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The Sin of Hypocrisy

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 24, 1871

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 37, No. 6.

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The Sin of Hypocrisy.

By H. F. Phelps

It is indeed a fearful sin to practice hypocrisy in any form, or in any place. But oh! how terrible to practice it before the Lord. But the world is full of it. Hypocrites among the high and the low, among the rich and the poor. Neighbors are hypocritical towards each other. Hypocrites, to any amount of them. Hypocrites in the church, and out of it.
We may well expect the man of the world to assume any guise whatever to carry his points, but oh! for a professor to be a hypocrite is bad indeed. And this is the worst kind of hypocrisy. For a person to profess the religion of the meek and lowly Jesus, to put it on as an outward garment, while the heart is yet full of bitterness, wickedness of all kinds lurking beneath a show of piety, is terrible indeed. Should this wickedness be always hid beneath the cloak of religion, it would perhaps be more endurable; but when people openly give the lie to their profession by their deeds, when by their assumed piety, they creep into one's affections, and into the affections and confidence of the church, and then by their deeds, under this cloak, bring a reproach upon the cause of truth, wound the hearts of those “little ones that believe in Me,” cause the way of religion to be evil spoken of, then it is terrible beyond description.
The fate of these hypocrites is to be dreaded. Terrible indeed will be their end. “The hypocrites’ hope shall perish,” and their “joy is but for a moment.” The day is at hand when “the sinners in Zion are afraid, and fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites,” and they inquire, “Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?” Verily, none of these are safe, but “he that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil: he shall dwell on high, his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks; bread shall be given him, his waters shall be sure.” Blessed promise! Who will live so as to escape the portion of the hypocrites?
H. F. PHELPS.