of a sincere heart is though he have hypocrisie in him he is most jealous of hypocrisie when he finds his heart most calme and faire seemes least checkt in conscience hath most respect from others oh then he is most jealous lest there be some deceit he is alwaies looking at bottome alwaies afraid through a spirit of care and holy jealousie within him alwaies afraid lest he be deceived and when his heart seemes to be so calme so faire any body would thinke his soule to be in a blessed frame and a man himselfe can see nothing upon himselfe at present as to present actings yet then he is afraid of those things that gives most advantage to the actings of hypocrisie The third Character is though he have hypocrisie in him he loves to be throughly dealt withall he counts the discovery of his heart to be a pretious meanes of the saving of his poore soule Oh how glad is he to see his own heart and his hypocrisie so he may but find it out to kill it and go to God against it making it the burden and mourning of his soule he loves to find it out he cannot abide any pleasing words to him unlesse Christ speakes them he cannot endure that though he have abundance of hypocrisie it will not for all that give any countenance to it but earnestly rejoyces to be throughly dealt with Fourthly and lastly though there may he hypocrisie yet a sincere heart will stand upon a true account he cannot endure to have any one to commend his heart he would not be accounted more than he is he loves to be ashamed he cannot abide others to advance him in their commendations of his heart that he sees so much hypocrisie in so that I say let this be a comfort to you if you have no more But as to the sincerity of your heart that you would deale with your selfe and would have a spirituall inspection with feare and jealousie alwaies that you may stand upon a true account still that you cannot endure any body should commend your heart There is no Saint but he knows his heart to be the worst part he sees so much wickednesse there that he wonders how others can thinke well of him he cannot abide that any one should conceive he hath such a heart that he mournes under night and day So that I say lay all these things together and though thou dost find some hypocrisie in thy heart yet be not discouraged go on still to follow the rule of Christ that when you find it you do not lye under it for that will bring guilt and will spread far but comfort your selves still that there is a seed that you do really find that you are pursuing continually growth that is the constant study of you that you may be perfectly sincere that all your frames may act so evenly with God that there be no jarring at all that your consciences may be kept continually under the power of the Gospell But to conclude all I beseech you looke to it you that are Professours you have heard the nature of hypocrisie you have heard what deceits there are in the hearts of men you have heard the strictnesse of Christ to his own Disciples how pressing he was upon them now look to your own soules try your selves by all these things examine your hearts over and over againe do not content your selves with this that you have names in the world that you have abundance of inward kinds of experience for now hypocrites will be growing up in the flourishings of the Gospell they will have an imitation of faith and of patience and of joy as the Gospell shines forth brightly they will have an imitation of adoption it is a wonderfull thing to thinke how a Professour will bring himselfe into the fashion of a most glorious Saint transforming himselfe into an Angell of light as it were striving to imitate every thing and yet enjoy nothing is loath to have his name expunged out of glory out of the hearts of Saints But alas the Lord will come and shew himselfe exceeding dreadfull to Professours in the latter daies there is a terrour will be upon you one day that you have only walked up and down and no more you have found no sweetnesse you have only cozened your selves and others Oh that is misery enough for every poore soule and therefore remember what hath been said lay it home upon your consciences examine your hearts commune with your own spirits in the night-season and remember there will be a day to discover the hearts of men and you shall stand naked uncloathed and God will set a marke on you to all eternity FINIS Reader these Books following are Printed and are to be sold by Richard Tomlins at the Sun and Bible neare Pye-Corner THe general Practice of Physick Fol. The Fortune Booke in Fol. English Pleasant Notes upon Don Quixot Fol. Mr Collings his Cordials first second and third parts quarto His Vindiciae Ministerii quarto His Answer to Mr Sheppard quarto His Answer to Fisher and Hammond quar His Answer to Boatman Priane and Humfries quarto Dr Holdsworth's twenty one Serm. quarto Euclids Elements in quarto Eng. History of seven Champions quarto Packet of Letters quarto Cupids Messengers quarto The Birth of Mankind or Womens Book quarto The Perfect Pharisee under Monkish holinesse quarto The false Jew quarto Mr Collings Five Lessons for a Christian to learne octavo His Faith and experience octavo Mr Wincolls Poems octavo Excellency of Christ octavo Erasmus Colloquies octavo Wings and Libourns Urania Practica octav Velitationes Polemicae octavo Perkins Catechisme octavo Janua Linguarum octavo Brinsley's Cordelius octavo Mr Sidenham's Mystery of Godliness oct Watson's untaught Bridegroome Twelves
outward Religion without any power to lead men to holinesse in sincerity and so they mixed their own interests with any thing of the Gospell you must not thinke they preached hypocrisie no they were wise men and observant but their doctrine did lead men alwaies to nothing but outsides of Religion to be common Professors and look after nothing at all but the meere shew of the Gospell and of the Law the Doctrine it selfe was good but they mixed it with some other ends they had a dash of their owne as I may say with what they said they were never pure and sincere in their actings Therefore the same word that is put for sinceritie is put for unleavened bread that is pure bread that is made up without any leaven Now if a soule be not cleare and sound in the principles of the Gospell in the workings of it he is a hypocrite be he what he will There may be mixtures in second actings but if there be mixtures in principles that is hypocrisie And upon this account all Professors that live under the Gospell be they of what height they will they are Hypocrites they never had a sound worke of God if there be a mixture in the principles and the end They are hypocrites that never had a through worke of God and pure divine principles acting in their soules But have a mixture of other ends in their hearts that do leaven and spread through their whole principles they are Hypocrites But for a sincere soule in principles and actings they have really unmixt actings from heavenly and holy principles to a holy and spirituall and divine end How many Hypocrites shall we then find before we have done if men will but search their hearts But that men may be thus hypocrites and thinke they have grace and yet not know so do not beleeve they are such I will give you first some demonstrations Secondly Shew you that they may have some sincerity and yet be hypocrites First That men may be hypocrites and yet not know it in their own spirits take these demonstrations First From the generall rule that all Divines give That whatsoever grace is in a Saint the likenesse and imitation of it may be in a Hypocrite and he may thinke he hath it so there is a faith in the Gospell like the faith of a true beleever there is a joy in the Gospell like those that have seene the face of God there is a patience in the Gospell like that which comes to the perfect submission to Gods will and so I might go over all the rest And so there is a likenesse of sincerity to that which is flowing out from a pure heavenly spirit For look whatsoever God hath imprinted that the Devill can paint what God leaves as a Character of the heart of a Saint that the Devill may strive to imitate and from a compliance in a mans owne temper forme up the same as Children do make up Babies in imitation of children which are reall and those that know not this know nothing But secondly as another consideration and demonstration to make this out know that all those things we call morall virtues that were in heathens that is the very reliques and remainders of pure nature that God hath left in some measure those morall virtues are as much improved in the Gospell without grace as any other consideration principle or rule I say morall virtues as the Justice Integrity Patience keeping of corruptions and the evennesse of actings unto a Rule the same are improvable under the Gospell with more advantage than by any other Rule Take Socrates and Seneca two of the great paterns of morality that ever lived in the Heathen world had they been under the Law with Paul and brought up under the legall dispensations as Paul and the young man in the Gospell were Mat. 19. they would have as easily complied with that Rule that is been as faire as improved men as ever Paul or as the young man that came to Christ and said he did never omit any of those things from his youth They did all that the light of nature did shew them and their consciences and Paul's conscience did not check him doubtlesse as to his exact walking according to the Rule of the Law Now as the Law was a higher Rule than the Light of Nature because it was expressed and given more positively by God and some spirituall addition given to it being writtten by that finger of God the other had as it were the whole Copy So Socrates and Seneca had they been under the Law and brought up as well as Paul was Pharisees they would have taken in as easily those things and have brought up under it with as much zeale and largenesse and refinednesse of their natures as he And my reason is this because outward Rules are as improvable by one as another according as a man is but under the knowledge of them A man can as well take in the sense of the one as of the other while he is inured to them he sees some conveniencie some goodnesse in them so that consider all thâ—se things are improvable in the Gospell and then you will see how nature may be refined by the Gospell and if the very meere light of nature imprinted and glimmerings in a mans conscience could learne a man so far how would a man come to be when he was under the Letter of the Law and beleeve it was writ by the finger of God and then if a man should passe through the Law and come to the Gospell Letter and beleeve in a common manner that this 〈◊〉 a more pure and refined Rule still 〈◊〉 spirit goes on and is more heigâ—â—â—â—â— to a more bright frame that a mâ—â— thinks all these morall virtues even perfectly to be graces For a man acts but the same principles the same faculties still in the Gospell only they are changed transformed But however there is enough in the Gospell to suit all these principles to refine them and make them more curious than ever they were by any other principle or Rule Thirdly Adde this the voluntary agency and power of the spirit and workings of the Holy Ghost who workes as he pleases and how he will and is not bound to worke the uttermost of his strength upon a soule but he may work upon nature and glance upon nature and leave it still in its own condition and yet mightily improved as to those tastings and enlightnings Heb. 6. there is even in nature a kind of taste of Heaven and Grace which will make a man thinke he hath the power of the world to come as you have it in the 〈◊〉 of the Hebrews And as I told you before there are First the same 〈◊〉 that grace is sealed upon as nature the same understanding the same will Secondly the same kind of motions as I must know Christ and will Christ and go out to Christ and breathe after Christ only they
say he takes care only for a little outward concernments and garbe of Religion that is all Fifthly This is a discoverie of a hypocrite as to duties in generall wherein his hypocrisie is seene that he never minds to get the spirit of a duty or to a dutie that is the holy blessed frame of it but only cares how to act handsomly and takingly in his duties abroad in the world for in truth there is most of his actings abroad in the world he cares not to get the frame and the spirit of his dutie he only cares for a handsome deportment in it Now the frame of a duty in the generall is thus to get our hearts in a posture fit for the nature of the duty we are about for First The frame of a dutie and the spirit of it is to get your heart in a preparation to meet with God that is one thing which a hypocrite never lookes after how shall I meet with God What frame should I be in when I come to meet with God What should I meet with God about Secondly The frame of a duty is to get the heart spiritually behaved before God in a duty truly few looke after it I wish that the best Saints did looke after it more but a hypocrite never looks after it at all almost a spiritual behaviour that lies in that inward proportion of a mans soule before God according as he is to act to God or expect from God if I go to God in a mourning frame to beg something from him then can my soule behave it selfe in that poore and low condition as one that expects purelie that which I want from heaven I ought then to be mightie humble and in a frame to get that of God if I come to rejoyce and joy in God then must I be in that frame that all the faculties of my soule may rejoyce in him and be in a heavenlie spirituall tune this should be the frame of my soule that spirituall behaviour which I cannot tell how to expresse so well as in that inward decorum in that inward proportion of a mans soule unto God according to the nature of his dutie And then Thirdly which a hypocrite never looks after it is to have workings in them sutable to expectation and to what I would express to God and expect from God which a hypocrite never hath those glorious desires and breathings in the vigour of my soule carried out according to the weight and nature of things so that I say all those things shew you what is the frame of a hypocrite in a duty If he can but carrie it on handsomely with quietness and conveniencie and come off fairelie to his own conscience and to Saints he little minds what his soule hath been doing what his heart hath been acting all the while And then Sixthly Pray you observe this That a hypocrite in the midst of all his zeale and glory of his duties he is secretly weary of them you shall find it cleare in your own spirits if ever you have been convinced of the workings of this sin in your soules especially if they be duties that do not bring him in present profit some internall or externall things he wants This is that which God complaines of in Malachy They were weary of the Sabbath when will the Sabbath be over that we may go to our buying and selling For the truth is a hypocrite is but a perfect slave and drudge to duties he is hurried on either by necessity within or some lust or feare which moves him outwardlie but he is wearie it is a burthen to him he hath no freedome at all for no man can have a freedome that hath not a principle it is against his nature he is forced to it he hath weights hang upon him that moves him to it but it is not so with a gracious man thy Commandements are not grievous he can be content to do all duties ever for saies David How do I delight in thy Law it is my meditation day and night but a hypocrite can be willing to be free if it were not on some other ground he thinkes them to be shackles of gold at the best no more he cannot be without them because of those things he laies before him as his ground and aime and end but he would be glad to be handsomelie freed of them Now with a Saint it is not so his knees may faile and his hands hang down but his heart never he would do all Gods will and he is sorry he can do no more than he doth he is sorry the body should faile when the spirit lives a Saint seldome failes in his heart and will for the most part the will is present I would do more but I have a cloggy body and I have a nature which is contrarie to it but I have a reall will Now it is not so with a hypocrite he is secretly weary of his duties in the midst of all his enjoyments Seventhly pray take this along with you That you have all his Religion in a few duties take him out of duties and he is a common man this will be a triall to your hearts if you put them to it seriouslie take him out of prayer and preaching if he be one called to that worke there is all his Religion come to any dealing of corruption there is his best part past he is no more religious than he is in these duties whereas Religion is a life out of duties as well as in duties a man is every where going out after God Religion will move him and breath in him but a hypocrite take him out of any dutie he is about and you have no more Religion he will be as vaine and foolish afterwards as you can imagine but if ever you would know a Saint take him out of his duties as well as in his duties see how the feare of the Lord is upon him in every way in every walking how the dread of the Almightie aws him but a hypocrite it is a wonder to see how flourishing he will be in duties but come and take him out of these he knows in his conscience there is nothing left no power only he was carried out to the dutie by something that lay upon him externallie therefore lay this to heart Eighthly all duties that hypocrites do are but the colourings of some corruptions that they keep privately in their owne hearts that they may keep them more undiscernable from the world looke to it all their duties do but cover lusts do but nourish corruptions they do pray and heare but it is to keep in ambition or pride or lust or whatsoever it be that is all they do or to keep up a constant kind of correspondency with their relations and this advantage a hypocrite makes of his duties that after he hath done with duties he takes an advantage to act his corruptions How many men they go to prayer if it be a
