rence the scriptures: but you may perhaps have suffered some little light parody, or inadvertent interpretation to have escaped you; which may drop a seed of infidelity in a corrupt heart. This may take root: and from it again, by a still further semination on the minds of others, a new crop of infidelity may spring. If your inadvertent interpretation had not given a mind, yet unformed, a wrong turn, it might have been open to some better impression. Whoever attends to his own thoughts, must be sensible what trifles often give birth to a train of thinking.

Now take the word leaven in a good sense. The justness of some religious thought, or the beauty of some religious action, may make an indelible impression on a well-disposed mind: and, it is possible, may give a man's life and conversation a new turn. So many instances of this kind have happened in the world; that some enthusiastic people have perhaps taken from hence their ideas of miraculous conversion.

Considering therefore how very liable we are to catch contagion from each other, it should ever be, as much as possible, present with us, to avoid every thing that may corrupt the minds of those, we are concerned with. At the same time, we should be equally ready, when we can do it with

propriety,

propriety, to throw out good hints for their improvement.

It is impossible for any human being to guard his words and his actions with perfect care; yet still perhaps we may have fewer idle words to account for than we perhaps otherwise might have, if we keep it continually in our minds, that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

XXII.

Do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogue, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward.-Matthew, vi. 2.

IN the divine discourse, from whence this verse is taken, our blessed Saviour corrects a number of impurities, and corrupt practices, which had obtained in the Jewish church: and as the heart of man is at all times the same; we shall, in general, find ourselves equally concerned in all these prohibitions with the ancient Jews. The spirit of different religions, and the customs of different nations, may modify vice in various ways; but wherever man is found, there all the great principles of wickedness will be found with him; which will differ no more through the whole species, than the cast of one national countenance from another. Thus the text, though spoken to Jews, is equally applicable to christians. In explaining it, I shall first shew you what our Saviour

means by sounding a trumpet; and shall then explain the subsequent sentence, they have their reward.

The trumpet was much used in the ceremonies of the Jewish law and was generally intended, as indeed it is now, to proclaim something, that men were concerned to hear. Hence to sound a trumpet became proverbial among the Jews. When the Pharisees therefore stood praying in the corners of the streets, our Saviour says they sounded a trumpet-that is, they called men by their hypocritical gestures to take notice of their sanctity.

But now, though the customs and manners of the times we live in, will not bear us out in sounding our trumpets in the loud manner, in which these Pharisees sounded theirs: yet there are few of us, who do not wish to sound them in a lower note. In plain words, there are few of us, who are entirely satisfied with doing our good actions in the sight of our heavenly Father, who seeth in secret. We should rather wish, that the eye of man might have a little view of them.

After the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, in which they had suffered so much for their idolatry, that mode of wicked

.

ness

ness ceased. The fashionable virtue among them became piety to God: and all the hypocrites of those days, who wished to attract the attention. of the people, laid themselves out in frequenting the temple-in making their gift of Corban-in saying long prayers-and praying in the corners of the streets.

The fashionable virtue with us is not so much piety as charity. We are content, when we do pray, to pray in private: but we have often a secret wish, just to sound the trumpet a little, when we do an act of kindness or charity. The times will not bear a loud, pharisaical blast: but a light, gentle air may answer our invention very well; and yet give no offence. It is an easy matter to give a hint of a kind intention-to drop an intimation, that things may go better with a distressed person by and by-or to consult a friend in what way a good office may best be done with an earnest request, that the thing may not be spoken of, as it is a mere trifle. However it generally happens, that some way or other, the thing is spoken of, and gets abroad. It is an easy matter to contrive a private publi

cation.

BUT are we not ordered to let our light