The Hypocrite Discovered and Cured, Book 1 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. 2. The Symptomes of Hypocriſie fram the end aimed at by them. The first of theſe Symptomes. Vain-glory. Affected carriage. Affected habit. Affected Tone in ſpeech. Painted Vertue.
1. Vaine-glory a Symptome of Hypocriſie.HYpocrites aime not at God or his glory, 'tis themſelves and their owne glory, that they intend to advance. That that they dod, they doe it for the praiſe of men. Chriſt tels us, that they hypocrite dwels at this ſigne. Mat. 6.2.When thou doeſt thine Almes doe not ſound a Trumpet before thee, ver. 16.as the hypocrites doe, that they may have glory of men. And againe, When yee faſt, he not at the Hypocrites of a ſad countenance (of a ſowre countenance, Ne eſtote tetrico vultu. Beza. Vultu… fermentatus. Exterminare …aciem.of a leavened countenance) for they disfigure their faces, that they may appeare unto men to fast. They exterminate, they deforme their faces, they make themſelves looke wanne and pale and thinne; that by a demure and mortified looke, they may be reputed holy and mortified perſons. As we reade in the Hiſtories of Moſcovia, of one Daniel, Sigiſm… ad Herlerſtein de reb. Moſco. circa an. 1…00.who was Metropolitan of that Country, an egregious hypocrite, who being a ſtrong and full-bodied man, of a red and high colour in his face, when he came abroad to preach or otherwiſe to officiate, was wont to make his viſage looke pale by holding it over the ſmoake of brimſtone, that he might ſeeme to be a man given to prayer, and much faſting. And I can fit this Story with what I have heard of another, who would ſometimes pleaſantly tell his very private friends, that he could buy commodities the cheaper in the Exchange, Affected carriage and habit, … Symptomes of Hypocriſie.becauſe of his ſhort haire and very little band.
The Reader will pardon me, that I exemplifie theſe points with Hiſtories and other inſtances, ſo frequently, when he ſhall conſider, that ſuch a Diſcourſe and Treatiſe as this, is moſt properly made up of obſervations. But to the point in hand: for my part I confeſſe, that where grace dwels in the heart, ſhe will be Miſtreſſe, and will diſpoſe of all things, not onelyonly within, but without doores too, and will have a modeſt ſigne, a comely plaine front; She cannot endure to dwell, as it were in an Ale-houſe with red lattices and gariſhly painted poſts. Grace is a commanding thing, and will have ſober haire and ſober garments; as (if I remember right) I have heard it was old Mr Dod, who anſwered a friend that demanded of him, why he cried not out againſt Gaſlants that wore long haire, that if he could preach Chriſt into their hearts, they would of themſelves cut their haire. 'Twas a grave and right anſwer, becomming ſo experienced and godly a Divine, if it were he, or if not, I doe him no wrong to faſten it upon him. I know, Grace is the beſt law againſt vanity, againſt flaunting. Yet an affected out-ſide is commonly ſuſpitious. I once perſwaded a good woman to leave off a ſingular dreſſe, when I told her we muſt live like ſincere Chriſtians, but muſt goe dreſt like our neighbours. It becomes no man to have a ſpeaking habit, it wins nothing to God, it expoſeth the godly often to deriſion. Weare your band and your hat, and any thing elſe, as others doe, ſo they be not exorbitant. Yee have enough beſides to make yee knowne what ye are, namely, to let all that converſe with you find, that yee are holy and juſt and honeſt in all dealings. Let that ſpeake us, rather then our Coats. Which brings to my mind a paſſage in a letter of Directions, which I wrote for the uſe of a friend about twelve yeares ſince, which I will here tranſcribe. My garments I would have faſhioned to my behaviour, not too youthfull nor affectedly grave; Thoſe would not fit a Divine, theſe not a young one. Take my minde in one particular, it may be I erre in it; I love not a ſpeaking garment, for they were intended to hide us, not to tell what we are. Yet I have ſeene ſome ſo habited, that every ſtranger could point at them, There goes ſuch an one. It would argue me inſufficient to uſe my owne tongue or diſcretion: if I ſhould …ppoint my Taylor, my Sempſter, or my Barber to be my interpreters. Thus I wrote then, and doe now perceive J am ſtill of the ſame mind. Truly this is the Phariſees humour right, to make broad their Phylacteries, Mat. 29.6.and to enlarge the borders of their garments. H. Ainſworth Annot. in Exo. 13.9, 16. Montac. Appar. App 7. Sect 29, 30, 31 Affected To…e of Speech a Symptome of Hypocritie. Apper…ad Orig p. 249. Matth. 6.7.And what the deepe fringe was in them, the narrow band may be in others. But J ſay, let not thy glory be in thy habit.
