"Moft High." And even with regard to their ordinary attendance on inftruction, he fays, 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 after their "covetoufnefs."

This conduct, fo difhonorable to God, and fo inconfiftent with the holinefs and purity of his nature, had no fufficient excufe either among Jews or Heathens. But furely it is ftill more criminal among Chriftians. The gofpel, as a difpenfation of clearer light, and greater purity, is called the ministration of the Spirit. And in oppofition to all ceremonial and local worship, our Saviour fays, John iv. 23, 24, "But the hour cometh, and now "is, when the true worshippers fhall worship the Father "in fpirit and in truth; for the Father feeketh fuch to "worship him. God is a fpirit; and they that worship "him, must worship him in fpirit and in truth." But are there not fome amongst us who may be juftly charged with guilt in this refpect? or rather, who is there amongst us that does not in fome degree fall under the reproof? Are there not fome who reft in the form of worship, and are ftrangers to the fpirit of it? Are there not fome who value and truft in their forms while they are regardless of the spirit? Nay, are there not fome who not only fubmit to, but are pleased with the form, and yet have no relish for that nearness to God, and fenfe of his prefence, which conftitutes the fpirit of worfhip? How many finful motives may bring us to the houfe of God! If you come to avoid the reproach of men, is that a real facrifice to God? If you come from oftentation, to be feen of men, is that an offering acceptable to God? If you come to gratify your fancy, by hearing the performance of man, you are offering the incenfe to the creature that is due only to God. Confider further, how often we may be finfully employed in the houfe of God. Are carelefs inattentive perfons offering acceptable facrifices to God? And thofe who indulge vain, proud, fenfual, covetous thoughts in worship, offering facrifice to God? Are thofe who come to

cenfure or admire the speaker, offering facrifice to God? In all fuch cafes, without any difparagement to the holiest inftitutions of God, or rather from a juft concern to defend them from profanation, we may fay, in the words of the text, "Behold, to obey, is better than facrifice; and "to hearken, than the fat of rams."

4. In the last place, obedience is opposed to facrifices, as they are misplaced and unfeafonable. In the ancient difpenfation, time and place were as much afcertained as any circumftance that belonged to the temple-fervice; and nothing could be more contrary to the fpirit of that œconomy, than taking any liberty with the order which God himself had established. There are feveral inftances of heavy judgments denounced against princes, whofe chief fault feems to have been, offering the appointed facrifices in forbidden places, or at improper feasons. If, therefore, he would not fuffer any variation in circumstances which he had prefcribed, how could Saul fuppofe, that he would accept of a facrifice in the place of a duty which he had commanded? It is alfo to be obferved, that the duties of the moral law are perpetually binding; and therefore, when in Providence any example of them occurs, ftrength. ened with the urgent call of neceflity and mercy, they become exceptions to an ordinance of a pofitive nature. Thus our Saviour does not contradict the law of Mofes in what he teaches concerning the Sabbath; but shows in what manner that command was, or ought always to have been understood by the Jews themselves. See an instance of this, Luke xiii. 14, 15, 16. “And the ruler of the sy"nagogue answered with indignation, because that Jefus "had healed on the Sabbath-day, and faid unto the people, "There are fix days in which men ought to work; in "them therefore come, and be healed, and not on the "Sabbath-day. The Lord then answered him, and faid, "Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sab"bath loose his ox, or his afs, from the ftall, and lead him "away to watering? And ought not this woman, being "a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo "thefe eighteen years, be loofed from this bond on the "Sabbath day?" See alfo two other examples of the fame

thing, in the 12th chapter of the gospel according to Matthew; in fupport of which our Lord cites a paffage from the Old Teftament, ver. 7. "But if ye had known what "this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not facrifice, ye "would not have condemned the guiltless."

