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
in another condition This is that I would speake unto It is not my intention only that will make me a hypocrite it makes me a grosser to feigne and dissemble But it is as well the one as the other the want of the reall principle the want of a sound worke upon my heart Take in the first place this consideration First I appeare to my selfe and others to be what God will not own me to be at the last day so there is Hypocrisie in Fundamentals I say I have grace and God saies I have none I say I beleeve and God will never owne my faith when it comes to triall I am as far to seeke and I am as much a Hypocrite for I have a false faith a false motion after God and Christ as much as if I did intend to palliate to counterfeit my faith on purpose A man may have the complexion but not the constitution of a Saint If I appeare not really what I am before God I am a hypocrite Therefore this I say is the great thing that few in the world do know that most of Professors are Hypocrites they are not throughly converted though they have as they thinke the glorious workings of God upon them yet if they be not true and reall and will go through the fire of a divine eye and the search of that Omnisciencie of the Lord they will never hold I am an Hypocrite though not so in intention I am not so as to the formality of Hypocrisie but I am so really as to God therefore consider of it consider it for the most people think if they have but a good honest intention in what they do they think they are perfectlie free of all danger of hypocrisie they are safe and sound in Religion if they pray and do not dissemble in their prayers that is that their hearts and their tongues do not jar but do agree they are then free from hypocrisie but that is a miserable mistake For alas it is all one whether or no you feigne your selves to be what you are not or are not what you thinke yourselves to be it is all one as to the thing it selfe you will find it so one day in your own spirits when you shall find all that ever you have done to be but glorious appearances What will it do you good when you can say only I had a good intention I thought I prayed well and had the straines of the Gospell in my own spirit what will this do you good if you be not found so But this is that I say that if I have not the truth in me of what I do professe though I do sincerelie and honestly professe what I thinke it is all one as to the nature of the thing as if I do feigne what I am not For I shall be as well undone by the one as by the other and I am not the person I thinke my selfe to be nor others thinkes to be if God thinkes not me to be what I and others thinkes me to be and to what end should we soulke up and down and not be what we are in our own hearts but delude our selves and not deale faithfullâ— with our own spirits ☞ As now take a Preacher of the Gospell suppose I preach the Gospell if I preach any thing that is untruth or a lye though I do it with never so honest a heart I shall be damned for it If I preach against Jesus Christ any thing that will destroy the fundamentals of the Gospell I shall be destroyed for all that though I be never so honest in my intention For our intentions are but naturall and common If I think I have grace and a work of God upon my soule and yet have it not it is all one as with those that know they have no worke of God and yet professe Secondly there is hypocrisie seene in it likewise because I take up things in a generall manner and never try them nor my own heart by them that shews my hypocrisie though I thinke I am reall in my intentions I should try them over and over againe But to make out this a little more cleare to you Let us consider in the generall the power that imagination hath upon the spirits of men Take â—â—y one that is thought to converse with the devill and trade with him upon promise of Gold and Silver and the like The power of imagination will worke upon such a man that he will beleeve on the Devill that he hath all the riches in the world the gold of the Indies this the very power of imagination will do he thinkes he can want nothing and yet so strong is this power of imagination upon him all his daies Do but take a man in a melancholly straine he will thinke really he is what he thinkes any other man to be If any man be taken in a feaver he will beleeve he is so he will sweat at it If any one be thought to go mad he will be the same It is the same in Religion the fancy and imagination of a man will work as strongly in Religion and the Gospell-perswasion as a melancholy constitution I will perswade my selfe to be in heaven and see Angels and glorious Saints and be in the bosome of Christ though I never heard his voice to my own soule and all this upon the power of imagination it is so strong upon our spirits if there were no more but that it were enough Secondly in generall know this that you may see it by the contrary of sincerity you know that is said to be sincere in the proper sence of it that is not mixt that is without any mixture at all as that is pure wine that is not sophisticated by any brewing that is sincere that is not mixt that is pure from the grape shines in its own lustre we call that hypocriticall that is mixt or hath any thing to set it off but its own nature these things that come purely from it selfe so it is in the soule of a man that is hypocriticall in his owne spirit that is not sincere that hath a shew of grace and yet hath it not that is hypocrisie he hath common and carnall principles or if you will common grace and carnall principles mixt together it is ordinary in the Gospell man hath his naturall principles and some additions of assistance and power from God and they are jumbled together they are not sincere at all but hypocriticall nothing shines in its own nature so it is with most men in the world there are other ingredients that are mixt with all their actings there is something mixt with it in the Principles in the very first motions And certainly this is that which is sutable to this Text where he saies Take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisie You must not thinke the Pharisees did preach Hypocrisie but only their doctrine tended to nothing else but setting up an
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
