office of the minister with idolatrous veneration, we are apt to treat it with indecent contempt. Against both these extremes we have need to be on our guard. How- ever much we may disapprove of a minister's practice, or dissent from his teaching, we must never forget to respect his office. — We must show that we can honor the commission, whatever we may think of the officer that holds it. The example of St. Paul on a certain occasion is worthy of notice, "I wist not, breth^ren, that he was the high priest : for it is written, thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." (Acts xxiii. 5.)
We see secondly, in these verses, that inconsistency, ostentation, and love of pre-eminence, among professors of religion, are specially displeasing to Christ. As to in- consistency it is remarkable that the very first thing our Lord says of the Pharisees is, that "they say, and do not." They required from others what they did not practice themselves. — As to ostentation, our Lord declares that they did all their works " to be seen of men." They had their phylacteries, or strips of parchment, with texts written on them, which many Jews wore on theh clothes, made of an excessive size. They had the " borders," or fringes of their garments, which Moses bade Israelites to wear as a remembrance of Grod, made of an extravagant width. (Num. xv. 38.) And all this was done to attract no- tice, and to make people think how holy they were. As to love of pre-eminence, our Lord tells us that the Pharisees loved to have "' the chief seats" given them in 23ublic places, and to have flattering titles addressed to them. All these things our Lord holds up to reprobation. Against all He