298 The Vanity of Man's judgment. SERM. them, otherwife ye have no reward of your Fa- XI. ther, which is in heaven. * When thouprayeji, V`^-I thou Jhalt not be as the hypocrites, for they love to pray ftanding in the fnagogues, and in the corners of the /lreets, that they may be Peen of men. Verily I fay unto you, they have their reward; that which they fought for, the applaufe of men, but no other ; they are intitled to none from God, for they had really nothing to do with him, did not make it their Rudy and endeavour to approve them - felves to his judgment in what they called their religion ; rather, indeed, the empty ap- pearance they put on under that venerable name. But tho' this in a prevailing degree deftroys fincerity, the very being of true religion, it is certainly the imperfeEtion of fome, in the main, upright and well difpofed minds, that they have too great a bias towards the praife of men, from which therefore they fhould earneftly endeavour more and more to deliver themfelves, that they may be acceptable to God, and poffefs the inward fatisfaaion which arifes from a confcioufnefs of integrity. Let them often and ferioufly confider what a poor empty thing it is to be honoured by * Matt. vi. 5. men;
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