plicated wickedness, and bafe hypocrify. You truft to the external form of the duties incumbent upon you at these times, whilft you are deftitute of the devout difpofitions of heart which are indifpenfably neceffary to the right obfervance of thefe folemnities. And is not this a great iniquity then, to impofe on yourselves in the most important matters, and to deal deceitfully with God, who will not be mocked? This must be highly provoking to the infinite Majefty of heaven and earth, and expofe you to his righteous difpleafure: put therefore this iniquity far from you, that it may not prove your ruin.

14 Your new-moons, and your appointed feafts my foul hateth: they are a trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them.

The fame fubject is continued in this verfe, which was introduced in the foregoing ones.-The newmoons are again mentioned, with the appointed feafts: by which may be intended, the feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations which were ordered to be proclaimed in their feafons, mentioned in the twenty-third chapter of Leviticus. The Lord's paffover, which was commanded to be obferved on the fourteenth day of the first month, at even, when the Ifraelites were to eat the flesh of the lambs they had flain roafted with fire, with unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. The feaft of the firft-fruits, obferved at the time they began to reap their corns, when they were required to take the first-fruits of the earth unto the place which the Lord did choofe, and to prefent them before him, rejoicing in every good thing which the Lord their God had given them. The feast of tabernacles, appointed to be kept on the fifteenth day of the feventh month, in which they were not to do any fervile work, but to take the branches of thick trees, and make to themfelves booths, in which they were to dwell feven days, and to rejoice before the Lord their God, in commemoration

memoration of their having dwelt in booths when the Lord brought them forth from the land of Egypt. Though God had appropriated to himself these seasons, and devoted them to his fervice, he calls them not his, but theirs; intimating, that they made them their own, by facrilegioufly alienating from him the honour and obedience which he demanded; and that they observed them not to his glory, but in a manner fuited to their own corrupt difpofitions. He therefore plainly declares, that his foul hated them. The expreflion is ftrong and forcible, though not peculiar to our prophet; for God elsewhere ufes much the fame language, I hate,' faith he, 'I defpife your feast-days, and I will not fmell in your folemn affemblies. Though ye ⚫ offer me burnt-offerings, and your meat-offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beafts *.' Though the Lord of hofts had inftituted thefe facred feafons for the most important purposes, yet they were fo grofsly perverted and abused, that, instead of being delighted with them, he held in fovereign deteftation the hypocrify and formality wherewith the fervices of his profeffing people were attended on thefe occafions intimated in the following expreffions:

My foul bateth, they are a trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them. The bleffed God condefcends to speak of himself in a way fuited to our weak apprehenfions; and the words which he ufes must be explained in confiftency with the fpirituality and holinefs of the divine nature. The pofterity of Ifrael had difcovered by their conduct, that they were weary of the folemnities which God had appointed them to obferve, and that they reckoned the duties of his worship vexatious and troublesome. He therefore lets them know, that their abuse of his inftitutions rendered them a trouble to him, as well as to them, and that he could no longer bear with their grievous provocations.—Confider

Amos v. 21, 22.

then,

then, brethren, if you efteem the Sabbaths, the folemn feafons which the Lord our God hath appropriated to himself, holy, honourable, and a delight; and do you then refrain from finding your own pleafures, thinking your own thoughts, and speaking your own words? Do you take delight in approaching to God in the exercises of his worship, and viewing his fervice as your honour and happiness; do you engage in it with alacrity, and with your whole hearts? Or, Are you lukewarm and negligent in performing the fervice of your higheft Lord, and thus render your folemn meetings offenfive to the Moft High, by your formal and careless behaviour? Thefe inquiries naturally arise from this subject, and justly demand your ferious attention.

15 And when ye fpread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

Similar teftimonies of the divine difpleafure are here denounced against the hypocritical people of the Jews, on account of their formal prayers, with these threatened against their oblations and feafts in the foregoing verfes. They might be apt to imagine, that though God was not pleafed with their external worfhip, he would not reject the more rational homage of their prayers and thanksgivings, whereby they profeffed to honour the divine Majefty. To convince them of their prefumptuous mistake, they are affured, that, when performed in an unfuitable manner, they would not be regarded by the Almighty.-And when ye fpread forth your hands. Spreading forth the hands is a gefture that, in every age of the world, hath been used by men when fupplicating the throne grace. Mofes told Pharaoh, king of Egypt, that as foon as he was gone out of the city, he would spread abroad his hands unto the Lord';' by which

of

he meant, that he would entreat that the thunder and hail might ceafe*. And when king Solomon, standing before the altar of the Lord, in prefence of the congregation of Ifrael, at the dedication of the temple, addreffed God in prayer, he spread forth his hands toward heaven. In reference to this practice, the expreffion before us is intended to fignify the exercifes of prayer and thanksgiving, in which it was frequently used, to denote the earneftnefs and importunity of the fupplicants. And left it might have been thought, that the frequent repetition of the prayers they prefented to God would render them more acceptable, they are informed, that the multitude of their prayers fhould not avail to this purpose. Yea, when ye make many prayers, &c. Whilft their bodies only were employed in the fervice of God, and their hearts were eltranged from him, fuch bodily exercife, however often repeated, profited little. This important leffon our blessed Lord inculcates upon his difciples, in his most excellent fermon delivered from the Mount, But when ye pray, ufe not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think they fhall be heard for their much fpeaking. Be < not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye afk him. To diffuade them from this hypocritical practice, God here declares-I will hide mine eyes from you I will not hear. Thefe expreffions, in which the faculties of men are afcribed to God, muft be understood in their metaphorical fenfe, being defigned to give us an idea of the divine procedure refpecting the prayers here mentioned. Stript of the figure with which they are clothed, they plainly intimate, that Jehovah would not regard them, as he does the upright, with a pleafant countenance, nor attend to the voice of their fupplications proceeding from feigned lips; but, on the contrary, that he 1 Kings viii. 22.

Exod. ix. 29.

Matth. vi. 7, 8. would

would turn away from them as odious and finful, and reject their petitions as unworthy of the smallest notice. He would not fo attend to their prayers as to grant their requests. Their prayers were made with much coldnefs and indifference, and proceeded from hearts that regarded iniquity; and therefore God affures them, he would not hearken to their fupplication, agreeably to what is written, He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer fhall be abomination *. Both the expreffions contained in this verfe feem to denote nearly the fame thing; namely, that the prayers of the people, here reproved, were offenfive to God, who delights in the fpiritual homage of renewed hearts. Though they maintained the form, they were not poffeffed of the fpirit of prayer: they were deftitute of faith in the promises refpecting the great Mediator, and thofe in-. tenfe defires after fpiritual bleffings, without which it is impoffible to please God.

Your hands are full of blood. Thefe words contain one important reafon of the divine conduct, defcribed in the preceding part of this verfe.To the wellgrounded expectation of gracious audience to our prayers, Gad requires, that we lift up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; but, far from this, the hands of this people were full of blood. Those who were invested with power and authority condemned the innocent, and fpared the guilty; whilft thofe who were good fuffered hard things, the bad were permitted to pafs unpunished. The lower claffes of the people were guilty of bloody crimes and capital offences, which deferved death'; fuch as idolatry, blafphemy, murder, and adultery: and thefe atrocious tranfgreffions abounded fo much among them, and were fo frequently committed, as to juftify the expreffion before us, wherein it is affirmed, their hands were full of blood. In the emphatical language of the prophet Hofea, By fwearing, lying, killing, fteal

* Prov. xxviii. 9.