foolish Virgins Mat. 25. they went on smoothly a long time and slumbred and slept and thought themselves as pure Virgins as the wise untill midnight came And the young man in the Gospell Mat. 19. he came to Christ with a confidence in his own intentions that he had kept the Law or else he would never have come to Christ as he did but yet he lacked something he wanted the maine principle he wanted selfe-deniall never knew what it was to cast himselfe upon the Lord Jesus purely All his hypocrisie lay in that If there be but a naturall ingenuity and simplicity and it come under the Gospell it will be mightily improved by a mans following the outward Letter of it he will be as simple-hearted in all duties as much as formerly he was by following the common principles of honesty therefore when the young man came to Christ there was a kind of affection in Jesus Christ to him and a love to him and yet this was his hypocrisie he did all those things and had no intention at all to deceive the world or himselfe by it but he wanted the principle that should have carried him on in all things So that a man appeares to be what he is not appeares to be a Saint and does duties well but is not this comes from a want of principles a defect in that It is not my intention that makes me a hypocrite before God but if I go on in profession and have not what should make out that profession to be from God it is hypocrisie Only these are the most to be pittied and bewailed that go innocently to hell they thinke they have grace and no man in the world can perswade them to the contrary and as strong a faith as any in the world and alas they have not they thinke they love Christ and would do any thing for him but they never had that love flaming in them from the power of divine love and spirituall Gospell-principles Now the reasons why men go on thus are First because they never had the sight of their own natures they never were under the through-convictions of their sinfull state by nature only bred up fairely and ingenuously in the Gospell God never shewed them their own faces in the glasse of the Law only they have looked on the Law with their own eye in their own prospect it is impossible if God shewed a man his nature he should go without principles in his heart Secondly It comes from a generall view of the Gospell meerly from generall considerations of the Gospell and outward rule without any particular inward sense of the spirit and frame that should be in him men looke upon the Gospell as a History and never come to see what spirituall frames should be in their hearts to every duty Thirdly Men do find some kind of comfort in those waies and they have not those checks of conscience that others have because they are not so grosse in their actings but go on smoothly without questioning their own state and their spirits are pretty well composed Fourthly The maine and the great reason is want of through-examination want of diving into the depths of the heart not putting a mans selfe to it every day men take up meerly the imitation as it were of others and the shadow and the outward expression and consider them no otherwaies whereas they are but shews men never go no further in their own spirits than the outsides never search their hearts to lay them open before the Majesty and Authority of a great God and so they live and dye securely And is not this a sad thing that a man should thinke he hath grace and have no intention at all to deceive That is he hath not that cunning and desperate frame but only goes on and trusts his own judgment and trusts his own generall apprehensions and hopes well of himselfe and thinkes surely he would do no wrong do no evill and this man slips down and away to the bottome of hell here is a hypocrite though not a professed one he is deceived though he intend not to deceive for here is that I would have you look to ☞ It is not your thinking and saying you have grace you may be hypocrites for all that if you are not what you appeare to be you are a hypocrite whatsoever you seeme to be and whether you think so or no. God thinkes so and know's so and you will find it so one day when you come to have the vaile taken off from your eyes Paul wondred what he was a doing when God opened his eyes what he had been doing all this while Therefore you had need be trying your hearts every day dayly fearing your hearts and jealous over your spirits and suspecting every motion untill you have tried your hearts by Law and Gospell yea and waited upon the Spirit for a new triall Now there is a second sort and they are such as are conscious to themselves of their hypocrisie that they are not yet sound in the maine and yet go on in their profession from their education or for some designe and cannot leave it have many stirrings of God in their hearts under Ordinances from light convictions of the Lord upon their Spirits And this is exceeding common many go on a long time in profession and cannot leave it but have many motions of God in their soules and many sharpe reproofes from God and yet cannot see a through work upon their hearts yet go on and professe and hope it may be but take themselves for Saints continually and must have their names enrolled for Saints in Churches and yet have a jealousie of their own hypocrisie and go on so for many yeares under many regrets and wounds of spirit they have many twangs that pierce them sometimes and yet the Conviction is not so strong as to shew them their miserable and vile estate or to presse them on to the through worke of the Gospell upon their hearts And you shall find those persons very high in prayer and very able to speake well in their converse with Saints But they never met with God in duties never had Gods assistance never found that spirituall strength when they heare men Anatomising of soules they are only for keeping up the glorious outside and the glory of outward formes they have been some ten or twenty years and knew that Christ never appeared to them and yet they cannot leave off duties conscience and the outward rule lies upon them still this is very common And so it was with Saul he knew in his own heart that God had forsaken him and yet he would be doing something he would have Samuel to pray for him but God had left him he knew in his own conscience he was unsound and had not done the will of God And so a man may go up and down a great while having a conscience and ability as to outward actings and yet never be sound
God improving a naturall light so far as to outward actings that he cannot chuse but do those outward duties and yet he knows in his conscience that he never met with God and if he do it is only to tell him thou art not sound and sometimes he breakes out in extravagancies these can find nothing in their hearts but conscience will be pressing them on still to keep up the forme This is a miserable soule Certainely some men are self-condemned and it is impossible if so be a man have any stirrings of Conscience and live under the Ministry of the Gospell but he will some time or other if he be a hypocrite have some discoveries of his owne heart when he comes to prayer there is not that working of a spirit of Adoption God may leave a man so in a generall kind of way that he may not at all set out those convictions but those that have their consciences convinced of particular acts of sin when they turne Professors they have often times conviction as to those acts but let a man have never such a daily hint that he is an hypocrite yet it is no more to him to strike him off his bottome and make him to be sound no more than if a man had a dayly sense of sin that he cannot get mortified and he finds convictions not so sharpe but that he can go under them and live though sometimes they are sore to him and stop the mouth of conscience The Lords power comes not in with the Conviction and certainely those soules are mightily startled soules have mighty sharpe convictions upon their spirits but it is off againe and they carry a generall kind of feare in their own hearts but still something or other there is and they must keep up O take heed then Looke to your own hearts what secret hints you have of hypocrisie you that have lived long under the Gospell been given much to duties look to your own hearts how many twangs have you had in the night-season in your spirits You never met with God in the duty though you prayed well and read well in the sight of men though you have carried it faire up and down the world what inward regret have you had in your own spirits This is a lamentable condition for a man to be so a hypocrite that a man goes on under the conviction and cannot get from it and yet goes on in duties still Now you have a third and last sort which is the grossest sort Thirdly and lastly a designing hypocrite one that takes up Religion for some particular designe which he knows the designe of in his own heart as to get honour or profit or the countenancing of some particular last or whatever it be meerly that a man may cover some secret lust meerly to follow the opportunities and seasons of the world this is the grossest of all State-hypocrites as I may so call them those that are only making use of the name of Religion on purpose to deceive and begin all their evill in the name of God these are the grossest sort that can be possibly And there are severall sorts of these Some that are more refined as to be honoured among men as Simon Magus he would give any thing that he might have had the gift of the Holy Ghost because he thought it was a brave thing to do miracles that he might be accounted of among men therefore he was in the Gall of bitterness There are a more refined sort which care not so much for outward kind of profit or honour but they do follow on duties and the waies of God meerly to quiet their consciences upon some speciall guilt as to former actings to cover some kind of corruptions that they may be husht and be counted Saints besides That is a more spirituall way for there be some so curious in a spirituall hypocrisie that no man can find them out they have some old blot upon their consciences that they would take off by a new way of acting take it off from the sight of others and be accounted as new I only give you these in generall they have some secret corruption that is their darling lust that they would nourish This is now to be a Stage-player indeed when I know I am a beggar and yet shall put on the Robes of a Prince when I know I have that unsoundness in my heart and yet would be accounted a sincere Saint and would do something that shall cover my corruption and I would do duties because I would get such an honour That is a most shamefull way These are the wickedest sorts of men in the world certainely there is none have more shame in their own soules than these if they look into their own hearts I would therefore now apply this and leave the rest for some other time Applic. I beseech ye therefore every one take in the exhortation of Jesus Christ take heed of this Leaven this Hypocrisie this wicked venemous poyson that lies in all sorts most in Churches and Congregations where the Gospell is Preached we are leavened before we are aware take all diligence and care yet it comes in This is that which Christ did advise his Disciples of take heed of that above all things but before I go on I would leave these Considerations with you that you may not mistake First know that there may be hypocrisie in the soule and yet a man cannot be called a Hypocrite There is Hypocrisie in every state you must not thinke that if you find some Hypocrisie you are a Hypocrite I speake this for the comfort of poore Saints if they find any deceit or cunning in their spirits in their duties then they say they are hypocrites they are damned no I would have you to know that Hypocrisie lies very close in the soule of the best Saints but only when the straine of a mans spirit goes on so then you had need looke to your selves when you find that Hypocrisie predominant Secondly There may be great charges of hypocrisie as to particular actings nay whole actings may be in hypocrisie yet not a Hypocrite Gal. 2.13 as Paul charged Peter with Hypocrisie the whole act was done hypocritically and he brings in Barnabas as guilty with him he did dissemble so it may be with a Saint he may dissemble in an action in a duty and yet not be so in his whole state Therefore judge not of your selves by particular acts Thirdly know that Hypocrisie is not only as to an outward duty but in every motion of your spirits you must looke it lies not only in grosse designes to advantage selfe but it grows secretly you know not how it touches upon every part upon a sudden before you are aware of it In your love to Christ strange Hypocrisie In your very motion to Saints and expressions what wonderfull vailes of hypocrisie You must therefore looke exceeding narrowly you must put on Gospell-eyes to try hypocrisie in
your own hearts But I say however whatever you do in the world and whatever you be be not Hypocrites Shew your selves to be what you are let the sense of things so lye upon you that you may not deceive I say not that profane hearts should vent their profane thoughts but lye humbly before God in a deep sence of your deceitfull hearts And make not the world beleeve you have such and such enjoyments and sights of Christ yet have none ☞ Take the best of men in the world we that preach to you we are in some kind Hypocrites we thinke we are so and so and speake nothing but from our own experiences in our hearts we may shew a perfect rule and yet be Hypocrites in many things Only there is the spirituall intention and reality to honour God which is the only comfort but we are not fully what we appeare to be yet are endeavouring and pressing on to be so and that shews we are not hypocrites though in some sense every man may be called a hypocrite when he is not what he should be Oh! take heed take heed But I say be what the Gospell saies hold forth what you are indeed unto the world I had thought to have named severall sorts of persons that had more need to looke into their own hearts about hypocrisie First those that are of popular spirits that are to converse with many these had need looke closely to their own spirits for the most of our garbs and expressions are but very seldome true and reall but of the deep sence of our duties to one another Take heed therefore lest we gather up a name of hypocrisie it is very hard to have much converse with the World and not be much in hypocrisie without a man be much given up to reality of spirit you will find your tempers in that regard how they are you had need have more warinesse in your owne spirits Secondly those that are of a naturall cunningnesse a naturall craftiness of spirit they had need to take heed especially when they come under the Gospell in opening their soules and conversing with Saints then that naturall cunningnesse will be mightily improved under the Gospell if not mighty wary it will come up to a spirituall hypocrisie if a man have not an exceeding care and it is dangerous dealing with a person that is apt to cunningnesse There are exceeding many that are thus in these daies Thirdly Those had need to looke to their own spirits whose Religion begins with some particular occasion in the world where Religion begins with the times it is a thousand to one but such will prove hypocrites and dangerous ones too Fourthly Those that are given to an outward strictness and severity to externall things observance of outward actings and circumstances of outward formes without they be very careful in them for here lies hypocrisie in doing all duties in being most exact in the outward form We shall come to open something hereafter that if it please God all shall see if they be hypocrites or no. SERMON II. Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisie THis is one of the serious cautions of Jesus Christ to his owne Disciples and to those that had grace yet he bids them and all that ever he met with to beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees which he saies was hypocrisie Now he calls the Doctrine of the Pharisees a Leaven First Because of the spreading nature of it there is nothing so spreading as Leaven put a little of it in and it will go through the whole Lumpe Hypocrisie is the most spreading thing in the soule and goes over all the faculties no faculty is free of it a little Leaven once it is engendred saies the Apostle will leaven the whole Lumpe 1 Cor. 5.6 A little Hypocrisie in a mans spirit it will soone spread if it be countenanced over his affections and faculties and then Secondly he compares hypocrisie to Leaven because of its insensible way of spreading no man knows it a man puts but a little Leaven and it gives a Tincture of it presently so it is in the heart Hypocrisie workes so insensibly so closely in a mans spirit that if you be not exceeding wary and carefull it will undo your whole soule It will give you such a Tincture that you will hardly be able to take off the savour of it without you have a mighty power from heaven therefore you had need beware of the Leaven of Hypocrisie That is only for the Word But you may remember I began last time to open the nature of Hypocrisie and shewed you that it was opposed to two things First Unto the Truth and Reality of things as they lay in their owne nature Secondly Unto that simulation that fainedness unto that sincerity of intention faining what a man doth As it signifies a faining in that First It was opposed unto the truth of things that is Hypocrisie that is not according to the nature of things as they are so he is a hypocrite that is not reallie sound though he may pretend he is so and thinke he is so for I shewed you that is the grosser sort of hypocrisie to be fained so to faine my selfe to be a holy person to faine my selfe to be Saint when I am not that is the grosser sort of Hypocrisie but there is Hypocrisie lies closer when I thinke I am a Saint and am not so I am a hypocrite So it is opposed to a word in the Greeke often-times used and put for sinceritie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is a word that will expresse it exceeding clearly I shall only speake to the first sence at this time To open it more clearely to you First This Hypocrisie is opposed to the truth the reality and clearenesse the sincerity and soundnesse of things in their being and nature As you know that is a false Jewell and Diamond that hath not the proper nature and colour that belongs to it it is counterfeit it is not right though I may thinke I am enriched by it that makes not the thing the truer for that they are but all counterfeit I am not richer if I had many of those glittering Diamonds that is my mistake so it is as to hypocrisie on this first consideration if there be not a cleannesse a perfection in the kind If I be not a Saint reallie in my own Spirit let my perswasions be what they will of my selfe and others perswasions be what they will be of me yet I am a hypocrite in the eyes of God Let my graces be never so glittering and glorious in the sight of my selfe and others yet if they be not such as can be tried according to that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that sinceritie such that may abide the judgement of the Sun If they cannot ' bide the pure sight of God and his Glorie I shall be found to be still a person that I am not I shall be found
