Englands duty under the present gospel liberty from Revel. III, vers. 20

First, Because Hypocrisy is so odious and abominable a sin that men are loath to own and acknowledge it how guilty so ever they be of it. What, dissemble with God, and play the Hypocrite with him; 'tis so black and foul a Crime that men cannot ⟨p. 24⟩easily be brought to charge themselves with it▪ They may have the infirmities which are common to the best of men, but yet they are no hypocrites, thus Pride of Heart casts a chain upon this conviction, and binds it that it cannot do its work.

First, Because Hypocrisie is so odious and abominable a sin that men are loath to own and acknowledge it how guilty so ever they be of it. What, dissemble with God, and play the Hypocrite with him; 'tis so black and foul a Crime that men cannot ⟨p. 24⟩easily be brought to charge themselves with it▪ They may have the infirmities which are common to the best of men, but yet they are no hypocrites, thus Pride of Heart casts a chain upon this conviction, and binds it that it cannot do its work.

Secondly, 'Tis a cheap and easy way to give God the external Service and Worship of the Body, but Heart-work is hard work. To sit or kneel an hour or two is no great matter, but to search, humble, and break the Heart for sin; to work up the dead and earthly Affections into a spiritual heavenly frame, this will cost many an hard tug. 'Tis no severe task to sit before God as his people, whilst the fancy and thoughts are left at liberty to wander which way they please, as the thoughts of formal Hypocrites use to do, Ezek. 33. 31. but to set a watch upon the heart, to summon in the Thoughts to God, to retract every wandering thought with a sigh; this is difficult, and the difficulty overpowers conviction of duty.