ZION'S

CASKET.

AND THE SAINT'S CORDIAL. "For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?"-Job xxvii. 3.

"Ye are of God, little children.". "For as many as are led by the Spirtt of God, they are the sons of God."

THE providence of God having called me to a more intimate acquaintance with the Lord's tried ones than falls to the lot of ministers in general, I have long heard the voices of their complaints and their

fears;

and amongst the rest had been this, lest they should be nothing but hypocrites after all their profession and experience; while with great grief I have seen many who have no fears upon the subject, but appear to be bold, hardened, and presumptuous hopocrites. I felt determined, by the Lord's assistance, in as clear and scriptural a manner as I possibly could, to point out the sincere believer, with all his feelings, frames, corruptions, infirmities, and temptations, his falls, recoveries and conflicts, in direct opposition to an hypocrite, in his attainment, confidence, hardness, deceit and pride;

that

my reader may be able in looking on these pictures to decide to which of these he belongs: that the February, 1840.]

poor in spirit may be comforted, and the hypocrite may by divine light, discover himself, and be made by God's grace sincere, is my humble aim. It is to be lamented, that in the present state, we cannot always find in the course of our observation, who are, and who are not, either the one or the other. This can never be fully known, till that important period arrives, spoken of by the prophet;

"Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous, and the wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.” Yet for our own personal comfort, and for the honour of that grace that has made us sincere, it is our business, under the Spirit's guidance to search for scriptural evidences of that sincerity, that we may rejoice in that superabounding grace which makes us to differ from those who are awfully denominated hypocrites in Zion. Many good men have written upon the subject, but some of them have carried the subject too far, and distressed the Lord's tempted people. But, "what saith the scripture," should be our enquiry. This should decide all subjects relative to character, whether sincere or hypocritical. The terms hypocrite, hypocrisy, hypocritical, hypocrites, occur thirty-five times in the Bible, and not one text can

E

possibly belong to the humble brokenhearted, sincere seeker of the friendship and favour of God. I will quote all that is necessary, with one short remark on them. "His heart will work iniquity to practice hypocrisy:" these are those who set forth false doctrine, worship, and discipline, in opposition to the truth as it is in Christ, to make men believe they are very holy devout and religious; for it is added, to utter error against the Lord" Isa.xxxii.6. this is hypocrisy. Such are also described in Isa. ix, 17.: Fearfulness, dread and surprise shall seize such characters, Isa. xxxiii. 19. The apostle Paul alludes to them, 1 Tim. iv, 2.: " Speaking lies in hypocrisy;" but the wisdom which is from above is pure and without hypocrisy. And the apostle Peter, well knowing the hypocrisy that is in the hearts of real believers, exhorts to lay aside all dissembling among each other, as unbecoming their genuine character, 1 Peter ii. 1. One of the awful threatenings pronounced against Israel of old is this:-"I will send him against an hypocritical nation ;" a people who professed the service of God, but whose hearts were far from him, who in heart hated both God, his ways, and his truths, Isa. x. 6. Such was the degenerate state of that nation, “for every one is an hypocrite and an evil-doer," Isa ix. 17.: in heart haters of Christ. David met with such in his time, and prophesied of their spite and hypocrisy to Christ: "With hypocritical mockers in feasts they gnashed upon me with their teeth," Psalm xxxv. 16.: which was fulfilled, for the psalm belongs to Christ, and contains a complaint of the conduct of the enemies of his person, mission, miracles, work and truth. In Job's days there were many; yea congregations of them"the congregation of hopocrites shall be desolate." These persons are also called the tabernacles of bribery, who hope to bribe divine justice with a few dead works of their own too

proud to submit to the righteousness of the Mediator-staying themselves on their own supposed goodness, they hope to be saved in whole or in part by it; but the hope of the hypocrite shall perish." Job viii. 19. And as he rejected the mediator between God and man, an hypocrite shall not come before him,' Job xiii. 16. He may indeed rejoice in his good name and false confidence, that lamp will be out in death, and leave him in possession of his guilt unpardoned:

For what is the hope of the hypocrite when God taketh him away, although he has gained the applause of the world?" Job xxvii. 8. “ The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment," Job xx. 5. And every spiritual man who is divinely acquainted with the truth, shall oppose such characters and their false foundations: for," the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite." Job xvii. 8. For as he is an hypocrite in profession, in heart, and life, so also in the church and in the world; for if a man is not sound in heart, towards God and truth, he cannot be sincere towards his neighbour: and whence arise so much slander, backbiting, and evil speaking in the churches, but from such characters. These troubled the churches in the apostles' days, and they bore their testimony against them; for an hypocrite with his mouth destroyed his neighbour," Prov. xi. 9. And although many such may be in great power, in the church, by their pretended humanity, cares and tenderness towards a people, as Absalom did, when he rose up in rebellion against his father, and by a pretended affection for the people, and speedily vindicating their cause; yet he reigned not long That the hypocrite reign not, lest the people be ensnared." Job xxxix. 3. Such, in a profession, got into the churches of Corinth and Galatia, and were no small affliction to the mind of Paul; for by artful insinuations they raised a prejudice

