The Hypocrite Discovered and Cured, Book 1 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. The ſecond Symptome reſpecting profeſsion. Hypocrites abroad onelyonly in faire weather. They chuſe the winning ſide. They may be ſufferers. They will not venture the whole ſtocke.
THere is another Symptome of Hypocriſie conſiderable about this outward profeſſion, when men follow Chriſt, Hypocrites abroad onelyonly in fair weather.while the loaves are to be had, and goe a long with him, ſo long as faire weather laſts; but are loath to looſe any thing by Religion, or to endure the wetting with and for Chriſt. A Scribe comes to Chriſt, Mat. See, 2 Mach. 6.21.8.19, 20. and ſaith, Maſter I will follow thee whitherſoever thou goest. But we heare no more of him, after Chriſt had cooled him with this anſwer, The Foxes have holes and the birds of the ayre have neſts, but the ſonne of man hath not where to lay his head. 'Tis thought by good Interpreters, that he ſuppoſed he ſhould have found a better ſervice, and repented of his forward profer. Such Snailes as theſe come abroad in the dew, but afterward creepe in againe. If they perceive the aire to thicken, and the Clouds to grow blacke for raine, they houſe themſelves, and get backe againe, though their feet were over the threſhold, and they had begun their journey. They love not dirty way nor stormy weather; they are with the forwardeſt, when the garments and the palme-branches are ſpread, and the people cry Hoſanna to tryumphing Chriſt, Mark. 14.51, 52.but they ſlinke away when he is led to Calvery. If once the ſwords and ſtaves appeare, they will rather leave their linnen garments and runne away naked, then be taken with him. Euſeb. Hiſt. l. 6. c. 34. Euſeb. de vita Conſt l. 1. c. 11. Theod. l 1. c. 6.They were ſuch whom Euſebius ſpeakes of in the perſecution under Decius, and of others in the Court of Conſtantius, who would be ſure to keepe their preferments what ever became of their Religion: A famous and well knowne Hiſtorie it is, recorded both by Euſebius and Theodoret.
He that is ſincere to Gods cauſe, loves it whatever becomes of it, Hypocrites fall in with the winning ſide.but the Hypocrite he chuſes and cleaves only to the ſtrong and winning ſide; and therefore ordinarily may be obſerved to ſtand in Bivio, expecting the event, that he may apply his deſignes for Religion accordingly as things fall out; as we reade of Gelon King of Syracuſe in Sicily, who when there was warre betweene the Grecians and the Barbarians (as they cal'd them) kept his Embaſſadours at Delphos a neuter City, to await the iſſue, and to be ready to congratulate the victor, Palladius in vita Iſidori preſb.which courſe was alſo held by the wretched Theophilus Biſhop of Alexandria, when the Emperour Theodoſius the firſt warred againſt Maximus. We may indeed ſo keepe our ſelves uningaged, and ſo ſtand, where we have no intereſſe; but every one hath an intereſſe in Religion, and muſt be ingaged and of a ſide in it. A man may carry things ſo evenly in other matters, that he may be ſafe by moderation, what ever the event be, carrying if not an equall, yet a ſober affection to either; but into the buſineſſe of Religion we muſt caſt our ſelves with reſolution, as Peter threw himſelfe into the ſea, ſinke or ſwim, he meant to come to Chriſt. Such a teſtimony Muſculus gave of his ſincerity to the truth he had entertained. Melch. Ad. in vita Muſc. pag. 372, 374.He forſakes rich Popery, to cleave unto peore truth. He was a Monke in Lutzelſtein Abby, when the truth ſhone firſt into him, where when Werner died, he was choſen into his roome, but perceiving it to be Satans policie to hinder him from following the truth; he forſakes the preferment, leaves the Abby, marries a wife, goes to a Proteſtant Towne, gets his living with his hands, and at length being cal'd to preach in Dorlizheim a poore village, he that refuſed the rich revenues of the Abby, was there content to lie upon a little Straw, and in extreame poverty, ſo that he was fain to borrow the little houſhold ſtuffe he uſed. He continued there a painfull and conſtant Preacher of the Goſpell. Here indeed is the tryall, the hypocrite loves not Religion ſo well, to venture ſo hard for it and with it. I am ſorry that ſo worthy a man and rare a wit as Eraſmus of Roterdam, hath merited to be an inſtance of this. He liked well of Luthers doctrine, Abr. Bucholz. …ſag. Chren. O…and. Epit Heſt Cent 16. l. 1. cap. 25, 38.and ſhewed his liking in his letters to the Saxon Elector, to the Arch-biſhop of Mentz, to Cardinall Campegius, and to Luther himſelfe. But after the Emperous had proſcribed him, and threatned all that ſhould favour him, he deſerted his cauſe, and his owne former judgement. If it be a ſinking cauſe, let is ſruke alone; he will keepe himſelfe ſafe; as King Henry the 4th then of Navarre, told Beza, who urged him to ſhew and ingage himſelfe in the quarrell of the Proteſtants Religion, Melch. Adam. Decad in vita Bezae."That he would keepe upon the ſhore and not lanch too farre out into the deepe, but ſo that if a ſtorme ſhould riſe, he might ſoone get to land againe: A leſſon which Balduin a man in great eſteeme among the French, but a very Ecebolus in Religion, taught him.
