an Infant and being asked Doest thou forsake the Devil and all his works the vain pomps and desires of the world with all sinful and carnal lusts of the flesh so that thou wilt not follow nor bee led by them doth answer I forsake them all He maketh a good profession I say and is a great Professor as great as Saul who 1 Sam. 15. 15. said Come thou blessed of the Lord I have done all that the Lord commanded mee or as that young man who answered well for himself All these have I kept from my Mat. 19. 20. youth Fourthly He who being examined about his faith Doest thou beleeve c. hath his answer ready All this I stedfastly beleeve This is a high profession it is more than his who said Lord I beleeve help my unbeleef It is as much as his who Mark 9. 24. Mat 19. 20. said What lack I yet And I doubt not if there were more Interogatories put they would get their answers ready yet I fear mee there be many of these who tying other Professors to the rules of their profession and finding them fall short condemn them of Hypocrisie that if they should try themselves by these expressions of their own mouthes must be forced to condemn themselves when they cry out Hypocrisie Hypocrisie as Athaliah did who cried out Treason Treason when shee was the greatest Traytor and Usurper 2 King 11. 14. Fifthly When at the Communion some admonished by the Minister to lift up their hearts presently answer Wee lift them up and lift them up unto the Lord What is here but great profession And lastly to instance in no more when upon your knees in confession of sin you say The remembrance of our sins is grievous unto us The burden of them is intolerable c. What is here but great Profession holy and gracious expressions But is the life and the profession alike I speak not this so much to finde any fault with those wonted expressions in our late Liturgy as to shew thee thy fault who deniest thy self to be a professor and yet makest as great a profession as any man can do and declaring against hypocrisie and art thy self if thou wouldest judge impartially the greatest hypocrite 2 The second Caution is I speak not of the hypocrites properties here that thou shouldest learn and follow them but as Solomon in describing the Harlot and her Prov. 7. 25. haunts and properties that thou mayest avoid them There is a Proverb I have read of the Pope Hee that goeth once to Rome seeth a wicked man hee that goeth the second time gets acquaintance with a wicked man hee that goes the third time brings him home with him I would have the clean contrary here in them that shall look into these Glasses at the first look thou mayest see and spy a wicked man but at the second look be shie and jealous of him and at the third flye him and get thee far from him and leave him behinde thee Note 1. At the first blush thou mayest see an hypocrite before thou lookest for him and know him by his complexion If any man thinke himself Religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own soul this mans Religion is vain It Jam. 1. 26. is all hypocrisie He that thinks he may be a Christian and yet a swearer a scurrilous person a scoffer brawler railer reviler backbiter c. What doth his Religion mean They make Religion nothing but an empty notion Doth this bleating and bellowing of such shew that they have done all that the Lord requireth It is not for the Christian to say My tongue is my own my heart is the Psal 12. 4. Rom. 7. 25. Lords with my minde I serve the Law of God but with my flesh and tongue the Law of sin as he excused his idle Poems Lasciva est nobis pagina vita proba So many plead I talk merrily mean no hurt my heart is as good as the best I answer the good communication shews the good heart and the good treasure within Mat. 12. 34 35. say as well the tree is good though fruit bad the spring sweet though water bitter as to say my heart is sound though speech rotten and unsavoury The stinking breath comes not from the tongue or mouth but from within and shews the inwards not to be sound thy stinking communication doth the like Not onely doth Grammar begin at In Speech but Grace Some have said He that would learn to thrive let him begin at his mouth I say and David saith He that would learn to live Psal 34. 12 13. Either therefore make the tree and fruit heart and speech both good or else for shame Get thee out of the Camp with the Leper Cover thy lip and cry out Unclean Lev 13. 45 46 Unclean Note 2. When thou seest a man onely curious and Religious in his discourse on the other side and regardless of his heart and actions here is a gross Hypocrite again none can deny Such a one is ever more careful of his speech than of his spirit hee looks more to his lips than to his life His speech is with grace his spirit without grace his speech seasoned with salt his spirit unsavoury and unsanctified Grace seems to bee poured into his lips and out of his lips but his Religion is but lip-deep This is Hypocrisie The mouth of the Harlot drops like an hony-comb Grace I said begins at In Speech The hypocrite begins and ends there never cometh to Syntaxis or well-ordering of his life He never comes as one said to Verbum personale he is only Persona verbalis hee is only a verbal person not a personal verb whose deed is as good as his word Jesus Christ was called the Word but hee was Verbum personale Jo. 1. 1. and substantiale Hee that was called the Word of God did do the Works of God Hee is called the Truth Jo. 14. 6. also I am the way and Truth There was no contradiction between his heart and deed with his speech His saying and his doing went alway together his Doctrine and his Use or his Life Act. 1. 1. Note 3. Where you see a man make more ado about things circumstantial than about those things that are substantial wherein the Kingdome of God doth consist I do not say Lay flat hypocrisie to his charge but charge thy self upon suspicion if it bee thy case As for example 1 If thou be more curious about thy Pastor than thy self thou rather desirest to have the most eminent Pastor than to be an eminent Professor What call you this Many have an itching ear that have not a circumcised ear I am for Paul saith he But what art thou for thy self Thou gloriest in thy Minister can he glory in thee also Hee is thy Crown of rejoycing art thou his and like to be so in the day of Christ

