The Hypocrite Discovered and Cured, Book 2 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Other prognoſticks of hypocriſic. The third. Atheiſme. The fourth. Hypocriſie works much miſchiefe to the Church.
3. Hypocriſie is a prognoſtick of Atheiſme. An Hypocrite in the way to Atheiſme.They have both the ſame Originall. There is but a graduall difference between them. He that mocks God as the hypocrite doth, knows not nor acknowledges God, and is an Atheiſt in another dreſſe. He cares not for holineſſe, and therefore when he hath his ends, he cares not for the ſhew of holineſſe. Hence hypocrites breake forth ordinarily at length into looſeneſſe and profaneneſſe, And no wonder, ſeeing as the Apoſtle intimates, hypocriſie is attended with a feared conſcience, foreign, 1 Tim. 4.2. conſciences hard and brawny, dull and without feeling, for foreign is to ſeare with an hot iron: But it ſignifies alſo to cut off with ſearing as Chirurgions doe rotten members: and then the Apoſtle ſpeakes of men that have no conſcience left, men of no conſcience at all, Dan. Heinſ. exerc ad loc.or men of ſtigmatized conſciences, as Heinſius would have it, flagitious branded hypocrites, no wonder that they fall into all profaneneſſe. Hierom Bolſec who had been a Carmelite at Paris, Beza in vita Calv.caſt off his Cowle, but kept his Monkery, and came to Geneva where he practiſed phyſick; where being of no eſteem in that faculty, he would needs try what he could doe in Divinity, and vented ſome points which were ſtrange and ſounded ill in the ears of that Church. Calvin firſt dealt mildly with him; but when all would not ſerve, the Senate expel'd him. At length he counterfeited great penitence, and deſired to be reconciled and received back into Geneva; which they were enclined to doe; but in the mean time perceiving ſome troubleſome times towards Geneva, he falls to the Papiſts, rayles bitterly againſt the Proteſtant-Religion, and ran into ſuch profaneneſſe that he proſtituted his own wife to the Canons regular of Auguſtoduvum, in whoſe filthy ſtable he ſet up. I could fit this ſtory with ſome others; but I have it in deſigne to undertake the Atheist in a particular Treatiſe, Exercit. on Malach. p. 66.which promiſe I have once before intimated, and will performe, if God give opportunity and quiet times, the encouragement of ſtudy, and that I be not prevented by ſome abler pen, which I rather deſire, as being a piece of work which though I have hung upon the warpe-wall, I deſpaire almoſt of putting it into the loome, as knowing my own want of skill to weave ſo fine and curious a peice.
4. Hypocrites are miſchievous. Acts 20.29.Hypocriſie prognoſticates much hurt to the Church. St Paul in his exhortation to the Elders at Miletum, ſpeaking of ſuch men, calls them grievous wolves, I know this, that after my departure ſhall grievous wolves enter in among you, not ſparing the flock. He ſpeakes of ſlye and hypocriticall ſeducers, who as open tyrants are called wolves in regard of their cruell forcible ravenings, ſo theſe are ſaid to be wolves, becauſe of their craftineſſe to get the prey. Some Naturaliſts ſay that wolves will cry like wounded men, that ſo they may deceive and call forth the Shepheards, and by that meanes ſteale an opportunity to invade the flock: and that they will come againſt the wind, that the doggs which tend the fold may not ſent them. Nay there is yet a further craft then this. In ſome Countries where they goe together in great numbers to aſſaile a flock of ſheep by night, they ſet one or two of their company in the wind-ſide of the fold afarre off, who by their ſent may cauſe the doggs and Shepheards to obſerve them only, while the others doe enter and devoure the flocke. It may be poſſible to raiſe the cry againſt one Hereſie, that another may have opportunity to enter, to ſent out and hunt away ſuperſtition, that while men are buſie againſt that which is odious, irreligion and profaneneſſe may have opportunity to get ground. So cunning Souldiers are the Devill and his agents, to make a falſe Alarme at the gate where they meane not to enter, that the other may be left naked. How fitly doth this agree with that which St Peter ſpeakes, There ſhall be falſe teachers among you, 2 Pet. 2.1.who privily ſhall bring in damnable hereſies. And when they are got in, what harme, what miſchiefe will they worke, how will their very breath infect? we reade of a Wolfe taken in a ſnare, which when a man went about to kill with an hunting ſpeare, the Wolfe breathed in his face, Joh. Alſted. Theol. Natur. par. 2. c. 28. p. 527.and poyſoned him ſo that he preſently began to ſwell, and was hardly preſerved alive. What is this but the contagion which the ſoule of the hearer receives, by the doctrin the breath of the ſeducers mouth? Yea their word will eat as doth a canker. 2 Tim. 2.17.They will eat out the very heart of Religion; and ſpread from one to another, ſo that an whole Church may be infected and poyſoned by the opinions of one hypocrite among them, and as he ſaith,
Ʋſ que malum latè ſolet immedicabile cancer.
