The poor mans advocate, or, A treatise of liberality to the needy. Delivered in…The poore mans advocate, or, A treatise of liberality to the needy. Delivered in…

Reas. 1 First, it is a mere fruit of hypocrisy, that is, of that vice by which a man desireth to seem ⟨p. 63⟩good and not to be so; for because he would not seem to offend, he invents devices and shifts: if the answer should be down-right, I know it is a duty, but I will not do it, Such a flat opposition to conscience will make a man to be condemned of himself, but because he would maintain in himself an opinion of himself that he is good, and yet is not willing to be good in truth (and show it by doing the thing commanded, though his corruption stand never ⟨p. 64⟩so averse to it) therefore he seeks about for reasons to hide his eyes, to make him believe it is no duty, that he may at once both serve sin, and not be known to himself to serve it. As did the proud men to whom God sent Jeremiah with a commandment that they should not go down into Egypt but tarry in the land,¹ they would not seem so rebellious as to say, though God bid us tarry here yet we will not, but they hid their eyes by making themselves believe that ⟨p. 65⟩Jeremiah was enticed by Baruch to prophesy this against them, that he might deliver them into the hands of the Babylonians.

Reas. 1 First, it is a meere fruit of hypocrisie, that is, of that vice by which a man desireth to seeme ⟨p. 63⟩good and not to be so; for because hee would not seeme to offend, hee invents devices and shifts: if the answer should be downe-right, I know it is a duty, but I will not doe it, Such a flat opposition to conscience will make a man to be condemned of himselfe, but because hee would maintaine in himselfe an opinion of himselfe that he is good, and yet is not willing to be good in truth (and shew it by doing the thing commanded, though his corruption stand never ⟨p. 64⟩so averse to it) therefore he seekes about for reasons to hide his eyes, to make him believe it is no duty, that hee may at once both serve sinne, and not be knowne to himselfe to serve it. As did the proud men to whom God sent Ieremie with a commandement that they should not goe downe into AEgypt but tarry in the land,