The Hypocrite Discovered and Cured, Book 2 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. The Cauſes of Hypocriſie. The firſt Cauſe. Entertainment of Religion upon ſleight grounds. The ſecond. Hypocrites know not, nor believe in God. The third. Hypocrites want reſolution.
I Haſten to the moſt needfull buſineſſe, Hypocrites enter Religion fleightly.to the cure of this generall and dangerous diſeaſe, which will more eaſily be made, after we have ſought into the cauſes, which is the next head of diſcourſe I propounded.
1. One cauſe of Hypocriſie in ſome is, that they took up a courſe of profeſſion of Religion upon ſleight grounds, never being foundly converted. They are cloth not well wrought in the loome, and therefore ſhrinke, and neither weare well nor long. They began unſoundly in Religion; their hearts being never throughly broken and humbled. That man who is brought to a full ſight of his ſins, and ſenſe of his ſtate, and to ſee that he needs Chriſt or elſe muſt periſh without him, and is ſet up by Chriſt, and hath received grace from him; he it is that will live unto him. The broken hearted penitent comes to be the moſt faithfull and obſequious ſervant. Such a one knows what he oweth to Chriſt, how much he is beholding to him, 2 King. 18.6.and counts him a good Master with whom he will ſtay for ever, he will cleave to the Lord, and not depart from following him, as it was ſaid of Hezekiah. But for hypocrites, Job 17.9.they never gave themſelves fully up to God: they never throughly waſhed their hearts and hands, and therefore they hold not on their way; but whereas he that hath cleane hands waxeth ſtronger and ſtronger, theſe doe more and more decay. Many of theſe have unripe reſolutions, they ſet on too forwardly, before they are trained up and acquainted with the wayes of God. Senec. Ep. 20.Grace is among thoſe rare things that laſt long, but ripen leiſurely. Such as will be in the Accidence before they are out of the Primmar, never reade well. Hypocrites were not well principled, the foundation was not well and ſurely layed, the truth had not rooting in them. Truly this is a great miſchiefe and miſery, we obſerve it in many, that take up Religion for ends, or by example, or through imitation, or upon ſome ſudden acquaintance with ſome notions that for the preſent win upon mens good likings, like ſome people that will be preſently acquainted and familiar and become ſworn brothers; but 'tis a frothy amitie, begun it may be in one Tavern and will end in the next. Many there are that being well and religiouſly educated, civilized and more then ſo, habituated to the practiſes of Religion, miſtake themſelves at firſt it may be, and think it is out of choice and love that they take that way which their fathers went, and themſelves went with them in their hand, when 'tis indeed but custome and uſe. Others when they firſt ſet out meet with good neighbours, acquaintance and friends, who carry them along with them, and ſo they become religious for company; now 'tis eaſie for all theſe to prove hypocrites, being ſo unſound in their firſt undertakings and the grounds of it. This is I ſuppoſe the moſt ordinary cauſe. Others there are that are ſet by their Parents to the trade of profeſſion, as ſome children are put out to trades that they have no mind or inclination unto; who are in a manner forced to follow thoſe trades, becauſe they have no skill in any others, but they prove but bunglers and ſeldome thrive in them; ſo it is with ſuch as are religiouſly brought up, but their hearts are not ſeaſoned with it, they prove hypocrites, they keep up that profeſſion, but are but bunglers in it, and grow not rich in grace; yet they muſt make as faire a ſhew as they can, leſt if they breake, or but give occaſion to have their states ſuſpected, they loſe their reputation.
There are others I believe that are more wicked, that begin to ſet up in religion out of worſe reſpects, that have skill enough to turne themſelves to many trades, but find this to be moſt for their advantage, to bring them custom, to beget reputation, to bind ſome good friends unto them, and ſo become religious for ends. But all theſe ſorts are alike in this, that they are reeds growing in ſands, and are not ſolid as oakes, but fild with a light pith, whence it is that they can neither be laſting nor ſtrong. And all of them are like that young man we reade of, that was haſty it ſeems to follow Chriſt, he had a linnen cloth caſt about his naked body, it ſeems he took not time to dreſſe himſelf. Mar. 14.51, 52.And the men layd hold on him, and he left the linnen cloth, and when Chriſt was apprehended and in trouble, he fled away naked. Theſe men that ſtay not, nor regard to be throughly dreſſed, but put on the looſe garment of Religion, no marvaile they diſcover themſelves hypocrites, and flip it off againe if occaſion ſerve, that they may ſcape danger, which they will not engage themſelves in.
