The Hypocrite Discovered and Cured, Book 2 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. The ſeventh prognostick. The other part of it. Hypocrites very odious to God.
2. VVE have ſeen how odious hypocriſie is unto men, Hypocrites hated of God.it is more odious and hatefull unto God. Though he beare much with them that are ſincere, as the husband doth with the frowardneſſe and peeviſh humours of his wife whom he knows to be chaſt and faithfull to him, yet he will not endure the flye and flattering inſinuations of a falſe and an adulterous wanton. Sinceritie hides many imperfections, it is the girdle of truth, Epheſ. 6.14.which like the Souldiers broad and ſtudded belt covers all the chinks and unſeemly joyntings in the armor: but God ſees all that is unſightly in the hypocrite, he hath no girdle, no belt to cover them. Pſal 119.1…The ſincere is perfect, as the troopes of Zebulon that came to David are deſcribed to be, being not of an heart and an heart; but the hypocrite is an imperfect creature, and how then can the perfect God but abhorre him? Yea how can he but abhorre him, who is ſo directly contrary to his nature: Hab. 1.13. Mat. 5 8. Pſal. 73.1.for, God is pure; he bleſſeth the pure; he is good unto the pure; but the hypocrite is adulterate and mixed, wickedneſſe is woven into the texture of his heart, his ſcumme is ſodden into him and throughly mingled. Ezek. 24.12. Mat. 6.22.God is ſingle, and delighteth in a ſingle eye; but the hypocrite hath a double eye and a doubld heart. God is perfect; but hypocrites are like faire Apples rotten at the core, like cups without a bottom, like the people in the Prophet, who turned not to God with their whole heart. Ier. 3.10.There is no likeneſſe between God and ſuch men; a ſtraight and crooked meaſure will never meet and joyn in all the parts. They are vile perſons, ſuch as Gods ſoule will hate. Iſa 32.6.The Prophet Eſay calls them ſo, The vile perſon will ſpeake villany, and his heart will worke iniquity to practiſe hypocriſie? Ier 23.11. Sept. foreign, Polluti ſunt. foreign Ier. 23 15. foreign. Nubes, foreign, Nebuloſus, hinc Nebuto Hebr. Canaph, velatua eſt, nubilus eſt. Hence ſome derive our engliſh, A Knave. Iſa. 57.3. Mat. 12 39. Putrida tabes hypocriſis. Bern. I. Abern, Phyſick for ſoul, c. 12. Prov. 10.20. Aelian. l. 1. c. 37.and in the Prophet Jeremie they are cal'd profane; In my houſe have I found their wickedneſſe, both Prophet and Priest are profane, or polluted, as the Septuagint turne it. From the Prophets of Jeruſalem is profaneneſſe gone forth in all the Land: in the Margin there it is, Hypocriſie; in the Septuagint, Pollution. So then, the hypocrite is profane and polluted, a black cloudy fellow. Both the holy tongues expreſſe this. In another place of the Prophet Eſay they are termed, The ſonnes of the ſorcerer, the ſeed of the adulterer and the whore. To which our Saviour ſeems to allude, when he calls them an adulterous generation. They are foul diſeaſed perſons; one calls hypocriſie a rotten impoſtume. And Abernethy who gives ſeverall titles to other ſins, as peſtilent ſelf-love, the Tympany of pride, the Gangrene of haereſie, he diſgraceth this by terming it, putrid hypocriſie. He is a thing of nothing, of little worth, according to that of Solomon, The tongue of the juſt is as choyce ſilver, the heart of the wicked is little worth. There is a choyceneſſe and excellencie in the righteous, but theſe are worthleſſe; perhaps their houſes and lands and rents may be of good worth, but they themſelves are of none at all, like Foxes whoſe skinnes are better then their fleſh. And if they have any good gifts or parts, hypocriſie blemiſheth all in them, and takes away the luſtre of them. There are ſome men like the Lampreis, a fiſh of moſt delicious taſt, and highly eſteem'd among the Antients, but it hath a ſting of poiſon running quite through them. They have excellent parts, but this ſting of hypocriſie marrs all and makes them dangerous. It embaſeth mettals, and turns gold into leade. If a man be a Magiſtrate, a Preacher, a ſufferer; if he be active, if he be eloquent, if he be couragious, yet hypocriſie marrs the beauty of all. The Prieſt at the high-Altar in his moſt ſolemne miniſtration, if he be an hypocrite, is leſſe glorious, then the poore dore-keeper at the porch in the meaneſt office if he be ſound. I called Lydia a Shop-keeper once, but ſhe was glorious in the meane way of Shop-keeping, and Judas inglorious in the high office of Apoſtleſhip. God takes pleaſure in nothing that the hypocrite doth, but he helps the very infirmities of the ſincere. 'Tis ſweetly expreſt by Mr Herbert,Mr. Herberts Sacred Poems. p. 163.
My joy, my life, my crown!
My heart was meaning all the day,
Somewhat it faine would ſay:
And ſtill it runneth muttering up and down,
With only this, My joy, my life, my crown.
Yet ſlight not theſe few words:
If truely ſaid they may take part
Among the beſt in art.
The fineneſſe which a Hymne or Pſalme affords,
Is, when the ſoul unto the lives accords.
He who craves all the mind,
And all the ſoul, and ſtrength, and time,
If the words only rime,
Juſtly complains that ſomewhat is behind,
To make his verſe, or write an Hymne in kind.
Whereas if th' heart be moved
Although the verſe be ſomewhat ſcant
God doth ſupply the want,
As when the heart ſayes (ſighing to be approved)
O, could I love! and ſtops; God writeth, loved.
The Compoſitions of hypocrites are harſh in Gods eare, they cannot make a ſmooth verſe; they cannot make an acceptable prayer. He is taken with the humble and broken oratory of his ſervants. Oh my dove (ſaith he) let me ſee thy countenance, Cant. 2.14.let me heare thy voice, for ſweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. But an affected dove-like mourning voice, he likes not; a counterfeit face of ſorrow and devotion he will not endure to looke upon. A painted Jezabel, of the two is better then a painted Phariſee. Homil. 6. in Math.It is St Chryſoſtoms obſervation, That ſhe that paints teares and blubbering, is worſe then a wanton woman that paintes to ſeeme faire. Joh. 9.31. Iam 4.8. Iob 13.16. Iob 27.3.He heareth not theſe ſinners; he will not draw nigh to theſe foule handed, corrupt hearted, double minded ſinners; An hypocrite ſhall not come before him; God will not heare his cry when trouble comes upon him.
I doe but point at things that might be enlarged, I know not which way to bring in all the teſtimonies of Gods hatred of hypocrites. They during that condition are out of the proclamation of pardon. We have heard it oft, how it runs; Bleſſed is he whoſe tranſgreſſion is forgiven, Iſal. 32.1, 2.whoſe ſinne is covered; Bleſſed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whoſe ſpirit there is no guile. He then in whoſe ſpirit guile is found, partakes not of this bleſſedneſſe, hath nothing to doe with this pardon. They can have no hope; Iob 27.8. Ier. 7.4.They trust but in lying words; They ſhall have no reward; for they have all here. Verily I ſay unto you, they have their reward, Mat. 6.16.ſaith Chriſt concerning hypocrites. Receperunt: They have received, they are to looke for no more. And what can be an extreamer miſery then this? Recipere mercedem hìc, paena eſt.It was that cold comfort which was ſent to Dives, Remember that thou in thy life time receivedſt thy good things. Ther's Recepiſti too, ſtill in the Preter-tenſe, Thou haſt already received, ther's no more due, thou art cut off from further claime. The praiſe and applauſe and popular eſtimation which they may haply have, is the poore ſorry trifle that is given them, like a little-legacie to an ungracious ſonne, to cut them off from any further title to ſhare in the inheritance of the children. They have their habitation on this ſide the river, but no portion beyond Jordan in the Land of promiſe. Blow not the trumpet, ſaith Chriſt, as hypocrites doe when they give almes, that they may have glory of men. Verily they have their reward. Love not to pray, as the hypocrites, that they may be ſeen of men, verily they have their reward. Be not of a ſad countenance, as hypocrites, that they may appeare unto men to faſt; verily they have their reward. A poore reward, a poore happineſſe; yet ſometimes they miſſe of that too, Joh. V…ſaeus in Chronic. Hispan.as that vain-glorious and hypocriticall Spaniſh Biſhop of whom we reade, who endeavoured to procure a great eſteem of holineſſe unto himſelfe by lying wonders, when becauſe of his fame the King deſired to ſee ſome miracle, he hyred a poore man to faine himſelfe blind; but when the Biſhop came in a ſolemn manner to lay his hand upon the poore mans eyes, and uttered thoſe words in imitation of Chriſt, According to thy faith be it unto thee: By the juſt and remarkeable judgement of God, the poore man that ſaw well before, in that inſtant loſt his ſight with great pain; and revealed the compact to the great ſhame and confuſion of that glorious hypocrite. Socrat. Hiſt. l. 1. c. 37. Theodor. l. 1. c. 14. Lev. 11.18. See, Job. 13.16.15.34. Luk. 16.15.The publike ſhame that God brought upon Arrius is an hiſtory ſo well known that I need not relate it. God ſo hates hypocriſie, that ſome think he forbad the uſe of ſome creatures to the Jews, as being Emblemes of hypocriſie, as the Swan which hath black fleſh under white feathers; the Oſtrich, which hath large wings but makes no flight. But we need not reſt upon ſuch dark ſignifications of his hatred, when the Scriptures are ſo full and cleare. Every one which ſeperateth himſelf from me, Ezek. 14.7, 8.and ſetteth up his idols in his heart, and commeth to a Prophet to enquire of him concerning me, I the Lord will anſwer him by my ſelf. He ſhall underſtand well enough that I diſcover him and how I ſtand affected to him. And I will ſet my face againſt that man, and will make him a ſigne and a proverbe, and I will cut him from the midſt of my people, and ye ſhall know that I am the Lord; (that I cannot be blinded, and will not be dallied with.) And as the Lord will not endure them in his Kingdom here, in the glory of his Church, in that happy time when Satan ſhall be bound up. Mr. Archer of Chriſts Raign, p. 28.So much leſſe in Heaven; but will caſt them out into the extreameſt and bittereſt torments. Which that they doe deſerve, the light of nature did apprehend, Plutar. De his qui ſeró puniuntur, mihi, p. 203.as appeares by Plutarch an Ethnick, who brings in Theſpeſius relating what he ſaw in Hell, That hypocrites are worſe puniſht there then ſuch as lived openly wicked. And our Saviour ſeems to intimate ſo much, That the evill ſervant ſhall have his portion with hypocrites; Mat. 24, 51.that is the extreameſt and ſoreſt puniſhment. I might adde the conſideration of thoſe words threatned by Chriſt againſt hypocrites, eight times repeated in one chapter: Mat. 23.but enough hath been ſaid how hatefull they are; and ſhall ſuffice to have been ſaid concerning the prognoſticks.