66 fasting and self-afflicting of the wicked, is disregarded. Little doth a poor blind sinner think when he is boasting of his praying and religious duties, that God abhorreth them ; but if they be unconverted, they will find it so. "Ye are they that justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts d." For that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of God. And one reason is, because that the person himself is such as God doth hate; and therefore no wonder if he hate his works. For a figtree beareth not thorns and thistles, nor the bramble grapes, but as the tree is, so is the fruit. Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity. The wicked is made for the day of evil, and every one that is proud in heart, is an abomination to the Lord." Though men bless, yet the Lord abhorreth them. When he seeth their wickedness, he abhors, even those that profess themselves his peoples. Yea, and his own sanctuary, and the very place of his worship". Especially when they often deal falsely with him. And no wonder. when wicked men do loathe the Lord and his service, if he. do also loathe them. My soul loatheth them, and their soul also abhorreth me." Sinners, the case in a word is this: God is a Spirit, and will be worshipped in spirit and in truth, and such worshippers only doth he choose; and wicked men can give him but the shell, and the shadow of his service. God made all things for himself, and will accept of nothing but what is intended for himself. But wicked men are turned from God, and do all for their carnal selves, even when they pretend to do it for God. It is your hearts that God hath lost, and your hearts that he regardeth, and your hearts he will have again, or he will have nothing; but you may even keep all to yourselves if you will, except you will give him this. What need hath God of your prayers, or other services, or what good can you do him by all? It is yourselves that he desireth, and then he will accept your service, though he need it not, and will make it good to you, though it can do no good to him. Therefore this is his first demand: "My son, give me thine heart 1;" and if you deny him this, you deny him all. He careth not e Isa, lviii. 2, 3. f Psal. x. 3. i Psal. lxxviii. 59. 66 for your lips, nor your religious duties, without it. If you will not first give him yourselves, he will not accept of any thing that you offer him. And, indeed, when it is not in a returning way, but in an offering way that wicked men will serve him, he plainly telleth them it is in vain, and telleth them he hateth it, and bids them keep it with them; for he will have none of it till they leave their sins, and give up themselves to him. "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me? saith the Lord: I am full of your burnt-offerings. When you come to appear before me, who required this at your hands, to tread in my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination to me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with, it is iniquity, even the solemn meetings your new moons, and your appointed feasts, my soul hateth, they are a trouble to me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood. Wash ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord m." If a prince have subjects, that are in rebellion, he will not take any gift at their hands, till they come in themselves: no more will God at your hands. There is no true minister of the Gospel, but feeleth some exposition of this in his own heart. If the people would send us any tokens of their love and expressions of kindness, if it were not for exasperating them, who would not return it them with contempt, as long as they refuse to be reformed, and will not yield to the word of the Gospel? To let go their goods, if it were all they have, for us, is a matter that we regard not, if they will not let go their sins; because we seek not theirs, but them: and much more is it so with Jesus Christ. If you should be as punctual in his worship as any, and give him never so much of your knees or tongues, yea, or your goods, and all you have, he will not take it as a thing that pleaseth him, unless withal you give him yourselves. "If I suffer my body to be burnt," saith Paul," and have not love, it availeth nothing"." Many a poor unconverted wretch considereth not this, that comes constantly to church, and receiveth the sacrament, and useth some kind of praying every day, and thinks, that if God should not accept of such as them, there should almost nobody be saved; and therefore he makes no question of his acceptance. O but one thing is necessary, and that is yet wanting. If God had your hearts first, then he would take the rest in good part: but when the world hath your hearts, and though you sit and hear with some delight, as if you were his people, yet your "heart goeth after your covetousness P." When your fleshly pleasure and profit have your hearts, God will not regard your service, were it much more. Now it is the work of conversion to bring the heart to God, that was never brought to him, and set upon him before: therefore till this work be done, all is but abominable. "For without faith it is impossible to please God." You think to live to the flesh, and then to please God by your good praying and meanings, or by being of the right religion, or by some good works; but remember what God himself hath told you, who best knoweth what it is that pleaseth him; "They that are in the flesh cannot please God";" and all that are unconverted, are said to be in the flesh, because they" mind the things of the flesh," and live according to their carnal inclinations, and for carnal ends. O what a sad consideration would this be