be plucked up, but doe them not to be feen. We must doe righteousness both privatly in our own confciences, and publiquely before men, as the Apostle fheweth, Provide for things honeft before all men, Romans the twelfth chapter. But the tares are to be avoided,that is, to be seen; ut videamini where we have a command, Firft, Chrift will not have us doe good works to this end, to be feen Secondly, That we may not, we must take heed; as if he thould fay, My will is, ye shall not give almes to this end, to be feen. Thirdly, That ye may avoid this fault, ye must take heed: Whereby he fignifieth that to doe almes to this end, to purchase praise to our felves, is a hurtfull thing. And to avoid this fault, is a matter of great difficulty.

For the first point, Chrift faith, When ye give almes, doe not blow a trumpet; when ye fast or pray let not all the world know of it, neither let the end be ut videamini. Touching which, we are to know, that our good works are not worse in themselves for being feen, but are the better; even as the goodneffe of a colour ftands in the lightneffe of it, fo our good works are more commended,if they be known: And they of themselves defire the light, as Chrift fheweth in John the third chapter and the twenty first verse: But fuch is our corruption, that if we think our works are known, we with our pride doe corrupt them. For as pride is the way to dry up the fountain of Gods grace,as James faith, God refifteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble, James the fourth chapter. So the fight of good works is a means to overthrow our humility. The Pharifees knew this full well, which purpofing to tempt Chrift, covered their hooks with praife, Seeing we know that thou art a teacher come from Gud, and regardeft no man, tell us, is it lawfull? Matthew the twenty fecond chapter: But Chrift, to teach us what a dangerous thing it is to be praised, would not accept their praife, but answered them, Why tempt yeme, Oye Hypocrites? And when one faid to him, Magifter bone, good Mafter, which was a praise of fimplicitie, not of hypocrifie, as the other, he refused it, and said, Why dost thou call me good? Mark the tenth chapter. When one faid, Bleffed is the womb that bare thee, he repelled that faying, Nay rather blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it, Luke the eleventh chapter and the twenty eighth verfe. For as the fhewing of the Kings treasure was the means of the betraying them, Isaiah the thirty ninth chapter; fo when we fhew our good works, with a defire to be prailed for them, it takes away all commendation from them:

This thing being dangerous, if notwithstanding we be defirous to have our good deeds feen, that shall be fulfilled which Sirach faith, He that loveth dangers shall perish therein, Qui amat periculum peribit in eo, cap 3:27. Butto diffwade us from this, the Apostle faith, Be not defirous of vain glory, Galatians the fift chapter, and Philippians the fe cond chapter and the third verle. The Preacher faith, all is vanity which men (eek after in this life, and therefore concludes, Time Deum, Ecclefiaftes the twelfth chapter, to teach us, that without God all the praise of the world is but vanity. Now as we fail in having refpe&t Uuu 2

to God: First, when we make not him the fountain of our praise : Secondly, if we make him not the end of it; fo in doing good works to be feen, we commit two vanities. First, when we content not our felves with this perfwafion, that God fees our works, and will reward them : unleffe man fee them and pifs us for them; The tryall, whether we make God the fountain of our praife, is if we feek it by wayes agreeable to his will, nor by wickedneffe. Secondly, not by vanity, for his delight is not in beautie, riches, or ftrength; he delighteth not in any mans Legs, in the hundred and fourty fixt Pfalme. Thirdly, not by falfhood, as the Apostle faich, I will not glory of any thing which the Lord hath not wrought by me, in the second to the Corinthians and the eleventh chapter: Hereby we shall feek the praise of God, rather than of men, in the twelfth chapter of John: nay though they feck praife by righteoufneffe and doing good works, yet they make not God the fountain of their praife: the Hypocrites when they would be praised, did those works that were molt glorious, as to offer facrifice in the temple, but they neglected mercy and justice, which are the chief things that God refpecteth, in the twenty third chapter of Matthew: They washed not their hearts, in the fifteenth chapter of Matthew, which God especially regardeth, but looked only to outward things; and they that doe mercy and juftice, which are the chiefthings of the Law, yet they will not doe them, but when they may be seen: Whereby they fhew,that they make not God the fountain of their praife; and fo the praise they seek for, is hatefull to God."

