Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIIII.
Wherein are Two grand Impediments diſcovered, viz. Covetouſneſs and Hypocriſy, which hinder us from Believing, and Depending on God's All-Sufficiency.
FOr Diſcovering of thoſe Impediments, which hinder us from truſting in God, and Believing his All-Sufficiency, and ſtaying thereon, there are ſeveral Sins which might be named, Impatience, Murmuring, Unbelief, &c. But theſe having been mentioned before, I ſhall mention Two grand Impediments or Obſtacles, viz. Covetouſneſs and Hypocriſy. That I name Covetouſneſs, none will wonder; but that I name Hypocriſy may be more Scrupled; The Reaſon is, becauſe a deceitful falſe Heart, is ready to truſt any thing or perſon, ſooner than God.
First, Then Covetouſneſs is a great1. Impediment is Covetouſneſs. hinderance of truſting in God: This Sin of Covetouſneſs (as far as I obſerve) is no where in Scripture charged upon any of the Saints; though many other Sins are charged on them; yet I find not this Sin in particular, charged on them (though none can ſay his Heart is clear, more or leſs from this Sin:) Judas betrayed Chriſt for Thirty Pieces of Silver. The Covetouſ…eſs of the Gad…rens cauſed them to prefer their SwineMark 10. 22. before a Saviour: The Young Rich Ruler preferred Treaſures on Earth, before2 Tim. 4. 10. Treaſures in Heaven. Too much Love of the World, cauſed Demas to turn Apoſtate. Lather had a Spirit above theHem Germana ista bestia non curat …urum; valde proteſtatus ſum …e …lle ſic ſatiari ab …o. Melch. Adam in vita Lutheri. World; he profeſt that he never found his Heart inclined to Covetouſneſs, Inſomuch as when Preferment was to be offered to him, to ſtop his Mouth, his very Enemies confeſt that he loved not Gold. And he profeſt That he would not be put off with outward things. That Noble Italian, Marqueſs Galea…ius Caracciolus left his Marqueſsdom, his Relations, and Honours for Chriſt, and left this Heroical Speech upon Record to Poſterity, worthy to be Wrote with a Pen of Iron, and with the point of a Diamond, viz. Curſed be that Man, that prefers all the Gold and Silver in the World, before one days Communion with Jeſus Chriſt. Preferments, Riches, and Honours could not prevail with Learned Baſil, that Worthy Father; he bad offer ſuch things to Children; ſuch things were beneath his Cognizance.
How frequently doth the Holy Scriptures note this Sin of Covetouſneſs, with a Brand of Infamy. Covetouſneſs is the Root of all Evil. It's called there, the1 Tim …. 10. Love of Mony: Two Words the Scripture uſeth to expreſs Covetouſneſs by; one is foreign, the other is foreign, and both are in Name and Nature ſtark naught; for Covetouſneſs is Idolatry;Col. 3. 5. it's a Fruit of a naughty Heart, andMark. 7. 22. joyn'd with bad Company, as Theft, Malice, and what not. It's ſo abominable a Sin, as not worthy of naming.
Nothing, ſaith a Heathen, argueth Ni… est tam angusti tamque parvi animi, quam … mare divitias. Cic.more, a narrow and low Spirit, than Covetouſneſs. When Men are faſt Glued, and Riverted to the World, they believe not the Omnipotency, and the All-Sufficiency of God, becauſe they have made choice of another God, even Mammon.
And whither will not Covetouſneſs drive a Man, and to what will not Covetouſneſs tempt a Man? A Man that alloweth himſelf in this Sin, will Spin a Thred thinner and thinner, till it and his Conſcience break both together: he will find out new coyn'd Diſtinctions, Apologies, Subterfuges, Evaſions, and what not to baffle the Truth, and his own Conſcience. It's Chriſt's Caution,Luke 12. 15. Take heed, and beware of Covetouſneſs. And Biſhop Latimer, that Eminent Martyr, would frequently Inculcate this Caution, Beware of Covetouſneſs, For when the Devil, and a Mans own Corruptions meet with a Heart greedy of Gain, What Wickedneſs will be left Unattempted? Hence it comes to paſs, that Multitudes will not believe God, nor rely upon His All-Sufficiency, becauſe they Love the World too well; and the Love of the World juſtles out the Love of God. It was an excellent ſaying of an antient Experimental Divine, Where Sin Mr. Greenham. Cujus anima in oculis ejus est pretioſa, in ejus oculis Mundus est parvus Buxtor. Floril.ſits light, the World ſits heavy; and where the World ſits light, Sin ſits heavy. Wherefore let the Apoſtles Charge leave deep Impreſſions upon our Conſciences, 1 Joh. 2. 15. Love not the World, neither the things that are in the World; If any Man Love the World, the Love of the Father is not in him.