But let me cleare this point a little further before I leave it. Hypocrits may be ſufferers.I doe not take ſuffering in the cauſe, to be alwaies an undoubted teſtimony of ſincerity to it. For to make this diſcovery yet fuller, an hypocrite may be a ſufferer, I meane when vain-glory and popular favour doth ſuſtaine him; for then though he endure heavy cenſures and thoſe cenſures cruelly executed, yet he is all this while the conquerour, and rides in the head of the Troopes of his admirers and applauders, though it be on a ſcaffold or a gibbet or at a ſtake. This is St Auguſtines obſervation: Doe yee thinke (ſaith he) there may not be ſome that would ſuffer only for the praiſe of men? If there were not ſuch kind of men, the Apoſtle would not have ſaid, Though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, I am nothing. There may be ſome therefore that may doe this, rather through boaſting then out of love. Aug. in Pſa. 44.22.The Eccleſiaſticall Hiſtories, doe plentifully confirme this obſervation, where we find many Hereticks as well as true Catholicks, ſuffering even unto bloud. And to fit it ſomewhat neare with ſome inſtances in our owne age; what can we even in the largeſt charity conceive of him, whoſe ſufferings are related fully by the authour of the Breviat, ſet forth by W. Huntley, pag. 161, 162. Breviat. of Prelates uſurpat. 3. Edit.whom yet we knew afterwards by another name in Cheſhiere, and ſome other parts, to be full of rage and madneſſe againſt all that he knew or could diſcover to be godly and beſt affected. And I am ſure, ſome will paſſe the like judgement upon another of thoſe inſtances, recorded by the ſame authour, pag. 163. I will ſhut up this point, Vicit amor patriae, laudiſ que immenſa cupid…with the words of a learned Divine, ſome through heat of bloud or greatneſſe of ſpirit adventurous, or otherwiſe prodigall of life for purchaſe of ſame, can with joy imbrace ſuch dangers in Chriſts cauſe, as would much daunt many good profeſſours. In perſwaſions of zeale hence grounded, they might perhaps dye in battell againſt the Infidels, or in the Romiſh Inquiſition, and yet do no more for the Saviour of their ſoules, then they would for a ſtrumpet or ſome conſort of bodily luſt, or then malefactors have done one for another. And it is a miſerable kind of Martyrdome, to ſacrifice a ſtout body to a ſtubborne mind. So then, that ſaying which hath gone current through all Antiquity, That it is not the ſuffering but the cauſe which makes a Martyr, will hold good ſtill, and juſtifie our obſervation, that ſome ſufferers may be no Martyrs.
But this was taken notice of only by the way, Hypocrites wil not venture their vvhole ſtocke.but the ſymptome that we were now looking upon was, that ordinarily the hypocrite will not venture his whole-ſtocke upon Gods cauſe, and which I alſo adde, he is loath to be at any coſt in Gods ſervice, or to looſe any thing by his profeſſion. Ruth 1.Orpah takes her leave of Naomi, when ſhe hath no further hope of preferment by her. Ananias and Saphira will be ſure to provide for themſelves, Act. 5.though they give up their names to the Community. Amos 8.5.The people that Amos complains of, are obſervers of the Sabbath, but they grudge at the loſſe of ſo much time and gaine. Iſa. 58.3.Nay another Prophet tels us of a people, that ſanctifie a Faſt, and yet keepe their poore labourers hard to their taske. All theſe are unwilling to follow Chriſt, when they muſt part with their comforts, with their eaſe, with their eſtate. They could be content to live by the truth, but cannot endure the truth ſhould live upon them. If it come to that, that the Goſpell will not mtintaine them, but they it, and that they muſt looſe a good trade, good cuſtomers, good friends, great mens favours, &c. farewell ſo unthriving, ſo unprofitable a profeſſion. So farre are theſe from ſincere Davids mind, who reſolved he would not ſerve God, but it ſhould coſt him ſomewhat. But theſe want love, for if they had love, love would be bountifull, and make them willing to part with any thing. Joh. 12.5, 6.Judas was an hypocrite, and thought all was waſte that was beſtowed upon Chriſt.
But in the Prophet Micah, we find hypocrites to be liberall, and to offer largely, they thinke not great things too much, burnt offerings, calves of a yeare old, thouſands of Ramms, ten thouſand rivers of oyl, yea the firſt-born, the fruit of the body.
But I anſwer, it may be if they had bin taken at their word, they would not have bin ſo good as their promiſe; or if they were in earneſt, t'was but ſuch earneſt as a Merchant is in, when he caſts his goods over-board for feare of drowning; and ſo I grant an Hypocrite may doe much under ſome preſent terrour; but conſider him ordinarily, and you ſhall find him to have ſet up this reſolution in Religion, to be neither a Sufferer nor a looſer.