their religion is a thing
apart from their real character. A hundred signs shew that. How
many there are, for instance, who are, or seem tolerably earnest
about religion, and doing good, as long as they are actually in
church, or actually talking about religion. But all the rest of
their time, what are they doing? What are they thinking of? Mere
frivolity and empty amusement. Idle butterflies, pretending to be
industrious bees once in the week.

Others again, will be gentle and generous enough about everything
but religion; and as soon as they get upon that, will become fierce,
and hard, and narrow at once. Others again (and this is most
common) commit the very same fault as the Pharisees in the text, who
could use their common sense to discern the signs of the weather,
and yet could not use it to discern the signs of the time, because
they were afraid of looking honestly at the true state of public
feeling and conscience, and at the danger and ruin into which their
religion and their party were sinking. For about all worldly
matters, these men will be as sound-headed and reasonable as they
need be: but as soon as they get on religious matters, they become
utterly silly and unreasonable; and will talk nonsense, listen to
nonsense, and be satisfied with nonsense, such as they would not
endure a moment if their own worldly interest, or worldly character,
were in question.

But most of all do these poor souls not deceive their neighbours
when a time of temptation comes upon them. For then, alas! it comes
out too often that they are of those whom our Lord spoke of, who
heard the word gladly, but had no root in themselves, and in time of
temptation fell away. For then, before the storm of some trying
temptation, away goes all the play-acting religion; and the man's
true self rises up from underneath into ugly life. Up rise,
perhaps, pride, and self-will, and passion; up rise, perhaps,
meanness and love of money; up rise, perhaps, cowardice and
falsehood; or up rises foul and gross sin, causing some horrible
scandal to religion, and to the name of Christ; while fools look on,
and, laughing an evil laugh, cry,--'These are your high professors.
These are your Pharisees, who were so much better than everybody
else. When they are really tried, it seems they behave no better
than we sinners.'

Oh, these are the things which make a clergyman's heart truly sad.
These are the things which make him long that all were