A Second Impediment, is Hypocriſie; 2. Impediment Hypocriſy.and this is a Reaſon, why ſo many diſtruſt God, becauſe they deal Hypocritically, and have divided Hearts, partly for God, and partly for Mammon. The Heart is Naught, and keeps Reſerves for that Profit; the other Intereſt, and Carnal Advantage. Many braid of the Strumpet, who would have the Child divided: So they will divide in Duties and Commands. This Hypocritical, Deceitful Spirit, keeps multitudes from Truſting and Depending on God's All-ſufficiency. Ananias and Saphira would not Truſt God; they feared, that ſome Poverty might befal them: And therefore, they made a Defalcation from the Price,Act. 5. 3. and uſed Hypocritical Jugglings.
No Hypocrite can truſt God; for he acts all for Self-Intereſt, and turns like a Weather-Cock with the Wind, and ſtrives to ſwim with the Stream. It's a Sincere Heart alone, that can caſt it ſelf upon God, and can venture all upon his Promiſes. He it is, who alone will truſt God with all that he hath; for he knoweth, that God is infinitely nearer and dearer to him, than all the World beſides. This Conſideration comforted Hezekiah upon his Bed of Sickneſs. 2 King. 20. 3. I beſeech thee Lord, remember now, how I have walked before thee in Truth, and with a perfect Heart; and have done that, which is Good in thy Sight. A Heart divided between God, and the World, between Chriſt, and Anti-chriſt, will never ſtick cloſe to God, in a Time of Adverſity. A Rotten, Hypocritial Heart, will not Suffer for Chriſt: A Hypocrite will not willingly bear a Scorn, or Word of Reproach for Christ; much leſs, will he Fry at a Stake. The Lord thus expoſtulateth the Caſe: Jer. 12. 5. If thou haſt run with the Foot-Men, and they have wearyed thee; then, How canst thou contend with Horſes? And if in the Land of Peace, wherein thou truſtedst, they have wearyed thee; then, How wilt thou do in the Swelling of Jordan?
Bilney the Martyr, made Aſſay firſt,Acts & Mon. in Q. Mar. Dayes, Vol. 3. to try how he could bear the Burning of his Finger; becauſe he expected, (which came to paſs afterwards) that his whole Body ſhould be Burned. But an HypocriteTimeo, ne animam perdas, qui capillum non perdes. Aug. in Pſal. 96. will loſe neither Finger nor Body, neither Life nor Limbs, for Chriſt. So far he will pretend for Christ, as his Intereſt is concerned, for the Loaves; (as many follow Chriſt) for Preferment and Promotion, in Halcyon-Dayes of Peace and Tranquillity: But when Religion is Contemned, and the Profeſſors are Perſecuted, a Hypocrite takes Offence; he makes the worſt Choice, To |Video te poſt hujus pl…goe tuae horrend…m miſeriam ad interitum tuum hanc impietatis ſequi velle perniciem. Hieronym in Loc.chooſe Sin, Job 36. 21.rather than Affliction; and rather to ſleep in a whole Skin, than a whole Conſcience.
None more Odious to God and Man, than a Hypocrite; for God, and Good Men hate him, becauſe he is no better, and is not ſo good as he ſeems to be: And Wicked Men hate him, becauſe he pretends to any Goodneſs at all. Notwithſtanding many Failings▪ Sincerity is that which will ſtand us in ſtead, when we come to dye. A Reverend Miniſter, when he came to dye, ſaid; I have a Mr. Giles Workman, a Miniſter in Gloceſterſhire. 2 Chron. 15. 17.little Sincerity, and that's all that comforts me. Aſa had many Failings; yet it's ſaid of him; *i. e. Affirmo optimâ conſcientiâ, me nec corrumpere Doctrinam, nec …t…te flectere ad cujuſque affectus, ne…e privat… ulli cupiditati ſervire. Melancthon in loc.Nevertheleſs, the Heart of Aſa was Perfect all his Dayes. This is the Cauſe of the Saint's Rejoycing: 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our Rejoycing is this, the Teſtimony of our Conſciences, That in Simplicity, and Godly Sincerity, not with Fleſhly Wiſdom, but by the Grace of God, we have had our Converſation in the World.
A Heathen could commend Plainneſs, and Simple-Dealing, as moſt agreeing …o the Nature of Man: So ſaith Tully; Quod verum, ſimplex, ſincerumque ſit, id eſt naturae Hominis aptiſſimum. Much more ſhould a Chriſtian embrace Sincerity, as knowing it to be that which God requireth, and ſo highly eſteemeth of.
If then we deſire to truſt God in all Conditions, let's labour for a Sincere and Single Heart, and abhor and hate Hypocriſy with a perfect Hatred: For a Hypocrite will never hold out in any Duty; he will not believe, when Senſe Fails him: He will not pray alwayes; he will not hold on in the Profeſſion of Religion, farther than may conſiſt with his own Secret Deſigns, and Self-Intereſts.