The Hypocrite Discovered and Cured, Book 1 · Chapter 22 – Chapter 23
CHAP. XXII. 8. The Symptom's of Hypocriſie in reſpect of Iudgements. Inſenſibleneſſe under Iudgements.
8. Hypocrites inſenſible under Judgements.THere are alſo Symptoms of hypocriſie, as men are under Judgments and behave themſelves under them.
The hypocrite juſtifies himſelfe under afflictions. He will not ſee the Angel comming againſt him in the narrow way. Though he be conſumed, Jer. 5.3.hee refuſes to receive correction, but makes his face harder then a rock. When King Jehoram and the two Kings his Auxiliaries were brought into a ſtraight, the Prophet Eliſha labours to convince him of his ſin, 2 King. 3.13.Get thee to the Prophets of thy father, and to the Prophets of thy mother. He meant to make him underſtand that the courſes of his fathers houſe had brought him into theſe extremities. But Jehoram would not be perſwaded that they were any other then the Accidents of war. Nay, ſaid he, for the Lord hath called theſe three Kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab. 'Tis a ſtraight incident to ſuch undertakings as theſe, and we are involv'd in it, and am I any more culpable then theſe other two? 'Tis an hard matter to make an hypocrite ſee his ſin. There were ſome in the Prophet Jeremies time, Jer. 44.17, 18.who would not be brought to underſtand the true cauſes of the miſery they ſuffered. It was not their burning incenſe unto the frame of Heaven, (an ordinary Eastern practiſe of Idolatry.) No, by no meanes, not that. They even quarrell the Prophet for touching upon that. There is ſtill ſome other Jonah that ſhakes and beats the Ship. 'Tis ſomewhat elſe, 'tis not that. 'Tis the Prelates ſinne, ſay the multitude; 'tis the diſobedience of the multitude, ſay the Prelates: T' is one and other, 'tis the ſinne of us all, we are all in the fault, Lam. 3.39, 40, 41, 42.ſay they that are ſincerely humbled, and are ready to cry out with the Church, Why doth man murmure, a man for the puniſhment of his ſinnes, let us ſearch and try our wayes, and turne againe to the Lord, Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens, we have tranſgreſſed and rebelled.
There are others that when they feele or feare judgements, will make ſome ſhew of relenting; the ſluggiſh Oxen will be made to draw by the pricking of the goad, Hoſ 7.16.and will ſuffer themſelves at ſuch a time to be beat, but they are deceitfull bowes, Hoſ 10.4.and the ſtring ſoon ſlips again. They will ſpeake words, like profane Marriners that fall to prayer in a ſtorme, and make great vowes, 1 Kin. 21.27. Pſal. 78.34, 35, 36, 37.but they ſweare falſly in making a Covenant. In ſuch caſes very Ahabs will put on ſack-cloth. They will ſeeke God and enquire early after God, and then, He is their Rocke and their Redeemer, and a many good words; but they flatter him with their mouthes, and lye unto him with their tongues, their heart is not right with him. You may ſee a lively example of this in the Prophet, Jer. 34.15, 16. And there are many ſuch, who like ſome jades will pace, if you keep a ſtrict and certain hand upon them, but elſe they give over and ſhuffle in and out.
There are ſome who goe beyond theſe, Mic. 6.9.and ſpeake as if they had hearkened to the voice of Gods rod; but here's the tryall; are they profited by the judgements that have been upon themſelves or others. Doe they leave their pilfering, Mic. 6.10.when themſelves have been in jayle, and they have ſeen others led forth to execution? Are there yet the treaſures of wickedneſſe in the houſe of the wicked? that is, yet after the rod? Will God count them pure with the wicked ballances? No, they are odious unto him, and he will make them ſick in ſmiting them.
CHAP. XXIII. 9. The Symptome of Hypocriſie from the carriage towards company. Hypocrites comply with all tempers.
