ready to be overwhelmed, that feel a need, and cry aloud for a deliverer, and that have none on earth to help. None in heaven but him, nor in the earth in comparison of him: he will deliver, faid David, the needy when he cries, and the poor, and him that has no helper.i He fhall redeem their foul from deceit and violence, and precious fhall their blood be in his fight. This poor man, fays he, cried, and the Lord heard him, and faved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivers them. And then invites all to come and tafte how good the Lord is: yea, he will blefs them that fear the Lord, both Imall and great.'

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§. VII. But what is that to them that are not hungry? The whole need not a physician:" the full have no need to figh, nor the rich to cry for help. Those that are not fenfible of their inward wants, that have not fears and terrors upon them, who feel no need of God's power to help them, nor of the light of his countenance to comfort them, what have fuch to do with prayer? Their devotion is but at beft, a ferious mockery of the Almighty. They know not, they want not, they defire not, what they pray for. They pray the will of God may be done, and do conftantly their own for though it be foon faid, it is a most terrible thing to them. They ask for grace, and abuse that they have: they pray * Pfalm lxxii. 12. 14. * Pfalm xxxiv. 6, 7, 8. Pfalm cxv, 13. Mat. ix. 12.

for the fpirit, but refift it in themselves, and fcorn at it in others: they request the mercies and goodness of God, and feel no real want of them. And in this inward infenfibility, they are as unable to praise God for what they have, as to pray for what they have not. They fhall praise the Lord, fays David, that feek him: for he fatisfieth the longing foul, and filleth the hungry with good things." This alfo he referves for the poor and needy, and thofe that fear God. Let the fpiritually poor and the needy praise thy name: ye that fear the Lord, praise him; and ye the feed of Jacob, glorify him. Jacob was a plain man, of an upright heart; and they that are so, are his feed. And though (with him) they may be as poor as worms in their own eyes, yet they receive power to wrestle with God, and prevail as he did.

§. VIII. But without the preparation and confecration of this power, no man is fit to come before God; elfe it were matter of less holiness and reverence to worfhip God under the gospel, than it was in the times of the law, when all facrifices were fprinkled before offered; the people confecrated that offered them, before they prefented themselves before the Lord." If the touching of a dead or unclean beast then made people unfit for temple or facrifice, yea, fociety with the clean, till first fprinkled and fanctified, how can we think fo meanly of the worfhip that is inftituted by

▪ Psalm xxii. 26. Pfalm cvii. 9. • Pfalm lxxiv. 21. Psalm xxii. 23. Nun. viii. ch. xix. 2 Chron. xxix. 36. ch. xxx. 16, 17.

Christ in gofpel-times, as that it should admit of unprepared and unfanctified offerings? Or, allow that thofe, who either in thoughts, words, or deeds, do daily touch that which is morally unclean, can, without coming to the blood of Jefus, that sprinkles the confcience from dead works, acceptably worship the pure God: it is a downright contradiction to good fenfe: the unclean cannot acceptably worship that which is holy; the impure that which is perfect. There is an holy intercourse and communion betwixt Chrift and his followers; but none at all betwixt Chrift and Belial; between him and those that dif obey his commandments, and live not the life of his bleffed crofs and felf-denial. "

f. IX. But as fin, fo formality cannot worfhip God; no, though the manner were of his own ordination. Which made the prophet, perfonating one in a great ftrait, cry out, 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 pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my tranfgreffion, the fruit of my body for the fin of my foul? He hath fhewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? The royal prophet, fenfible of this, calls thus alfo upon God; O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth fhall

◄ 2 Cor. vi. 15, 16. * Mic: vi. 6, 7, 8.

fhew forth thy praife. He did not dare open his own lips, he knew that could not praise God; and why? for thou defireft not facrifice, elfe would I give it: if my formal offerings would ferve, thou fhouldeft not want them; thou delighteft not in burnt-offerings. The facrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not defpife and why? becaufe this is God's work, the effect of his power; and his own works praise him. To the fame purpose doth God himself speak by the mouth of Ifaiah, in oppofition to the formalities and lip-worship of the degenerate Jews: Thus faith the Lord, the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footftool, where is the house that ye build to me? and where is the place of my reft? For all these things hath my hand made. But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. O behold the true worshipper! one of God's preparing, circumcifed in heart and ear, that resists not the Holy Spirit, as those lofty profeffing Jews did. Was this fo then, even in the time of the law, which was the difpenfation of external and shadowy performances; and can we now expect acceptance without the preparation of the spirit of the Lord in these gofpel-times, which are the proper times for the effufion of the spirit? By no means: God is what he was; and none elfe are his true worshippers, but fuch as worship him in his own spirit: these he tenders as the

apple of his eye; the reft do but mock him, and he defpifes them. Hear what follows to that people, for it is the ftate and portion of Christendom at this day; He that killeth an ox, is as if he flew a man; he that facrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered fwine's blood; he that burneth incenfe, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chofen their own ways, and their foul delighteth in their abominations." Let none fay, we offer not these kinds of oblations, for that is not the matter; God was not offended with the offerings, but offerers. These were the legal forms of facrifice by God appointed; but they not prefenting them in that frame of fpirit, and under that right difpofition of foul that was required, God declares his abhorrence, and that with great aggravation; and elsewhere, by the same prophet, forbids them to bring any more vain oblations before him; incenfe, faith God, is an abomination to me: your fabbaths and calling of affemblies I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the folemn meeting. And when you fpread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; when you make many prayers, I will not hear you. A moft terrible renunciation of their worship; and why? Because their hearts were polluted; they loved not the Lord with their whole hearts, but broke his law, and rebelled against his fpirit, and did not that which was right in his fight. The cause is plain, by the amendment he requires; Wash * Ifaiah lxvi. 3. * Isaiah i. 13 to 18.

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