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
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
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
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
of wants and pure thoughts of the love of Jesus Christ it can pray everlastinglie if he had a body fit to his soule he could be alwaies praying and though a Saint may faile in expressions towards the latter end yet his affections are higher he can hardly leave Christ or the thoughts of him he would be alwaies with him there is abundance of adoe to get up our hearts to any frame but when once it is up and goes on with the strength of God then he finds new assistance every moment comming in you shall have a hypocrite at first like a fountaine flowing in expressions but he begins to grow low at last and just so much water let out as may maintaine him for a while and turne his wheele and motion but take a Saint he is commonlie best at last as to faith and spirituall workings in his own heart And this my Brethren will a little informe you of the nature of hypocrisie as to prayer for a hypocrite acts for himself and from self-strength and any artificiall motion as a Clock or so grows slower at latter end untill it be woond up againe so it is really with those men Fourthly The hypocrisie of men in prayer is seen in this that an hypocrite never goes with an absolute present sence of his needs of assistance or of acceptance either of the Spirits power or of Christs intercession if he go to Christ for strength it is to employ it to his own ends But my Brethren there is no Saint goes to a duty ordinarilie and commonly but he goes with that deep sence of that perfect need he hath of the Holy Ghost to supply him he can do nothing though he have parts yet he sees he must have his assistance else he cannot act and when he hath acted he sees as much need of acceptance at last as of assistance at first A hypocrite acts meerlie from his owne strength in some extraordinarie dutie it may be he may cast up his eye and say Lord carry me on in this extraordinary dutie but commonly in prayer he never fees the need of the Holy Ghost to teach him how to pray how to move to God and what to pray and that Jesus Christ should hold out his mediation and stand betweene him and the Father to make a perfect attonement there is nothing will discover hypocrisie more than this if you do but consider it seriously for there is no hypocrite that ever was unbottomed of himselfe his own strength that ever saw the eternall constant need of Christ Fifthly That I may not hold you long a hypocrite in his duties he praies for those things with seeming earnestnesse that he never prized nor knew the worth of He praies for pardon it may be elegantlie with exceeding affections as to our hearing but he never knew what it was to have pardon to have divine incomes in his heart he praies for enjoyments of Christ but yet he never knew the worth of an enjoyment of Christ and that is â—â—scovered in these particulars First In that he can quiet himselfe with common hopes of him I hope I shall have him though now I have him not and so takes his duties instead of Christ for present he can pray for Christ and yet content himselfe with a generall common apprehension that he will shew himselfe good at last though he have no earnest pressing nor longing for him at present Secondly it is seen in this that the soule secretly dislikes what he praies for as to those enjoyments as to the power and spirit and life of them there is no hypocrite but if he pray for to be transformed to be made like unto Christ and be sanctified but oh he hath a secret regret when he comes to the practicall part of it he could rather wish there were no such thing or he had stood upon his own bottome Thirdly and especiallie it is seen in this that those things are matter of petition but not any ground of endeavour after the enjoyment of them they are only the bare matter of Petition I pray for them and seek after them but I never endeavour for them I pray for Christ but never look after him I pray to have my sins mortified but I never take the course to have that vertue and that power from Christ that may kill my corruptions we only put it into our prayers as complementall acts and no more Those prayers that are not accompanied with earnest heartie endeavours to get the things prayed for according to the rule propounded are hypocriticall I pray I may be pardoned and I go on in sin and never looke after the mediation of the Lord Jesus nor study how these blessed conveyances are made over to my soule Oh there is a mightie straine as to that Sixthlie A hypocrite in prayer calls God Father by his own spirit not by the spirit of adoption pray you observe that by his own spirit for he hath not the spirit of prayer which is the spirit of adoption now that you may know the spirit of prayer what the meaning of that is he calls God Father by his own spirit not by the spirit of adoption First He goes not to God from an inward sence of fatherly love there is no hypocrite in the world but he hath a secret inward frame of spirit whereby he looks upon God as an enemie and judge to him in his greatest enlargements he goes not to God from the sence of fatherlie love though he may call God father with abundance of varietie in expression pray you consider that no man can call God father but from the spirit of adoption but from the sence of his love shed abroad in his heart in prayer I go to him because his love as well as my needs workes me up to go to him the tastes of the sweetnesse of that fatherlie love workes up my heart I cannot but go to him Secondlie this spirit of prayer lies in that sutablesse of a son-like affection unto God that sutablenesse of a son-like affection and nature unto God whereby I go as a Son unto a Father Now that is certaine a hypocrite hath no relation to God he never minds him as a father he hath not that inward propensitie that inward love and affection unto God as a Son which lies in the working of the heart inwardlie unto God as unto a Father as it is in nature so it is in grace take a child and tell him it is his Father from once he knows it is his Father there will be an inward working towards him more than to any person in the world there will be some disposition in the heart that will answer presently your representation of him as a Father so it is in the Gospell when you go to the Father there will be something that will answer this thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us the soule must cry Abba Father that no hypocrite can do in the world