Hypocrisy Discovered, Sermon 2
SERMON II. Beware of the Leaven of the Phariſees, which is Hypocriſie.
THis is one of the ſerious cautions of Jeſus Chriſt to his owne Diſciples; and to thoſe that had grace; yet he bids them, and all that ever he met with, to beware of the Leaven of the Phariſees, which he ſaies was hypocriſie.
Now he calls the Doctrine of the Phariſees a Leaven.
Firſt, Becauſe of the ſpreading nature of it, there is nothing ſo ſpreading as Leaven: put a little of it in, and it will go through the whole Lumpe. Hypocriſie is the moſt ſpreading thing in the ſoule, and goes over all the faculties, no faculty is free of it; a little Leaven, once it is engendred, ſaies the Apoſtle, will leaven the whole Lumpe, 1 Cor. 5.6. A little Hypocriſie in a mans ſpirit it will ſoone ſpread (if it be countenanced) over his affections and faculties; and then
Secondly, he compares hypocriſie to Leaven, becauſe of its inſenſible way of ſpreading, no man knows it; a man puts but a little Leaven and it gives a Tincture of it preſently, ſo it is in the heart; Hypocriſie workes ſo inſenſibly, ſo cloſely in a mans ſpirit, that if you be not exceeding wary and carefull, it will undo your whole ſoule; It will give you ſuch a Tincture that you will hardly be able to take off the ſavour of it without you have a mighty power from heaven; therefore you had need beware of the Leaven of Hypocriſie. That is only for the Word.
But you may remember I began laſt time to open the nature of Hypocriſie, and ſhewed you that it was oppoſed to two things.
Firſt, Unto the Truth and Reality of things, as they lay in their owne nature.
Secondly, Unto that ſimulation, that fainedneſs, unto that ſincerity of intention, faining what a man doth.
As it ſignifies a faining in that,
Firſt, It was oppoſed unto the truth of things; that is Hypocriſie that is not according to the nature of things as they are; ſo he is a hypocrite that is not reallie ſound, though he may pretend he is ſo, and thinke he is ſo; for I ſhewed you that is the groſſer ſort of hypocriſie to be fained ſo; to faine my ſelfe to be a holy perſon, to faine my ſelfe to be Saint when I am not, that is the groſſer ſort of Hypocriſie; but there is Hypocriſie lies cloſer, when I thinke I am a Saint and am not ſo, I am a hypocrite.
So it is oppoſed to a word in the Greeke, often-times uſed and put for ſinceritie, foreign, and is a word that will expreſſe it exceeding clearly.
I ſhall only ſpeake to the firſt ſence at this time.
To open it more clearely to you.
Firſt, This Hypocriſie is oppoſed to the truth, the reality, and cleareneſſe, the ſincerity and ſoundneſſe of things in their being and nature. As you know that is a falſe Jewell and Diamond that hath not the proper nature and colour that belongs to it, it is counterfeit, it is not right, though I may thinke I am enriched by it; that makes not the thing the truer for that, they are but all counterfeit. I am not richer if I had many of thoſe glittering Diamonds, that is my miſtake; ſo it is as to hypocriſie on this firſt conſideration if there be not a cleanneſſe, a perfection in the kind. If I be not a Saint reallie in my own Spirit, let my perſwaſions be what they will of my ſelfe, and others perſwaſions be what they will be of me, yet I am a hypocrite in the eyes of God. Let my graces be never ſo glittering and glorious in the ſight of my ſelfe and others, yet if they be not ſuch as can be tried according to that foreign, that ſinceritie, ſuch that may abide the judgement of the Sun: If they cannot 'bide the pure ſight of God, and his Glorie, I ſhall be found to be ſtill a perſon that I am not, I ſhall be found in another condition.
This is that I would ſpeake unto:
It is not my intention only that will make me a hypocrite, it makes me a groſſer, to feigne and diſſemble; But it is as well the one as the other: the want of the reall principle, the want of a ſound worke upon my heart.
