The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 5 · Motive 6 – Rule 1
6 Motive.
6 Sincerity doth fence the heart againſt apoſtacy, Partial and Total.
Wee will now come to the means to get a ſincere heart,Cure Hypocriſy. Which is in which I ſhall indeavour to apply my ſelf to the cure of an hypocrite.
But before I come to lay down the means of cure, I muſt tell you this.
1 It is a difficult cure.
2 A painful cure.
1 A difficult cure. 1 Hard to cure.It is one of the hardeſt cures are wrought upon the ſouls of men. A cure ſeldome wrought. Wee have heard of a bloody and Idolatrous Manaſſes, an unclean Mary, an oppreſſing Publican, a perſecuting Paul, and many other fearful, and great, open, and notorious ſinners wrought upon, brought to life. But where have we read of the return of a Judas, of a Simon Magus? where do wee read of one example of ſuch as have been groſſe hypocrites, who have afterward been ſavingly wrought upon?
I confeſſe it is all one with God, to do the one, as the other, it is as eaſy with him to change the heart of an hypocrite, as any other, for infinite power and grace knows no difference, but it is a thing not ſo uſually done; And though as eaſy in reſpect of God, yet more difficult quoad nos. And ſo I would have you underſtand me, that the difficulty is in reſpect of us.
1 It is hard to convince ſuch a man that hee needs a cure,1 Hard to Convince. you ſee it in Rev. 3. verſ. 16, 17. God tells them they were lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, there was their diſtemper; and yet you ſee what thoughts they had of themſelves, in the 17. verſ. Thou ſayeſt, thou art rich, and increaſed in goods, and haſt need of nothing, and knoweſt not that thou art wretched, and miſerable, and poor, and blind, and naked. So you ſee it is hard to convince ſuch a man. Another man is eaſily convinced, the very lives of them who are holy, are convictions to his Conſcience, and if the word be held out, he is ready to fall down, as not able to ſtand up under the light and evidence of it. In ſuch men wee have a friend within them, even their own natural conſciences are on our ſide, and ready to take part with us againſt themſelves, and fly in their own faces, telling them ſuch and ſuch things ought not to bee done. But now in the other, neither the examples of holy men, nor precepts of the word, do ſo farre convince them; for in outward appearance, they walk as blameleſly as the beſt. Nay and natural Conſcience is alſo for them, and being ſatisfied with ſome general performances of duty, is ready to take part with them, and to withſtand any conviction that can bee alledged. You ſee this in the Scribes and Phariſees, they walked blameleſly in the general to the eyes of the world, as you hearby his confeſſion in oppoſition to the Publican; and they faſted and prayed, and did much, and by that the mouth of conſcience was ſtopped, the quarrels of conſcience were anſwered, and you finde how hard it was for Chriſt himſelf to convince them. They were ſo far from being convinced by his example, that they thought themſelves more ſtrict than hee; he did, but they would not accompany themſelves with ſinners, and therefore they gave ou…the was a wine bibber, a glutton, a friend of Publicans; and for his doctrin, this was ſo farre from convincing them, that they thought their lives more ſtrict than his precepts; they were followers of the Law, exact and rigid in legal obſervances, and thought his doctrin too licentious, too full of liberty for them. So that is the firſt, it is hard to convince them.
Hard to humble them.2 It is hard to humble them. Humiliation follows conviction, if hard to convince, hard to humble. Do wee denounce threatnings againſt ſinners? alas! they are none of them, theſe threatnings do not concern them but others, for their parts they walk unblameably in the world. It is not the mercyes, nor the judgements, the promiſes, nor the threatnings, the word, nor the works of God which humble them. In others there may be ſome natural tenderneſs, ſome remorſe of ſpirit when they hear of Gods judgements againſt ſin. But for this man; it is not all the terrors of the Lord, not all the humbling breaking diſcoverys of ſin, or judgement which faſten upon him to humble him. No mans heart ſo hard as the Hypocrites, hee hath not only a natural hardneſſe, but a contracted hardneſſe; nay a fortified and ſtrengthened hardneſſe, his heart is fortified againſt all reproof, againſt all the denunciations of wrath and judgement. You have a taſte of it in the Scribes and Phariſees. You know they were Hypocrites, hee who knew their hearts, better than they knew their own, tells them ſo. And it was not all the miracles hee did in his life, nor all the wonders which hee ſhewed at his death, which could break and humble their hard hearts; you ſee the Sun was darkned, the earth quakes and trembles, the vail of the Temple was rent, the graves open, the rocks cleave aſunder, yet all this doth not move their hard hearts.
