THE Estates of the Hypocrite and Syncere Christian Containing Certaine liuely differences betweene Synceritie and Hypocrisie Very necessarie For the Tryall of our Estates in Grace By Tho. Cooper LONDON Printed by Tho. Creede for Arthur Iohnson dwelling in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the white Horse 1613. Obseruations in this First Treatise Obseruation 1. The Hypocrite is a very Banquerout euen worth nothing and heare 1 What an Hypocrite hath 2 This that he hath is nothing in truth And that because 1 He hath no right to it 2 Neither any right vse 3 Nor any true comfort 4 Nothing to what he seemes to haue 5 Nothing in comparison of the Elect. 6 Nothing to what he should haue 7 Nothing that he dooth is accepted 8 Nothing to that he would haue 9 Neither any thing in continuance Vse 1. 1 Not to fret at his prosperity 2 Nor to rest in his measure 3 To obserue his end and 4 Trie our Estate by him Obseruation 2. The Hypocrite though he hath nothing yet he makes himselfe rich 1 And why 2 By what meanes he doth this 1 By concealing his Estate not taking notice of his beggery being onely rich in ignorance or securitie Vse hereof 1 How to discerne spirituall nakednes 2 By assuming that he hath not And how to trie our Estates hereby 3 By ouer-rating that he hath and so thereby how to preuent this mischiefe 4 Arrogating more then hee hath with the Furtherances hereto as also Vse 1 How to trie our selues thereby and 2 Preuent this mischiefe 5 The Hypocrite makes himselfe Rich by vsurping Gods blessings Vse How to trie preuent vsurpation 6 The Hypocrite makes himselfe rich in singularity and despising others Vse Our triall hereby and how to preuent this euill 7 Other pollicies discouered wherby the Hypocrite enricheth himselfe as 1 By restraining wher God giues liberty 2 Aduancing himselfe in Will-worship And so 3 Enlarging where Gods word restraines 4 Drawing disciples after him and 5 Enthralling their consciences and raigning therein aboue all that is called God 6 Presuming on Gods mercies and abusing to this end the Patience of the Almightie 8 Measuring his inward Estate by outward prosperity The yssue hereof 1 He deceiue himselfe 2 And others 3 The Vse and Conclusion of al for triall and Comfort TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL Companies of Fishmongers and Skinners my especiall good patrones and Benefactors All necessarie blessings to fit them to euerlasting happines in Iesus Christ RIght Worshipfull and beloued in the Lord Iesus my harts desires so long as I abide in this house of clay that I may be made manifest especially vnto the consciences of those who haue bene the meanes of my more comfortable pilgrimage through this vale of teares And therefore as the Lord hath vsed your bountie as a gratious morning raine to cherish the seed-time of my yonger studies so haue I esteemed it very equall that you should reape some part of the haruest of my riper fruits Acknowledging my self much bound to my gracious God that hath renued my daies to leaue some memoriall of your loue and my respect thereof And purposing as the Lord shall lend further health not to cease to stirre vp your pure minds to make sure your Election by encreasing and abounding in loue vnto his Saints Blessed be God euen the father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath taught you this holy wisedome to make you friends of your vnrighteous Mammon and to laye a good foundation against the day of Christ Iesus And faithfull is he that hath promised and will accomplish his worke in you that you may be constant and abound in the worke of the Lord that your labour may not be in vaine in the Lord Hold on thē in the name of God Beloued while ye yet haue time and the Lord prosper you in this blessed worke of weldoing to the houshold of faith Oh how shall you maintaine the true honour of this famous Citie to be still the treasurie of the poore and nurserie of learning and true religion how shall you sanctifie the portion which the Lord hath lent you to make it constant to your posteritie when you shall thus offer the first fruits of your encrease vnto the Lord Shall not the loynes of the poore blesse you doe not their prayers keepe away the vengeance from your Citie Are you not the meanes to continue deriue the Gospel to posteritie do you not thereby prepare the Church of God to eternitie And shall not the generatiōs to come esteeme you blessed shall not your posteritie be nursed vp in the Church shall not the memoriall of the iust liue for euer Surely if my poore life and meanes may any whit further hereunto as I do offer vnto you vnfainedly this pledge therof So let me intreate you in the merites of Iesus Christ to take it as a glasse to trie your estates by and so hold what is good and warrantable for your soules happines I doubt not but you are wise to discerne of the euils of the time And howsoeuer the prouerbe now if euer may be verified that hee which knowes not to dissemble knowes not how to liue yet I trust you haue learned by gratious experience that as the Lord liueth truth in the inward parts and hath no need of our lie and hypocrisie to maintaine his truth so he hath and wil daily confound the equiuocating Iesuite and lukewarme professor the dissembling Papist and