9. Hypocrites are for all compame. Plut. Paral. in vita Alcib ex verſ Cruſerij, p. 320. mihi.THe Symptome of hypocriſie that I here conſider, is, that the hypocrite complies with all company. You ſhall have his right character, if you take but Pluturchs deſcription of Alcibiades; he had the art of winning upon men, ſo that he could frame himſelfe to the ſtudies and faſhions of others, ſooner and more frequently then the Chamaeleon can change her colours, only they ſay he could not change at all to the white. Whither he lived among good or bad, he could imitate them, in Lacedaemon auſtere and frugall; In Jonia voluptuous and joviall, &c. This humour was in Herod, Mat. 14.9.he would pleaſe his company, though he diſpleas'd his conſcience. Nay there was too much of the remainders of it even in St Peter and Barnabas, who ſhuffled ſomewhat ſtrangely in the caſe of communicating with the Gentiles. I know it will not downe with ſome that St Peter ſhould deſervedly be ſo charged. In Synop ſi Clem. Alex. Euſeb. Caeſar.Dorotheus and ſome other of the Ancients to ſalve the matter, underſtand the place of another Peter; but that it was the Apoſtle, St Hierom hath put it out of controverſie. The greateſt bickering is between him and St Augustine, whether he were in a fault or no. Epiſt. 89 ad Aug.Hierom excuſeth him, and he is a ſtrong advocate in any ones cauſe he undertakes; but St Auguſtine in the opinion of moſt Divines hath prevailed. De Bapt. contr. Don. l. 2. c. 1, 2.To me it had never been a controverſie, or ſo much as a queſtion, but for the difference of thoſe two great men, becauſe the Text is ſo cleare, That he was to be blamed. foreign. Greg. Naz. ad Nem.But to examine St Peters fact no further, I am now dealing againſt thoſe double faced Mercuries (as St Gregory Nazianzen cals them) that looke either way, thoſe that halt upon both feet; thoſe that ſit upon two ſtooles, as Laberius told Cicero, when he ſought to pleaſe both Pompey and Caeſar; Cic Orat. pro Celio mihi, fol. 145. b.or ſuch as Cicero deſcribes Catiline to be, I thinke not (ſaith he in his Oration for Marcus Celius) there was ever ſuch a monſter in the world, made up of ſuch contrary and repugnant diſpoſitions: At ſome times who more acceptable to worthy men? At other times who more intimate with the wicked? Sometimes no man a better Citizen, then he for the better ſide. Yet who now a bitterer enemy to the City then he? Who more drowned in pleaſures then he? yer who more enduring in labours? Who more covetous? Who more liberall? He can bend himſelfe this way and that way, ſolemne with them that are grave, joviall with looſe companions, &c. Sr John Harrington deſcribes Dr Kitchin Biſhop of Landaffe, to be much ſuch a man, that he could ſing, Cantate Domino canticum novum, foure times in fourteen yeares, and yet never ſing out of tune. Alas, Socr. l. 3 c. 2.the Church hath alwayes had ſuch unſound halters in it. The name of Ecebolius is famouſly knowne to all men; under Conſtance a zealous Chriſtian, under Julian againe, a bitter Pagan, but when Julian was dead and Chriſtianity reſtored, he is a Chriſtian again, an humble Chriſtian again, and fals under their feet and cries, foreign.Tread upon me that am unſavoury ſalt. Such an egregious Knave (if it may be lawfull to call a Biſhop) was Timothy Biſhop of Conſtantinople under the Emperour Anaſtaſius the firſt, who when another Biſhop was to be ordained by him and refuſed his hands, Theod Lect. Collect. l. 2.becauſe (ſaith he) thou art an Eutychian and rejecteſt the Councell of Chalcedon, Nay, not I, ſaid Timothy, curſed be he that rejects it. So he complied with the Biſhop. But it ſeemes he tooke too farre a leape, by profeſſing his Orthodoxie thus, he might diſpleaſe the Emperours mother; there was an Arch-deacon that ſtood by and heard him what he ſaid, and told the Emperour and his Mother of it. What muſt the Arch-biſhop now doe; he is not aſhamed to comply ſo farre with the Emperour as to deny what he had ſaid, and in his preſence to bid an Anathema to whoſoever ſhould receive that Councell. Peter Mongus Biſhop of Alexandria, was firſt an Eutychian, then he profeſſeth the Orthodox faith, ſoone after he damns the Councell of Chalcedon, foreign. Evagr. Hiſt. l. 3. c. 13. & l. 17. c. 22.but after that againe writing to Acacius of Constantinople he approves it, and yet once again after all this he damnes it; ſo that the Hiſtorian had reaſon to call him, a Stage-player, a weather-cocke, a Time-ſerver. The ſame Historian tels us of 500 Biſhops and Church-men who under Zeno the Emperour were Orthodox, but when Baſiliſcus the Uſurper caſt him out, Evagr. l. 3. c. 5.they were Eutychians with him; and when Zeno got the Empire again, they were his men, and return'd to the profeſſion of the truth.
