SERM. zdly, Since God is a fpirit, we can never IV. reasonably hope to please him by merely corporeal things or bodily exercises. There are, 'tis true, external acts of homage and adoration neceffary to be perform'd to God. In our prefent state the affections of the mind are naturally exprefs'd by outward actions. Benevolence, efteem, gratitude and other difpofitions towards our fellow-creatures, are not filent and unactive in the heart. Nature and custom have taught us the proper expreffions whereby they fhew themselves; and if these be altogether omitted, we shall scarcely believe the inward principles have a being. By parity of reafon, if we have internal good affections towards the Deity, the fincerity and the force of them appear by proper outward acts. But the fincerity of intention, and truly pious affections can only be accep→ table to God. Without thefe no forms of devotion or feemingly religious works, however pompous, expenfive and magnificent, are of any value at all. Such formal fervice not proceeding from juft fentiments, nor animated by inward good affections, is unworthy of our rational fpirits to perform, and unworthy of the divine Spirit to accept. What notion can any man have of the Deity, who imagines that facrifices and other ceremoni

ous

ous performances will please him, when fe- SER M. parated from virtuous difpofitions and a good IV. life? The question which the Pfalmift puts in the name of God to the formal worshipper, is a very proper one, Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? * For, however abfurd that be, no better account can be given of the hypocrite's fpiritless devotion, who is laborious in the forms and ceremonies of worship, but utterly negligent of moral duties, which alone he has any reason to think, can recommend him to the approbation of a pure fpirit. God does not fee as man fees; he has not thofe views of fenfible things, nor thofe affections and defires to them which we have. Will he be delighted with a fine picture or an expensive statue? Are gold and filver more precious to him than common earth? Has he ears like ours, to be delighted with the melody of founds? Thefe are grofs imaginations, unworthy of reasonable beings. Strange! that ever it should enter into the heart of a man, that he could reconcile himself to God by thousands of rams, and ten thousand rivers of oil, or that offering the fruit of his body could expiate his crimes. And yet it is certain, there is fuch a proneness in mankind to this fort of superstition, that not only they have been guilty of * Pfal. 1. 13.

it

SERM.it who had no other guide than the light of IV. nature, trefpaffing thereby against the plain

dictates of reason, and particularly this important principle that God is a Spirit; but even they who enjoy'd the benefit of a divine revelation, have, many of them fallen into the fame error, contrary to the most exprefs warnings and reproofs given them by God's extraordinary meffengers. Many of the ancient Jews plac'd their religion in facrifices and other ceremonial obfervances, in which they trufted as fufficient to recommend them to the divine acceptance, and to make amends for the want of true repentance and reformation, notwithstanding the most exprefs declarations of the prophets, that no external fervice, though of divine inftitution, would be acceptable to God, without purity of heart and the practice of righteoufnefs. The prophet Jeremy tells them *, that to truft in the temple of the Lord for their fecurity, whilft they did not amend their lives, was to truft in lying words. He puts them in mind of the defolation that was brought upon Shiloh for the wickedness of their fa thers, tho' it was a place once as facred, and the presence of God was there, as confpicuously as afterwards in the house which was built for him in Jerufalem; and by that re* Chap. vii. v. 4. markable

markable example in their own hiftory, he SER M. warns them that the temple would be IV. no protection to them, if they continued in their crimes: Nay, while they were guilty of murder, adultery, oppreffion, fraud, perjury and idolatry, their entrance into the temple as worshippers was a profanation of it, and turning the house of God into a den of thieves and robbers. But if they would please God and be intitled to the accomplishment of the promises made to their fathers, they must thoroughly amend their ways and their doings, they must execute judgment between a man and his neighbour, they must not oppress the ftranger, the fatherless and the widow, nor fhed innocent blood, neither walk after other gods. The declarations of the prophet Isaiah are as clear and ftrong against their vain confidence in their facrifices and religious affemblies, at their new moons, fabbaths and other festivals, Chap. i. 11. To what purpose is the multitude of your facrifices unto me, faith the Lord.-I delight not in the blood of bullocks or of lambs, or of be-goats. When you come to appear before me, who bath required this at your hands? Bring no more vain oblations, incenfe is an abomination to me; the new moons and fabbaths, the calling of the affemblies I cannot away with, it is iniquity, even the fo * Ver, 5, 6.

lemn

SERM. lemn meeting: But wash ye, make you clean, IV. put away the evil of your doings from before

mine eyes, ceafe to do evil, learn to do well, feek judgment, relieve the oppressed, plead for the widow.

I wish Chriftians were not chargeable with the fame fault; but it is certain many of them are. Tho' our Saviour has taken great care to give his followers just notions of the divine nature, and on that foundation to raife a reasonable service; and tho' the Chriftian worship has the characters of plainness and fimplicity in a more eminent degree than any other form ever had, yet has it been greatly corrupted by fome Chriftians: Especially the church of Rome has multiplied her rites and ceremonies to a greater number, and thereby made her fervice more burdenfome than the Jewish inftitution itself was. If it was abfurd in the worshippers of Baal to think that they could prevail with their God by cutting themfelves with lances, is it not equally abfurd in Chriftians, and much more inexcufable, to imagine that their God, whom they acknowledge to be a pure Spirit, will hear them for their fpeaking much; will be pleased with their vain repetition of formal infipid devotion, which is the exercife of the body and not of the mind; with postures and veftments