of them, and many a bitter gird he gives them: (forgetting that their Redeemer heareth all; who is coming with ten thousands of his Saints, to execute judgement upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their bard. fpeeches which ungodly finners have Spoken against him, Jud. 14. 15.) The humble, Spiritual, Heavenly · Believers, are they that condemn the Hypocrite by their lives: were it not for them, he could easily believe that he is a Saint himself, and fhall undoubtedly be faved. He looketh on the openly ungodly, but as the beauty-fpots of the Affemblies, that ferve to fet out the piety of fuch as he. If he faw no better then himself, he could easily take himself for one of the best. Every doted post and glow-worm, would be more refplendent and

obfervable,

obfervable, in the absence of all greater lights. They hate the fun for making their candle to be but a scarce-discerned fume. The life of a holy heavenly perfon, doth as much gall the confcience of the Hypocrite, and proclaim his mifery, and bear a terrible witness against him, as a fearching powerful Sermon doth. And therefore as it is a vexation to him to live under fuch a fearching Minifter, as is alwayes rubbing on the galled place, and caufing confcience to torment him before his time; fo is it a trouble to him to live among thefe heavenly believers, and to be dayly condemned by their lives,· and galled by their reproving pra&ices.

By this time you may fee the reason and use of the Hypocrites Religion: The Self-denying part of Religion he cannot abide: The life and power of it is above him E 3.

and

and feems against him: The fears of hell and gripes of conscience he cannot abide fome hopes of heaven he must have a while to keep him from defpair: And therefore he must have fome Religion to deceive his heart, and maintain his hopes. And therefore he fittethhis Religion to these uses, and takes up with fo much as will not much trouble him, or undo him in the world, or abfolutely forbid his finful pleasures. And though fometime he be afraid left the power and life of godliness will prove neceffary to his falvation; yet he revives his fainting hopes, by running for comfort to his lifeless form. The reft he hath no mind to; and therefore will hope to be faved without it, till his deceit have brought him to the place of defperation, where there is no hope. As the Merchant in a ftorm is loth to caft his goods into the fea, and therefore

therefore hopes he may fave himfelf and them, till he and they are drowned together; or as a Patient that abhors his Phyfick, or loves fome forbidden thing too well, is hoping ftill that he may fcape though he ufe the thing he loves, and forbear the medicine which he loathes, till he be paft remedy, and he confents too late, fo is it often with the felf-deceiving Hypocrite: he loves not this ftrict, and holy, and heavenly, and felf denying life and therefore he will hope that God will fave him without it, as long as he is Religious in a way that he accounts more wife,and lafe, and moderate, and comely, and fuited to the nature and infirmity of man; Thefe are his hopes, and to deceive his beart, by maintaining thefe, it is that he is Religions: till either Grace convert, or Justice apprehend him, and his hopes and he are smalE 4 lowed

lowed up, by convincing flames. and utter defperation.

IV. VVE

E are next to fhew you, in what refpect it is that this Religion is called Vain. And firft Negatively, it is not Vain to his own carnal ends, but to the true ends of Religion.

1. He intendeth by it the quieting of his own accufing confcience; and the keeping up his hopes of falvation, and keeping off the terrors of the Lord, and fo confequentially the deceiving of his own heart; and to thefe ends its not in Vain. Here he fitteth as quietly as if all were well between God and him; and heareth the threatenings as fecurely as if they concerned not him at all; and applyeth the promises as boldly as if he were one of the heirs of mife you would little think that

pro