Hard to reclaim them.3 It is hard to reclaim them, for
1 The Devil hath got greater power in them than in others.
2 The Forts of Sinne and Satan are more ſtrengthned in them.
3 The means of reclaiming leſſe efficacious. Hee is able to ſit out Sermons and duties without any manner of working upon his ſpirit at all. That which moves others, moves not him, which works upon the hearts of others, doth leave his heart unwrought upon. He is a man, as I told you, prayer-proof, Sermon-proof, and Ordinance-proof; no Mercy, no judgement, no promiſe, no threatning, no word, no works, no prayer, no Sacraments, no phyſick, no ſalve, no counſell, no advice, no light of nature, no light of example, no private help, no publick exhortation prevails with his heart; hee's a man in the fore-lorn hope; his condition neer deſperate. Cuſtome in the uſe of things, doth take away the power of working. You ſee in your bodies a little thing works upon the humors, when you are not uſed to it; whereas if accuſtomed to it, a much greater will not ſtir the humors.
I have read that Mithridates by accuſtoming himſelf to eat Poyſon, at laſt durſt venture upon poyſon as meat, nothing did hurt him. The cuſtomable uſe of things, takes away the power of working. So it is here, the cuſtome of Ordinances in a formal way, doth take away the power of working by them. You ſee it in the Sacrament; may bee, when you came firſt to the Sacrament, then Conſcience had ſome natural tenderneſſe in it, and you came trembling to this Ordinance, fearing leſt you ſhould prophane it, and by that eat and drink your own Condemnation. But now the cuſtome of prophanation, hath taken away the terror of prophaning this Ordinance; now you come and tremble not. So for the word, time was, when Conſcience was green and tender, that the word came with more majeſty, more authority on your ſpirits. Every command came with power, every threat came with trembling; but now you can ſit under the moſt powerful, quickening, convincing, awaking, diſpenſations of it, and your ſouls never moved. And hence is it, that your cuſtome with the Ordinances in a cuſtomary way, takes off the life, and power, and workings of Ordinances. As cuſtome in ſin doth harden the heart, and makes the heart more difficult to bee wrought upon: ſo cuſtome in duty if it bee done in a formal cuſtomable way. I would rather deal, and ſhould have more hopes of doing good to him who is openly prophane, notoriouſly wicked, than ſuch a man who lyes ſoaking under Ordinances, and goes on in a formal and cuſtomable performance of theſe dutys, without any ſpirit or life in the doing of them. Thus you ſee the firſt, 'tis a difficult cure.
2 It is a painful cure. It is a painful cure.It will coſt thee much pain, many gripes and greifs, many Prayers and tears, much humiliation and ſorrow before it can be wrought. Nay, tis a cure wrought by undoing all that thou haſt done, thou muſt unravel all, unpray thy prayers undo thy ſervices. Thou muſt not go forward in the way wherein thou art, but muſt come back all the way thou haſt gone, and go another way, if ever thou come to heaven. And this will coſt a man ſome pain. Suppoſe a man were going to ſome place, and had gone much of his journey, were now come, (as hee thought) near his journeys end, and one ſhould come to him, and tell him; Sir you are clean out of the way, you muſt go back again, unride all this way you have come, &c. O! how irkſome, how hardly would this down with a man at the end of his journey? eſpecially the way being pleaſant wherein hee was, and full of delight, but the other rough and foul in which hee was to go. Alas! would hee ſay, is there no way but turning back? is it not poſſible to ſtrike over? this is irkſome. Why ſo is it with a man here, it may be thou haſt ſet out for heaven, and thou haſt gone all thy life in a fair ſmooth way, and art now come, as thou thinkeſt; even to the end of thy journey. And will it not bee a hard thing for a man to turn back, to begin in another way, and that a ſtraiter, a rougher, and a deeper way? Why I tell thee, this muſt bee done before ever thou come to heaven.
