Lectures Upon Psalm 51, Part 8 · Lecture 134
Lecture CXXXIV. On Psalme 51.7. Decemb. 8. 1629.
IT followeth now that we shew the truth of this third Motive in that goodnesse also that is to be found in many an hypocrite. And in the handling of this we will observe the same method that we did in the former.
First, It cannot be denied but there is some goodnesse to be found in many an hypocrite, yea much more goodnesse is to be found in him, than in the meere naturall man. This will evidently appeare unto you in three points.
First, The goodnesse of the civill and morall man is seene onelyonly in the duties of the second Table, and exercised towards man; he is all for man, just, kind, mercifull, unblameable towards man; but he is nothing for God, carelesse of that service that is done directly and immediately unto him. But the hypocrites goodnesse is seene most in the duties of the first Table, and shewed in such things as do more directly and immediately concern the Lord himselfe. And these are (doubtlesse) the chiefe duties. The first Table is the first and the great commandement, as our Saviour himselfe calleth it, Matth. 22.38.
Secondly, The civill mans goodnesse is moved and guided onelyonly by the dimme light of nature, or by the opinion, and custome, and example of men. But the hypocrite is directed and moved by a farre more cleare and excellent light, even by the light of the Word. The Word and the Ministery thereof hath wrought a change in him and drawne him to do that that he doth. As it is said of Herod Marke 6.20. that when he heard Iohn he did many things; Yea he is (in some sort) made partaker of the Holy Ghost, as the Apostle speaketh, Heb. 6.4.
And from hence ariseth a third difference, That the goodnesse that is in many an hypocrite doth more nearely resemble the goodnesse that is in the regenerate man, and is more hardly distinguished and differenced from it, than the goodnesse of the civill man doth; as is evident by the daily complaints of many a good foule.
I will instance but in five particulars, wherein you may see how much goodnesse there may be in the man that is but an hypocrite, above that that there is in the meere naturall man, be he never so civill and morall a man.
The first is his affection to the Word of God and the Ministery therof. Many an hypocrite will constantly heare and frequent the best Ministery. Yea he will heare with joy, and delight in the best means whereby he may come to the knowledge of Gods will. They seek me daily (saith the Lord of such, Esa. 58.2.) and delight to know my wayes, as a nation that did righteousnesse (as if they were the uprightest hearted people in the world) they aske of me the ordinances of justice, they take delight in approching unto God. Yea he will commend and extoll the best Preachers, and professe great love unto them. They come unto thee, (saith the Lord to Ezekiel, Ezek. 33.31, 32. And he was certainly no flatterer, no man-pleaser, he was a most faithfull and powerfull Teacher, They come unto thee, saith the Lord) as the people commeth (as farre as any, as constantly as any of my people use to come) and sit before thee as my people, yea they shew much love with their mouth, and thou art to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice. As if he should say, O how they will admire thee, with what delight they will heare thee? Thou art never tedious unto them though thou be never so long. Now there is no such thing as this in the civill man. He careth not a rush for the sound Ministery of the Word; nay he despiseth it, and counteth them all fooles that make such reckoning of it.
The second point wherein he sheweth his goodnes is his constancy in prayer. You shall see how many an hypocrite keepe a constant course in prayer; and that not in ordinary prayer onelyonly, but even in extraordinary too. Of the Pharisee we read Luk. 18.12. that he fasted twice a weeke. And for seventy yeares together the hypocriticall Iewes keep a solemne fast constantly foure times a yeare, as you may find by comparing Zach. 7.5. & 8.19. together. And in this point also the civill man commeth farre short of him. He seldome or never prayeth, unlesse it be in his bed when he is between sleeping and waking; ye shall have no prayer in his family, you shall see him sit down and rise up from his meat like a bruit beast; without ever lifting up his eyes or heart unto him in prayer, that hath given him his food, and without whose blessing when he hath eaten it, it can do him no good. Much lesse doth he ever use to pray in secret unto God; and as for keeping a religious fast, he knoweth not what belongeth to it.
Thirdly, Many an hypocrite is a strict observer of the Sabbath Day; he will not travell, he will not do any worldly businesse of his calling upon that Day. The Ruler of the Synagogue (whom our Saviour himselfe calleth hypocrite Luke 13.15.) with great indignation and zeale reproveth the people for travelling and comming to be healed on the Sabbath Day; and telleth them Luke 13.14. that there were six dayes in which men ought to worke, in them therefore they should come to be healed, and not upon the Sabbath Day. And the hypocriticall Iewes blame the poore man greatly, whom Christ had cured at the poole of Bethesda for carrying away his bed upon the Sabbath Day. It is the Sabbath Day (say they to him Ioh. 5.10.) It is not lawfull for thee to carry thy bed. On the other side, the civill honest man careth not for the Sabbath at all. Though the respect he hath to his credit, and because he will be neighbourlike, bring him to Church sometimes (if he live where the fashion is to do so) yet hath he no zeale for the Sabbath, it never troubleth him to see it profaned by others; nay he putteth no difference betweene it and another day for any businesse he hath, so farre forth as he may do it without discredit and danger. And as for going abroad to visit his friends, or to send his servants forth about any businesse, he thinketh it the fittest day in all the weeke.