of God in them Lev. 10. 3. 3 And with a serious self-recollection and examination after Luke 24 32. As the Disciples asked each other If they did not feel their hearts burn within them while Christ opened to them the Scriptures 8 Study to keep down high and swelling thoughts and dwell much in thy own heart to keep thee humble Tecum habita noris quam sit tibi curta supellex Reflect upon former miscarriages or defects and as Schollars that aim at a progress Look back upon former exercises to correct and amend the weaknesses in them Let thy profiting daily bee seen to thy self and others none take hurt that 1 Tim. 4. 15. are looking forward and going on It is the Carters Proverb Cart never overthrows going up hill Fear descents and declinings And study thy present wants and pray Lord make mee to know how fraile I am The horse wee say were a dangerous creature if hee knew his own Psal 39. 4. strength man is a more dangerous no danger in an humble knowing thy own weakness In te st as non st as said holy Austin when thou standest in thy own strength thou staggerest and when thou risest in thy own strength thou risest to take a fall And let the forwardness and higher growth of others lately thy equals or juniors if not shame yet provoke thee to a holy emulation and ambition to out-strip both thy selfe and them as Paul who when time was had profited in the Jewish Religion above all Gal. 1. 19. his equals and after in the Christian Religion 2 Cor. 11. 5. hee came behinde none of the chiefest Apostles but could say in truth 1 Cor. 15. 10. Hee had laboured more than they all 9 Seek to get a heavenly heart and pray much for such a heart that thou mayest even rejoyce in the Lord alwayes and account it thy meat and drinke to bee Phil. 4 4. Jo. 4. 34. doing his work Work never goes on well till wee take delight in our employments neither do men thrive in their Callings till they take a kinde of felicity in them Set thy affections on things above especially get that pitch of spirit as Col. 3. 2. Psal 37. 4. Psal 73. 28. to delight in the Lord to say It is good for mee to draw nigh to God The warme wings of the Hen makes the drooping Chicking to thrive and battle The comfort of Gods presence makes all grace to thrive The joy of the Lord is the Christians Neh. 8. 10. strength it is said it is the strength of his heart of his graces of his duties as well as of his joy and comfort When the poor Israelitish servant saw hee was well used and could not tell where to mend himself for a Master hee would not change but offered his ears to bee bored so will it bee with us Seek to get a love and Exod. 21. 5 6. liking to thy Master and to his work and thou wilt never repent thee of it 10 Lastly to name no more Bee much in Prayer and pray the Lord himself to bee thy keeper to keep thee as the Apple of his eye and to give thee a heart Psal 17. 8. Prov. 7. 2. to keep his Commandements as the Apple of thine eye Beg of him according to his gracious promise to Circumcise thy heart to put his fear in thy heart that thou mayest never depart from him and that hee Deut. 30. 6. Jer. 32. 39 40. will not depart from thee to do thee good While Moses his hands were lifted up Israel prevailed Amalek when they hung Exod. 17. 11. down and if you note you shall finde then have many been intangled and overcome by error worldliness impiety and Apostacy when they have restrained and intermitted prayer before God Urge the Lord with the like Arguments that Joshua and Sampson sometimes used When Israel accustomed to continual victories came to receive a foyl from the men of Ai Joshua falls on Josh 7. 6. 7 8 9. his face cries out Alas Lord What will become of us And what will become of thy great Name Would to God wee had never come over Jordan Wee fear now the Canaanites will gather head and cut off our name from off the earth c. q. d. Wee reckoned our selves now in sight and as good as in possession of Canaan now to meet with such a disaster it amazeth and breaketh our hearts So mayest thou say Lord shall all my profession end and break off thus Would to God I had never gone so far or ever been a Professor at all rather than not to hold out Lord what is become of all my former hopes and thy wonted helps But for thy Name and Honours sake I urge and importune thee I have no greater Argument then to say What wilt thou doe unto thy great Name Lord who shall lose more I or thou Whose Name will have more dishonour Thine or mine If my name were blotted and blotted out from under heaven it were no great matter but I would bee loath to live to see the day when thy Name should receive the least blot or blemish by my means Or with Sampson say Shall I after such a deliverance and victory over the uncircumcised now perish with thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised again hee throws away his Jaw-bone which was the instrument of his victory and falls to prayer and the Lord cleaves a hollow in the Jaw-bone and a spring breaks out whereof hee drinks and recovers himselfe and to make the Well more memorable hee calls it Enhakkore as if hee should say Here is the fruit of prayer Here is the Well of prayer Judg. 15. 18 19. So mayest thou say Lord I have by thy help overcome some of these uncircumcised and now shall I fall under their hand or shall I after such experiences and encouragements dye of a spiritual thirst I shall not in despondence cast away my profession and faith as hee did his Jaw-bone but I will to prayer as he did and I may have an Enhakkore too a Well to quench the thirst of him that called on the Lord. All my fresh springs Psal 87. 7. are in thee and so both digged Wells at first and opened when stopped as the Philistims had stopped the Wells that Abrahams servants digged Gen. 26. 18. Prayer is that which opens them and makes them flow CHAP. XIX The Conclusion with an Use of Comfort HAving now gone through the maine Vses of the point I shall close up with an Vse of Comfort that our Sun may not set in a cloud and our Ark bee left in the deep tossed with the waves of a long continued Deluge but resting on Gen. 8. 6. the mountains and wee will uncover the top to let in a little light of comfort from heaven upon a perplexed soule And if I should bee the shorter herein you need not marvel for the Text hath not