him, and God muft answer you accor ding to it, Ezek. xix. 1, 3, 4. God wilk not be enquired of fuch as give Allow on the other Hand, no Sin how great and hainous foever can hinder God's gracious Acceptance, when Souls fly une to Jefus and turn their Back upon Sin, or giveth it no Heart Allowance: And to the Multitude, I fay, all that you do or touch in a Duty must be defiled, because your whole Way is unclean, Hag. ii. 12, 13, 14. Think you to fin all the Week thorough, and worship God on the Sabbath? Will you lie, fwear, commit Adultery, rail and curfe, and come and ftand before me, faith the Lord? No certainly, you cannot be accepted ; and will you hate Reformation in your Lives, and take his Covenant in your Mouth, and call yourselves by his Name, Chriftians? And fhall not God challenge you for that, as much as for your fwearing, and curfing, and lying, &c. Indeed the Lord putteth all in one Roll, and you need not please yourselves in fuch Things, Pfal. 1. 16. Jer. vii. 9, 10. For it is all one to you to go 10 Tavern to drink, and come to the Sermon, to blafpheme God's Name, and call on it, because the Profanity of the one defileth the other, and the Holinefs of the other, cannot make you holy. for will God take Prayers from fuch a Mouth, that curling cometh out of? Ifa. iii. 10, 11, 12. Shall fweet Water come out of one Fountain with bitter?ance to Sin, Ezek. xiv. 2, 3, 4. And Or can a Fig-tree bear both Thiftles and Graps? Certainly, profane Converfation muft make unclean Profeffion; and therefore your coming to the Church and Or dinances, your praying in your Families, or fuch like, muft of Neceflity be defiled, lince out of the fame Mouth cometh curfing, railing, lying, filthy Speeches: Your Tongues are fo often imployed in God's Dishonour, to blafpheme his Name, to flander your Neighbours, to reproach the Saints, that all your Prayers muft be of the fame Stamp, and as bitter as the other Stream of your Actions: When you ftretch forth your Hands to make inany Prayers, to take the Bread and Wine, fhall not God hide his Face from fuch Hands, as are unclean with many Abominations, fome murdering, fome abufing their Neighbours, fome Sabbath breaking, fome Filthinefs? How oft have your Hands and Feet served you to evil Turns? and therefore, your good Turns will never come in Remembrance: Nay, believe it, you cannot be heard of God, while you cover any Offence. And this I may fay in general, even to the Saints; any known Sin given Way to, and entertained without Controlment, without wrestling against it, hindereth the Acceptation of your folemn Approaches. If your Heart regard Iniquity, fball God bear? Pfal. lxvi. 13. No, believe it, the leaft Sin that you may judge at first venial, and then give it Toleration and Indulgence, fhall feparate between God's Face and you: Your Prayers are Abomination, because of fuch an Idol perked up in the Heart befide God, that getteth the Honour and Worship due to Thirdly, The natural Man's Performances want the Uprightness, Reality and Sincerity that is required; it is but a painted Tomb, full of Rottenness within; it is but a Shadow without Substance, for he wanteth the fpiritual Part of Worhip, which God careth for, Who will be worshiped in Spirit and Truth, John iv. 23. Now, what is it that the most Part of you can speak of, but an Outside of fome fome few Duties, foon numbered. You hear the Preaching, and your Hearts wander about your Bufinefs: You hear, and are not fo much affected, as you would be to hear fome old Story, or Fable told you: A Stage-play acted before this Generation, would move them more than the Gospel doth; fo that Chrift may take up this Lamentation, We have piped to you, and you have not danced; lamented to you, and you have not mourned. You use to tell over fome Words in your Prayers, and are not fo ferious in any Approach to God, as in twenty other Things of the World. Whatever you plead of your Heart's Rightnefs, and have Recourfe to it, when your Converfation cannot defend you, yet your Hearts are the worst of all, and have no Uprightnefs towards God; for you know that what Duties you go about, it is not from an inward Principle, but from Education or Custom, or Conftraint. Are you upright, when you are forced for fear of Cenfure to come here, or to pray at home? Is that Sincerity and spiritual Worship? And for the more polished and refined Profeffors, you have this Moth in your Performances, and this Flea to make your Ointment to