Sermons on 1. Hypocrisy and Cruelty; 2. Drunkenness. 3. Bribery. 4. Oppression. 5. Unjust Judges. 6. the Sluggard. 7. Murder. 8. Gaming. 9. Public Rob

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1822. Excerpt: ... Thus, as was before observed, hypocrisy has generally 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 bardly 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. If he 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 These truths might be illustrated by thousands of examples; and, I may, hereafter, show the desolatiom 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. Por, in thit history we have a true and complete picture of the character of hypocrisy; of it's great and almost invariable abject; and of the horrible means which it employs, when driven to it's last resort. Ahab, the King of Samaria...