much for the dignity of character, and how much for the promotion of happiness! Hypocrisy has been said to be the homage which vice pays to goodness; were the tribute but remitted, the dominion of goodness would be extended. O, it holds good everywhere and always, Let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay!' If we cannot accomplish this moral revolution, let us, at least, abstain from upholding any of the barriers which obstruct its approach: it must come; and when man's thoughts are on the tongue as in the heart, then will God's kingdom be coming on earth as it is in heaven.

People begin this unholy work too commonly even with those for the formation of whose characters they are responsible before God and man. I do not say they do it intentionally or consciously; but, certainly, the young are often initiated into insincerity by the conduct of those about them, and who should be especially on their guard against such a result. The child that is severely or injudiciously punished for a fault, is thereby tempted to insincerity;—a first falsehood has often been told from the feeling of fear. The child, naturally enough, sees more evil in the suffering than in the untruth. Then, how often does the parent try to gain a sort of reflected glory by an emblazoned display of the child's acquirements! The little observer sees the exaggeration while it loves the applause, and anon tries of itself to accomplish the same end by the same means. Children are keen observers, and apt imitators. If they see persons civilly treated to their faces, and ridiculed behind their backs, they may very likely learn the lesson which

was not meant for them. The remarks or questions of children are often inopportune and puzzling; that is no justification of the conduct which, without thinking, it may be, practically teaches them to stifle inquiry, or be content with a verbal mystification to hide ig

norance.

One might accumulate instances for hours of this evil influence over the young-this securing to them an inheritance of insincerity. It is not the less dangerous because unintentional. Parental responsibility should lead to parental caution. The leading strings of unconscious example too often prevent children wal ing in truth. But to look close to this, is within the spirit of the commandment which we have received from the Father; and this is preeminently one of the cases in which, to reform others, men must reform themselves. We should not only abhor the deceitful tongue, but avoid the circumstances which prompt the deceit. We should pray, lead us not into temptation,' and take care not to walk into temptation. Our character, as Christians, is children of the light. Truth of heart and voice is above all truth of doctrine, but will ultimately ensure it more than any other means. There is no more certain or exalted characteristic of religion than this. The regeneration of the Gospel, is to be born with Christ, to bear witness of the truth. The fact that God seeth the heart is a strong motive, weakened by the seeming remoteness of his judgment. The frankness which lets men see it, supplies a weak motive, which is strengthened by the promptness of the judgment which they exercise. This subject goes much deeper than

that mere avoidance of gross falsehood, which ranks amongst the very elements of morality. It should produce that searching self-examination which detects the deceits men are apt to put on their own minds and consciences. It should make man require of himself that which God requires of him-truth in the inward parts. No fiends without have ever done so much to 'palter with us, in a double sense,' as the tempter within. There is the deep root of deception; there should be the lucid fountain of simplicity, sincerity, frankness of character. We should not shrink from avowing our real motives to ourselves; that is the way in which iniquity is found to be hateful; and man gains satisfaction in righteousness, whatever its earthly and immediate consequences.

And let no one say that, in this discourse, I am aiming at anything Utopian or chimerical. I pretend not to say by what degrees or in what precise way the world will grow more honest and individuals more transparent; nor would I underrate the virtue that exists. Enough there is, blessed be God, to redeem the name of humanity from its calumniators. My object is perfectly simple, tangible, practical, and practicable. It is only this:-do not set snares for others' sincerity, nor for your own. Do not influence sceptics to disingenuousness, by joining an outcry about damnable heresies or doubts. Do not help to pollute the springs of Christian instruction by demanding that the teacher should profess and ever adhere to the previous faith or prejudices of his pupils. Do not judge character by opinions, and assume depravity in the one on the ground of error in the other. Do not up

hold institutions and practices which legalise falsehood that would be ridiculous, but that all falsehood is worse than ridiculous. Do not take the fact in the proverb for a precept: It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer; but when he is gone his way, he bòasteth.' Do not countenance cant of any kind, interested or unmeaning, in any department,-literature, education, society. Do not praise or frighten, or suffer others to praise or frighten, your children out of the straightforward path. Heed your own example, both in its direct and indirect influence. Be true to yourself; to your inmost soul. Live in the conscious presence of the God of truth.

These are the moral of my discourse these are practical precepts-these are, I am sure, Christian precepts; and may God give us grace

to observe them. Amen.

SERMON XVI.

ON TEMPTATION.-PART I. AVOIDANCE.

PSALM CXix. 37.

Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity.

'A vain thing,' and 'vanity,' are terms very often put,in the Old Testament scriptures, for idols and idolatry. The prophets of Israel, glowing with the lofty conceptions of Deity which they derived from revelation, could not but think and speak contemptuously of the absurd personifications, whose figures were cast in gold and silver for the balls of wealth and hewn out of the log for the hovel of poverty, and made the objects of a noisy and degrading homage, as inefficacious as they were unconscious. Often did they portray, with a severe and dignified irony, the folly of such practices. Often did they indignantly contrast the majesty of Jehovah with the senselessness of the base things which were set up as his competitors for man's adoration. Often did they denounce the guilt of idolatry to their countrymen and warn then of the danger of drawing down upon themselves the most awful judgments. And while sometimes they dilated on this theme, with all the copiousness and gorgeousness