filled Chap. 2. ver 4. yea so abundantly filled that each one was able to fill multitudes For by Saint Peters preaching the same day there were added to the Church about 3000. soules ver 41. Thus this heavenly fire hid since the world began and from all ages Col. 1.26 now breaking forth sheweth most heat and light Thus our Zacheus for that name whether you expound it Just or Pure may well stand for him who is the fountain of all Justice and purity recompenseth his former hoording and sparing by giving fourfold Thus the holy and precious oile of gladnesse powred upon the head of the Church runneth down to the skirts of his clothing even to all his members and parts For saith Saint Peter here ver 16. This is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel And it shall be in the last daies saith God that I will powre out of my spirit upon all flesh And this is that which is cited Heb. 8.11 They shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know ye the Lord for all such know me from the least of them to the greatest Thirdly not to like end was the Holy Ghost before come or given For before he was given to foretell things to come and to be done now to tell and declare things done and finished Before to set forth the shadow of good things to come now to minister the substance of the things themselves Before to teach men but now we may say in some sort to teach Angells For now unto principalities and powers in heavenly places is made known by the Church the manifold wisdome of God Eph. 3.10 And in the ministry of the Gospell the things are now shewed which the Angells desire to behold 1. Pet. 1.12 Before it was to prepare the bride for the marriage of the Lamb Now it is to keep the keies of the bridechamber dore to bind and loose open and shut I will give thee the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt binde on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shal be loosed in Heaven saith Christ to Saint Peter Mat. 16.19 For which causes I doubt not it is that the least of the Kingdom of God that is as aforesaid after this third and full revelation of the Trinity is said to be greater then John the Baptist whose time was but a little before it Mat. 11.11 What followeth then for our instruction out of this inlargement of the holy Spirit to us but this that we also be inlarged in the holinesse of our spirits unto him that as he hath abounded unto us so we may abound unto him and that as he to us so we to him be renued In our manner Not with eye service as men-pleasers but heartily as to the Lord. Col. 3.23 In our measure Rich in faith rich in good works In our end Not minding earthly things but having our conversation in heaven Phil. 3.20 But how was this new and great coming of the Holy Ghost It was in or under signs and figures types and emblems For the Son came to take our nature because he was to stand in our room to act our cause therefore his coming must be hypostaticall he must be that he seems to be The Word was made flesh Joh. 1. But the Holy Ghost was to renew us into his nature that we might be partakers of the godly nature 2 Pet. 1.4 therefore it sufficeth that his coming be symbolicall not becoming or being what he shews but shewing what he is his properties and effects As excellently here hee doth in three notable symboles or signs Namely Wind Fire and Tongues And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing and a mighty wind c. To seek all the agreements between these shaddows and their substance were to attempt that impossibility 2 Esd 4.5 Weigh me the weight of the fire or measure me the blast of the wind Expect not all then but be content with some And first of the wind The Wind hath two especiall properties Secretness and Activeness First Secretness and that both in its arising and its working 1. Secretnesse in its arising It is so secret that it cannot be known for I will rather believe Christ who telleth me that I cannot tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth Joh. 3.8 then I would yeeld to the wisdom of man if all Philosophers could as indeed they cannot agree together to tell me from whence it cometh God bringeth them out of his treasures Ps 135.7 No doubt out of those treasures of light and and might knowledge and power the light which no man can attain unto 1 Tim. 6.16 And secondly it hath Secretness in its working too for it unsensibly pierceth the sensible joynts and bones Zephyrus quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vitam ferens and worketh sensible refreshing on the unsensible herbs and plants And to the Holy Ghost also is secretnesse proper