Chapter 3
Use. Here is a sharp Reprehension to such as are Alchemy Christians, who do only make a show of godliness: like Michal who put an Image in the bed, and so deceived Saul's Messengers, 1 Samuel 19:16. These our Savior calls whited Sepulchres. They do not Virtutem colere, but colorare. In ancient times a third part of the Inhabitants of this Island were called Picts, which signifies painted; 'tis to be feared they still retain their old name: How many are painted only with the Vermilion of a Profession, whose seeming lustre dazzles the eyes of beholders, but within there is nothing but putrefaction. Hypocrites are like the Swan, which has white feathers, but a black skin; or like the Lily, which has a fair color, but a bad scent. Revelation 1:3. You have a name to live, but you are dead. These the Apostle Jude compares to clouds without water, verse 12. They pretend to be full of the Spirit, but they are empty clouds; their goodness is but a Religious Cheat.
Question. But why do persons content themselves with a show of godliness?
Answer. This helps to keep up their fame. 1 Samuel 15:30. Honor me before the people. Men are ambitious of credit, and would gain repute in the world, therefore they will dress themselves in the garb and mode of Religion, that others may write them down for Saints. But alas, what is one the better to have others commend him, and his conscience condemn him? What good will it do a man when he is in Hell, that others think he is gone to Heaven? O beware of this; Counterfeit piety is double iniquity.
1. To have only a show of godliness is a God-enraging sin: he who is a pretender to Saint-ship, but his heart tells him he has nothing but the Name; he carries Christ in his Bible, but not in his Heart; some politic design spurs him on in the ways of God, he makes Religion a Lackey to his carnal Interest: What is this but to abuse God to his face, and to serve the Devil in Christ's Livery? Hypocrisy makes the fury rise up in God's face; therefore he calls such persons the generation of his wrath, Isaiah 10:6. God will send them to Hell to do penance for their hypocrisy.
2 To make only a show of godliness, is self-delusion. Ajax in his frenzy took Sheep for men; but it is a worse mistake to take a show of grace for grace. This is for one to put a cheat upon himself. James 1:22. Deceiving your own souls: He who has counterfeit Gold instead of true, wrongs himself most. The hypocrite deceives others while he lives, but deceives himself when he dies.
3 To have only a name, and make a show of godliness, is odious to God and man. The hypocrite is born under a sad Planet, he is abhorred of all. Wicked men hate him because he makes a show, and God hates him because he does but make a show: The wicked hate him because he has so much as a mask of godliness, and God hates him because he has no more, Acts 26:28. You have almost persuaded me to be a Christian. The wicked hate the hypocrite, because he is almost a Christian, and God hates him because he is only almost.
4 To be only Comets, and make a show of piety is a vain thing. Hypocrites lose all they have done. Their dissembling tears drop beside God's bottle, their Prayers and Fasts prove abortive. Zechariah 7:5. When you fasted and mourned, did you at all fast unto me, even to me? As God will not recompense a slothful, so neither a treacherous servant. All the hypocrite's reward is in this life, Matthew 6:5. They have their reward. A poor reward, the empty breath of men. The hypocrite may make his Acquittance, and write, Received in full payment. Augustus Caesar had great triumphs granted him, but the Senate would not suffer him to be Consul, or sit in the Senate-house. Hypocrites may have the praise of men, but though these triumphs be granted them, they shall never have the privilege to sit in the Senate-house of Heaven. What acceptance can he look for from God, whose heart tells him he is no better than a Mountebank in Divinity?
5 To have only a pretense of godliness, will yield no comfort at death. Will painted gold enrich a man? Will painted wine refresh him that is thirsty? Will the paint of godliness stand you in any stead? What were the foolish Virgins better for their blazing lamps, when they wanted oil? What is the lamp of Profession, without the oil of Grace? He who has only a painted holiness, shall have a painted happiness.
6 You who have nothing but a specious pretext and mask of Piety, expose yourself to Satan's scorn. You shall be brought forth at the last day as Samson, to make the devil sport. He will say, what is become of all your Vows, Tears, Confessions? Is all your Religion come to this? Did you so often defy the devil, and are you now come to dwell with me? Could you meet with no weapon to kill you, but what was made of Gospel-metal? Could you suck poison nowhere but out of Ordinances? Could you find no way to hell, but by seeming godly? What a vexation will this be, to have the devil thus reproach a man! 'Tis sad to be insulted over in this life; Cleopatra Queen of Egypt, when she saw she was reserved by the Enemy for a triumph, that she might avoid the infamy, put Asps to her breasts, and died. What then will it be to have the devil triumph over a man at the last day?
Let us therefore take heed of this kind of pageantry, or devout stage-play. That which may make us the more to fear our hearts, is, when we see tall Cedars in the Church worm-eaten with hypocrisy. Balaam a Prophet, Jehu a King, Judas an Apostle, all of them stand to this day upon record for hypocrites.
'Tis true, there are the seeds of this sin, in the best; but as it was with the Leprosy under the Law, all that had risings, or spots in the skin of the flesh, were not reputed unclean; and put out of the Camp: so all that have the risings of hypocrisy in them, are not to be judged hypocrites, for these may be the spots of God's children. But that which denominates an hypocrite, is, when hypocrisy is predominant, and is like a spreading humor in the body.
Question. When is a man under the regency and power of hypocrisy?
Answer. There are two signs of its predominance. 1 A squint eye, when one serves God for sinister ends. 2 A right eye, when there is some sin dear to a man, which he cannot part with. These two are as shrewd signs of an hypocrite, as any I know.
Oh let us take David's candle and lantern, and search for this leaven, and burn it before the Lord.
Christian, if you mourn for hypocrisy, yet find this sin so potent, that you cannot get the mastery of it, go to Christ, beg of him that he would exercise his Kingly Office in your soul; that he would subdue this sin, and put it under the yoke. Beg of Christ to exercise his spiritual Surgery upon you; desire him to lance your heart, and cut out the rotten, and that he would apply the medicine of his blood to heal you of your hypocrisy. Often make that prayer of David, Psalm 119:80. Let my heart be sound in Your statutes. Lord, let me be anything rather than an hypocrite. Two hearts will exclude from one heaven.
This is a sharp rebuke for those who are counterfeit Christians — people who merely put on a show of godliness. They are like Michal, who placed an image in the bed to deceive Saul's messengers, as we read in 1 Samuel 19:16. Jesus calls such people whitewashed tombs. They do not pursue virtue — they only paint it on. In ancient times, a third of the inhabitants of this island were called Picts, meaning painted people; it seems many still deserve that name. How many people are painted with the red glow of a religious profession, whose outward appearance dazzles onlookers, but inside there is nothing but rot? Hypocrites are like the swan, which has white feathers but black skin — or like the lily, which has a beautiful color but a foul smell. Revelation 3:1: You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. The apostle Jude compares such people to clouds without water, in verse 12. They claim to be full of the Spirit, but they are empty clouds — their goodness is nothing more than a religious fraud.
Question: But why do people settle for a mere show of godliness?
Answer: It helps protect their reputation. 1 Samuel 15:30: Honor me before the people. People crave respect and want a good name in the world, so they dress themselves in the outward style of religion so that others will regard them as saints. But what good does it do to have others praise you while your own conscience condemns you? What will it matter, when a man is in hell, that others thought he had gone to heaven? Beware of this — counterfeit piety is double wickedness.
1. To have only a show of godliness is a sin that provokes God's anger. The person who claims to be a saint, but whose heart tells him it is only a name — who carries Christ in his Bible but not in his heart, and who uses religion as a servant to his own selfish purposes — what is that but abusing God to His face and serving the devil in Christ's clothing? Hypocrisy stirs up God's fury; He calls such people the brood of His wrath in Isaiah 10:6. God will send them to hell to face the consequences of their hypocrisy.