ftink, that you do much to be feen of Men; therefore what little Fervour of Spirit is in fecret Duties, there you may measure your Altitude and your Life. And O how wearifome, how lifelefs are fecret Approaches? You would not have many Errands to God, if you thought no Body looked upon you. And for Spirituality, it is a Myftery in all Mens Practice: Who directeth his Duty to God's Glory? If you get fome Flash of Liberty, you have your Defire; but who miffeth God's Prefence in Duties, which a World will approve? Who go mourning as without the Sun, even when you have the Sun fhine of Ordinances, and walk in the Light of them? And Fourthly, Tho' your Perfor mances had Uprightness of Heart going alongs, and much Affection in them, yet all are filthy, because of want of Faith in Jefus Chrift. When you make your Duties a Covering of your Sins, and think to fatisfy God's Juftice for the rest of your Faults, by doing fome Point of your Duty, then it cannot choose but be polluted in his Sight. And this very Thing was the Caufe of God's rejecting the Jews Righteoufnefs, even becaufe they did not look to the End of the Myftery, Chrift Jesus; did not pull by the Vail of Ceremonies, to fee the immaculate Lamb of God flain for Sin; and therefore doth the Lord fo quarrel with them, as if he had never commanded them to do fuch Things, Ifa. i. 12, 13. Who bath required tbefe Things at your Hands? bring no more vain Oblations, all is Abomination. Even as God should fay to you, when you come to the Church; Who required you to come? Who commanded you to come to hear the Preaching? What have you to do to pray? What Warrand have you to communicate? All your praying, hearing, communicating, is Abomination; Who commanded you to do thefe Things? Would you not think it a foolish Queftion? You would foon anfwer, that God himself commanded you, and will he not let us do his Bidding. Indeed this People (no doubt) have faid fo in their Heart, and wondred what it meant. Nay, but here is the Mystery, you go about these commanded Duties not in a comman ded Way, and fo the Obedience is but Rebellion: You bring Offerings and Incenfe, and think that I am pacified when you you bring Alms, you judge you have given me a Recompence; whereas, all that is mine, and what Pleasure have I in thefe Things? I never appointed you Sacrifices for this End, but to lead you in to the Knowledge of my Son, which is to be flain in the Fulness of Time, and by one Offering to perfect all. 1 commanded you to look on Jefus Chrift flain, in the flain Lamb, and so to expect Remiffion and Salvation in him; but you never looked to more nor the Ceremony, and made that your Saviour and Mediator; and therefore it is all Abomination: When you flay a Lamb, and offer Incense, it is all one Thing, as to cut off a Dog's Neck, or kill a Man; fo may the Lord fay to this Generation, I command you to pray, to repent and mourn for Sin, to come and hear the Word; but withal you must deny all thefe, and count yourselves unprofitable Servants, you must fingly caft your Soul's Burden on Chrift Jefus. But now (faith the Lord) who commanded your Repentance? for when you fit down to pray, or come in publick to confefs Sin before the Congregation, you think you are wafhen; when you have faid, you have finned, and if you come to the length of Tears and Sorrow, Oh then fure you are pardoned, tho' in the mean Time you have no Thought of Jefus Christ, and knoweth no Ufe of him. Therefore, faith the Lord, who com manded you to do thefe Things? You think you have fatisfied for your Sin, when you pay a Penalty, but who requireth this? I will reckon with you for thefe, as well as the Sins you pray and mourn for, because you do not fingly Took to Chrift Jefus. Now, if he had never come to the World, your Ground of Confidence would not fail you; for you might have prayed as much, mourned and confeffed, and promised Amendment; and fo you paft by the Son of God, in whom only the Father is well pleased. Think then upon this, whatever you make your Righteoufnefs, there needeth no other Thing to make it filthy, but to make it your Righteousness: Your Confidence in your good Heart to God, Prayer Day and Night, and fuch like, is the most loathfome Thing in God's Eyes; except you come to this, to count your Prayers, as God doth, among your Oaths, to count your folemn Duties, among profane fcandalous Actions, as the Lord doth, Ifa. i. and xvi. 3. Then certainly, you do adorn yourselves with them, and