Take in the firſt place this conſideration:
Firſt, I appeare to my ſelfe and others to be what God will not own me to be at the laſt day; ſo there is Hypocriſie in Fundamentals; I ſay I have grace, and God ſaies I have none. I ſay I beleeve, and God will never owne my faith when it comes to triall. I am as far to ſeeke, and I am as much a Hypocrite, (for I have a falſe faith, a falſe motion after God and Chriſt) as much as if I did intend to palliate, to counterfeit my faith on purpoſe: A man may have the complexion but not the conſtitution of a Saint. If I appeare not really what I am before God, I am a hypocrite. Therefore this I ſay is the great thing that few in the world do know, that moſt of Profeſſors are Hypocrites; they are not throughly converted though they have (as they thinke) the glorious workings of God upon them, yet if they be not true and reall, and will go through the fire of a divine eye, and the ſearch of that Omniſciencie of the Lord, they will never hold. I am an Hypocrite, though not ſo in intention: I am not ſo as to the formality of Hypocriſie, but I am ſo really as to God; therefore conſider of it, conſider it; for the moſt people think, if they have but a good honeſt intention in what they do; they think they are perfectlie free of all danger of hypocriſie; they are ſafe and ſound in Religion if they pray and do not diſſemble in their prayers: that is, that their hearts and their tongues do not jar but do agree, they are then free from hypocriſie: but that is a miſerable miſtake. For alas, it is all one whether or no you feigne your ſelves to be what you are not, or are not what you thinke yourſelves to be; it is all one as to the thing it ſelfe, you will find it ſo one day in your own ſpirits: when you ſhall find all that ever you have done to be but glorious appearances; What will it do you good when you can ſay only, I had a good intention, I thought I prayed well, and had the ſtraines of the Goſpell in my own ſpirit, what will this do you good if you be not found ſo? But this is that I ſay, that if I have not the truth in me of what I do profeſſe, though I do ſincerelie and honeſtly profeſſe what I thinke, it is all one (as to the nature of the thing) as if I do feigne what I am not: For I ſhall be as well undone by the one as by the other, and I am not the perſon I thinke my ſelfe to be, nor others thinkes to be, if God thinkes not me to be what I and others thinkes me to be; and to what end ſhould we ſoulke up and down and not be what we are in our own hearts, but delude our ſelves, and not deale faithfull… with our own ſpirits.
☞ As now take a Preacher of the Goſpell, ſuppoſe I preach the Goſpell; if I preach any thing that is untruth, or a lye, though I do it with never ſo honeſt a heart, I ſhall be damned for it: If I preach againſt Jeſus Chriſt any thing that will deſtroy the fundamentals of the Goſpell, I ſhall be deſtroyed for all that, though I be never ſo honeſt in my intention; For our intentions are but naturall and common: If I think I have grace, and a work of God upon my ſoule, and yet have it not, it is all one as with thoſe that know they have no worke of God and yet profeſſe.
Secondly, there is hypocriſie ſeene in it likewiſe, becauſe I take up things in a generall manner, and never try them, nor my own heart by them, that ſhews my hypocriſie, though I thinke I am reall in my intentions, I ſhould try them over and over againe. But to make out this a little more cleare to you.
Let us conſider in the generall the power that imagination hath upon the ſpirits of men: Take …y one that is thought to converſe with the devill, and trade with him upon promiſe of Gold, and Silver, and the like. The power of imagination will worke upon ſuch a man that he will beleeve on the Devill, that he hath all the riches in the world, the gold of the Indies; this the very power of imagination will do, he thinkes he can want nothing, and yet ſo ſtrong is this power of imagination upon him all his daies.
Do but take a man in a melancholly ſtraine, he will thinke really he is what he thinkes any other man to be: If any man be taken in a feaver, he will beleeve he is ſo, he will ſweat at it. If any one be thought to go mad, he will be the ſame; It is the ſame in Religion; the fancy and imagination of a man will work as ſtrongly in Religion and the Goſpell-perſwaſion as a melancholy conſtitution: I will perſwade my ſelfe to be in heaven, and ſee Angels and glorious Saints, and be in the boſome of Chriſt, though I never heard his voice to my own ſoule, and all this upon the power of imagination, it is ſo ſtrong upon our ſpirits; if there were no more but that, it were enough.