to your hearts, if you did but understand and feel your own condition! You talk against this man and that man for being of a wrong religion, and you think you are better than this party or that, whereas you are miserable, whatsoever your religion be, because you are heartily of no religion. You think God will be pleased with your service, and it doth but add to the load of your sin. You read the word, and think you do God service by it, when you do but read your own condemnation, because you have your hearts against the doctrine that you read. You think you serve God by coming to church, but if you refuse to let the word convert you, how should God be pleased with such a service as this? It is as if you should tell your servant what you have for him to do, and because he hath given you the hearing, he thinks he should have his wages, though he do nothing of that which you set him to do. Were not this an unreasonable servant? Or would you P Ezek. xxxiii. 31. 9 Heb. xi. 7.. r Rom. viii. 8. give him according to his expectation? It is a strange thing that men should think that God will save them for dissembling with him; and save them for abusing his name and ordinances. Every time you hear, or pray, or praise God, or receive the sacrament, while you deny God your heart, and remain unconverted, you do but despise him, and shew more of your rebellion than your obedience. Would you take him for a good tenant, that at every rent-day would duly wait on you, and put off his hat to you, but bring you never a penny of rent? Or would you take him for a good debtor, that brings you nothing but an empty purse, and expects you should take that for payment? God biddeth you come to church, and hear the word ; and so you do, and so far you do well: but withal, he chargeth you to suffer the word to work upon your hearts, and to take it home and consider of it, and obey it, and cast away your former courses, and give up your hearts and lives to him; and this you will not do. And yet you think that he will accept of your service. Dare you plead such services with God for a reward, and say, Lord, though we shut thee out of our hearts, yet we gave thee the hearing.' Sirs, I beseech you lay this well to heart, What will you do in a day of affliction? What will you do at an hour of death? Will you not fall a praying? Will you not call to God for mercy, when you see that nothing but his mercy can relieve you? Why, if you be unconverted, God will not hear your prayers; he abhorreth them, because he hath not your hearts. O sad case for a man in misery to look about him, and see no hope in heaven or earth but God alone, and when he begins to cry for help to him, he will loathe their prayers, and turn away his ears, and will not hear! Hear his own word, Prov. i. 26-29. "Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched forth my hands, and no man regarded," &c. to the end of that chapter. For my part, I foresee the day is coming, when I would not take all the world to be without a God to pray to. O then, to have a man's prayers themselves thought but iniquity, and charged on him as his sin, when he must have present help or perish, what sadder case can there be? For a man that is going into another world, and calls to God to receive his soul, to have prayers and soul cast out together, how sad a case is it? Sirs, do not mistake me, as if I took you off from prayers or other holy duties by this; but I tell you, that if you go on in any kind of duty, and remain unconverted, you cannot look that God should take any kind of pleasure in them or in you. If you say then, 'It is as good never a whit, as never the better:' I answer, do your great duty first, and then all the rest will be accepted; yield to the word and Spirit, resist not the grace of God any longer; give him your hearts, and give them no longer to this deceitful world; and then come and welcome. And for the duties that tend to conversion, as, hearing the word, and begging true grace of God, which may convert you, and considering of those truths that must be the instruments to do it; these are the very beginnings of the work, and therefore it is not these that we discourage you from: it is time for you to use these, that the rest may be accepted. 6. Another sad consideration, concerning the state of an unconverted man, is this, as long as they remain in that condition, They live in continual danger of damnation. They are under the wrath of God; and though patience have long forborne them, to try whether they will repent, yet are they not sure whether it will stay for them one day longer: they are under the curse of the law, and when it will be executed they cannot tell. I have told you already from the word of God, that an unconverted man cannot be saved, and I need not tell you sure, that he is uncertain how long he shall continue in this world And methinks a man that is sure to go to hell if he dieth, and knoweth not whether it may not be this day, should have little comfort in his life till he were changed. Now the Lord have mercy on poor, hard-hearted sinners, what do they mean then that they look no more about them? Why will not the word of the living God awaken them, which telleth them how near they are to perdition? I do here make known to you from the word of truth, that if there be any unconverted souls in this assembly, they are not certain to be out of hell an hour. God knows, sirs, I would not tell you of this if it were needless. But alas! what do you mean to continue in such a case as this? As sure as the word of God is true, every soul that goeth unconverted out of the body, is shut out of all hope of mercy for ever, and entereth into a remediless misery. Remember then, |