The Hypocrites Ladder, To the sincerely professing reader
To the ſincere Profeſſor, labouring after the power of Godlineſſe, foreign, Grace, Mercy, and Peace, with perſeverance.
TO thee I ſay (yet not I, but the Lord) I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canſt not bear them that are evil, and haſt tryed them, which ſay they are Apoſtles, and are not, and haſt found them lyars, as to the Epheſine Angel, or as to the Angel of Thyatyra: Rev. 2. 2.I know thy works and charity, and thy ſervice, and faith, and thy patience, and Ver. 19.thy works, and the laſt to bee more than the firſt.
Thou art hee, as was foretold to Judah, whom thy Brethren ſhall praiſe, thy Fathers Gen. 49. 8.children ſhall bow down to thee.
Thou art one of thoſe few Names in this Sardian age who have kept their garments clean, and white, and ſhalt walk with Chriſt in white, as hee ſaith.Rev. 3. 4.
Thou art one of thoſe, who muſt ſtand up in the breach, and help to bear up the Pillars of this ſhaking land; for indeed, except the Lord of Hoſts had left us a very ſmall remnant of ſuch, wee had been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah.Eſ. 1. 9.
Hold faſt integrity, and let uprightneſs preſerve thee, and thou ſhalt ſhortly come to the poſſeſſion of thy promiſed Crown.
This diſcourſe, I muſt needs ſay, is not intended for thee, (much leſs againſt thee) as Pharoah Necho ſaid to Joſiah, My errand 2 Chron. 35. 21is to another ſort of people (thy oppoſites) therefore as hee adviſed, ſtand not in the way, but forbear and withdraw, why ſhouldeſt thou meddle to thy hurt? eſpecially diſguize not thy ſelf as hee did, leſt thou periſh.
Look well to thy foundation, ſee that thou beeſt well verſed in, and acquainted with the grace and practiſe of humility, ſelf-denial, and repentance, thoſe rooting graces.
Then ſtrive to grow up in faith, and hope, and charity, thoſe nutritive and growing graces.
And laſtly, ſeek to bee crowned with integrity, integrality, and perſeverance; thoſe perfective and crowning graces, and thou art ſafe.
When fear ſhall ſurprize the hypocrites, and they ſhall cry out, Who among us Eſ. 33. 14, 15.ſhall dwell with devouring fire? Who ſhall abide with everlaſting burnings? Then ſhalt thou dwell on high, thy place of defence ſhall bee the munition of rocks; yea, as thou art at preſent a Crown of Glory in the hand of the Lord, and a Diadem of beauty in the hand of thy God, as is ſaid Eſ. 62. 3. ſo the Lord ſhall bee one day to thee a Crown of glory, and a Diadem of beauty, as is promiſed, Eſ. 28. 5. Behold the Lord will make all them of the Synagogue of Satan, which ſay they are Jewes, and are not, but do lie, to come and worſhip before thy feet, and to know how hee hath loved thee, Rev. 3. 9.
Help us, Oh help us, to catch thoſe foxes that mar our grapes, and deſtroy our Cant. 2. 15.vineyard, and not to catch them with guile, but with ſimplicity to ſilence, and with ſincerity to convince them.
If wee could, as in Nehemiahs time, get the Church freed from Tobiahs and Sanballats, and many ſecret adverſaries, that will perforce have a hand in building, how well and ſweetly would our Church-work go on?
If wee could get our Congregations rid Ezr. 4. 3.of theſe, what Times and Aſſemblies ſhould wee have? And certainly, it is not daubing with untempered morter, and crying, peace, peace, will ſave the ſouls alive wee hunt Ezr. 13. 15, 16, 20.for, but a bold adventuring of all, to ſave with fear, and to ſnatch with violence poor ſouls ſnared in holes, led away with divers Jude, ver. 23.luſts, pulling them, as out of the fire: and Jerom ſaith, this were optabilis Rapina, Eſ. 42. 2… ▪& Sancta violentia, an honeſt Rapine, and an holy violence.
Some of Gods worthy ſervants have, to their great praiſe, labour'd to purge the Church of error, (which is oppoſite to the truth) and of prophaneneſs (which is deſtructive to holineſs) but if wee ſhould ſee our Church freed from both theſe, (which were a ſight much to bee deſired) and not alſo ſee it purged from hypocriſie, oppoſite both to love of truth, and Power of Godlineſs, what had wee gained? but out of the fear and ſnare to fall into the pit.