in the minds of the churches against the apostle who had been the means of their conversion. Thus, like their father the devil, they did his work first by insinuation (for a whisperer separateth chief friends), and then more openly; but "I would they were cut off that trouble you." Nearly twenty times in the new Testament our Saviour accused the pharisees of hypocrisy, because they were really hypocrites, and nothing else. The word, according to the learned, comes from the greek, hypocrisis; it is counterfeiting religion and virtuean affectation of the name and hatred to the thing-the having the form of godliness but denying the power. Thus, he is an hypocrite who pretends to be what he is not. But the chief enemies our dear Lord had were the pharisees, whose characters are drawn by an unerring hand. What they did was only for ostentation, to be seen of men; they hid their crying sins under the appearance of virtue, that they might sin with less suspicion: whited sepulchres, within nothing but sordid dust. They were exact in trifling matters-zealous in all outward forms of religious worship, but totally neglected all acts of justice, mercy, and truth; they studied an external purity of hands, pots, and dishes, but strangers to heart- felt purity; they pretended a deal of respect to the ancient prophets, who were faithful to God and truth, yet hated, persecuted, and murdered the God of the prophets. On them, in one chapter, the Saviour pronounced eight awful woes-told them of their dreadful end—the destruction of their temple and city-and then left that place for ever. Hypocrites are said to pray only to God in the time of sickness and will God hear their No, the foolish virgins, after their long profession, cried "Lord, Lord, open to us:" but the Loid would not hear. Having stated what the scripture says of hypocrites and hypocrisy, I only appeal to any humble enlightened believer, what has

cry?

such a definition of character to do with one who is in any degree taught of God, is blessed with the fear of God, has fled for refuge to the atonement and righteousness of Christ, and who is most sincerely seeking, longing, looking, and waiting for the manifestation of his love, favour, and goodwill. I must say to such dejected ones, as Elihu to Job. "Although thou sayest I shall not see him, yet judgment is before him, therefore trust thou in him." Ignorant and carnal persons pretend to object to religion, because so many hypocrites profess it-this very objection proves such persons to be hypocrites themselves. What, would any man throw away a handful of good silver because he had found one bad shilling amongst them? The carnal mind is enmity, but too proud to own it; and all the outcry raised by the carnal world is merely designed to conceal the wretched enmity of their hearts to the truth as it is in Christ. A question has been asked, can a person be a hypocrite and not know it? I answer, no, by no means. Did not Saul know he was acting the hypocrite in his concession to David? Did not Judas know that he was planning to sell the Saviour's blood at the very time he was eating the passover with him, and hearing his most heavenly discourses? Did not Jacob know he was deceiving his Father, when he said, "I am thy son Esau ?" Did not David know that he was mad, when he pretended to be so to save his life? Every person can tell, whether they most sincerely desire, from a feeling sense of need, a sense of pardoning mercy, and the enjoyment of God's favour; or whether they profess religion for any other purpose, let it be what it will. It is to be lamented that many sincere characters have been guilty of hypocritical actions, and yet be sincere. Witness Abraham, Jacob, David and others. So also hypocrites do many praise worthy actions and yet be hypocrites. Such are not real members,

but mere excrescences of the church like falling hair or the parings of the nail. When satan suggests to a believer, he is nothing but an hypocrite, his only remedy is by prayer and supplication to God, to make him sincere-and as to the world charging him they are no judges of sincerity or hypocrisy, only let us before God, the church and the world, walk us consistently as possible, and let dogs bark on nor heed their howlings, the love of Christ in the heart will suffer that.

She nor desires, nor seeks to know
The scandals of the time;
Nor looks with pride on those below,
Nor envies those that climb.

When a church clergyman swears to the doctrinal articles of that church, and declares he is moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon him that office, and yet hates some of the leading doctrines, and ridicules the work of God the Holy Ghost upon the hearts of men as enthusiasm, he is a hypocrite. When dissenters, independents or baptists, profess Calvinism, yet are shy of the doctrines of truth, and swerve to the system of Arminianism, they are hypocrites. When ministers accommodate their sermons to different sects and parties, to please men contrary to conscience, they are hypocrites. Taking up the ministry for a piece of bread, for popularity, for respect, for a rich wife, or for any sordid purposes, such peroons are hypocrites. Persons coming into a profession, taking up religion for connection, trade, or for any other profit in temporal things, are hypocrites. Pleading for holiness, morality, duty and consistency, yet living in secret sin as his real element though unknown to others, is a hypocrite. Searching out, spreading abroad,scandalizing, and rejoicing in the supposed falls, sins, and infirmities of others, to cover their own sins, such are hypocrites. Pretenders to universal love to all, at the same time haters of

truth, and those who preach it boldly and profess it sincerely, are hypocrites. Making an outcry against one sin and living in another: for instance, covetous professors may storm against the sin of drunkenness; why? because he loves his money so inordinately, yet will not scruple to drink occasionally a little too much at another person's expense, this is hypocrisy. Persons who would almost starve a wife, children, servants, and apprentices at home, to gain money, that they may have a good name by subscribing liberally to religious or civil society, are hypocrites.

But, alas! there is no end to the hypocrisy of the human heart: the only cure is grace enabling a man to set God always before him, and cause him daily to walk in simplicity and godly sincerity; thus to have his conversation in this world.

I once more remark, when professors give themselves up to idleness, going from house to house, busybodies in other men's matters, presume upon the providence of God, and boast that they live by faith, that this promise and the other has been applied to them, and so expect to be fed as Elijah was by the ravens; such mumping professors are hypocrites. When persons unhumbled, unrenewed by grace, suddenly leap up into full assurance of faith, without any chastening from the law or tenderness of conscience; a few scraps of divinity in the head, and at the same time treat with contempt the meek, the dejected, the broken-hearted seeker, thinking lightly of contrition, godly sorrow, and repentance unto life, or obedience of faith; such are hypocrites. When a person, whether a public or private character, scandalizes another on account or rather envying his fame, usefulness, or popularity, taking every opportunity to degrade his person, actions, or reputation, although unknown to the calumniator, he is a hypocrite. Those who pretend to love God while he is

pleased to bless them in providence, but leave their profession when God is pleased to cross them, such are like children won with an apple and lost with a nut; such love is soon kindled and soon quenched, turn enemies to God and his truths when their expectations fail: such are hypocrites. When persons profess much love to a minister or fellow-member in the church while in prosperous circumstances, but when trouble, persecution, or poverty befal them, they know them no more; like the cuckoo, who will abide with you during the summer, but when winter approaches will take his leave of you, nor perhaps ever own you again. Ah! how unlike the love of Christ. In general you will find such to be hypocrites. When persons shun those sins that would bring on them public scandal, and at the same time in love with secret sin, and spare these because no one knows it, thinking small sins if not known will do no harm, yet making a great outcry against sin, especially the sins of their neighbours, such are hypocrites. When persons boast and are proud of their own holy motives, sincerity of heart, holiness of life, purity of conduct, and a good name in the world, while destitute of the pardon of their sins, destitute of the faith of God's elect whereby the righteousness of Christ is received, destitute of the sanctifying teaching of the Holy Spirit, such are hypocrites. Persons who pretend to an experience as their own, which they have picked up from sitting under a sound experimental ministry, reading sound authors, and from conversation with the Lord's people, without knowing anything by the power and teaching of the Spirit, are hypocrites. These talk much about the works of the flesh (Gal. v. 19), and boast of it as being almost exclusive of anything else being christian experience, and appear to, exalt the disease* above the remedy, and

One of these characters some time since

call those bastard Calvinists, dry doctrinalists, letter men, &c. who do not. One of those writers sneeringly called this Magazine the would be Spiritual Magazine, because it exalts the person and finished salvation of the Son of God, as the only foundation for the hope of a perishing sinner, above the corruptions of our fallen nature. Nor has the writings of that great servant of God now in glory, Dr. Hawker, escaped their censure, for they have called his writings skinny, and bony, although thousands of the church militant and the church triumphant, have found them marrow and fatness. These persons, in their writings, confess themselves to be the greatest fools, the filthiest beasts, and the worst wretches in the world, they think, no doubt, that godly persons will believe they have very low and abasing thoughts of themselves, but it appears evident that it is nothing else but pride and hypocrisy, for no sooner do they make this confession concerning themselves, but they mount the seat of judgment, and declare that those bastard Calvinists (as they call them) are in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity. What is this, but sayiug, "Stand hy thyself, come not near me, for I am holier than thou?” Alas, what is man? he walketh in a vain shew, in his best estate he is altogether vanity.

The hypocrite thus painted to the life, we cannot err in the description; many have been painted by others very differently, and many have painted themselves, and sat down to admire their likenesses, but though painted like Jezebel at the window (2 Kings ix. 30), or their own righ

went to a servant of God now in glory, and requested to speak to him about his experience: after speaking to him for some time about the works of the flesh, the minister asked him if he had nothing else to speak about? he replied, no. "Then (said the minister) your God has got a black face!" How true.