are they have the same motion as to will and desire but not the same principles And therefore it is no wonder a man may be deceived in his own spirit and thinkes he knows Christ and beleeves on Christ and hath many motions of him and all it may be are of outward considerations of him never hath a pure light shining from heaven upon his soule so that I say it is a very easie thing to see how a man can be a hypocrite and not know it to consider what voluntary motions there are of the Holy Ghost upon a mans spirit yet not a saving worke for as the Spirit blows upon whom he will is not bound to convert you so he may present the outward species of Christ to you and never change your will nor understanding and yet a man may thinke he knows perfectly what 's the nature of the whole Gospell in his soule For a man hath to be improved in the Gospell a rationall understanding the Gospell can improve as well as any other Rule Secondly There are those passionate love-expressions that will worke mightily upon the affections as they are taken in with so much fulnesse and variety as to thinke of Christs dying that was innocent and out of love if it were but read in a History would worke upon the affections and yet leave nature as nature a man thinks he loves Christ and may weep at the thoughts of Christs death and yet be unsound for all this Fourthly if you consider the variety of Gods workings upon soules in conversion how many waies he workes he may thinke he is perfectly converted and yet an unsound man for all this Alas the ways of God are so mysterious it is comapred to a new birth Joh. 3. who knows how a child is borne in the womb A man must have a divine light in his soule to see through and through his soule Take a Saint himselfe in his cleare light he can hardly tell how to discerne into the variety of Gods workings what hath been the pure working of God where lies the Child the new-borne babe as it were It hath come and past through the many varieties of Nature and Grace and then if I should adde how apt men are to be perswaded of the goodnesse of their conditions and not know the badnesse of them and how easily selfe-love will be trying to set off what hath but a shadow of Religion with many other deceits then you will easily say A man may be unsound and never know it in his own spirit for a long while Secondly A man may be sincere and have honest intentions in all his duties and actions and yet be an hypocrite And that it may be so I shall demonstrate it thus to you First There is in some men such a morall such a naturall sincerity as I may so say in their actings that they are not disposed unto the contradicting of their principles and their actings they are tempered within themselves they are not disposed to contradict their actings so it is said of the sincerity of Alimelech as concerning Abraham's wife he appealed to God in Genesis 20. in the beginning Saies he in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this saies God I know thy integrity Now there is such a sinceritie even in men that have not grace that they would not do such a thing if they knew it to be unjust according to their Principles they would not do it for a world or if they had taken up an opinion they would not go against their opinion there is such a kind of sincerity Now the same may be in the Gospell that is I go on honestly as I think able to preach and pray and I have no kind of ill intention to deceive only I have not a spirituall principle to act me there is my misery I come not so much to be seen of men as from the intention of my heart but I come not to have Christ or to meet with Christ so I am a hypocrite because I come not from the maine principle Therefore first know this as a Rule that you may see this cleare That simplicity of intention cannot justifie any acts of men that are bad all will grant that for as it was with Pilate he washed his hands yet that did not excuse him Secondly My intentions in any action doe not make a thing to be true or good in it selfe at all as if I have a Jewell to sell my intention in the selling it for a good one may deceive the buyer it being counterfeit no act can be good without a good intention but my good intention makes not the thing really good in it self if the thing in it selfe be not perfect and good it is hypocrisie Thirdly know that a meere good intention may proceed from the naturall constitution of a person not from the goodnesse of his heart It may be I am not given so much to cunning and deceit as other men but have a plaine naturall constitution but if it come to a particular it may be I have as much in my intention if I were put to it as others Fourthly know this about intentions and the sincerity of them That sincerity that will demonstrate a man to be a Saint must flow from the pure and even workings of principles towards their ends sincerity must flow from the even acting of faculties within towards their ends I do not act sincerely to God though I pray never so much in duties if I have not a divine spirituall spring of love to God A heart impulsed moved to God from the power of his own spirit If I have not graces acting together in a harmony faith and love and all other graces purely and really working to God For sincerity as I may say is but the spirituall tune of the motions of all graces in a mans soule it is no more But I will close up all there are many things I should have shown you But now for distinction sake having laid down this That a man may be a hypocrite and not know it thinke he hath grace and hath it not I shall therefore come and shew you the severall sorts of hypocrites I will but name them First there is a meer formall hypocrite that insensibly drudges on in his duties praies and heares and comes to Church and no more and hath no inward power nor virtue in his own soule nor is convinced of any thing to the contrary as Papists say over their beads whilst they are sleeping I confesse every Formalist is a hypocrite but there is a low sort of Formalist that meerely drudges and that is all there is something wanting within Secondly there is a zealous hypocrite and he seemes to actuate his Forme a fiery hypocrite as I may so say one that you would thinke had life and soule indeed and follows on Religion to purpose and yet it is but his passion and humour no grace at all
Some men have taken up an opinion and are devoted to a way and their heat is so much as they follow it on with might and maine and spits in the faces of others besides Such a hypocrite was Paul as to zeale-persecuting the Church I followed them on I dragg'd them to prison saith he so it is certaine there are some men have taken up an opinion some way or other and have no more Religion than the stones in the street and that they will follow with fire and sword and thinke all Religion is lost if that be lost that is their end and Centre That is a zealous hypocrite I call him so for he hath nothing at all but that opinion come to aske him of Faith and Christ and the Worke of God upon his soule and he can tell you no more than a Heathen and commonly where-ever you find so much zeale and fire there is hypocrisie for the fire of the Sanctuary will enflame a soule there is that but it will not scorch the flesh nor burne the heart We have enough of those zealots in our daies that without they have their own opinions maintained they do not mind Christ or the Gospell nor observe how it will go with their own immortall soules no more than if they were heathens Thirdly There are confident and lofty hypocrites upon thiâ— opinion They are full of perswasions of the love of God and grace in their hearts they have lived under the bright sun-shine of the Gospell and never came to the truth of the Gospel never saw their own soules and hearts never came to the furnace of the Law and Gospell they have met with some good notions of grace and mercy and apprehensions of Gods love and joys in their spirits have had some little twangs of conscience now and then which have put them to seeke after the best kind of remedy and of a sudden are got to a great height in the apprehensions of Gods love those I call lofty confident hypocrites yet it is said in Job 8. the hope of the hypocrite shall perish many soules have great flourishings mighty buddings they thinke Summer is come and Winter is past and no more but an eternall spring in the soules like the stony ground they beleeved for a time and immediately received the word with joy Ob. How can they receive the Word with joy That is strange that a man should receive the Word with joy and wither presently Sol. Truly they had some workings on their soules and pangs in their consciences they saw some sins and had some feares and lived where it may be they had some sweet notions of the Gospell was and they had a promise and tooke it in presently before ever they knew the nature of it and rejoyced and were confident of their own estate and of the love of God so they go away merry from Sermons and duties and nothing at all of true grace this is the highest judgement of God upon soules in 2 Thes 2.11 the Apostle speakes of giving men up to strong delusions Though it is taken for delusion of doctrines yet it may as well be taken for mens being given up to their own strong perswasions of that they have This is a strong delusion saying I have seene heaven and the face of Christ and yet deluded in my own spirit I will adde but one more Fourthly and lastly A demure and stately hypocrite this is the highest sort of them as upon this principle one that will walke so exactly and curiously having conversed with all the notions and rules of the Gospell that hath sprung up so curiously and yet is choaked with something at the bottome of his own heart he goes on with that strictnesse that gravity in the Gospell that he condemnes all others as unfit as below him as one above all others he hath all kind of Artificiall motions one that hath a pretty even temper in his naturall constitution and what through restraining grace and what with morall considerations and enlightnings of the Gospell he hath got some exact formes of the Gospell this man walkes so strictly so curiously that none can discover him Such a hypocrite there is in the world Look to it this man walkes step by step he walkes so exactly that all the Saints may admire him so curiously that none can discover him But for those glorious converses with Christ and through powerfull workings he never knew them he is the fairest to looke upon of all sorts of hypocrites Now there be many things I should have shown to you how to discover those sorts of hypocrisie As First to shew to you that of all sorts and straine selfe is the bottome of all they do that is the secret of all their motions and indeed selfe-love is the ground of all hypocrisie for it makes a man perswade himselfe he is that which he is not and feigne himselfe to be what he knows he is not selfe-love is at the bottome and that workes at the heart secretly and closely there be two things I would have shewed you about this acting of selfe That First a man acts purely and moves most strongly from selfe-love and selfe-considerations and then Secondly Selfe-satisfaction is the uttermost of the desires of the best sort of hypocrites in the world Secondly know this likewise that you may discover such an hypocrisie in your own hearts that all such sorts of hypocrites as are known to themselves cannot abide to be tried to be unript doth not love launching and piercing he loves not to have his bowels turned up he cannot endure to thinke to be put to the uttermost of his own spirit that is a perfect signe of such a hypocrite These things that go between the marrow and the bone the soule and the spirit he cannot endure that he would avoid the dints of the sharpest Arrows in the Gospell if possible Looke how much flinching you find in your own spirits so much hypocrisie A hypocrite cannot abide to be touched fully to the quick and laid open to be ripped at the heart to have the naile driven into the vitals which a gracious heart longs for Thirdly There is ever some secret unmortified lusts under all those seeming graces of a hypocrite ever some secret unmortified lust either pride passion or covetousnesse or concupiscence something or other which will and doth breake forth some time or other and looke to your selves you that have been ten or twenty yeares under the power of a lust and it breakes forth continually upon you if you be not hypocrites you are as nigh them as ever was egge to egge as to the likenesse of them you that have been known to be what you are so many yeares together I durst denounce such a man a hypocrite that hath lived so many yeares under a secret lust unmortified what is there no power in Christ hast thou not kept thy lust close all this while It may be thou goest to prayer
afterwards and thinkest that will make it up but thy prayer shall shew thy hypocrisie more seeing thy lusts live Fourthly and lastly those are the highest hypocrites of this kind They secretly envy the brightnesse and glories of the gifts and graces of other Saints that goe beyond them and that is the perfect Character of a hypocrite where ever it is found if that be not a hypocrite there is none in the world when a soule cannot abide to be outshined it is a signe that a man never loved grace for grace for then he would love it where it is most pure and shines most gloriously and this the Pharisees were vext at they hated Christ perfectly because he went beyond them and was a conviction to them these and severall other Characters I had thought to given you but to satisfie some soules that will be apt to say every one will be a hypocrite if this be so I answer First My designe is to bid you beware of hypocrisie as Christ doth Try your hearts take not things up in ordinary and common waies be not unbeleeving and doubting that is not the thing I would be at it is not to scare you off the Gospell be curious and criticall be serious in the viewing of your own hearts and search to the bottom and trust not your selves with feigned enjoyments ☞ I would not discourage the poorest looker after Christ for all the world only I would have all men to be pure in their spirits and let every man put himselfe to it let a man have gold that hath passed through the furnace let a man that will be rich be rich with those precious things that are of an eternall nature Secondly to answer that you will find grace will lye but in a little roome therefore I put you to it true grace is like a Diamond very little in bulke but of a high price and mighty value therefore I beseech you be through in your own hearts thou poore looker after Christ Grace lies in a little roome more may be in one motion than in all the acts of the world you may have more grace than the greatest and gloriousest Preacher of the Gospell therefore try thy soule and be not discouraged though thou art not such a flourishing and glorious professor as another yet thou maiest be a greater Saint Thirdly I would have none taken up with any outside or glorious formes in the world but be looking within what inward frames you have in all your duties no I would have no soule taken up with any opinion with any religion that is externall at all but that carries out purely to heaven as the very heart is meeting with the Lord Jesus and as he hath a spirit acted in every word he speakes in the Gospell not to dant you from Religion that is not my designe but to keep you only from the leaven of the Pharisees externall dependencies that your soules may not be lost with the greatest misery to all eternity SERMON III. Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisie I Have endeavoured to shew you in general what Hypocrisie is and the last time gave you a hint of severall sorts of hypocrites for hypocrisie lies not in one straine Now we will lay this down as a foundation which was named before that looke as many sorts of tempers as there are and humours and constitutions of men and designes that men have in Religion and as many waies as there are so many common workings as God may have upon men so many sorts of hypocrites may you have entring upon Religion on those grounds for looke as it is with grace where it worketh effectually it changes not the faculties nor constitutions A melancholly man is so still though he have grace and so you shall find his actings will shew something of his temper and nature so as to hypocrisie and demonstrations of hypocrisie so many sorts of tempers as there are in the world when men enter on the ways of Godlines upon unsound grounds not being wrought upon throughly by God so many sorts of hypocrites you will have I told you of foure Sects the last time now I shall go on and shew you more Looke as a man is by nature of a duller and heavier constitution and hath got the outward forme of Religion he will be a meere formalist drudging on in duties and no more nothing of the spirituall nature of it taking abundance of paines without sense go on in his waies and his duties without any power at all and that was the meere formall hypocrite I told you of he hath had some little touches upon his spirit that moves him and together with education hath gone on as in a Tract If a man be of a hot temper and constitution fiery in his nature and enter on Religion upon such common grounds and ordinary frames as the most do he will be a zealous man exceeding zealous Some opinion or other some particular forme his heart is most in and he is the zealous hypocrite I spake of he will stick to his opinion and hazard all and never care for the other part of Religion if they can but maintaine that so it is with many in these times never care how the work of God goes on in the world or their own soules so they have their opinion So if a man be of a facile and easie nature to be perswaded and enter upon Religion he will easily conclude that all the promises are his Take every thing for granted in the Gospell and apply it to his own soule as if he had a peculiar interest to all the promises and so grows in a confident secure frame and that is the hypocrite I told you was confident that out of the easinesse of his nature takes all things in the Gospell as his owne though he never saw the need and want of them and never knew the worth of them for I told you that selfe-love is the ground of all hypocrisie in a mans spirit If a man can get any thing for himselfe as selfe-love acts so a man gets into such and such a frame as it was with a mad man that sate at a Port that when all the ships came by said this is mine this is mine so doth all men say without either Religion or the knowledge of the nature of the promises of the Gospell challenging them without a need of them or a knowledge of the glorious designe of God in them Then againe if a man be of a more forward and daring spirit and if he get into a profession of Religion he will prove a presumptuous hypocrite to presume exceedingly upon the Gospell and the things of it he will vent the opinions he hath taken into his consideration and that he sees most sutable to the world If a man be of a more grave and sober temper and hath got such a custome of Religion and duties and taken up the profession of it with a secret
