Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. [volume] (Cheraw S.C.) 1838-1839, 1839-05-03

100
NECESSARY couNsELs TO ALL PROFESSORS os
RELIGION.
For ;f we would Judge ourselves We should not
be Judged. Cor. Il. 81
!. Intrsat the Lord nigh amd day for a
rene,oed and right spirit. All the helps and
directions in the world will no, antidots and
preserve from hypocrisy, nothing viii be
found able to keep ycu right, till sanctfhca-
ton hath first set you right. Eek. xxxsi.
81 ;"I will put my spirit within you and
cause you to walk in my statutes"
A bowl may keep by a strai, line, 30 long
as the impressed force of the hand that de-
livered It remains strong upoa it; but as
that wears off. so its motion fails, and ITS
own basis sways and turns it. A tr'ght OF
conscience, q pang Of warm affection, or the
influence of some great example or good
education, may influence an unrenewed
soul, and push i, on the way OF salVatfoa Tor
u season =; bui the heart so influenced, must,
und will return TO its own natural course
again. And l think there wants nothing
bU. time, or a suitable temptation, to discoy.
OF the true temper Of many a professors
spirit :pray, therefore, as that holy n1an did,
Psalm cxix 90: :" LIE, my hear, be sound
10 thy statues, that | be not ashamed"
3. Aioays suspres and examine your ends
in phat you do. Sincerity and hypocrisy
lie maeA A-yeur eads and designs ; as they
ure, 80 aTe you. The in,enssons OF the
hear, lie deep Il man may do the same &C.
ton 10 an holy end and his person and ser.
vice be accepted with God which another
doing for corrupt end, it may be reckoned
hi. sin, and both his person and service be
abhored by the Lord. We find two mea
riding in one chariot, and both Of them con.
cerued in the same expedition, Jehu, the
son Of Nmsi,i, and Jonadab, the son Of Re.
chab, 2 Kings x. Is, %. But though the
work they engaged in was one, aad the
same yel the different ends they aimed at,
made the same action an excellent duty 10
Jonadab and an nc, Of vile hypocrisy in Je-
hu Idem qaod duo taciunt, non est idem.
It was the saying o. good soul, commen.
ded for geed actin the work indeed is
good, bu, fear The ends of it. Self ends
arc creeping, and iusiuua,ing things into the
best actions.
8 Scare yourselves wah sss daily fea. Of
the sin that is in, and the misery asas soaa
totiow hypecrisy. Look upon it as the most
odious SIN 10 the eyes of God and men; to
want holiness is bad OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
and pretend il, when we have il not, is
double .impiety to make religion, the most
glorious thing ip the world, a mere stirrup
to Irefermeal, and q covert TO wickedness /;
o how vile thing is, God made Christ
a sacrifice for sin, and the hypocri.e will
make him cloak for sin.
And as to the ppnishmen,s that follow
il, they arc suitable 10 the nature of the sin !;
for as hypocrisy is out Of measure sinful,
% the reward and punishment Of It will
be ou: Of measure dreadful. Matt. xiv.
81: " He shall cut him asunder, and ap.
point him his portion with hypocrites there
ehslI BE weeping and gnashihg oI feetn.
4. Be daily at ponk 10 The usortifeation
efihose kusts that breed hypocrisy. It is
plain without much sitting, that pride, vain.
glory self..ove, and q worldly heart, are the
seeds out Of which this cursed plant springs
I'D in be souls Of men. Dig bnt to the root,
you shall certainly find these things there |;
and till the Lord help you TO kill and NOR.
tay these, hypocrisy win spring up 10 all
your duties to God, and in all your conver.
ses with resu.
S. Attend tho natiue ooire Of your o'en
eosscisness tn tie day Of sickness, Jaa, o.
trouble, and take special aofice Of 'ss checks
or ,pdraidings, whieh like stitch in you'
side, piH gird at such times. Commonly in
that lies your greatest danger. Beware o!
thu, evil which conscience brands and
marks at such times, whether It be your liv.
ING IN the practice Of some secret sin, or in
the neglect of some known duty. These
ir;ghts Of conscience mark out the cor,up.
ton, wherein your danger mostly lies.
6. Let US all that profess religion be ani-
form and steady in lhe profession and prac-
tiee cf Il, ,oishout polite reserves, and ty'
ends.
Otake heed Of this Laodicean neutrality
end indiferency which Christ hates. Be sure
your ground be good. and then be sure you
stand your ground. The religiono. time
servers is but hypocrisy: they have slulces
in their consciences which they can open
o. shu. as occasion requires every fox
will at least have two holes to his den, tina,
if ons be sept. he may escape at the other.
The hypocri,e po;se,h himself so evenly in
u mediorcrity, that, as it is said Of Baldwin,
Lei AHrts1uy uyw;-,-1-s-.kususIus WIZ, aH Is
one so le, Christ win, or let Antichrist win,
he hopes to make every wind that can blow