December 12

Matthew xxii. — 13. Put woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

15. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and, when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

16. Woe unto you, ye blind guides! which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.

17. Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

18. And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

19. Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

20. Whoso, therefore, shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

These terrible denunciations of our Lord were not uttered against gross and scandalous sins, but against hypocrisy, which in his view was the most grievous of all sins. In the whole course of his ministry, in his attempts to enlighten and save the people, he had been opposed, hindered, denounced, threatened, by the men who professed to be their religious guides. Under the veil of piety they were covetous, exacting, tyrannical, extortionate. They had perverted religion by their speculations and traditions: on the one hand, making much of outside appearances, and of little matters in tithes

21. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

22. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

24. Ye blind guides, which strain at a guat, and swallow a camel.

25. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but within they are full of extortion and excess.

26. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanliness.

28. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men; but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

and ceremonies; but, on the other, relaxing morality in their own practice, indulging in profaneness, under various subterfuges, and in sensual excesses, the means of which were procured by extortion and fraud.

Inasmuch as an occupied tomb was regarded as unclean, it was the custom to whiten the sepulchres, both for appearance sake, and as a ready warning against the delibement that would come by touching them. So these characters of fair and polished outward sanctity should rather be shunned than admired; for they harbored nothing but death and corruption within.

APPROPRIATE HIMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 28, 40.

Search us, O God! and know our hearts; try us, and know our thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in us; and lead us in the way everlasting. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquities; for we acknowledge our transgressions, and our sin is ever before us.

We thank thee that thou hast brought us safely to the beginning of this day; defend us in the same by thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger, but that all our doings, being ordered by thy governance, may be righteous in thy sight.

Fit us day by day for the duties that lie before us. In all our ways we would acknowledge thee; and do thou direct our path. Keep us, we beseech thee, from all evil, that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things that thou wouldst have us to do.

Fit us, O Lord! for all the events of this short and uncertain life. If prosperity be our portion, keep us humble and watchful in the midst of it; or, if sorrows and trials come upon us, give us grace to accept with cheerfulness thy holy will.

[Give unto the children of this family grace to serve thee in the morning of life. Oh! keep them from temptation and evil, and from every false and hurtful way.] Be very gracious to our friends: grant to them health and prosperity in this life, and make them meet for the life everlasting. And, O Lord! bless and save the whole world.

Accept, we beseech thee, for Christ's sake, our poor imperfect services, and give us grace to serve thee better. May all we undertake be begun, continued, and ended in thee, that so we may glorify thy holy name, and finally by thy mercy obtain everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.