An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

There is reason to administer comfort to wounded Souls from the lowest measures of Grace,¹ and no less to pluck down the proud Plumes of Hypocrites from the inward and pure spirituality of Religion: Our Saviour doth both, he gave out gracious Promises to mourners, and to the poor in spirit, and he poured out woes upon the Pharisees, and upon all the pomp of their external righteousness: But, saith the Author, they do so magnify the attainments ⟨p. 558⟩of Hypocrites, that a sanctified man can do no more than an Hypocrite; and so all the evidences of Sanctification are spoiled: But how so? do they paint the Hypocrite fairer than he is? Do they attribute to him a jot or tittle more than what is true? No surely, an Hypocrite may be no Drunkard, or Swearer; he may escape the pollutions of the World; that is, gross sins; and, though he be not entangled therein again; and so a Swine in his outward converses: yet he may be such inwardly, his inward parts may be wickedness and uncleanness: He may live a blameless, innocent, honest, smooth life, and yet be foul within: He may fast, pray, hear, read the Scriptures, and yet his heart not right in the sight of God: He may have some kind of sorrow or repentance, some kind of love to good men; and yet like the foolish Virgins have no Oil in his Lamp; no true Grace with his profession: He may have a notional knowledge, and yet not be Sanctified by the Truth: He may keep a Sabbath in the outward decorum of it; and yet want the Spirit and Life of it, a delight in the Almighty: He may have some kind of zeal, and some ⟨p. 559⟩desires after Heaven; and yet not of the right stamp: He may presume that he hath a good heart, and a godly course, and be deceived in both, all this is true: Now one Truth cannot oppose another: The truth which concerns the attainments of Hypocrites, cannot oppose that which concerns the evidences of Sanctification: The outward reformation is an evidence, not merely as it is outward, but as it flows from Faith, and a pure heart: Fasting, prayer, hearing, reading are evidences, not merely in opere operato, in the work done; but in the doing of them in a Spiritual manner; Faith, and Hope, and holy Love being actuated therein: Keeping the Sabbath is an evidence, not merely in the outward observation of it: But when it is filled up with Duties, spiritually performed: