Your conscience will secretly reproach and vex you in the day of your calamity; when any judgement hangs over thy head, or any affliction comes near unto thee, then will thy conscience rise up, and gall and wound thee for thy close unevennesses and hypocritical practises of sin against thy better profession of holy walking. What the Prophet spake of the unjust gainer, He getteth riches, and not by right, he shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at the end he shall be a fool: That say I of the Hypocrite, he heaps up duty upon duty, works upon works, but the day of trial comes, and then he shall appear to be a fool. ⟨p. 250⟩Ah, vain man! to think there is not a day for the discovery of secrets, or that there is not a God who searcheth the hearts and reins, who greedily hunts after the applause and credit of men, and declines the approbation of the great Judge. O when thy accounts are to be presented and given up before the tribunal seat of the holy, and true, and terrible God; and thou shalt then say, O Lord, all the outward good I did, I did it only to get my self a name; all the services of Religion, I laboured in them only that men might think well of me: some of thy precepts I did like, but others I did not care for, because they thwarted my ends; much good I did, but it was only to cloak and cover the much secret evil which I did love, and in which I did walk: so many years I lived, and kept company with Christians, against whose powerful practise of holiness my heart did rise; many a time did their heavenly discourses find out and condemn my private lust, yet I bleared their eyes, I yet wrested with my conscience, I would not yet leave all my sins, and now woe is me! thou dost love truth in the inward parts, this I knew, yet I played the hypocrite. Nay, if more may be added, then take this, the Lord God after death will shut the door against such foolish persons who content themselves with lamps without oil, and do cry, Lord, Lord, have we not preached, &c. and heard thee in our streets, and yet were workers of iniquity. Look as the Lord takes notice of a mans Hypocrisy now, (so this people draws near unto me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me) so he will take notice of the Hypocrite hereafter, not only to shut heaven against him, but to cast him into everlasting burnings, Isa. 33. 14.
Your conscience will secretly reproach and vex you in the day of your calamity; when any judgement hangs over thy head, or any affliction comes near unto thee, then will thy conscience rise up, and gall and wound thee for thy close unevennesses and hypocritical practises of sin against thy better profession of holy walking. What the Prophet spake of the unjust gainer, He getteth riches, and not by right, he shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at the end he shall be a fool: That say I of the Hypocrite, he heaps up duty upon duty, works upon works, but the day of tryal comes, and then he shall appear to be a fool. ⟨p. 250⟩Ah, vain man! to think there is not a day for the discovery of secrets, or that there is not a God who searcheth the hearts and reins, who greedily hunts after the applause and credit of men, and declines the approbation of the great Judge. O when thy accounts are to be presented and given up before the tribunal seat of the holy, and true, and terrible God; and thou shalt then say, O Lord, all the outward good I did, I did it only to get my self a name; all the services of Religion, I laboured in them only that men might think well of me: some of thy precepts I did like, but others I did not care for, because they thwarted my ends; much good I did, but it was only to cloak and cover the much secret evil which I did love, and in which I did walk: so many years I lived, and kept company with Christians, against whose powerfull practise of holiness my heart did rise; many a time did their heavenly discourses find out and condemn my private lust, yet I bleared their eyes, I yet wrested with my conscience, I would not yet leave all my sins, and now wo is me! thou dost love truth in the inward parts, this I knew, yet I played the hypocrite. Nay, if more may be added, then take this, the Lord God after death will shut the door against such foolish persons who content themselves with lamps without oyl, and do cry, Lord, Lord, have we not preached, &c. and heard thee in our streets, and yet were workers of iniquity. Look as the Lord takes notice of a mans Hypocrisy now, (so this people draws near unto me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me) so he will take notice of the Hypocrite hereafter, not only to shut heaven against him, but to cast him into everlasting burnings, Isa. 33. 14.
