Some Chriftians have much ado to bring their hearts to fixed, folemn meditation; their hearts fly off from it, but this is their burden, that it should be fo with them. True, it is a very dangerous fign of hypocrify, when a man's zeal runs out in one channel of obedience only, and he hath not refpect to all God's commandments; as phyficians obferves, the fweating of one part of the body, when all the reft is cold, is fymptoma tical, and argues an ill habit: But whilft the foul heartily ap proves all the will of God, and fincerely defires to come up to it, and mourns for its backwardness, and deadness, to this or that duty, and this is not fixed, but occafional, under fome prefent indifpofition, out of which the foul rifeth by the fame degrees as fanctification rifeth in him, and the Lord comes in with renewed strength upon him; this, I fay, may confist, and is very ordinarily found to be the cafe of upright-hearted ones.

Rule 5. The glances of the eye at felf-ends in duties, whilft felf is not the weight that moves the wheels, the principal end and defign we drive at, and whilft thafe glances are corrected, and mourned for, do not conclude the heart to be unfound, and hypecritical in religion: For even among the most deeply fanctified, few can keep their eye so steady and fixed, with pure, and unmixed refpects, to the glory of God, but that there will be (alas! too frequently) fome bye-ends, infinuating and creeping into the heart.

Thefe, like the fowls, feize upon the facrifice, let the foul take what pains it can to drive them away: It is well that our High-priest bears the iniquities of our holy things for us. Peter had too much regard to the pleasing of men, and did not walk with that uprightnefs towards the Gentile Chriftians, and the believing Jews, in the matter of liberty, as became him, Gal. ii. 13, 14. for which, as Paul faith, he ought to be blamed, and he did blame him: But yet fuch a failing as that in the end of his duty, did not condemn him. In public performan ces there may be too much vanity, in works of charity too much oftentation; thefe are all workings of hypocrify in us, and matters of humiliation to us; but whilst they are difallow ed, corrected, and mourned over, are confiftent with integrity,

Rule 6. The doubts and fears that hang upon, and perpless eur fpirits about the hypocrify of our hearts, do not conclude that therefore we are what we fear ourselves to be. God will not condemn every one for a hypocrite that fufpects, yea, or charges himself with hypocrify. Holy David thought his heart was not right with God, after that great flip of his in the matter of Uriah; and therefore begs of God to renew a right spirit in

him, Pfal. li. 10, 11, 12. his integrity was indeed wounded, and he thought deftroyed by that fall.

Holy Mr. Bradford fo vehemently doubted the fincerity of his heart, that he fubfcribed some of his letters, as Mr. Fox tells us, John Bradford the hypocrite; a very painted fepulchre: And yet in fo faying, he utterly misjudged the ftate and temper of his own foul.

W

SECT. II.

ELL then, let not the upright be unjust to themfelves, in cenfuring their own hearts; they are bad enough, but let us not make them worfe than they are, but thankfully own, and acknowledge the leaft degrees of grace and integrity in them; and poffibly our uprightnefs might be fooner discovered to us, if, in a due compofure of fpirit, we would fit down, and attend the true answers of our own hearts to fuch questions as these are.

Quest. 1. Do I make the approbation of God, or the applause of men, the very end and main defign of my religious performances, according to Theff. ii. 4. Col. iii. 23. will the acceptation of my duties with men fatisfy me, whether God accept my duties and perion, or not?

Queft. 2. Is it the reproach and shame that attends fin at prefent, and the danger and mifery that will follow it hereafter, that restrains me from the commiffion of it? Or is it the fear of God in my foul, and the hatred I bear to fin as it is fin?ac cording to Pfal. xix. 12. and Pfal. cxix. 113.

Quest. 3. Can I truly and heartily rejoice to fee God's work carried on in the world, and his glory promoted by other hands, though I have no share in the credit and honour of it, as Paul· did? Phil. i. 18.

3

Quest. 4. Is there no duty in religion fo full of difficulty and felf-denial, but I defire to comply with it? And is all the holy and good will of God acceptable to my foul, though I cannot rife up with like readiness to the performance of all duties; according to that pattern? Pfal. cxix. 6,

Queft. 5. Am I fincerely refolved to follow Chrift and holiness at all feafons, however the aspects of the times may be upon religion? Or do I carry myself so warily and covertly as to fhun all hazards for religion; having a fecret referve in my heart to launch out no farther than I may return with fafety; contrary to the practice and refolution of upright fouls? Pfalm cxvi. 3. Pfal. xliv. 18, 19. Rev, xxii. 11.

Queft. 6. Do I make no confcience of committing fecret fias, or neglecting fecret duties? Or am I confcientious both in the one and other, according to the rules and patterns of integrity? Matth. vi. 5, 6. Píal. xix. 12.

A few fuch questions folemnly propounded to our own hearts, in a calm and ferious hour, would found them, and discover much of their fincerity towards the Lord.

SECT. III.

ND as upright hearts are too apt to apply to themselves the threats and miseries of hypocrites, fo hypocrites, on the contrary, are as apt to catch hold of the promises and privileges pertaining to believers.

To detect therefore the foul-damning miftakes of fuch deceived fouls, O that these following rules might be ftudied, and faithfully applied to their conviction and recovery.

Rule 1. It is not enough to clear a man from hypocrify, that he knows not himself to be an hypocrite. All hypocrites are not defigning hypocrites; they deceive themselves as well as others :

66

Many will fay to me in that day, Lord, have we not prophe"fied in thy name," &c. Matth. vii. 22. Hell will be a mere furprizal to multitudes of profeffors: a man may live and die in a blind, ungrounded confidence of his fafe condition, and not fear his ruin, till he begins to feel it.