And what I ſay of the habit, J may inſtance in the affected Tone, that ſome uſe to ſpeake in. There may be danger of Hypocriſie in that too. Some learned men doe thinke, that that Battologie which Chriſt condemnes in the Hypocrites, was not meant, as our Tranſlation ſeemes to interpret it, of volubleneſſe of tongue, Vſe not vaine repetitions; but of that foreign, or drawing out of the Words in length, which was called Battologia, of one Battus, who had an impediment in his ſpeech. But whether we admit of that ſenſe or no, we find the thing it ſelf to be true, that oft times a Tone is affected to carry on the liking of the hearers. But J was much taken with he wit and fine ſpirit of a godly Gentle-woman, and zealouſly affected in Religion, who when her Chaplain returning from London, where he had never been before, began to uſe and take up a whining faſhion of ſpeaking, ſhe preſently admoniſhed him, To live like a good man, but to ſpeake like a man.
I may adde to this alſo the loud ſpeaking, affected by ſome to win credit among the ignorant, who judge by the ſound. J know the Prophet is bid to lift up his voyce like a Trumpet, and the zeale of doing good will command a mans utmoſt ſtrength; Melch. Adam. in vita Farelli.as Farellus the firſt builder in the Church of Geneva, when ſome Monkes made a noyſe and rung the Bells out, to hinder the people from hearing him preach; He contended with the Bells, and ſent out ſo ſhrill a voice, as over-maſtred the noiſe, both of the Bells and their clamour. Yet I ſay, ſome are, as (they ſay of) the Nightingal, nothing but voyce, and make uſe of that to beguile, where their matter is not powerfull to perſwade. As for that Farellus whom I named, though I ſee no reaſon to doubt of his ſincerity, Lib 4 Epiſt. Oecolam.yet J obſerve that Oecolampadius, that godly and grave Divine, thought fit to admoniſh him of his vehement loudneſſe. Such here (ſaith he) as favour both thee and the Goſpell, feare leaſt thou attempt ſomething unfit, through the heat of thy zeale, of which J admoniſhed thee ſufficiently before thou wenteſt from hence, that by how much thou art more propenſe to violence, ſo much the more thou ſhouldeſt endeavour to be calme, and tame thy Lion-like ſpirit with Dove-like modeſty. And in another letter more plainly. I enquired of N, concerning thee. He when he had commended thy induſtry and zeale, added, that thou doſt raile mightily at the Maſſe-prieſts. I know what they deſerve, and how they are to be painted out: yet with your good leave, let me ſpeake to you as a friend and a brother, you ſeeme to forget your office, which is to preach, not to raile, &c. But whatſoever may be judged of Farell (of whom as I ſaid, I cannot but thinke honourably) we have a pertinent example of this in our Harding Biſhop Jewells Adverſary, who in the Reformation was it ſeemes a Thundring Preacher, when he wiſh'd he could cry out againſt Popery, as loud as the bell of Oſney; yet we know what he was, and how bitter an enemy to the truth he proved.
