Gods Husbandry, Sermon 1 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Containing the ſecond vſe for thoſe that are found out to be hypocrites.
AN other vſe is for thoſe,The hypocrite muſt ceaſe to thinke well of himſelfe. which by this triall ſhal be found guiltie; let them no longer maintaine a good opinion of themſelues, but take themſelues for what they be, whō examination hath found guiltie; let Confeſſion therefore prepare him for pardon and amendment: for certainely theſe diſeaſes of the ſoule will neuer be healed, vntill they be ſeene and acknowledged; neither will God euer pardon them, till the man in whom they rule, begin to ſee, and to confeſſe them. If I did require an open confeſſion, of all the diſſemblers amongſt you (namely, that they ſhould now before GOD and this Congregation, open their mouthes againſt themſelues, and intreate all men to take notice, that hitherto they hauehave but ſought to couſen the world and themſelues, not being indeede the men they hauehave beene, and would hauehave beene taken for); if I ſay wee did exact ſuch an open and publique confeſſion, tending to pull bluſhing into their faces before men, yet it ought not to ſeeme much to any man, to yeelde himſelfe to the bearing of his due reproach. For why; what traytor or fellon, taken in his felony or treaſon by a few, would not willingly yeelde to confeſſe the ſame in the face of the Country, at the generall Aſſiſes, if he were ſure to be forgiuen? But Brethren, the confeſſion which we demaund of you, and wherewith the Lord will (in this caſe) be ſatisfied, is not open and publike to the world-ward (that your credit ſhould be impeached by it, and your good names blemiſhed); but it is priuate and ſecret to God-ward, tending alone to heale the ſoule and name both, and to preuent the vengeance of God, which can not otherwiſe be preuented. Now in thine heart, anone in thy cloſet, thy doores (as Chriſt ſaith) being ſhut to thee, fall downe before the face of him that ſeeth in ſecret,But muſt confeſle to God in ſecret, that he hath beene an hypocrite. and if the fore-named triall hauehave found thee to be an hypocrite, tell the GOD of heauen what thou haſt found by thy felfe: ſay vntounto him, O Lord, it goeth againſt my fleſh to ſee and acknowledge (but alaſſe it is to no purpoſe to holde my peace, and by hiding to encreaſe) my guile! Wherefore Lord I confeſſe vntounto thee, I euen freely confeſſe vntounto thee, that hitherto I hauehave beene no better than a painted Sepulcher, full of rottenneſſe. I hauehave beene more troubled at other mens faults againſt me, than mine againſt thee: and I hauehave allowed my ſelfe in this prepoſterous earneſtnes, and thought I had cauſe to be ſo. I hauehave bin ventrous, confident, and apt to preſume of my ſelfe, and yet hauehave neuer lamented this carnall confidence. I hauehave giuen my ſelfe leaue to doe the euill in ſecret, which I would not for a world hauehave done publiquely, and yet hauehave taken no care to lament it, becauſe I thought, Piſh, it is no matter, no man ſhall euer know it. I hauehave giuen free ſcope to the foule motions of mine heart, and taken no care to controle and oppoſe the looſeneſſe and licentiouſneſſe of wicked imaginations. My knowledge hath made me proud, and in ſome things I hauehave refuſed to know, and yet I neyther bewayled my pride, nor my witting blindneſſe. I hauehave taken no care to ponder on thy word, and ſettle it deeply in my ſoule: and yet hauehave not ſeene mine owne folly, in being careleſſe to couer this ſeede with earth. I hauehave miſ-applied thy gratious promiſes in Chriſt, rather imboldening my ſelfe in euill by them, then vſing them to the purging of mine heart and life: and yet I hauehave not lamented before thee this my preſumptuouſneſſe. I hauehave confeſſed my faults, but alacke ſeldome, and when a croſſe hath compelled me, not elſe. I hauehave amended ſome things: but alas ſome thing alone, this or this (name thou the particular to God), I could neuer bring my ſelfe to be willing to amend: or if I hauehave been willing for a paſſion, that willingneſſe hath held but a little time, and yet I hauehave flattered my ſelfe with vaine ſhifts, and hauehave not abhorred this my guile. I hauehave indeede forborne reproachfull ſinnes; but euills of leſſe groſſeneſſe I hauehave boldly committed, and neuer been troubled with them. Vaine-glory hath ſtained my deedes of righteouſneſſe, and I hauehave not ſeene and bewailed it. I could not bring mine heart to