cover your Nakedness of other Faults, with fuch Leaves as Adam did, but you fhall be more discovered; your Garment is as filthy as that it hideth, even because you make that UTe of it to hide your Sin, and cover it. Next, The Lord's Children have no Ground of Boafting either, from their own Righteousnefs; the holieft Saint on Earth muft abhor himself in Duft and Afhes, and holy Ifaiab joineth himself in with a profane People: When he cometh to God to be juftified, he cometh among the Ungodly, he bringeth no Righteoufnefs with him, he cometh in among them that work not. Now, you fhall find good Ground why it must be fo.. Firft, There are ordinarily many Blemishes in our holieft Actions, Spots on our cleaneft Garments, often Formality eateth up the Life of Duties, and prefenteth a Body without a Sout in it: You fit down to pray out of Custom, Morning and Evening; and if there were no more to prove it, this may fuffice: When pray you but at fuch Times? You have an Ordinary, and goeth not by and when we get any Satisfaction to our own Minds, O how doth the Soul re turn on itself, and goeth not forward as it goeth; it is fo well pleased with itself, when it getteth Liberty to approach, that it doth not put all over on Jefus, and take Shame to itself. As long as there is a Body of Death within, Holine's cannot be pure and unmixed; our Duties run thorow a dirty Channel, and cannot choose but contract Filth; while Sin lodgeth under one Roof fo near Grace, Grace must be in its Exercise marred: and therefore the holy Apoftle muft cry, Rom. vii. 19. The Good that I would, I do not: But the Evil which I would not, that I do. And Ver. 24. O Secondly, Tho' there were not fuch Blemishes and Spots in the Face of our Righteoufnefs, yet it is here in a State it, no Advantage is taken of Providence, no Neceffity constraineth when Occafion offereth; and fo it is like the World's appointed Hours. How great Deadnefs and Indifpofition creepeth in, fo that it is the ordinary Complaint; yea, all Prayers filled with it, fcarcely any Room for other Petitions, because of the want of Frame for Prayer itfelf: The Word is heard as a Difcourfe, and on whom hath it Operation to ftir up Affections, either of joy or of Trembling? Chriftians, you come not to hear God fpeak, and fo you meet with empty Ordinances, God is not in them. How often do crooked and finifter Ends creep in, and byafs the Spirit? Men ask to spend on their Lufts, and to fatisfy their own Am-wretched Man that I am, who fball bition; fome would have more Grace to deliver me from the Body of this be more eminent, or to have a more Death? pleafant Life; and this is but the feeking to fpend on your Lufts. If Affection run in the Channel of a Duty, it is often muddy, and runneth thorow our Cor-of Imperfection, and but in its Minority, ruptions: Liberty in Duties is principled with carnal Affections and Self-love. Will not often the Wind of Applaufe in Company fill the Sails, and make your Course fwifter and freer, nor when you are alone. And often much Love to a. Particular, maketh more in seeking it. And that which is a Moth to eat up and confume all our Duties, is Conceit and Self-confidence in going about them, and attributing to ourself after them. It is but very rare, that any Man both acteth from Jefus Chrift as the Principle, and alfo putteth over his Work on Chrift fingly as the End. Alas too often do Men draw out of Christ's Fulness, and raife up their own Glory upon it, and adorn them felves with the Spoils of his Honour; for we use to pray from a Habit of it, and go to as Men acquainted with it, and fo muft be filthy in the Lord's Sight, It was perfect Holiness according to the perfect Rule of God's Law, that Adam was to be juftified by, according to the Covenant of Works, exact Obedience. not one wanting, or elfe all that can be done, came short of Righteoufnefs: One Breach bringeth the Curfe on. All Obedience (if there be a failing in a little) will not bring the Bleffing on; he that doth all, liveth; and he that doth not all, is curfed. And therefore Chriftians, all you do cannot commend your Perfons to God, for if he examine you by the Rule of the Law, O how fhort will the holiest come? Paul and Isaiah dare not come in fuch a Reckoning; neither is all obeyed, nor any in the Measure and Manner commanded. And therefore, you might cry down all your Performances, when you you could challenge them with no parti- nothing; fo that it is all the Wonder of |