Twenty-Nine Sermons, Sermon 20 – Title page 23
THE SINFULNESSE And Danger OF HYPOCRISIE.
ISA. 58. 4. later part.
Ye ſhall not faſt as ye doe to day, to make the voyce to be heard above.
YE ſhall find that there are two maine things in this Chapter.
Firſt, A commiſſion the Prophet hath to doe his duty, it is from the Lord.
Secondly, the Execution of his duty.
The Commiſſion is in the firſt verſe. Cry aloud, ſpare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and ſhew my people their tranſgreſſions, and to the houſe of Jacob their ſins; this is his Commiſſion to tell them roundly of their ſinnes, ſpare not, ſaith the Lord, and it is no other commiſſion than all the Miniſters of God have, (eſpecially upon ſuch faſting dayes as this is) to be faithfull to the people, to make known unto them all their ſins.
Now in the execution of it, there are two things, mainely conſiderable.
Firſt, a diſcovery of their ſinnes.
Secondly, A rule for reformation, ſet down 6. 7. verſes.
The diſcovery of their ſins is to the latter end of the 5. verſe.
Now in the diſcovery we find theſe ſins very remarkable.
Firſt, their falſeneſſe, they were a company of ſtately Hypocrites, a company of brave people; that could pray as well as any in the world, keep a faſt from morning till night, I ſay, they were people of a ſtately carriage, but of a falſe ſpirit.
The ſecond was their confidence upon their duty, as they were ſtately for their parts, and policy, ſo they are as confident, as ſtately, when they did pray and faſt they could reſt upon their duty, as in the third verſe, Wherefore have we faſted, and thou ſeeſt it not? We have puniſhed our ſelves, and thou regardeſt it not. God gives them an account for that, and diſcovers their ſins which are the cauſes of it, and they are two.
Firſt, he ſhews the unprofitableneſſe of ſuch kind of ſervices, they bring no ſoule-profit with them.
Secondly, ſuch ſervices are unacceptable to God, for ſaith God, in the beginning of this verſe, all the faſts doe but end in ſtrife, and debate: Conſider the work we are in hand withall, and let us apply this to our ſelves this day; ſaith God by the Prophet in the Text, You ſhall not faſt as ye do to day, to make the voice to be heard above; as if God had ſaid, this is not the buſineſſe that I have choſen, (as in the next verſe it follows) to hang down his head for a day; to droop in his affections, to be ſeemingly humbled, and afterward to ſprout up again, as peart, and ready to ſin as ever; it is not ſqualing and crying a little while will ſerve the turne, performe the duties of a faſt, if you will keep a faſt aright.
In the Text are three divine truths, partly in it ſelf, and partly in what is before and after it; they are theſe three, I ſhal only touch upon the former, though I name all, The firſt is this,
That Hypocriſy, or falſeneſſe in a day of faſting, and prayer, takes away the life of the duty, this ſhall be confirmed by and by. The ſecond is this,
That falſe, and ſlight Hypocrites, they will be content to be frequent in faſting, and prayer. The third is this,
That faſting rightly improved, will put an edge upon our prayer.
I ſhall only ſpeak a word of each of theſe; for the firſt, and I name it againe, I ſay Hypocriſy in duties of this nature does take away the life of the duty; It riſeth plainly out of the Text, Hypocriſy in duty takes away the life of the duty, ſaith the Lord, I have not choſe this faſt but this is the faſt that I have choſen, to looſe the bonds of wickedneſſe, to take off the heavy burden, and to let the oppreſſed goe free, to deale thy bread to the hungry, to bring the poor unto thine houſe, this is the faſt that I look at.
I doe not looke that a Sonne of God ſhould come to guild over a day of faſting, to weep and houle it out, but the thing the Lord requires is to eaſe the burden of the afflicted, to help the poor and oppreſſed ones; this day of faſting and prayer will be the ſaddeſt that ever England had, if it doe not end in the reformation of the Nation.
An hypocrite will performe as glorious duties, it may be better then you, but there he reſts, and ſpares all coſt, he joynes not charity with his pretended ſanctity.