Secondly, in generall know this, that you may ſee it by the contrary of ſincerity; you know that is ſaid to be ſincere in the proper ſence of it that is not mixt, that is without any mixture at all; as that is pure wine that is not ſophiſticated by any brewing, that is ſincere that is not mixt, that is pure from the grape, ſhines in its own luſtre; we call that hypocriticall that is mixt, or hath any thing to ſet it off but its own nature, theſe things that come purely from it ſelfe; ſo it is in the ſoule of a man that is hypocriticall in his owne ſpirit: that is not ſincere that hath a ſhew of grace, and yet hath it not, that is hypocriſie; he hath common and carnall principles, or, if you will, common grace and carnall principles mixt together, it is ordinary in the Goſpell; man hath his naturall principles; and ſome additions of aſſiſtance and power from God, and they are jumbled together, they are not ſincere at all, but hypocriticall, nothing ſhines in its own nature; ſo it is with moſt men in the world: there are other ingredients that are mixt with all their actings, there is ſomething mixt with it in the Principles, in the very firſt motions. And certainly this is that which is ſutable to this Text, where he ſaies, Take heed of the leaven of the Phariſees which is Hypocriſie. You muſt not thinke the Phariſees did preach Hypocriſie, but only their doctrine tended to nothing elſe but ſetting up an outward Religion, without any power, to lead men to holineſſe in ſincerity: and ſo they mixed their own intereſts with any thing of the Goſpell; you muſt not thinke they preached hypocriſie, no, they were wiſe men and obſervant, but their doctrine did lead men alwaies to nothing but outſides of Religion: to be common Profeſſors, and look after nothing at all but the meere ſhew of the Goſpell and of the Law; the Doctrine it ſelfe was good, but they mixed it with ſome other ends; they had a daſh of their owne (as I may ſay) with what they ſaid, they were never pure and ſincere in their actings. Therefore the ſame word that is put for ſinceritie is put for unleavened bread, that is, pure bread that is made up without any leaven. Now if a ſoule be not cleare and ſound in the principles of the Goſpell, in the workings of it, he is a hypocrite be he what he will.
There may be mixtures in ſecond actings, but if there be mixtures in principles, that is hypocriſie.
And upon this account all Profeſſors that live under the Goſpell, be they of what height they will, they are Hypocrites, they never had a ſound worke of God: if there be a mixture in the principles and the end: They are hypocrites that never had a through worke of God, and pure divine principles acting in their ſoules: But have a mixture of other ends in their hearts, that do leaven and ſpread through their whole principles, they are Hypocrites.
But for a ſincere ſoule, in principles and actings, they have really unmixt actings from heavenly and holy principles, to a holy, and ſpirituall, and divine end.
How many Hypocrites ſhall we then find before we have done, if men will but ſearch their hearts?
But that men may be thus hypocrites, and thinke they have grace, and yet not know ſo, do not beleeve they are ſuch:
I will give you firſt ſome demonſtrations.
Secondly, Shew you that they may have ſome ſincerity, and yet be hypocrites.
Firſt, That men may be hypocrites, and yet not know it in their own ſpirits, take theſe demonſtrations.
Firſt, From the generall rule that all Divines give; That whatſoever grace is in a Saint, the likeneſſe and imitation of it may be in a Hypocrite, and he may thinke he hath it ſo; there is a faith in the Goſpell like the faith of a true beleever▪ there is a joy in the Goſpell like thoſe that have ſeene the face of God; there is a patience in the Goſpell like that which comes to the perfect ſubmiſſion to Gods will: and ſo I might go over all the reſt. And ſo there is a likeneſſe of ſincerity to that which is flowing out from a pure heavenly ſpirit: For look whatſoever God hath imprinted, that the Devill can paint; what God leaves as a Character of the heart of a Saint, that the Devill may ſtrive to imitate, and from a compliance in a mans owne temper forme up the ſame, as Children do make up Babies in imitation of children which are reall: and thoſe that know not this know nothing.
But ſecondly, as another conſideration and demonſtration to make this out, know, that all thoſe things we call morall virtues, that were in heathens, that is the very reliques and remainders of pure nature that God hath left in ſome meaſure: thoſe morall virtues are as much improved in the Goſpell without grace, as any other conſideration, principle, or rule. I ſay, morall virtues, as the Juſtice, Integrity, Patience, keeping of corruptions, and the evenneſſe of actings unto a Rule, the ſame are improvable under the Goſpell with more advantage than by any other Rule.
Take Socrates and Seneca, two of the great paterns of morality that ever lived in the Heathen world; had they been under the Law with Paul, and brought up under the legall diſpenſations as Paul and the young man in the Goſpell were, Mat. 19. they would have as eaſily complied with that Rule, that is, been as faire, as improved men as ever Paul, or as the young man, that came to Chriſt, and ſaid, he did never omit any of thoſe things from his youth.