inward desire of applause to be somewhat in the world he will be most curiously exact in all his frames such a man will cut to a hair and he will observe the least thing in others that may be as a blot in them and him I called a stately and curious hypocrite he will not be blamed in the world that is all his designe he will keep all plots and spots off him if out of mistake he be wrung he will mend it next time his name lies at the stake for it and all his comforts lies only in a faire handsome neat carriage in his duties to the Sons of men that he may be able to be blamelesse in his reputation in the world and some men have been so curious in their actings and observances that they have shamed many precious people that was Pauls temper and care alwaies that he might be without blame to the world as to the Law he was blamelesse Phil. 3. and it is as great a thing as a man can speake and doubtlesse the Pharisees had a handsomnesse and neatnesse in all their observances that they were very much admired by the People A strictnesse that they looked at a Point at a Latchet though the great and eternall things lay with no weight on their spirits such kind of hypocrites will go on smoothly in the world that a man shall admire them and check his own heart say I am a hypocrite certainely I never came up to those frames This man dazels the eyes of men and all his designe is to carry on a handsome garbe and go for somebody in the world Oh! this is that that many in these times had need looke to their own hearts in Tithe mint and cummin and neglect the most weighty things of the Gospell they have handsome apparell without but never look within to the eternall workings of their poore soules and that state that must be before God for ever And againe If a man be of a crafty cunning temper of a naturall subtilty and he begin to professe the Gospell he will play the part of a hypocrite to purpose he will shift at every turne and change every time he will not be found at any time unsutable he will tell you he must change with providence he will be sure to mannage all that naturall subtilty in Religion to his owne designe perfectly and truly there are no persons so perfectly hypocrites as these that out of craftinesse begin to be hypocrites upon subtle principles are privy to their own deceits they are out of intention hypocrites and they know they can shift and comply with any occasion there are thousands of these hypocrites in these times in England that conclude with the times that make use of the time and occasion and have no more grace in them than Heathens So take it as to any other temper whatever you will if a man be not throughly converted and enter upon Religion looke as his temper is naturally so will his hypocrisie be and that I may go on a little clearer take it now as to the temper of feare on a man and the workings of God upon him If a man be apt to feare and God lay any thing upon a mans conscience for God sometimes keeps such all their life-time in feare you shall find that there will abundance of hypocrisie appeare in those actings and such a man shall be a terrified hypocrite he shall live under terrours and make abundance of worke through his feares for feare may put a man exceedingly on to duties and be but a hypocrite all this while Now of these there be two sorts that live under terrours and I will especially speake to these for many thinke if they be under trouble of conscience and terrour they are past the worst and in the best frame that can be Therefore First there are some that are but more generally touched with the sense of some sin that God meets them with and laies upon them and at every turne checks them for and lets in glimpses of his wrath now and then upon his conscience and they get into a strange kind of temper of complaining and whining and whimpering in their owne spirits and go on in their duties for they dare not but go to duties but yet it doth not worke so much upon them as to cry out with hideous noyses of damnation yet are kept under feare and bondage of spirit and cannot get out of it and all their design is to whine at it and complaine of it to others abroad that as we say in griefe to open a mans mind is a mighty ease so you shall find them open their hearts and say they are under these and these sins talking of their corruptions telling how they are under such trials under such feares of their passions and tell you of hypocrisie and thus they go from doore to doore and from Professor to Professor and all to no purpose for they never knew nor never found the weight and power of the Gospell lying upon their spirits never see the depth of a deceitfull heart for all this But only say alas I have such and such corruptions I am afraid of my estate and condition and so take a pleasure in their complaining Now there are three waies wherein they shew their hypocrisie First By this way of complaining they thinke to get off from suspition of hypocrisie Such Soules such creatures are alwaies complaining of their conditions and so they thinke to be free of hypocrisie by this kind of whining though they never knew what the hatred of sin was never knew what it was to be pierced through with the darts of the Gospel for sin Secondly they thinke by this to get the pity and compassion of other Saints to pitty and bemoane them and we ought say they to speak a good word to comfort them Though Saints nor Angels cannot speake a good word to soules yet they looke for it Thirdly they shew their hypocrisie by this They looke upon themselves by it as poore in spirit alwaies in sense of sin and under a sense of their lost condition and would have others thinke so too there is a poore spirit nothing but poverty of spirit never come to him but he hath low esteeme of himselfe Fourthly But the great straine of hypocrisie lies in this they perfectly rest in this straine of complaining and never look after Christ they get ease by opening their minds and if they can but get a good answer to quiet them for the present they go away content I have abominated this frame of any frame in Professors A strange ugly whining frame of spirit constantly upon a soule which should not be upon a Professour but in the absolutest cases of necessity and extraordinary occasion for he shews he hath not been at Christ and opened his condition to him but he must have this and that outward help first and if he cannot help himselfe then go to him It is
his aimes and high in his ends all his duties are lost they are to no purpose at all Secondly know this that you may know a hypocrite in his duties that he is most forward and zealous in externall duties more than in internall For the opening of that know there are two sorts of duties First These that are purely the acts of the soule within a man as selfe-examination and meditation and inward humblings and mournings of the soule before God they are perfectly the workings of the soule within from the consideration of the things laid before them as the object is as the grounds and reasons of mourning and rejoycing are so those inward actings are these you shall find that a hypocrite seldome takes delight in or is considerate about Secondly there is a second sort of duties which I call externall and they are of two sorts and hypocrisie is seen in both they are externall both but the one is more publike the other more secret as to preach or pray among others that is more publike Now you shall find a hypocrite is more forward more strict in those duties than in secret duties more in the externall than in the internall You shall find that hypocrisie it lies in this first There will be a perfect carelessenesse as to these duties that are inward seldome examining and ripping up the heart seldome going to God in the humbling frame of a mans heart studying the nature of humiliation that mourning and humbling of a mans soule in dutie and for duties and as to meditation to meditate what is Christ and what I have done against Christ what is the frame of my own heart very seldome any of those things at all And if it comes to a pinch the man is quiet or at least he finds a conveniency to turne it off If upon examination of his heart he finds not things so well as he would he will turne off them by some trick whereas a gracious heart is never well never better than when he is ripping up all his bowels than when he is in soule-worke when he can looke within there is his great and mighty worke he looks after you shall very seldome find that the Closet-hypocrites if they do these things and make some triall of them yet when they come to the pinch they will have something to divert them from the strength of their objections Secondlie And so now as to externall duties do but compare secret to publike they are mightily taken with those duties that are most publike will be mighty curious in them but if you come to secret duties they slubber them over any thing will serve that if they can but say they have been upon their knees or done a dutie in their Closet or in their Families although no care of the nature of those things That is the second thing and my Brethren you should feare and try your own hearts by it if you have but any consideration looke seriously into your own spirits what is that that takes you up most whether those things that are the immediate things of the soule those duties that do so purelie belong to the nature of your condition those things that are so within that they can only be tried by your own spirits and the spirit of God in them or whether you are more choice in externals Thirdly know this as to duties in generall Hypocrites have their exceptions and limitations they have their choice they will pick and chuse have what is most sutable to flesh and bloud and what is most sutable to their condition what is most plausible those duties they will close in withall But it is my Brethren contrary to a Saint indeed he knows there are the great things of God that his heart is taken up with But as David saies then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy Commandements a hypocrite will neglect his duty if he finds it too redious or if it be a hinderance to him in the world he loves not duty in it selfe but he hath his choice and those that are sutable and convenient those he follows on and this you will find to be a close tryall for the best sorts of them you have some so zealous in some duties that you would thinke their soules were in them but come to other duties they have no sence of them for if I did love duty in it selfe I would not baulke any thing be glad of every opportunity there is Christ and heaven in this as well as in the other but few hypocrites ever looke after this they will pick out duties sutable to the times and sutable to their own humours and fit to the places they live in but if they come to a dutie that will put a man to it and wherein a man must be laid in the dust there will be a shrinking of the soule of a hypocrite pray consider of it and apply those things home to your own hearts he that doth not love every dutie that he knows to be a duty and would gladly do it with all his soule and doth not study to know his duty he is an hypocrite Oh to see some men and some great Professors how faire they will be in some actings and duties but come to others they cannot abide them they cannot away with them there are such winsings such turnings and deviations in their spirits Fourthly know that hypocrites in their duties make a great deale adoe about little things and neglect the greater and maine things and this is one of the great things Christ chargeth the Scribes and Pharisees withall they make a great deale of adoe about little things that are in themselves fit to be done but neglect the greater and the more weighty and considerable things so saies Christ Mat. 23.16 Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites that say if a man sweare by the Temple it is nothing but if he sweare by the Gold of the Temple he is a debtor and Luk. 11.14 You tythe mint and cummin c. Now if you find you are curious in your owne spirits about outward little things suppose garments and are not so curious about spirituall things which should be acted in a mans soule and spirit it is a most dangerous signe of hypocrisie those things saith he ought to be done you ought to be exceeding carefull even of tything mint and cummin you ought to be carefull how you carry your selves in every thing in the world but you ought not to have left the other undone to put weight upon this and the strictnesse of the Gospell upon this and yet do far worse never looking at the wickednesse of your own hearts within and the envyings of your own soule and passions but you can for a pin or a point be carefull this is hypocrisie neglecting the great things of the Gospell these ought to be done but the other ought not to be undone An hypocrite deales in small ware as I may
fast-day they go to fast and after they have done their duties they thinke they are secure then they may to their lusts and the world againe more eagerly they may then give themselves a little more way they have been so long in duties and their hearts are now warme to their corruptions after they have done their duties Oh these are the secrets of some mens thoughts and hearts I heard of a known Professor in London who would be all the morning two houres in prayer and then he would say now let the Devill do his worst and then play all his reaâ—s Oh the damnable deceits that are in mens hearts as to deceits in that regard and so a hypocrite if he can but shuffle off his duty thinkes then he may act and speake more freely than if he had not done his duty this is a wicked straine of hypocrisie that is found in many mens spirits Then again Ninthly herein lies the hypocrisie of men in duties that they can be content with the performance of the duty though they have not dealt with Christ in it and gotten something purely from him in it And this my Brethren is a certaine veine of hypocrisie and the common frame of hypocrites they will be upon their knees a long time together and never looke for one reception from Christ and go off their knees though they have not had any discovery of God unto their poore soules at all A Saint though he should pray like an Angell I meane speake the most high and and glorious words in the world and if he should have all the whole world of Saints to applaud him in his duties he would hate himselfe and abhorre his duties and all if he cannot meet with Christ in them it is impossible he should be pleased for his soule is set upon it and it is that which is the object that which the soule hath in his eye he cannot be without Christ The power of a Command will force a hypocrite to his dutie but the reallitie of the enjoyment is that which a Saint lookes after If I have not gotten some love-token from the Lord Jesus if my heart be not in a spirituall frame through the operation of the spirit and communion with Christ the soule is not satisfied looke to your soules what manner of frames you have Tenthly and lastly to adde no more at this time A Hypocrite never grows in or by his duties at all he is the same man he was to his corruptions and enjoyments he may grow more fluent in his expressions mannage them externally more neatlie have an easinesse of utterance and a frequencie but he grows not at all as to inward spirituall enjoyments his corruptions never dye and this is a sad symptome to many souls that have run a long time in duties and no body can perceive the least sensible growth in the world nor they themselves though they have lived so long under the Gospell of the Lord Jesus Christ praying zealouslie with much heartinesse one would thinke and no fruit no corruptions mortified there is no more inward apprehensions of things no more growth than if they had never begun the Gospell now I say that is hypocrisie Now some may say what is it to grow in duties First Then a man grows in and by duties when a man is more endeared to the spirituall nature of those things his heart more affected with the heavenly nature of what he is about Secondlie Then a man grows in and by duties when the soule finds more spirituall power to performe his duties he goes on more easilie more spirituallie and more freelie Thirdlie Then a man grows when a man is fitted by one duty to performe another when in one dutie I pray now I can pray anon in my own heart as to the inward frame I do not speake of the outward expression for that will grow by custome but now I heare and I can heare better the next time be more open to take in the things of God he grows in it so it is as to meditation and selfe examination when I can come and try my own heart now and I can every day get more spirituall insight into my own soule Fourthly and lastly I grow in and by my duties when as I get a dayly life in them an addition a vigour and spirit and life that whereas I began with a fainting spirit and feeble knees my heart now grows warmer every day my spirit grows stronger and as a Child finds dayly strength and vigour of spirit so I find a vigour in my spirit A hypocrite runs his round he grows not at all there is no spirituall motion in him but just the same as to the inward frame of his heart though you and I may thinke he grows yet he doth not grow for all growth is by an addition to the same nature if you should see a heape of stones heaped up you do not say it grows it is not a growth but an adding stones to stones it must be in the degrees and spirit and life of the same nature there lies growth I should now have come to the second thing which is hypocrisie of men in prayer which is a thing especiallie to be discovered for there is nothing a hypocrite is more excellent in than in prayer and nothing he esteemes more than that and there is nothing by which a hypocrite gets more esteeme and a better opinion in the world than by prayer for it is a dutie so much commended in the Gospel that all the worship of God is placed in it My house shall be called the house of prayer it is made the Character of a Saint behold he praies it is that which every Saint hath need of every moment and it is is that the Saints are most in of any other duty in the world and there is the greatest excellency of a hypocrite of any thing and to discover him there you would find him out to purpose for a man in prayer if he hath got that curiositie as some have done he speakes as if he were wrastling with the Almightie and as if he were prompted by some Evangelical spirit and assisted by a mightie spirit from above that a man thinks he is a perfect Saint if he have a mightie fluencie as to expression I should in many particulars have shewed you the deceit of this But I will conclude all with a word or two of Use Use First to every soule to looke to his own heart in his duties there is most hypocrisie in duties more than in any other way of acting there is the closest hypocrisie in a mans duties that can be there is his pride and selfe-ends acted to purpose all other actings are but grosse a man may see them easilie but as to duties they are carried so closely no man can know them Alas if a man should be found in his Studie alwaies praying who would not thinke him an excellent Saint yet he may be
