humbly hopes to fee, and with unutterable rapture of mind, he longs to prostrate himself, with profound homage and adoration, before the God he loves!Unworthy as he knows himself to be, he is confident of the Lord's goodness, mercy, and love-and is assured he shall be happy for ever.

Thus, firs, you fee how honorable, how easy, how useful, the truly christian life-what confidence, and what profpects the good man has, as to the dissolution of the body; and what glory, honor, peace, and felicity, are his in heaven, through the boundless ages of eternity. Animated by these blessed confiderations, let us give up our minds to the divine influence of love and wisdom from the Lord-depart from all that is evil-live a life of love, charity, and use-daily rife and improve in the heavenly state-till we are meetened to dwell in the eternal world-unite with our brethren there, and be holy, happy, honored angels, in that celestial kingdom, for ever and ever. Amen.

Wo unto you scribes and pharifees, hypocrites; for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead mens bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men; but within ye are full of hypocrify and iniquity.

OF all the abominations which are abhorrent and offenfive in the eyes of the Divine Being, that of hypocrisy appears to me one of the vileft and most execrable. It is an evil big with a thousand others. It is as unprofitable as it is deteftible-much more difficult in the practice than its opposite virtue-when detected it is the most odious odious-and the man who is guilty of it, is the object of scorn and contempt to angels, to men, and even to devils. One would almost think that human nature could never sink low enough to commit it, if we did not daily behold it before

our eyes.

Hypocrify and deceit, in any concerns of life, even the lowest and least important, is deteftible; but in matters of religion, in what concerns God and our fouls, it is so vile, fo odious, that it wants a name. And that it is a crime the most offenfive in the eyes of the Lord Jesus, is evident from this confideration; that he denounced more woes againft those who were guilty of it, than against any others. The scribes and pharifees were of all others, in the days of our Lord, the most given to this vice; and they had fuch an artful method of concealing their real internal state, that the common people thought them the most holy and righteous of men. In consequence of the people looking up to these characters so much, the Lord says unto them, and particularly to his disciples, "That except your righ"teousness shall exceed the righteousness of the " fcribes and pharifees, ye shall in no cafe enter into -" the kingdom of heaven."

It seems that these hypocrites appeared fo very righteous, as to their external conduct, that many of their observers thought it was almost impossible to come up to their virtue and goodness. They paid all their tythes and dues-they fafted twice a

week-they offered up their facrifices-attended the service of the synagogue-made long prayers stood in the corners of the streets, and in public places, to pray-they gave much alms-they hung down their heads-carried a very fanctified appearance-seemed very abstemious and temperateand were so scrupulous, exact, and circumspect, in every outward thing, that no one could well lay any thing to their charge. And why did they obferve this apparently religious conduct? What was their motive for all this outward sanctity ?-Why, truly, a most noble, generous, and laudable one!! It was, that they might have THE PRAISE OF MEN. That men might think these hypocrites, saints that they might think these devils were angels !This was the reward they fought, and they obtained it; they had it-they enjoyed it. But how long?-A day, a week, or a year; and then they funk into contempt, and shame, and misery.

But is it not to be lamented, that these fair characters, these righteous fouls, these so very religious people, should fink into shame and misery, after they had lived so strict, so virtuous, and so religious a life? Let us fee what their true character is, and then we shall better judge. They shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; they neither went in themfelves, nor fuffered others to enter; they devoured widows houses; they compassed sea and land to make one proselyte, and made him two-fold more the child of hell than themselves; they omitted the law,

law, judgment, mercy, and faith; they strained at a gnat, and swallowed a camel; they were full of extortion and excess; they were full of hypocrisy and iniquity; a generation of ferpents and wipers :therefore our Lord says, "How can ye escape the "damnation of hell?"

This, then, was their true and real characterdeclared by infinite wisdom and truth itself-by that God who knows all hearts, and cannot be deceived. And by this we learn, how far men may go in outward fanctity, in the appearance of religion, and yet be the most abominable and vile in the heart -the internal life. And we also learn, by these woes denounced against such characters, how very difagreeable and odious they are in the fight of a holy. and good God.

In speaking from these words a little further, I shall,

First, Confider what is the real caufe and motive of this hypocrify.

Secondly, Notice how far men may go in fuch a conduct, under the influence of that motive. Thirdly, Observe how difficult the practice is how fmall the reward and how great the punish

ment.

Fourthly, Prove that the opposite virtue is much more eafy, safe, and honorable.

Fifthly, Conclude with ferious enquiry and advice.

And,