may be so unmixt in your actings that you may have nothing at all of the corruption of the world in it for we commonlie in our duties mixe our owne ends and our own interests and engagements in the things of God and whatever the intentions be yet if there be any such mixtures you are not sincere though you may thinke you do well and are very exact in the Gospell yet you cannot be sincere whilest there is such a mixture in your principles and ends 1 Cor. 8. A man is not sincere when there are any mixtures when a man is carried on by inward motions of sin Now I confesse there will be many mixtures but there are mixtures in intentions and mixtures in principles and ends and these are dangerous for a man cannot be sincere if these be predominant over him As if I go to God if it be not to glorifie God and to have communion with him having the highest end and do not act from a spirituall principle of holy love to him and his glorie if I have any mixture in my intentions though other things may come in accidentallie yet if they be incorporated in the principle then I am not sincere For to make up that sinceritie a man must have that spirit of sinceritie that is pure to act from God to God from the Spirit unto Christ Now here is a pure way of acting when the soule sees what it s own strength is casts it out lies at Christs feet is carried out by the assistance of Gods spirit will not have any thing but the strength of Christ when the intentions goe along together with the acting of these things when there is a pure intention that I fix but my eye wholly on one object for there be many considerations that come in accidentally but the eye is fixt upon one object I must have Christ and my soule is working after him and there I center my heart that is sinceritie indeed so we should receive the sincere milke of the word that is that milke that is unmixt with the corruption of men the sincere milke 1 Pet. 2. therefore looke to your owne hearts if ever you meane to avoid hypocrisie you must be sure that you keep from mixtures mixtures of unsound principles and ends selfe-love selfe-ends take heed of the aire of the world left that come in and fill your sailes in your duties take heed of any thing that may mixe with your principles your ends for in acting towards God you cannot act purelie but you must act from single and entire principles in your hearts and cleare apprehensions of the object and the end And however you may conceive you act evenlie and your heart is not feigning to be so in a duty yet if you be not carried out in such a heavenly harmony of principles and inclinations and your ends together you will never be found to be sincere in the Gospell Secondlie the word signifies that clearnesse that perspicuity that should be in a mans soule in all his actings so saith the Apostle that you may be sincere the word signifies such a clearenesse as when a man is under the judgement of the Sun as under the Sun shining on a mans spirit you will hardly avoid hypocrisie till your consciences be under a light and a brightnesse of the glory of divine workings upon your hearts for when your conscience lies under darknesse and guilt as to the testimony it should give you will still have shiftings off of hypocrisie from your spirits to take off the weight and misery off from you but the Apostle would have you to be so cleare in your judgement of the Gospell as if you were to be judged by the Sun it selfe it should be found that there is nothing but sinceritie a faire testimonie in everie dutie that inward whitenesse of a mans spirit in a duties that it is not mixed with any bribings from without nor secret evasions from within And that shining from the conscience is so bright that as the Apostle saith this is the testimonie that we have the testimonie of our consciences A man should be so cleare in his own spirit if he meant to avoid hypocrisie that if he were to be brought out to be judged before men and Angels he might have such an inward brightnesse in his own spirit that he might be comforted and refreshed in the sight of it For you find this commonly take hypocrites in the time of convictions they have no testimonie of God at all Now take a sincere heart though he be under conviction yet there is such a light that he judgeth there is sinceritie in his own heart convince but a hypocrite of one thing he can give no account of the other all comes in upon him and challengeth him for he hath no brightnesse within that will testifie to his soule at a dead lift when conscience accuseth he hath nothing to excuse in his conscience from the clearenesse of the acting of true principles in him I beseech you if ever you meane to avoid hypocrisie be sincere and if you will get sinceritie you must get all these graces clearelie shining and working in your owne spirits for you will be put hard to it to get sinceritie while your principles are darke and not even if you find not your principles and ends meet together and your eye is singly set upon the Lord Jesus and your hearts set for the glory of God you will not have that inward plainnesse in your own hearts Though the nature of sinceritie lies much as to these two things First the clearnesse of a mans principles and unmixtnesse in them Secondlie a plainnesse and ingenuitie in the actings of them from these two flows that which we call that sinceritie of spirit To be free from sembling and faigning of things when I am not mixt when I am without impuritie in my motions as to what I act though there be hypocrisie in some other things yet there is not in those maine things So that the first thing I would commend unto you if you would avoid hypocrisie is to furnish your selves with all spirituall graces of sinceritie that you may be justified before the Sun that as they say of the Eagle they try their young ones by the Sun if they can endure the sight of the Sun they are then true so you if these things will endure the Sun and the light of God then you may say you act sincerelie Secondlie if you would avoid hypocrisie lye alwaies under the dread of an omniscient eye this is that that men are discovered hypocrites by they know not what the sights of God are that all-seeing God if I thought God did looke into my heart and did see me it is impossible I should then go on in a way of sin and deceit to deceive my own soule for to deceive the omniscient God Hypocrites thinke in the generall that God sees all things but they lye not under the
dread and aw of an omniscient God no grace keeps a soule so much from hypocrisie as the feare of God the awe and dread of God seeing into a mans heart for though thy heart be close to others it is transparent to God he sees all the cunning of thy spirit and veines of thy soule how thou dost delude thy owne heart therefore if thou wouldst be sound looke after that the feare and dread of God Remember what is it for me to be well thought of by others when God sees it not so the omniscient eye knows I have a secret cunning heart for to deceive He sees me though I speake faire to this and that person yet God knows I am wrong he knows I am lying when I speake a word though others know it not Oh if the eye of God were but thought of by men if we thought we had a divine presence with us Whither shall I go if I go to heaven thou art there Psal 139. if a soule were under this consideration whither shall I go from thy presence I may carrie this sin closelie and secretlie yet the eye of God is upon me the Lord sees me I had better all the world should see me than God for he discovers me from the bottome so much for that Thirdlie If ever you meane to avoid hypocrisie in your own spirits be alwaies considering the vanitie of this sin of all other sins A sin which there is no profit in at all A hypocrite takes as much paines for all his cunning deceits as a Saint for all his sinceritie for a man to act as a King upon a Royall Stage and the next moment he is in Rags not a bit of bread so here a hypocrite take him out of his duties hath nothing to live upon but what they shirke up and down the Gospell for and