the perfectest hypocrite in the world nothing of God and Christ in his prayer it is not the length or the measure you must looke after nor how you have acted them but how you are moved and acted in them Oh my Brethren most glorious Professors in duties will be found another day in strange frames before God We have preached in thy name O Lord say they so Lord we have prayed night and day kept all meetings in the Towne or place where we lived and been at so many fasts and kept all publike daies and kept them closely Yea soule so thou maiest but if you have no more than that depart from me I know you not you are no better you never minded me you never had the frame of the Gospell in your own spirits you never knew what it was to be out of your duties and have the workings of my power in your hearts you never knew what it was to denie your selves in your duties to be made nothing for my name and glory Secondly and lastly I beseech you my Brethren be not content with any thing but what is purely of God what is a reality in the Gospell pure realities Truly my Brethren the fairest faces will one day looke like death when God comes to view them be more afraid in duties than in any other way the most spritefull men in duties that we little thinke of will be wrinckled like old men one day upon a sudden when God comes to deale with them about the things of the Gospell be more afraid of your selves in duties than in any other way for though you are in the waies of God as to outward actings yet you are under the most spirituall temptations that can be you will wonder to see one day how many thousands will be placed at the left hand that have passed through all the formes of duties to the uttermost therefore be not content with any thing but what you find perfectly reall bring it to the touchstone againe and againe let it be written with the Sun-beames in your hearts looke to your principles and ends mind the vigour and straines of your spirits in duties observe at what rate you act still be looking that way Oh to be a sound Christian is a most glorious thing Give me that soule that can say I have many things that I am ashamed of before God night and day but I am sound I am reall though I were to be searched by God I have that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that inward sinceritie that is not only a simplicity of spirit but such a shining judgement upon my own condition that I know how I stand before God and I know whom I have beleeved and how I have beleeved and how I have prayed and heard in the Gospell I know it the divine spirit was in my bosome in such a place in such a corner the Holy Ghost was in my spirit I know that I was carried out in such a duty meerly by the life and strength of God when I had no power when I was as weake as water Oh! this would be a comfort indeed to a poore soule Many are glad to be lulled asleepe if they can but be said to be religious and saints and follow the things of the Gospell they thinke they are happy No soule thou must have a principle in thy soule and an eternall worke upon thee thou must know what God is and what Christ is and what God in Christ is what it is to have thy corruptions struck at the heart and be laid as low as hell in thy owne soule before ever thou enjoy any thing of God in thy owne soule And when thou hast done so thou must try all over againe by a spirit of fire and burning and have not only thy own reason to witnesse but the Holy Ghost and Scriptures to witnesse to what is in thy heart to what thy conscience speakes and all these things will be brought to you one day though you looke slightly over them now Oh that men would be carefull to avoid hypocrisie this wicked leaven that is in so many soules to discerne the leaven that workes in every part so invisibly Beg of God a spirit of sinceritie to keep you from your own hearts beg of the Lord that he never would leave you under any slight ordinarie common workings of spirit but put you to it every day shew you your own frames never be quiet untill you find those reall things and then having a little grace yet if in sinceritie you will find your soules in a happy estate Oh you soules that have this mercie from God blesse him and magnifie him for ever you have the earnest of immortalitie in your owne soules SERMON V. LUKE 12.1 Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisie I Have in many exercises endeavoured to open to you the nature of hypocrisie what kinds and sorts of hypocrites there are in the world and the last time you may remember we shewed you the actings of hypocrisie as to duties in generall for hypocrisie is most acted in duties a man may find out his own deceits in many things more easilie than in duties for in duties there are such faire colours no man knows how to discover himselfe or others if he be not carefull in his own heart But there were three things propounded at the latter end which we could not come to not only as to duties in generall But first the hypocrisie of men in prayer and how a hypocrite is discovered there Secondlie as to communion and converse with Saints and godly persons And thirdly as to his carriage in the world those three we would speake to at this time First Hypocrisie as to prayer which is a dutie that hypocrites most glory in of any that is the dutie wherein Saints get so much of God and have so much experience of God in it is a dutie that is used as the common way to get whatsoever a soule would have let your requests be made known to God therefore there is no dutie a hypocrite is more exact in than that for he imitates a Saint that is the nature of a hypocrite that he imitates a Saint in those duties he is most in that he gets most by none knows the incomes that Saints have in the dutie of prayer how much of God is let into them and how much their soules are let out unto God when none know it it is a dutie that is of that request among those that are godlie that if a hypocrite be not good at that he is good at nothing if he be not very curious there he will be of little account for it is common for one to desire to pray one for another and with one another abundance of incomes come by it in a spirituall way and therefore that is the care of a hypocrite to do that well whatever he neglects and you shall find that as to their parts they never excell so
much as in that dutie wherein they excell and go beyond many Saints as to the outward performance of it I shall shew their hypocrisie therefore as to this And first in generall know that all that a hypocrite doth as to prayer is from an art of it not from a spirit of it within him some do distinguish it thus between a gift of prayer and a grace of prayer but I had rather take it in these termes for graces are gifts and we must come and distinguish again and againe of common gifts and spirituall gifts and supernaturall gifts and supernaturall gifts of such a kind c. but this is cleare that all that ever a hypocrite doth in prayer is from an artificiall motion in his spirit my meaning is thus he hath gotten by industrie by imitation by converse by custome and use in that dutie such an art that there is nothing either belongs to prayer or the exact performance of it outwardlie but he hath it with more abundant curiositie than the best Saint hath that he strives to perfect himselfe in exceedinglie But take this for the generall rule that is rather from an art than from the spirit prayer and many times he gets the art so curiouslie that he refresheth many Saints and poore souls by it though he have little of the sense of it on his own heart he acts that part so exactlie and carefullie to the sight of men that it works much upon the affections of all that heare him and converse with him This I speake now as to those that are most carefull Indeed there be some sorts of hypocrites that are not so curious that are rather for a meer outward forme and are very dead in it and make it up some other way but take hypocrisie in generall it is seene most in prayer In the second place and more particularlie to discover this hypocrisie to you as to the art First know that the great study of a hypocrite is about his expressions more than for any impressions or any reall sights of the nature of his condition or estate as if he were to mourne for sin and open his own heart he studies to set it out in the most melting way though his heart be not melted or if he be to set out the love of God he will do it with the exactest expressions but he finds not the love of Christ constraining and those expressions flowing from that love in his heart Secondlie as to that as his expressions so his greatest enlargements in that duty of prayer is when he is most in publike not so much in private and secret dealings with his own heart this is now to those that deale with others dead at home enlarged abroad Oh my Brethren this is a most wicked frame of hypocrisie in that duty when men look at their words not at their hearts to make their hearts speake within them if I be enlarged in prayer when I am with others and dead when I am in private it is a certaine signe I have nothing in my heart only some outward gales fill my sailes Thirdly as to that know there is a secret rejoycing in the very manner of the expressions of a mans wants or of his Petitions whatsoever he desires of God which none but those find that have to deale with those things in their owne hearts Fourthly And which is as to expressions againe know that a hypocrite in the fourth place is more troubled when he wants an enlargement as to expressions than when he wants a power of affection to duties and to God according to the whole nature of what he is to act in that dutie a Saint can content himselfe more with a sigh and a groane than all the externall enlargements that can be if a hypocrite can be enlarged as to gifts he can easily dispense with some deadnesse as to the frame of his owne heart pray you observe that if you cannot be in your closet as vehement in sighs and groanes as if you were in companie with others if your inward motions do not prompt you to as much vehemencie of soule to go out to God to beg what you want and longings after him to enjoy what he hath communicable to your soules when alone as well as when before others it is a dangerous symptome of hypocrisie it is a signe certainly that I have somewhat at the bottome that is not sound therefore consider that Secondly As to particulars know that a hypocrite loves to lengthen out his duties when he is to performe them before others and to hurrie them over in private truly most Professours are as Papists in that for they tell over their private duties as so many beads till they come to a publike Masse then they are solemne but there is nothing of Religion in all those things if they come to company then they do every thing circumstantially exactly then they lengthen them out according to time and every proportion and this is a very close discovery of hypocrisie in any soule that is slight in private and can hurry over his duties there yet can be mighty solemne when he is in a publike place pray you consider that Thirdly Take this for a Rule a hypocrite both in private and publike prayers he flags at last this will come close to every ones heart the longer he prayes the worse he is the heart more dead best at first at the beginning he is zealous it may be sence of wants presses him something holds him up but the longer he goes on the worse he is But the contrary is now in a Saint the longer he is with God the more his heart is with him he grows in his duties though he be dead at first he will be sure to get some review of God some quicknings some enlivenings though he have been long getting up his heart to a duty yet when once it is up he finds the water flows in the more he is with God the more he gets up his soule the divine nature gets more breath and strength by breathing after God the longer it breaths the stronger it breaths a hypocrite hath much adoe to keep up his affections to the first start either privately or publikely hardly able to keep in his spirit but he is at a loss as to the divine nature of those things as to the glory of them therefore he is fain to pumpe and strain for expressions when his affections are lost this you will find as a perfect secret in your own hearts that know and are privie to your own soules The Spirit may indeed withdraw sometimes but takes it commonly and ordinarily the soule is never so moved as when it is touched in the heart but a hypocrite you shall have his duties done very sleightlie at the latter end when there should be most vigour but you shall find the duties of Saints when once the soule begins to get heat and warmth with the love of Christ and sence
he cannot act as to a Father but his own spirit prompts him strength either of his necessities or the strength of his abilities carries him on Seventhly know this as to a hypocrite in prayer his heart failes him when his enlargements faile him which is contrary to a Saint which is contrarie to the heart of a Saint his heart though he can but groane though he can but chatter as a Crane yet his heart is up if he have any promise there he hangs if he can have any thing to build up his soule in it keeps up his heart any twig to hang on But nothing but comforts and enlargements can keep up the heart of a hypocrite but a Saint from the inward working of the Spirit can keep up though he should have nothing else but a hypocrite in duties if he should be but once denied enlargements he is as dead as a stock Take but a Saint under a promise though he wants enlargements let God shame me as to that I have enough in the promise and the inward groanings of my soule are more to me than all enlargements Eighthly take in this too a hypocrite shews his hypocrisie in prayer that he makes his prayer his shift upon every turne upon every occasion it is his prayer beares him up still After that he hath done any thing that is unsutable to the Gospel if he can but go and powre out a prayer he is well enough his prayer is that which charmes him into quietnesse after guilt by prayer he gets his ease and retires to it if he have committed some fault in his ordinary course of life as to his relations if he can but go to prayer there is all his life and refuge that is all he licks himselfe whole by prayer for it is a dutie man should go to God in and a dutie of drawing a soule to God and when I beg of God pardon I am so quieted though I never get the ground of pardon he cannot be quiet untill he hath been upon his knees and then he is well this is his common shift but a Saint can never be quiet though he pray night and day untill he hath gotten in prayer Christs bloud and have hold upon Christ as the attonement and propitiation Ninthly Then especiallie take in but this that I may adde no more upon this head if he can but ninthly get teares in prayer then he is well for he makes his teares to wash away his guilt and mingles his teares with Christs bloud if he can but blubber his cheeks in teares oh how is he content how much is he satisfied whereas teares are the most dangerous signes of Hypocrisie in the world if they be not the juyce of a broken spirit the droppings of a melted heart the dews of a soule that hath been under the sights of love there is the most dangerous signes of hypocrisie that can be possible that when a mans prayers are bedewed with teares then he is well he hath then no need of Christs bloud he mingles his teares with his sacrifices and that is satisfaction enough at present You will in these things see enough of your owne hearts if you have had any dealing with them Secondly Now let us view a hypocrite as to his converse with Saints his communion with them and see how we can trace him there First In the generall you must know he is very carefull to keep in and keep a correspondencie with Saints else he would be a profane person and would not be respected by Saints all his strivings are that he may keep in there and commonly he steales in so secretly so closelie among them that none knows how he is gotten in But you shall see his hypocrisie First This is the hypocrisie of men as to converse Saints that they have inward prejudices against convincing walking Saints if there be any such in the world he will be sure to have his heart worke secretly against them however he carry it to themselves he hath a secret inward regret against close convincing walking Saints I would I could speake that word so loud that it might be understood for it is hard to find such a Saint in the world yet take one that hath a watchfull and observant eye he cares very little for his company but only for a designe Secondlie as to converses with Saints a hypocrite labours alwaies to dresse himselfe so that he may be very handsome when he goes abroad that is his care alwaies he cares not how he is at home how carelesse and neglective how sleight in his duties how unworthy in his actings so he may but keep up a faire correspondencie with those he is still abroad with he will speake much of heaven and Christ tell you of repentance and experiences abroad but oh not a word of examining his owne soule or a word of God at home and this is the most wicked straine of hypocrisie that can be for all his designe is to gather all the good thoughts of men up and down the world keep himselfe so that if he should come to fall or falter as he feares he shall he might have abundance of votes of good men for him Thirdly as to converse with Saints an hypocrite hath an affected tone or garbe or carriage whereby a man may be thought to be singular to have somewhat more than ordinary of mortification or spirituall straines of glory this is as wicked a straine of hypocrisie as can be Some men affect a particular tone of language or expression some a whining expression some so neatly and others so seriouslie that they would be thought to be grave and mighty sober men and Christians and they have an affected tone of their own it is the vainest way of hypocrisie that can be to speake of divine things as if they were whining them out and weeping them out and speaking with such gestures as may give the world too much ground to make Religion ridiculous whereas their naturall language is not so but they have affected such a way and garbe that they would be thought some body and this that in praying and preaching and conversing with some persons they would be thought to be them alone that take in all the sence of things and they have no more sence than Posts Fourthly which is a maine one as to converse with Saints a hypocrite hath his heart rising against a close faithfull nipping reproofe of other Saints Saul could never endure Samuel after he told him so faithfully about that businesse of his Sacrifice out of my sight so you have many instances about the Prophets and the Kings you have some hypocrites carries it so cunningly that they will take a reproofe very well but hate you ever after have an evill eye upon you that you must keep out of the way of him a hypocrite would not have others know his distempers he is afraid he shall here something he knows he is guiltie of and he cannot