It is with a ſound Chriſtian and an Hypocrite, as it is with two men, at the top of two houſes in a narrow ſtreet, one would think that they could eaſily come to one another, eaſily reach, but the truth is, hee muſt come down the height where hee is, before hee can go up to him: A groſſe and open ſinner, is nearer to him, than a formal hypocrite. As Chriſt ſaith, Eaſier for Publicans and Harlots, &c.
And now judge, is it not a very hard thing and difficult, for a man to undoe all hee hath done, to give up all for loſt, to come down from the height to which hee hath attained, not without much pains. To turn back that way, wherein hee hath ridden with much difficulty. This is a hard thing, &c. what fleſh and blood can bear this.
So that it is not only a difficult, but a painful cure.
1 In reſpect of the medicines that are to bee applyed; hard phyſick, humbling, lancing, cutting, diſmembring, cutting off right hands, &c.
2 In reſpect of the diſtemper wherewith theſe medicines are to encounter.
3 In reſpect of the pains, gripes, griefs, you muſt endure in the cure.
But this I cannot inſiſt upon. The truth is, the cure is ſo painfull, that your ſpirits would rather continue the diſeaſe, than ſubmit to the plaiſter. But now though the cure be difficult, 'tis poſſible, 'tis eaſy with God, though hard to us. And if God have given thee a heart to deſire a cure, and a ſpirit willing to ſubmit to any means may bee uſed, it is a fair way towards the cure. Well then to come to the cure it ſelf. Having ſearched thy ſpirit, and upon diligent ſearch diſcovered Hypocriſy.
Means of cure.1. Labour to convince thy heart of the evil and miſchief of an unſound ſpirit. It is a thing which makes thy perſon, thy performance odious unto God, hee hates thy perſon, hee hates thy prayers, as you ſee, Iſa. 1.14. Your new Moons, and your Sabbaths, and your appointed feaſts, my ſoul hateth them; which yet were high extraordinary ſervices. And now judge what a fearful thing it is to ſtand under the hatred of the great God of Heaven and Earth. What doſt thou think will bee the end of thee? why you ſhall ſee, Matth. 24. and the laſt. Thou ſhalt bee caſt into the lake which burnes with fire and brimſtone, and not only caſt in, but into the hotteſt place, where there ſhall not bee a drop of water to a lake of fire. For it is ſaid of all other ſinners, that they ſhall have their portion with Hypocrites. The Hypocrite ſhall have the largeſt portion, hee is the top of that black crew of damned ſouls. For the preſent thou loſeſt all the good in Earth which others do injoy, and for the future thou loſeſt all the good in Heaven, which others ſhall injoy. Nay, and thou gaineſt ſorer, ſharper, more unſupportable damnation, than others ſhall have. Thy duties, thy prayers, thy hearings which would have miniſtred comfort to thee, if they had been right; do now aggravate and increaſe thy torment, being unſound. Every Sermon, Prayer, Duty, is but as another ſtick carried to that ſtructure of fire, to make it hotter, and greater for thee, becauſe done with an unſound ſpirit.
2. Conſider there is a God.2. Means. Atheiſme is a great ground of Hypocriſy, and there is no man more an Atheiſt, than an Hypocrite. Well then, think there is a God. I tell thee, the very beleef of this would ſtrike down many baſe ends, which thou haſt in thy ſervice of him. And think him to bee ſuch a God as hee is. That this God is an all-ſeeing God, one who ſearcheth the heart, who tryeth the reins. One who knows the ſecret turnings and windings of thy deceitful ſoul. Though thou mayeſt diſſemble it with men, bee one thing upon the ſtage, another thing in the tyring houſe; one thing in action, another thing in heart and affection. Yet thou canſt not diſſemble with God, before whom thou lieſt open, cut up to the back bone, anatomized, all thy internals are ſeen, as the Word ſignifies in Heb. 4.13.
