The Christian Described: the Hypocrite Detected

By Rev. THOMAS BOSTON.

(Continued from page 74.)

Consider to which of the two sorts you belong, whether you be real Christians or not. Never value yourselves on the outward part or letter of religion, for you may have that and be stripped of all by apostacy to which you lie open, and will be turned out with the workers of iniquity at last, though you still keep on the mask. We must all appear before the tribunal of Christ. Study that religion which will be approved by Him there.—I now proceed to consider.

III. What is the outside and letter of religion, which only makes an outside Christian, and what is the inside and spirit of it, which makes a Christian?—Here I observe,

1. That the outside of religion is that part of it which lies open to the view of the world, by which men form their estimate, not God: 1 Sam. 16: 7, “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused him; for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” It comprehends all church privileges, duties, whether of doing or suffering, and attainments lying open to the view of men. Men may come a great length in this, and yet be nought in God’s esteem.—I observe,

2. That the letter of religion is that part of it which is agreeable to the letter of the law, whether in externals or internals. And it comprehends not only the outside, which is open to man’s view, but also internal dispositions, exercises and attainments, as to the matter of them; for example, Judas’s sorrow for sin, the stony ground’s joy at receiving the seed of the Word, and the hypocrite’s delight in approaching to God, Isa. 58, which have the matter, but not the form and manner, and so is like a body without the soul.—I observe,

3. That the inside of religion is that part of it which is open to the all-seeing eye of God, Matt. 6: 4, “That thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.” What persons go about, out of mere conscience towards God, as knowing that the world either is not, or cannot be witness to it, and though it was a witness, it does not know right or wrong; but such setting themselves in the presence of God, are carried in their duty as if the eyes of all the world were upon them, Acts 24: 16. But this is not all. I observe.

Lastly, That the spirit or spirituality of religion is the internal grace, joined to the external performance; it is the right manner, joined to the right matter of religion: John 4: 24, “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” 1 Tim. 1: 5, “Now, the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned,” as when heart-humiliation is joined with bending of the knees to God in prayer, and the duty is gone about from right principles, and directed to a right end.—It remains that,

IV. I confirm the doctrine,

That not the former, but the latter sort of religion, marks a true Christian, is evident, if we consider,

1. That there is nothing in the outside or letter of religion, but what one may reach in an unregenerate state, in which no man can ever please God, Rom. 3: 8. The hypocrite’s mask may take in the whole outward man, and the devil’s goats may resemble Christ’s sheep, in all but the hidden man of the heart. All these are but acts of moral discipline, not requiring a new nature from whence to spring, but may arise from the old corrupt nature, assisted by external revelation, and the common influences of the Spirit.—It will be farther evident, if we consider,

2. That the outside and letter of religion may be without any true love to God in the heart, which yet is the substance of practical holiness, and the comprehensive duty of the whole law: Ezek. 33: 31, “And they come unto me, as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.” Love to God makes all duties run in a right channel; but how can this be found, when the natural enmity is not overcome by regenerating grace? Self-love may supply its place, so far as the outside and letter of religion go, and that upon this principle, Job 3, “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.” This will also be evident, if we consider,

3. That the outside and letter of religion may consist with the reign of sin in the heart: 2 Tim. 3: 5, “Having the form of godliness, but denying the power of it.” Such in themselves are weak, and can never turn sin off the throne in the soul. Hence it is that every hypocrite is a slave to some lust or other; whatever be his attainments, this always remains true, Mark 10: 21. This kind of religion is ever like the legs of the lame, unequal. This is evident, if we consider,

4. That men are in religion only what they are before God, not what they are before men. When God directs Abraham to a holy walk, He says, “Walk before me.” Gen. 17: 1. If God did not observe the hearts, the insides of men, the principles of their actions, an outside religion would be sufficient. But what does it avail before the all-seeing God, to cleanse the outside of the platter, while the inside is full of ravening, while that is wanting which God chiefly requires and delights in? Psalm 51: 6, how is it possible that the man should be approved of God? This will be evident, if we consider,

Lastly, That the great difference of accepted and unaccepted performances, dispositions, etc., does not lie in the letter but in something else. Cain and Abel both offered, the one acceptably, the other not. Gen. 4: 3-5, where lay the difference? The apostle shows it, Heb. 11: 4, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness, that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” Peter and Judas both mourned, and we need not hesitate to say, that the mourning of the latter in itself was fully as hearty as that of the former, but they differed in their kind, the one was godly sorrow, the other was the sorrow of the world. The trial of men’s work is not on by what they have wrought, but how they have wrought: John 3: 21, “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

V. I now come to make some brief improvement.—We infer,

1. What are those Christians, who do not so much as approve themselves to men, by the outside and letter of religion. Those surely have nothing of God, and shall never see heaven, if they change not their course of life: Matt. 5: 20, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” How many are there among us this day, whose way of life is a scandal to Christianity, who are in the church, as boils, botches, and sores, are in the body, serving for nothing but to grieve the spirits of others who have any concern in them? What sort of Christians are prayerless persons, liars, Sabbathbreakers who loiter away whole Sabbaths, unclean persons?, etc. 1 Peter 4: 18, “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinners appear?” The day will come, when such will see that it had been their happiness to have lived and died among Pagans. We infer,

2. That those also are a sad sort of Christians, who, if they can approve themselves to men, make it none of their business to approve themselves to God: Rev. 3: 1, “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and are dead.” How many are there, with whom their credit goes farther than their conscience! And therefore, if they can carry their wickedness, so as none but God may see it, they value not his eye on them: Numb. 32: 23, “But if you will not do so, behold you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” This practical atheism will be bitterness in the end, when the day comes, when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to the gospel, Rom. 11: 16. Ah! how many cast a fair cloak of profession over reigning lusts; but beheld their end: Psalm 125: 5, “As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity; but peace shall be upon Israel.”