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…

Of all fools the hypocrite is the greatest; and the reason is, because he takes a great deal of pains in profession, and hath no good at all by profession: he ventureth himself many times in the world to persecution; he runs the hazard of his credit, of his estate, of liberty and life. What a fool is this to take so much pains, and subject himself to so many dangers in the outward profession of Christ, yet at last to lose the fruit and benefit of all? This folly must needs displease him: he shall at last see what an extreme fool he hath been, to trouble himself about that which bringeth him in no real good, but will really double and increase all evil upon him. No man sins at so dear a rate as the hypocrite.

Of all fools the hypocrite is the greatest; and the reason is, because he takes a great deal of pains in profession, and hath no good at all by profession: he ventureth himself many times in the world to persecution; he runs the hazard of his credit, of his estate, of liberty and life. What a fool is this to take so much pains, and subject himself to so many dangers in the outward profession of Christ, yet at last to lose the fruit and benefit of all? This folly must needs displease him: he shall at last see what an extreme fool he hath been, to trouble himself about that which bringeth him in no reall good, but will really double and encrease all evil upon him. No man sins at so dear a rate as the hypocrite.

A second translation takes the Noun (as we) for hope, and not for folly, and retains the former sense of the Verb; and so the words are thus, Whose hope shall loath him; that is,¹ The thing which he hoped for shall loath him; how loath him? It shall loath him, not formally, but equivalently, because it shall do that which man doth, when he loathes any thing; when we loath a thing, we flee or turn away from it; so, His hope shall hath him, that is, the thing which he hoped for shall flee far away, and quite depart, it will not come near him. Good shall remove from the hypocrite when he expects and makes after it. An hypocrite at once loathes true grace, and hopes for true comforts: but comfort here and glory hereafter shall loath him, heaven shall shut against him.