that is so miserable and so poore a life that they would give over the waies of Religion if it were not for shame and when a man considers old age is comming on there is a day of darknesse a midnight houre that must be upon my soule God will one day take off all this disguise I am well thought of by others now but what shall I be then there is a night up on me but there is a day upon others and that which is the day of the Lord to others will be a midnight to me and that will be the time of the discoverie of me to be miserable Better a man had never gone on in such a hood and have it plucked off and to see such an ugly face Oh what hideous cries will one day be Oh that I had never made use of the name of Christ Oh that I had been through with my owne spirit that I had never deceived my own soule that I had known what my condition had been before I played with the Gospell and dallied with the things of Christ I beseech you consider to be cloathed in darknesse after you have seemed to be cloathed with the brightest notions of the Gospell it is a vaine thing a man gets nothing at all lives upon the aire what men say of him the good thoughts and good words of men there is all for he hath nothing from Christ as to the enjoyments of the Gospell in his own spirit and is not that sad Againe Fourthlie Looke to beware of hypocrisie for it is a dangerous thing if it go on to a height hypocrites are seldome converted under the Gospell the reason is they weare out all those principles they knew they curse themselves under the Gospell they have heard over and over againe the same things and they make little of them in their own spirits God seldome converts them only that conviction that is commonlie upon these that are hypocrites is to show them their hypocrisie to be their miserie whereas to others the time of their conviction is the time of their conversion When God comes to profane men and strikes them home it is commonlie to convert them but as to a hypocrite it is Gods time to shew him his hell and misery and how he hath out-run his glasse and past the day of the Gospell Oh that thou hadst known in this thy day the things of thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes God loves to make such persons examples to the world if they get a breath at the last day it is well Therefore looke to it you that begin to be formall and to play with your convictions and take them off now and then dallying with the Lord looke to it it is a thousand to one if ever you be converted that that converts others condemnes you And tremble at this that you should live under Ordinances and discoveries every day and yet be no better if you escape long without through-improved convictions upon your hearts it is a dangerous symptome it is a thousand to one God hath made but an essay upon thy heart Where did you find that ever God convinced a hypocrite up and down the Gospell that was a profest one if you look through the whole Bible but he left his marke upon them all the daies of their lives It is a dreadfull thing yet grace is not bound up it is not limited at all it may be God may shew more riches of grace upon some soules but it is not usuall therefore if ever you would be scared from hypocrisie take heed of that when a man comes to dye and should come at last to refresh himselfe with the thought that he hath served God faithfullie and sincerelie and finds no comforts of all his duties and enjoyments then to be convinced that he hath been one that hath deceived himselfe is very terrible when he should have God eternallie then to have that time of times of his everlasting ruine God will take some time or other to discover your hearts and it may be he will discover them and you shall not be better only let the world know and your owne hearts know what you have been and leave a secret-deadnesse for ever upon your hearts or fry in the wrath of it all your daies as you go up and downe the world consume you to nothing with the sense of wrath Oh prize a sincere heart and prize opportunities and take heed of puttings off and delaying time and being carelesse of what you are about for that is the trick of a hypocrite to put off and thinke it will be better and hug himselfe with some considerations that time will be otherwise take heed the day of the Lord will be a day of blacknesse And that you may be further set against the nature of this sin for that is my design I beseech you consider the hideous doom upon hypocrites the last doome upon hypocrites when Christ would speake the uttermost of misery he saith he will give them their portion with hypocrites they shall burne in the hottest fire they and the devils together shall be companions
foolish Virgins Mat. 25. they went on smoothly a long time and slumbred and slept and thought themselves as pure Virgins as the wise untill midnight came And the young man in the Gospell Mat. 19. he came to Christ with a confidence in his own intentions that he had kept the Law or else he would never have come to Christ as he did but yet he lacked something he wanted the maine principle he wanted selfe-deniall never knew what it was to cast himselfe upon the Lord Jesus purely All his hypocrisie lay in that If there be but a naturall ingenuity and simplicity and it come under the Gospell it will be mightily improved by a mans following the outward Letter of it he will be as simple-hearted in all duties as much as formerly he was by following the common principles of honesty therefore when the young man came to Christ there was a kind of affection in Jesus Christ to him and a love to him and yet this was his hypocrisie he did all those things and had no intention at all to deceive the world or himselfe by it but he wanted the principle that should have carried him on in all things So that a man appeares to be what he is not appeares to be a Saint and does duties well but is not this comes from a want of principles a defect in that It is not my intention that makes me a hypocrite before God but if I go on in profession and have not what should make out that profession to be from God it is hypocrisie Only these are the most to be pittied and bewailed that go innocently to hell they thinke they have grace and no man in the world can perswade them to the contrary and as strong a faith as any in the world and alas they have not they thinke they love Christ and would do any thing for him but they never had that love flaming in them from the power of divine love and spirituall Gospell-principles Now the reasons why men go on thus are First because they never had the sight of their own natures they never were under the through-convictions of their sinfull state by nature only bred up fairely and ingenuously in the Gospell God never shewed them their own faces in the glasse of the Law only they have looked on the Law with their own eye in their own prospect it is impossible if God shewed a man his nature he should go without principles in his heart Secondly It comes from a generall view of the Gospell meerly from generall considerations of the Gospell and outward rule without any particular inward sense of the spirit and frame that should be in him men looke upon the Gospell as a History