Secondly, Falſe and ſlight Hypocrites will be frequently in faſting and prayer; This ariſeth from the other part, Hypocrites will be very forward, they can ſay, we have faſted and prayed, we have done this, they can take delight in approching to God, they will come nere the buſineſs, and ſay, When will there be a reforming of what is amiſſe, both in Church and ſtate? they make a great ſtirre, and in meane time ſuffer manie poor ſervants of God, to periſh for want of ſuſtenance about them; In this I doe not meane, (miſtake me not) that the ſervants of God, ſhould not doe theſe duties, but all that I ſay is to prove that an Hypocrite may doe theſe duties; and this conſidered, you will finde that there are not a few ſuch amongſt us, becauſe all we doe, if rightly done, muſt ſpring from other principles, if you ſhould faſt every day in the weeke, it would not doe, unleſſe the other duties (before named) be performed. I ſay not this to diſcourage any of you from the duty, for I ſet a high eſteem upon the duties of this day. It is like great Ordnance, which will make a breach in a Caſtle, when musket-ſhot will doe noe good. Through Gods bleſſing, this hath done more then all other duties, caſt out ſuch ſubtile divels, that nothing elſe could doe.
Thirdly, Faſting rightly improved wil put an edge upon duty, eſpecially upon prayer. The ſcripture provs this, that faſting and prayer together, a faſt cannot be kept without prayer. Now I returne to the firſt Doctrine. which is the main thing I doe intend, which is this, namely.
That Hypocriſy in duty, will take away the life of the duty. I ſay falſeneſſeDoctrine 1. and hypocriſy in the duty, will ſpoyle that duty. Ye ſhall not faſt as ye doe to day, to make your voyce to be heard above, here you make a great noyſe, but all the while ye are not heard, ye doe not reach the mark, and ſo you loſe the game. A Cannon may make a great noyſe, and yet come a mile ſhort of the mark, for hypocricie takes away the life of the duty, your Cannon Bore is warped, ſo your bullet goes beſide the mark, it muſt be a prayer rightly and underſtandingly made, that the Lord will heare: There is a phraſe to this purpoſe. Deut. 5. 28. and the Lord ſaid, I have heard the voyce of the words of this people, which they have ſpoken unto me, they have well ſaid all that they have ſpoken.
There is a paſſage about this, 2 Chron. 3. Then the Prieſts and Levites aroſe, and bleſſed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his dwelling place, even to heaven, their voyce was heard, becauſe their praier was made in ſincerity. Your praiers doe not come high enough, you doe not ſpeak home enough: if you did, you ſhould certainly be heard, if it be in ſincerity.
Now a Hypocrite may lift up his voice ſtrongly, and yet never be heard, never come up to Gods dwelling place, their prayers many times fall back upon their own faces, (like ſpittle againſt the wind,) and never come to Gods preſence; mark I ſay, hypocricle takes away the vigor and life of the duty, ſaith the Lord, This is not the fast that I have choſen; not the prayer, that I would have made, theſe prayers are but Arrows ſhot out of a weak Bow, that come not half way to the mark.
Now we proceed to open it in the particulars; I will bring two or three arguments to prove it that it is ſo.
1. You ſhall find that Hypocriſie in theſe Ordinances doth ſpoile all upon theſe two or three grounds. The firſt is this, Becauſe all this falſeneſſe, and hypocriſie, is directly againſt the nature of God: you have a ſtrange paſſage to this purpoſe, Mat. 6. 5. And when thou prayeſt be not as the Hypocrites, for they love to ſtand, and pray in the Sinagoues, &c. verily I ſay they have their reward; what is that? what is the reward of a falſe hypocritical praier? he hath his praier, that is all, his work for his work, a day of faſting for a day of faſting, that is all, a poor reward. It too often falls out, that amongſt your children you have one that is a ſpend-all, a riotous perſon. Now when the father comes to make his will, he gives to each of his obedient children, ſuch a portion as he is able, but when this his leud ſonne comes to be named, what ſaith he, to him? I have given thee ſo much and ſo much time after time, thou haſt ſpent all I have, now only a ſhilling for thee; and that not out of any love neither, but to ſtop thy mouth from troubling thy brethren for any more: ſo we come to faſting and praier, well (ſaith God) you ſhall have your reward, I will give you twelve pence, you have bin falſe, and vile with that mercy that you have had, therefore look for no more. And thus when the Hypocrite comes to ſee what he hath got by all his duties, it will be juſt nothing, this is the point that I meane, I will prove it in three perticulers, that falſeneſs, and hypocriſie in duty takes away the life of the duty.
