CHAPTER VII.

"The painted hypocrite is known
Through the disguise he wears."

HOW THOSE MAY BE KNOWN WHO PUT ON A COUNTERFEIT GARMENT AS A CLOKE, OR WEAR ONE BY MISTAKE.

THE sacred historian tells us that the first thing of which the guilty pair were conscious after their fatal fall in Paradise, was-that they were naked; and to hide their shame "they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."

And a covering for the human body was now necessary both for decency and comfort. But fig leaves were not well adapted to these purposes; and the same authority informs us, that, "Unto Adam, also, and to his wife, did the LORD GOD make coats of skins, and clothed them."

Since then, clothing for the human body has occupied much attention and care, and men have contrived an infinite variety of every quality and colour, manufactured from materials furnished by the animal or vegetable world.

But the clothing of the spirit-the soul-what of it? We have already seen how soon it was arrayed

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in the habiliments of hell-a cloke of Guiltiness, composed of Injustice and Rebellion, and dyed in blood!

The new robe of righteousness wrought out by Jesus Christ was intended, as we have seen, for the adornment of man, fitting him to appear before the Divine Majesty with acceptance, and take up his dwelling among the holy and the happy before the Throne.

We do not find in sacred writ, that men in the first ages, however deceitfully they might act towards each other, as Jacob with Esau, were in the habit of playing the hypocrite in religionassuming a character which they did not possess.

But in course of time we hear of some, who, troubled by conscience, to pacify its reproaches, and others to appear religious, and thus gain a good name, put on a garment of their own making and called it a religious robe. In this they strutted proudly before their fellows, and often deceived them; but the eye of God was upon them.

The first mention we have of the hypocrites, is in the book of JOB, when Bildad the Shuhite said, "and the hypocrite's hope shall perish: Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web." SOLOMON speaks of the hypocrite as a

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meddlesome and mischievous character. was directed by the Lord to tell the formalists and hypocrites distinctly that "all their righteousnesses were as filthy rags." And not only filthy, but frail in texture and entirely useless. They weave the spider's web."-" Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works."

Hence it will be seen that all the attempts of men to work out for themselves a righteousness of their own, are only when finished, like the frail web of the spider, which a puff of breath may blow away and destroy for ever!

Notwithstanding these awful denunciations against all hypocrisy and self-righteousness, these detestable and contemptible vices prevailed and increased, until, when the Redeemer came they had risen to an enormous height. Hence it was that our LORD gave these sins such awful rebuke. Woe after woe did he denounce upon the Scribes, Pharisees, -Hypocrites!

Hypocrisy has been described as the homage which vice pays to virtue. The counterfeit points out the real; and real religion prevailed before its counterfeit made its appearance. The word is Greek in an English form, and is taken from stage

players who act an assumed part The Hebrew in Job and Isaiah, means to conceal or cover. "Hypocrisy is of two kinds-simulation, or affecting to be better than you are; which involves dissimulation, or the concealment of your bad qualities. These bad qualities are often accompanied by malice against others, as was exemplified in the case of the Scribes and Pharisees."

We have intimated that our Lord, when he came, found many of these religious hypocrites, whom he severely denounced; and certainly, of all deceivers, the religious is the worst, for he not only attempts to deceive man, but God.

But this sin was not confined to the professors of the old religion. When the new religion of Jesus Christ had spread in the world and began to find favour, then the hypocrites began again to appear. We hear little of them during the days of Pagan persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperors, when tortures and fires were racking and burning the followers of the Lamb. But when the Emperor Constantine pretended to be a Christian, and took all Christians under his powerful protection, and endowed their ministers with pensions and places of honour and profit, then they sprung up again like rank weeds after a summer's shower.

And all this had been foretold before-hand. Instead of shepherds we find "grievous wolves entering in among them, not sparing the flock"; until in the course of time the Mystery of Iniquity was set up-the Grand Organized Hypocrisythe Master-piece of satan-that Curse of the World-POPERY!

Yes its rise and its ruin too had been foretold. Paul, writing to the Christians of Thessalonica, said:" For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let, until he' be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of satan with all power and signs, and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

Volumes of historical facts might be produced to shew that Papists, under the guise and in the