numerous are God's denunciations against it, and numerous are the instances, in which Holy Writ holds it up as visited with signal vengeance.

In this vice, as in most others, there are, however, degrees. Sometimes it is practised for the purpose of avoiding the suspicions, or merited ill-will, of other men ; sometimes for the purpose of obtaining the confidence of others, without any settled design to make it the means of committing any positive and particular injury; on other, and much more frequent, occasions, it is employed to lull suspicion asleep, to inspire unbounded confidence, and this for the purpose of securely committing, in the end, some act of gainful fraud.

Hypocrisy, being a false pretending, may exist without any pretence to pietv; but, it is always prone to assume a religious garb; that being the best calculated to deceive good, and therefore, unsuspecting, persons. When once the hypocrite has assumed this garb, there are few things that he will stick at; the necessary preliminary being, a setting of the admonitions of conscience at defiance. Thus hardened, the hypocrite will proceed to almost any lengths. First, he endeavours to obtain his object by exciting in others a high opinion of his own purity; but, should this fail him, should he be thwarted in his career, he will fall to comparisons between himself and those by whom he is thwarted. He next proceeds to slanders, calumnies, and even to false swearings against them; and, rather than finally fail in attaining the fruit of his long pre

meditated schemes, he will, without the least remorse, dip his hands in the blood of the innocent.

The bible, in numerous cases, condemns the principles and practices of the hypocrite. It in almost every instance associates malice with hypocrisy. It almost every where assumes that the hypocrite is both cruel and perfidious; and, it every where pronounces upon the hypocrite the severest of sentences. In the BOOK OF JOB, Chap. viii. v. 13. it is declared, that "the hypocrite's hope shall perish." In Chap. xx. v. 5. we are told, "the triumphing of "the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but "for a moment." The whole of this Chapter goes on to enumerate vengeances upon his head. It is declared that he shall be rendered miserable; that he shall become old even in his youth; that the meat in his bowels shall be turned into gall; that he shall suck down the poison of asps; that in the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in streights; that, in short, the heritage appointed to him by God shall be an endless curse upon himself and his posterity.

But, we have, in this same Chapter of the Book of Job, a description of the objects which the hypocrite generally has in view. We are told in ver. 15, that, "he hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit "them up again." We are further told, where he has got the riches; thus; "be hath oppressed, and, "hath forsaken, the poor; he hath violently taken away 68 an house which he builded not."

Thus, as was before observed, hypocrisy has gene rally gainful fraud for it's object. Hypocrisy is by no means a theoretical vice. It is practical; and it's object is always self interest. It sometimes proceeds by round about means. It's object is not always manifest to lookers on; there are steps, and sometimes steps hardly discernible; but it always is it's ultimate object, to get, or to preserve, possession of, something or other, which, in right and justice, the hypocrite ought not to possess. If this possession can be obtained, or preserved, without violence; if, to use the words, just quoted, of good Job, the hypocrite can take away a "house which he builded not ;" if he can do this without violence, he will be content; but if he cannot, he will resort to the violence. can carry his point with a smaller degree of oppression, he will abstain from the larger degree; but if he cannot, he will exercise oppression even to the shedding of the blood of his unoffending neighbour

If he

These truths might be illustrated by thousands of examples; and, I may, hereafter, show the desolation which hypocrisy has occasioned in the latter ages of the world. I may, hereafter, show how this detestable vice has spread the rack, and furnished the stake, with not only innocent, but most virtuous human beings. At present, however, let me beseech the reader's best attention to that remarkable instance of hypocrisy and cruelty, recorded, in the 21st Chap. of the first Book of Kings, in the history of the tragical

death of NABOTH the Jezreelite. For, in this history we have a true and complete picture of the character of hypocrisy; of it's great and almost invariable object; and of the horrible means which it employs, when driven to it's last resort.

AHAB, the King of Samaria, had taken a fancy to the Vineyard of NABOTH, which lay hard by his Palace. He made a proposition to NABOTH for the purchase of the Vineyard. NABOTH, not out of any wilfullness or obstinacy; but out of a natural and laudable desire to preserve in his family that which had descended to him from his ancestors, refused, saying, "the Lord "forbid it me, that I should give unto thee the inhe"ritance of my fathers."

What could be more reasonable; what more praiseworthy than the ground of this refusal? Here was disinterestedness; for there can be no doubt that NABOTH might have received double the real worth of his Vineyard. But gain had no weight with him when put in the scale against reverence for the memory of his fore-fathers. A refusal, proceeding from such a sentiment, ought, not only to have been sufficient to obviate the giving of offence to Ahab; but it ought to have given great pleasure to the King, who ought to have felt proud to think that he was the Sovereign of subjects, of the high sentiments of whom he here had so striking a specimen.

Very different, however, were the consequences with regard to poor NABOTH. The King, who was a weak and childish sort of being, became miserable on ac

count of this refusal; appeared greatly dejected; was plunged into melancholy, and would neither eat nor drink. The Queen, JEZEBEL, however, was of a different character. She, who seems to have carried hypocrisy to it's state of deadly perfection, was not long in falling upon the means of gratifying the wishes of her husband, without consuiting NABOTH, and without giving any thing for the Vineyard either in money or in kind. "Let thine heart be merry," said she, "for "I will give thee the Vineyard of NABOTH the Jezree"lite."

And now, we are going to see how hypocrisy goes to work in order to effect it's object; which object, be it never forgotten, always is to preserve, or to obtain possession of, that which of right and injustice does not belong to the hypocrite. JEZEBEL saw clearly that it was useless to endeavour to prevail upon NABOTH by temptations of lucre; because, his refusal was founded upon principle. She, therefore, coneeived the truly diabolical project of bringing against him a false accusation; and that the accusation might be such as to insure his destruction, and, at the same time,.deprive him of the compassion of his fellow subjects, she caused him to be accused of blasphemy; a very horrid crime in the eyes of all good men; and, therefore, the best calculated for the effecting of her nefarious purpose. But, now, mark well the dreadful means that she resorted to. She wrote letters in her husband's name to the