come unto me ?" The fear of God, by reason of corruption, easily degenerates into a flavish fear, which cuts the finews of holy endeavours, and leaves people neither heart nor hand for the work. 2. Lay by duty who will, God will always have fome that will take it up. If David have no will for the ark to be with him, Obed-edom will entertain it. Many, in our day, turn their backs on Chrift and his fervice; fhut their hearts against himfelf, and their houses against his worship; but God will always have fome that will put their fhoulders to his work. 3. They are great fools that lay afide duty. They ftand in the way of their own mercy, and deprive themselves of that blefsing that attends the service of the Lord. 4. The people of God, when they take up duty again, will fee themselves the greater fools that ever they laid it by. Well, David being refolved on the work, proceeds with great caution and circumspection, as we fee in the verses preceding that of our reading: The reafon of all which we have in the text. In which words there is, 1. An old ftory brought fresh to mind: The Lord our God made a breach upon us. The ftroke reached Uzzah, and cut him off, while all the reft were fafe; yet the holy man looks on that as a stroke to the whole congregation. 2. There is the cause of the ftroke: The ftroke was dreadful and astonishing, but the holy man lays not the blame on God, but on themselves, and fo juftifies God. The fin of the Levites was the cause of the ftroke: For becaufe ye did not at the first, namely, fanctify yourfelves when ye first began to remove the ark from Kirjathjearim. They did not fanctify and prepare themselves, by folemn prayer and services, in confideration of God's will, as to the way of car rying the ark: As if he had faid, We have fmarted already by your carele ffnefs, beware of it therefore at this time. The fin of all the congregation, wherein he takes in himself among the reft, alfo produced the ftroke; and that because it was his and the people's duty to have been acquainted with the word of the Lord; and the overfight of the Levites did not excuse them. We fought him, indeed, bringing the ark, the fymbol of God's prefence, from the place where it was, to be in the midst of us; but our way of doing marred all. It was God's ordinance that the ark fhould be carried on the Levites fhoulders, Numb. iv. 15. and vii. 9.; but the Philistines had put it on a cart. God did not punish them for this transgreffion, and this emboldened Ifrael to follow their example: But they learned by fad experience, that God would not bear that in the one, which he did in the other.-From this fubject, I take this DOCTRINE, God is highly displeased with perfons who perform duties, but are not careful to perform them in a right manner. In difcourfing which, I fhall fhew, I. How it comes to pass that men perform du-: ties, but are not careful to perform them in a right manner. II. How the Lord teftifies his difpleasure against fuch perfons. III. Why is the Lord fo highly displeased? I AM to fhew, I. How it comes to pass that men perform du ties, but are not careful to perform them in a right manner. 1. Because to perform duty is the easiest part of religion, but to do it in a right manner is very difficult; and few people have a heart to manage the difficulties of religion. Eafe is sweet; and in other things we fee it very ordinary for men to take what is most easy, instead of what is most profitable. It is an eafy thing to think, to hear, to eat bread, and drink wine; but to plough up our corruptions, to engage in good carneft in the fervice of God, and to get the heart in a case for fellowship with Chrift, is not eafy, and floth pre vails. 2. Because the bare performance of duties is within the reach of all, the performing of them in a right manner is beyond the reach of the most part. Natural abilities will ferve for the one, gracious abilities are neceffary for the other. John xv. 5. "I (faid Jesus) am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing." "By faith (fays Paul, Heb. xi. 4.) Abel offered unto God a more excellent facrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God teftifying of his gifts; and by it he, being dead, yet speaketh." Grace, you fee, is neceffary, and grace is very rare. natural man is conjured within the circle of fself, beyond it he cannot move; this is his principle, and this is his end. Nature cannot carry a man above itself, more than the mouth of a river can be higher than the spring-head. This, then, mars all, fo that the service can no more be acceptable to God, than a man sowing his master's ground with his own feed, to reap it for himself. A 3. By the bare performance of duties, men at tain the base and low ends which they propose to themselves in the fervice of God; namely, (1.) Peace of mind, fuch as it is. The confciences of fome are but half awakened; thus a little thing quiets them, even the external performance of duties; but should thefe neglect duties altogether, they could have no peace. (2.) It gains a man credit in the world, and that is a strong cord to draw men to the outside of duties, namely, to be feen of men, and to have glory of men, as our Saviour expeffes it, Matth. vi. 1. 2. It is to them no small matter to have a name to live; to be called good is affected by fuch as are at no pains to be good. What shall we say of those that will fet about duties, and attend facraments, even while they are fure that they will be mocked and reproached for it by the wicked? Anf. It is good, in so far as they are carried over these things: For, alas! there are fome fo pitifully weak, that they will be blown over with the wind of the mouth of the wicked. A broad laugh, or filly taunt, out of the mouth of the profane, is an unanfwerable argument against religion and seriousness, to fome who are in the cause of Chrift like filly doves without heart. Such as are thus chargeable are very inconfiderate; Chrift gives a folemn warning to them, Mark, viii. 38. "Whofoever, therefore, fhall be afhamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and finful generation, of him alfo fhall the Son of man be afhamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels." We doubt not but a hypocrite may come this length. We do not wonder if even a mifer, a covetous wretch, part with his money to buy land; neither need we wonder if a hypocrite fhould facrifice credit among the profane, to gain credit among the the godly. He does but as a man on a ladder, tread on the lower step to win to the higher. 4. Because men may get duties done, and keep their lufts too. For inftance, they may go to a communion-table one day, and the next to the table of devils. But to perform duties in a right manner, is inconfiftent with peace with our lufts: Pfal. lxvi. 18. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." Hence, over the belly of an express commandment, people will venture to the Lord's table without self-examination, or at least without fearching to the quick. They cannot, however, communicate aright without a due attention to it. No, indeed. Says the apostle, I Cor. xi. 28. "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." Many, notwithstanding, can communicate without it, and keep their lufts too; here is the hellish advantage. There are fecret lufts, which the man is unwilling to disturb, therefore he will not light the candle and fearch, left he be obliged to caft out the old leaven. ? 5. Because most men have low and mean thoughts of God, Mal. i. 6.-8. " A fon honoureth his father, and a servant his master: If, then, I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? faith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priefts, that despise my name: and ye fay, Wherein have we despised thy name Ye offer polluted bread upon my altar; and ye fay, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye fay, The table of the Lord is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for facrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and fick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor, will he be pleafed with thee, or accept thy perfon? faith the Lord of hofts." It is not every one that knows the Lord. |