and never come to see what spirituall frames should be in their hearts to every duty Thirdly Men do find some kind of comfort in those waies and they have not those checks of conscience that others have because they are not so grosse in their actings but go on smoothly without questioning their own state and their spirits are pretty well composed Fourthly The maine and the great reason is want of through-examination want of diving into the depths of the heart not putting a mans selfe to it every day men take up meerly the imitation as it were of others and the shadow and the outward expression and consider them no otherwaies whereas they are but shews men never go no further in their own spirits than the outsides never search their hearts to lay them open before the Majesty and Authority of a great God and so they live and dye securely And is not this a sad thing that a man should thinke he hath grace and have no intention at all to deceive That is he hath not that cunning and desperate frame but only goes on and trusts his own judgment and trusts his own generall apprehensions and hopes well of himselfe and thinkes surely he would do no wrong do no evill and this man slips down and away to the bottome of hell here is a hypocrite though not a professed one he is deceived though he intend not to deceive for here is that I would have you look to ☞ It is not your thinking and saying you have grace you may be hypocrites for all that if you are not what you appeare to be you are a hypocrite whatsoever you seeme to be and whether you think so or no. God thinkes so and know's so and you will find it so one day when you come to have the vaile taken off from your eyes Paul wondred what he was a doing when God opened his eyes what he had been doing all this while Therefore you had need be trying your hearts every day dayly fearing your hearts and jealous over your spirits and suspecting every motion untill you have tried your hearts by Law and Gospell yea and waited upon the Spirit for a new triall Now there is a second sort and they are such as are conscious to themselves of their hypocrisie that they are not yet sound in the maine and yet go on in their profession from their education or for some designe and cannot leave it have many stirrings of God in their hearts under Ordinances from light convictions of the Lord upon their Spirits And this is exceeding common many go on a long time in profession and cannot leave it but have many motions of God in their soules and many sharpe reproofes from God and yet cannot see a through work upon their hearts yet go on and professe and hope it may be but take themselves for Saints continually and must have their names enrolled for Saints in Churches and yet have a jealousie of their own hypocrisie and go on so for many yeares under many regrets and wounds of spirit they have many twangs that pierce them sometimes and yet the Conviction is not so strong as to shew them their miserable and vile estate or to presse them on to the through worke of the Gospell upon their hearts And you shall find those persons very high in prayer and very able to speake well in their converse with Saints But they never met with God in duties never had Gods assistance never found that spirituall strength when they heare men Anatomising of soules they are only for keeping up the glorious outside and the glory of outward formes they have been some ten or twenty years and knew that Christ never appeared to them and yet they cannot leave off duties conscience and the outward rule lies upon them still this is very common And so it was with Saul he knew in his own heart that God had forsaken him and yet he would be doing something he would have Samuel to pray for him but God had left him he knew in his own conscience he was unsound and had not done the will of God And so a man may go up and down a great while having a conscience and ability as to outward actings and yet never be sound
afterwards and thinkest that will make it up but thy prayer shall shew thy hypocrisie more seeing thy lusts live Fourthly and lastly those are the highest hypocrites of this kind They secretly envy the brightnesse and glories of the gifts and graces of other Saints that goe beyond them and that is the perfect Character of a hypocrite where ever it is found if that be not a hypocrite there is none in the world when a soule cannot abide to be outshined it is a signe that a man never loved grace for grace for then he would love it where it is most pure and shines most gloriously and this the Pharisees were vext at they hated Christ perfectly because he went beyond them and was a conviction to them these and severall other Characters I had thought to given you but to satisfie some soules that will be apt to say every one will be a hypocrite if this be so I answer First My designe is to bid you beware of hypocrisie as Christ doth Try your hearts take not things up in ordinary and common waies be not unbeleeving and doubting that is not the thing I would be at it is not to scare you off the Gospell be curious and criticall be serious in the viewing of your own hearts and search to the bottom and trust not your selves with feigned enjoyments ☞ I would not discourage the poorest looker after Christ for all the world only I would have all men to be pure in their spirits and let every man put himselfe to it let a man have gold that hath passed through the furnace let a man that will be rich be rich with those precious things that are of an eternall nature Secondly to answer that you will find grace will lye but in a little roome therefore I put you to it true grace is like a Diamond very little in bulke but of a high price and mighty value therefore I beseech you be through in your own hearts thou poore looker after Christ Grace lies in a little roome more may be in one motion than in all the acts of the world you may have more grace than the greatest and gloriousest Preacher of the Gospell therefore try thy soule and be not discouraged though thou art not such a flourishing and glorious professor as another yet thou maiest be a greater Saint Thirdly I would have none taken up with any outside or glorious formes in the world but be looking within what inward frames you have in all your duties no I would have no soule taken up with any opinion with any religion that is externall at all but that carries out purely to heaven as the very heart is meeting with the Lord Jesus and as he hath a spirit acted in every word he speakes in the Gospell not to dant you from Religion that is not my designe but to keep you only from the leaven of the Pharisees externall dependencies that your soules may not be lost with the greatest misery to all eternity SERMON III. Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisie I Have endeavoured to shew you in general what Hypocrisie is and the last time gave you a hint of severall sorts of hypocrites for hypocrisie lies not in one straine Now we will lay this down as a foundation which was named before that looke as many sorts of tempers as there are and humours and constitutions of men and designes that men have in Religion and as many waies as there are so many common workings as God may have upon men so many sorts of hypocrites may you have entring upon Religion on those grounds for looke as it is with grace where it worketh effectually it changes not the faculties nor constitutions A melancholly man is so still though he have grace and so you shall find his actings will shew something of his temper and nature so as to hypocrisie and demonstrations of hypocrisie so many sorts of tempers as there are in the world when men enter on the ways of Godlines upon unsound grounds not being wrought upon throughly by God so many sorts of hypocrites you will have I told you of foure Sects the last time now I shall go on and shew you more Looke as a man is by nature of a duller and heavier constitution and hath got the outward forme of Religion he will be a meere formalist drudging on in duties and no more nothing of the spirituall nature of it taking abundance of paines without sense go on in his waies and his duties without any power at all and that was the meere formall hypocrite I told you of he hath had some little touches upon his spirit that moves him and together with education hath gone on as in a Tract If a man be of a hot temper and constitution fiery in his nature and enter on Religion upon such common grounds and ordinary frames as the most do he will be a zealous man exceeding zealous Some opinion or other some particular forme his heart is most in and he is the zealous hypocrite I spake of he will stick to his opinion and hazard all and never care for the other part of Religion if they can but maintaine that so it is with many in these times never care how the work of God goes on in the world or their own soules so they have their opinion So if a man be of a facile and easie nature to be perswaded and enter upon Religion he will easily conclude that all the promises are his Take every thing for granted in the Gospell and apply it to his own soule as if he had a peculiar interest to all the promises and so grows in a confident secure frame and that is the hypocrite I told you was confident that out of the easinesse of his nature takes all things in the Gospell as his owne though he never saw the need and want of them and never knew the worth of them for I told you that selfe-love is the ground of all hypocrisie in a mans spirit If a man can get any thing for himselfe as selfe-love acts so a man gets into such and such a frame as it was with a mad man that sate at a Port that when all the ships came by said this is mine this is mine so doth all men say without either Religion or the knowledge of the nature of the promises of the Gospell challenging them without a need of them or a knowledge of the glorious designe of God in them Then againe if a man be of a more forward and daring spirit and if he get into a profession of Religion he will prove a presumptuous hypocrite to presume exceedingly upon the Gospell and the things of it he will vent the opinions he hath taken into his consideration and that he sees most sutable to the world If a man be of a more grave and sober temper and hath got such a custome of Religion and duties and taken up the profession of it with a secret
inward desire of applause to be somewhat in the world he will be most curiously exact in all his frames such a man will cut to a hair and he will observe the least thing in others that may be as a blot in them and him I called a stately and curious hypocrite he will not be blamed in the world that is all his designe he will keep all plots and spots off him if out of mistake he be wrung he will mend it next time his name lies at the stake for it and all his comforts lies only in a faire handsome neat carriage in his duties to the Sons of men that he may be able to be blamelesse in his reputation in the world and some men have been so curious in their actings and observances that they have shamed many precious people that was Pauls temper and care alwaies that he might be without blame to the world as to the Law he was blamelesse Phil. 3. and it is as great a thing as a man can speake and doubtlesse the Pharisees had a handsomnesse and neatnesse in all their observances that they were very much admired by the People A strictnesse that they looked at a Point at a Latchet though the great and eternall things lay with no weight on their spirits such kind of hypocrites will go on smoothly in the world that a man shall admire them and check his own heart say I am a hypocrite certainely I never came up to those frames This man dazels the eyes of men and all his designe is to carry on a handsome garbe and go for somebody in the world Oh! this is that that many in these times had need looke to their own hearts in Tithe mint and cummin and neglect the most weighty things of the Gospell they have handsome apparell without but never look within to the eternall workings of their poore soules and that state that must be before God for ever And againe If a man be of a crafty cunning temper of a naturall subtilty and he begin to professe the Gospell he will play the part of a hypocrite to purpose he will shift at every turne and change every time he will not be found at any time unsutable he will tell you he must change with providence he will be sure to mannage all that naturall subtilty in Religion to his owne designe perfectly and truly there are no persons so perfectly hypocrites as these that out of craftinesse begin to be hypocrites upon subtle principles are privy to their own deceits they are out of intention hypocrites and they know they can shift and comply with any occasion there are thousands of these hypocrites in these times in England that conclude with the times that make use of the time and occasion and have no more grace in them than Heathens So take it as to any other temper whatever you will if a man be not throughly converted and enter upon Religion looke as his temper is naturally so will his hypocrisie be and that I may go on a little clearer take it now as to the temper of feare on a man and the workings of God upon him If a man be apt to feare and God lay any thing upon a mans conscience for God sometimes keeps such all their life-time in feare you shall find that there will abundance of hypocrisie appeare in those actings and such a man shall be a terrified hypocrite he shall live under terrours and make abundance of worke through his feares for feare may put a man exceedingly on to duties and be but a hypocrite all this while Now of these there be two sorts that live under terrours and I will especially speake to these for many thinke if they be under trouble of conscience and terrour they are past the worst and in the best frame that can be Therefore First there are some that are but more generally touched with the sense of some sin that God meets them with and laies upon them and at every turne checks them for and lets in glimpses of his wrath now and then upon his conscience and they get into a strange kind of temper of complaining and whining and whimpering in their owne spirits and go on in their duties for they dare not but go to duties but yet it doth not worke so much upon them as to cry out with hideous noyses of damnation yet are kept under feare and bondage