Secondly, this defire of vain glory is injurious to God; when we make not him the end of our praife, for we may doe good works coram, in the fight of men, but not with purpofe to have them feen, that fo we may receive glory For God hath given us the joyes and ufe of all his Creatures, but referveth the glory of them to himfelt: therefore the Apostle faith, howfoever ye have the joy of Gods Creatures in eating and drinking, yet let God have the glory : Doe all to the glory of God, in the first to the Corinthians the tenth chapter, and the thirty firft verfe: For though he giveth us the ufe of all things, yer gloriam meam alteri non dabo, in the fourty fecond chapter of Efay Therefore if we doe good works to commend our felves, and not to glorifie God, we are injurious to him; for he hath testified, that he will not give his glory to any other : And therefore Peter and John fay, It is not by our own godlinese that we have made this man whole, but it is the name of Christ and faith in him, that hath raised him, in the third chapter of the Acts: Therefore not only Nabuchadnezar when he fnatched Gods glory to himself, was punished, in the fourth chapter of Daniell: But even Herod alto, because he did but fuffer that glory to rest upon him, that was attributed to him by others, when he should have alcribed all to God, in the twelfth chapter of the Acts and the twenty fecond verfe. Then as it is injurious to God, fo it is hurtfull to our felves; for though we fee many miracles wrought by Christ, yet they are afraid to confeffe and believe him,

Because they love the praise of men more than the praise of God, in the twelith chapter of John and the fourty third verfe: And therefore Chrift faith, How can you believe, which feek glory one of another, and feek not the honor that commeth of God alone? quomodo poteftis credere, qui gloriam fibi quaritis? in the fift chapter of John and the fourty fourth verfe: Secondly, as it is an obftacle to grace; fo it is a provo cation to all wickedneffe: For the Jews doubted not to crucifie the Lord of glory, to get praife of the wicked.

Secondly, that we may doe this, Chrift willeth us to take heed; for there is a double corruption in us: Firft, a rebellion against Gods precepts, which make us fay quare, as Pharaoh, in the fift chapter of Exodus and the fecond verfe: Who is the Lord that I fhould bear his voice? Ard as the Scribes and Pharifees faid to Christ, Bỳ what authority doeft thou these things in the twenty firft chapter of Matthew and the three and twentieth verfe: Secondly, the blindneffe of our understanding which makes us ask quomodo which is the question of ignorance; fo that it is not without caufe, that he bids us take heed; that we beware of this finne, as being a hard precept, both for our rebellion to yeeld unto, and alfo in regard of our ignorance: which is fuch, as we cannot fee how it should be lawfull to feek praise by well doing, the hardneffe of avoiding this finne, is of two causes. First, it arifeth from the nature of finne it felf: for as we are corporall and vifible; fo we are most affe&ted with thofe things that are vifible, as John reafonech, He that loveth not his brother whom he hath feen, in the first Epistle of Jobs and the fourth chapter : whereupon it commeth to paffe, that our corruption, that though we believe the reward of God to be great yet because it is invifible, and the worlds reward is prefent, therefore pleaseth us more. Secondly, from the originall of vain glory 3 for when the woman looked upon the fruit, albeit it greatly pleased her, yet that which did ftrike the ftroak, was eritis ficut dii, in the third chapter of Genefis, the hope of prefent glory: And this was the firft finne, that came into the foul of the woman; and as the Philofopher faith, that the heart is primum vivens & ultimum moriens ; fo vain glory, as it firft took poffeffion in the heart of man, so it is laft,and with moft difficulty difpoffeffed : So that when a man hath mortified all his lufts,and subdued all finnes, yet pride and the defire of glory revives again.

And whereas the finnes of the world are three, The luft of the fteft, The luft of the eyes, and pride of life, the first Epiftle of John the fecond chapter and the fixteenth verfe. The finne of pride is fuch a one as doth not only corrupt all virtues, but fubdueth all other finnes, and prevails against them; for gluttony or the luft of the flesh is come under the power of pride: So as men take a pride in exceffe of meat, whereas gluttony would be contented with a little for the belly is fooner filled than the eye fatisfied. Secondly, For Covetoufneffe, What makes mento exceed in the cares of getting riches, but only pride and defire of glorie: For knowing that the borrower is a fervant to the len der, Proverbs the tenth chapter, and all things obey money, Preacher the Uuu 3

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tenth chapter: In respect of the excellencie of wealth, they are fo covetous, that albeit they have more than enough, yet they fill gather together, that they may have all men in fubjection to them; fo hard it is to fupprefle the defire of vain glory: And the harder, because where other finnes be refting upon a man, this finne comes creeping upon him, and flattereth him,as a thing moft agreeable to his nature.Howbeit it is to be avoided with all heedfulness, for it comes from good things as the root. Secondly, A man is proud oftentimes even of humilitie, not only when they outwardly humble themselves with fafting, but also when they are inwardly humbied, Foel the second chapter. Secondly, it is the harder, because it comes with a colour and thew of reason, for it is Gods will that we fhould not only doe good works, but that it should be done openly, as Chrift faith, to fhine and to befien of men fic fplendeat lux, Matthew the fifth chapter and the fixteenth verfe; both that God may be glorified by us, and that we may give good example to others: But notwithstanding we must beware that we doe them not to purchase praise to our felves.

