hts
are removed about your barns and corns, or some business in your head; and
if any have their thoughts present, yet where are affections, which are
the soul and spirit of religion, without which it is no true fire but wild
fire, if it be not both burning and shining? Are ye serious in these
ordinances? Or rather, are ye not more serious in any thing beside? And
now, especially, when God's providence calls you to earnest thoughts, when
it cries to all men to enter into consideration of their own ways, I pray
you, is there any soul-affliction in your fasts even for a day? Is there
any real grief or token of it? Not a fast in Scripture without weeping! We
have kept many, and have never advanced so far. Shall the Lord then be
pacified? Will not his soul abhor them? How shall they appease him for
your other provocations, when they are as oil to the flame, to increase
his indignation? The most part of Christians are guilty here; we come to
the ordinances, as it were, to discharge a custom, and perform a ceremony,
that we may have it to say to our conscience that it is done, and there is
no more intent and purpose. We do not seek to have soul-communion with
God. We come to sermon to hear some new thing, or new truth, or new
fashion of it; to learn a notional experience of cases. But alas, this is
not the great purpose and use of these things. It is to have some new
sense of those things we know. We know already, but we should come to get
the truth more received in our love, to serve God in our spirits, and to
return to him ourselves in a sacrifice acceptable. This is the greater
half, if not the whole of religion,--love to Jesus Christ who loved us, and
living to him, because he died for us, and living to him because we love
him. Now, all our ordinances and duties should be channels to carry our
love to him, and occasions of venting our affections.

_Thirdly_, The Lord rejected this people's services, because they were
exact and punctual in them, and neglected other parts of his commandments;
and this is clearly expressed here, "I will not hear" your prayers, though
there be many of them. Why? "Your hands are full of blood." Ye come to
worship me, and pray to me, and yet there are many abominations in your
conversation, which you continue in, and do not challenge in yourselves.
Ye have unclean hands; and shall your prayers be accepted, which should
come up with pure hands? They took his covenant in their mouth, and
offered m