of spirit and cannot get out of it and all their design is to whine at it and complaine of it to others abroad that as we say in griefe to open a mans mind is a mighty ease so you shall find them open their hearts and say they are under these and these sins talking of their corruptions telling how they are under such trials under such feares of their passions and tell you of hypocrisie and thus they go from doore to doore and from Professor to Professor and all to no purpose for they never knew nor never found the weight and power of the Gospell lying upon their spirits never see the depth of a deceitfull heart for all this But only say alas I have such and such corruptions I am afraid of my estate and condition and so take a pleasure in their complaining Now there are three waies wherein they shew their hypocrisie First By this way of complaining they thinke to get off from suspition of hypocrisie Such Soules such creatures are alwaies complaining of their conditions and so they thinke to be free of hypocrisie by this kind of whining though they never knew what the hatred of sin was never knew what it was to be pierced through with the darts of the Gospel for sin Secondly they thinke by this to get the pity and compassion of other Saints to pitty and bemoane them and we ought say they to speak a good word to comfort them Though Saints nor Angels cannot speake a good word to soules yet they looke for it Thirdly they shew their hypocrisie by this They looke upon themselves by it as poore in spirit alwaies in sense of sin and under a sense of their lost condition and would have others thinke so too there is a poore spirit nothing but poverty of spirit never come to him but he hath low esteeme of himselfe Fourthly But the great straine of hypocrisie lies in this they perfectly rest in this straine of complaining and never look after Christ they get ease by opening their minds and if they can but get a good answer to quiet them for the present they go away content I have abominated this frame of any frame in Professors A strange ugly whining frame of spirit constantly upon a soule which should not be upon a Professour but in the absolutest cases of necessity and extraordinary occasion for he shews he hath not been at Christ and opened his condition to him but he must have this and that outward help first and if he cannot help himselfe then go to him It is
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
abide that he would be thought somewhat by others though he knows somewhat by himselfe he is afraid he will be put to it which he cannot endure to have his graces questioned that is a perfect signe of a hypocrite as any in the world he would have all men take it for granted what not I a Saint that have been accounted a Professour so long and now be questioned for my graces yea soule and be damned for it too thou a soule that cannot endure to be reproved I confesse there be some waies of reproofe that would make a man hate reproofe when it is for things that are common when it is for poore and vaine things when done out of passion and not done with care and tendernesse to a person and with the weight of the glory of God upon a man it is hard for the best Saint to take a reproofe so but when there is faithfulnesse and realitie to men dealing with their soules and purely touching their consciences and risings of heart and then cannot endure reproofe I may say if thou be not a hypocrite or will prove one there is none in the world it is a signe thou art divelish proud in thy heart and lovest a corruption and hast a lust thou art loath to part with and would'st gladly cover in thy owne spirit thou wouldst live at large and not have thy heart known to thy selfe nor others thou wouldst live at large thou lovest some corruption A Saint desires to have corruption killed every day Oh that I did but know wherein the flaw lies of my graces wherein the mistake in my owne spirit lies he would be glad of it Thou art a wicked hypocrite that lovest not a scrious close reproofe though it cut thee at the heart and then I would say this that it is the perfect character of a Saint if he can take in a reproofe in the sharpest manner from the sharpest tongue in the world if it discover his corruption and strike at it it is a signe a man is out of love with his sins and wants a way only to be rid of them he is glad when it is made odious to him by any body Fifthly The straine of hypocrisie as to communion lies in this that a hypocrite doth inwardly sleight and contemne Saints below him and envy Saints above him you will find it too true in the hearts of many he sleights first any that is below him he hath a poore and low esteeme of them he is a poore ignorant fellow that understands not any thing of God though it may be the breathings of that poore soule unto God are far beyond his he lives in himselfe and any that are below himselfe are under some reflections of the inward workings of his owne heart Then he hath a secret envy against them that are above him he lives so that he would alwaies be at one stay and frame he cannot abide that any should attaine more than himselfe if they do they are proud or high or vaine and if they do not come up to him he thinks him a poor low professour though his soule be groaning night and day after Christ Sixthlie Another straine of hypocrisie is commonly in this that a hypocrite is mighty censorious and prying abroad into other mens faults and sleight and carelesse for the seeing to his own heart for the same thing or worse this is Christs Charge to the Pharisees Cast out the beame thou hypocrite out of thine own eye before thou find fault with the mote in thy brothers he hath a beame at home in his own eye and he will not charge his own soule before God he can see a little thing in another charge him with all unsutablesse but to his own conscience though he fee many a desperate corrruption in his own heart he lets it alone as if he never were the man guilty of them Eagle-eyed abroad Owle-eyed at home take heed of censuring else you had need be very through at home it is a dangerous signe of hypocrisie if you be not curious at home if a man be thorough with his own spirit he may be thorough abroad Christ gives it himselfe as a sign of a perfect hypocrite when a soule shall see a mote in anothers eye and leave a beame in his own Seventhly Hypocrisie lies in this as to communion with Saints that a hypocrite cannot love Saints but of one size one that agrees with him in his own humour and opinion That you will find in the New Testament the Pharisees could not endure them that were not of their owne opinion they would persecute them to the death so some men cannot endure any one though never so much grace and grace and godlinesse if they be not of the same opinion that is a signe it is not for holinesse or grace in any soule that you affect them In the eighth and last place to adde no more as to this know as to converse with Saints Every hypocrite hath his secret back doore and veine with carnall professours though he have communion with Saints now and then and make that his profession yet he hath his private haunts where he shews himselfe in his colours one way or other