This thought brought home, and ſuffered to lye upon thy ſpirit in ſerious conſideration, would e'ne half work the cure, it would cure all groſs Hypocriſy; ſtrike down all by-ends, and baſe ends, which thy ſpirit aims at in the doing of holy duties, and vvould do much in the cure of cloſe Hypocrites, in the mending of falſe Principles; an honeſt heart vvould not bee falſe to God, though God ſhould not ſee him, hee loves God, hee is the friend of God, and you knovv a friend vvill bee true to his friend, as vvell abſent from him as preſent vvith him, vvhen hee ſees him not, as vvell as vvhen his eyes are on him. But I am not novv to deal vvith a true ſincere heart. I am laying dovvn means for the cure of a falſe heart, and a great one this is. Think and beleeve there is a God, and this God an all-ſeeing God, vvho knovvs thy heart and ſpirit. And as hee is all eye to ſee, ſo hee is all hand to puniſh thee, if thy heart bee not ſound vvith him.
3. Means.3. Means of cure is; Thou muſt bee nevv made, the vvay to mend thee, is to nevv make thee; thou muſt bee all undone again; taken in peeces, and made up again, before ever thou canſt be better. Some peecing and patching up vvill not ſerve the turn, but thou muſt have a nevv making, before thou bee better. There is no mending the ſtream, till there bee an healing of the fountain. The fountain and ſpring within thee is infected and corrupted, the heart is unſound, and what can bee expected from an unclean heart, but unclean acts? from an unſound ſpirit, but unſound ſervices? and therefore this muſt bee made new before ever you bee cured. Thou muſt have a new Judgement, for thou ſeeſt by a falſe light. Thou muſt have a new will, for this is corrupt. Thou muſt have a new heart, for this is deſperately wicked. I tell thee, there is no mending thee, but by new making thee. You may go and patch up your ſelves, but it is but like the putting of a new peece of cloth into an old garment, it breaks out again, and the rent will bee made worſe.
4. Means.4. Is Prayer, which is inſtar omnium. Oh! deſire God with David, to make thy heart ſound in his Statutes, ſound in Prayer, ſound in hearing, ſound in obedience. That all thou doeſt may ariſe from right Principles, have a right riſe, go by a right rule, and bee directed to a right end. Pray that God would give thee ſound Principles, and ſound purpoſes. That that little meaſure of Grace hee implanteth in thee, may bee accompanied with abundance of ſincerity and truth of heart.
And having gotten a ſincere heart, let it bee your care to fence and guard your heart againſt Hypocriſy.
I will give you but one preſervative which is this.
1. Before you go upon any duty, clear the ſincerity of your hearts, make your end as high as may bee. Set out aright, looſe off well, begin in God, in Gods ſtrength, in Gods grace, in Gods aſſiſtance. A good beginning, will make as good a cloſe.
2. When thou art upon the duty, then look to thy heart, ſuffer no baſe, no by-ends to ſteal in, to poiſon all thou doeſt. Keep thine eye ſtedfaſt upon God in the doing of the duty. Do the duty as if there were no men, no hopes, no fears, no rewards in the World, as if none but God and thou were in the World.
3. Afterwards when the duty is done, if there hath been any thing, if God have quickened, inlarged, inflamed, humbled thy heart, give God all the glory. Beware leaſt it bee with thee, as it was with Paul, and his company, that when a fire is kindled, a viper come out of the heat. Hath God kindled a fire in thy heart, warmed, inflamed thy ſpirit? Oh! beware that a viper come not out of the heat, a viper of pride, of vain glory. Know this, they that ſeek Gods glory in the work, will give God the glory, when the work is done. If then there have been any good, let God inherit all the glory; but if any evil, take it to thy ſelf, for it came from thee, and let it bee thy work to lament it, to bee humbled for it.
And now this Rule will bee of ſpecial uſe. There are four uſes.
1. This will fence thy heart, guard and ſtrengthen thy heart againſt Hypocriſy; this will keep out Hypocriſy, here is no place of entrance for it.
2. It will keep down Hypocriſy; for Hypocriſy gets no ground ſo long as it is ſeen and mourned for.
3. This clears the heart in the main, that thou art no Hypocrite, though there may bee Hypocriſy in thee, yet being ſeen, fought againſt, mourned for, reſiſted; it reigns not, it ſhall not denominate thee an Hypocrite.
