When persons shun those sins that would bring on them public scandal, and at the same time in love with secret sins, and spare these, because no one knows it, thinking small sins, if not known, will do no harm, yet making a sad 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. But while we view the wretched state and character of the hypocrite, as set forth in God’s word, may we not pray in the devout language of David.—“Who can understand his error; cleanse thou me from my secret faults; keep back also thy servant from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me; so shall I be innocent from the great transgression.” And as expressed in the Litany of the Church of England—“and from all hypocrisy, good Lord deliver us.” 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 righteousness like the houses of the great painted with vermilion, or the hypocrites in the times of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and in our Lord’s day—Jeremiah xxii. 14—Ezekiel xxiii. 40—Matthew vi. 16. Yet the Lord has threatened that his hand should be upon all such pleasant pictures—Isaiah ii. 16—and that he would despise their image because it is not the image of Christ, which consists in righteousness, knowledge and true holiness. The real likeness of God’s sincere ones is drawn by the same unerring hand.