shifting Ambodexter that so we neither need feare their malice nor eate of such things as please them Onely the Lord make you so wise in the dispensation of your Stewardships that as you distribute to others so you may reserue for your selues being humbled in your weldoing here that you may not loose the comfort of it in an other life And giuing God the whole glorie of all his meanes towards you that hath giuen you an enlarged hart for the aduācement of his Gospell that so you may more and more be emptied of all preposterous loue of earthly things And considering that hee that scattereth shall haue plentie you would therefore learne to liue by faith in the feare of God casting your bread vpon the waters And the more you discerne the world to be giuen ouer to abominable Sacriledge Euen to robbe the Lord in his Tythes and offerings the more you would hereby approue your selues to be chosen out of the world that you seeke not your owne but that which is Iesus Christs still ministring vnto the necessities of the Saints And ouercomming confounding the euill of the time by iudging wisely of the cause of the afflicted and husbanding well yea encreasing daily the Treasury which your Perdecessors left vnto you that your posteritie may be encouraged and blessed by your holy example And the poore Church of Christ may now y e better be maintained by how much the worlde esteemes it Gods best seruice to emptie and spoyle the same For mine owne part As
it hath pleased my good God to exercise me with continuall afflictions and lingering sicknesses disinabling mee from my calling and so casting mee into many extremities so it is my great coÌ„fort that I haue fouÌ„d a strong faithfull GOD in my greatest infirmities who as hee hath restored life though in some weake measure so will hee not also fupplie meanes gratiously Yea surely Blessed be his name that though the Lions want suffer hunger yet they that feare the Lord shall want nothing that is good And I blesse God that I haue fouÌ„d more good in my greatest Afflictions then euer I could haue hoped for in my greatest prosperitie Surely if it were no more but to knowe our selues truely to discerne the insufficiencie and deceitfulnes of worldly things and so to bee wayned from the loue of them the most sharpest Afflictions were not bought too deare But that our light Afflictions whicb are but for a moment should not onely proue meanes to trie and increase Gods graces in vs but to procure vnto vs iâ—y euen vnspeakeable and glorious and so to seale vs vnto saluation .2 Pet. 1. 9. 10. and so giue vs possession of happines euen in this life yea to cause vnto vs a farre more excellent and eternall waight of glorie in Heauen must we not truely account that the Afflictions of this present Time are not worthy of the glory that shall be shewed vnto vs And is not the Lord mercifull vnto vs my Beloued that hath not onely stored vp vnto vs so many blessings in our afflictions but hath also heerein dealt so mildely and kindely with vs as not to sweepe vs away with the Beesom of destructioÌ„ as the Powder Treason intended and our sinnes had deserued but to weaken vs by degrees and to confound vs in our carnall confidence that so we might be invited to Repentance and have gratious laisure therto The Lorde make vs wise to see the plague and hide our selues Is it not high time to turne vnto the Lorde when the First Borne being smitten the next that succeeded was palpable Darknes And then the next the red Sea to swallow vp quicke Who so is wise shall vnderstand these things to whom the arme of the Lorde shall reueale them For this shall I not cease to pray vnto God for you that the Keeper of Israel may keepe you from security and recouer the things that are readie to die To whose blessed protection I doe most hartily commend you in Iesus Christ Resting in him Your Worships euer bounden Tho. Cooper The Hypocrites Estate Prouerb 13. 7. There is that maketh himselfe rich and hath nothing And that maketh himselfe poore hauing great riches THe holy Ghost as I take it in these words shadoweth out vnto vs the difference betweene an Hypocrite and a sincere Christian And that First in their Estates as that 1 The Hypocrite hath nothing that is Is a very banquerout An Emptie vine a cloud without water A figtree hauing onely Leaues hauing a forme of Godlines but denying the power therof Vse 6. Iude. 12. 2. Tim. 3. 5. 2 The sound Christians estate is good he Hath great riches he is rich infaith and plentifull in good workes But how doe these husband and manage these seuerall estates What is their wisedome in making the best of them This the Spirit of God further reueales vnto vs. As first for the Hypocrite thogh he be worth nothing hath nothing in truth nothing in the right vse nothing in acceptance yet he makes himselfe rich that is hee doth not see his emptines nay he will not see it yea he would faine be esteemed rich and in his carnall wisedome he makes himselfe rich thus doth he make the best of his nothing thus doth he set out and lengthen his banquerout estate As for the vpright in hart it is not so with him Thogh hee haue great riches in truth and greater in expectation yet saith the Spirit he makes himselfe poore that is he stands not vpoÌ„ the shew nor sets them out to sell he proclaimes not his riches nor depends thereon but abaseth himselfe that he may be exalted denies himselfe that he may be â—ound in Christ forgets that which is behinde that he may hasten to that which is before though he knowe nothing by himselfe yet he is not iustified 3. Phil. 1 Cor. 4. 