Serpere, & illaeſas vitiatis addere partes.Cypr. Ser. de lapſi….
Hence St Cyprian, alluding to this Text, compares hereſie unto the peſtilence and poyſon; and both he and Gregory Nazïanzen, Naz. Orat. de fide. Naz. Orat. de pace. Niceph. Hiſt l. 8 c. 18. Niceph l 7 c. 9. Livi. Hiſt Rom. l. 10. Decad. 4. Plat l. 7. de legibus.as it is here, to a Canker. Nazianzen alſo cals the bookes of Hereticks, the egges of Aſpes. Therefore the Nicaene Councell decreed the books of Arrius to be burnt; as of old the books of Severus the Hereticke were forbidden to be read under a great penalty. Wherein they went no farther then the wiſdome of the very Heathen led them the way, and was thought worthy to be a law by Plato.
The miſchiefe that may be wrought in the Church by one Hypocrite, may ſufficiently appeare by one inſtance out of the Eccleſiaſticall hiſtory. Sozom. l. 3. c. 1. Socrat. l. 2. c. 2.Conſtantia the widow of Licinius ſiſter to the Emperour Conſtantine the great, entertained in her houſe a certaine Presbyter, who profeſſed the Orthodox Religion for feare of Conſtantine, but was in ſecret an Arrian. Euſebius of Nicomedia and other Biſhops of the Arrian Sect made uſe of this man to promote their cauſe by his ſlie diſſimulation. At length Conſtantia dying, when on her death bed her brother the Emperour came to viſit her, ſhe obtained of him to entertaine that Presbyter into his Court. He ſoone grew into great credit and favour with Conſtantine, ſo that when he dyed he entruſted him with his laſt-will, whereby he had an opportunity to make himſelfe gracious with Conſtantius the Emperours ſonne and ſucceſſour, and was not ſlow to improve the authority he had with him. He firſt corrupts one Euſebius an Eunuch the new Emperours chiefe Chambelaine, and by his meanes other Courtiers, and then the Empreſſe, and at length the Emperour himſelfe, and by degrees brought him to be a Defender of Arrianiſme, and a great perſecuter of the truth, which his father had profeſſed, and which himſelfe had been brought up in. Euſeb. de vita Conſt. l. 4. c. 54.Nay, it ſeemes by the Panegyriſt who wrought Constantines life, that he alſo though he fell not from the truth, yet received ſome blot aforeign.in his old age, being too much wrought upon by ſome lewd Knaves bforeign., as the Hiſtorian cals them who counterfelted Religion, who perſwaded him that the controverſie with Arrius was but a ſtrife of words, and might be reconciled and admitted without diſturbance of the Churches peace: by which ſubtilty they brought him too much to connive at the growing faction, which then had ſome footing in his Court.
It may be proved alſo out of Story; that even the Apoſtaſie of the whole viſible Church came in by the management of thoſe, who either profeſſed or doted upon monasticall hypocriſie. See Apoſtaſie of laſt times. part. 2. p. 112, 114. Pag. 116, 117, 120, 122, 146, &c. Ʋid. Dan. Cha. Panſtrat T. 3 l. 16. c. 7.They were hypocrites, fainers and lyars, that obtruded upon the Church thoſe practiſes, which the Apoſtle mentioneth, 1 Tim. 4.1, 2. as Mr Meade engliſheth the Originall with the beſt congruity of conſtruction, Some ſhall revolt from the faith attending to erronious ſpirits and doctrines of Daemons, through the hypocriſie of lyars, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meates. Mr Meade will ſatisfie the Reader concerning the hypocriſie of lyars. 1. In lying wonders, lyes of miracles; their forgery, illuſion, miſ-application. 2. Lying Legends, fabulous legends of Saints and Martyrs. 3. Their belying of the Ancients; counterfeiting writings under their names: by all which meanes the Church came to be abuſed and much corrupted.