They did all that the light of nature did ſhew them, and their conſciences, and Paul's conſcience did not check him doubtleſſe, as to his exact walking according to the Rule of the Law: Now as the Law was a higher Rule than the Light of Nature, becauſe it was expreſſed and given more poſitively by God, and ſome ſpirituall addition given to it being writtten by that finger of God; the other had as it were the whole Copy. So Socrates and Seneca, had they been under the Law, and brought up as well as Paul was, Phariſees, they would have taken in as eaſily thoſe things, and have brought up under it with as much zeale, and largeneſſe, and refinedneſſe of their natures as he.
And my reaſon is this; becauſe outward Rules are as improvable by one as another, according as a man is but under the knowledge of them; A man can as well take in the ſenſe of the one as of the other, while he is inured to them he ſees ſome conveniencie, ſome goodneſſe in them; ſo that conſider all th…ſe things are improvable in the Goſpell, and then you will ſee how nature may be refined by the Goſpell; and if the very meere light of nature imprinted, and glimmerings in a mans conſcience could learne a man ſo far, how would a man come to be when he was under the Letter of the Law: and beleeve it was writ by the finger of God; and then if a man ſhould paſſe through the Law, and come to the Goſpell Letter, and beleeve in a common manner, that this … a more pure and refined Rule, ſtill … ſpirit goes on, and is more heig… to a more bright frame, that a m… thinks all theſe morall virtues even perfectly to be graces: For a man acts but the ſame principles, the ſame faculties ſtill in the Goſpell, only they are changed, transformed: But however there is enough in the Goſpell to ſuit all theſe principles, to refine them, and make them more curious than ever they were by any other principle or Rule.
Thirdly, Adde this, the voluntary agency and power of the ſpirit, and workings of the Holy Ghoſt, who workes as he pleaſes, and how he will, and is not bound to worke the uttermoſt of his ſtrength upon a ſoule, but he may work upon nature, and glance upon nature, and leave it ſtill in its own condition, and yet mightily improved as to thoſe taſtings and enlightnings, Heb. 6. there is even in nature a kind of taſte of Heaven and Grace, which will make a man thinke he hath the power of the world to come, as you have it in the … of the Hebrews.
And, as I told you before, there are:
Firſt, the ſame … that grace is ſealed upon, as nature, the ſame underſtanding, the ſame will.
Secondly, the ſame kind of motions, as I muſt know Chriſt, and will Christ, and go out to Chriſt, and breathe after Chriſt, only they are; they have the ſame motion as to will and deſire, but not the ſame principles. And therefore it is no wonder a man may be deceived in his own ſpirit, and thinkes he knows Chriſt, and beleeves on Chriſt, and hath many motions of him, and all it may be are of outward conſiderations of him: never hath a pure light ſhining from heaven upon his ſoule, ſo that, I ſay, it is a very eaſie thing to ſee how a man can be a hypocrite and not know it: to conſider what voluntary motions there are of the Holy Ghoſt upon a mans ſpirit, yet not a ſaving worke; for as the Spirit blows upon whom he will, is not bound to convert you: ſo he may preſent the outward ſpecies of Chriſt to you, and never change your will, nor underſtanding, and yet a man may thinke he knows perfectly what's the nature of the whole Goſpell in his ſoule.
For a man hath to be improved in the Goſpell a rationall underſtanding, the Goſpell can improve as well as any other Rule.
Secondly, There are thoſe paſſionate love-expreſſions that will worke mightily upon the affections, as they are taken in with ſo much fulneſſe and variety as to thinke of Chriſts dying, that was innocent, and out of love, if it were but read in a Hiſtory would worke upon the affections, and yet leave nature as nature; a man thinks he loves Christ, and may weep at the thoughts of Christs death, and yet be unſound for all this.
Fourthly, if you conſider the variety of Gods workings upon ſoules in converſion; how many waies he workes, he may thinke he is perfectly converted, and yet an unſound man for all this: Alas the ways of God are ſo myſterious it is comapred to a new birth, Joh. 3. who knows how a child is borne in the womb? A man muſt have a divine light in his ſoule to ſee through and through his ſoule; Take a Saint himſelfe in his cleare light, he can hardly tell how to diſcerne into the variety of Gods workings: what hath been the pure working of God: where lies the Child; the new-borne babe, as it were. It hath come and paſt through the many varieties of Nature and Grace; and then if I ſhould adde, how apt men are to be perſwaded of the goodneſſe of their conditions, and not know the badneſſe of them, and how eaſily ſelfe-love will be trying to ſet off what hath but a ſhadow of Religion, with many other deceits: then you will eaſily ſay, A man may be unſound and never know it in his own ſpirit for a long while.
