Gods husbandry

Again,¹ the hypocrite will show kindness and mercy, and charity to his friends; or such as have never done him any great matter of wrong; or if they have made him amends, and repaired the breaches of amity by some proportionable submission or benefit. But for his enemy that hateth him, that persisteth to wrong him, that for the present seeketh to do him hurt, he cannot find in his heart to do him good, and scarce to practise righteousness, not at all kindness and mercy to such an one: yea, with the Pharisee, such is his model and square of living, that he will love his quiet neighbour, but hate his troublesome enemy as Christ doth tax them, for perverting the meaning of the Law. The true-hearted Christian standeth far otherwise affected; he remembereth,² that God did love him when he was an enemy; and therefore also for his sake he will never leave pressing himself, till he have brought his heart to love his enemy, and to do good to them, that do evil ⟨p. 64⟩to him; and not alone to deal squarely, but lovingly, kindly, mercifully, and (if need be) bountifully with his bitterest and most causeless adversaries. If his enemy hunger, he feedeth his enemy; if his enemy thirst, he gives drink to his enemy; if his enemy be fallen, he lifts him up; if wronged, he defends him; and so doing good there, where nature and reason is most averse from doing good; he shows himself perfect, as his heavenly Father is perfect, as our Saviour Christ exhorteth. Thus the extent of a sincere mans goodness doth distinguish it from the hypocrites, and (in one word) in such cases, and to such persons as he doth not, nor cannot, expect reward from men; yet the true Christian will execute mercy and judgement. The hypocrite ever faileth, where human motives fail. And so for works of mercy and justice, we have showed what odds betwixt the sincere and guileful; there are also exercises of piety and religion, wherein the hypocrite is often very forward. Let it not seem out of place that I here speak, what I forgot before.³ For of the close and gross hypocrites, there are two kinds that must be distinguished each from other, because their differences are remarkable.