4. 2 Yea though hee were perfect yet he knowes not his owne soule Iob. 9. 27. Nay he knowes that God is greater then his conscience and knoweth al things euen the secret sinnes which he cannot discerne And therefore hee abhorres his life and beares the yoake from his youth he sitteth alone and keepeth silence because he hath borne it vpon him he putteth his mouth in the dust if there may be hope he giueth his cheeke to him that smiteth him he is filled full of reproaches For hee knoweth that his God will not forsake for euer but though he send affliction yet will he haue compassion according to the multitude of his mercies 1. Ioh. Ps 19. Lamâ—â—t 3. 27. 28 29. 30. 31. 32. Psal 97. 4. Psal 96. 15 1. Cor. 10. 13. Hebr. 2. 18. Thus doth the true Nathaniel husband his estate And thus generally of the purpose of the holy Ghost and summe of these words Now let vs more particularly consider of these differences And first of These estates The Hypocrites estate you haue heard to be desperate As he hath nothing so he will haue nothing he will not see his want he makes himself rich Reue. 3 he saith that he seeth therfore his sinne remaineth on him Ioh. 9. more hope of a foole then of such a wise man that is only rich in 〈…〉 1 〈◊〉 he hath whatsoeuer the regenerate possesseth 〈◊〉 he many times in 〈◊〉 goeth beyond him 〈…〉 1â— 2 In substance hee hath much common with the regenerate as first communion of outward meanes of religion the Word Sacraments coÌ„ference example c. SecoÌ„dly vse of outward means for this life in an outward manner and for externall ends As first loue to himselfe and so generally of saluation 2. Knowledge supernaturall whereby hee discernes the true meanes of this saluation 3 Faith temporarie whereby for a season he assents to the meanes reioyceth for a season in them wisheth that he may be partaker of the end to which they lead entreth into the way which may leade him to that end and so long as Winde and Tyde serues Sayles very contentedly to that wished Hauen Ioh. 5. Balaam Num. 23. Luk. 8. Matt. 6. 24. 3 Yea InsubstaÌ„ce he hath some graces euen beyond the Elect. As he may do Miracles and haue extraordinarie knowledge of manie mysteries for the good of others and to make himself without excuse Math. 7. 4 Yea he may be restrained from some euills which the Childe of God may fall into that so hee may haue his desire in affecting an outward
here we must also be patient towards euill men bearing with them wisely and raising them vp with the spirite of meeknesse so long as they will endure to be handled and launced of vs. And yet in our launcing and searing wee must be exceeding carefull that we neither take away any but the dead flesh And that wee take it away tenderly euen by degrees least Nature being desirous to thruste out her Enemie thrust out her selfe and the conscience beeing humbled for sinne bee fainted in casting it out Oh where is a Friend found but in the day of aduersitie And therefore howsoeuer wee may not admit such to our bosomes Yet in the Name of God let them come to our oratories let them be partakers of our prayers though yet wee may not admit them to our Tables faile we not to counsaile them though yet wee may not comfort them And therefore though we are to denie them the seales of mercie least they should bee puffed vp before the time as being admitted to the Feast before they haue on their wedding garment Yet are wee to bring them yea wee may safely compell them to come to the wedding and to take hold of the Key of mercie the preaching of the Gospell that so their hearts may be gaged opened to repentance Math. 22 Comforting our selues 1. that our labor shal not be in vaine though they will not leaue to be ashamed Isay 49. 1. 2. Zeph. And howsoeuer they shal proclaim their impudēcy by intruding vpon y e things of God therby to hide their sin by affecting credite of professiō thogh we ought to be grieued with their desperatenes and so to eat the Passeouer with soure hearbs Yet shall not their presence by Gods mercie driue vs away we haue tried our selues and so wee may eate for our comfort and strengthening in Iesus Christ Howsoeuer they shall eat no better then Iudgement for their boldenes and presumption 1. Cor. 11. 59. 20. Shall not to the pure all things be pure Tit 14. Is the light of the Sunne abased by shining on the dunghill Shal not the Lord bee glorified in accomplishing hereby his worke as wel for the greater condemnation of the wicked that are now made more inexcusable as for the furtherance of his Childrens happinesse by trying their Faith and Patience by exercising their Wisedome in this communion with the wicked Well who so is wise shall vnderstand these things and to whō the arme of the Lord shall reueale them But as for the Hypocrite these things are hidden from him Luke 19. 41. 