An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…

And the hypocrites hope shall perish.

¹The word which we translate hypocrite, comes from a root that signifies close and covered, and by a Metaphor, polluted, defiled, contaminated, because an hypocrite, though he be outwardly covered, and beautifully painted over, yet his paint is a spot upon him. All painting is but a spot, in comparison of natural beauty. An hypocrite is not so much painted, as polluted. Hence he is called a vile person (Isa. 32.6.) The vile person will speak villainy, and his heart will work iniquity to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord. We have the character of hypocrites, Isa. 58.3. They daily call upon my Name as a people that would know the Lord: As a people; an hypocrite doth but play a part in religion, he doth but personate another; like an actor upon a stage, who puts forth the several postures and gestures of a King, when as himself is some mean fellow. An hypocrite is described acting a ⟨p. 83⟩double part; the one is, similation: he labours to appear what he is not, he would seem to have some good which he hath not.² And the other is, dissimulation; he labours, not to appear what he is, he would hide and cover the evil that he hath. An hypocrite is one who seems to be what he is not, and would not seem what he is. He is a Jew outwardly, and his religion, circumcision outward in the flesh, Rom. 1.18. He seems to be religious (Jam. 1.26.) He is a whited sepulchre (Mat. 23.27.) stately on the out-side, within nothing but rottenness and dead bones. The hypocrite hath a divided heart,