both in his beginning or arising and in his working In his beginning for we say he hath a beginning of personality though not of nature A beginning from the Father and the Son not in time being coeternall but by proceeding Whereof the proceeding of the stream from the fountain of the heat from the fire and of the light from the sun is all too short and weak expressions and yet these in time we are still together And in his working also he is secret Entring in to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and the joynts and the marrow Heb. 4.12 And as the true Zephyrus breathing breath of lives upon all the plants which the heavenly father hath planted and that unsensibly as the wind blowing when and where and how he listeth The former secresie is for our admiration the greater it is the farther we must stand from it For qui scrutatur majestatem opprimetur à gloria He that searcheth Gods majesty shall be oppressed of his glory It is enough to cry out O the deepness of this secret The latter is for our examination for we must prove our selves whether we are in the faith or no 2 Cor. 13.5 If we live in the spirit we must walk in the spirit Gal. 5.25 And as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God Rom 8.14 Again Activenesse also is another property of the wind It is active constantly strongly subtilly variously 1. Constantly for it is alwaies in motion its being consisteth in action for it is not wind if it do not blow And though it be not in all places alwaies alike perceived yet never can it be said to be in no place at all 2. Strongly for it bendeth the pliant plants but breaketh or overturneth the stiffe and sturdy oaks 3. Subtilly for it findeth the chaffe in the middest of the wheat and purgeth and scattereth it quite away 4. Variously for it bringeth sometimes lightning sometimes rain
Sunday or Holy day without cause approved by the Curate And is it not a shame that an abuse should grow to a custom which every curate may remedy When Demetrius called in question the dishonour of Diana and the despising of her magnificence as hee calls it the multitude made an outcry no lesse then two hours long Great is Diana of the Ephesians Act. 19.27 And shall we see the dishonour of God and the despising of his magnificence and munificence in that Image which is not from Jupiter but of Jehovah grow into a custom and shall we keep silence Enough of this for I know to whom I speak The other abuse which I complain of is to the dishonour of the other Sacrament Namely it is as it seems a custom or fashion in these parts to bring Joy sops as they call them cups of Wire and Sops to the Communion table at the time of Weddings and to fill the same table with pots and cakes immediately after the end of the marriage that the Bridegroom and Bride and their company may eat drink and be merry But what hath carnal eating and drinking to doe with that table which is provided onely for the soules fast Yea the Canon forbids any Feasts banquets or drinkings to be kept in the Church Chappel or Church-yard much more at the Communion table except the Communion feast onely proper thereto Yea in the Common Prayer book the Communion is appointed to be ministred and celebrated in or with the Marriage businesse and the Bridegroom and Bride are then also injoyned to receive the same It is no good fashion then that Christs cup should give place and be forgotten for Joy sops sake and that this should come in use instead of that is a soul mistake These abuses I desire may be reformed yet withall I crave favour that I may not be in this as an informer to bring any one in question at this time for any thing past but that upon this warning there may bee future reformation wherein if I speed then I have not said nothing concerning a Visitation The rest I leave to God and you beseeching the Lord so to enlighten our heads and sanctifie our hearts and strengthen our hands that we may both know and doe our duties effectually to the obtaining of everlasting blessednesse thorough Jesus Christ c. Finis Serm. 3. Trino-uni gloria Three SERMONS here put together in one continued Tract upon Mat. 13.47 48. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Net that that was cast into the Sea and gathered of every kind which when it was full they drew to shore and sate down and gathered the good into vessels but cast the bad away IT is sayd of our Saviour Rev. 3.7 that he hath the key of David and openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth And it seemeth he did this much in his time by Parables For in them he was most frequent and familiar as appeareth here ver 34. All these things spake Iesus unto the multitude in Parables and without a Parable spake he not unto them And the end and reason he sheweth ver 11. namely for opening to his disciples but for shutting to others Therefore his Parables are in this Chapter especially concerning the Kingdom of Heaven Now the Kingdome of Heaven is diversly taken sometimes for the Church Triumphant and state of glory as Mat. 5.20 Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Sometimes for the Church Militant and state of Grace as Mat. 19.14 Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Sometimes for the gathering of the Church the Ministry of the Word the very Kingdom of the Gospel as Mat. 21.43 The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation that shall bring forth the fruits thereof And so it is in this and most of the other Parables of this Chapter Lutz Har. Evang. Regnum coelorum in praesenti non significat vitam faelicitatem beatam sed totum mysterium five negotium Evangelii The Kingdom of Heaven in this place doth not signifie the life of blessednesse but the whole businesse and mystery of the Gospel Theophylact. Sagena est doctrina piscatorum The draw-net doth signifie the Doctrine of Christs Fishermen Here then we have an excellent description and expression of the publishing of the Gospel the very Ministeriall work of Preaching It is expressed by its dignity and honour it is the Kingdome of Heaven 2. By its property or effect it is a draw-net cast into the sea for so the word may be read Sagena a draw-net 3. By its end upshot or issue it hath first its fulnesse which when it was full and then its tryal they drew to shore and sate down and gathered the good into vessels but cast the bad away The first part of this description of the Ministerial work is by its honour or dignity it is the Kingdom of Heaven Behold its honour yea indeed its double honour It is a Kingdom and it is a heavenly Kingdome First it is a Kingdom For it hath been the work of Kings and it is still a work that worketh upon Kings It hath been the work of Kings for Melchisedeck a King was also a Priest and David a King was also a Prophet and Solomon a great King affected and adopted to himself the name of a Preacher And it also worketh upon Kings even to subdue and conquer them and in a sort to depose and put them down not temporally from their seats or thrones according to Popish presumption but spiritually from their sins according to Gods ordination Not peremptorily in pride commanding as if a Priest might beard a King but meekly in reverence exhorting as in the message of the King of Kings And that it hath this force in this nature to subdue Kings witness the many Kings and Kingdoms that have been drawn from heathenish superstition to Evangelicall profession by this silly net of simple Fishermen All which together do cry the truth of that which the Prophet spake concerning the Church Is 49.23 Kings shall be thy nursing fathers and Queens shall be thy nursing mothers and of that Psal 72.11 All Kings shall fall down before him all nations shall do him service Yea not onely it hath this power in this kind to put down but also in the same nature to set up and make to invest and to ordain Kings I mean spiritually to make spirituall Kings so that by meanes of this our Ministry that also is fulfilled and brought to passe Exod. 19.16 Ye shall be unto me a kingdome of Priests and that Rev. 5.10 Thou hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reign on the earth This is armour of proof unto the Ministers and touch of proof unto the people It is armour of proof unto the Ministers
A. That it be to the true God and that it be truly 4. Q Why to the true God A. Because he onely heareth all our words Ps 139.4 and knoweth all our wants Is 63.16 and seeth all our hearts Jer. 17.9 10. and is able to yeeld all helps Jam. 1.17 5. Q. What doe you imply and require in saying that it be truly A. That it be in humility in charity in faith in knowledge 6. Q. What humility A. Inward Joh. 4.24 and outward 1 Cor. 6.20 7. Q. What charity A. Free from wrath 1 Tim. 2.8 and from revenge Rom. 12.19 8. Q. What faith A. Absolute in spiritual things Jam. 1.5 6. but conditional in temporal things Mat. 26.39 9. Q What knowledge A. Of our want Rev. 3.17 of our words 1 Cor. 4.15 and of Gods will 1 Joh. 5.14 10. Q. What spirituall rule or form of Prayer have you A. The Lords Prayer so called because it was taught and given by Christ our Lord. 11. Q. Did he teach it for its proper use or for a pattern to follow A. Both for Mat. 6.9 It is After this manner pray ye Our Father c. And Luk. 