a

not only because it may place the equity of this decifion in favour of the publican in a ftronger light, but that the fubject feems likely to lead me to a train of reflections not unfuitable to the fo lemnity of the feafon *.

and

The pharifee was one of that fect, who, in our SAVIOUR's time, what by the aufterity of their lives their public alms-deeds, and greater pretences to piety than other men, had gradually wrought themselves into much credit and reputation with the people indeed as the bulk of thefe are easily caught with appearances, their character seems to have been admirably well fuited to fuch a purpose If you looked no farther than the outward part of it, you would think it made up of all goodness and perfection; an uncommon fanctity

of

Preached in Lent.

of life, guarded by great decorum and feverity of manners, — profufe and frequent charities to the poor, -many acts of religion, much obfervance of the law much abftinence

much

It is painful to fufpect the appearance of fo much good - and would have been fo here, had not our bleffed SAVIOUR left us their real character upon record, and drawn up by himself in one word that the fect were like whitened fepulchres, all fair and beautiful without, and enriched there with whatever could attract the eye of the beholder; but, when fearched withinfide, were full of corruption and of whatever could fhock and disgust the fearcher. So that with all their affectation of piety, and more extraordinary strictnefs and regularity in

their outward deportment, all was irregular and uncultivated within and all thefe fair pretences, how promising foever, blafted by the indulgence of the worft of human' paffions; pride spiritual pride, the worst of all pride hypocrify, felf-love, covetuoufness, extortion, cruelty and revenge. What pity it is that the facred name of religion fhould ever have been borrowed, and employed in fo bad a work, as in covering over fuch a black catalogue of vices or that the fair form of virtue fhould have been thus difgraced and for ever drawn into fufpicion, from the unworthy uses of this kind, to which the artful and abandoned have often put her. The pharifee feems to have had not many fcruples of this kind, and the prayer he makes ufe of in the temple is a true picture of the man's heart, and

VOL. I.

M

fhews

fhews with what a 'difpofition and frame of mind he came to worfhip. ·

GOD! I thank thee that thou haft formed me of different materials from the rest of my fpecies, whom thou haft created frail and vain by nature, but by choice and difpofition utterly corrupt and wicked.

Me, thou haft fashioned in a different mould, and haft infufed fo large a portion of thy fpirit into me, lo! I am raised above the temptations and defires to which flesh and blood are fubject — I thank thee that thou haft made me thus --not a frail veffel of clay, like that of other menor even this publican, but that I ftand here a chofen and fanctified veffel unto thee.

After

After this obvious paraphrafe upon the words, which fpeaks no more than the true fpirit of the pharifee's prayer, you will naturally afk what

reason was

there for all this triumph or what foundation could he have to infult in this manner over the infirmities of mankind or even those of the humble publican who stood before him? - why, fays he, I give tithes of all that I poffefs. Truly a very indifferent account of himself and if that was all he had to offer in his own behalf, GOD knows,. it was but a weak foundation to fupport fo much arrogance and felf-conceit; because the obfervance of both the one and the other of these ordinances might be supposed well enough to be confiftent with the most profligate of life and

manners.

M 2

The