The upright mans character and crown. Preached in a sermon at Pauls before the…

The hypocrite serves God, 1. For gain. He looks at the emoluments¹ and profits which come in by Religion; 'tis not the power of godliness the hypocrite loves, but the gain of godliness; 'tis not the fire of the Altar, but the gold of the Altar which he adores. This is a religious wickedness. ^*Ephraim is an heifer that loves to tread out the corn, Hosea 10. 11. God made a Law▪ Deut. 25. 4. that the ox, while he was treading out the corn, should not be muzzled, he might eat as much as he would. Ephraim liked this; hypocrites love Religion for the provender it brings; 'tis the loaves not the miracles draw them to Christ▪ Demetrius ⟨p. 16⟩cries up the goddess Diana, Act. 19. 27. but it was not her Temple but her silver shrines he cared for; many fall in love with Religion, not for her beauty, but her jewels. Camero of Bordeaux a French Divine speaks of a Lawyer in his time, who turned Protestant, only for worldly respects, that he might get preferment. There's a story of a Monk, who went like a mortified man with his eyes down upon the ground, who afterwards was made Abbot; and being asked why he went in that submissive lowly posture with his eyes down? saith he, I was looking for the keys of the Abby, and now I have found them. The Moral of it is good: The Hypocrite doth sacrifice Deo, & lari: while he serves God, he seeks himself; like the wasp that comes to the galley-pot for the honey; or the Fox which follows the Lion for the prey he lets fall. The hypocrite makes use of Religion ⟨p. 17⟩only as the fisherman doth of his net to catch preferment.

The hypocrite serves God, 1. For gaine. He looks at the emoluments¹