Foure Learned and Godly Treatises

p. 1THE CARNALL HYPOCRITE.

Having a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof, from such turne away.

IF you cast your eies into the first Words of the Chapter, in the first verse, you shall find the holy Apostle writing to Timothy p. 2his Sonne and Scholler, doth by way of Prophecy, and direction from God, discover the manifold dangers that would come to passe in the last dayes, and also annexeth the great danger in the 3, 4, 5. verses, he makes up as it were a Catalogue of those corruptions, that should harbour in their hearts, and discover themselves in the lives of wicked men, in the last age of the world, which is the age wherein we now live. In the 1. v. perilous dayes shall come, the reason of the trouble, and the ground of the misery, that the Spirit hath foretold, shall befall and be brought upon the world, it shall not be in regard of the punishment inflicted, but in regard of the sinne committed.

Among which sinnes, he reckons up the cursed dissimulation, that men should carry a faire shew outwardly, when they p. 3had a great deale of wretchednes and vilenesse in their hearts inwardly, that is one of the last, though not one of the least sins here reckoned up, thus farre the Apostle doth exhort Timothy to turne away from them.

Before we come to particulars,

take up the point in generall from these words as they stand in reference to the former.

The multitude of sins bring the dangerest times. When there are the greatest abominations committed, there is the greatest danger to be expected. For the danger of times lyeth not in regard of outward troubles but in regard of the manifold corruptions that are in us, and the many evils committed by us, when men are most wicked, then the time is most dangerous, for it is not the power of Satan, nor his wicked instruments, that can bring misery to p. 4the People of God, but the roote of all ruine lyeth within our selves, Iere. 2.19. Here is the evill, here is the venome of all afflictions, and the gall of all troubles, that we have forsaken the Lord, that his feare is not within our hearts, 2 Chron. 15.5. They were without blessings, because without God.

p. 4Instruction

Vse.

to teach us, how to procure comfort to our owne soules & to recover our Country & times out of those dangers that are threatned against us, its not meanes, nor men, nor policy, nor strength, that can doe it, til our evils be reformed. Let every man looke to his owne wayes, and reforme his owne corruptions, and turne from his evill courses, and then all dangers and inconveniences will turne away, and God will be a God to us, when they did eate and drinke, and did righteously, was it not well with them, I p. 5say no more, but remember it is Gods only wish, that it shold be thus with us. Isa. 48.18. O that thou hadst harkened to my Commandements! what then? what should we have got by it, marke then what followeth, thy righteousnesse had beene as a river, O why might it not be our wish too, that we that enjoy peace and plenty under our Soveraigne, may have the same still continued to us, still harken to God, and all things shall hearken to us, Hos. 2.21. If we would call and obey him, hee would heare. Mat. 11.23. This was the ground of the desolation of Sodome and Gomorrah, so that to humble, and to reforme our sinnes, is the best meanes to maintaine the safety of a Kingdome or Nation.

In the Verse observe two things first what Carnall Hipocrites and cursed dissemblers will doe, They have a forme p. 6but deny the power. Secondly, what the carriage of the Saints should be toward these, they should turne away, because they turne away from God, and the power of godlinesse.

First, the Hipocrite what he doth, he is onely the picture of godlinesse, as Machivel that cursed polititian speakes, hee would have a man to take up the name of vertue, because there is no trouble in it, no disquiet which comes by it, but hee would not have him take up the practise of it. So it is with an Hypocrite, it is easie to have a shew and appearance, but when it comes to the vertue, power, and strength of it, he cannot indure it.

Here is two things to be discovered, before wee come to the doctrine, first what is meant by godlinesse, secondly what is meant by a forme.

p. 6First, this word Godlinesse implyeth p. 7two things, first, the doctrine of Religion, which by the Apostles is called the doctrine according to godlinesse, secondly, that implyeth that gracious frame of spirit, whereby the heart is disposed and the soule of a Christian is fitted to expresse some gratious worke outwardly. For what the oyle is to the wheeles of a clocke, it makes them runne glibber, so godlinesse to the soule, when the soule is oyled and annointed therewith, it is fitted to performe any good duty.

Secondly, what is meant by the forme of godlinesse, I answer, the word forme or fashion, it is taken by way of resemblance, and similitude from outward things, it is nothing else but that outward appearance, that any thing hath, discovering the nature and being of it. We use to say, that he hath the guise of his behaviour, and the proportion p. 8of such a ones carriage, though he hath not the like disposition of minde, so in this case a carnall Hipocrite may have the guise and portraiture or the outward profession of a childe of God, that what a holy heart doth expresse outwardly, hee may expresse outwardly. Looke as it is among stage players, the stage-player puts on brave apparell, and comes on to the stage, and resembles the person of a King, and acts the part of a Monarch, but if you pull him off the stage, and plucke his roabes from his backe, hee appeares in his owne likenesse, so it is here, a carnall Hipocrite, a cursed dissembler is like a stage player, he takes upon him the person and profession of a godly, humble, lowly man, and he acts the part marveilous curiously, and hee speakes bigge words against his corruptions, and he humbles himselfe before p. 9God, and he heares, and prayes, and reades, but when God pluckes him off the stage of the world, and his body drops into the grave, and his soule goes to hell, then it appeares that he had not the power of g◊dlines, he was onely a stage-player, a stage professour. When Saul went to the witch to raise him up Samuel, the devill tooke upon him the guise of Samuel, but he was the devill, so many hipocrites, though they have the guise of holinesse, and the forme of godlinesse, yet there is no soundnesse, there is nothing but dissimulation within: Hence note this: