saries that oppose it; and so may be eminently useful in his generation.

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2. He that is but religious in vain, may be frequent in the worshipping of God; and may" seek him daily, and delight to know his ways, and to approach him, and ask of him the ordinances of justice," as if he were one of the people that "did righteousness," and "forsook not the ordinances of their God." (Isaiah lviii. 1, 2.) He may be oft in fasting, and punctual in keeping holy days and ceremonies, (as verse 3, Isaiah i. 12-15; Luke xviii. 11-13.) and exercise much severity on himself, X" after the commandments and doctrines of men, in things that have a show of wisdom, in will-worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body, not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." (Col. ii. 20-22, 13.) Though he be slow-paced in the right way, he is swift in his mistaken paths. Though he liketh not preciseness, zeal, and forwardness, in the spiritual works that God prescribeth, yet, when it comes to his own, or other men's inventions, he will be religious and "righteous overmuch," (Eccles. vii. 16.) and forward, to offer the sacrifice of a fool, that considereth not that he is but doing evil, while he thinks to please God with the sacrifice of his services, though he turn away his ear from an obedient hearing the word that should direct him. (Eccles. v. 1, 2; Prov. xxviii. 9.)

3. He that is but religious in vain, may see the evil of discord and divisions, and inveigh much against schismatics, and see the excellencies of unity and peace; and therefore may join himself with the visible catholic church, and with the christians and congregations that are most for unity. There have always been hypocrites in the most orderly peaceable societies of believers, and still will be.

4. The self-deceiving hypocrite is oft-times very sensible of the evil of vertiginous mutability in religion; and, therefore, he may be much resolved to continue what he is, and may cast many a jeer at the weather-cocks of the times, and the unconstancy and levity of ignorant or temporising men; and may stand to his party and profession, against much opposition, as glorying in his constancy, and being ashamed to be thought a changeling, or such a turn-coat as others whom he merrily derideth.

5. An hypocrite that hath no other religion but delusory and vain, may observe the weaknesses of persons that are of lower education and parts, and may loath their indiscretion in

conference and behaviour, and their unhandsome expressions in prayer and other duties, and shake the head at them, as silly, contemptible, self-conceited fellows; and his heart may rise against their disorder, tautologies, and affectations: and it is like enough that hereupon he will jest at conceived prayer, or extemporate (as they call it), and bless himself as safe in his parrot-like devotions, because the same Spirit teacheth not fine words and rhetorical language to all that it teacheth to pray with unutterable sighs and groans, (Rom. viii. 26, 27;) though the Searcher of hearts (who is not delighted with compliments and set speeches) doth well understand the meaning of the Spirit.

5. The self-deceiving hypocrite doth frequently pretend to be a man of moderation in matters of religion, as distasting the hair-brained zealots, as he counteth them, that cannot be content to have their faith and religion to themselves before God, and to live and talk as others do, but must be singular, and make a stir with their religion, and turn the world upside down. The true zeal of the godly is usually distasteful to him, and the corrupt zeal of schismatical persons doth cause him to bless himself in his lukewarmness, and to take his most odious indifferency, and want of fervent love to God and his holy ways, to be his virtue.

6. This self-deceiving hypocrite doth frequently pretend to an exceeding great reverence in the managing of the outward part of worship; and to an extraordinary zeal about the circumstantials of religion. He accounts them all schismatical and profane that place not as much of their religion as he doth in gestures and forms and other accidents of worship, acquainting us that the pharisaical temper in religion is natural, and will continue in the world.

7. If the temptation of the hypocrite lie on the other side, he can withdraw himself into some small or separating society, and place his religion in the singularity of his opinions, or in the strictness of the way and party that he owneth, and in his conceited ability in his conceived or ready expressions in prayer; and can cry out as much upon the formalist, as the formal hypocrite upon him, and glory in his zeal, as the other in his moderation. It is in the heart that hypocrisy hath its throne, from whence it can command the outward acts into any shapes that are agreeable to its ends; and can use materials of divers natures, as the fuel and nutriment of its malignity. And whatever party such are

joined to, and whatever way they have been trained up to, whether formality, or schism, or more regular, sober, equal, ways, in all of them their religion is but vain, and they do but deceive themselves by all.

8. The religion that is but delusory and vain, may be accompanied with much alms, and works of seeming justice, and charity. (Matt. vi. 1, 2; Luke xviii. 11, 12.) He may have many virtues called moral; and be a man of much esteem with others, even with the best and wisest, for his seeming wisdom, and piety, and justice. He may be no extortioner, unjust, adulterer, but as to gross sins seem blameless, (Luke xviii. 11, 12; Phil. iii. 6,) and be much in reproaching the scandalous lives of others, and thank God that he is none such. (Luke xviii. 11.)

9. He that hath but a vain religion, may, in his judgment, approve of saving grace, and like the more zealous, upright, self-denying, heavenly lives of others; and wish that he might die their death, and wish himself as happy as they, so it might be had on his own terms; and he may have some counterfeit of every grace, and think that it is true. (Numb. xxiii. 10; Jam. ii. 14, &c; 1 Cor. xiii. 1-3; Mark v. 20.)

10. None will be more forward to call another hypocrite, than the hypocrite; nor to extol sincerity and uprightness of heart and life. And thus you see what this vain religion is made up with.

2. If you marvel what the hypocrite yet wants, that makes his religion delusory and vain, I shall now tell you, I hope, to your conviction and satisfaction.

I. For all his fore-mentioned religion, he wants the Spirit of Christ, to dwell as his sanctifier within him; and "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, the same is none of his." (Rom. viii. 9.) But because this is known by the effects, I add,

2. He wants that spiritual new birth, by which he should be made spiritual, as his first birth made him carnal. (John iii. 5, 6; Rom. viii. 6-8.) He is born of the will of the flesh, and of man, but not of God. (John i. 13.) From the first man Adam he is become a living soul, but by the second man Christ, the Lord from heaven, he is not yet quickened in the spirit. (1 Cor. xv. 45, 46.) He is not born again of the incorruptible seed, the word of God, that liveth and abideth for ever. (1 Pet. i. 23.) He is not yet saved by the washing of regeneration (save only as to the outward baptism) and by renewing of the Holy Ghost, which is shed by Christ

on all his members, that, being justified by his grace, they should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life, (Tit. iii. 5, 6.) They are not new creatures, old things being not past away, and all things with them become new: and therefore it is certain they are not in Christ. (2 Cor. v. 17.) They have not put off the old man with his deceitful lusts, and deeds, nor have they put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness, and true holiness. (Eph, iii, 22—24 ; Col. iii. 9, 10.) They have but patched up the old unsanctified hearts, and smoothed over their carnal conversations with civility and plausible deportment, and so much religion as may cheat themselves, as well as blind the eyes of others: but they are strangers to the life of God, (Eph. iv. 18,) and never were made partakers of the divine nature, which all the children of God partake of, (2 Pet, i. 4,) nor of that holiness, without which none shall see the Lord. (Heb, xii. 14.)

3. Though he make a slight and customary confession of his sins, unworthiness, and misery, yet he is not kindly humbled at the heart, nor made truly vile in his own eyes, nor contrite and broken-hearted, nor emptied of himself, as seeing himself undone by his own iniquities, crying out unclean, and loathing himself for all his abominations, weary of his sin, and heavy-laden, as all must be that are fit for Christ, Read Isa, lvii. 15, and lxvi. 2; Psalm li. 17, and xxxiv. 18; Lev. xiii. 44, 45; Ezek. xxxvi. 31, and xx. 43, and vi, 9; Matt. xi. 28; Rom. vii. 24.

4. This man's religion must needs be vain, for he wanteth the life of faith itself, and heartily believeth not in Christ. He hath but an opinion of the truth of Christianity, through the advantage of his education and company; and thereupon doth call him selfa Christian, and heartlessly talk of the mystery of redemption as a common thing; but he doth not with a humble, broken heart, betake himself to Christ as his only refuge from the wrath of God, and everlasting misery, as he would lay hold on the hand of his friend, if he were drowning, The sense of the odiousness of sin, and of the damnation threatened by the righteous God, hath not yet taught him to value Christ, as he must be valued by such as will be saved by him. These hypocrites do but talk of Christ, and turn his name as they do their prayers, into the matter of a dry and customary form. They fly not to him as the only physician of their souls, in the feeling of their festering wounds: they cry

not to him as the disciples in the tempest, "Save, Master, we perish." They value him not practically, (though notionally they do,) as the pearl for which they must sell all.'(Matt. xiii. 44-46.) Christ doth not dwell in his heart by faith, nor doth he long with all the saints to comprehend what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. (Eph. iii. 17—19.) He counteth not all things loss for Christ, and the excellency of his knowledge; nor doth he count them as dung, that he may win Christ, and be found in him, not having his own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ; (Phil. iii. 8-10;) nor can he truly say, that he desireth to know nothing but a crucified Christ, (1 Cor. ii. 2,) and that "the life that he now liveth in the flesh, he liveth by the faith of the Son of God, that loved him, and gave himself for him.” (Gal. ii. 20.) He is not taken up with that admiration of the love of God in Christ, as beseems a soul that is saved by him from the flames of hell, and that is reconciled to God, and made an heir of life everlasting. He hath not understandingly, deliberately, seriously, and unreservedly, given up himself and all that he hath to Christ; and thankfully accepted Christ and life, as given on the gospel terms to him. This living effectual faith is wanting to the hypocrite, whose religion is vain.

5. This vain religion doth never practically show the soul the amiableness and attractive goodness of God, so far as to win the heart to a practical observation of him, and adhering to him, above all; nor so far as to advance him, above all the creatures, in the practical judgment, will, and conversation; nor doth he cause the soul to take him for its portion, and prefer his favour before all the world, and devote itself and all unto his interest and will, and give him the superlative and sovereign honour, both in heart and life. (Psalm lxiii. 3, and xxx. 5, and iv. 6, 7, and xvi. 5, and xvii. 4; Matt. x. 37.)

6. This vain religion is always without that serious belief of the life to come, which causeth the soul to take it for its happiness and treasure, and there to set its desires and its hopes, and to make it his principal care and business to attain it, and to make all the pleasures and profits and honours of the world to stoop to it, as preferring it before them all. (Matt. vi. 20, 21, and ver. 33; Luke xviii. 22, 23, and xiv. 33; Col. iii. 1—5 ; Phil. iii. 18-20.) The hypocrite taketh heaven but for a reserve, and as a lesser evil than hell, and seeks it but in the