.. 3'16 ofIlypocrijie in Religiow. La£Hy, Here is the efficacious argument againft hypocritie, For t~er..e i4 nothing covered that foatJ not be revt~~led,&c. This our Saviour fpake once or twic:e upon divers occafions, as .being a truth full or life and power. Now the queftion is, , Whlft u that h]pficri.Jie, -which u here forhidden .< for Matth.t6. the Apoflledothexpreffely interpret it of the doctrine of the Pharih:es·, and her( it feemeth to be of their heart-hypocrifie~ andnot dochinall. To open this confider, That the word leawn is ufed in the Scripture fometimes in agood fenfe 1 and f9mecimes in an evil; in agood fenfe~ fo Matth.13 33· The Word of God preached is compared to leaven bid in the meal; that as leaven little inquamity, yet is great in efficacy, and fo makes the whole iump ro taO.e of ir, when it bath dif– fufed its virtue : Thus tl1e Word of God, though meanand c6ntemptible, yet is of great life and vigor, able eo'put a~ew rclilh and favour upon the wt10le man, yea upon an whole· · Family~ an whole Town, an whole Nuion. But in ·the fe– cond place, it is more fHquenrly ufed in an'ill fenfe, and tb~n' it is applyed either to-errors and falfe doctrines, for they are - an t,lypocrific, .pretending to be of God, and having the CO• lour of divine truths. Thus· .JI1'~tth •.I6.r ·x. Gal. 5·9· Errors are like leaven, as well·aunahs, they quickly infect people,. and their contagion runneth over. a Nuicm immediatly. And fometimes this is applied eo f.nne 4nd WickJdne{fe, as 1 Cer. 5. 7· where either fin in the heart, or a wicked perfon fuffered in rhcChurch of Corinth, and not cafi ouc, is called the old I1Aven; and the Apofile doch plainly call it, the Hnleavet~ed · hread .of jincerit): So that leaven w:~s a fign of h~·pocrifie.. Now as God did univerfally prohibit all lea-ven, i·t was never to·be ~fed in any facrificc; fo hereby God would teach u5,. that all duties not performed in the truth and finccrity of grace, were aJrogccher abhorred by him, and wearc tO be a·t nrefull that we-throw that out of our hearts, before we go a-bout any cluty; as the lfratliteJ were to cle~nfc their hou. fcs from leaven, before they did eat the Paffeover. We c.berefore take roe leaven, the hyp.ocrifie here forbidden, in boah the fenfes, both doBrinall and praBicall: for Mt~tth.6. wuhere fee our.Sav-iour. p,rohibts all praflica.Jl h~pocrilie, in · · · · praying-·
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