Rule 2. Zeal and forwardness in the cause of God, and for the reformation of his worship, will not clear a man from the danger of hypocrify. Jehu was a zealous reformer, and yet but a painted fepulchre. In the year 1549, reformation grew fo much in reputation, even among the nobles and gentry in Ger. many, that many of them caufed thefe five letters, V. D. M. I. Ae. being the initial letters of these words, Verbum Domini manet in aeternum: i. e The word of the Lord abideth for ever, to be wrought, or embroidered, or fet in plates, fome upon their clokes, and others upon the fleeves of their garments; to shew to all the world, faith my author, that forfaking all. Popish traditions, they would now cleave to the pure doctrine and difcipline of the eternal Word.

*

And no doubt they would have been as good as their word, if what was embroidered on their clokes, had been engraven on their hearts; but, Come, fee my zeal, mars all."

Rule 3. It is no fufficient evidence of a man's own integrity, that

* John Wolfe, Left. Memor. Tom. 2. ad Anno 1549,

he hates hypocrify in another: for, as one proud man may hate a nother, and he that is covetous himself, will be apt to cenfure another for being fo; lufts may be contrary to one another, as well as all of them contrary to grace; fo may an hypocrite loath that in another, which yet he alloweth in himfelf: Nay, it is the policy of some to declaim against the hypocrify of others, thereby to hide their own. Hypocrites are none of the moft modest cenfurers of others, Pfal. xxxv. 16. A falt jeft feafoned their meat.

Rule 4. The mere performance of private duties will not clear a man from hypocrify. The influence of education, or fupport of reputation, or the impulfe of a convinced confcience may induce a man to it; and yet all this while his heart may not be carried thither with hungry and thirsty defires after God: it is not the matter of any duty that diftinguifhes the found and unfound profeffors; but the motives, defigns, and ends of the foul in them.

Rule 5. The The vogue and opinions you have got among Chriftians, of your fincerity, will not be fufficient to clear you from the dan ger of hypocrify. Chrift tells the angel of Sardis, Rev. iii. 1. "Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." The fall of Hymeneus and Philetus, could never have fhaken the faith of the faints as it did, had they not had great credit in the church, and been men of renown for piety among them.

Rule 6. Your refpects and love to them that are the fincere and upright fervants of God, will not clear you from the danger of being hypocrites yourfelves: for the bare loving of a Chriflian is not characteristical and evidential of a man's own Christianity, except he love him, qua talis, as he is a Chriftian, or as he belongs to Chrift; and fo his fincerity becomes the attractive of thy affection. There are a thoufand by-confiderations, and refpects, that may kindle a man's love to the faints, befides their integrity.

W

SECT. IV.

ELL, then, if thou wouldst indeed fee the unfoundpels of thy own heart, propound fuch heart-founding que ftions as thefe, to thyfelf.

Queft. 1. Do I engage my heart to approach unto God in the course of my duties? Or do I go in the round of duties, taking no heed to my heart in them? If fo, compare this fymptom of thy hypocrify with that in 2 Kings x. 3. and that in Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 32.

Quest. 2. Am I not fwayed and moved by felf-intereft and carnal refpects in the ways of religion, the accommodation of fome wordly intereft, or getting a name and reputation of godlinefs? If fo, how apparently do the fame fymptoms of hypocrify appear upon my foul, which did upon Judas, John xii. 6. and on Jehu, 2 Kings ix. 13, 14.

Quest. 3. Have I not fome fecret referves in my heart, notwitnitanding that face and appearance of zeal which I put on? Certainly if there be any fin that I cannot part with, any fuffering for Chrift which I refolve against in my heart; I am none of his difciples, my heart is not right with God, the fearcher of hearts himself being Judge, Luke xiv. 26, 27.

Queft. 4. What confcience do I make of fecret fins? Do I mourn for a vain heart, wandering thoughts, fpiritual deadness? And do I confcientiously abstain from the practice of fecret fins, when there is no danger of discovery, no fear of forfeiting my reputation by it? Is it God's eye, or man's, that awes me from commiffion of fin?. Certainly, if I allow myfelf in fecret fins, I am not of the number of God's upright people, whofe fpirits are of a contrary temper to mine, Pfal. cxix. 113. and Pfal. xii. 12.

I

SECT. V.

Will Chut up all with five or fix concluding counfels, (which the Lord impress upon the heart of him that writes, and those that fhall read them) to preferve and antidote the foul against the dangerous infinuation and leaven of hypocrify.

Counsel. 1. Intreat the Lord night and day, for a renewed and right fpirit. All the helps and directions in the world will not antidote and preferve you from hypocrify, nothing will be found able to keep you right, till fanctification hath first fet you right. Ezek. xxxvi. 27. "will put my Spirit within you; and caufe "you to walk in my ftatutes."

A bowl may keep by a ftrait line, fo long as the impreffed force of the hand that delivered it remains ftrong upon it; but as that wears off, fo its motions fail, and its own biafs sways and turns it. A fright of confcience, a pang of warm affection, or the influence of fome great example, or a good education, may influence an unrenewed foul, and push it on in the way of religion for a feafon ; but the heart fo influenced, muft, and will return to its own natural courfe again. And I think there wants nothing but time, or a fuitable temptation, to difcover the true temper of many a profeffor's fpirit: pray, therefore, VOL. VII. E e