Secondly, A man may be ſincere, and have honeſt intentions in all his duties and actions, and yet be an hypocrite. And that it may be ſo, I ſhall demonſtrate it thus to you.
Firſt, There is in ſome men ſuch a morall, ſuch a naturall ſincerity (as I may ſo ſay) in their actings, that they are not diſpoſed unto the contradicting of their principles, and their actings, they are tempered within themſelves; they are not diſpoſed to contradict their actings, ſo it is ſaid of the ſincerity of Alimelech, as concerning Abraham's wife, he appealed to God in Geneſis 20. in the beginning, Saies he, in the integrity of my heart, and innocency of my hands have I done this: ſaies God, I know thy integrity. Now there is ſuch a ſinceritie even in men that have not grace, that they would not do ſuch a thing if they knew it to be unjuſt, according to their Principles, they would not do it for a world: or if they had taken up an opinion, they would not go againſt their opinion, there is ſuch a kind of ſincerity. Now the ſame may be in the Goſpell; that is, I go on honeſtly as I think, able to preach, and pray, and I have no kind of ill intention to deceive, only I have not a ſpirituall principle to act me, there is my miſery; I come not ſo much to be ſeen of men as from the intention of my heart; but I come not to have Chriſt, or to meet with Chriſt; ſo I am a hypocrite, becauſe I come not from the maine principle. Therefore firſt know this as a Rule, that you may ſee this cleare: That ſimplicity of intention cannot juſtifie any acts of men that are bad, all will grant that: for as it was with Pilate, he waſhed his hands, yet that did not excuſe him.
Secondly, My intentions in any action doe not make a thing to be true or good in it ſelfe at all; as if I have a Jewell to ſell, my intention in the ſelling it for a good one may deceive the buyer, it being counterfeit; no act can be good without a good intention, but my good intention makes not the thing really good in it ſelf: if the thing in it ſelfe be not perfect and good, it is hypocriſie.
Thirdly, know, that a meere good intention may proceed from the naturall conſtitution of a perſon, not from the goodneſſe of his heart. It may be I am not given ſo much to cunning and deceit as other men, but have a plaine naturall conſtitution; but if it come to a particular, it may be I have as much in my intention (if I were put to it) as others.
Fourthly, know this about intentions, and the ſincerity of them: That ſincerity that will demonſtrate a man to be a Saint, muſt flow from the pure and even workings of principles towards their ends: ſincerity muſt flow from the even acting of faculties within towards their ends: I do not act ſincerely to God though I pray never ſo much in duties, if I have not a divine ſpirituall ſpring of love to God, A heart impulſed, moved to God from the power of his own ſpirit: If I have not graces acting together in a harmony (faith, and love, and all other graces) purely and really working to God: For ſincerity (as I may ſay) is but the ſpirituall tune of the motions of all graces in a mans ſoule, it is no more. But I will cloſe up all, there are many things I ſhould have ſhown you.
But now for diſtinction ſake, having laid down this: That a man may be a hypocrite and not know it, thinke he hath grace and hath it not: I ſhall therefore come and ſhew you the ſeverall ſorts of hypocrites; I will but name them.
Firſt, there is a meer formall hypocrite that inſenſibly drudges on in his duties, praies, and heares, and comes to Church, and no more, and hath no inward power nor virtue in his own ſoule, nor is convinced of any thing to the contrary; as Papiſts ſay over their beads whilſt they are ſleeping; I confeſſe every Formaliſt is a hypocrite, but there is a low ſort of Formaliſt that meerely drudges, and that is all, there is ſomething wanting within.