doe good againſt euill, nor ſeriouſly blame my ſelfe for this reuengefullneſſe, but been ready to thinke, it was more than any man aliue could be able to doe. I hauehave ſought the praiſe of men, in acts of thy ſeruice, and it hath not been bitter to my ſoule to hauehave thus miſ-intended thine ordinances. I hauehave beene vtterly careleſſe of ſecret ſeruices, when I hauehave ſeemed forward in publike, and yet been well enough contented with that careleſneſſe. I hauehave been well enough pleaſed with the bare out-ſide of religious duties, and taken no paines to finde the life of them within me. I hauehave contented my ſelfe with lippe-praying, and eare-hearing, and not beene abaſed in my ſelfe for want of feruent praying, and powerfull hearing. I hauehave beene cenſorious againſt thoſe that hauehave not beene as ſtrict as my ſelfe, in matters of ceremony; and could ſcarce abide them, that could abide thoſe petty things, which I hauehave diſliked; and yet I neuer lamented, but rather applauded my ſelfe in this bitterneſſe: and I my ſelfe hauehave beene very careleſſe of greater things, when profit pleaded for them, that hauehave ſeemed ſo very ſtrict in formes and ſhaddowes, and externall rites: and yet I pleaſed my ſelfe well enough in this largeneſſe of conſcience. O Lord, thy Word hath found me out, thy Word hath diſcouered vntounto mee the ſecrets of mine heart: it hath iudged me, it hath condemned me, I deſire to giuegive glory to thee, and no longer to hide my ſinnes, this ſinne, this vpholder of all ſinnes, this damnable hypocriſie. I ſee it hath ruled in me, and I (for want of care) hauehave neuer yet perceiued it: but now I perceiue it, and now I confeſſe it, O Lord, to thee that knoweſt it already, to thee from whom it cannot be hidden. I humbly acknowledge, I hauehave all this while beene but an hypocrite.
Brethren, will yee thus pleade guilty,A man ſhall be loath thus to confeſſe his hypocriſie. if you bee guilty before the Lord? I know it is maruellous hard, to bring the guilty ſoule to plaine confeſſion: ſelfe-louelove raigneth in our hearts naturally, and that can hardly endure to ſpeake any euill againſt it ſelfe, though vponupon neuer ſo iuſt cauſe. Hee that hath long fed himſelfe, and made himſelfe (if not peaceable, yet) ſecure, with telling himſelfe he was a good Chriſtian; will be very loath now (perhaps after many yeares abiding in this falſe opinion) to acknowledge himſelfe to hauehave been deceiued. We ſee it is very hard to draw men out of thoſe errours, wherin they hauehave been long trained vp. EueryEvery man hath been euen trained vp in a conceit, that he was a good Chriſtian. It is conceit hath long poſſeſſed him, and this errour hath become a very preiudice within him, he hath euer taken it for granted, and beene angry that it ſhould be once called into queſtion. It is therefore no wonder, if men finde themſelues loath to recant their owne good conceits of themſelues, and to goe from all that they hauehave formerly eſteemed vndenyable. But for all this,But he muſt for all that, confeſſe. I pray you be perſwaded, to ſee your ſelues to hauehave been diſſemblers, if you hauehave been ſuch, for all your vnnaturall vnwillingneſſe. The theefe indeed hath cauſe (as he thinketh) to be impudent in denying himſelfe to hauehave committed felony (though he know full well, that he hath committed it), becauſe confeſſion is required of him, as an helpe to his conuiction, and ſo to his condemning. But the Lord of heauen doth not deſire thee to confeſſe thy ſelfe to hauehave been but an hypocrite, becauſe he wanteth other meanes to conuict thee, or becauſe hee may the more eaſily proceede to condemne thee:For that is the onelyonly way to get it pardoned. nay, therefore onelyonly he would hauehave thee confeſſe, that thou mayeſt be capable of pardon; becauſe it is an ouer-ruled caſe in heauen, and a thing peremptorily concluded of by the Diuine iuſtice, that no ſinner ſhall euer be pardoned, till he deale plainely, and freely confeſſe, that he is ſuch a ſinner as he is. Thy confeſſion is called for, onelyonly to ſit thee for pardon, not to vrge againſt thee to any worſe purpoſe. Wherefore forbeare no longer, winke no longer, be ignorant of thy ſelfe no longer, hide thy guile no longer, but in thy very ſoule now, in the thoughts of it, and heereafter in more words, twixt God and thy ſelfe in ſecret, ſay vntounto the Lord, and deny not, but acknowledge: O Lord, I ſee plainely, that yet I hauehave been but an bypocrite.
