217. 1JireElions againft Hypocrifie. -------------------- Dirrl1. .... 9· 12. DireCt. 1· Place ~tot more in the external!, or mode,, or circunljl~;tctJ, or ccrml(miu of ~or- . ~~ jhip than U due ; and lay not out mori zeal f or indifferent or little thing1, than comcth to tbeirjhtlre; hut ;~~~:~or~~~-J~~ let ~he great jjtbjlantialJ of RcligWn have t~e precedencie 11nd be far preferred bifore tbem: let the Luve di:ms !doltOf God and m"a11 be the fum of your obedtence: And be fure you leam well what that rneanerh; l try which the will IJaVe mercy and not facrifice. And remember that the great thing which God requiretb of t:oneH Jcfuitc J'OU, if todo J,~fiice, aml love mercy tmd walJt lmmbly with y our God. Drftroy not bimn•itb j our meat Acofla0 ( :ts f or whom Cbrifl dyed. Call not for fire from Heaven upon diifenters; and think not every man in– f~r~~th~Jr~~ to.llerablc in fhe S:hur~h, tha~ is not in eve!y little m~t~er ~f your mind. .Remember ~h.at the hypo– c. 1t. p 4il· cr1fie ot the Phanfees JS dcfcnbed by Chr11t, as conhfhng m a zeal for thetr own tradmons and the [l~ut rou mull: inventions of men,· and the fmallefi maci:ers of the Ceremonial Law, with a negleCt of grcatefi moral dpwally ?1.ke duties, and a furious cruelty againll the fpiricual wortbipcrs of God. Math. 1): z, 1Yiry tk thy c~~, '.~:: :; di{ciples tranfgrifj the 1raditi01t of the Elders l for tluy .wajh 1Zot theirband1 when t'bry e.tt bretJd. v. 7· r~~~J~ccd Ye 1--f)·pocritcs weUdid Efaias prophefie of you faying, 1'hi4 people drawetb nigb Unto me with their mouth, inHcaJ of aild horrouretb me witb tbeir lips, but their heart U far from me: bzt~ in vai~t du they worfoip me teaching hurt fu\ ones, for dolirinu the commandment.; of men. Math. 23. 4 1 5, 6, J 3, 14, &c. They bind heavy burde;u, ~~~jl~~~;~d which tbry touch not tbcmfelves. .AU t!Jtir work._1 they do to be feen of mm : 7'hty ma~ broad theirpby– by ccrimoniu. laficria, and wlarge the bordeuof the"· garmenu; and love tbe uppermoft roomJ at feaft,, am/. the chief let the Pr:cils{eat! in tbe Synago,~ttCJ, and greetbtgJ in publici{_, and to be caUed Rabbi-EHt thry jhut up the King– per~wadc rhe dom of Heavm agai1tj! men, and were the greatefi enemies of the entertainment 9f rhe Gofj:lel by the ~:;'::;,~~:t people: They tytb:d. mint andannife an'd cttmmin, and omitted thegreat mauers of the Law, Judgement lmJgcs, .rof;l- and Afercy and Fazth. They jhtined at a gnat and fwaUowed a Camel : They had a great venerati-. rie~, gr:uns, on for rhe dead Prophet! andSaints, and yec were perfccuters and murderc:rs of their focctjfor 1 that andr:>rches, were living. v. 23, &c. By this defcriprion you may fee which way Hypocrific doth (llofi ordina– ~nhtte,h~ft r.ily wor~ : even ro a blin~ and bloody z~al fo~ opinions~ and tra~itions, and ceremonies and other Ch"'ch , Jiow- lmle thmgs, to the treadmg down the mterefl of Chnfl and hiS Gofpel, and a neglect of the Jjfe cth and uferh, and power of Godiinefs, and acruel pcrfecuting thofe fenants of Chrifi, whom they are bound to are very fit ~or love above their ceremonies. I marvel that many Papifis tremble not when they read the Character ~~;~h;ma~~- of the. Phari~es? But that hypocrifie is a hidden fin, and is an enemy to the light which would diftol them witb cover 1t. . · mlny prai{cs . in their popubr ·Sermons, that iollead of the old fupcrthdon thtr may·be ufed ro new aml religious figns. ] This is to quehch tft: tice W'ith oyl. Dirt/1.11· It is one of r.:~~::.yi~ ~· •3· Direct. 8. M•i<! con[cienct of the duties of obedience to [uperiors, and of jujlice and mercy tfJWardt men, MweU M of aUs of pitt'y to Gori. Say not a long mats m order to devpur a widows houfe , or a Chri£\ians life or reputation. Be equally exact in jujlice and mercy as yoU are in prayers. And labour as much to exceed common men in the one as in the other ! Set r_oUr feJve 5 tO do all the good you can to all, and do hurt to none : And do to all men as you would they lflould do to you. §. 14· Direct. 9· Be mttch more bufie about your.ftlves tban aboid others: and more cen[orious of your [eJvu than of other men) and more ftritl in the R.~for'!'in_g ofyou,.{elvu tbaiJ of any Other 1 • For this is the character of the lincere: When the Hypocrite IS httle at home: and much abroad; and is a [harp reprehender of others, and perniciouny tender and indulgent to himfclf. Mark his difcourfe in all companies and you £hall hear how liberal he is in his cenfUres and bitter reproach of others ? How fuch men and fuch men ( that dilfer from ·him, or have oppofed him, or that' he h.ates ) , are thus and thus faulty and b-ad and hateful : Yea he is aS great an accufer of his adverfaric. for Hypocrifie as if he were not an Hypocrice himfelf; Becau[e he can ~ccufe them of a Heart-fin wirh~ out any vifible control: If he ca.lled them Drunkard~, or Swearers, or Pcrfccutors, or Opprelfors, all that know them could know that he belyeth them : hut when he fpeaks about matteq in the dark, he thinks the reputation of his lies have more advantage. Many a word you hear from him, how bad his adverfaries arc, but if fitch hypocritical talk did not tell you, he would not reil you how bad he is himfelf. Qwmodo optimeac juf+iOimevi– vcmus. R.r[p• .li qux in ftnce re. afiis reprcbendimus ipli non faci2mus. To judge ofour fdvcs as we juJge of others, is the way of t~e Dirt[/. JO· ~· I 5• Direct 10. Ee impartial, and [et yollr [elves before J<l"' con[ciences in the Cafe of othm: Think with y01u felvcs : How fl10uld l Judge of this in fuch and fuch a man that l ufe to blame ? what fhould l fay of him if my adverfary did as l do ·?.And is it ndt as bad in me as in him ? Is not the fin mofi dangerous to me that is nearefi me? And £hould I be more vigilant over any mans faults than my own ? My damnation will not be caufed by hu fin; but by my own it may. lnilead of {eeing the gnat in his eye, I have more caufe to call out a gnat from my own rhan a camel from his. Djrc[l. 11 , ~· 16. DfrcCt. '.'· Study ftrft to be whauvtr ( judicioufly ) you dcfirc to fiem. Defire a thoufand times more to be Godly, than to[eem (o ; and to be hberal than to be thought fo ; and to be blamelefs ~f::~t~~i:~Jii. from every fecrcit or prefumptuous fin, than to be tfteemei:l fuch. And when you fctl a defire ;i~;;;;;;;;;~e fecit, ut f.acere vidtretur, fed quia aliter factrc: non poterat; cuiq; id folum vifum ell ra,icncm bahC'F, quod habcret Juftjt.i2m. vt/qWf PAUrfH/, t, z, fO
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