Secondly, there is a zealous hypocrite, and he ſeemes to actuate his Forme, a fiery hypocrite, (as I may ſo ſay) one that you would thinke had life and ſoule indeed, and follows on Religion to purpoſe, and yet it is but his paſſion and humour, no grace at all: Some men have taken up an opinion, and are devoted to a way, and their heat is ſo much as they follow it on with might and maine, and ſpits in the faces of others beſides: Such a hypocrite was Paul, as to zeale-perſecuting the Church, I followed them on, I dragg'd them to priſon, ſaith he: ſo it is certaine, there are ſome men have taken up an opinion ſome way or other, and have no more Religion than the ſtones in the ſtreet; and that they will follow with fire and ſword, and thinke all Religion is loſt if that be loſt, that is their end and Centre; That is a zealous hypocrite, I call him ſo, for he hath nothing at all but that opinion; come to aske him of Faith, and Chriſt, and the Worke of God upon his ſoule, and he can tell you no more than a Heathen: and commonly whereever you find ſo much zeale and fire there is hypocriſie; for the fire of the Sanctuary will enflame a ſoule, there is that: but it will not ſcorch the fleſh, nor burne the heart; We have enough of thoſe zealots in our daies, that without they have their own opinions maintained, they do not mind Chriſt or the Goſpell; nor obſerve how it will go with their own immortall ſoules no more than if they were heathens.
Thirdly, There are confident and lofty hypocrites upon thi… opinion: They are full of perſwaſions of the love of God, and grace in their hearts, they have lived under the bright ſun-ſhine of the Goſpell, and never came to the truth of the Goſpel, never ſaw their own ſoules and hearts, never came to the furnace of the Law and Goſpell; they have met with ſome good notions of grace and mercy, and apprehenſions of Gods love and joys in their ſpirits, have had ſome little twangs of conſcience now and then, which have put them to ſeeke after the beſt kind of remedy, and of a ſudden, are got to a great height in the apprehenſions of Gods love, thoſe I call lofty, confident hypocrites: yet it is ſaid in Job 8. the hope of the hypocrite ſhall periſh; many ſoules have great flouriſhings, mighty buddings, they thinke Summer is come and Winter is paſt, and no more but an eternall ſpring in the ſoules; like the ſtony ground, they beleeved for a time, and immediately received the word with joy.
Ob. How can they receive the Word with joy? That is ſtrange that a man ſhould receive the Word with joy and wither preſently.
Sol. Truly they had ſome workings on their ſoules, and pangs in their conſciences, they ſaw ſome ſins, and had ſome feares, and lived where (it may be) they had ſome ſweet notions of the Goſpell was, and they had a promiſe, and tooke it in preſently before ever they knew the nature of it, and rejoyced, and were confident of their own eſtate, and of the love of God, ſo they go away merry from Sermons, and duties, and nothing at all of true grace; this is the higheſt judgement of God upon ſoules; in 2 Theſ. 2.11. the Apoſtle ſpeakes of giving men up to ſtrong deluſions: Though it is taken for deluſion of doctrines, yet it may as well be taken for mens being given up to their own ſtrong perſwaſions of that they have. This is a ſtrong deluſion, ſaying, I have ſeene heaven, and the face of Chriſt, and yet deluded in my own ſpirit. I will adde but one more.
Fourthly and laſtly, A demure and ſtately hypocrite, this is the higheſt ſort of them: as upon this principle, one that will walke ſo exactly and curiouſly, having converſed with all the notions and rules of the Goſpell, that hath ſprung up ſo curiouſly, and yet is choaked with ſomething at the bottome of his own heart; he goes on with that ſtrictneſſe, that gravity in the Goſpell, that he condemnes all others as unfit, as below him, as one above all others, he hath all kind of Artificiall motions, one that hath a pretty even temper in his naturall conſtitution; and what through reſtraining grace, and what with morall conſiderations, and enlightnings of the Goſpell, he hath got ſome exact formes of the Goſpell; this man walkes ſo ſtrictly, ſo curiouſly, that none can diſcover him: Such a hypocrite there is in the world. Look to it, this man walkes ſtep by ſtep, he walkes ſo exactly that all the Saints may admire him: ſo curiouſly that none can diſcover him: But for thoſe glorious converſes with Chriſt, and through powerfull workings he never knew them; he is the faireſt to looke upon of all ſorts of hypocrites: Now there be many things I ſhould have ſhown to you, how to diſcover thoſe ſorts of hypocriſie; As,
Firſt, to ſhew to you that of all ſorts and ſtraine, ſelfe is the bottome of all they do, that is the ſecret of all their motions; and indeed ſelfe-love is the ground of all hypocriſie; for it makes a man perſwade himſelfe he is that which he is not, and feigne himſelfe to be what he knows he is not, ſelfe-love is at the bottome: and that workes at the heart ſecretly and cloſely; there be two things I would have ſhewed you about this acting of ſelfe. That
Firſt, a man acts purely, and moves moſt ſtrongly from ſelfe-love, and ſelfe-conſiderations; and then,
Secondly, Selfe-ſatisfaction is the uttermoſt of the deſires of the beſt ſort of hypocrites in the world.