Firſt becauſe hypocriſy here, is directly in oppoſition to the nature of God, and therefore the Lord cannot poſſibly accept of it. I doe not care for them ſaith the Lord; I will none of their ſervices, they are directly againſt my Name, Jehovah is Gods nature, which hath a being, hypocriſie hath no being, nothing in it, therefore no being. In your praier you tell God you ſin, you meane not to leave it, and what tell you me of ſuch a kinde of prayer? it is a picture of a prayer, and no prayer, a picture of a man (as we ſay) and no man. I beſeech you to conſider it, all praiers that are made in this way, they are nothing: ſee a paſſage. Mat. 15. 8. ſaith God, this people draw neere to me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, therefore he ſaith, 9. verſe, But in vaine they worſhip me: it is all to no purpoſe there is an emptineſſe in all this, a poor ignorant creature may run to Church with the Phariſee, and fall down upon his knees, and babble over his prayers, and all this coms to nothing, for I ſay all traditionall worſhip is againſt the nature of God, hence nothing: ſo all Idoll worſhip is nothing. God is a being Jehovah, Idoll worſhip hath no being, therefore nothing: you ſhall not ſee more coſt, and bodily labour, more ceremonies and ſpecious ſhew, in any religion under the ſun then in Rome, yet all this nothing, becauſe outſide ſeruice, a little fire wil quickly conſume all this. Now if you come before God this day, and doe not bring your heart in a fit temper, according to the rule of Gods word, if you mean not to be in earneſt with the Miniſter, in ſealing up your ſoules in the Covenant of grace, all will prove to be nothing, you ſhall have breath for breath, you will doe no good, to diſtreſſed England, reformation, ſhall not be one inch, furthered by this dayes work of your faſtings and prayer.
Secondly, Hypocriſy takes away the life of the duty upon a ſecond ground, becauſe from hence the Ordinance of God (this very Ordinance we are now about) gaines an heavy blow, therefore certainly it will loſe the life, and comfort of it by hypocriſie; as thus. Firſt from hence it comes to paſſe, that Ordinances uſed, (or rather abuſed) give occaſion to the enemies of God to open their mouthes, and ſpeake baſely of theſe Ordinances, as if they had nothing in them: the Ordinances themſelves ſuffer much in this, they can ſay they are frequent in theſe duties, ſuch and ſuch keep whole dayes of faſting and prayer day after day, and yet returne again to their ſinfull courſes, as bad drunkards, and thiefes the next day as ever, hence ſay the Papiſts, and prophane perſons, theſe are the faſters, what amendment ſee you in them? and hence they conclude, what ſhould weeping, faſting, and prayer doe? God regards them not, they have nothing in them, noe benefit comes by them, people are not converted that uſe them, they are as ignorant as they were, no change wrought upon their ſpirits; Thus the Ordinance is ſleighted.
Secondly, Hypocrites doe pervert the Ordinance, for they uſe it to a wrong end. They take up faſting and prayer, to get further leave to ſin, to grow ſtronger in their corruptions to morrow: hypocrites are ſtrengthened in ſin by the Ordinances.
Thirdly, becauſe the heart of a man in the duty is the heart of the duty, your hearts are the heart of the duty, therefore the Lord requires ſuch a kinde of heart of his ſervants at the time of duty, as is agreeable to the duty, now hypocriſy takes the heart off from the duty; therefore the duty cannot be accepted. Now I doubt there is many a poor unprepared heart before God this day, you doe not mean to bring your ſinne to the duty, but the duty to your ſinne, you doe not meane to leave your uncle an practiſes, and evill courſes; if it be ſo, marke what I ſay, the duty is gone, the day is loſt, for the very heart and ſpirit of the duty lyeth here: the Miniſter he labours, prayes and preaches, you may weepe, mourne, and lament, yet if the heart be not in the duty, all is nothing, but as a dead carkaſſe without a Spirit.
The Uſe will be a word of reproofe, for I ſay, falſeneſſe, and hypocricyUſe. takes away the life of the duty, 3. Arguments you have had to prove it. Now for reprehenſion, it wil reprove us for all thoſe ayrie duties, and outſide ſervices we doe performe, many come to a duty, and leave their hearts in their Cheſts, amongſt their Treaſure, many come in diſcontent, and ſtrife, they reſolve, for all this, I will when conveniently I may, give my brother a private wound. This now lets out the very heart bloud of the duty.
I doe confidently beleeve, if all the people of the Nation could but keep this day of faſting and praier, ſincerely from the heart, you ſhould quickly ſee the Angel ſtopped, the ſword ſheathed, and the Nation healed.
Now to reprove you of your hypocriſie, I wil ſhew you the ſapleſſeneſſe of ſuch duties in theſe particulars.
