inwavd rooms, and so doth hypocrisy into closet-duties, as well as public ; indeed, thoujijh the place be secret where such duties are performed, yet tlie matter may be so handled, and is by some hypocrites, that they are not secret ia their closets ; like the hen who goes into a scci-ct place to lay her egg, but, by her cackling, tells all the house where she is, and what she is doing. But where this is not, it is not enough ; for we must not think but some hypocrites may and do sjiin a thread finer than others ; in all arts there are some exceed others, and so in this trade of hypocrisy : the gross hypocrite, whose drift is to deceive others, his religion commonly is all without doors ; but there is a hypocrite that laboius to keep a fair cpiarter with himself, and is very desirous to make conscience on his side, which to procure, he will go to the utmost link of his chain, and do anything that may not separate him and his beloved lusts: now secret prayer, and other duties, may be so performed, as that they shall not more prejudice a man's lusts than any other ; it is not the sword, though very sharp, that kills, but the force that it is thrust withal ; indeed, there are some secret duties, as examination of ovn- hearts, trying of our ways, and serious meditation of the threatenings of the word against such sins as we find in our own bosoms, with close application of them to oiu'selves, would put sin hard to it; but the hypocrite can lay this sword so easily and favoura])ly on, that his lusts shall not cry ' Oh" at it; therefore still there needs a meVius i/ujidrcndton, a fuller search before thou canst come off.
Fourthly, Surely I am not a hypocrite, for I do not only pray, and that in secret too, against my sins, but I also fight against them, yea, and that to good puqjose ; for I can shew you the spoils of my victories that I have got over some of them. There was a time I could not go by the alehouse, but my lust bid me stand, and pulled me in ; but now, I thank God, I have got such a mastery of my drunken lust, that I can pass by without looking in.
Ann. It is good what thou dost say, and I wish all thy drunken neighbom-s coidd speak as much, that when the magistrate will not, or cannot spoil that drunken trade, they that keep those shops for the devil might even shut up their windows for want of customers. But is it not pity, that what is good should be marred in the doing? yet it is too common, and may be thy case.
First, Let me ask thee, how long it hath been thus with thee? Lusts (as to the actings, I mean) are like agues, the fit is not always on, and yet the man not rid of his disease ; and some men's lusts, like some agues, have not such quick returns as others. The river doth not move always one way, now it is coming, anon falling water ; and though it doth not rise when it falls, yet it hath not lost its other motion. Now the tide of lust is up, and anon it is down, and the man recoils, and seems to run from it; but it returns again upon him. Who would have thought to have seen Pharaoh in his mad fit again, that should have been with him in his good mood, when he bid Moses and the people go? But, alas! the man was not altered: thus may be when a strong occasion comes, this, like an easterly wind to some of our ports, will bring in the tide of thy lust so strongly, that thy soul, that seemed as clear of thy lust as the naked sands are of water, will be in a few moments covered, and as deep under tlieir waves as ever. But the longer the banks have held the better ; yet shouldst thou never more be dnmk as to the outward fulfilling of the lust, yet this is not enough to clear thee from l)eing a hypocrite.
Secondly, Therefore let me ask thee, what was the great motive to take thee off? That may be as bad, in some sense, which keeps thee from the alehouse now, as that which heretofore drew thee to it. It is ordinary for one lust to spoil another's market : he that should save his money from drinking it, to lay on more finery on his back ; what doth this man do, but rob one lust to sacri- fice it to another ? Whether was it, (Jod or man, God or thy purse, God or thy pride, God or thy reputation, that knocked thee off? If any but God prevailed with thee, hypocrite is a name will better now become thee, than when in the alehouse. Again, if (Jod, what apprehensions of God were they that did it? Some, the wrath of God for some particvdar sin hath so shaked, (that as one scared with an a])parition in a room, will not lie there any more,) so they dare not, at least for a long time, be ac(juainted with that practice again : and as it is not the room, but the apparition, that the one dislikes ; so not the sin, but the wrath of God that haunts it, which the other flees from. In
g50 HAVING YOUR LOINS