42. Iohn 9. Hee is ordained to cōdemnation and yet must flatter himselfe that hee is in the right way yea rather then he will not chuse the right hee will goe alone and seeme to outrun all hee forsakes the societie least it should staye him in his course And so he makes himselfe rich in singularitie and separation And thus haue we a little traced the hypocrite in this mysterie of iniquitie Thus whiles hee makes himselfe rich in pretending to out-runne others he outrunnes Gods ordinances and so loseth himselfe And these are the ends of all his masking he would not seeme what he is but rather what he is not and so deceiues himselfe And by his glorious shewes hee deceiues others drawing Disciples after him and making them two-fold more the children of hell then they were before As furnishing them with meanes to commit sinne more greedily and yet to hide it more cunningly that so being made more inexcusable and abusing great blessings they may be beaten with many stripes 2. Tim. 3. 13. Whereby we learne as to preuent and auoyd singularitie 1. by suspending our iudgment of others 2. iudging our selue 3. by labouring especially after the power of Godlines 4. and measuring the same by truth in the inward parts So hereby to trie our selues whether we be tainted with this leauen of the Pharisie or no. And to order guide our selues wisely in these euill daies that we may maintaine the vnitie of the spirit in the bond of peace Ephes 4. To this end be we wise to obserue the policies of the hypocrite in making himselfe rich as also carefully to discerne the ends of this policie And here let vs not forget in the first place that the ground of this policie is not so much to attaine to any substance of riches as rather to conceale his pouertie frō himselfe and others To this end howsoeuer he will admit the letter of knowledge yet he cannot abide the spirituall power and application thereof to search his inward corruption And hence it is y e he will acknowledge no more then what is broken out into Act. And herein also he is growne so wise as to take notice of no more then the world discernes And that he may seeme to be perfect or at least not be shamed he will labour to hide euen what the world apprehends And to his purpose he hath many fetches according to the diuine Iustice meeting with him in his wisedome and confounding the same As first because he boasts of the pride of the holy mountaine and will still haue religion to be his cloake to hide sinne Therefore doth the Lord according to his desire offer him such deceiuers as may now wilfully blinde him And thus he heapeth vp teachers according to his owne lusts 2. Tim. 4. 2. which may not onely helpe to excuse diminish sinne crying peace peace God is mercifull what need this strictnes haue not all their infirmities but may further also cry ayme to his lusts prophecying of new wine strong drinke yea promising constancie and securitie in this belly happines to morrow shall be as to day and much more abundant Mich. 2. Esay 56. Ierem. 6. And if now it shall so fall out that the Lord shall make such deceiuers vile before the people Malach. 2. giuing vp to grosse wickednes to their iust reproach before men that thus abase the ordinances of God to the satisfying of their lusts So that now the Prophet shall be come an example of his owne loose and corrupt doctrine Oh what a warrant proues this to the hypocrites licentiousnes haue not they knowledge are not they my guides if I do as they say Nay what they say they confirme by practise may not I safely imitate the same behold here another meanes wherby the hypocrite iustifie himselfe And yet that his confusion may be the greater euen wherein hee affects perfection Behold a further degree of Gods Iustice in giuing him to this policie that he which can deuice starting holes for himselfe to breake out into all licentiousnes yet to colour his vilenes he must now put on a face of seueritie and strictnes against others not onely restraining them wherein himselfe takes libertie as if he had some priuiledge to sinne or could more command repentance but whispering many times in their care that they must do as he saith not
woman he will destroy and deuoure at once Isay 42. 15. And yet see a further power of delusion My Maister hath deferred his coming Matth 24. 1. Pet. 3. 4. And therefore where is the promise of his comming saith the Hypocrite And thus dooth he make himself further rich in abusing Gods patieÌ„ce Thus doth hee open his mouth against Heauen and defie the Iustice of the Lorde that whereas the Lorde in great patieÌ„ce beareth with such vessels as are appointed to greatest coÌ„demnation Doth not the wicked abuse this patience to the nourishing and defence of his presuÌ„ption Is hee plagued like other men Hath not he bene spared when others haue smarted Psal 73. and therefore doth not the Lord loue him Nay is he not more righteous then others And if now this patience of the Almightie shal be a means of the continuance encrease of his prosperitie doth not this further encrease this delusioÌ„ would the Lord so blesse him if he did not loue him If his paths were not acceptable could he so wash his feete in butter could he so abound and encrease And hath not Sathan yet a further meanes to encrease this delusion yea surely the prosperitie of fooles shall prooue their destruction Pro. 1. The more the Hipocrite enioyes the pleasures of sin the lesse dooth hee thinke of GOD as he shuld the more doth hee coÌ„ceiue basely of him And because the Lorde holdes his peace therfore doth he conceiue that either the Lorde sees not so denies his prouidence or els he will neither do good nor eull so denies his Iustice or els he is like vn to him he likes of his sin so denies depraues his goodnes But will the Lord take this at the hypocrites haÌ„ds Surely no Behold because wheÌ„ he knows God seeing he will not glorifie him as God therefore shall he be giueÌ„ up to are probate sence EueÌ„ to call Light darknes darknes light Isay 5. 