Fourthly, You shall have many an hypocrite that loveth the sincerity of religion, and hateth Popery, will-worship and idolatry, with all the reliques and monuments of it. Thou abhorrest idols, saith the Apostle to the hypocriticall Iew, Rom. 2.22. On the other side, He loveth the sincerity of religion, and gloryeth greatly in this, that he professeth the Gospell and serveth God according to his Word. Thou makest thy boast of the law, saith the Apostle of such, Rom. 2.23. But so doth not the morall man; all religions are alike to him, if they be commanded by authority. He willingly walketh after the commandement, as the Prophet speaketh of Ephraim, Hos. 5.11. He seeth no great hurt in Popery; he loveth their rites and inventions with all his heart. And of all religions he liketh that best that hath most of them. In which respect the Apostle calleth Gods owne ceremoniall law a carnall commandement, Heb. 7.16. and carnall ordinances, Hebr. 9.10. because they are so agreeable to the disposition and liking of a carnall and naturall man.
Fiftly and lastly, Many an hypocrite goeth a great deale further in the reformation of his life, than your civill man doth. Many of them have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ, as the Apostle speaketh 2 Pet. 2.20. As if he should say, even that superficiall knowledge they have of Christ and of the Gospell, hath made them leave many sinnes, not grosse sinnes, but even such as are small in comparison of others (as the least oathes, wanton words, games that are doubtfull or of evill report, &c.) The hypocriticall Pharisee (as our Saviour telleth us, Luk. 11.42.) would not faile in the tything of mint and rue, or the least herbe that grew in his garden: and stood much upon this, made great conscience of it, as you shall find Luke 18.12. I give tithes (saith he) of all that I possesse. Whereas your civill man maketh no bones of such petty sinnes (as he calleth them) but counteth them all precise fooles that make any scruple of them.
Now all these things that I hvae noted to be in some hypocrites are certainly all of them in themselves excellent good things. 1. To frequent constantly the sound Ministery of the Word: 2. To heare the Word not drowsily and heavily, but with delight; 3. To love and commend good Preachers; 4. To use prayer constantly; 5. To be zealous for the Sabbath, and make conscience of travelling or doing any worldly businesse on that day; 6. To love the sincerity of religion, and hate will-worship and idolatry; 7. Lastly, To abstaine from the smallest sinnes, and even from all appearance of evill; All these (I say) are very good things; Neither may any man dislike and despise these things (as alas too many doe) because they have beene found in the practice of some notorious hypocrites.
Let no man that hath heard mee this day teach that these things are to bee found in some hypocrites, rejoyce in his heart (as I feare some of you will) and say, these gadders after Sermons, these holy brethren that stand so much upon sincerity, and can abide nothing that savours of Popery, these precise fooles that must be singular forsooth, that dare not sweare by small oathes, were all well taxed to day. We see they are no better than hypocrites; all these things have beene found in hypocrites we heare. Let no man (I say) say so. For though these things have beene found in some hypocrites; yet are they no signes to know an hypocrite by; neither are they all hypocrites that do thus; neither is an hypocrite that doth thus, an hypocrite for that cause, because he doth thus. But thou in scorning any man for this very thing, because he maketh profession of religion, because he goeth to Sermons, because he useth prayer, and so seemeth more holy than his neighbours, because he is scrupulous in the smallest thing that he thinketh to be a sinne, bewrayest the profanenesse of thine owne heart, and openest thy mouth against heaven, as the Prophet speaketh, Psal. 73.9.
All these five things that I have instanced in, are such things as God is highly pleased with, and hath promised great reward unto; as I will shew you particularly.
First, It is a singular good thing to love and delight in the sound Ministery of the Word, and such a thing as a Christian may take much comfort in. Great peace have they (saith David, Psal. 119.165.) that love thy Law, (And by the Law and Word of God, the same thing is meant throughout that Psalme) and nothing shall offend them. And on the other side, That man can have no true goodnesse in him, that hath no love to the Word, that careth not for it. For, faith commeth by hearing of the Word, as the Apostle saith, Rom. 10.17. Yea he must needs be in a most wofull estate though he feele it not. For, He that turneth away his eare from hearing the Law (saith the Holy Ghost Prov. 28.9.) even his prayer shall be abomination. And what shall other his actions be, if his prayer be so?
Secondly, It is a singular good thing also to use prayer constantly. The Holy Ghost praiseth Cornelius for this Acts 10.2 that he prayed unto God alway. As if he should have said, He kept a constant course in prayer. He that useth it must needs receive a blessing from God by it. This is so ordinary a thing with God, to blesse them much that pray much, that our Saviour saith Matth. 7.8. Every one that asketh receiveth. It is said of Obed-Edom 2 Sam. 6.11. that while the Arke of God continued in his house the Lord blessed him and all his houshold. And the blessing that he received by it was so sensible and apparent, that others were able to take notice and to tell David of it. It was told to David (saith the holy story 2 Sam. 6.12) that the Lord had blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that pertained unto him, because of the arke of God. And certainly there is no family where prayer and Gods Worship is constantly used morning and evening, but the whole family useth to receive a blessing by it. Yea God hath been wont to shew such respect unto this duty, that he hath oft rewarded it, and given a blessing unto it (a temporall blessing I meane) not onelyonly when it hath beene performed by his owne faithfull servants with a good heart, but even when it hath been used also by such as have had no truth of grace in them at all. As appeareth in the example both of Iehoabaz the King of Israel, 2 King. 13.4, 5, and of the mariners, Ion. 1.14, 15. And on the other side, as they can have no true goodnesse in them but are Atheists in heart that use not to pray, Psal. 14.14. The foole hath said in his heart, there is no God; He calleth not upon God; so the many houses where no prayer is used seeme to prosper as well as any other doe, yet certainly God hath given sentence already against them in that Propheticall prayer which we read Ier. 10.25. Powre out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy Name. There wanteth nothing but that God give order for the execution of this sentence which he hath already given against them; which how soone and in what manner he will doe it, is knowne onelyonly to himselfe, no man can tell.