Brethren,And if he doe it not, he is no whit ſafer. ignorance of ones ill eſtate cannot helpe it. Is a man one iot the better, if he be an hypocrite, becauſe hee refuſeth to acknowledge it? Shall he ſcape better, becauſe he can make himſelfe blinde, and not ſee it? Doubtleſſe the Lord will diſcouer the ſecrets of eueryevery ſoule at the laſt day, and at the day of death; to eueryevery mans ſoule firſt, and after to all the world: and then a man ſhall be diſcouered to himſelfe fearefully and horribly, without all hope, without all poſſibilitie of being pardoned. Suffer the Word of God (wherein hee comes to exerciſe iudgement in a mercifull manner) to draw you to a plaine and ſauing acknowledgement, that you may not be forced by the laſt ſentence, to ſee and feele your hypocriſie, when there will be neither leaſure nor meanes to redreſſe it. Now thou mayeſt be helped, now thou mayeſt be changed, from an hypocrite to a true Chriſtian, from a diſſembler to ſoundneſſe of ſpirit. Now therefore, whileſt vponupon confeſſion, mercy and healing may be procured, bring thy ſoule to it, and ſuffer the Word of God to ouer-rule all thine vnwillingneſſe, and fall to a free confeſſion, and (as I hauehave often ſaid) tell the God of heauen: O Lord, It is true, too true, too plaine, I cannot deny it, vnleſſe I will deny it wilfully, and againſt my conſcience, I am but an hypocrite as yet. Brethren, wee therefore labour about this point ſo much, becauſe we doe well know the neceſſitie of it. If we cannot attaine thus much from you,But ſhall for euer remain ſo. you will alwayes remaine hypocrites, and the Word of God (through your oppoſing it) will prooue but a meanes of hardening you in your hypocriſie: but if we draw you to acknowledgement, it will not be impoſſible to direct you to amendment. I know that your hearts may poſſibly hold off from confeſſion, by thinking to this effect; That if you hauehave beene but hypocrites all this while, it will neuer bee better with you, and you ſhall neuer attaine to be vpright. But this is a falſe ſuggeſtion of Satan. If you will not ſee your ſelues to hauehave but diſſembled, you ſhall in very deede neuer be better, but rather worſe and worſe, and more and more ſold vnderunder the power of hypocriſie:Only by confeſſing and lamenting hee may be made true. but if you will ſee it, and lament it before God, and oppoſe it, by ſtriuing to caſt out the beloued ſinne, and to ſtep that one ſtep, which hitherto you hauehave not ſtepped, of falling out with that one ſinne whatſoeuer, which hitherto you hauehave harboured, and conſtant praying againſt that one fault, which hitherto you hauehave been content to winke at, and let paſſe with a priuiledge of, Seene and allowed; you ſhall bee true, you ſhall bee vpright, you ſhalbe ſincere, and of fruitleſſe & barren, become fruitfull and profitable branches. A man may weep out hypocriſie, aſwel as other vices; confeſſing and lamenting guile, will ſurely free a man from the power of guile, and hee ſhall ceaſe to be an hypocrite, that will now begin, & hereafter daily continue, to ſee, acknowledge, and bewayle his hypocriſie before the Lord, who ſees and hates it, where it is not cōfeſſed: ſees & pities it, where it is.