4. It will clear thee of the ſin of Hypocriſy; God will never charge thee for that which thou chargeſt thy ſelf withall; hee will not impute that to thee which thou imputeſt to thy ſelf. That which is thy miſery, God will never impute to thee as ſin. Hypocriſy ſeen, mourned for, ſighed under, reſiſted, fought and prayed againſt, ſhall never bee a condemning Hypocriſy. And ſo much ſhall now ſerve for the firſt branch of the exhortation, with the motives to get ſincerity, with the remedies to cure Hypocriſy, and preſervatives againſt it.
Second Branch of the Exhortation is. Having gotten,Clear ſincerity. labour to clear this to your own ſouls, that your hearts are ſincere. It is a thing poſſible to bee cleared, a man may come to evidence to himſelf the ſincerity of his own graces and gracious performances. And it is a thing neceſſary to bee known, in reſpect of your peace, of your comfort. So neceſſary, that you can neither live with comfort, nor dye with comfort, unleſs you bee able in ſome meaſure to clear the ſincerity of your hearts, the integrity of your ſpirits. And being a thing ſo neceſſary, I will here lay down ſome Rules and directions, for the better inabling of you to this preſent duty.
1. Rule.
1. Make a through and ſound ſearch, deceits lye low, Hypocriſy is ſpun of a fine thread, and is not diſcerned without diligent ſearch. A falſe evidence is the fruit of a ſuperficial ſearch. Though groſs Hypocriſy is ſeen without ſearch, yet cloſe Hypocriſy muſt bee narrowly ſearcht into, otherwiſe you ſhall not bee able to diſcover it. Here you muſt not only read over your ſelves in your actions, but in your affections, not only in your practiſes, but alſo in your Principles. Hypocriſy lyes low, it is a root ſin, The heart of man is deceitful above meaſure, ſaith the Lord, who knows it? Jer. 17.9. like a creſted picture, on the one ſide an Angel, on the other a Devil. And I muſt tell you, that ſin lyes at the bottome of a deceitful heart, and therefore it will ask ſome pains to diſcover it. It was a fair ſpeech of the Children of Iſrael, Deut. 5.29. Whatever the Lord ſhall ſay unto us, wee will do. And it may bee they meant as they ſpake for the time, they were not aware of deceit in their hearts. But hee that ſaw further into them, than they into themſelves, diſcovered deceit to lye at the bottome, below, which they were not aware of, and therefore it follows, O that there were ſuch an heart in my people! alas! it is but a preſent pang of conſcience, there is no ſuch heart in them. So it was well ſpoken of Hazael, 2 King. 8.12, 13. when Eliſha told him what bloody cruelties hee ſhould exerciſe towards Iſrael. Is thy ſervant a Dog, ſaith hee, hee thought the Prophet did him a great deal of wrong; what, ſhould ever hee exerciſe ſuch beaſtly cruelty? but hee ſaw not the bottome of his heart, as was ſeen after in the next Chapter. So it was well ſpoken by them in Jer. 42.6, 7.20, 21. When the Princes deſired Jeremy to inquire of the Lord, whether they ſhould go, and bound themſelves with an oath to obey, whitherſoever God bade them go, they would go. But there was a deceit lay low, they had a ſecret reſolution to go into Egypt, and thought God would have ſent them thither, and then they would have been taken for an obedient people. But when the meſſage came contrary, they ſhewed the falſeneſs and hollowneſs of their ſpirit, and fall into flat contradiction againſt the word of the Lord. The word that thou haſt ſpoken wee will not do. And therefore ſeeing the heart is ſo exceedingly deceitfull, there is great need of thorough ſearch and tryal of our ſpirits. If you take the firſt verdict the heart gives up, you are likely to bee deceived, and therefore wee are to obſerve the Apoſtles Rule, 2 Cor. 13.5. to examine and prove; that is, not only to examine, and ſo take the firſt Evidence the heart gives up, but prove the Evidence, whether it bee true or no. Deceits lye low. As for example.
Enquiry is made whether I have Faith, &c.