abide that he would be thought somewhat by others though he knows somewhat by himselfe he is afraid he will be put to it which he cannot endure to have his graces questioned that is a perfect signe of a hypocrite as any in the world he would have all men take it for granted what not I a Saint that have been accounted a Professour so long and now be questioned for my graces yea soule and be damned for it too thou a soule that cannot endure to be reproved I confesse there be some waies of reproofe that would make a man hate reproofe when it is for things that are common when it is for poore and vaine things when done out of passion and not done with care and tendernesse to a person and with the weight of the glory of God upon a man it is hard for the best Saint to take a reproofe so but when there is faithfulnesse and realitie to men dealing with their soules and purely touching their consciences and risings of heart and then cannot endure reproofe I may say if thou be not a hypocrite or will prove one there is none in the world it is a signe thou art divelish proud in thy heart and lovest a corruption and hast a lust thou art loath to part with and would'st gladly cover in thy owne spirit thou wouldst live at large and not have thy heart known to thy selfe nor others thou wouldst live at large thou lovest some corruption A Saint desires to have corruption killed every day Oh that I did but know wherein the flaw lies of my graces wherein the mistake in my owne spirit lies he would be glad of it Thou art a wicked hypocrite that lovest not a scrious close reproofe though it cut thee at the heart and then I would say this that it is the perfect character of a Saint if he can take in a reproofe in the sharpest manner from the sharpest tongue in the world if it discover his corruption and strike at it it is a signe a man is out of love with his sins and wants a way only to be rid of them he is glad when it is made odious to him by any body Fifthly The straine of hypocrisie as to communion lies in this that a hypocrite doth inwardly sleight and contemne Saints below him and envy Saints above him you will find it too true in the hearts of many he sleights first any that is below him he hath a poore and low esteeme of them he is a poore ignorant fellow that understands not any thing of God though it may be the breathings of that poore soule unto God are far beyond his he lives in himselfe and any that are below himselfe are under some reflections of the inward workings of his owne heart Then he hath a secret envy against them that are above him he lives so that he would alwaies be at one stay and frame he cannot abide that any should attaine more than himselfe if they do they are proud or high or vaine and if they do not come up to him he thinks him a poor low professour though his soule be groaning night and day after Christ Sixthlie Another straine of hypocrisie is commonly in this that a hypocrite is mighty censorious and prying abroad into other mens faults and sleight and carelesse for the seeing to his own heart for the same thing or worse this is Christs Charge to the Pharisees Cast out the beame thou hypocrite out of thine own eye before thou find fault with the mote in thy brothers he hath a beame at home in his own eye and he will not charge his own soule before God he can see a little thing in another charge him with all unsutablesse but to his own conscience though he fee many a desperate corrruption in his own heart he lets it alone as if he never were the man guilty of them Eagle-eyed abroad Owle-eyed at home take heed of censuring else you had need be very through at home it is a dangerous signe of hypocrisie if you be not curious at home if a man be thorough with his own spirit he may be thorough abroad Christ gives it himselfe as a sign of a perfect hypocrite when a soule shall see a mote in anothers eye and leave a beame in his own Seventhly Hypocrisie lies in this as to communion with Saints that a hypocrite cannot love Saints but of one size one that agrees with him in his own humour and opinion That you will find in the New Testament the Pharisees could not endure them that were not of their owne opinion they would persecute them to the death so some men cannot endure any one though never so much grace and grace and godlinesse if they be not of the same opinion that is a signe it is not for holinesse or grace in any soule that you affect them In the eighth and last place to adde no more as to this know as to converse with Saints Every hypocrite hath his secret back doore and veine with carnall professours though he have communion with Saints now and then and make that his profession yet he hath his private haunts where he shews himselfe in his colours one way or other some secret waies of iniquitie he hath with others though he professes to be in communion with Saints that will appeare and doth appeare often for still his veine lies that way his humour lies that way though his eye seems to be this way there is the humour hid that way in the man and there will be as familiar embraces among the one as the other when it comes and as heartie kind of rejoycings with the one as with the other A secret wicked back doore that they take and they thinke there will be none to tell Now they will be telling of the greatest experiences and anon in the greatest wickednesses at least countenancing of them I would now come to the third thing wherein it is acted as to civill converses and I shall show you First That a hypocrite can put on any face according to any persons or times in the world among Saints he will be a Saint and comply with them among others be as sutable he can take up any forme so Religion be that that may cover all at last for he fits his actings to his ends which are various according to severall parties and companies and severall Societies shall have severall actings he will be zealous if the times will admit it he will be hot and violent and if his company will not serve him to that he will be as dull as heavy againe put on a sober temper and weare gray haires be curious and criticall and serious in the Gospell and this is very common my Brethren and this is the politike hypocrite there are hundreds of these in the world they swarme up and down England at this day men that have no more Religion than beasts as to power and principles in their owne spirits turne every
a man such checks as a man shall consider and by the custome of it conclude that it is thus and thus with him For looke as it is with the Saints under full light and full evidence so it is with a hypocrite under the enlightenings of his conscience saies Paul I have lived in all good conscience unto this day that is walked according to the principles of reason and Religion according to the light I had lived in all good conscience unto this day never strained my conscience Now it is impossible for a man under enlightening if he have not a mighty secure frame of spirit or wonderfull dexteritie of colouring his heart but naturall conscience will reflect upon him and say this was not intended right though the action was done this was not so spirituall nor so firmely acted before God you know you had your intention besides the rule But then Secondlie Take such a conscience under the Ministrie of the Gospell where there are Characters given on both sides where hearts are dealt withall seriouslie and with abundance of clearenesse where the designe is to anatomize the spirit to give characters of a Saint and give distinctions between common graces and those graces that are purely sanctifying changing and transforming the soule and those that are common and worke nor the image of God in the soule if you have any light as hypocrites have abundance of light otherwise they could never play their tricks so as they do it is impossible but the heart should say this is not right I find not this right in my own spirit it is impossible they should lye under these things and have no convictions no checks secretly that he is truly such an one Thirdly He may by reflecting upon himselfe know it by his getting in his duties if he had nothing but that which he gets in duties when he hears how Saints get communion with God in duties how their soules are taken up with Christ what glorious enjoyments they have of God in Prayer and Sacraments what glorious frames they find upon their spirits when they have communion he knows he can hardly get from one duty to another the truth is a hypocrite is the poorest miserablest soule in the world he never hath any thing but what he gets from hand to mouth when he comes to dye he is a begger nothing at all to live on and he knows he never met with Christ so as to humble him and to lay him low he knows when he heares other Saints speake of the Gospell and the sweetnesse they have had in the sights of Christ pardoning and applying his love to them he knows he hath not these things when he comes to action he is as dead and as low as may be and as I told you he is poorest and worst at last Fourthlie God delights to discover a hypocrite he delights in that exceedingly and commonlie doth it and laies it upon a man closely and wonderfullie by wonderfull flashes of spirit and God delights to do it First Because it is a secret that none can find out but himselfe therefore he delights to anatomize a wicked cunning deceitfull heart Secondlie God he delights to do it because he loves to put a speciall marke upon them of all persons in the world those that have deceived others shall deceive themselves he put a marke upon the first hypocrite in the world that ever was that he changed his countenance so that if you had no more take them altogether and you shall find that a man may very well be a hypocrite and know himselfe to be so and yet go one nay it is very hard for a man to be long a hypocrite under the Gospell but he must lye under the checks of it But Secondly you will say how can this be How can he continue in Congregations in Churches how can he continue all this while and not be terrified and not leave off all profession My Brethren In the first place pray take in these things know it is the most deluding sin in the world the most pleasant sin in the world to a man as men love by Art to imitate nature they are mighty pleased with it to represent Nature in Art how men give up themselves and their studies and are pleased with it there is nothing more pleasing to a man as hypocrisie is that he can turne himself at any time here and there evade all things that are laid upon him by the Gospell It is just as you see with those that are your theeves or cut-purses that have a curious art and dexterity to do it they will take a mans purse out of his pocket so exactly that he cannot know it is done but they are gone and when they come together at night they rejoyce and brag who hath done the best feats so hypocrites cannot but know in their naturall consciences it is against the rule but there is abundance of pleasure in it to cheat themselves and cheat others till God worke mightilie upon them for to imitate a Saint in every thing and do it exactly pleases a hypocrite that he can delude others when he hath been in prayer cosened and deluded the best sort of men in the world as I have heard some say they could delude all the Saints in the world for that is pleasing to a man that nourishes his selfe-love and that does carry him on to act so as to be well thought of by others it shews a man an artificiall man that can thus and thus move up and down the world and none see him or take notice of him all think him a blessed Saint I am confident there is no sin so pleasing to a soule as hypocrisie is for it will have so many varieties of Artificiall motions laid before it to act by that a man is not tyed to one or tother but still acted in variety and the sence of divine things is not on his heart at all as I shall shew you in the second place Secondly he may go on in profession though he know himselfe to be so he may go on because he knows not the nature and vilenesse of his sin at all only sees he is not as he should be and it is the same with other sins he may lye long under a sin so long as Conscience is not pressed on with an unresistible conviction only a generall cold conviction is upon him he sees that he hath done so and so and he is so and so but there is not any thing of the power of conviction upon his soule for then a soule should not be able to stand under it but cry out he cannot endure it but commonly it is with hypocrisie such a pleasing sin as with other sins a man sees the guilt by the rule but not by the light of a divine conviction strangely working in his soule and spirit and so goes on as those did which the Prophet speakes of you lye and steale and commit
adultery and yet come and appeare before me they had brazen faces for all that they never felt the power of conviction upon their spirits and if God should shew any man any one sin he would never act that sin but he would abhor the very sights of it But there are such poore common generall convictions meerly from conscience conscience hath a power within a man but it never stirs with terrour till God anew as it were shews his sin and his miserable estate by sin by a light from heaven and so sets conscience afresh a working God then gives it a new Commission to charge his soule he goes to duty though he knows himselfe full of hypocrisie yet he can go to duty as quietly as can be a man may know himselfe to be a hypocrite and yet go on in it because Secondly He thinkes he shall weare out his hypocrisie by his duties though he performe them in it though he contract guilt by them and most of his hypocrisie is in his duties and that is exceeding strange but it is most true for a hypocrite thinkes by his duties to weare out all his deceits as he colours his hypocrisie by it so he hopes to weare it out by it he hopes it is a worke of time though he have a bad heart yet he hopes to have a better heart though he never looks to Christ for it Fourthly He hath something at present that he gets by his profession something that is sutable to some end some lust or other of his own and that keeps him up notwithstanding those generall convictions I know not how to call them convictions they are so cold and poore upon a mans heart but he hopes to get something either applause of men to be a good Christian or something to be thought of by men or to get some peace of conscience that the violence and desperatenesse of wrath fall not upon him Aye but Fifthly which is most of all that I may shew you this God doth judicially give up those kind of hypocrites that have begun without him tooke up profession without any workings of God upon their soules he gives them up commonly unto a reprobate mind that you have so commonly named in the New Testament so injudicious as they cannot understand their own condition but go on still see no more in one condition than another but that I may speake of Gods dealing with hypocrites in this way First As I told you God delights to discover hypocrites so he hath most judgements upon them of any in the world and he discovers them commonly either First By some secret giving them up or withdrawing strength giving them up to some corruption or withdrawing strength from them absolutely that they find nothing of former strength at all so he doth many times with those that have lived upon parts gifts and endowments it is ordinary for God to leave them as you have it in John 15. they wither the life and sap that they were wont to have is withdrawn and the spirit is gone so it is with many and certainly that is the Reprobate mind taking away from the understanding that common light that the soule shall only looke after the outward part of a duty but never knew the life of it never understands nor distinguishes when he is in a bad or a good condition Oh! looke after the impression and sence of the things of God upon your soules Secondlie The way that God takes to discover hypocrites he gives them up to some eminent corruption to breake out as to discover them as it was with Judas he had many gnawings of conscience doubtlesse under Christs Ministry alwaies and under Christs eye but he was never discovered till he gave him up to that covetous heart that wicked corruption that lay most in his heart then he was discovered presently then thirty peeces of silver was enough for Jesus Christ Either God gives them up to deadnesse to be twise dead that is dead in their own hearts the meaning is they lost both their naturall affections and the affections they had on their hearts by common gifts and workings they lost both and now nothing takes hold of them or else he gives them up to some eminent corruption that all the world sees there is one never minded the Gospell now it is broke out or else Secondlie As to that head God gives them up unto a despaire which is very common and that is twofold First Either secret despaire they tug in duties may by night and day when they are prest in conscience and they get nothing go to Sermons and they find no blowings of the Spirit no breathings at all upon their hearts and so grow into a secret despaire insensibly Now there is a secret kind of intermission in Saints but this soule goes on and never finds any thing of God or Christ Secondly There is a terrifying despaire which sometimes God gives them up to whereby they are terrified with the hideousnesse of the wrath of God crying out they are damned they are damned and they never commonly get out of it you never heare of any hypocrite in the Scripture that ever got out when God laid a charge upon him because God would have soules walke so purely and clearely with him in all their duties Now as you see how he may know himselfe to be so to be thus and yet act so see the nature of his hypocrisie and take it in short First though he know himselfe to be a hypocrite and to be unsound yet he is loath to have it said so or have it discovered he cannot abide that he would not have any one thinke so though he knows it himselfe but yet would walke so exactly as he could so it was with Balaam Num. 21.22 23. all along how gladly would he have gone to curse the Israelites but God would not suffer him though he knew he was a most wicked notorious hypocrite and a witch too yet how would he pretend to Balack he would go to God he would gladly have done it but God had a mighty check upon him it was a Prophesie to all the world how all dealings with Saints should be though he spoke good things and he could not but speake them yet he would gladly avoid them for the money and still he had an over-awing of God upon him So it is with many hypocrites though they know themselves to be unsound at the heart and bottome yet they would have all thinke well of them what they want of integritie that they would make up in the handsomnesse of their deportment and cariage up and downe the world Secondly Though he know himselfe to be an hypocrite yet there is none will be more censorious of hypocrisie in others even to poore Saints but that is a common rule he will be severe in the censuring of others and he may thinke by that that others may thinke him far from hypocrisie Thirdly Nay what shall I say