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Secondly, The question of ignorance is, How we should avoid this de fire of glorie, which is fo bred in us? The answer to this doubt is, How to avoid By medition and prayer: For as God hath laid this Carfe upon vain glory, earth,That it should bring forth thorns and thistles of it felf, but if we pride, &c. and will have any good of it, we must be ftow labour upon it; So this curfe other fins, by meditation and is laid upon our foules,that good things will not come into our mindes, without diligent meditation, but pride and fuch finnes will take place of themselves without any further trouble. Wherefore as to avoid all temptations, we must occupie our felves in godly meditation, as Augustine faith, Semper te Diabolus inveniat occupatum; fo there are fpeciall meditations for the avoiding of pride and the defire of vainglory Firft, To think of the uncertainty of worldly glorie, that Chrift that to day fhould have been crowned King by the Jews, was the next day crucified by them. Secondly, Of the emptineffe and vacuity of it; as that all the glory that Haman had did not content him, when he had received but one little difgrace by Mordechai, Efther the fifth chapter. Thirdly, of the punishment of this finne; for whereas he fpares other finnes, if he fee withall fome token of goodneffe, fo as he will quench the fmoaking flax, Ifaiah the fourty fecond chapter, he will not defer his judgements from the Hypocrites and ambitious, but will withdraw his graces from them here, and punish them eternally in the world to come. Fourthly, We fhould think of our own hearts,if we doe good without regard of mens praile. Fiftly, Of our own inability, how little we are able to doe of our felves, except God move our hearts, and work in us both to will and to doe, Philippians the second chapter and the thirteenth verse, that fo we may afcribe the praise of all our good deeds to him, as the only author of them.

These meditations will kindle a fire in us, that we shall have a defire to speak as Pfalm the thirty ninth, as the Prophet having confidered, that God did command us to keep his teftimonies, faith presently,

O that

O that my wayes were so directed that I might keep them, Pfalme the hundred and nineteenth. But as by thofe meditations we conceive a defire to avoid that which we are forbidden; so unto our defire we must add refolution, Pfalme the nine and thirtieth, I faid I will take beed to my wayes,Dixi cuftodiam vias meas. The other means is prayer; For when we have done all we can to avoid this defire by our private meditations, yet that will not ferve, till we cry for Gods affiftence, to ftrengthen us and help us, for vain is the help of man, Pfalme the hundred and eighth So though the Apoftle doe will the Ephefians to put on the armour of God, yet he faith the chief weapon to fight with the Devil is prayer, Ephefians the fixt chapter; For except the Lord keep the City, the watch-men watch in vain, Pfalme the hundred twenty feventh. We must not only fay the general prayer, which concerneth all finnes, Load is not into temptation; but, particularly against this Go, fay with David, Pfalme the thirty fixt, Let not the foot of pride come neer me; And Pfalme the hundred and fourteenth, Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give the praise.

The perfwafion is, For then ye fhall lofe your reward. As before to doe good, was the good corn that is to be fown; but to doc it to be feen, is the tares that must be plucked up: So the perfwafion is thus to be taken, Doe good works fincerely, and ye fhall have a reward, though not in this world; but if ye doe them in hypocrifie to be feen, ye fhall lose your reward: When the holy Ghoft implyeth, that our good works fhall have a reward; and fo perfwadeth us to the practise of them. He condefcends to our infirmity, for there are more weighty causes to move us to doc good, As the fhedding of Chrifts blood, whereby he redeemed us to himself, to be zealous of good works, Titus the fecond chapter and the fourteenth verfe: But because he knows whereof we be made, and that we are weak, he perfwades us with hope of reward; and herein he hath regard, Non ad gloriam operis, fed ad zelum operantis, of the reward of works done in fincerity heretofore.

Of thefe that are done in hypocrifie note two things. First, How true it is, that they lofe their reward. Concerning which,howsoever Hypocrites have a reward in this world, yet they have not alwaies ; and though they had, yet this reward doth not laft for ever: Honor fugientem fequitur fequentem vitat. We fee Saul, Judas, Ananias, and Saphira, while in hypocrifie they made a fhew of good works, to procure themselves glorie,were difappointed,and they felt the judgement of God upon them: But though it have a reward in this world, yet not apud Patrem veftrum cæleftem: Which is thus to be taken, That if they have glory, yet it is not God, that gives them this praife. And as the putrifying of Manna was a figure that it came not from the bleffing of God, Exodus the fixteenth chapter. And when the Manna of the wicked rotteth, it is a figne that it was not Gods gift, Proverbs the tenth chapter. So in that the glorie of hypocrites doth not laft, it is a token, that it is not a praise given them of God. Again it fignifieth, That though they have a reward in earth, yet not in Heaven

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