The Hypocrite Discovered and Cured, Book 2 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Other Prognoſticks of Hypocriſie. The fift. Hypocrites looſe their comfort. The ſixth. Hypocrites looſe their courage.
5. HYpocriſie is a prognoſtick of the loſſe of comfort. Hypocrites looſe co…fort. Job 8.13, 14. Iob 20.5.The hypocrites hope ſhall periſh, his hope ſhall be cut off, his truſt ſhall be a Spiders webbe. Yea the tryumphing of the wicked is ſhort and the joy of the hypocrite, but for a moment. There can be no feaſt within, Giſlebert, in vita. S. Bernh.when a man is conſcious to himſelfe of dallying with God. Integrity is that which furniſheth out the ſweet banquet and heavenly repaſt of joy. In a great feſtivall, when the expectation was not leſſe then the concourſe, both very great. St Bernard having preached an eloquent Sermon, (as that heavenly tongue was able to ſpeake beyond expectation) while the people admire and applaud, the Abbot walks ſadly with a mind not ordinarily dejected. The next day he preaches a lively Sermon of profitable truth, plaine and without ornament. His good Auditors went away contented, but curious ones found not what to applaud; but he walkes chearfully, with a mind more then ordinarily pleaſant. The people wonder that he ſhould be ſad when applauded, and when not, merry, but he returned this anſwer to ſome of his friends, Heri Bernardum; hodiè Jeſum Chriſtum, Yesterday I preached Bernard, but to day Jeſus Chriſt. He ſhall have moſt comfort that preaches Chriſt, and ſo ſhall he that lives to Chriſt, when a Wolſie, Acts and Mon. in life Wolſ.whoſe conſcience tels him he ſerved the King his Maſter better then God, and more faithfully, ſhall languiſh away in diſcontent. Tom. 1. ep. Luth.As it was with Tecelius who died ſick of a ſullen, when a Courtier of the Popes frowned upon him, poore man he had nothing to hold up his heart, though Luther to whom he had been a bitter adverſary commiſerated him, and wrote comfortably to him. We have many lamentable examples of the horrible deſpaire into which ſuch men have fallen that walked not according to their light. Jo. Wolf. Lect. memor. To. 2. ad an. 1547.Wolfius tels us of one John Hofmeiſter that fell ſuddainly ſicke in his Inne, as he was travelling towards Auspurge in Germany, and grew to that horrour, that they were faine to bind him in his bed with chaines, where he roared out, That he was for ever caſt from before the face of God, and could receive no comfort by the promiſes remembred unto him, and all this, Andr Hondor. in Spec. Hiſtori. ali.becauſe he had wounded his conſcience. We reade of the like horrours that ſeized upon one Tho. Blaer a great Councellour in Scotland, who as he confeſſed, had pretended Religion, but only to gather wealth. But above all moſt fearefull was the caſe of Francis Spira, a Story ſo well knowne, that I ſhall not need to relate. It may be all hypocrites are not thus terrified, haply ſome may be cauterized; P. Charron of Wiſd. l. 3. c. 10 v 7.however they cannot have thoſe ſweet and heavenly comforts that the ſincere humble ſoule is refreſhed with; but are accompanied with ſome kind of pain and diſquietneſſe all their time for feare of being diſcovered; There cannot be pleaſure in ſo much pains as they muſt be at to counterfeit and live under a Canopy.
6. Hypocrites looſe their courage.Hypocriſie prognoſticates the decay of courage. It is Salomons obſervation, The wicked flee when no man purſueth, but the righteous are bold as a Lion. How are the ſelf-guilty ſtartled at a Petition or Articles of Accuſation, how doe they feare the tribunall of a Judge! How doe they tremble at the very apprehenſion of a Parliament-barre? The innocent dare appeare in any preſence, and dare ſtand to, and maintaine all their actions; yea Job did dare to appeare before God himſelfe in the matters that he ſtood accuſed of. Job 31.35, 36.Behold my deſire is that the Almighty would anſwer me, and that mine adverſary had written a booke, ſurely I would take it upon my ſhoulder (it ſhould be no great burthen to me, nor would I goe about to hide it under mine arme) I would binde it as a crowne to me; (I would weare their accuſations upon my forehead without ſhame) I would declare unto God the number of my ſteps; (I would not conceale any thing, but even prevent their accuſation by ripping up my whole life) as a Prince would I go neare unto God (with an undaunted courage, not trembling as Delinquent.) But as the Prophet ſpeakes, The ſinners in Sion are afraid, fearefullneſſe ſurprizeth the hypocrites. Iſai. 33.14.Let us view the upright and the hypocrite in parallel, and ſee the difference of their ſpirits. The righteous how are they bold as Lions? Illyr. Catal. Teſ. verit. l. 19. Nat. Dreſſ. in Millenar. 6. Hennirgus Auguſtinian. inporta Culi.One Andreas Proles a godly aged Divine ſomewhat before Luthers time, taught many points ſoundly, according to his light then. He was called to a Synod held at Millain and after in the Lateran, where oppoſing a Propoſition of the Pope about burdening the Church with a new holy-day; hee was brought into much danger, and eſcaping from Rome very narrowly, he bought him Bow and Weapons. But as he was riding he began to bethinke himſelfe, that the cauſe was not his, but Gods, and not to be maintain'd with Sword and Bow, and if it were, yet what ſhould ſuch a decrepit old man doe with weapons. Hereupon hee threw away his weapons, committed himſelfe, his cauſe and his journey to God; and ſoone after died peaceably in his bed. Abrah. Muſc. in narrat. de v… ta patris.This braveneſſe of ſpirit appeared alſo in Wolfgangus Muſculus, he had many enemies, becauſe of his forſaking of Popery. But his reſolution was diſcovered by an accident rather pleaſant then dangerous. There was a Noble-man one Reinard a Rotenburg that much loved him, and was very tender of his ſafety, who knowing that he was gone abroad (as his uſe was) into a village to preach, he diſguiſing himſelfe, becauſe he would not be knowne, and taking many of his horſe-men with him, came ruſhing in at the Church doore, and in a threatning manner bids him come out of the Pulpit. Muſculus thinking they had been the ſervants of a Popiſh Biſhop, who was his violent perſecutour, deſired he might have leave to finiſh his Sermon, and then he would goe whitherſoever they would carry him; and ſo he went on ſo readily that he ſhewed no ſigne of feare, but in concluſion he exhorted them to conſtancie in the faith, and with all to helpe him by their prayers, who was now (as he thought) in the enemies mouth. When Sermon was done, the Nobleman diſcovers himſelfe, takes him in his armes, admires his courage, tels him he did it to try his ſpirit, and withall to warne him how eaſily he might be endangered. See here the courage that grew out of ſincerity. But on the other ſide, how doe the wicked feare where no feare is. 1 Sam. 18.14.Saul that diſſembled with David, how cauſleſly doth he tremble; when he ſaw that David behaved himſelfe wiſely, he was afraid of him. But he had no reaſon for it, but his owne ſelfe-accuſing heart. Tecelius that I mentioned but even now, as he loſt his comfort, ſo his courage too; when the Popiſh party ſaw that the preaching of Merit and carrying abroad Indulgences had raiſed ſuch a tumult that they were not able to quiet againe, it ſeem'd fit to the Court of Rave ſomewhat to decline the odium of the buſineſſe, and lay it upon others. Charles Miltitius a Knight an officer in the Popes Court is ſent into Germany, where he cals Tecelius the Pardoner before him, takes up the poore Fryar roundly, rates him as the anthour of the whole Tragedie, layes all the blame of the miſchiefe upon his backe, and ſo broke the heart of the poore man that hee had not the courage to defend himſelfe, and reply (as hee might have done) that all hee did was by ſpeciall Commiſſion from the Pope, but his heart fail'd him, hee ſunke under the burden and pined away miſerably, Sir Tho. More in life of K. Edw. 5.till hee dyed; as Doctor Shaw alſo did after his glozing Sermon to claw Richard the Uſurper, as wee reade in our owne Chronicles. Thus the Hypocrite hath nothing left to ſuſtaine him, when his leggs grow faint; nothing to cover him, when the Cloud breakes upon him. Yea before any actuall trouble, he makes feares to himſelfe, and trembles at every motion: Like that Gentle-man that the Lord Montaigu and his Brother met with in their Travels, Montaigu. Eſſayes, l. 2. c. 5.who being of a contrarie Faction, but diſſembling it, and putting a good face upon the matter all the way that hee rode with them, was yet notwithſtanding all his counterfeiting diſcovered unto them by his often trembling. Whereas the ſincere may march ever with his head aloft, with face and heart open, Mont. l. 3. c. 1.as he ſpeakes.