The Hypocrites Ladder, Treatise · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Of the three Crowning Graces, whereof the Hypocrite is ever found defective.
FOurthly, The hypocrite is ever found wanting in the Crowning and perfective Graces; whereof I ſhall name three, Integrity, Integrality, and Perſeverance.
The Scripture ſpeaks of a threefold Perfection of Chriſtians, anſwerable to which are theſe three Graces.
1 There is a perfection of hearts. And Aſahs heart was perfect. This is the 2 Chron. 15. 17.perfection of Integrity.
2 Perfection of parts, as the body when it hath all the members, Lev. 20. 21. So when wee are perfect and intire, wanting nothing. Jam. 1. 4. So that wee come behinde in no gift, &c. 1 Cor. 1. 7. This is the perfection of Integrality.
3 When wee hold out to the end, this is the perfection of Perſeverance. Both Hebrews and Greeks have one word foreignwhich ſignifies both the end and perfection; There is no perfection at all, if it endure not to the end. The Apoſtle, 1 Theſſ. 5. 23. hath a moſt ſignificant word, The very God of peace ſanctifie you wholly, and I pray God your whole ſpirit and ſoul, and body may be kept blameleſs unto the coming of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, foreign. It ſignifies properly to ſanctifie you totally and finally. There is Integrity, Integrality, and Perſeverance, all three together.
1 Integrity is the firſt Crowning and Gen. 6. 9. Job 1. 1.perfective grace; it is often called our Perfection: It is the ſhining grace, and the varniſh that ſets off all other graces with a luſtre: It is that which conſtitutes a Chriſtian, and is of his very eſſence. No ſincerity, no Chriſtian. It is not onelyonly a grace, but the Grace of all graces, whence they all are denominated, and grace is no more grace, if ſincerity bee wanting. Faith is not faith, if it bee not unfained faith. foreign, nor is love, love, if not without diſſimulation, 1 Tim. 1: 5. & 2 Tim. 1. 5. foreign.Rom. 12. 9. nor is holineſs and righteouſneſs any thing, if it want Truth, Eph. 4. 24. This makes a Chriſtian currant though hee want ſome graines, as Aſa, his heart was perfect, 2 Chron. 15. 17. without this hee cannot paſs. An hypocrite wants many things, but ſincerity moſt, hoc unum deeſt, therefore hee miſcarries. The worm never breeds but in the ſappy unſound wood. The Apoſtle calls ſincerity Incorruption, Eph. 6. 24. foreign.Compare thoſe two Texts, Heb. 2. 4. and Heb. 10. 38. And you may collect this, that hee whoſe heart is not upright in him, is firſt lifted up, then drawn back, then God draws back too, and hath no pleaſure in him, then God leaves him, owes him a ſhame, layes a ſtumbling Ezek. 3. 20.block in his way, hee falls foulely and deſperately at laſt, as Judas, Ananias, Saphira, Alexander the Copperſmith, who had they been ſincere, they had never drawn back unto perdition. It is a rule in Nature, all corruption comes from compoſition, therefore all ſublunary bodies decay, but what is uncompounded is incorruptible, the heavens are ſuch bodies, a quinteſſence, therefore decay not, all corruption in a Chriſtian comes from compoſition, where the heart is not ſingle, but any mixture of guile, ſuch hold not out; pray for ſincerity, rather than ſingularity, for integrity of heart, rather than eminency of parts.
2 Integrity is ever accompanied with Integrality, which is the beſt diſcovery of ſincerity. This is our next perfection. The Chriſtian muſt bee a compleat man, his Armor is a compleat Armour, and his obedience muſt bee compleat, to ſtand Eph. 6. 13. Col. 4. 12. 1 Cor. 1. 7.compleat in the whole will of God. Hee muſt come behinde in no gift, grace, or duty, that hee may wait for the appearance of Chriſt Jeſus. Hee muſt bee perfect and intire wanting nothing. His whole ſoul and body, and ſpirit muſt bee ſanctified Jam. 1. 4. 1 Theſſ. 4. 12.wholly.
Univerſality is one of the beſt notes of a Chriſtian, though one of the worſt of the Church. Dolus latet in particularibus, ſinceritas patet in univerſalibus. I may ſay here, deceit lyes in particulars, ſincerity in univerſals. Where you ſee one walk in all the Ordinances of God, call him ſincere, as Zachary and Elizabeth; where Luke 1. 6.you ſee halting in one, as the young man, hold him ſuſpected; yea where you ſee one do many things (as Herod) if not all, one is none, and many is none: All or nothing. See then that no grace want her mate, as it is ſaid, Thou haſt zeal it may bee, but is thy zeal coupled with Eſ. 34. 16. Rom. 10. 2. 2 Pet. 1. 5.knowledge, knowledge thou haſt, but is it accompanied with vertue, thy vertue with faith, thy faith with love, thy love with obedience, obedience with conſcience, conſcience with ſincerity, ſincerity with integrality. Then there is no danger, but all is ſafe. But wee may write of every hypocrite, what wee do of ſome books that had been excellent, if ſome peeces had not been loſt, deſiderantur non-nulla, ſome thing is wanting, the book is imperfect, and no body can tell what to make of it. It is not Agrippas foreign his almoſt will ſerve, or Herods foreign many things, Mar. 6. 20. But Pauls foreign, Eph. 4. 15. Grow up to him in all things; and Chriſts foreign, Joh. 15. 14. Yee are my Diſciples, if yee do whatſoever I command you; yea Chriſt hath a foreign and foreign both, Matth. 28. 20. Teach them to obſerve all things whatſoever I command you, &c.