in the third place know this though he know himselfe thus to be in that condition yet he never strives to root out the wickednesse of that frame out of his own heart but to smother it and cover it and palliate it from the eyes of men some way or other not to destroy it in his own spirit but smother it so that it may looke Saint-like still but a gracious heart as soone as it discovers hypocrisie as he sees the straines of hypocrisie in his heart he looks to root it out as soone as it is discovered But to speake no more to that let us now come to the application of it to all your hearts First If this be so I beseech you once againe to put your hearts upon the serious consideration and examination of your own estates what are you Now you looke well come to heare you are not in sight so ugly what are you within Have you not strange straines of hypocrisie if you be not hypocrites I beseech you looke seriously to your own hearts this is the end of all this discourse to put men seriouslie upon the triall of their own spirits that they may not be unsound in the Gospell that they may not have a rotten spirit within that the liver and lungs and heart be not corrupted whilest they deale with the great things of the Gospell that is that the faculties of the soule may be purelie acted to God there are more hypocrites now in the world than in any one Age since the Creation it was a hard thing to pick out one formerlie but God will shew many of them in these daies he is a trying the world and as he goes along he will try spirits most Oh you have trials under the Gospell have you got a clearenesse Can you say you have a glorious inward freenesse with God Oh what use have you made of the Gospell Have you inward glorious incomes of God from the breathing in of divine frames in your actings towards God Let me ask you but these common questions First Cannot you find some time to play with your sins sometimes so they bite you not and sting you Cannot you take some recreating times for your sins and corruptions Pray you consider of it a hypocrite doth so he dares not make a trade of it but he will make a recreation of it now and then he loves that he dares not practice you can now and then play with your wanton thoughts as long as they do not fly in your face you can delight your selfe in your secret wishes Oh that I were at it look to your own soules Nay what is this Religion that men speake of do you find such kind of things in your hearts he that can play with sin for recreation can joine himself unto sin for delight and to be one nature with him a Saint hates appearances he cannot endure the thoughts of it Secondlie Are there not some sins you call little sins and some duties you call little duties and some duties that you never lay upon your conscience Look to your hearts in that you are never humbled for the commission of sins or the omission of duties it is a dangerous symptome of hypocrisie A hypocrite will be sure to make distinctions in the Gospell there be some secret workings up of corruptions and sins as vanitie of thoughts distraction in duties and secret risings of corruptions and desires in a mans heart which he never chargeth his conscience withall and some duties he never laies upon conscience so long as he can passe thorough the maine body he never cares for the speciall circumstances of the Gospell A gracious and upright heart saies Shall I call that little that is against the glorie of an infinite God It is the object makes the sin great not the act this dutie hath as much authority upon my heart though never so meane though but to wash a Saints feet as to offer the greatest sacrifices before the eyes of all the world Thirdly Let me aske you this Are you not afraid of trialls and to be throughly discovered to your own hearts Do you not endeavour sometimes if possible to evade the strength of a conviction and the strength of a word from God that is laid upon your heart afraid to looke into your own hearts and see your spirits to be discovered to your selves do not you many times hush conscience and say be quiet conscience stay a while to your own consciences I will be better I will strive against it I will not be thus and thus carried away do you not find these things A dangerous symptome a hypocrite endeavours to evade the authoritie of the Gospell he is afraid to abide the power and the glorie of it if he cannot find out prudentiall considerations enough he will get spirituall pretences he will be sure if he can evade conviction he will do it that is a very dangerous signe And againe Fourthlie Examine your own hearts Is there not some of the fat of the Cattle of the sheep to allude to that of Saul for he was an hypocrite in the going on in your duties reserved Is there not some Agag for honors sake you would keep up 1 Sam. 15 read over that place at your leisure God bids Saul slay the Amalekites destroy them all in the third verse yet he reserved an Agag and the best of the spoile here was the discoverie of his wicked heart he would have sacrificed some of the fat things he had a mind to triumph by Agag he thought it was too much to destroy all those things though God gave a peremptorie command to destroy all I will sacrifice them to God to make an attonement only reserved some of the best to carrie to my people in triumph that they may see the out-goings of God that lost him his Kingdom and discovered his hypocrisie first of any act he had a secret lust to honour himselfe by it have you none of the fat of your corruptions Have you never a lust laid up Is there never a corruption that your soules have countenanced or do countenance It is a dangerous signe of hypocrisie if a man have any thing that the word of God saith is not the mind of God that he reserves in his heart without utter hatred Well look to it I beseech you and especiallie look to that of the triall of your spirits whether you can be willing to be tried for you shall find a hypocrite will appeale to God and his conscience but he cannot endure to be tried by Saints he will appeale to God if it be not so yet he cannot endure to be put to it to have his heart ript open Nay it is very common to say God knows my heart but if you come to try his heart and say how can this grace stand with this corruption he cannot endure that he will hate the thoughts of it And if you do try him him about his estate you must
not debate it with him but you must take it for granted else he will try your graces as well as you try his and question your state as much as you his And then if he be put to it at last as to triall of his own spirit he will save all with a whining confession and that is all you will get of him therefore look to your selves as to these things In the second place I should now have come to have prest on the exhortation of the Lord Jesus beware of hypocrisie you that are Christians you that are reall Saints should beware of it and so to all sorts of professours take heed and beware of it and shewed you these things To have opened the nature of it and the hideousnesse of it And first from the danger of it to your soules it is the most dangerous sin you can have in your soules and that First because it is the last reserve it is undiscernable a man must search as with a Candle that finds it out as the Jews were to search for the Leaven with a Candle and then curse all the rest it is a close sin indeed there are some actings of it that are very grosse but as for spirituall secret hypocrisie in duties compare them with actings they are exceeding close and undiscernable in the soules of men a soule must dig very deep and be very observant and have a watch over his soule every moment if ever he would trie his heart it is so close and so cunning that a man will hardlie beleeve it is there there is such a hidden motion upon a man that he cannot tell how it comes Secondlie beware of it It is infectious it is a dangerous infectious spreading nature it will be over all the faculties on a sudden it will represent you all kind of glasses that can be possible it can in the morning give you one glasse to looke in at noone another glasse and in the evening one different from both take one part of the Law you shall see your selves in it very faire it spreads over all it will it may be begin with your understandings and give you strange sights and apprehensions of God then come in upon your affections upon a sudden and work them to this end and to their end it will kisse and kill at once looke to it for it is the most dangerous sin of any in the world in a mans heart For if the soundnesse be gone from a mans heart what will he do then A man cannot act like a man when the substance of the soule is gone he cannot act neither Scripture reason nor his judgement but a particular close humour Thirdlie beware of it It is the most inconstant in its motions the most various in its representations so many habits and so many formes it will appeare in to you and alter upon every occasion that it is impossible unlesse a man be given up to try his own heart to find it out A heart and a heart you shall have a faire heart now and a wicked heart anon come and talke with a Person now and you shall find them in a good frame so as if they were commanded by the power of of it come an houre after and you shall find them in a wicked damnable straine of spirit speaking like mad men this is most common especiallie come to talke with a man privately what abundance of ingenuitie there is come to another action and at another time and he is not the same man hypocrisie will appeare and this is the misery mens soules are juggled to hell put in so many formes they know not when they are right know not what is the reall complexion they should have in the Gospell it is so various and so cunning it juggles a mans soule to hell Fourthly It is the most odious thing to God of any it takes his name in vaine most of any it is against his simplicitie omnisciencie his puritie God hates nothing more than this state therefore he sets himselfe against hypocrites of all sorts of people in the world I should have come to have shewed you how to avoid it what are the speciall remedies of hypocrisie the speciall things to keep a man from the evill of it the way to preserve a man from this dangerous sin but I would not leave some poore soules without some kind of comfort all this while many will say Alas I am the man I am the woman certainlie I have been a hypocrite all my daies I would only speake a little comfort to such poore soules First know this Jealousie of thine own heart and severe inquisition into it is a good hopefull Character that thou art far off that condition There is a twofold jealousie that therefore you may not be deceived First A jealousie on probable grounds secret and close symptomes and hints from actings which may teach many a soule that hypocrisie may have place in his heart for I find this and that when I come to looke on the whole straine of my life I have not my heart so carried out in spirituall things I never minded this and that in my actings this is a jealousie that may consist with the knowledge of hypocrisie Secondlie there is a jealousie that ariseth from feare and care lest I should be such an one from the hatred of the thing thou seest the vilenesse of it and thou seest thou canst never be quiet till thou hast the clearenesse of integritie made out to thee that is good that is sweet none more apt to censure a Saint than himselfe you know when Jesus Christ made the question about his betraying the hypocrite spake last never spake till he was put to it every one said at the Supper Lord is it I Is it I Every one had rather dye than heare that word spoken but when it comes to Judas he was forced to it at last and yet he would not confesse it but when the conviction lay upon him and he must needs be under it then he went out and that was all you heard of him till he hanged himselfe Secondlie To comfort poore soules they have no reason to conclude themselves hypocrites when they are glad if God by any meanes discover and destroy their hypocrisie whatever way it be for there lies the weight when God shall be blessed for discovering a mans heart to him take this for a rule If a soule can rejoyce and blesse God for his convictions of sin as for his comforts after conviction it is a signe of a most blessed glorious spirit though the sight of hypocrisie be the ugliest sight in the world yet when he sees it he blesseth God for it Thirdlie Never thinke thou art an hypocrite if thy heart is set against the nature of sin and pursuest the enjoyment of the nature of God whilest thy heart is set against the nature of sin and followest on the nature of God that is to be really possessed with a
substantiall enjoyment of God when the very nature of sin is against thy heart and when the nature of godlinesse is in thine eye as to enjoyment to be fully possessed with that Fourthlie know this too Never say thou art a hypocrite when no outward act can content thee though never so glorious without thou hast an inward frame according to that act according to the inward spiritualitie of the Gospell if thou lookest to have thy soule in a frame to thy duty thou needest not feare hypocrisie Fifthly While thy soule is as much troubled for omission of thy duty as for commission of thy sin thou needest not feare that thou art a hypocrite while thy soule is as much troubled for omission of a duty or an act of faith or closing with Christ or of any outward duty wherein thou hast enjoyed Christ as for commission of sin thou needest not feare thou art a hypocrite Sixthly and lastly thou needest not feare thou art a hypocrite whilst thou hatest thine own strength in thy duties as much as an outward act of sin or the most distemper of thy spirit or a corruption done in the wickednesse of thy heart I speake only this a little to divert the thoughts of poore soules that say I am certainly under this frame of spirit But looke to your own hearts every one if you find all these or any of them in any life upon your soules you are free from that state but if you find not such an universall opposite nature to sin but a frame to sin against God if you find not such constant pure frames in your owne spirits as to principles intentions and ends you will never be able to free your selves from such a state and condition SERMON VII LUKE 12.1 Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisie I Have endeavoured in many exercises to open to you the nature of hypocrisie and have told you the sorts of hypocrites that are up and down the world and in Churches Now in the latter daies they grow more glorious than ever therefore Christs exhortation had need be more pressing formerlie hypocrisie was coursely cloathed could hardlie step out among the Saints they were so prying and so cunninglie carefull to observe the dangers of the Devill in times of danger and persecution Now when the Sun shines faire daies againe Religion seems to flourish in the outside of it and there is a benefit by the name of it men will be very glorious in hypocrisie and if ever there were need to presse Christs exhortation it is now upon all sorts of men and professours among his owne disciples there was one among twelve he bids them beware take heed It is a good caution for them all Saints are subject to the straines of it many times without they have an abundant care in their own spirits Therefore that I shall do is still to presse this exhortation upon your hearts that it may take some weight and impression for beleeve it however you looke upon your selves or whatever thoughts others have of you we had need to tell you to beware of hypocrisie the better you are thought of the more danger And you may remember the last time first I told you you had need to looke to your own spirits concerning this sin because of the danger of it in its nature and workings Secondlie because of the uglinesse and vilenesse of it of all other sins in the soule how it is that which is perfectlie against the nature of God his holinesse and simplicitie his faithfulnesse and realitie to the Sons of men how it is that that makes a man like the devill most of any sin he will beleeve and is convinced of the things that the Gospell speakes of that they are true but here lies the greatnesse of his wickednesse the cunningnesse of his deceit that he sets up an art of deceiving in the world to deceive the Sons of men that they should not beleeve the word of God there is none like the devill so perfectlie like the devill as hypocrites I have chosen you twelve and one of you is a devill none is called a devill in Scripture but he and there lies the sutablenesse that he is a lyar and hypocrisie is a perfect lye in the soule Then I shewed you the uglinesse of it likewise that it doth indispose the soule to every thing that is good when one is in the best frame as it were that spoiles all it is of a poysonous nature I shall go on to shew you what is that you must continuallie look after if you meane to beware of it and prevent it as the care and remedie of this sad condition Therefore first as to the generall and as the maine thing if ever you meane to beware of hypocrisie you must principle your hearts and farnish them with all the graces of the spirit you will never be sincere else you will never be sincere till you have all graces and the workings of them proportionable in your soules and spirits Ephes 3. he begs of them to go on and this I pray that your love may abound more and more in all knowledge and in all experience that you may be able to approve the things that are excellent that you may be sincere Phil. 1.9 A man must have all judgement a discerning eye for sinceritie doth not lye only in the intentions of men but in the reall workings of all the frames of the soule of all the graces as they are in the heart when a man can approve the things that are excellent that is he can judge them and try them and act them as they are discovered to be truths that is sinceritie for sinceritie is not so much a distinct grace as a result of the harmonious workings of all graces in the soule there must be a rectified mind to make a man sincere for it is not a good intention that will make an action good or make you sincere in any action but as it flows from inward reall frames and principles that are sutable Peter was an affectionate man and he said to Christ when he told him of his sufferings spare thy selfe do not go and suffer he did it out of a good intention but he was rebuked for it he had a cleare intention would not have the least hurt come to Christ but it was against the designe that Jesus Christ came about therefore he said get thee behind me Sathan It was not that sincerity therefore the Apostle saith that you may be sincere Oh that sincerity of soule it lies in those two things that you may be sincere you must be able to judge and approve things that are excellent First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it signifies such a straine as is without any mixture hath no composition of any forraigne thing in it when every thing is pure in its native colour you must prove all things be able to try all things and have a judgement of them that you