some secret waies of iniquitie he hath with others though he professes to be in communion with Saints that will appeare and doth appeare often for still his veine lies that way his humour lies that way though his eye seems to be this way there is the humour hid that way in the man and there will be as familiar embraces among the one as the other when it comes and as heartie kind of rejoycings with the one as with the other A secret wicked back doore that they take and they thinke there will be none to tell Now they will be telling of the greatest experiences and anon in the greatest wickednesses at least countenancing of them I would now come to the third thing wherein it is acted as to civill converses and I shall show you First That a hypocrite can put on any face according to any persons or times in the world among Saints he will be a Saint and comply with them among others be as sutable he can take up any forme so Religion be that that may cover all at last for he fits his actings to his ends which are various according to severall parties and companies and severall Societies shall have severall actings he will be zealous if the times will admit it he will be hot and violent and if his company will not serve him to that he will be as dull as heavy againe put on a sober temper and weare gray haires be curious and criticall and serious in the Gospell and this is very common my Brethren and this is the politike hypocrite there are hundreds of these in the world they swarme up and down England at this day men that have no more Religion than beasts as to power and principles in their owne spirits turne every
in the third place know this though he know himselfe thus to be in that condition yet he never strives to root out the wickednesse of that frame out of his own heart but to smother it and cover it and palliate it from the eyes of men some way or other not to destroy it in his own spirit but smother it so that it may looke Saint-like still but a gracious heart as soone as it discovers hypocrisie as he sees the straines of hypocrisie in his heart he looks to root it out as soone as it is discovered But to speake no more to that let us now come to the application of it to all your hearts First If this be so I beseech you once againe to put your hearts upon the serious consideration and examination of your own estates what are you Now you looke well come to heare you are not in sight so ugly what are you within Have you not strange straines of hypocrisie if you be not hypocrites I beseech you looke seriously to your own hearts this is the end of all this discourse to put men seriouslie upon the triall of their own spirits that they may not be unsound in the Gospell that they may not have a rotten spirit within that the liver and lungs and heart be not corrupted whilest they deale with the great things of the Gospell that is that the faculties of the soule may be purelie acted to God there are more hypocrites now in the world than in any one Age since the Creation it was a hard thing to pick out one formerlie but God will shew many of them in these daies he is a trying the world and as he goes along he will try spirits most Oh you have trials under the Gospell have you got a clearenesse Can you say you have a glorious inward freenesse with God Oh what use have you made of the Gospell Have you inward glorious incomes of God from the breathing in of divine frames in your actings towards God Let me ask you but these common questions First Cannot you find some time to play with your sins sometimes so they bite you not and sting you Cannot you take some recreating times for your sins and corruptions Pray you consider of it a hypocrite doth so he dares not make a trade of it but he will make a recreation of it now and then he loves that he dares not practice you can now and then play with your wanton thoughts as long as they do not fly in your face you can delight your selfe in your secret wishes Oh that I were at it look to your own soules Nay what is this Religion that men speake of do you find such kind of things in your hearts he that can play with sin for recreation can joine himself unto sin for delight and to be one nature with him a Saint hates appearances he cannot endure the thoughts of it Secondlie Are there not some sins you call little sins and some duties you call little duties and some duties that you never lay upon your conscience Look to your hearts in that you are never humbled for the commission of sins or the omission of duties it is a dangerous symptome of hypocrisie A hypocrite will be sure to make distinctions in the Gospell there be some secret workings up of corruptions and sins as vanitie of thoughts distraction in duties and secret risings of corruptions and desires in a mans heart which he never chargeth his conscience withall and some duties he never laies upon conscience so long as he can passe thorough the maine body he never cares for the speciall circumstances of the Gospell A gracious and upright heart saies Shall I call that little that is against the glorie of an infinite God It is the object makes the sin great not the act this dutie hath as much authority upon my heart though never so meane though but to wash a Saints feet as to offer the greatest sacrifices before the eyes of all the world Thirdly Let me aske you this Are you not afraid of trialls and to be throughly discovered to your own hearts Do you not endeavour sometimes if possible to evade the strength of a conviction and the strength of a word from God that is laid upon your heart afraid to looke into your own hearts and see your spirits to be discovered to your selves do not you many times hush conscience and say be quiet conscience stay a while to your own consciences I will be better I will strive against it I will not be thus and thus carried away do you not find these things A dangerous symptome a hypocrite endeavours to evade the authoritie of the Gospell he is afraid to abide the power and the glorie of it if he cannot find out prudentiall considerations enough he will get spirituall pretences he will be sure if he can evade conviction he will do it that is a very dangerous signe And againe Fourthlie Examine your own hearts Is there not some of the fat of the Cattle of the sheep to allude to that of Saul for he was an hypocrite in the going on in your duties reserved Is there not some Agag for honors sake you would keep up 1 Sam. 15 read over that place at your leisure God bids Saul slay the Amalekites destroy them all in the third verse yet he reserved an Agag and the best of the spoile here was the discoverie of his wicked heart he would have sacrificed some of the fat things he had a mind to triumph by Agag he thought it was too much to destroy all those things though God gave a peremptorie command to destroy all I will sacrifice them to God to make an attonement only reserved some of the best to carrie to my people in triumph that they may see the out-goings of God that lost him his Kingdom and discovered his hypocrisie first of any act he had a secret lust to honour himselfe by it have you none of the fat of your corruptions Have you never a lust laid up Is there never a corruption that your soules have countenanced or do countenance It is a dangerous signe of hypocrisie if a man have any thing that the word of God saith is not the mind of God that he reserves in his heart without utter hatred Well look to it I beseech you and especiallie look to that of the triall of your spirits whether you can be willing to be tried for you shall find a hypocrite will appeale to God and his conscience but he cannot endure to be tried by Saints he will appeale to God if it be not so yet he cannot endure to be put to it to have his heart ript open Nay it is very common to say God knows my heart but if you come to try his heart and say how can this grace stand with this corruption he cannot endure that he will hate the thoughts of it And if you do try him him about his estate you must
