1. A contrasted view of God's conduct towards us, and of ours towards him God has not required any oppressive services of us [God, as the author of our being, has a right to all our time, and all our faculties: but he requires of us only one day in seven, to be spent in his more immediate service. The law, which he imposed upon the Jews, appeared indeed burthensome, through the infirmity of their flesh; though, when considered in its true light, it ought not to have appeared so.* As for us, we are wholly freed from that yoke, and have only two easy and significant rites to observe. Nor is the moral law burthensome; for the whole substance of it is, Be holy, and be happy: and if a permission were given us to violate any one of its commands, it would be, in fact, a dispensation to make ourselves miserable.] But we have been backward to offer him any token of respect and love [The Jews grudged to purchase a little calamus for the holy perfume and incense. Nor, if they brought any sacrifices, would they present the fat and good of their flocks, but rather, such as were lean and refuse. Thus we have just waited upon God in his outward ordinances, but have withheld from him that which alone could render our services pleasing in his sight, the tribute of an humble, contrite, and grateful heart. To mortify our lusts, and exercise devout and heavenly affections, would have cost us more pain and labour than we have been willing to afford: we have therefore wholly declined such services, and contented ourselves with offering only the cheap sacrifices of external and occasional formalities.] Yea, instead of serving him aright, we have even "wearied him with our iniquities" [How awful the charge, which God himself here brings against us! He, who might justly demand any thing of us, has not required of us any great services, or wearied us with an intolerable yoke: but we, who are bound by every tie to please and honour him to the uttermost, have quite oppressed and wearied him by our long continued iniquities, till he is even" pressed under us, as a cart is pressed, that is full of a It was necessary, in order to keep them separate from the heathen: it was the means of directing their attention to the Messiah, and of preparing them for the fuller light and liberty of the gospel: it was also the means of their maintaining communion with the Deity, and of obtaining his richest blessings. Rom. vii. 12. d Mal. i. 8. • Exod. xxx. 23, 25, 34, 35. sheaves." There is scarcely an evil desire, which we have not harboured and indulged. Pride, envy, malice, revenge, covetousness, impurity, and whatever else is hateful unto God, have at all times found a ready admission into our hearts: and if an outward restraint has been imposed upon our actions, it has not proceeded from a fear of God,f or an hatred of sin, but from a regard to our characters among men, and to the temporal consequences, which we dreaded. When we have known that our dispositions were offensive to God, we have not regarded him, any more than if he had been our slave, that was constrained to bear whatever we might impose upon him: we have altogether contemned him as unworthy of our notice, and lived as though there were no such being in the universe.] Marvellous as this contrast is, we shall be yet more astonished, while we consider II. God's address to us, founded upon the foregoing representation The former part of God's address is a free and gracious promise of forgiveness [What might such rebels have expected, but to hear God say, "Ah! I will ease me of mine enemies;h I swear in my wrath, that they shall never enter into my rest; my fury shall rest upon them, and I will be comforted?" But, behold, how different is his voice! "I, even I, whom you have so insulted, degraded, wearied; I, who could in an instant cast you into hell, as I did the rebel angels; I, who might be glorified in your eternal condemnation; even I, am ready to blot out all your transgressions, as a morning cloud: yea, I will blot them out through the blood of my dear Son; and, though I might well "seal them up in a bag," and bring them forth at a future day to your everlasting confusion, I will no more remember them; they shall be perfectly blotted out, even as if they had never been committed. I well know, that if I seek for any thing in you to justify such an act of mercy, I shall never find it: there is nothing in you but what calls for wrath and fiery indignation: yet I will not on this account forbear to exercise mercy; I will pardon thee for mine own sake, that I may be glorified in displaying the exceeding riches of my grace." How infinitely does this surpass our highest conceptions! é Amos ii. 13. Isaiah 1. 24. f Rom. iii. 18. & Ps. x. 4, 13. and how obdurate must be the heart that can withstand these overtures of love and mercy!] The latter part of the address may be understood in a twofold sense 1. As a rebuke to the proud self justifying Pharisee [Many, instead of humbling themselves under the charge brought against them, will instantly reply," Wherein have we wearied thee." To such God says, "Since you plead your innocence, and stand on your own defence, as though you did not need this offer of mercy, come, and " put me in remembrance" of your good deeds (for, if you have any to boast of, they have quite escaped my notice) 'Let us plead together, and see whether I am right in my charge, or you in your vindication of yourself:' declare thou the grounds of thy dependence,' that,' if they will bear thee out in thy confidence, thou mayest be justified' before me." Alas! alas! that the offers of a free salvation should ever be despised through a vain confidence in our own goodness! O that we might not so despise our own mercies! Whatever sentence God shall pass upon us," he will surely be justified in his saying, and be clear when he is judged." Let us not then provoke God to such a contest; for our hope will be only as a spider's web, that shall be swept away with the besom of destruction."] 