72 What are no Signs PART JI. erite, as he does the Hope of a true Saint. The Devil is a greatEne- my to a true chriftian Hope, not only becaufe it tends greatly to the Comfort of him that hath it, but alfo becaufe it is a Thing of a holy, heavenly Nature, greatly tending to promote and cherifh Grace in the Heart, and a great Incentive to Strianefs and Diligence in the chrift.ian Life. But he is no Enemy to the Hope of. a Hypocrite, which above all Things eftablilhes his Intereft in him that has it. A Hypocrite may retain his Hopewithout Oppofition, as long as he lives, the Devil never difiurbing it, nor attempting to difturb it. But there is perhaps no true Chriftian but what has his Hope affaulted by him. Satan affaulted Chr:ift himfelf, upon this, whether he were the Son of God or no : And the Servant is not above his Mateer, nor the Difci- ple above his Lord ; 'tis enough for the Difc.iple, that is molt privi- ledged in this World, to be as his Matter. Fourthly, He who has a falle Hope has not that Sight of his own Corruptions, which the Saint has. A true Chriftian has ten Times fo much to dowith his Heart, and its Corruptions, as an Hypocrite : And the Sins of his Heart and Practice, appear to him in their Blacknefs ; they look dreadful ; and it often appears a very myfterious Thing that any Grace can be con- frftent with fuch Corruption, or fhould be in fuch a Heart. But a falle Hope hides Corruption, covers it all over, and the Hypocrite looks clean and bright in his own Eyes. There are two Sorts of Hypocrites : one that are deceived with their outward Morality and external Religion ; many of which are profefs'd Arminians, in the Doctrine of Juftification : And the other, are thofe that are deceived with falle Difcoveries and Elevations ; which often cry down Works, and Mens own Righteoufnefs,and talk much of free Grace ; but at the fame Time make a Righteoufnefs of their Difcoveries, and of their Humiliation, and exalt themfelves to Heaven with them. There two Kinds of-Hypocrites Mr. Shepard, in his Expofition of theParable of the ren Virgins, diftinguifhesby the Names of legal and evangelical Hypocrites ; and often fpeaks of the latter as the world. And 'tis evident that the latter are commonly by far the moft confident in their Hope, and with the molt Difficulty brought off from it : I have fcarcelyknown thelnftance offuch an one, in my Life, that has been undeceived. The chief Grounds of the Confidence of many of them, are the very fame Kind of Impulfes and fuppoled Revelations, (fometimes with Textsof Scripture, and fame- times without ) that fo many of late have had concerning future E- vents ; calling thefe .Impulfes about their good Eff.ate, the Witnefs of the Spirit ; intirely mifunderftanding the Nature of the Witnefs of the Spirit, as I Thai! thew hereafter. Thole that have had Vifions and Impulfes about other Things, it has generally been to reveal fuch Things as they are defirous and fond of _ And no wonder that Perfons who give heed to Inch Things, have the fame Sort of Vifions or Im- prefons
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