not debate it with him but you must take it for granted else he will try your graces as well as you try his and question your state as much as you his And then if he be put to it at last as to triall of his own spirit he will save all with a whining confession and that is all you will get of him therefore look to your selves as to these things In the second place I should now have come to have prest on the exhortation of the Lord Jesus beware of hypocrisie you that are Christians you that are reall Saints should beware of it and so to all sorts of professours take heed and beware of it and shewed you these things To have opened the nature of it and the hideousnesse of it And first from the danger of it to your soules it is the most dangerous sin you can have in your soules and that First because it is the last reserve it is undiscernable a man must search as with a Candle that finds it out as the Jews were to search for the Leaven with a Candle and then curse all the rest it is a close sin indeed there are some actings of it that are very grosse but as for spirituall secret hypocrisie in duties compare them with actings they are exceeding close and undiscernable in the soules of men a soule must dig very deep and be very observant and have a watch over his soule every moment if ever he would trie his heart it is so close and so cunning that a man will hardlie beleeve it is there there is such a hidden motion upon a man that he cannot tell how it comes Secondlie beware of it It is infectious it is a dangerous infectious spreading nature it will be over all the faculties on a sudden it will represent you all kind of glasses that can be possible it can in the morning give you one glasse to looke in at noone another glasse and in the evening one different from both take one part of the Law you shall see your selves in it very faire it spreads over all it will it may be begin with your understandings and give you strange sights and apprehensions of God then come in upon your affections upon a sudden and work them to this end and to their end it will kisse and kill at once looke to it for it is the most dangerous sin of any in the world in a mans heart For if the soundnesse be gone from a mans heart what will he do then A man cannot act like a man when the substance of the soule is gone he cannot act neither Scripture reason nor his judgement but a particular close humour Thirdlie beware of it It is the most inconstant in its motions the most various in its representations so many habits and so many formes it will appeare in to you and alter upon every occasion that it is impossible unlesse a man be given up to try his own heart to find it out A heart and a heart you shall have a faire heart now and a wicked heart anon come and talke with a Person now and you shall find them in a good frame so as if they were commanded by the power of of it come an houre after and you shall find them in a wicked damnable straine of spirit speaking like mad men this is most common especiallie come to talke with a man privately what abundance of ingenuitie there is come to another action and at another time and he is not the same man hypocrisie will appeare and this is the misery mens soules are juggled to hell put in so many formes they know not when they are right know not what is the reall complexion they should have in the Gospell it is so various and so cunning it juggles a mans soule to hell Fourthly It is the most odious thing to God of any it takes his name in vaine most of any it is against his simplicitie omnisciencie his puritie God hates nothing more than this state therefore he sets himselfe against hypocrites of all sorts of people in the world I should have come to have shewed you how to avoid it what are the speciall remedies of hypocrisie the speciall things to keep a man from the evill of it the way to preserve a man from this dangerous sin but I would not leave some poore soules without some kind of comfort all this while many will say Alas I am the man I am the woman certainlie I have been a hypocrite all my daies I would only speake a little comfort to such poore soules First know this Jealousie of thine own heart and severe inquisition into it is a good hopefull Character that thou art far off that condition There is a twofold jealousie that therefore you may not be deceived First A jealousie on probable grounds secret and close symptomes and hints from actings which may teach many a soule that hypocrisie may have place in his heart for I find this and that when I come to looke on the whole straine of my life I have not my heart so carried out in spirituall things I never minded this and that in my actings this is a jealousie that may consist with the knowledge of hypocrisie Secondlie there is a jealousie that ariseth from feare and care lest I should be such an one from the hatred of the thing thou seest the vilenesse of it and thou seest thou canst never be quiet till thou hast the clearenesse of integritie made out to thee that is good that is sweet none more apt to censure a Saint than himselfe you know when Jesus Christ made the question about his betraying the hypocrite spake last never spake till he was put to it every one said at the Supper Lord is it I Is it I Every one had rather dye than heare that word spoken but when it comes to Judas he was forced to it at last and yet he would not confesse it but when the conviction lay upon him and he must needs be under it then he went out and that was all you heard of him till he hanged himselfe Secondlie To comfort poore soules they have no reason to conclude themselves hypocrites when they are glad if God by any meanes discover and destroy their hypocrisie whatever way it be for there lies the weight when God shall be blessed for discovering a mans heart to him take this for a rule If a soule can rejoyce and blesse God for his convictions of sin as for his comforts after conviction it is a signe of a most blessed glorious spirit though the sight of hypocrisie be the ugliest sight in the world yet when he sees it he blesseth God for it Thirdlie Never thinke thou art an hypocrite if thy heart is set against the nature of sin and pursuest the enjoyment of the nature of God whilest thy heart is set against the nature of sin and followest on the nature of God that is to be really possessed with a
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