Serm CLI. the Power of Godtinefs. are extremely odiouscand offenfive to him. Devotion in )prayer without a holy life, isbut a rude and troublefome noife in the Ears of the Almighty. The Prayer of the wicked is fo far from being accepted, that it is an abomination to bim. He does not love to be invoked by unhallowed mouths, and to be praifed by the wor- kers of iniquity. Flattery is hateful to a wife Man, much more to the infinitely wife. God. He cannot endure that Men fhould lift up eyes to him that are full of Adultery, and bandsfill'd withviolence and oppreffion, and tread his courts with feet ready tofhed blood. It is an affront toGod to be worfhipped by evil-doers, and to fee Men diligent in reading his Word, and attending to his Law, who break it every day. Unto the wicked God faith, What hag thou to do to declare myStatutesp or that thou fhouldfl take myCovenant in thy mouth, feeing thou batefl to be reformed, and ca/fell mywords behiñd thy back ? What God fays of the Sacrifices of the Yews, offered to him by afinfil people laden with iniquity, may be applied to the worfhip ofChriftians who live wicked and abominable lives, Ifa. r. I I, 12, &c. To what purpofe is the multitude ofyour Sacrifices unto me, faith the Lord ? I amfull of the burnt -offerings of Rams, and 'thefat of fed Bealls, andIdelight not in the bloodof Bulls, or of Lambs, or of He-goats. When ye come to appear before me, who bath required this atyour hands, to tread my Courts ! Bring no more vain oblations. In- cenfe is an abomination unto me: The new Moons, and Sabbaths, and the calling of Affèìnblies, I cannot away with.; it is iniquity, even the folemn meetings. Tour new Moons, and your appointedfeafls my Soul hateth, they are a trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them. And whenyou fpread forthyour hands, I will hide mine Eyes fromyou yea, wbenyou make many prayers. I will not hear. Wafhyou, makeyou clean, put away the evil ofofyour doings from before mine Eyes, ceafe to do evil, learn to do well. This is that which God experts from us, the amendment and refor- mation of our lives, and without this all our religious addreffes to him are nau- feous and abominable. Goddoes hardly any where in Scriptureexprefs fo great a deieftationof the greateft fins, as hedoes of the devotion ofwicked Men. I will but bring one text more to this purpofe, Ifa. 66. 3. He that killeth an Ox is, as if hefleiv a man : he thatfacrificeth a Lamb, as if he cut ofa Dog's neck: be that offereth an oblation, as if he ofer'dSwine: blood : he that burneth incenfe, as ifhe ble/fèd an Idol. What is the reafon of all thefe fevere exprefftons? Becaufe they were the Sacrifices of thewicked, of thofe who had chofen their own ways, and whole Soul delighted in their abominations; they worihip'd God accordingto his will, but liv'd according to their own, and therefore they were to him no better than an Affembly of murderers, and aChurch of idolatrous Worthippers : for this is falfe Worfhip, to offer Sacrifices to God, and to devote, our felves to the fervice ofour Lulls. II. Another End of Religion is the Peace and Tranquillity of our own minds. And this is not to be attained upon true and fatting grounds, by any Form of Re- ligion without the Power of it. Men maydelude themfelveswith fore falfe peace, and make a hard fhift to flop the loud and veheinent clamours oftheir Confcience ; hut the guilt of any vicious courfeof life will frequently recoil upon them, to diflurb and interrupt their peace, and to put out their falfe joy ; their Confciences will ever and anon give them many fecret girds and lathes. For no Man can knowingly live in the praelice of any fin, but he mutt be guilty to himfelf ; and whoever is guilty, hath received a fecret fl in;nto his Heart, which is never to be taken out but by Repentance, and a thorough Reformation. God hath faid it, and I doubt not but every firmer finds it true, There is no Peace to the Wicked. Efpe- cially when fuch a Man is feized upon by ficknefs, and approaches in his thoughts nearer to Eternity, then his drowfie Confcience awakes like a Lion out of fleep, fill of rage and fiercenefs, and all his falfe peace and comfort vanifheth. Forwhat is the hope of the Hypocrite when God comes to take away his Soul ? It is, as yob elegantly expreffeth it, like the Spider's Web, artificially wrought, but miferably weak, it can endure no ftrefs, upon the leaf} touch it breaks and vanifheth. And this is nofmall difadvantage which a Man that hath only the Form ofReh- ,gion lyes under, that in effeft he lofeth all the pleafure and fatisfaetion of Religion ; X x or 337
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