2. As a direction and encouragement to the penitent [While some put away from them the word of life, because they feel not their need of mercy, others do the same, from an apprehension of their unworthiness to obtain mercy. But God is ever solicitous to encourage the humble, and says, "Put me in remembrance of this promise; come and plead it with me; declare thou thine affiance in it; and, unworthy as thou art, thou shalt be justified." As our Lord vouchsafed to Thomas the evidence of his senses, in order that his doubts might be effectually removed, so he here condescends to the înfirmities of his people, in order to bring them to a full conviction of his love and faithfulness. Let this direction then be followed by every doubting, trembling soul. Let us take the Canaanitish woman for our pattern:P and our confidence shall ere long be crowned with a rich reward.] Mal. ii 17. " Ps. li. 4. Matt. xv. 26, 27. m Jer. ii. 35. o Isaiah xxviii. 17. Heb. x. 35. CCCCXXXIV. CRIMSON SINS MADE WHITE. Isaiah i. 18. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. MAN is a rational being; and, though prone to abuse his reason for the vindication of his own evil ways, is capable of judging, when sound argument is proposed for his consideration. Hence God addresses himself to our reason, and makes his appeal to the whole creation, when our pride or obstinacy prevent us from acknowledging the truth of his assertions-The chapter before us exhibits a judicial process-Heaven and earth are called as witnesses against Israel-The charge against them is openeda—And their vindication of themselves is duly considered"—Having convicted them of their iniquities, God invites them to come and reason with him, and shews them a better way of pleading for themselves It is by his Ministers that he now condescends to reason with mankind. We therefore propose to be to you on this occasion in God's stead, and to argue with you on the two most important of all points, the necessity and the efficacy of a religious life. I. The necessity of a religious life The common reasonings of men on this subject are extremely futile and erroneous [We are too apt to "confer with flesh and blood," and to be misled by the suggestions of our own evil hearts. The world around us, and our own corrupt nature unite in asserting, that a life of devotedness to God is not necessary, not a Ver. 2, 3. b Their reply is not set down at length; but it may be gathered from the answer given to it by Gol. They plead that they have offered sacrifices, yea many, and of the fittest of their flocksThat they have done this themselves, before God, in the temple, with great reverence-That they have presented 'other offerings also That they have observed the stated feasts-And that, instead of resting in carnal ceremonies, they had joined with them the spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise. God follows them through their objections, and leaves them not a word to add, ver. 11–15. desirable, not practicable. How can it be imagined, say these objectors, that God should require all persons to live in such a holy self-denying way as the first Christians did. It might be proper for them in the infancy of Christianity to set such an example; but it cannot be necessary for us in these times to follow it. And to suppose that all who do not give up themselves to God as they did, are doomed to eternal misery, would be to make God a cruel tyrant, and to rob him of his noblest attributes of goodness and mercy. Nor is it to be wished, that religion should operate now as it did then; for how could the affairs of nations be conducted, or the common offices of life be performed? There would be an end to trade, and to all the refinements of civilized society; and men must be brought back again to the simplicity and vacuity of the Patriarchal age-In short, it cannot be effected now. A few visionaries and enthusiasts may experience something, and pretend to a great deal more: but to eradicate from the breast the love of sin, and to raise the soul above all the things of time. and sense, and to bring it into a state of habitual communion with God, is impossible; unless we were all to be set apart to the work of religion, just as the Apostles were, and had nothing else to attend to Such are the reasonings of flesh and blood. But here is little else than mere unfounded assertion, which is contradicted by every page of the holy scriptures, and by the actual experience of thousands.] Let us now, in God's name, reason with you on the same subject [Has not God done enough to merit all the services that you can possibly render him? Think of what he has done for you in creation and providence, and, above all, in the work of Redemption, and then say, whether there be any thing which he could have done for you more than he has;" or whether if he had permitted you to ask whatever you would as the price of your services, you could have ventured to have asked a thousandth part of what he has already done for you? Could have dared to make such a request as that he would give you his dear Son to die for.you, and his Holy Spirit to instruct and sanctify you?——— you Has he not promised you assistance for the performance of every thing he has required of you? We acknowledge your impotency for that which is good: but that is no excuse for your disobedience, while he says, "My grace shall be suffi cient for you." If his grace wrought effectually in the saints of old, it cannot but be as sufficient for you as for them- Will not his love and favour amply compensate for all that you can either do or suffer for him? I might ask this ques |