Obj. Hypocrites professe to glorifie God, and to say, Isa. 66. Let the Lord be glorified.
I answer: No hypocrite can make it his work to glorifie God, when it crosseth his own glory: No hypocrite can purely and simply, out of love to Gods name and glory, be content to loose the offer of a kingdom as Moses did, when the Lord himself offered it him, and as Christ Jesus did, when the people offered and would have made him a King by force, and the devil proffered him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.
Delightfull privacie with God argues strong affection.
Thirdly, it is an Argument of strength of Gods grace and Spirit in us, when we perform actions of godliness, with a single and upright eye unto God himself in secret. Frequent and constant delight in private converses argues strong affection to God or men: Hypocrites (saith Christ Jesus) will pray and fast, and give alms, but with a squint eye of private and sinister self respect to be seen of men, &c. But Gods children pray, and do good, and fast in secret, regarding no eye but the eye of an heavenly Father, who seeing in secret will not fail to reward openly.
Ob. But may not hypocrites speak and preach against hipocrisie, against self-love, self-respect, and fleshly and worldly ends in the performance of spirituall duties? And is it not possible for Gods children to perform spirituall duties with carnall ends and respects?
Hypocrites pretend far in glorifying of God.
I answer: Hypocrites may do this, and pretend pure and upright ends for God, as Jehu did: yet discover they hypocrisie, in the very pretence of sinceritie, for not content with the Lords eye and approbation, Come see my zeal (saith he) Jonadab, which I have for the Lord.
2ly, Gods children (doubtless) may look aside, and mark who sees and hears, and rewards their performances of service unto God: But this is either in sins of ignorance; as for instance, many of Gods dear children perform service to God in preaching as hirelings, and conceive themselves not bound although to glorifie Christ Jesus in saving souls) to preach without an hire, and so in other cases.
Or 3ly, this may be knowingly and discerningly, as Paul saith, Rom. 7. When I would do good, evil is present with me: such temptations come in as water into a ship, or as dust and diseases into a sound eye, and then Gods children be never quiet untill such distempers be cleansed, and got out again.
A frequent & constant spirit of prayer an argument of much of Gods Spirit.