the Spirit of God; and this Spirit he
gives to those spirits,--souls, as we call them now,--who desire it,
that they may become righteous with the righteousness of Christ, and
good with the goodness of God.

And is not this good news? I say, my friends, if we will look at it
aright, there is no better news, no more inspiriting news for men
like us, mixed up in the battle of life, and often pulled downward
by our own bad passions, and ashamed of ourselves more or less,
every day of our lives;--no better news, I say, than this, that what
is good and right in us is not our own, but God's; that our longings
after good, our sense of duty and honour, kindliness and charity,
are not merely our own likings or fancies: but the voice of God's
almighty and everlasting Spirit. Good news, indeed! For if God be
for us who can be against us? If God's Spirit be with our spirits,
they must surely be stronger than our selfish pleasure-loving flesh.
If God himself be labouring to make us good; if he be putting into
our hearts good desires; surely he can enable us to bring those
desires to good effect: and all that is wanted of us, is to listen
to God's voice within, and do the right like men, whatever pain it
may cost us, sure that we, by God's help, shall win at last in the
hardest battle of all battles, the victory over our own selves.

SERMON XXXVII. HYPOCRISY

Matthew xvi. 3. Oh ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the
sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

It will need, I think, some careful thought thoroughly to understand
this text. Our Lord in it calls the Pharisees and Sadducees
hypocrites; because, though they could use their common sense and
experience to judge of the weather they would not use them to judge
of the signs of the times; of what was going to happen to the Jewish
nation.

But how was their conduct hypocritical? Stupid we might call it, or
unreasonable: but how hypocritical? That, I think, we may see
better, by considering what the word hypocrite means.

We mean now, generally, by a hypocrite, a man who pretends to be one
thing, while he is another; who pretends to be pious and good, while
he is leading a profligate life in secret; who pretends to believe
certain doctrines, while at heart he disbelieves them; a man, in
short, who is a scoundrel, _and knows it_; but who does not intend
others to know it: who deceives others, but does not deceive
himself.

My friends,