11.2 it is When ye pray say Our Father c. 12. Q. What learn you for practise out of all aforesaid of Prayer A. To be diligent and earnest in the use of it publick and private Eph. 6.18 1 Thes 5.17 Secondly to begrudge no reverence 1 King 8.54 Luk. 22.41 Psal 95.6 Eph. 3.14 Thirdly to abhor Popish praying to Saints and in an unknown tongue Sect. 23. Of the Preface of the Lords Prayer 1. Q. HOw many parts hath the Lords Prayer A. Three a Preface a Sum of Petitions and a Conclusion 2. Q. What is the Preface A. Our Father which art in heaven 3. Q Are we restrained or directed in this Prayer to speak onely to the first person A. No for the name or title Father is common to the whole Trinity Mat. 23.9 Heb. 12.9 4. Q. How or why then is the first person particularly called God the Father A. For distinction not for division sake and in respect to the Son yet the whole Trinity is our Father 5. Q. And how is God our father A. By Creation Mal. 2.10 and by Adoption Rom. 8.15 6. Q. Whom doe you include and understand by this word our A. The whole Church 7. Q. May I not then say this Prayer alone by my self A. Yes in respect of bodily presence or company yet never alone or divided from the Communion of Saints that they may partake of the benefit of my prayers and I of theirs 8. Q. But doth not the plurality of this and the words following direct and invite us to pray with company A. Yes no doubt else Christ would not have so approved it as Mat. 18.20 9. Q. May I not then call God my Father A. No doubt I may in my particular faith but Christ here sets my Faith awork in the word Father and my Charity in the word Our 10. Q. Is God onely in heaven A. No but every where 1 King 8.27 Act. 17.27 11. Q. Why then doe we say which art in heaven A. Because there specially he revealeth and communicateth himself Is 66.1 12. Q. What do you gather for practise out of all aforesaid of the Preface of the Lords Prayer A. That we ought to perform the duties of children to God because we call him Father and the duties of brethren one to another because we call him our Father Secondly that alwaies especially in prayer I must be heavenly minded because I professe my Father to be in heaven Phil. 3.20 1 Pet. 1.4 Sect. 24. Of the first Petition 1. Q. HOw many Petitions be there in the Lords Prayer A. Six 2. Q. How may they be divided A. Into two equall parts the first three concerning Gods due the latter three concerning our own need 3. Q. Which is the first Petition A. Hallowed be thy name 4. Q. Hath God any proper name sufficient to express him A. No for his nature is infinite 5. Q. What may we understand here by his name A. Himself and whatsoever doth declare him to us 6. Q. Why doe you say himself A. Because he answereth and putteth his nature for his name Exod. 3.14 7. Q. And what especially doth declare him to us A. His Titles Ex. 6.3 Deut. 28.58 Secondly his Attributes Ex. 33.19 with 34.6 Thirdly his Ordinances as Word and Sacraments Act. 9.15 Fourthly his Works Rom. 1.20 8. Q. Can God receive any addition to his holiness A. No for he is absolute and perfect in himself Iob 22.23 Ps 16.2 9. Q. How then must Gods name be hallowed A. By all creatures in their kind Psal 145.10 and Psal 148.8 10. Q. How are we for our parts to hallow it A. With our tongue Ps 57.8 with our heart 1 Pet. 3.15 and with our hands Mat. 5.16 11. Q. Is then Gods name onely to be hallowed A. Yes for holiness is to the Lord Exod. 28.36 and becometh his house for ever Ps 93.5 12. Q. What then do you ask in this petition A. Grace for my self and all people rightly to glorifie God 13. Q. What doe you specially learn for practise out of all aforesaid of the first petition A. First to prefer Gods respects and service alwaies before mine own Secondly to direct and intend all that I ask or doe to Gods glory 1 Cor. 10.31 Thirdly to think all that I am and have too little for this 1 Cor. 6.20 Sect. 25. Of the second Petition 1. Q. WHat is the second petition A. Thy Kingdom come 2. Q. What is here meant by thy Kingdom A. The spirituall Government of the Church Militant Ps 1 10.2 3. Q. Who is King of this Kingdom A. Christ 1 Cor. 15.25 4. Q. Who are the subjects A. The Saints Rev. 15.3 5. Q. What are the Laws A. The Scriptures Is 8.20 Luk. 16.29 6. Q. Who are the enemies A. Satan and all his Instruments Eph. 2.2 6.12 7. Q. What doe you ask then in saying thy Kingdome come A. The preserving advancing and fulfilling of the Church Militant Ps 122.6 8. Q. How or wherein A. In the generall spreading of the Gospel Mat. 24.14 and in the particular reigning of the spirit in every one Luk. 17.21 9. Q. Is not the coming of the Kingdome of glory here also to be understood A. In generall no doubt it may as Rev. 22.20 and the fulfilling of the Church Militant implyeth it 10. Q. But must wee not here understand our own death for speeding us to glory A. We are not here bound to it for it is lawfull to preserve our own life Mat. 10.23 and to pray for the same 2 King 20.2 3 4 5. and the restoring of health is Gods mercy Phil. 2.27 11. Q. How is the coming of this Kingdom effected A. By the Ministry of the Word Mat. 9.37 38. 12. Q What doe you learn for practise out of all aforesaid of the second Petition A. First to acknowledge the
