Diseases of the Soul, Part 14
The rotten Feuer, or Hypocrisie, Disease 12.
AMongst almost innumerable kinds of Feuers; there is one called, foreign, or febris putrida, the rotten Feuer: which is a feuer of one fit, continuing many dayes without any great mutation. Therefore it is called of some, continens febris, a stable and constant feuer. Hereunto I hauehave likened a rotten disease in the soule, called Hypocrisie; which is nothing els, but vice in Vertues apparell.
Cause.
THis corporall disease is caused, when the humours doe putrifie and rot equally within the vessels. It is not ingendred in those that bee leane and slender, or of a thinne and rare state of body, or of a colde temper; but in those that bee hot and abound with bloud, fleshy, grosse and thicke-bodied. Me thinks this malady smels very like Hypocrisie; which is a rotten heart, festred and putrified with habituated sins, there with great delight and indulgence reserued: not incident to those that hauehave a weake, thinne, and slender opinion of themselues; that through humility hauehave a leane and spare construction of their owne deserts: no; nor to them that bee of a cold temper and disposition to religion, not caring either to bee good, or to seeme so: but to those that hauehave a grosse and a blowne conceit of themselues, swelling into an incomprehensible ostentation, and implacably hot in the persecution of that, they inwardly affect not.
Signes and Symptomes.
ROr the Signes of this putrid feuer, they be not externally discerned; except you feele the pulse, which beats thicke, quicke, and vehement. The Hypocrite is exceedingly rotten at core, like a Sodome apple, though an ignorant passenger may take him for sound. He lookes squintey'd, ayming at two things at once, the satisfying his owne lusts, and that the world may not be aware of it. Bonus videri non esse; malus esse non videri cupit. They would seeme good, that they might be euill alone: not seeme euill, lest they might not then be euill so much. Oues visu, Vulpes actu, actu: hauing much angell without, more diuel within: a villenous Host dwelling at the signe of, Friend.
Tuta frequens que via est, per amici fallere nomen.
Tuta frequens que licet sit via, crimen habet,
Which one thus wittily englisheth:
A safe and common thing it is,
through friendship to deceiue.
As safe and common as it is,
'Tis knauery, by your leaue.
He is on Sunday like the Rubricke, or Sunday-letter, zealously red; but all the weeke you may write his deedes in blacke. He fryes in words, freezeth in workes; speakes in elles, doth good by inches. He is a rotten tunder shining in the night: an ignis fatuus, looking like a fixed starre: a painted sepulcher, that conceales much rottennesse: a crude Gloe-worme shining in the darke: a stinking dunghill couer'd ouer with snow: a fellow of a bad course, and good discourse: a loose hung Mill, that keepes a great clacking, but grindes no grist: a lying hen, that cackles when shee hath not layd. He is like some tap-house, that hath vponupon the painted walls written, Feare God, be sober, watch and pray, &c. when there is nothing but swearing and drunkennesse in the house. His tongue is hot as if he had eaten pepper, which workes coldly at the heart. Hee burnes in the shew of forward profession; but it is a poore fire of zeale, that wil not make the pot of Charitie seeth. He is in company holy and demure, but alone demurres of the matter; so shuts out the diuell at the gate, and lets him in at the posterne.
His words are precise, his deeds concise; hee prayes so long in the Church, that he may with lesse suspicion prey on the Church: which he doth the more peremptorily, if his power bee answerable. If his place will afford it, his grace will without question. He beares an earnest affection to the Temple, as a hungry man to his meate, onelyonly to deuoure it. They say, come, let vsus take to our selues the houses of Psal. 83. 12.God in possession. We pray for their conuersion, but if there be no hope, we must vse the next words of the Psalme: Oh my God, make them as a wheele: like the stubble before the wind. Uerse 13.They can abide no point of Popery, but only this, Churchrobbing. EueryEvery thing the Papists vsed but this is superstition. Some are so charitable, that hauing got the tythe-corne frō the Church, they reserue from the presented Incumbent their petty tythes also: like monstrous theeues, that hauing stole the whole piece, aske for the remnants. Nay, it is not enough, that they deuoure our Parsonages, but they also deuoure our persons, with their contumelious slanders. Aduantage can make his religion play at fast and loose; for he only so long growes full of deuotion, as hee may grow full by deuotion. His arguments are weake or strong, according to his cheare; and he discourses best after dinner. Selfe-conceit swels him, and popular applause bursts him. He neuer giues the law good words, but when it hath him vponupon the hippe. Like a kind Henne, hee rules and feedes his chickens fat, starues himselfe. Hee forceth formall precisenesse, like a Porter to hold the dore, whiles diuels dance within. He giues God nothing but shew, as if he would pay him his reckoning with chalke; which encreaseth the debt. If euer his almes smell of bounty, hee giues them in publicke. He that desires more to be seene of men then of God, commend mee to his conscience by this token, he is an Hypocrite. Hee couers his rauenous extortions, and couetous oppressions, with the shew of small beneficences; & so may for his charitie go to the diuel. Indeed, gentilem agit vitam sub nomine Christiano: Hee liues Hieron. ad Celant. Tom. 1 fol. 109.Turke vnderunder the name of Christian. Hee is false in his friendship, hartlesse in his zeale, proud in his humilitie. He railes against enterludes, yet is himselfe neuer off the stage, and condemnes a maske, when his whole life is nothing els. He sends a begger from his gate, bountifully feasted with Scripture sentences; and (though he likes them not) so much of the Statutes, as will serue to saue his money. But if eueryevery house were of his profession, Charities hand would no longer hold vp pouerties head. What his tongue spoke, his hands recant; and he weepes when he talkes of his youth, not that it was wicked, but that it is not. His tongue is his dissimulations lacquay, and runs continually on that errand: hee is the Strangers Saint, his neighbours Sycophant, his owne Polititian: his whole life being nothing els, but a continuall scribbling after the set Copy of Hypocrisie.
Cure.
FOr his cure, there is more difficultie then of the rotten feuer. In this, two speciall intentions are vsed; bloudletting, and drinking of coole water, &c. But alas! what medicine should a man giuegive to him, whom he knowes not to be sick? His heart is rotten, his huske, faire and sightly. The core of his disease lies in his conscience; and like an onyon, is couered with so many pils, that you would not supect it: Their best Physicke is that, God giues to Israel: Cleanse thy heart from iniquitie, Oh Ierusalem, that thou maist Ier. 4. 14.be saued: how long shall thy vaine thoughts remaine within thee? If this serue not, let them reade Christs bill, his denunciation against them, so often menaced, Wo vntounto you, hypocrites. I would tel them, that simulata sanctitas, duplez iniquitas; and their life is so much the more abominable, as they hauehave played the better part. But I referre them to the White-Diuell.