The Reader may be furniſhed with more inſtances of this Vaineglory in other kinds, out of that Character of an hypocrite, Hypocriſie is painted vertue.written by Dr Hall, ſome of whoſe words I will here inſert: He turns into the great Church and ſalutes one of the pillars on one knee, worſhipping that God, which at home he cares not for. He ſits at the Church, where he may be best ſeene, and puls out his Tables in hast, as if he feared to looſe the note, when he writes either nothing, or his errand. He turnes his Bible with noyſe, &c. In concluſion, he cals the Hypocrite aptly, The Strangers Saint. And ſo indeed he is; which is the difference betweene him and the true believer, who is Gods Saint, as it is in the Apoſtle, 2 Theſ. 1.10.When he ſhall come to be glorified in His Saints, and admired in them that beleeve. The ſincere people of God are his Saints, they are holy in his eye. But theſe men are all for men, and doe all foreign, to be ſeene of men, and that they may appeare. Mat. 6.1.They are on the Stage, and doe all Theatrico more, that they may have have a Plaudite. Honour me now, 1 Sam. 15.30.I pray thee (ſaith Saul) before the Elders of my people, and before Iſrael, and turne againe with me, that I may worſhip the Lord thy God. That I may be counted allſo thy Maſters ſervant. Sure that was his very reaſon, and he had learnt true Macchiavelliſme many hundred yeares before Nic. Macchiavel was borne, That it was ſafe and beſt for a Prince to ſeeme pious. Theſe are the men that will doe nothing ſine teſte, they will have ſome witneſſe of every devotion; ſo farre are they from that which the Apoſtle required of the Philippians, Phil. 2.12.to obey not only in his preſence, but much more in his abſence. Vaine-glory is it that rules over them; if there be any excellency it muſt be knowne, and if they want, they will rather paint then not be ſeene. It was otherwiſe with Moſes, he when his face ſhone, tooke a veile and covered it; but theſe if there be any thing that ſhines in them, any parts, any gifts; off goes the Vaile, they will not endure to be hid, to have their parts obſcured, but get up into the P…lpit, or ſtand up upon the Book-ſellers-ſtall, or any thing rather then not be ſeene. And rather then not to have ſomewhat to ſhew, when they want beauty, they will paint, and dreſſe themſelves as Jezabel did, and ſhew themſelves at the window. And indeed this open window is all with them, for I cannot believe that any painted Jezabel can take any content to ſtand long alone at her Glaſſe, for ſhe knows ſhe is painted, and the painting is not for her owne, but others eyes. All the felicity of an hypocrite is, that he is the gaze of others eyes. Hiſt. Magdeb. Centur. 3.That he may be obſerved with Paul Samoſatenus Biſhop of Antioch, even in the Market-place to reade, dictate, and make diſpatches. Whence is it elſe (that I may yet give one other inſtance) that ſome who have no ſpirit, no invention, no words, for private, ſecret prayer; can yet before company powre forth petitions with much variety, enforce them with much earneſtneſſe, with apt and many words, and continue long unwearied and unſpent? Or, that others who are weary of their Glaſſe, and can keepe no company with their owne hearts in any ſubject of meditation, but looſe themſelves and their thoughts preſently, can yet before others dilate upon that ſubject with much varietie of expreſſion? But truly theſe are all but Pedlars of vertue that are thus for the ſhew. We may walke in ſome ſtreets of London, where are the Ware-houſes of great Merchants, or the Shops of whole-ſalemen, and all is made up, we can ſee nothing hang out. But Hypocrites are like Pedlars in a Countrey-fare, that have not a glaſſe, nor a combe-caſe, nor a peece of ribboning, but all is hung forth, all is ſpread abroad. Rich Chriſtians, golden Chriſtians, often times their worth is not ſeene, but theſe Daſies grow every where, and will be in your eye. Nay, they will call upon you, rather then be look'd off; 2 Kin. 10.15, 26.yee muſt needs ſee their zeale, and know all; Come, ſaith Jehu, and ſee my zeale. Yet we know well enough what manner of man Jehu was, for all his bragging to Jonadab, Is thy heart right as mine is? As bright as he burnt, it was the oyle of glorie that fed his lampe; it was this winde of glorie that did drive his Mill.