fully come For now and not before did his servants receive his full name in their foreheads being baptised in the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost And now being made known to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his triple unity revealed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by way of speciall excellencie he is become to us a King and we to him a Kingdom For now especially hee hath vouchsafed to specifie his Church by the name of his Kingdome Mat. 11. Hee that is least in the Kingdome of God that is in the state of his Church after this third revealing of himself This is the compleat mystery of godlinesse God is manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit 1 Tim. 3.16 And as In him so also By him to us is the Trinity especially perfected For this God of order allwaies observeth order as ad intra in his personall proprieties so ad extra in his outward works The Father creating the Son redeeming the Holy Ghost sanctifying And what had the former two works been without this third The Son of God had his two-fold marriage one personall with his flesh the other mysticall with his Church and in each the Father was the Donor the Son the Receiver there wanted not Bride or Bridegoom or giver But who could be worthy to be the minister in these holy conjunctions None but the Holy Ghost He was the Minister in the personall marriage For the word was made flesh but how he was conceived of the Holy Ghost Conceived the flesh supernaturally formed the Word hypostatically united And in the mysticall marriage likewise he is the Minister For if any man have not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his But as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the Sons of God For this is that spirit of adoption by whom we cry Abba Father Rom. 8. He worketh the application of Christ unto us by faith and of us unto Christ by love and so is that marriage made The father is our Physitian the Son our Physick But the Holy Ghost is that blessed Apothecary which applyeth of this salve to every sore and administreth portions of this portion distributing to every one severally even as he will 1 Cor. 12.11 The Father was the sacrificer the Son the Sacrifice but where was the fire Wis 16. This charitas Dei this loving spirit this love of God Tit. 3.4 or rather this God Love for God is love 1 Jo. 4.8 was that heavenly fire wherein this sacrifice was finished For God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son Jo. 3.16 And through the eternall spirit Christ offered himself without spot to God Heb. 9.14 The Son is the arme the Holy Ghost is the hand the Father the body from which they issue or are derived And as in the body naturall the eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of thee 1 Cor. 12. Yea the feeble members are so necessary that to the lesse honorable members we give more abundant honor so in this body of bodies this fountain of beings the holy deity the plurality of persons is no waies needlesse but their perfection consisteth not lesse in their Trinity then in their unty And lest we should think the Holy Ghost because he is the third in order to be the third in honor behold what abundant honor we are to give him The arm and hand work together and at once with the body and in and with the same strength yet the perfection and consequently the honor of the work more immediately belongeth to the arme and most immediately to the hand This Holy Ghost is the holy hand of God by which all the works of God are to us most immediately perfected With a mighty hand a stretched out arm he brought his Israel out of corporall bondage And with that stretched arme the redemption of the Sonne and this mighty hand the operation of the Holy Ghost he bringeth his Israel out of spirituall bondage I cannot shew you all the fingers of this hand for they abound yet not superfluously like that monstrous creature who had six upon each hand 2 Sam. 21. but richly as it becometh the Creator