To come downe to our own times, I ſhould fill the paper too much, to relate the Stephen Gardiners, the Edmund Bonners, the Pernes, and I know not how many of theſe Ecebolians. But to inſtance in men of other quality. What ſhall we ſay of that Prince, who (if we believe Strada) was a Roman Catholike when he was with Caeſar, Fam Strada. de bello Belg. l. 2. p. 109.but a Proteſtant when he was in Belgia. In an other place, he tels us, that when a ſon was borne unto him, he cauſed him to be baptized after the Romiſh manner, to pleaſe Margaret Dutches of Parma the Governeſſe of the Provinces, but to comply with the other party, Lib. 4.he had Protestant Princes, the Duke of Saxonie, and the Lantgrave of Heſſe to be God-fathers. But I muſt needs profeſſe that I receive no teſtimonies from a Jeſuite, but with ſome ſuſpition; nor indeed from any men of a different party when they ſpeake of others; which makes me not eaſily to aſſent to what I find in a little MS. Commentary, about the controverſie concerning the Lambeth Articles, where there is ſome touch upon Dr Whitaker, as if he had taken upon him the maintenance of Geneva doctrine, to comply with the friends of both his wives, MS. Commentariolus de Cont. de Art. Lamb Of Spalato; Ne diverſum ſentientes nimium offenderet. Of Montague, Propter puritanorum undi que ſtrepentium clamores, neſcio quomodo reſugererit ad diſt inctionem. Forbeſ. de Iuſt if. l. 1. c. 3 l. 2. c. 5.one being the daughter of Culverwell a religious Merchant of London, the latter being the widow of Dudley Fenner. I doe the rather ſuſpect this reflection, becauſe I gueſſe Dr Overall was the authour of that MS, who though a reverend man, yet we know he went another way; and I find that men are apt to cenſure the leaſt diſſenting from them, (though they be men of the ſame ſide) as a complying with the adverſe party; Thus Dr Forbes of Edinburgh doth not ſpare to cenſure Spalato and even Montague himſelfe of complying with Calviniſme, in the points of Justification and the loſſe of grace. But whatſoever become of theſe men, we have enough of examples, alas too too many, of theſe that are any thing for any company. Some Profeſſours when they are among ſuch as are profane will not ſticke to game, drinke, ſweare it may be, and revell among them, being aſhamed to be bewrayed to be Galilaeans, or that their face is towards Jeruſalem. Which is moſt baſe and unworthy in thoſe that profeſſe that they know and ſerve God. What (ſaith St Paul) doe I ſeeke to pleaſe men? If I yet pleaſed men I ſhould not be the ſervant of Chriſt. Gal. 1.10.Which agrees with the obſervation of Themistius an Ethnicke Phyloſopher, recorded in the Eccleſiaſticall Hiſtory. Socr. l. 3 c. 1. Caſſiod. Hiſt. Tripart. l. 4. c. 4.Such men as accommodate themſelves to the Religion of their Prince, worſhip not God, but the King; and are like the river Euripus, whoſe courſe is now one way, and then it runnes the quite contrarie.
I will adde under this head another Symptome. That ſometimes thoſe that are hypocrites doe accompany with ſuch as are godly for by-ends; ſometimes that they may be taken notice of, Iren. l. 3. c. 3.as Marcian the Heretick inſinuated into the compaay of Polycarpus, and have credit by them and with them. I received it from the mouth of a reverend Divine concerning famous Mr John Bruen of Stapleford in Cheſhiere, (though it be not ſet downe in the Relation of his life) that he was wont to ſay, That hee knew his houſe made many Hypocrites. Hee did ſhine in the Country, and brought much reputation to Religion, there was great refort to his houſe of Divines and good people, ſo that probably alſo others might bee carried by the fame of things, to preſerve his acquaintance, Arth. Hilderſh. Lect. in Joh. 4.15.and frame themſelves to his courſe. And there may be another end, which Mr Hilderſham notes, in his Lectures upon John; That you ſhall have ſome will conferre with godly, learned Miniſters, and be in their company, to get or catch ſomewhat from them to maintaine their luſts. Thus Ahab often ſent for Michajah, and bid him ſpeake truth; it would have done him more good to have laid hold upon ſomewhat from him then all the foure hundred Prophets elſe.