acts, is so obvious, that we should not deem it needful to dwell upon it, were it not that we are apt in moral and religious things, to blink at that light which is strongest, and to start away from that truth which is clearest and plainest. Let us look at the matter faithfully. Some present laboured and costly appearances of devotion, or subject themselves to a painful and toilsome routine of sacred services. Others, in words, adore the infinite glories of the Great Supreme, pour out self-debasing acknowledgments at his feet, supplicate forgiveness, friendship and love, as though it were the very bliss and life of their spirits, express entire surrender, submission, and acquiescence, intercede for the spiritual welfare of mankind; and with this openly profess faith in the Saviour, join in the company of the faithful, engage in the most solemn of the institutions of the christian church, eat the bread and drink the wine of the sa cramental supper; but who do all this, for what? That they may glorify God? That they may render him homage that is due? That they may obey? That they may draw down his smile? That they may promote his designs and advance his honour? No; but to gain a worldly end-to acquire or retain a place of influence-to get money-to gather reputation to please their friends-and such like ends. O could we see this conduct with eyes such as we shall see it with at the judgment-day, we should stand astonished that God suffered these mockers and abusers of himself to live upon the earth, and that he did not send them down to hell, where no such mockeries can be practised-where there are no worldly ends to tempt them to such hypocrisy-where

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despair, and the chain, and the flame leave no liberty, and no leisure, and no courage for such affronts! this said to be the picture of a disturbed and terrified fancy? It is not of our painting. Prophets have drawn it for us. "But unto the wicked God saith, what hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth ?”1 'Bring no more vain oblations: incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth; they are a trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them."2 "He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck ; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations."3 "The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?"4 "When ye fasted and mourn

And

ed......did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?"5 Let no one say this is but the sternness of a dark and now abrogated dispensation. It is in language like this that the revelations of the former economy approximate to the spiritual character of christian in

1 Psalm 1. 15.

2 Isa. i 13, 14.

4 Isa. xxxiii, 14.

Isa lxvi. 3.

5 Zech. vii. 5, 6.

spiration. Did Christ soften down these solemn and awe-striking features of truth? Let his own language decide. "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say "The light

unto you, They have their reward.”1 of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"2 "Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 993 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.”4 But whilst we may well wonder that God permits men to carry through a long course these dissimulations and false pretences, we may moderate our astonishment. "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day," "He is not slack concerning his word as some men count slackness." "Their judgment," though in our eyes delayed, "now of a long time sleepeth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." Hypocrites, if not now, will ere long have their portion in the lake that burneth with brimstone and with fire. Yes, insincere worshipper, those bending knees shall smite together. Those hands you now raise, shall

1 Matt. vi. 5. 2 Matt. vi. 22, 23.

3 Matt. xv. 8.

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4 Matt. vii. 21

wring each other. Those eyes which now weep insincerely, shall shed other tears. That mouth which now pretends and prays, shall wail and gnash its teeth. For the man who thus dishonours God, must expect to be dishonoured," and to "lie down in everlasting shame and contempt."

ance.

But there are those who cannot be charged with this purposed, settled, systematic hypocrisy, who, nevertheless, fail to recognise the glory of God in devotion. If they have another and a sinister end, it is not of known and set design they pursue it. They propose to worship God. This is the object which they think they have in view. But God is dishonoured by the kind of service which they offer, and by their thinking such service worthy of acceptHow little must we regard the honour of God if we suppose that he is pleased with pompous forms and empty parade, with "bodily service" and mere external observances-with words and gestureswith practised tones and looks-with sentimental and fruitless tears with transient and ineffective emotions with heartless vows and loud professions. "Offer it now to thy Governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person, saith the Lord?" In order to honour God who is a Spirit, we must worship him in spirit and in truth. "He is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart and of the spirit, and not of the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God." God must be the object recognised and sought, or worship is a mockery, and profession a lie.

But whilst the end sought in devotion creates the great distinction between the false and the true, the rejected and the approved worshippers of God, it also, as a question of degree, marks the character, measures the excellence, and regulates the acceptableness, of the separate arts and exercises of the sincerely devout. Whilst we admit the alarming fact that the true end is absent from the devotions of mɛny, we must also admit the humiliating fact, that it sometimes exists in great feebleness and partiality, and with many deteriorating admixtures in the religious exercises of others.. Alas, that a christian should ever have to accuse himself of saying any thing to God, with the sinister view of gaining something from man! And yet who that knows his own heart, but must have had to lament that when addressing the Infinite God, his eye has sometimes been on man as his observer, not perhaps, with a sordid view, but with a vain, proud and foolish looking for regard and esteem? How many a sincere supplicant has been foiled in his object, by the intrusions of sin, and folly, and the world! How many a prayer has thus been marred! How many a season of anticipated devotion embittered and spoiled! How many of these filthy birds have lighted down upon the sacrifices, already on the altar, and devoured them! These improper motives are as voracious as they are defiling. When they enter the mind, every thing seems to vanish before them. Sincerity, tenderness, humility, ardour, faith-all disappear, and nothing is seen but a loathsome relic. But amidst these incursions of evil, nothing is more exposed, nothing more damaged, than the simplicity of our motive. What