Firſt, remember this, and conſider in the name of God, in what a lamentable caſe that man will be, that looſeth all the benefit of this duty, I have known a man, that hath bought a ſhip, fraughted it for a great voyage, laid out all his ſtock upon it, gone out to Sea, daſht it againſt a Rock, and loſt all, and come home a begger: daies of faſting, and praier, are as ſhips that we put all our ſtock, and treaſure in, (mark this) if they come home empty again, if they bring noe mercies, nor bleſſings with them, you are undon, you had need to get a breif, to be gathered for in the pariſh, and all wil▪ be too little to get you up again; when you come to enter into covenant with God, will you deal deceitfully? what ſhip-wrack do you hereby make of your conſciences? have ye abuſed many heavenly opertunities, and will you doe this alſo? all the congregations under heaven, will not be able to raiſe your wants; be not deceived ſaith the Apoſtle, What a man ſowes, that he ſhall reape; ſo what you ſowe in theſe duties; that, and no other fruit you ſhall reape.
The ſecond thing is this, a word of information, to informe us how to faſt aright.
Firſt, I will informe you of the reaſons of it, conſider this, if your ſoul be not bettered, your family not amended, the Countrey not reformed, ſuperſtition not abated, the perſecuted Church of Chriſt not releived, I will give you the reaſon.
I am afraid the hearts of men are not fitted for this great work, I doubt that many of the great men of the Nation doe not ſightly underſtand it, Miniſters are not rightly qualified for it, Congregations are not throughly humbled; If you heare that things doe miſcarry in the Palatinate, that things grow worſe and worſe, that the plague encreaſeth, then remember there was hypocricy in the duties, and ſo you looſe the benefit of this day; therefore if hypocriſy takes away the life, and benfit of the duty, then look well to your ſelves, and look well what you doe this day, look well what you goe about; that ſo you may enter upon the duty as you ſhould.
Conſider of it for the Lords ſake, be true to God, and your own hearts, you know not the danger of a day of faſting ill ſpent; which that you may avoide, I will give you ſome motives and rules,
Take this for a motive, conſider your ſelves upon your death beds, (It is a ſad thing that I ſhall tell you) is it not fearfull to conſider, that when you are in great diſtractions, full of various thoughts, thoſe things that are brought for Cordialls, and comforts to your deſerted ſoules, ſhould prove troubleſome, and heart-breakings unto you? A man upon his death-bed ſends for a Miniſter, he comes unto him, and finds him in ſad diſt empers, crying, No God, no Chriſt, no mercy, no comfort, what will become of me? I know not what to doe; why man, what is the matter? you that have faſted, and prayed, and been frequent in theſe duties, you that have kept the ſabbath, regarded Gods people, releived the poor, there is no man in the Town can pray like you, you can make a praier of two houers long, what do you think there is no mercy in God, no pitty in Chriſt? Oh (ſaith he) this is my bane, my faſting, and praying is the cauſe of my woe, for I have but mocked God in all this. I have ſeen ſad experience upon a poor ſoules heart of this; prayer and faſting rightly obſerved is a flame of all other duties, all other are but one duty, but a flame of all duties are in this fire.
Now when a man ſhall ſee the grave open, the wife ſtand weeping, the child ſighing, when his eyes grow dimme, his lips pale, now for him to ſay, I have had a by-reſpect in all my duties that I have performed, I have been a deceitfull man in my trade, &c. what tell you me of faſting, and duties? I have faſted my ſoule to hell, and there I ſhall feele the ſad conſequence of my hypocriſie. Conſider of this, ye that will pray and cheat, pray and be drunk, ye that to morrow will goe to a ſtage play. Is this your faſting, and praying? when you are in hell, then it will come to your minde, how you have faſted away your God, your Chriſt, how you have ſleighted theſe; this will make a man teare his fleſh, from his bones, his ſhould move us to be ſerious in this duty we are now about.