may be so unmixt in your actings that you may have nothing at all of the corruption of the world in it for we commonlie in our duties mixe our owne ends and our own interests and engagements in the things of God and whatever the intentions be yet if there be any such mixtures you are not sincere though you may thinke you do well and are very exact in the Gospell yet you cannot be sincere whilest there is such a mixture in your principles and ends 1 Cor. 8. A man is not sincere when there are any mixtures when a man is carried on by inward motions of sin Now I confesse there will be many mixtures but there are mixtures in intentions and mixtures in principles and ends and these are dangerous for a man cannot be sincere if these be predominant over him As if I go to God if it be not to glorifie God and to have communion with him having the highest end and do not act from a spirituall principle of holy love to him and his glorie if I have any mixture in my intentions though other things may come in accidentallie yet if they be incorporated in the principle then I am not sincere For to make up that sinceritie a man must have that spirit of sinceritie that is pure to act from God to God from the Spirit unto Christ Now here is a pure way of acting when the soule sees what it s own strength is casts it out lies at Christs feet is carried out by the assistance of Gods spirit will not have any thing but the strength of Christ when the intentions goe along together with the acting of these things when there is a pure intention that I fix but my eye wholly on one object for there be many considerations that come in accidentally but the eye is fixt upon one object I must have Christ and my soule is working after him and there I center my heart that is sinceritie indeed so we should receive the sincere milke of the word that is that milke that is unmixt with the corruption of men the sincere milke 1 Pet. 2. therefore looke to your owne hearts if ever you meane to avoid hypocrisie you must be sure that you keep from mixtures mixtures of unsound principles and ends selfe-love selfe-ends take heed of the aire of the world left that come in and fill your sailes in your duties take heed of any thing that may mixe with your principles your ends for in acting towards God you cannot act purelie but you must act from single and entire principles in your hearts and cleare apprehensions of the object and the end And however you may conceive you act evenlie and your heart is not feigning to be so in a duty yet if you be not carried out in such a heavenly harmony of principles and inclinations and your ends together you will never be found to be sincere in the Gospell Secondlie the word signifies that clearnesse that perspicuity that should be in a mans soule in all his actings so saith the Apostle that you may be sincere the word signifies such a clearenesse as when a man is under the judgement of the Sun as under the Sun shining on a mans spirit you will hardly avoid hypocrisie till your consciences be under a light and a brightnesse of the glory of divine workings upon your hearts for when your conscience lies under darknesse and guilt as to the testimony it should give you will still have shiftings off of hypocrisie from your spirits to take off the weight and misery off from you but the Apostle would have you to be so cleare in your judgement of the Gospell as if you were to be judged by the Sun it selfe it should be found that there is nothing but sinceritie a faire testimonie in everie dutie that inward whitenesse of a mans spirit in a duties that it is not mixed with any bribings from without nor secret evasions from within And that shining from the conscience is so bright that as the Apostle saith this is the testimonie that we have the testimonie of our consciences A man should be so cleare in his own spirit if he meant to avoid hypocrisie that if he were to be brought out to be judged before men and Angels he might have such an inward brightnesse in his own spirit that he might be comforted and refreshed in the sight of it For you find this commonly take hypocrites in the time of convictions they have no testimonie of God at all Now take a sincere heart though he be under conviction yet there is such a light that he judgeth there is sinceritie in his own heart convince but a hypocrite of one thing he can give no account of the other all comes in upon him and challengeth him for he hath no brightnesse within that will testifie to his soule at a dead lift when conscience accuseth he hath nothing to excuse in his conscience from the clearenesse of the acting of true principles in him I beseech you if ever you meane to avoid hypocrisie be sincere and if you will get sinceritie you must get all these graces clearelie shining and working in your owne spirits for you will be put hard to it to get sinceritie while your principles are darke and not even if you find not your principles and ends meet together and your eye is singly set upon the Lord Jesus and your hearts set for the glory of God you will not have that inward plainnesse in your own hearts Though the nature of sinceritie lies much as to these two things First the clearnesse of a mans principles and unmixtnesse in them Secondlie a plainnesse and ingenuitie in the actings of them from these two flows that which we call that sinceritie of spirit To be free from sembling and faigning of things when I am not mixt when I am without impuritie in my motions as to what I act though there be hypocrisie in some other things yet there is not in those maine things So that the first thing I would commend unto you if you would avoid hypocrisie is to furnish your selves with all spirituall graces of sinceritie that you may be justified before the Sun that as they say of the Eagle they try their young ones by the Sun if they can endure the sight of the Sun they are then true so you if these things will endure the Sun and the light of God then you may say you act sincerelie Secondlie if you would avoid hypocrisie lye alwaies under the dread of an omniscient eye this is that that men are discovered hypocrites by they know not what the sights of God are that all-seeing God if I thought God did looke into my heart and did see me it is impossible I should then go on in a way of sin and deceit to deceive my own soule for to deceive the omniscient God Hypocrites thinke in the generall that God sees all things but they lye not under the
dread and aw of an omniscient God no grace keeps a soule so much from hypocrisie as the feare of God the awe and dread of God seeing into a mans heart for though thy heart be close to others it is transparent to God he sees all the cunning of thy spirit and veines of thy soule how thou dost delude thy owne heart therefore if thou wouldst be sound looke after that the feare and dread of God Remember what is it for me to be well thought of by others when God sees it not so the omniscient eye knows I have a secret cunning heart for to deceive He sees me though I speake faire to this and that person yet God knows I am wrong he knows I am lying when I speake a word though others know it not Oh if the eye of God were but thought of by men if we thought we had a divine presence with us Whither shall I go if I go to heaven thou art there Psal 139. if a soule were under this consideration whither shall I go from thy presence I may carrie this sin closelie and secretlie yet the eye of God is upon me the Lord sees me I had better all the world should see me than God for he discovers me from the bottome so much for that Thirdlie If ever you meane to avoid hypocrisie in your own spirits be alwaies considering the vanitie of this sin of all other sins A sin which there is no profit in at all A hypocrite takes as much paines for all his cunning deceits as a Saint for all his sinceritie for a man to act as a King upon a Royall Stage and the next moment he is in Rags not a bit of bread so here a hypocrite take him out of his duties hath nothing to live upon but what they shirke up and down the Gospell for and that is so miserable and so poore a life that they would give over the waies of Religion if it were not for shame and when a man considers old age is comming on there is a day of darknesse a midnight houre that must be upon my soule God will one day take off all this disguise I am well thought of by others now but what shall I be then there is a night up on me but there is a day upon others and that which is the day of the Lord to others will be a midnight to me and that will be the time of the discoverie of me to be miserable Better a man had never gone on in such a hood and have it plucked off and to see such an ugly face Oh what hideous cries will one day be Oh that I had never made use of the name of Christ Oh that I had been through with my owne spirit that I had never deceived my own soule that I had known what my condition had been before I played with the Gospell and dallied with the things of Christ I beseech you consider to be cloathed in darknesse after you have seemed to be cloathed with the brightest notions of the Gospell it is a vaine thing a man gets nothing at all lives upon the aire what men say of him the good thoughts and good words of men there is all for he hath nothing from Christ as to the enjoyments of the Gospell in his own spirit and is not that sad Againe Fourthlie Looke to beware of hypocrisie for it is a dangerous thing if it go on to a height hypocrites are seldome converted under the Gospell the reason is they weare out all those principles they knew they curse themselves under the Gospell they have heard over and over againe the same things and they make little of them in their own spirits God seldome converts them only that conviction that is commonlie upon these that are hypocrites is to show them their hypocrisie to be their miserie whereas to others the time of their conviction is the time of their conversion When God comes to profane men and strikes them home it is commonlie to convert them but as to a hypocrite it is Gods time to shew him his hell and misery and how he hath out-run his glasse and past the day of the Gospell Oh that thou hadst known in this thy day the things of thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes God loves to make such persons examples to the world if they get a breath at the last day it is well Therefore looke to it you that begin to be formall and to play with your convictions and take them off now and then dallying with the Lord looke to it it is a thousand to one if ever you be converted that that converts others condemnes you And tremble at this that you should live under Ordinances and discoveries every day and yet be no better if you escape long without through-improved convictions upon your hearts it is a dangerous symptome it is a thousand to one God hath made but an essay upon thy heart Where did you find that ever God convinced a hypocrite up and down the Gospell that was a profest one if you look through the whole Bible but he left his marke upon them all the daies of their lives It is a dreadfull thing yet grace is not bound up it is not limited at all it may be God may shew more riches of grace upon some soules but it is not usuall therefore if ever you would be scared from hypocrisie take heed of that when a man comes to dye and should come at last to refresh himselfe with the thought that he hath served God faithfullie and sincerelie and finds no comforts of all his duties and enjoyments then to be convinced that he hath been one that hath deceived himselfe is very terrible when he should have God eternallie then to have that time of times of his everlasting ruine God will take some time or other to discover your hearts and it may be he will discover them and you shall not be better only let the world know and your owne hearts know what you have been and leave a secret-deadnesse for ever upon your hearts or fry in the wrath of it all your daies as you go up and downe the world consume you to nothing with the sense of wrath Oh prize a sincere heart and prize opportunities and take heed of puttings off and delaying time and being carelesse of what you are about for that is the trick of a hypocrite to put off and thinke it will be better and hug himselfe with some considerations that time will be otherwise take heed the day of the Lord will be a day of blacknesse And that you may be further set against the nature of this sin for that is my design I beseech you consider the hideous doom upon hypocrites the last doome upon hypocrites when Christ would speake the uttermost of misery he saith he will give them their portion with hypocrites they shall burne in the hottest fire they and the devils together shall be companions
in the uttermost wrath the subjects of the infinite wrath of God they shall be most enlarged for wrath for they are vessels fitted for wrath you know as the Apostle speakes so prepared so enlarged for wrath so is the soule of a hypocrite that hath lived all his daies in darknesse and blacknesse only restrained himselfe as to outward acts but he is fit for wrath he hath laid in such treasures there that he is every day treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath that he will be forced to take in the thoughts of wrath because he hath sinned against the greatest light and opportunities and advantages of the Gospell Oh therefore that you would fright your selves out of hypocrisie if you can do nothing else and formalitie and mixt frames of your spirits scare your hearts with the day of judgement with the sadnesse of the doome with the miserie of the condition Secondlie If ever you meane to be free from hypocrisie you must through with your spirits night and day sound them to the bottome let your line be long let it downe to the bottome of the well give conscience leave to speake in the authoritie of God every day upon your hearts beg of God to try you to search you as David said Go every day to God to search you and be glad and beg of all the Saints to remember thee for there is deceits of hypocrisie in every one of our hearts never come off viewing of your spirits till you have discovered something or other if ever you would be freed from hypocrisie you must do this alwaies keep a narrow watch upon the secret parts be not afraid to looke into your own hearts but aske every motion what it comes from whither it moves try every thing in your own spirits let not any motion go free unexamined in your soules but have a severe censure of it no dutie but have a jury on it looke into the maine frame of your spirits try your principles and intentions first try your motions observe your ends and how you attaine them constantlie if ever men would be sincere and free of hypocrisie they must be thus spirituallie severe to their owne soules it is wholsome severitie it is blessed it is the sleight common dealing with our spirits that we are formall and cold that makes so many deceits in mens hearts which lodges so secretlie within we do not go to purpose with the search of our own spirits challenging our hearts in every dutie we ought I confesse to be carefull how we question the motions of grace in our hearts But a watchfull Saint if he will cleare himselfe of hypocrisie must be eying and prying into every thing that he doth observe his setting out in his duties the carriage and frames of his soule observe the tune afterwards that he is in for hypocrisie will get upon a sudden into a mans heart and a man will thinke himselfe to be an hypocrite presently if he be not thus strict and wary so that if you will lay all these to your hearts seriously it may be a pretious meanes to keep you from the danger of this leaven though it is impossible for to cure it but only as you grow in grace and get sound and sincere principles in your hearts So much for the second Use 2. However let it be a word of comfort unto some poore soules that have all this while been harkening after hypocrisie charging of their own hearts for I would not let any soule go away but with some refreshment Some will say I see so much hypocrisie in my own heart that I cannot but thinke my selfe one that never had any grace or soundnesse in my own spirit I know not what to do or what to say to mine own heart consider I say these things First know it is good for thee to have thy hypocrisie discovered it is a mercy to thee and a favour of God that he will shew thee thy inward parts that he will discover the secrets of thy heart whilest he lets others go in that estate and never knows what is within all the daies of their lives only mind outward acts this is so far from being a discouragement that you should blesse God for it that he hath been pleased to shew thee thine own heart the straines of hypocrisie in a duty God might have left thee to go on and thought thy selfe what thou art not Secondlie Remember the more thou discoverest the secret workings of hypocrisie the more it is a signe thou growest in grace for this is the great end of grace as by the incomings of it to kill sin so for to discover sin and the secrets of it the more spirituall any heart grows the more he grows in the inward sights of his own heart the more he comes to be acquainted with those spirituall kinds of wickednesse in his own spirit And be not therefore troubled at that poore soule for it is rather a signe of thy grace than hypocrisie than of any other impulse because God doth still by degrees shew thee thy own heart so long as thy heart is against it Thirdlie be not discouraged by the sights of hypocrisie as long as thou findest a sincere heart from the discovery of it that is so long as thou lyest in wait from the sincerity of thy heart to discover it and likewise bewailes it from the sincerity of thy soule know that it is a true signe of a sincere heart he lies in wait to discover his hypocrisie he laies himselfe in secret observances continually to spy out the cunningnesse and deceits of his own heart For you shall find those signes of a sincere heart First This will discover a sincere heart that I may comfort a poore soule though he may have hypocrisie in him yet he will be most impartiall to himselfe from once he finds it out it may be he will be charitable to others yet he will be severe to himselfe if he find out any hypocrisie he will be sure to fall on it with all detestation he will charge his own soule as if it were the damned soule he will rather lay too much weight upon his conscience lay it too severe on his own spirit than any way excuse himselfe but hypocrites will deale gently with themselves if they have not an excuse at hand they will not lay it home too much to heart but a reall Saint will say Oh wretched man Oh thou unworthy heart that should live so long and have so many advantages to kill this lust and art thou alive yet Thou shalt never escape more I will follow thee night and day with prayers and teares it will not say it is my infirmitie it is my failing but is will call himselfe a wretched man a heart and a heart therefore looke to your own soules as to that and comfort your soules any poore heart of you that though you find hypocrisie yet you deale severelie with it A second Character