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    yea be yea , and your nay , nay ! f If we cannot accomplish this moral revolution , let us , at least , abstain from upholding any of the barriers which obstruct its approach : it must come ; and when mans * thoughts are on the tongue as in the heart , then will God's kingdom be coming on earth as it is in heaven .

    People begin this unholy work too commonly even with those for lhe formation of whose characters they are responsible before God and man . I do not say they do it intentionally or consciously ; but , certainly , the young are often initiated into insincerity by the conduct of those about them , and who should be especially on their guard against such a result . The child that is severely or injudiciously punished for a fault , is thereby tempted to

    insincerity ;—a first falsehood has often been told from the feeling of fear . The child , naturally enough , sees more evil in the suffering than in the untruth . Then , how often does the parent try to gain a sort of reflected glory by an emblazoned display of the child ' s acquirements ! The little observer sees the exaggeration while it loves the applause , and next tries of itself to accomplish the same end by the same means . Children are keen observers , and

    apt imitators . If they see persons civilly treated to their faces , and ridiculed behind their backs , they may very likely learn the lesson which was not meant for them . The remarks or questions of children are often inopportune and puzzling ; that is no justification of the conduct which , without thinking , it may be ., practically teaches them to stifle inquiry , or be content with a verbal mystification to hide ignorance .

    One might accumulate instances for hours of this evil influence over the young—this securing to them an inheritance of insincerity . It is not the less dangerous because unintentional . Parental responsibility should lead to parental caution . The leading strings of unconscious example too often prevent € children walking in truth . ' But to look close to this is within the spirit of the * commandment which we have received from the Father ; ' and this is pre-eminently one of the cases in which , to reform others ,

    men must reform themselves . We should not only abhor the deceitful tongue , but avoid the circumstances which prompt the deceit . We should pray , lead us not into temptation , ' and take care not to walk into temptation . Our character , as Christians , is children of the light . Truth of heart and voice is above all tritfh of doctrine , but will ultimately ensure it more than any other means . There is no more certain or exalted characteristic

    of religion than this . The regeneration of the Gospel is to be born , with Christ , to bear witness of the truth . The fact that God seeth the heart is a strong motive , weakened by the seeming remoteness of his judgment . The frankness which lets men see it , supplies a weak motive , which is strengthened by the promptness of the judgment which they pronounce . This subject goes much deeper than that mere avoidance of gross falsehood , which

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    704 Subornation of Insincerity .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 2, 1832, page 704, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1822/page/54/