Man ashiv le-Yahoweh, or, A serious enquiry for a suitable return for continued life, in and after a time of great mortality, by a wasting plague (anno 1665) answered in XIII directions / by Tho. Doolitel.

SECTION VI.

* 1.1SIx things in publick duties, that are evil, but yet secret and invisible: as there hath been some secret danger which you have been in, when you have not discerned it, and, some secret in∣fection God hath kept you from; so in publick du∣ties (the same may be in secret duties also) there are some secret evils you are to watch against.

1. There may be secret unbeliefe lurking in the heart, when a Man in Prayer is pleading particu∣lar Promises with his mouth: you may hear a man urge the Promises of God for removal of evil, for obtaining of good; but, whether he act faith upon these Promises, or whether there be not in the mean while secret unbelief, doubting of the truth of this Promise, or especially of the appli∣cation of it to himself, is known onely to himself, it is a secret to those that joyn with him.

2. Hypocrisie in publick duties is a secret thing: Whether your heart be upright and sincere with God, or false and hypocritical, is a secret unto others; yea, sometimes it is such a secret that might not be known by a Man himself.

3. Inward-heart-Pride in publick duties is a se∣cret thing: A Man may be full of self-loathing-expressions, and of humble gestures, and yet his heart might be lifted up with spiritual pride, and self admirations, and towring thoughts of his own worth and excellency, and suitableness and free∣dom of expression, and a by-stander cannot per∣ceive it.

4. Dulness and deadness of heart in duty is a se∣cret thing: A Man might h••ve lively expressions in publick Prayers, and seeming warmth of affe∣ction, and such things that might affect and warm the hearts of others; and yet his own heart be dull and lukewarm, yea qui••e cold in that duty.

5. Wandring thoughts, in publick duties, are se∣cret things: A man may use the Name of God, and the Attributes of God, and yet his thoughts may be upon something else: others may see you engaged in the duty, and see your outward ge∣stures, but are strangers to the secret wandrings of your mind.

6. The inclination of the heart to sin, in pub∣lick duties, is a secret thing: A Man may con∣fess sin, and bewaile it with Tears, and beg for power against it, and yet he may have a secret in∣clination of heart to this very sin, and secret pur∣poses of heart to keep it, and a secret fear, least God should hear his Prayers, which he makes against this sin; Whether you hate that sin in your heart, which you bewaile with your Tongue, is known onely to your self: and, if indeed you know it your self, it is a good degree of self-know∣ledge. Thus, as God hath kept you in an invisi∣ble manner, and most by invisible and secret means, and preserved you from secret and invisible dan∣ger that you have been in: If you would live in some measure answerably to so great a Mercy, you must have a special care of minding the secret and invisible things in Christianity, and abstain from secret and invisible sins.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Secret e∣vils in publick duties to be avoid∣ed.