The fame general rule is to be obferved at all times. We must attend to the intimations of Providence, and as far as they can be clearly difcerned, discharge those duties to which we are immediately called. Every thing is beautiful in its place and season, and is then not only most acceptable to God, but most useful to men. It is fo far from being any disparagement of facrifices, that it is their very excellence, to be confined to their time and place. And the maxim in the text will apply with equal proprie ty to every duty of the moral law. The moft excellent of them may be mifapplied. True religion and undefiled before God and the Father, is, to vifit the fatherlefs and the widow; and yet, if the time of divine worship be unneceffarily chosen for that purpose, or if too much time be confumed in it by those whofe prefence cannot be useful, it is a rejected facrifice. Feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked, is the character that fhall meet with the approbation of our final judge; and yet, if any fhall, out of oftentation, feed the poor abroad, and ftarve their families at home, or perform this duty at the expence of any other more immediately binding, he falls under the condemnation of the prophet in the text: "Behold, to obey, "is better than facrifice; and to hearken, than the fat of "rams." To conclude this head, we fhall greatly mif interpret this paffage of fcripture, if we pretend to honor one part of religion to the prejudice of another. The facrifices condemned by the prophet are not to be underftood of pofitive duties, as oppofed to moral, nor of acts of worship, as opposed to the duties of the fecond table; but of every act of religion, however excellent in itself, or neceffary in its place, if it is done from an ill principle, with a finful purpose, in a finful manner, or fubftituted in the room of that which God in his Providence doth immediately require.

III. I PROCEED now to make fome practical improve. ment of what hath been faid. And,

1. From what hath been faid, you may learn what are the great characters of acceptable obedience; and, I think, they may be reduced to the three following.

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1. It must be implicit obedience. It must be founded immediately and directly on the authority of God. We must not take upon us to judge of the moment and importance of any part of his will, further than he hath made it known himfelf. It is a very dangerous thing for us to make compa. rifons between one duty and another, especially with a view of difpenfing with any of them, or altering their or der, and fubftituting one in another's place. 2. A fecond character of true obedience is, that it be felf-denied and impartial, that it be not directed or qualified by our prefent intereft. It was the beft of the fpoil that Saul and the people faved; that which was vile and refuse, they utter. ly deftroyed. It is too common, that our own intereft both points out the object, and affigns the measure of our obedience; and in that cafe, it does not deferve the name of obedience to God at all. But when the Chriftian is devoted to God, ready at his call, and equally difpofed to any employment affigned him in Providence, he then may be faid indeed to do his will. 3. A third character of obedience is, that it be univerfal, without any excepti on. Saul, and the children of Ifrael, had complied fo far with the order given them, that the greatest part both of the people and fubftance of Amalek was deftroyed; but he ftopped fhort, and knowingly left unfinished what had been injoined him by the fame authority.

2. From what hath been faid on this fubject, you may fee, that the true notion of obedience is inconfiftent with the notion of merit, as if we could lay our Maker under fome fort of obligation. This is as fatal and dangerous an error as any whatever, to think we may merit at the hand of God, and yet it is very common. Nay, it seems to be natural to us all, with great difficulty reftrained, and never in this life wholly overcome. You see how Saul justified himself, and said, "Yea, but I have obeyed the voice of "the Lord." But, in the judgment of God, there was

no confideration had of what he had done, but a fevere fentence of condemnation upon him for what he had neglected. True obedience is always confidered in this light, as a debt due to God, for the performance of which nothing can be claimed, but for the neglect of which a penalty is incurred. I wifh this were properly attended to. The guilt of tranfgreffion is plainly inconfiftent with the merit of obedience. If we are liable to punishment for not obeying, the right of our Maker to our fervice must be complete, there is no room to plead any merit in compliance, and the reward must be of grace, and not of debt. Thus, I think, it is always felt by good men; and the more that they are devoted to God, they are the lefs difpofed to avail themselves of any thing they have done, and the more inclined to ask forgiveness for what hath been either omitted, or ill done.

3. From what hath been faid, you may learn the great defects of our obedience in general. If we confider the characters of true obedience, implicit, impartial, and univerfal, we must be fenfible what great blemishes attend every act of duty to God which we perform. We fhall always find fomething amifs, either in its extent, its principle, or its end. What reafon this for humiliation? what a powerful argument to every Chriftian to live a life of continual dependance on divine ftrength to enable him to obey, and on divine mercy to accept of his imperfect obedience? Nothing but great ignorance of themselves, or great inattention to what paffes in their own hearts, can embolden men to put confidence in themselves. And indeed their doing fo is commonly attended with very mortifying effects. When God leaves them, in fatherly dif pleasure, to prove and try them, or when he leaves finners to themselves, to fill up the measure of their iniquities, it foon affords a fatisfying proof, that in us, that is, in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing. To will may be present with us, but to do that which is good, we find not.

4. In the last place, Suffer me earneftly to exhort you to make it your daily ftudy, not only to keep the commandments of God, but to take particular notice from what principle your obedience flows. See how much 3 R

VOL. I.