Masters, of their servants ; and servants, of their masters. In like manner, the bigot and the free-thinker, the prodigal and the penurious, the hermit and the gay, all love to indulge in mutual criminations; all overlooking their own peculiar fail- ings, and condemning without reserve the characteristic failings of others.]
2. In the world, towards those who profess re- ligion—
[To be religious is, with the generality, the greatest of all crimes : there is no other so little tolerated, so universally con- demned. Opprobrious names are universally affixed to the godly: and the current title, whatever it may be, is sufficient to make a man despised, and shunned, and dreaded, as a public nuisance all the world over. Supposing for a moment that religious persons were unwise in laying so great a stress on religion, is there no evil in neglecting God and our immortal souls ? yet the world overlook all their own impiety, as if there were no harm in it, and set no bounds to their invectives against those who serve and honour God. It may be thought that the wild enthusiast alone is the object of their aversion : but werethe Apostles wild enthusiasts ? Was our blessed Lord wanting in wisdom and prudence? Yet were they all regarded " as the filth of the earth, and the offscouring of all things :" and the very men who scrupled not to suborn false witnesses, and to imbrue their hands in the blood of an innocent man, could find no evil in themselves, but only in those who were the objects of their implacable aversion.
If an occasion arise where a professor of religion acts un- worthy of his profession, what a cause of triumph is it to an ungodly world ! With what exultation are his faults imputed to the whole body of religious people, and all of them con- demned as hypocrites alike ! The sins of the ungodly and profane are all reputed as nothing in comparison of his crime ; and the whole Church of God is vilified, and God himself also is blasphemed, as approving and justifying the iniquity that has been committed.]
3. In religious persons towards the world —
[It would be well if this partiality in judging were confined to the ungodly : but there is a great tendency to it in those who profess religion. Doubtless in proportion as real humility is formed in the heart, this evil disposition will be mortified : but in proportion as pride and conceit are unsubdued, the attendant evil of uncharitableness will betray itself. We have a most remarkable example of this in David, when he had relapsed into a state of grievous departure from God. When Nathan told him of a man who had taken a poor man's lamb,