Take an other Motive, and it is this: Bring what ever you will to God, and bring not this, all is nothing, and all the ſervices you can performe without this are nothing; if you doe not bring a heart ſprinkled with the bloud of Chriſt, a ſincere honeſt heart, all elſe will be but dung; bring all parts, and duties, you cannot ſo much as pray aright without ſincerity: doe you remember what Simeon ſaid to his father Jacob? pray you let Benjamin goe down, no; I will not, take money, and Cammels and what elſe you will, but Benjamin ſhall not goe; but ſaith he, unleſſe, Benjamin goe, I will not, becauſe elſe I ſhall be taken for a ſpie: Soe when ever thou goeſt to pray to God, be ſure thou take Bemjamin with thee, thou maiſt carrie all thy parts, and duties, unleſſe Benjamin goe, it will not doe: Now by Benjamin, I meane ſincerity, you may ſpend teares about the duty in hand, varniſh over the duty, as much as you can, all the eloquent tongues of greateſt Orators will not be heard, nay if all the Angels in heaven ſhould bring teares, and bloud, for our deliverance, all this will be nothing; unleſſe we have an honeſt ſincere heart, a faithfull heart, in which there is no guile, a man that hath an honeſt heart, when he confeſſeth ſin, it is with a purpoſe to leave it, he doth not confeſſe and ſin, ſin and confeſſe, but he is in good earneſt, which that you may doe, take a rule or two;
Firſt, Ye that are come to ſeek God this day, ſtudy whether the work of this dayſpring from living principles, or no. There be painted Flowers doe not ſmell, but take Flowers out of a garden, and they ſmell by reaſon of their ſweet principles: ſo there be painted duties which ſmell not ſweet in the noſtrels of God, therefore conſider, are your duties ſincere? doe they ſmell? have ye not only an artificiall weeping, like thoſe women in Jeremy that could weep when they would? But doe ye weep from your hearts? you know, painted food, it ſatisfies not, ſtudy to find out that your duties come from a living principle, and not by art; labour to have it ſpring from the blood of the Covenant, and thereupon, thou goeſt to duty. I could tell you of many deceits, one is in the affections, what is Chriſt come to town? miracles wrought? well, I will goe ſee it, and all this while he hath only a little oyle in the Lamp, none in the Veſſel. Oyle in the Lamp, I underſtand to be ſome ſmaller work of Gods ſpirit, ſome outward principle; Oyle in the Veſſel, I underſtand to be ſome inward principle, that ariſeth from the Covenant of grace.
Secondly, Take this for a note, conſider in all theſe actions (for in this day we are in clearing our account) whether your oppoſition to ſin be carried on ſtrongly, and unchangeably; you are now come to have ſin rooted out of your hearts, your affections; you are a dealing with a malignant party, that hath already got within you: now here are the things you ſhould look after, conſider whether the change of your ſpirits be continuall at all times, (except paſſion, and temptation, which may ecliſpe the rareſt Chriſtian) may be when the Miniſters heart is enlarged in prayers, and prayſing God for you, God comes in and enlargeth your heart like a land-floud, which doth not hold long, godly ſorrow for ſin, ſhould be like a womans ſorrow, that weepeth for her child, ſhe cannot but weep, the more you comfort her, the more ſhe weepeth, aske her a reaſon, ſhe will ſay ſhe cannot help it, ſo our mourning for ſin and oppoſition againſt ſin muſt be carried on in a conſtant courſe, our weeping for the Church of God▪ muſt not laſt only for a day, this day, and end to morrow, but it muſt be conſtant.
Laſtly, when a man fixeth his ſoule upon the duty in ſincerity, he ſhall finde ſweet comfort to his ſoul; a man in this caſe, doth not mind what God gives him, but how he accepts of his duty, that is all he requires, but know aſſuredly God will fill the hungry ſoule, and recompence the well doers, no man ſhall ſerve God for nought. Now I can tell you the reaſon, why you doe not finde more comfort by your faſting and prayers, it is for want of a dram of ſincerity, you ſhould alway, when you worke for God, when you faſt and pray for God, doe as the Joyner doth, he ſhaves, and brings his rule, and meaſures, ſhaves, and meaſures: ſo ſhould you, pray and look up to heaven, faſt and bring the duty to the word, alwayes pray by rule, never keep a faſt without a rule, and then be aſſured, you ſhall be a workman that needeth not to be aſhamed. This I have ſpoken only to prepare you for the work of the day, be ſure what ever you doe, ſee that it ariſeth from a new and living principle: let it not be like a land-floud, that is dried up aſſoon as therain is over, but let it be like a gliding ſtreame, which keeps a conſtant ſpringing courſe, that ſo you may walk in the ſtrength of this days faſt, all the dayes of your life, which grant deare Father for Chriſt his ſake.
Amen.
REFORMATION UNDER CORRECTION, The way to prevent DESOLATION. As it was delivered in a SERMON, By WILLIAM FENNER, Miniſter of the Goſpel, ſometimes Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge, and late Lecturer of Rochford in Eſsex.
London, Printed by E. T. for John Stafford.