19. Isay 3â— 3. Flattering himselfe hereby in his Iniquitie though hee commit it with greedines and blessing his soule herein as a great purchase that now his conscience can excuse for sinne that so with authoritie hee may more securely reuell therein And thus through custome of sin his deceiued conscience becoms at leÌ„gth past feeling And this proues a furtherâ— occasion to encrease this delusion that now his estate is good All is well with him seeing the Byrde in the bosome hath lost her tongue the dead Conscience sayes nothing to the contrarie And if now all being husht at home the crie shall goe well abroade the world shall so flatter the Hypocrite because hee sawnes vpon it doth he not make himselfe rich with the words of men Is not his case good seeing all speake well of him And say that some in the world will not be measured by his line say that his holines is confounded by some one in a Citie or two in a Tribe some rare Byrds that the world knowes not and is not worthie of Yet shall not this any whit take downe the conceit of his Riches his estate is yet good enough though hee cannot attaine vnto them For why Doth not God bestow his graces diuersly to som one to some fiue talents yet he that hath but one hath therof sufficieÌ„t wil God require any more at his hands then he giueth May not the prime times require greater strictnes theÌ„ those that come after wil not a lesse measure serue at one time then at an other May not lesse be required of him then of other men Nay hath he not more reason to be borne withall then others hee hath had more hinderances and therefore though he haue lesse may it not be sufficieÌ„t And thogh hee come short of some yet dâ—th he not exceed others and may it not be presumption to seeke to be with the foremost nay is it not daÌ„gerous to be singular to be like nobodie And doth not the Hypocrite now make himself rich in his pretended zeale for the preseruation of unitie curbing suppressing all true measure of holines as being singularity and so an enemy to Concord Reuel 14. Doth not he thinke to doe God good seruice In compelling to his measure that so hee may yet further flatter himself in his riches because none shall exceede him And doth not this power of delusioÌ„ make way for all desperat wickednes Is not the measure of sin hereby hastened doth not the Lord now put in the sickle Is not the dead coÌ„science now reuiued to begin the execution yet for al this the hypocrite will make himselfe rich Either now his repentaÌ„ce must heereby be appoued of the Church so bee receiued again to do more mischief or els if he caÌ„not be receiued of the Church hee will set vp a new Sinagogue of his owne by despising the ordinarie meanes as too base for his illuminated spirit whereas indeed he reiects the meanes because they enraged his conscience Thus doth hee maske it stil vnder his vaile of holines that so hee may commit sin more greedily without controulment pretending hee hath the Annoynting and so no need of the word wheÌ„ in truth he hateth y e word as conuincing his conscience And casts it from him that he may take his fill of sinne and so makes himself onely rich in the diuels treasure and yet pretends the riches of the blessed Spirit Behold the polices of the Anabaptist and Libertine the familist and Papist And yet doth not SathaÌ„ help theÌ„ with another policie that they may make themselues rich Surely as harlots when they want naturall beautie vse to adulterate their feature with paintings thereby to seeme that which they are not Euen so the hypocrite wanting the inward beautie and power of religion labours to inrich himselfe in the outward forme thereof and as if the natiue forme were to plaine and abiect behold he adulterates the same with far fetcht painting borrowing some colours from the Iewe and some ornaments from the Gentile And so makes himselfe rich in whorish fashions and outward pompe Behold the height of Antichrists wisdome And blessed be God for the truth of the Gospell yea blessed be the name of his Maiestie for euer that giues vs hearts to labour the power and simplicitie therof Shal not the Lord roote out euery plant which his owne hand hath not planted Shall he not aduance his blessed Sonne Iesus vpon his holy hill of Sion Certainely Antichrist is falling and the Iewes must come in and happie is he that can possesse his soule in patience that can keepe himselfe vnspotted of this present world Doth not the blessed word abide with vs and is it not able to make the man of God perfect to euery good worke The Lord make vs thankfull for the good things we enioy If we be faithfull in a little shal we not be entrusted with greater blessings If we beleeue shal we not see greater things then