An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of…

Secondly, as this hypocrite doth evil upon design, so also he doth good with a wicked mind. It is possible for a man to do good unsincerely, or not to be sincere in the doing of it, and yet not to do it with a wicked mind and purpose, or with a base design. There are many who do good, who come to duty, whether in ⟨p. 258⟩family or congregation, who mind not what they do, nor have any love to it, or zeal for it; here is hypocritical attendance, in that they set not themselves to meet with God or find God in the duty; yet possibly such come not with a wicked purpose, nor with a plot in their heads in doing these duties, that's proper to the hypocrite in heart. Thus we may understand that of Solomon, lately opened upon another occasion, (Prov. 21.27.) The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord; how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind! A man may be wicked as to his state, yet not do a thing with a wicked mind, not bring a sacrifice (which includeth all holy services) with an unholy purpose: but the hypocrite in heart when-ever he doth any good, hath a plot in it; as he always serves God with a reserve, he hath somewhat that he doth with-hold, he cometh by halves, so he always serves God with a design. He may make a fair show, and a great noise in profession, but ever he hath some end of his own in it. Jehu said, Come see my zeal for God. He was about a good work, the destroying of Ahab's House, and Baals Priests, this he called zeal for the Lord; but he did all this with a wicked mind; for the great thing upon his heart was to get into the Throne, •o be a King, he made use of all those specious acts of zeal only as a stirrup to raise himself into the saddle, the matter he aimed at was to establish the kingdom of Israel to himself and his posterity. That's a second thing; as the hypocrite doth evil purposely, so when he doth good he hath a purpose, a plot in it, more than is good; he doth it not, either for the honour of God, or for the enjoyment of God, which are the best ends of every good action, and without a pure eye, without which no action, how good soever in it self, is good to, or turns to the good of the actor.

Secondly, as this hypocrite doth evil upon design, so also he doth good with a wicked mind. It is possible for a man to do good unsincerely, or not to be sincere in the doing of it, and yet not to do it with a wicked mind and purpose, or with a base design. There are many who do good, who come to duty, whether in