gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and become vain;" they even refuse his offers of peace and reconciliation; they reject his promises of grace and mercy, they despise the sacrifice which he has provided for their sins; they will not come unto Christ that they may live; they grieve his Holy Spirit; they are not willing to be born again and sanctified, and made new creatures in Christ Jesus: in a word, content with the world, satisfied for a time with the broken cisterns which they have substituted for the fountain of living waters, they choose their portion in this life, and overlook the concerns of the life to come.

Secondly. Such is the universal offence of mankind against God: we proceed now to shew the sinfulness, the ingratitude, and the folly, which are involved in it, all of which are distinctly pointed out by the prophet in his solemn expostulation with the people of Israel and Judah.

1. Its extreme sinfulness.-Persons are apt to speak and to think of these subjects with the most careless indifference: they admit indeed that they are not so good as they ought to be, or hope to be; they own that they have too often failed in their duty to God; they do not profess to be perfect, and they trust that God will forgive them for the sake of Jesus Christ; but beyond this customary acknowledgment

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they proceed not a single step in the path of humility and sincere repentance. They do not consider themselves as virtually addressed in such words as those in the chapter which precedes our text, where Jehovah says by his prophet, I will utter my judgments against them, touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods." Except perhaps as respects a few special transgressions, their conscience is little burdened with a sense of the enormity of their offences against the Most High. They do not open their eyes to the aggravation of their crime, as pointed out even by our natural sense of obligation to our Creator, of which the very heathen are examples; for, says the Almighty, "hath any nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods?" The light of natural reason taught them that they ought to obey their Creator, their Preserver, and their Benefactor, though their ignorance, their superstition, and their vain imaginations had profanely changed his glory, "the glory of the incorruptible God, into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things."

But the proof of our sinfulness in forsaking God, and in placing our trust and happiness in the things of this present life, does not depend upon the mere light of natural conscience; for

we have in our possession a revelation from himself, in which he plainly declares to us his own unerring decision upon the subject. When he chose the people of Israel to be peculiarly under his protection, he made with them this solemn stipulation: "Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice; and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him." The same obligation applies to all mankind; and we are told throughout Scripture, that "the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience." When the Jews had neglected to obey the laws of God given to them in his word, it was said, "Great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according to all which is written concerning us." And so great was the sinfulness of such conduct, that, in the verse which follows the text, the heavens are called upon to be "astonished and horribly afraid," that a feeble and sinful creature should thus set himself as it were in systematic opposition to the will and the commands of his Creator.

2. But the sinfulness of forsaking God, and preferring other things to his service, is greatly aggravated by the ingratitude involved in the offence. The chapter before us contains the most affecting expostulations on this subject.

The Almighty reminds his rebellious people of the miracles of mercy which he had performed in their behalf; how he had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and led them through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought and the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt; and "I brought you," he continues, "into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof, and the goodness thereof." He gave them his law to guide them, and pastors to teach them; and he challenges them as it were to point out any instance in which he had acted unjustly or unkindly towards them: "what iniquity have your fathers found in me?" And does not this representation exhibit to us the tender mercies of God towards ourselves? Has he not given us existence, and food, and clothing, and all the endearments and blessings of life? has he not preserved us amidst all the dangers temporal and spiritual to which we were exposed; has he not bestowed upon us an understanding capable of knowing him, and a soul capable of enjoying his presence for ever in heaven? Above all, has he not given his Son to die for us? and if we avail ourselves of his mercy, and place our faith in that sacrifice for our sins, will he not with him also freely give us all things? Have we found him a hard master? Did he ever com

mand any thing injurious to our happiness? Is not his service perfect freedom; his love our highest privilege and reward? How great then the ingratitude of forsaking so good and merciful a Creator; of denying him our affections; of preferring to him the most senseless trifles; of offending him by our neglect or disobedience to his laws!

3. But there is still another consideration dwelt upon by the prophet, in reference to this sinful and ungrateful course of conduct; namely, its unparalleled folly. The very heathen had not changed their gods, though they were no gods; they would not give up their vain hope of benefit from the supposed protection of their images of wood and stone; yet the professed worshippers of the one living and true God are too often willing to sacrifice the inestimable blessings of his favour, for the most trifling gratifications of a frail and sinful life.

My people have changed their glory, for that which doth not profit." The glory of man is the protection and favour of God, and a life of devotion to his holy laws; this, and this alone, is really profitable either to the body or the soul; for godliness only hath the promise of this life, as well as of that.which is to come. To follow the evil example which has been described, is both debasing and injurious we sacrifice, by so doing, both our true "glory"