2. To make only a show of godliness is to deceive yourself. Ajax in his madness mistook sheep for men — but it is a far worse error to mistake a show of grace for actual grace. This is to pull off a con on yourself. James 1:22: Deceiving your own souls. The person who holds counterfeit gold in place of true gold cheats himself most of all. The hypocrite deceives others while he lives, but deceives himself when he dies.
3. To have only the name and outward show of godliness is hateful to both God and other people. The hypocrite is born under an unfortunate star — everyone despises him. Wicked men hate him because he puts on a show, and God hates him because he does nothing more than put on a show. The wicked hate him for wearing the mask of godliness, and God hates him because it is only a mask. Acts 26:28: You have almost persuaded me to be a Christian. The wicked hate the hypocrite because he is almost a Christian, and God hates him because he is only almost.
4. To be nothing more than a flash of light — like a comet — and to make only a show of piety, is a futile thing. Hypocrites lose everything they have done. Their fake tears fall outside of God's bottle; their prayers and fasts prove worthless. Zechariah 7:5: When you fasted and mourned, was it really for Me, even for Me? Just as God will not reward a lazy servant, neither will He reward a deceitful one. All the hypocrite's reward comes in this life, as Matthew 6:5 says: They have their reward. A poor reward it is — just the empty praise of men. The hypocrite can write out his receipt and mark it, Received in full payment. Augustus Caesar was granted great military triumphs, but the Senate would not allow him to serve as consul or sit in the Senate house. Hypocrites may receive the praise of men, but even if those triumphs are granted, they will never have the right to sit in the Senate house of heaven. What acceptance can a man expect from God when his own heart tells him he is nothing but a con artist in the things of God?
5. Having only a pretense of godliness will give no comfort at death. Will painted gold make a man rich? Will painted wine satisfy someone who is thirsty? Will the paint of godliness do you any good in the end? What good were the bright lamps of the foolish virgins when they had no oil? What is a lamp of outward profession without the oil of grace? The person who has only a painted holiness will have only a painted happiness.
6. You who have nothing but a fine-looking mask of piety are exposing yourself to Satan's ridicule. At the last day you will be brought out like Samson — to give the devil sport. He will say: What has become of all your vows, tears, and confessions? Is this where all your religion has led? You so often defied the devil — and now you have come to live with me? Could you find no weapon to destroy yourself but one made of gospel material? Could you draw poison from nowhere but the means of grace? Could you find no road to hell but by seeming to be godly? What a bitter thing it will be to have the devil reproach a man like this! It is terrible to be mocked in this life — Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, when she saw that the enemy had reserved her for a public triumph, chose to press asps to her chest and die rather than endure the shame. What then will it be to have the devil triumph over a man on the last day?
Let us therefore beware of this kind of pageantry and devout play-acting. What should make us all the more watchful over our own hearts is the sight of towering men in the church rotted through with hypocrisy. Balaam a prophet, Jehu a king, Judas an apostle — all of them stand on record to this day as hypocrites.
It is true that the seeds of this sin exist even in the best of God's people — but just as under the Old Testament law, not everyone with raised skin or spots was declared unclean and put out of the camp, so not everyone who has traces of hypocrisy in them should be judged as a hypocrite, for these may simply be the blemishes of God's children. What makes a true hypocrite is when hypocrisy is the dominant force in a person — like an infection spreading through the body.
Question: When is a person under the control and power of hypocrisy?
Answer: There are two signs of its dominance. 1. A crooked eye — when someone serves God for self-serving motives. 2. A prized sin — when there is some sin a person holds dear and cannot give up. These two are as reliable signs of a hypocrite as any I know.
Let us take David's candle and lantern, search for this leaven, and burn it before the Lord.
Christian, if you grieve over hypocrisy yet find this sin so powerful that you cannot overcome it, go to Christ and ask Him to exercise His kingly authority in your soul — to subdue this sin and bring it under control. Ask Christ to perform His spiritual surgery on you; ask Him to open up your heart, cut out what is rotten, and apply the medicine of His blood to heal you of your hypocrisy. Often pray David's prayer from Psalm 119:80: Let my heart be sound in Your statutes. Lord, let me be anything rather than a hypocrite. A divided heart has no place in heaven.
