"run down as waters, and righteousness as a "mighty ftream."

Indeed, my brethren, what can be more abominable, than the worship of fuch perfons as live in the habitual indulgence of fin? what more provoking to God? what more presumptuous in the finner? And who can fufficiently wonder at the blindness of all of this character? That their very access to God, which fhould increase their abhorrence of fin, should, notwithstanding, set them at eafe in the commiffion of it? bear more in you, think you, than in others? He will bear lefs. He will vifit you fooner in his providence, and he will punish you heavier to all eternity. Things are quite opposite to what you fuppofe. Inftead of your duties rendering your fins pardonable, your fins render your duties infupportable.

Will he

(2) The other kind of hypocrify is, when men put on religion as a cloak and covering on their wickedness, and, without any inward regard or fense of duty to God, aim only at the praife of men. This is, if poffible, more daring and prefumptuous than the other, or rather is a more advanced stage of the fame character. It was for this that our Saviour fo feverely reprehended the Pharifees: Matth. vi. 1. 2. "Take heed "that ye do not your alms before men, to be "seen of them: otherwife ye have no reward of "your Father which is in heaven. Therefore,

when thou doft thine alms, do not found a

❝ trumpet

"trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in "the fynagogues, and in the ftreets, that they "may have glory of men. Verily I fay unto "L you, they have their reward" And ver. 5. "And when thou prayeft, thou shalt not be as "the hypocrites are: for they love to pray "standing in the fynagogues, and in the corners. "of the streets, that they may be seen of men. "Verily 1 fay unto you, they have their reward." But truly this is not all. Some are not fatisfied with doing things in themselves praife-worthy. from oftentation, or the hope of applaufe from men, but they endeavour, by their fhining and burning zeal in fuch things, to blind the eyes of others, and hinder them from difcovering and punishing their fecret wickedness: Matth. xxiii. 14. "Wo unto you, fcribes and Pharifees, hy"pocrites; for ye devour widows houfes, and "for a pretence make long prayers; therefore "ye fhall receive the greater damnation." When ever this is the cafe, it is no wonder that obedience fhould be preferred before facrifice, and indeed fet in oppofition to it. You fee, howe. ver, that this is no more than what our Saviour fays of almfgiving, which is fo eminent a moral duty, but which can never find acceptance with God, when done merely from a principle of oftentation. It is impoffible, upon the whole, to fet this matter in a jufter light than our Saviour has done, in fpeaking of the fame Pharifees, Matth. xxiii. 23. "Wo unto you, fcribes and "Pharifees,,

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Pharifees, hypocrites; for ye pay tithe of "mint and anife, and cummin, and have omit"ted the weightier matters of the law, judge"ment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to "have done, and not to leave the other un" done."

3. Obedience is opposed to facrifices as they are dead and formal. I am not at this time to mention all the ends which an infinitely wife God intended to ferve by the appointment of facrifices but every one must be sensible, that they could be of no avail without taking in the principle from which they were brought, and the temper and difpofition of the offerer. There was no doubt very much of outward form in the Mofaic œconomy; and the ritual practices bore fo great bulk in it, that, by way of comparison with the fpirituality of the gospel, it is called the law of a carnal commandment. But it would be mistaking it very much, to suppose, that God was fully fatisfied with, or defired that his people fhould reft in the outward form. This is plain from many paffages of scripture. What an example of fervour and elevation of fpirit have we in the exercife and language of the pfalmift David, through the whole of his writings! You may see, Pf. v. 7. "But as for "me, I will come into thy houfe in the multi"tude of thy mercy and in thy fear will I "worship toward thy holy temple." Pf. xxvi. 6. « I will wash mine hands in innocency: fo

" will

"will I compafs thine altar, O Lord." To this you may add what he fays, Pfal. li. 16. 17. "For thou defireft not facrifice, elfe would I give "it thou delighteft not in burnt-offering. The "facrifices of God are a broken spirit: a bro "ken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

In oppofition to this, however clear a dictate,. both of reafon and fcripture, it feems to have been the disease of ancient times, to imagine,, that the facrifices were fome how neceffary or ufeful to their maker in themselves; and that he was pleased with the poffeffion of the gift, independent of the difpofition of the giver. Thisled both Jews and Gentiles to fuppofe, that the more numerous and coftly the victims, the greater would be their influence: Micah vi. 6. "Wherewith fhall I come before the Lord, and"bow myself before the high God? Shall I "come before him with burnt-offerings, with "calves of a year old? Will the Lord be plea-"fed with thousands of rams, or with ten thou"fands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firft

"born for my tranfgreffion, the fruit of my body: " for the fin of my foul?". To fuch an excef- five height did this error proceed, that on extra- ordinary occasions the Heathens of many differ-ent nations offered human facrifices, and endea voured, by their number, their youth, or the high rank of their parents, to increase their va- ~ lue in the fight of God. In opposition to this

grofs delufion, God often afferts his all-fufficiency, as well as fovereignty; as particularly in that admirable paffage, Pf. 1. 7.-14. “Hear, "O my people, and I will fpeak; O Ifrael, and "I will teftify against thee: I am God, even "thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy fa"crifices, or thy burnt-offerings, to have been "continually before me. I will take no bullock "out of thy houfe, nor he-goats out of thy folds. "For every beaft of the foreft is mine, and the "cattle upon a thoufand hills. I know all the "fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts "of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I "would not tell thec, for the world is mine, “ and the fullnefs thereof. Will I eat the flesh "of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Of"fer unto God thanfgiving, and pay thy vows "unto the Moft High." And even with regard to their ordinary attendance on inftruction, he says, Ezekiel xxxiii. 31. "And they come unto thee "as the people cometh, and they fit before thee "as my people, and they hear thy words, but "they will not do them: for with their mouth "they fhew much love, but their heart goeth af"ter their covetousness."

This conduct, fo dishonourable to God, and fo inconfiftent with the holiness and purity of his nature, had no fufficient excufe either among Jews or Heathens. But furely it is still more criminal among Chriflians. The gospel, as a difpenfation of clearer light, and greater purity,

is