for religion, a predominant lust will soon break down the barriers of conscience, and bring into subjection every better principle ]
Let US now contemplate the answer,
II. As affording some valuable lessons to the world at large —
The great improvement which we are to make of Scripture history, is, to deduce from every part of it lessons for our own instruction. Now from the conduct of Gehazi we learn,
1. That such characters must be expected to exist —
[If in the house of Elisha, his only servant was such an impostor ; if even among the Apostles of our Lord there was a Judas ; yea, and if among the very first Christians immediately after the day of Pentecost such a deceiver as Ananias was found ; what reason have we to be surprised, if such characters exist in our day? Is not human nature now the same as ever it was? And has not ovir Lord taught us to expect, that, wherever the seed of his word is sown, the enemy will sow tares ; and that no effectual separation of the tares can be made till the last day ? Doubtless it is most distressing when any are found to act unworthy of their Christian profession ; but the wonder is rather that so few hypocrites are found, than that some occasionally are detected in the Church of Christ.]
2. That the existence of such characters is no argument against true religion —
[People are apt to impute the misconduct of hypocrites to the doctrine they profess. But is there any thing in the Gospel that tends to encourage hypocrisy? Is not every branch of morality carried to its utmost height in the Gospel, and required as an evidence of our faith in Christ ? Are all who embrace the Gospel hypocrites ? Was Ehsha a hypocrite because his servant was so ? What would Naaman have said, if he had been dissuaded from embracing Judaism because he had been imposed upon by a Jew ? Would he not have said, ' The man's wickedness must rest on his own head : religion does not stand or fall with him : I am myself a monument of Jehovah's power and grace, and am under the most unspeak- able obHgations to him ; and, if all that profess his religion were hypocrites, it would be no reason why I should not wor- ship him in spirit and in truth?' Thus then must we say, " Offences will come ; and woe be to those by whom they come : " but whilst I know myself to have been a leper, and