being Lord of all to be rich unto all Let it suffice that some of these fingers are expressed in the Scriptures Exo. 8.19 Pharaohs inchanters spake concerning the plague of lice This is the finger of God there is medius the strong finger of Power Exo. 31. Moses received the two Tables written with the finger of God there is Index the pointing finger of wisdom Lu. 11.20 Christ saith If I by the finger of God cast out Devills there is medicus the healing finger of mercy These are not those writing fingers in Belshazars vision Dan. 5. they write no fearfull inditement but they are those dropping fingers Can. 5. which droppe down pure myrrhe blessed distillations of grace and mercie to blot out the old handwriting that was against us Yea this hand enableth them on whom it resteth to prevail with God by holy wrastling as Jacob did Gen. 32.28 and to make violent entry by force into the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 11.12 No marvell that Christ saith It is expedient for you that I go away Joh. 16.7 Why that the third person might take his course and turn that God unto us-ward might be perfected In him in respect of revelation By him in respect of application and operation Again this feast of the comming and appearing of the Holy Ghost is to us the feast of feasts the speciall feast We may compare it yea with reverence be it spoken we may preferre it to the feast of the Nativity in the former respects Namely in our own behalf this being the consummation of that unto us the Catastrophe the last scene of that divine act of the blessed Trinity In that feast God unchanged in himself descended unto man In this man changed and renewed from himself is lifted up unto God In that God became partaker of the humane nature in this man is made partaker of the divine nature In that one man was made the Temple of God 1 Cor. 6.19 in this every one of the faithfull is made so feverally and all-together jointly Eph. 2.21 That was begun secretly in the Virgins womb and accomplished obscurely in a stable This was done openly and publickly at a great feast and a solemn assembly In a word as the beginning without the end were vain so the end would not be without the beginning Therefore let no man put asunder that which God hath joyned together Yet exitus acta probat unto us the end and consummation is all in all Be it so then and let Saint Bernards player teach us the use of it Ser. 3. in Pent. that I follow it not further Solemnitatem praecipuam hodie celebramus utinam devotione praecipua Wee celebrate a speciall feast to day God grant we do it with speciall devotion that God
Ho. 38. ad pop de humilitate quiete opus mihi reddis impossibile thou makest me think it impossible to be done For I cannot think but if it were possible to be done thou who art so earnest in speaking of it wouldest not faile in performing it Yea it makes men hate goodnesse and blaspheme the author of it Thou that maketh thy boast of the Law thorough breaking the Law dishonorest thou God for the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles thorough you Ro. 2.23 Indeed we should be all teachers Let the word of God dwell in you plenteously in all wisdom teaching and admonishing your own selves in Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall songs Col. 3.16 Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works and let us exhort one another Heb. 10.24 But facilior est per exempla quam per praecepta docendi via the easier the stronger and indeeed the more generally required way of teaching is by examples rather then by precepts Fire and water are said to be good servauts but bad masters Now fire and water are emblems of the holy spirit whose work if it make thee docible in respect of obeying to be a good servant it is to thy profit and and benefit But if it make thee docible onely in respect of commanding onely to be a good master it is to thy hurt and damage The Pharisees were good masters requiring much of others They bind heavy burthens and grievous to be born and lay them on mens shoulders But they were bad servants practising little themselves They themselves will not move one of those burthens with one of their fingers Mat. 23.4 They turned the work of the holy Ghost the quite contrary way they were not like Christ who did both do and teach for they taught much and did little Their righteousnesse was Verball 2. It was also formall only in outward appearance woe be to you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrits for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter but within they are ful of extortion and excess Mat. 23.25 This