Secondly know this likewiſe, (that you may diſcover ſuch an hypocriſie in your own hearts) that all ſuch ſorts of hypocrites, as are known to themſelves, cannot abide to be tried, to be unript, doth not love launching and piercing, he loves not to have his bowels turned up, he cannot endure to thinke to be put to the uttermoſt of his own ſpirit, that is a perfect ſigne of ſuch a hypocrite; Theſe things that go between the marrow and the bone, the ſoule and the ſpirit, he cannot endure that: he would avoid the dints of the ſharpeſt Arrows in the Goſpell, if poſſible. Looke how much flinching you find in your own ſpirits ſo much hypocriſie. A hypocrite cannot abide to be touched fully to the quick, and laid open: to be ripped at the heart, to have the naile driven into the vitals, which a gracious heart longs for.
Thirdly, There is ever ſome ſecret unmortified luſts under all thoſe ſeeming graces of a hypocrite; ever ſome ſecret unmortified luſt, either pride, paſſion, or covetouſneſſe, or concupiſcence, ſomething or other, which will, and doth breake forth ſome time or other; and looke to your ſelves, you that have been ten or twenty yeares under the power of a luſt, and it breakes forth continually upon you: if you be not hypocrites, you are as nigh them as ever was egge to egge, as to the likeneſſe of them; you that have been known to be what you are ſo many yeares together, I durſt denounce ſuch a man a hypocrite that hath lived ſo many yeares under a ſecret luſt unmortified; what, is there no power in Chriſt? haſt thou not kept thy luſt cloſe all this while? It may be thou goeſt to prayer afterwards, and thinkeſt that will make it up, but thy prayer ſhall ſhew thy hypocriſie more, ſeeing thy luſts live.
Fourthly and laſtly, thoſe are the higheſt hypocrites of this kind: They ſecretly envy the brightneſſe and glories of the gifts and graces of other Saints that goe beyond them; and that is the perfect Character of a hypocrite where ever it is found, if that be not a hypocrite there is none in the world; when a ſoule cannot abide to be outſhined, it is a ſigne that a man never loved grace for grace, for then he would love it where it is moſt pure, and ſhines moſt gloriouſly, and this the Phariſees were vext at, they hated Chriſt perfectly, becauſe he went beyond them, and was a conviction to them: theſe and ſeverall other Characters I had thought to given you; but to ſatisfie ſome ſoules that will be apt to ſay: every one will be a hypocrite if this be ſo, I anſwer:
Firſt, My deſigne is to bid you beware of hypocriſie as Chriſt doth: Try your hearts, take not things up in ordinary and common waies, be not unbeleeving and doubting, that is not the thing I would be at, it is not to ſcare you off the Goſpell; be curious and criticall, be ſerious in the viewing of your own hearts, and ſearch to the bottom, and truſt not your ſelves with feigned enjoyments, ☞ I would not diſcourage the pooreſt looker after Chriſt for all the world, only I would have all men to be pure in their ſpirits, and let every man put himſelfe to it; let a man have gold that hath paſſed through the furnace; let a man that will be rich be rich with thoſe precious things that are of an eternall nature.
Secondly, to anſwer that, you will find grace will lye but in a little roome, therefore I put you to it, true grace is like a Diamond, very little in bulke, but of a high price, and mighty value; therefore I beſeech you be through in your own hearts, thou poore looker after Chriſt, Grace lies in a little roome, more may be in one motion than in all the acts of the world: you may have more grace than the greateſt and gloriouſeſt Preacher of the Goſpell, therefore try thy ſoule, and be not diſcouraged though thou art not ſuch a flouriſhing and glorious profeſſor as another, yet thou maieſt be a greater Saint.
Thirdly, I would have none taken up with any outſide or glorious formes in the world, but be looking within what inward frames you have in all your duties; no, I would have no ſoule taken up with any opinion, with any religion that is externall at all, but that carries out purely to heaven, as the very heart is meeting with the Lord Jeſus, and as he hath a ſpirit acted in every word he ſpeakes in the Goſpell, not to dant you from Religion, that is not my deſigne, but to keep you only from the leaven of the Phariſees; externall dependencies, that your ſoules may not be loſt with the greateſt miſery to all eternity.