other, as Herod, Pilate, and Judas were. And (3) that they are un- even-carried hearts ; they do not carry themselves evenly in all places, nor in all companies, nor at all times. Witness the scribes and pharisees. A sincere heart is like a die, which is every way even, and, like itself, turn it or throw it how you w\[\ : but the hypocrite is like the cameleon, that changes his colours — now he is this, and now he is that ; sometimes you shall have him an angel at home and a devil abroad, and sometimes a devil at home and an angel abroad. Hypocrites are like Cicero : they will speak to please Pompey and Ca3sar too.
(5.) Hypocrites will rather use spectacles to behold other men's sins, than looking-glasses to behold their own, Mat. vii. 3-5. Hypocrites mind not Oonradus' motto. Omnium mores, tuos wiprimis, observato, Observe all men's carriages, but especially thy own.
(6.) Hypocrites trade not with God upon the credit of Christ's love, blood, righteousness, and intercession, but upon the credit of their own prayers, tears, desires, and endeavours, Isa Iviii. 3.
(7.) Hypocrites usually hold not on in religious duties under the want of outward encouragements, and against outward discourage- ments, John vi. ^Q ; Job xxvii. 10.
(8.) Hypocrites are heartless in all religious duties, Isa. xxix. 13 ; Hosea vii. 14 ; Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 32.
(9.) Hypocrites are not only heartless in duties, but they are also })artial in duties. The less they will do, the greater they will not do, Mat. xxiii. 23. So Saul, Herod, Judas, and Pilate, &c. It shall suffice that I have named these things. Let us now come to the uses of the point, which is the main thing that I have in my eye.
Beloved, God hath in a very eminent manner made good this truth to a dissembling nation before all the world, even upon them that in the pride of their hearts did say, We have them in Essex's pound, and that did debate what terms to offer to your army for the delivery up of your arms. I confess, God hath all along made my soul tender of them that fear his name in that nation, so that I have improved that interest that I have in heaven for their good ; yet I say for the generality of that nation, they are known round about to be a dissem- bling nation. And truly what I have seen them lately act, is but suit- able to that character that is given of them in those parts where I have travelled.
But the main tiling that my heart is most upon is to present unto YOU those choice things that the great and glorious ajipearance of God against the hypocritical nation, and for your safety, does bespeak of you ; and they are these: —
[1.] First, Thanl-fulness. Oh bless that God that hath given you life, when your enemies had passed upon you the sentence of death. Of all the mercies that you have had, is not this the most big-bellied mercy ? Ah, the mercies that are in the belly of this mercy, tl;e city mercy, the country's mercy, the family mercies, the soul mercies, that are in the belly of this merc}"^ ! Are not all your former mercies, and all future desired mercies, to be found in the belly of this mercy? Besides, is it not an unexpected mercy ? Your army at that time
Is A. X. 6.] DETECTED, ANATOMIZED, ETC. 379
did not expect it till they were engaged ; many of your friends here did not at that time look for it ; and most men, when the first news of it came, could not believe it. And will not you be thankful for it ? Was it not a mercy that came in after solemn appeals and prayers made to the God of your mercies, that he would deal with you accord- ing to the righteousness of your cause, and according to the upright- ness of his people, that were in their sincere desires and endeavours tender of his glory ? And will you not be thankful for it ? Was it not a mercy given in upon the account of Christ pleading at the right hand of his Father, for them that were as sheep appointed for the slaughter ? And will you not be thankful for it ? Has not his giving in of this mercy been a means to weaken the hands, the hopes, the counsels, the strength of your enemies ? And will you not be thankful for it ? Has not the giving in of this mercy given you a further and a greater advantage to honour God, and lift up Christ, and make sure the things that belong to your peace, and to do good to the saints, and to serve your generation ? And will you not be thankful for it ? Can you look upon it as clothed with all its glorious circumstances, and not be thankful for it ? As God looks upon his people's sins, so they should look upon his mercies : he looks upon their sins as clothed with their circumstances ; they sinned at the sea, even at the Red Sea, Ps. cvi. 7. In the Hebrew it is at the sea, in the sea, when the waters were as walls, on their right hand and on their left. Now as God looks upon his people's sins as clothed with circumstances, so should you look upon all his mercies as they are clothed with circumstances. 0 beloved, to have so great a mercy at such a time, when your enemies were strongest, and your army weakest, and under many wants, and temptations, and weaknesses, &c., this should engage you to everlasting thankfulness. That worms and dead men should thresh the mountains, is a mercy that bespeaks the greatest thankfulness ; and yet, oh how few are there that return thanks to God for this mercy ! Amongst the ten lepers that were cleansed, one returned to give thanks ; but were it not well if there were one out of twenty that in good earnest did return thanks for this so great a mercy ? A thankful man is worth his weight in gold. Most men are like the philosopher that forgot his own name ; so most men in our days forget their own mercies. Too many are like Pytha- goras' scholars, that speak not in five years, or rather, like the dumb man in the Gospel, they speak not at all. Many men in our days have a spiritual palsy in their tongues, so as they cannot call mercies mercy ; but, with the murmuring Israelites, they call mercies miseries, and saviours destroyers, and deliverers murderers. When the Jews would not be thankful for mercies, the prophet calls out, ' Hear, 0 heavens, and hearken, 0 earth,' Isa. i. 2 ; and Jeremiah calls out, ' O earth, earth, earth,' Jer. xxii. 29 ; and Micah calls out to the mountains, and the foundations of the earth, chap. vi. 2. And truly if for this mercy you will not be thankful, I think the heavens and the earth, and the foundations thereof, will another day be witness against you. The manifestations of God in his providence are the most precious things in the world ; and had we as many tongues as Argus had eyes, they were all too little to set forth the goodness of God for
380 THE HYPOCRITE [ISA. X. G.