praying, the sacraments of wilful sinners, especially when they choose sin as necessary to his service, are a scorn and mockery put upon the most Holy One; as if your servant should set dung and carrion before you on your table for your food: such offer Christ vinegar and gall to drink.

2. In all this, the weakest Christian that is sincere is of the same mind, saving that, in his ordinary course, he useth to place too much of his religion in controversies, and parties, and modes, and ceremonies (whether being for them or against them), and allow too great a proportion in his thoughts, and speech, and zeal, and practice; and hindereth the growth of his grace by living upon less edifying things, and turning too much from the more substantial nutriment.

3. And the seeming Christians are here of different ways. One sort of them place almost all their religion in pharisaical observation of little, external, ceremonial matters; as their washings, and fastings, and tythings, and formalities, and the traditions of the elders; or in their several opinions, and ways, and parties, which they call, 'being of the true church,' as if their sect were all the church: but living to God in faith and love, and in a heavenly conversation, and worshipping him in spirit and truth, they are utterly unacquainted with. The other sort are truly void of these essential parts of Christianity, in the life and power, as well as the former: but yet, being secretly resolved to take up no more of Christianity than will consist with their worldly prosperity and ends, when any sin seemeth

necessary to their preferment or safety in the world, their way is to pretend their high esteem of great matters, for the swallowing of such a sin as an inconsiderable thing; and then they extol those larger souls that live not upon circumstantials, but upon the great and common truths and duties, and pity those men of narrow principles and spirits, who, by unnecessary scrupulosity, make sin of that which is no sin, and expose themselves to needless trouble. And they would make themselves and others believe that it is their excellency and wisdom to be above such trifling scruples: and all is because they never took God and heaven for their all, and therefore are resolved never to lose all for the hopes of heaven; and therefore to do that, whatever it be, which their worldly interest shall require, and not to be of any religion that will undo them.

And three great pretences are effectual means in this their deceit. One is because, indeed, there are a sort of persons that tythe mint and cummin, while they pass by the greatest matters of the law, and that are causelessly scrupulous, and make that to be a sin which indeed is no sin: and when such a scrupulous people are noted by their weakness, and under dishonour among wiser men, the hypocrite hath a very plausible pretence for his hypocrisy, in seeming only to avoid this ignorant scrupulosity, and taking all for such who judge not his sin to be a thing indifferent.

Another great shelter to the credit and conscience of this hypocrite is, the charity of the best, sincerest Christians, who always judge rigidly of themselves

and gently of others. They would rather die than wilfully choose to commit the smallest sin themselves; but if they see another commit it, they judge as favourably of it as the case will bear, and hope that he did it not knowingly or wilfully; for they are bound to hope the best till the worst be evident. This being the upright Christian's case, the hypocrite knoweth that he shall still have a place in the esteem and love of those charitable Christians, whose integrity and moderation maketh their judgments more valuable: and then for the judgment of God he will venture on it; and for the censures of weaker persons, who themselves are censured by the best for their censoriousness, he can easily bear them.

And another covert for the hypocrite in this case is, the different judgments of learned and religious men, who make a controversy of the matter: and what duty or sin is there that is not become a controversy? Yea, and among men otherwise well esteemed of, except in the essentials of religion. And if once it be a controversy, whether it be a sin or not, the hypocrite can say, I am of the judgment of such and such good, learned men; they are very judicious, excellent persons, and we must not judge one another in controverted cases: though we differ in judgment, we must not differ in affection. And thus, because he hath a shelter for his reputation from the censures of men, by the countenance of such as accompany him in his sin, he is as quiet as if he were secured from the censures of the Almighty.

XL. 1. A Christian indeed, is one that highly valueth time. He abhorreth idleness, and all diversions which would rob him of his time, and hinder him from his work; he knoweth how much work he hath to do, and of what unspeakable consequence to his soul, if not also to others; he knoweth that he hath a soul to save or lose ; a heaven to win; a hell to scape; a death and judgment to prepare for; many a sin to mortify, and many graces to get, and exercise, and increase; and many enemies and temptations to overcome; and that he shall never have more time of trial; but what is now undone, must be undone for ever. He knoweth how short and hasty time is, and also how uncertain; and how short many hundred years is to prepare for an everlasting state, if all were spent in the greatest diligence and, therefore, he wondereth at those miserable souls that have time to spare, and waste in those fooleries which they call pastimes; even in stage-plays, cards, and dice, and long and tedious feastings, delights, compliments, idleness, and overlong or needless visits, or recreations. He marvelleth at the distraction or sottishness of those persons that can play, and prate, and loiter, and feast away precious hours, as if their poor unprepared souls had nothing to do, while they stand at the very brink of a dreadful eternity, and are so fearfully unready as they are. He taketh that person who would cheat him of his time, by any of these forenamed baits, to be worse to him than a thief that would take his purse from him by the highway. O precious time! how highly doth he value it when

he thinks of his everlasting state, and thinks what haste his death is making, and what reckoning he must make for every moment: what abundance of work hath he for every hour, which he is grieved that he cannot do! He hath a calling to follow, and he hath a heart to search, and watch, and study; and a God to seek and faithfully serve, and many to do good to; and abundance of particular duties to perform, in order to every one of these: but, alas! time doth make such haste away that many things are left undone, and he is afraid lest death will find him very much behindhand; and therefore he is up and doing, as one that hath use for every minute; and worketh while it is day, because he knoweth that the night is coming when none can work. Redeeming time is much of his wisdom and his work; he had rather labour in the house of correction than live the swinish life of idle and voluptuous gentlemen or beggars, that live to no higher end than to live, or to please their flesh; or to live as worldlings, that lose all their lives in the service of a perishing world. He knoweth how precious time will be ere long in the eyes of those that now make light of it, and trifle it away as a contemned thing, as if they had too much.

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2. The weak Christian is of the same mind in the main but when it cometh to particular practice he is like a weak or weary traveller, that goeth but slowly and maketh many a stop. Though his face is still heaven-wards he goeth but a little way in a day; he is too easily tempted to idle, or talk, or feast, or play away an hour unlawfully, so it be not