The counterfeit Christian, or, The danger of hypocrisy opened in two sermons

In the last place; The latter State of these Men is worse than the first. 1. Because God oftentimes leaves them to judicial Blindness, and to the hardness of their own Hearts: According as it is written, ¹God hath given them the Spirit of Slumber, Eyes that they should not see, and Ears that they should not hear, unto this day. Even thus, as God dealt with the Unbelieving Jews, or the People of that Generation, so I say he oftentimes deals with other formal Hypocrites, &c. and for the very same Cause. Doubtless it was for those Spiritual Sins, Unbelief and Hypocrisy, the Pharisees, and other People of Israel were rejected and cast off. And O what Wrath were they laid under! the Wrath of God (is said) to come upon them to the uttermost.

1. 1Rom. 11. 8.

Moreover, some of these false and counterfeit Professors, also fall into the very same Sins and horrid Abominations they were guilty of before they made any profession of Religion; nay, and they prove more vile and notorious in Wickedness than ever: It hath often been seen, that this sort of Men who forsake the Ways of God, which they seemed to own and profess, have at last appeared more impudent in Sin than the vilest Men, being ring-leaders to all lewd and cursed Practices and Deeds of Darkness; so that the same unclean Spirit returneth into some of them in the same shape also; though I cannot see any ground to believe it happens so to them all; for doubtless many of them retain their seeming Zeal, and external Profession of Religion and outward Holiness, until they die. Evident it is, our Saviour applies this direful Doom on the People of that Generation, viz. the Jews, particularly to the Scribes and Pharisees, see the 38th verse. Yet certain it is, many of them never turned to open Profaneness, but died in their Unbelief whilst they abode proud and zealous Pharisees. Yet I see no reason to question but this returning Devil, and those seven other Spirits more wicked, is applied to them as well as to others, who fell away from their seeming Piety and Profession. But of some of them especially it hath happened according to what St. Peter speaks,