must needs be a hainous evill and highly offensive unto God for as much as it goes about to mock and deceive him which is impossible because hee sees the heart as well as the hand and therefore in vain do we cleanse our hands if we do not also purge our hearts from wickednesse The Apostle forbids eye-service to be done to our bodily masters but happy are wee if to our heavenly master wee rightly perform it For then we will do it with heart as well as with hand because his eye is equally on both The Syrians thought the Israelites God to be the God of the mountaines and not of the vallies 1 Kings 20.23 Belike they thought he could not see them there Yes he seeth the lowest vallies of the heart Thou understandest my thoughts long before Ps 139. as well as the loftiest mounting of the hand According to the cleannesse of my hands in his eye-sight Ps 18.24 Yea as a curious prayer regardeth not the matter or forme of the window through which he looketh but onely the businesse that is done within so God may be said to look carelesly on the outward appearance in comparison of his earnest observation of the substance For many times he takes no notice of outward uncleannesse when he sees inward cleannesse As also certainly never any other notice of outward cleanness when he sees inward cleanness For God seeth not as man seeth for man looketh on the outward appearance but God regardeth the heart 1. Sam. 16.7 Strive therefore rather that thy leprous hand may be cleansed then thy clean hand lepred by putting it into thy bosome Exod. 4.6 The lack of this inward truth makes the Hypocrit that he can endure no tryall For he makes a fair shew in the fair sunshine of of prosperity but is blown away like chaffe before the wind of affliction And why he hath no root therefore he cannot endure the Crosse Or if he bear it Lu. 23.26 it is but as Simon either for another to suffer or but half way he will bear it but not be fastened to it he is a good doer but a bad sufferer he can be patient when he hears no reviling thankfull when he endures no crossing humble even to despair himself when other men honor him but sincerity is patient in reproach thankfull in losse semper idem even like mount Sion which cannot be removed Else alas what do we but beat the air It is not the good fight of faith when we fight without opposition A whited wall is not thoroughly discerned till it be digged Ezekiels digging the wall brought him to see the inner abhominations Ez. 8.8 The hypocrits keep their conscience like Isaiahs closed book Is 29.11 It is sealed no man can read it but the time will come when the bookes shall be opened and the dead shall be judged according to things that are written in the book Rev. 20.12 Yea when Isaiahs sealed book shall be turned into Zachariahs flying book filled with the curse of God Zac. 5.1 Jacob got a blessing by counterfeiting his elder brother Esaus hands but beware of counterfeiting our elder brother Christs hands for God is not blind as Isaac was therefore it will surely bring a curse upon us and not a blessing Wee may with the Gibeonites beguile the Church for a while with a shew of old bottles ripenesse of wisdome Clouted shooes reformation of affection Old clothes and mouldy bread humblenesse and abstinence in conversation as if our Kingdome were not of this world as if our conversation were no nearer then Heaven when notwithstanding our hearts are nearer then our heeles unto the Earth when we are of the earth earthly and wholly earthly minded and so we may be spared for a while and keep a room in the Church but onely as hewers of wood heapers up of wrath against the day of wrath increasers of fuell for that flame of Tophet the burning whereof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a river of brimstone doth kindle it Is 30.33 Thirdly their righteousness was partial with nice and foolish and preposterous difference For they did not onely call some commandents little as may be gathered by that Mat. 5.19 whosoever shall break one of the least of these Commandements And by that Mat. 22.36 Which is the greatest Commandement But farther contrary to all sense and reason they made least account of the greatest and greatest of the smallest matters Ye tyth mint and cumin and have left the weightier matters of the Law Judgment mercie and faith Mat. 23.23 Behold their hypocrisie in both First in the former For can any thing be little that concerneth him who hath no measure Can the offence of his infinitenesse be lyable to lesse the nan infinite punishment Or can he love God that stroketh him on the one cheek and striketh him on the other or that