Errours are dangerous and various, but they have been enumerated: Scandalous offences are many and more pernicious, than divers erronious opinions; and thoſe that bar the offender from Church Communion, have been Catalogued. But hypocriſie is more fly, and harder to bee deſcribed.
Theſe three, error, prophaneneſs, and hypocriſie, are like the three ſons of Anak, Sheſhai, Ahiman and Talmai, which made Iſrael to tremble, and their hearts to melt, which are to bee encountred not by any ſcattered troops, but by the united forces of Iudg 1. 3. 10.Judah and Simeon helping each other.
Theſe three are like the three ſons of the Gyant of Gath, that defied Iſrael, and fell by the hands of Davids Worthies; and this 2 Chron. 21. 4, 5. &c.laſt, (hypocriſie) is like that Monſter who had many fingers and toes, more than the others had.
And hee that ſhall deſtroy this enemy, and take away this reproach from Iſrael, deſerves a name among the firſt three, and that his houſe ſhould bee made free in Iſrael.
Wee ſhould all unite our forces and our prayers with Elihu, That the hypocrite (much more hypocriſie) raign not, leſt the Job 34. 30.people bee inſnared, ne ſint Tendiculae populi. Junius. Leſt they prove ſnares to the people, as the Midianites were. Alas, as hee ſaid of his honours and advancements, ſo we may ſay of all our reformation and hopes, what doth all this avail, ſo long as this (no Mordecai) ſits in the gate? either it muſt bee brought down, or wee.
But who ſhall diſcover this lurking enemy, which like the Hectick Fever, is at firſt hard to bee diſcovered, and eaſie to bee cured, at laſt eaſily diſcovered, but hardly to bee cured.
They who deal in other points, know with whom they have to do, and what adverſaries they are likely to meet with: Should we write about Image-worſhip, the Papiſt; about free-wil, the Arminian; about Church-diſcipline, ſome others would ſtand up in oppoſition. But here wee have to do with men of all profeſſions, our hand, as Iſhmaels, muſt bee againſt every mans, and it may bee every mans hand againſt us. Wee may cry out in the words of that Jew, ſon of Ananias before the deſtruction of Jeruſalem, who cryed out, a voice from the Eaſt, a voice from the Weſt, a Euſeb. l. 3. c. 8.voice from the four Winds, a voice upon Jeruſalem, and the Temple, &c. Woe, woe, &c. Wee hauehave them, whom wee write againſt, amongſt the Papiſts, amongſt the Proteſtants, amongſt Arminians, amongſt Anabaptiſts, Quakers, Seekers, yea, amongſt Epiſcopal, Presbyterian, and Independent Profeſſors, yea, ſuch have been among the Apoſtles, among the Prophets, among Diſciples, among Saints: Wee may take up Bernards complaint of the Church in his time, Nunc vero quem ejiciet, aut a quo abſcondet ſe Eccleſia? &c. & poſtea: Serm. 35. Sup. Cant.Non fugare, non fugere eos poteſt. Omnes amici, omnes inimici, omnes neceſſarii, omnes adverſarii, omnes domeſtici, nulli pacifici, &c. Now, ſaith hee, what ſhall the Church do? whether ſhall it fly to bee hid and quiet? or whom ſhall it caſt out to bee purged? There is no flying from, nor means to make them fly from us, all are friendly, all are falſe, &c. And whereas he ſaith, the Church of Chriſt hath ſuffered much from three hands, yet, ſaith he, that it hath ſuffered most from hypocriſie; Perſecution began firſt, and ſought to make havock of the Church, but that hurt not ſo much, it ſent many Martyrs to heaven; the Church Triumphant was enriched, the Church Militant confirmed and encreaſed; then came Hereſie, and did more miſehief by Schiſmes, rents, and pernicious opinions, than ever Perſecution had done: But at laſt …me hypocriſie (and in the midst of peace and ſecurity) did more miſchief than they both. This is like that little horn in Daniel, Dan. 7. 8.before which the other two horns were pul'd up by the roots, and this little horn had Ver. 21.eyes, like the eyes of a man, and a mouth Ver. 25.ſpeaking great things: This, it is ſaid, prevailed againſt the Saints themſelves, to wear out the Saints of the moſt High: And the ſame little horn is ſpoken of again, Dan. 8. 10. That it waxed great, even to the Hoſt of heaven, and caſt down ſome Dan. 8. 9, 10. and 25.of the Hoſt, and of the Stars to the ground, and ſtamped upon them; and through his policie hee cauſeth craft to proſper in his hand, magnifieth himſelf in his heart, and by peace ſhall deſtroy many. All which were never more verified of any enemy to the Church of God, than of this Arch-enemy Hypocriſie.
