Section II. — Secondly, Consider the liypocrite in tlie things lie lays claim to, and they are no small privileges — relation to God, interest in Christ ; who more forward to saint himself, to pretend to the graces and comforts of the Spirit, than the hypocrite ? As we see in the Pharisees, whose great design was to get a name, and that not such as the great ones of the earth have for prowess, worldly majesty, and the like, but for sanctity and holiness; and they had it, if it wouid do them any good. ' Verily,' saith Christ, 'they have their reward,' Matt. vi. 2. They would be taken for great saints, and so they are by the nuil- titude, who did so applaud them for their holiness, which faced their outside, that they had a proverb, ' If but two coidd be saved, one of the two should be a Pharisee.' We read of some that ' profess they know God, but in works they denj-him,' Tit. i. 1(5. They boldly brag of their acquaintance with God, and woidd be thought great favourites of his, though their lives are antipodes to heaven : so Rev. iii. 9, we meet with some ' that say they are Jews, and are not, but lie.' They dwell sm-ely by ill neighbours, none would say so much for them but themselves : tlie hypocrite is so ambitious to pass for a saint, that he com- monly is a greater censurer of the true graces of others, as too much liindering the prospect of his own ; like Herod, who, as pjiuebius writes, being troubled at tlie baseness of his own birth, liurnt the Jews' ancient genealogies, the better to defend his owni pretended noble descent. Who now is able to give a full accent to this high-climbing sin of liypocrisy ? It is a sin that highly reproacheth God, to have such a vile wretch claim kindred with him. Christ indeed is not ashamed to call the poorest saints brethren, but he disdains to have his name seen upon a rotten-hearted hypocrite, as princes to have their effigies stamped on base metals : what scorn was put upon that mock prince, Perkin Warbeck, who, having got some fragments of courtiei'ship, and tutored how to act his part, was presented to the world as son to Edward the Fourth of this nation ; but when he had aped awhile the state of a prince, was taken, and with his base, ignoble pedigree, writ in great letters, pinned at his back, sent about, that wherever he came he might carry his shame with him, till in the end he was sent to act the last part of his play at the gallows ! But what is all this to the hypocrite's portion, who for abusing others here with a seeming sanctity, as if indeed he was of heavenly extraction, a child of God, and a heir of gloiy, shall be brought at the great day to be hissed at by men and angels, and after he hath been put to this open shame, be thrown deepest into hell ! Of all sinners he doth most mischief in this world, and therefore shall have most torment in the other. There is a double mischief which none stand at like advantage to do, as the liypocrite by his seeming saintship. The one he doth while his credit holds, and he passeth for a child of God in the opinion of his neighbours; the other, when his reputation is cracked, and he discovered to be what he is, a hypocrite. The mischief he doth when his mask is on, is as a deceiver : Machiavel knew what he did in commending to princes a resemblance of religion, though he forliade any more. It hath been found the most taking bait to decoy peojile into their snare, who come in apace when religion is the flag that is set up. Ehud could not have thought of a surer key to open all doors, and procure him ad- mittance into king Eglon's presence, than to give out he had a message from the Lord to him : this raised such an expectation, and bred such a confidence, that room is made for him ; presently all depart, and he left alone with the king ; yea, the king will rise to hear this message that comes from the Lord, and so gives him a greater advantage to stab hiin. Had not some in our days pre- tended highly to saintship, I doubt not but they would have found the door shut where now they have too much welcome, and find it easy to procure belief to their errors. Even the elect are in some danger, Vvhen one cried up for a saint is the messenger that brings the error to town, and lluit under the notion of a message from God. I confess the hypocrite acts his part so liandsomely, that he may do some good accidentally; his glistering profession, heavenly dis- course, excellent gifts in prayer or preaching, may aft'ect much the sincere soul, and be an occasion of real good to him ; as the stage-])layer, though his tears be counterfeit, may stir up, by his seeming passion, real sorrow in his spectatcn-s, so as to make them weep in earnest ; thus the hypocrite, acting his part with false affections, may be a means to draw forth and excite the Chris- tian's true graces; but then is such a one much more in danger to be ensnared
21(5 HAVING YOUR LOINS