occafion fhould point out the propriety, and the piety or gratitude of their hearts should difpofe to the performance. It would be a great miftake, to suppose, that the appointed service of the fanctuary might be omitted or altered by any human prudence, or difpensed with, even under pretence of obedience to the moral law. The obfervation of the fabbath, of circumcifion, of the paffover, the daily burnt-offering, the annual facrifice on the great day of expiation, the trefpafs-offering, and many others, were fo indifpenfably neceffary, that no opposition was to be prefumed or imagined between them and the moral law. Nay, the whole circumstances of these rites were precifely specified, and those who varied any thing in the manner of their obfervation were to be cut off from their people. For this fee Exodus xii. 19.; xxxi. 14. and many other paffages. I muft further observe, that even with respect to voluntary or free-will offerings, though they were left at liberty whether they would offer fuch at all or not; yet if they did offer, the manner in which it behoved to be conducted, was appointed precisely, and they were forbidden to depart from it, under the fame awful fanction. You may see the rules laid down for peace-offerings in the 2d and 3d chapters of Leviticus; and for the danger of any error in attending on them, fee Lev. vii. 20. Lev. xvii. 8. 9. Now, nothing can be more plain, than that the facrifices which Saul and his people had in view to offer, or at leaft pretended to have had in view, were voluntary

21.;

or free-will offerings: they were no part of the regular, flated, unalterable fervice of the fanctuary; but might be offered or not as they themfelves thought proper. When you remember this, my brethren, you will fee with how great juftice and force the prophet oppofes facrifices of this kind, to obeying the voice of the Lord: "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?" As if he had faid, Can you imagine that God will be as well pleafed with gifts of your own devifing, as with a strict and punctual execution of the orders which himself bad given ; especially when the very facrifices you would offer to him, are purchafed by the breach of his own exprefs command ?

The words of the text having been spoken by an Old-Teftament prophet, and in language directly fuited to the circumstances of that difpenfation, I have kept the laws of the Mofaic ceconomy closely in view. The fpirit however of the whole, and the truth refulting from it, belongs as clearly and fenfibly to us as to the fathers. We are not to prefume to make light of any inftitution of God, though, either in whole or in part, of a positive nature. But confidering

facrifices as including all acts of worship, nay all acts of religion or fervice to God, of whatever kind, fo far as they are voluntary in their circumstances, let us not think to put them in the room of obedience to his law. If any man, from this paffage of fcripture, fhall take liberty to defpife the fabbath, to forbear prayer in

fecret

fecret and in family, to neglect the facraments. or inftituted worship of God, he perverteth and wrefteth the scriptures, to his own destruction. On the other hand, if any perfon, under pretence of extraordinary prayer, fhall neglect his calling, if he fhall put voluntary fafts and bodily mortification in the room of repentance, if he shall make donations to the poor, or to facred uses, instead of paying his just debts, to the prejudice of others, it may, with great propriety, be faid to him in the words of Samuel, "Hath "the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings, "as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, "to obey, is better than facrifice; and to hear"ken, than the fat of rams."

2. Obedience is opposed to facrifices as they are falfe and hypocritical. Even in thofe facrifices that were most expressly appointed, and of the most indifpenfable obligation, there might be an effential defect, from the inward disposition not correfponding to the outward action. Reafon, as well as fcripture, teacheth us, that in all acts of worship, the fincerity of the heart makes the chief ingredient. It is the prerogative, and the glory of God, that he fearcheth the hearts and trieth the reins of the children of men. Therefore, in every part of his fervice, he requires integrity and uprightness of heart: "He "defireth truth in the inward parts." That I may treat this part of the fubject with the greater distinctness, you may obferve, that our facrifices or worship may be polluted by a twofold bypocrify. These may be called, hypocrify towards

wards God, and hypocrify towards man; or, in other words, inconfiftency or unfoundness in the character, and disguise or infincerity in the act of worship.

(1) Our facrifices may be polluted by inconfiftency or unfoundness in the character. This is the cafe where men are careful in attending upon the inftitutions of religion, but do not make conscience of keeping the commandments of God in their ordinary converfation; when they are punctual in the outward performance of the duties of the first table of the law, but are under no restraint as to fins against the second; but, in a particular manner, when they are under the unhappy delufion of imagining, that the one will make atonement for the other. I believe it will be found, that this is the meaning of many paffages of fcripture, where facrifices are spoken of with difregard. The word of God could never be fo inconfiftent with itfelf, as to condemn them fimply, while the law concerning them flood in force; but when they were offered by wicked men, when they were rested on as the whole of religion, or made to compensate for the neglect of moral duties, then they are spoken of with abhorrence: Hofea vi. 6. " For I defired "mercy, and not facrifice; and the knowledge " of God, more than burnt-offerings. But they "like men have tranfgreffed the covenant: there "have they dealt treacherously against me." If. i. 10. Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers " of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the "multitude of your facrifices unto me? faith the

"Lord:

"Lord: I am full of the burnt-offerings of "rams, and the fat of fed beafts, and I delight

not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or "of he-goats. When ye come to appear before "me, who hath required this at your hand to "tread my courts? Bring no more vain obla"tions, incenfe is an abomination unto me, "the new-moons and fabbaths, the calling of "affemblies, I cannot away with, it is iniquity, "even the folemn meeting. Your new-moons, "and your appointed feafts, my foul hateth: "they are a trouble unto me, I am weary to "bear them. 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. Wash ye, make 64 you clean, put away the evil of your doings "from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn "to do well, feek judgement, relieve the oppreff

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ed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." Pfal. 1. 16. "Unto the wicked God faith, What haft "thou to do to declare my ftatutes, or that thou "shouldst take my covenant in thy mouth?" Amos v. 21.-24. "I hate, I despise your feast66 days, and I will not smell in your folemn af"femblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings, "and your meat offerings, I will not accept "them: neither will I regard the peace-offer"ings of your fat beafts. Take thou away from "me the noise of thy fongs, for I will not hear "the melody of thy viols. But let judgement VOL. I.

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