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344
CHRISTIAN MORALITY,
VIZ.
IMAM.
XX.
still
pursuing a regular
course
of
piety,
and
his dying
pillow confirms
the sincerity and practice
of
his life.
Religion
is
ever
uppermost
in his
heart, and
all his
af-
fairs
and
businesses
in
the
world,
are managed
with
regard
to
his
last great
end.
Thus
though
his
engagements and
actions
of
life be
very
various
daily,
according
to
the
va-
rious
calls
of
duty;
yet
his design
is
ever
the same,
and the
rule
that
governs all
his
practices
is
the
word
of
God, the
gospel
of
our Lord Jesus.
How
fax
from
the
glory
of
this
character
were the false
-
hearted
sons
of
Israel
in
Jeremiah's
time
!
They
were
guilty
of
stealing and
murdering
in
the streets, or
by-
ways,
or private
houses,
yet
they came and stood before
the
Lord
in
the house which
was
called
by
his
name,
:Tcr. vii.
3,
4,
&c.
There
were also
in
our
Saviour's
days men
of
the
same
deceitful spirit,
whom
he
frequently
and sharply reproved under
the odious name
of
hypo-
crites,
who
made long prayers
in the
temple,
and
in
the
corners of
the
streets;
but devoured
widow's
houses,
and
neglected judgment,
mercy
and
faith
;
who
made clean
the
outside
of their
cup,
but
filled
it
with all
extortion,
luxury, and
excess.
You
read
their
infamous manners
at
large
in
vi.
and
xxiii.
chapters of
Matthew.
They had
no
more
truth
in
them
than
whited
sepul-
chres or
flowery
graves,-
fair indeed and beautiful
on the
outside
covering;
but
all
within
is
death, and horror,
and
rottenness.
O,
how
inconsistent
were
the
two
pieces
of
this
charaçter
one with
another
!
How
far
from
that truth
and uprightness,
that
sincerity
and con-
stancy,
that
the gospel requires, and
so
much approves
of!
What
a
most
sharp
and shameful
reproach
is
it,
and
yet a righteous'
one
too,
that
is
thrown
on some persons
?
They
are saints
at
church, and
devils at
home
!
It
is
pity
we
must
borrow a
word
from hell to
describe
any
sort
of
men
that
dwell on
earth
:
I
would
nòt
will-
ingly
apply
it
to
any
particular
person
living
:
But
in
describing a general .character
of
this kind,
we
can
hardly.
paint
it
in
colours
frightful
enough.
In
public they are
all meekness
and
innocence,
all demure,
and
abstemi
ous,
and
heavenly, and they
transform
themselves, as
their
father
does,
into angels
of
light,
2
Cor.
xi. 14.
but
follow
them to
their
houses,
and
you see
a surprizing