Some have compared England formerly to Laodicea, wee may now more fitly to Capernaum, in three things alike, being lifted up to heaven: 1. By Gods bounty, in beſtowing a plenty, if not plenitude of gifts, graces, and ſpiritual endowments upon it. 2. In the eſteem of other Churches, by their high, and as they judge, but due valuation. 3. And by our ſelves, lifted up too too high in a ſelf-magnifying admiration: Oh that we may not bee like Capernaum in the fourth, after all theſe liftings up, to bee caſt down to hell.
The Engliſh Profeſſor was looked upon formerly as the eminent Profeſſor, planted a Noble Vine, a right ſeed. How is it now turned into a degenerate plant of a ſtrange Ʋine, as the Prophet complained once of Iſrael.Jer. 2. 21.
Wee were forewarned of the Apoſtaſie of the latter times; and wee have ſeen thoſe predictions 1 Tim. 4. 1. & 2 Tim. 3. 1.ſadly fulfilled in our daies, as if thoſe Scriptures, like to a Blazing Star, had been culminant, and perpendicular over our Churches. There are alſo great and gracious promiſes made to theſe latter times, that the Mountain of the Lord ſhall bee exalted upon the top of the mountains, that Satan ſhall bee bound up. Oh that as the times draw neer, wee might bee a people prepared for the Lord, and that thoſe promiſes especially might bee accompliſhed, that thy people ſhall bee all righteous. And in righteouſneſs Eſ. 60. 21.thou ſhalt bee eſtabliſhed. That what was found in Chriſt, may bee found in Eſ. 54. 14.all his members, righteouſneſs to bee the girdle of their loyns, and faithfulneſs the girdle Eſ. 11. 5.of their reins.
Thoſe are very great and glorious promiſes, I conſeſs, which are made, that the earth ſhall bee filled with the knowledge Hab. 2. 14.of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea, that the light of the Moon ſhall bee as the Sun, &c. But thoſe are far more high, thy people ſhall bee all righteous. Eſ. 30. 26.It is not ſo much in knowledge, as in righteouſneſs and true holineſs, that the Image of God did once ſhine in the firſt Creation, and now doth in the New Creature: Satan retaining his knowledge (righteouſneſſe being loſt) hath nothing of the Image of God left, but is a Prince of Darkneſs. Truth, or ſincerity is by the Apoſtle made the firſt and principal part of the ſpiritual Armour, Epheſ. 6. 14.and compared to the girdle, which holds all together. In our fulleſt knowledge, wee are ſaid to bee like to an Angel of God, ſo was David, 2 Sam. 14. 17, 20. But in ſincerity wee are ſaid to bee like to God himſelf; as Acts 13. 22.David, a man after Gods own heart, in that reſpect. Look how much God is above an Angel, ſo much is ſincerity above knowledge. As the glory of the viſible world is man, the glory of man the head, the beauty of the head the face, of the face the eye, of the eye the Apple, ſuch is ſincerity; the Man, the Head, the Face, the Eye, the Apple, the Glory, the Beauty, the All. Of which I might ſpeak a great deal more, but I forget that I am but writing an Epiſtle and a Preface, not a treatiſe at the preſent.
Now what remains, but that all the people of God bee deſired to deal with other controverſies and contentions, Logomachyes, or Theo-logomachyes, as they did with Amaſa, when wallowing in his blood, hee cauſed every man to ſtand ſtill, and not purſue the battel of the Lord, I ſay, what remains? but to cover this Amaſa, and to draw him out of the way, that wee may purſue this 2 Sam. 20. 12, 13.more dangerous Son of Bichri; and especially, that the Lord Jeſus bee deſired with humble and inceſſant ſupplications, to take his fan into his hand, and throughly purge his floor, gathering out the bryars and thorns one of his Vineyard, and if wee may not bee ſo happy as to ſee an hedge ſet about his Vineyard, that hee will ſet up his watch Tower in our hearts, and that hee will come with his Refiners fire, and Fullers Soap, and purge both the ſons of Levi, and the whole family of Iſrael, as Gold and ſilver are purged; and that hee who hath the keyes of heaven and hearts, would open the Eſ. 26. 2.gate, that a righteous Nation, which keepeth the truth, may enter in.
I. S.