3 Perſeverance is the laſt crowning grace, and is heir apparent to the Crown of glory. Theſe three graces laſt named, are like King Davids three ſeveral 1 Sam. 16. 13 & 2 Sam. 2. 4 & 5. 3Anointings to his Kingdome, or like the three different Crowns ſet ſucceſſively on the Roman or German Emperor, to compleat his Inauguration; whereof one is Iron, the ſecond Silver, the third Gold. The Iron Crown is ſet on the Chriſtians head at firſt, when hee begins to bee ſincere, though there bee many imperfections; Integrality ſets on a Crown of Silver, when hee hath made ſome proficiency; and Perſeverance ſets on the Golden Crown, when hee hath concluded well. Every hypocrite for want of this, as of the other two, loſeth the Crown, Look to your ſelves, ſaith St. John, that yee loſe not the things you have wrought, but that wee 2 Joh. 8may receive a full reward: That yee begin not in the ſpirit, and end in the fleſh. Gal. 3. 3Hee that endureth to the end, ſhall bee ſaved, Matth. 24. 13. Bee thou faithful to the death, and thou ſhalt receive the Crown of life, Rev. 2. 10. Here every hypocrite falls ſhort how ſoon ſo ever hee begins, how faſt ſoever hee runs, and how far ſoever hee proceeds, hee holds not out; the ſtony and thorny ground alwayes apoſtatizeth. Hee that was inlightened and taſted of the heavenly gift, and was made partaker of the Holy Ghoſt, &c. at length falls away, and is renewed no more by repentance. Therefore ſaith the Apoſtle, Wee ſhall bee preſented unblameable, and holy in the ſight of God; If wee continue in the faith grounded and ſetled, and bee not moved away from the hope of the Goſpel, Col. 1. 23. The like Heb. 2. 6. Perſeverance is called by Gregory, Muria virtutum, the preſerver of grace, without which as Summer-fruits, they will periſh and putrifie; and by St. Auſtin, Regina virtutum; for though other graces ſtrive and do maſteries, Perſeverantia ſola coronatur, onelyonly perſeverance gets the Crown.
Thus wee ſee the main reaſon why a formal Profeſſor comes to miſcarry, is for want of theſe four kindes of Graces, Preparative, Radicative, Nutritive, and Conſummative.
I could adde to theſe a fifth kinde of Grace, wherein alſo every hypocrite is defective, Grace privative, or expulſive.called Privative, or Expulſive Grace. Privation is made one of the three principles in Natures Generations, though the laſt, it is the firſt, and a material principle in Grace-work. It is the one half of the Chriſtian, Put off the old man, then put on the new. Graces-work, is as Jeremies, to ſupplant, root up, pluck up, Jer. 1. 10pull down, then to build and plant. Eradicating grace muſt go before Radicating Ier. 4. 3grace, or it is vain to ſow among thorns. If there bee any root of bittterneſs left, wee ſhall bee ſure to fail of, or fall from Heb. 12. 15 Deut. 22. 9the grace of God. The Lords field, to bee ſure, muſt not bee ſown with divers ſeeds. Sin and Grace were never ſo equally poiſed in the ſoul, as the elementary qualities in the conſtitution of the body as to agree, or as the twelve of Joabs 2 Sam. 2. 16 2 Sam. 3. …men, and the twelve of Abners were ſo equally matched, both fell together, no victory on either ſide, but either as Saul and David, if grace aſſiſted, it grows ſtronger and ſtronger, or if ſin bee countenanced, and get ſtrength, it will as Abimelech Iudg. 9. 5 2 King. 11. 1 1 Tim. 27. 11and Athaliah, to reign alone, cut off all the ſeed Royal, and as David among the Philiſtines leave not one to tell tales. If one ſin bee left, a little one, a very childe, as Hadad the Edomite, it will ſet all a fire, and breed thee much miſchief 1 King. 11. 17as hee did to Iſrael.
The Expulſive faculty is as neceſſary to preſervation of life and health, as is the appetitive, attractive, and nutritive. Retentio ſecernendorum parens morborum, is an Aphoriſme in Phyſick, ſo it is in the ſoul. If grace expel not what is noxious, it is at preſent but weak, but will ſhortly bee no grace at all. All the ſowing in the world will do no good, if the fouls of the aire be ſuffered to pick it up; All Ordinances Promiſes, and Grace it ſelf is received in vain, if wee purge-not our ſelves from all filthineſs of fleſh and 2 Cor. 6. 1. & 7. 1ſpirit, that wee may perfect holineſs in the fear of God.