2. A ſecond cauſe of hypocriſie is, becauſe men know not God, and they want faith. Icr. 9.3, 4, 5, 6.In the Prophet Jeremie we find this very cauſe, why men are not valiant for the truth upon the earth, They know now not me; ſaith the Lord; and thence it is alſo that they ſupplant their bretheren and walk with their neighbours with ſlanders, Pſal. 9.10.and teach their toungs to ſpeake lyes; Through deceit they refuſe to know me, ſaith the Lord. If men knew Gods Name, they would put their truſt in him, and obſerve him, and live to him. 'Tis becauſe that this faith or truſt in God is not rightly planted in their hearts, that men are ſo uneven in their courſes, and betake themſelves ſo much to their baſe and unworthy ſhifts and complyings with others. Zeph. 3 12, 13.They that truſt in the Name of the Lord will not doe iniquitie or ſpeake lies, nor ſhall a deceitfull tongue be found in their mouthes, for they ſhall feed and lie downe and none ſhall make them afraid, as it is in the Prophet Zephanie. This truſting we ſee cures thoſe things that put men to their ſhifts, they would feed and be at eaſe and be ſecure, and that it may be ſo they are for any way or courſe to advantage thoſe ends, and therefore will flatter, comply and be any thing with any ſide: but truſt makes them conſtant unto God from whom they are aſſured of maintenance and ſafety. But the moſt of men have not this truſt in God, as doth appeare when it comes to the tryall. They believe generalities, that God Is, and that he is a rewarder of them that ſeeke him, and that it is better to obey God then man; yet they faile in the particulars, becauſe their aſſent unto theſe is weake. They aſſent unto theſe propoſitions as being true and good, while they are conſidered abstractly and in the abſence of other good or tentations to the contrary; but their aſſent is not well rooted to hold them firmely unto them, when they ſee hopes of more advantage in another courſe, and more profit in another ſervice. Hence it is that contrary affections of Feare, Hope, Love, and the like, get head againſt this aſſent, and make a Major-part againſt it; and ſo that truſt or aſſent like a weake King may exhort, but cannot command in them. There is ſome other powerfull Starre in the Court, which wants nothing but the Title of a King, whoſe Aſpect they regard, and ſo decline the Regall Commands. Somewhat elſe perſwades them or awes them, and makes their hearts melt, Joſh. 14.8. Epheſ. 4.14. foreign.and it is onelyonly the believing Caleb that wholly follows the Lord, when others are toſſed to and fro, like ſmall Barks without the ballaſt of faith, and carried about with every wind, like light ſtrawes and leaves, which are ſoone removed from their reſolutions and yeeld to every blaſt; they are not tyed unto the Earth with the ſpreading roots, nor faſtned with the Cables and Anchors of the precious and aſſured Promiſes concerning them that obey faithfully, and of the terrible and moſt certaine threatnings againſt thoſe that goe aſide. It is this evill heart of Ʋnbeliefe that makes men depart from the living God.Heb. 3.12.
3. A third cauſe of Hypocriſie much agreeing with the former, Hypocrites unreſolved.is, that men undertake a profeſſion before they are truly reſolved for it. Theſe men are tyed of a ſliding knot that ſoone unfaſtens. They are as Cicero not thoroughly ſatisfied in themſelves, whom it were better and ſafer to follow, Pompey or Caeſar. They ſee not Gods all-ſufficiencie, Quem ſequar neſcio.nor are convinced that 'tis beſt wiſdome to caſt themſelves only upon him. They thinke it were good to have two ſtrings to their Bow. We ſee faith works a reſolution in St Paul; When it pleaſed God to reveale his Son in me, Gal. 1.15, 16. foreign. Heinſ vertit, non provocari ad c…rnem & ſanguinem. Prov. 11.14.that I might preach him among the Heathen, immediatly I conferred not with fleſh and bloud; that is, preſently I went about it, to preach without adviſing with carnall counſell, whether it were ſafe or unſafe. I obeyed the warrant and truſted him that gave it me. But now a daies men will be wiſer then St Paul, and thinke in this ſenſe that of Solomon is true, In the multitude of Councellours there is ſafety. But this over-much wiſdom of theirs makes them hypocrits. It ſeems by P. Martyrs letter to Calvin that Molinaeus the Lawyer was ſuch an one; P. Martyr knew not what to make of him, nay it ſeems he knew not hovv to diſpoſe of himſelf, a man of good parts, P. Martyr, ep. 19. ad Calv.and that vvrote vvel againſt the Papiſt, and yet not a thorough Proteſtant. There is a fable that Inconſtancie would needs have her picture drawne; but none vvould undertake it, becauſe her ſhape and face altered ſo often. But at length Time tooke a Penſill in hand, and becauſe he had no other table to doe it upon, he primed her picture upon man. 'Tis true that all men have too much of her reſemblance, but ſuch men as theſe have her very face to the life; They vvill be religious, and they vvill not be religious, we know not what they will be.
This comes to paſſe ſometimes alſo, becauſe of thoſe ingagements that men have to others beſides God. It may be they have had ſome Convictions, and after them ſome refreſhments through the promiſes of life, and theſe make them thinke of enclining to God, and they have apprehenſion that his is a good ſervice; but withall 'tis no wiſdome to ſlight beneficiall friends, acquaintances that are able to doe them good or harme; and thus they become like a peece of iron between two equall load-stones. God draws, and terrours partly, and partly the promiſes moove them towards God, and particular intereſts and conſiderable reſpects; but then withall the world drawes likewiſe, and they have propenſions thitherward too, and thus being of devided ſoule, Jam. 1.5.double-minded men as St James cals them, no wonder they be, and prove to be hypocrites.