Jeremiah, even unto the greateft, every one is given to Covetoufnefs., (c. vi. 13.) They panted after the Duft of the Earth, (Amos ii. 7.) They laded themselves with thick Clay, (Hab. ii. 6.) They joined House to Houfe, and laid Field to Field, until there was no Place, (Ifa. v. 8.) Yea, they enlarged their Defires as Hell: They were as Death, and could not be fatisfied, (Hab. ii. 5.)

12. And not only for their Covetoufnefs, but for their Pride of Heart were they an Abomination to the Lord. The Pride of Ifrael, faith Hofea, doth testify to his Face, (c. vii. 10.) Hear ye, give ear, faith Je remiah, be not proud-Give Glory to the Lord your God, (c. 13. 15.) But they would not be reprov'd; they were ftill wife in their own Eyes, and prudent in their own Sight, (Ifa. v. 21.) and continually faying to their Neighbour, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou! (Ifai. lxv. 5.)

They added Hypocrify to their Pride. This People, faith GoD himself, draw near me with their Mouth, and with their Lips do honour me, but have removed their Hearts far from me, (Ifa. xxix. 13.) They have not cried unto me with their Heart, when they bowled upon their Beds, (Hof. vii. 14.) They return, but not to the Most High; they are like a deceitful Bow, (v. 16.) They did but flatter him with their Mouth, and dif femble with him in their Tongue, (Pfal. lxxviii. 36.) fo that herein they only profaned the Holiness of the Lord. And this hare ye done again, faith Malachi, covering the Altar of the Lord with Tears, with weeping and with crying out, infomuch that he regardeth not the Offering any more, (c. ii. 11. 13.)

13. This GoD continually declared to thofe formal Worshippers, That their Outfide Religion was but vain. To what Purpose is the Multitude of your Sacrifices, faith the Lord? I am full of the BurntOfferings of Rams, and I delight not in the Blood of Bullocks, or of Lambs, or of He Goats. Bring no more vain Oblations: Incense is an Abomination unto me; the New Moons and Sabbaths, the calling of Affemblies, I cannot away with; it is Iniquity, even the folemn Meeting-When you spread forth your Hands, I will

bide

·Devices against him-Come and let us Smite him with the Tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his Words, (c. xviii. 18.) Hence it was that he was conftrained to cry out, O Lord, I am in Derifion daily; every one mocketh me. Since I fpake, the Word of the Lord was made a Reproach unto me, and a Derifion daily: For I heard the defaming of many, Fear on every Side: Report, fay they, and we will report it: All my Familiars watched for my halting; Jaying, Peradventure he will be inticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we fall take our Revenge on him, (c. xx. 7, 8. 10.) And elsewhere, Woe is me, my Mother, that thou haft born me a Man of Strife, and a Man of Contention to the whole Earth. I have neither lent on Ufury, nor Men have lent to me on Ufury; yet every one of them doth curfe me, (c. xv. 10.)

17. But if a Man walking in the Spirit of Falfhood, do lie (faith the Prophet Micah) Saying, I will prophefy unto thee of Wine and ftrong Drink, he shall even be the Prophet of this People, (c. ii. 11.) And GoD gave them Paftors after their own Heart; fuch were thofe Sons of Eli, Sons of Belial, who knew not the Lord, (1 Sam. ii. 12.) rapacious, covetous, violent Men, (v. 14, 15, 16,) by reafon of whom Men abhorred the Offering of the Lord, (v. 17.) who not only made themselves vile, (c. iii. 13.) but also made the Lord's People to tranfgrefs, (c. ii. 24.) while they made themfelves fat with the chiefeft of all the Offerings of Ifrael, (v. 29.) Such were those of whom Ifaiah fays, The Prieft and the Prophet have err'd thro' ftrong Drink; they are swallowed up of Wine, (c. xxviii. 7.) Come ye, fay they, I will fetch Wine, and we will fill ourselves with ftrong Drink; and To-morrow shall be as this Day, and much more abundant, (c. lvi. 12.) Therefore (faith he) the Lord hath poured out upon you the Spirit of deep Sleep, and hath clofed your Eyes: The Prophets and the Seers hath he covered; and the Vifion of all is become unto you as the Words of a Book that is fealed, (c. xxix. 10, 11.) Such alfo were thofe of whom he faith, His Watchmen are blind, they are all ignorant; they are all dumb Dogs ; they cannot bark, Sleeping, lying down, loving to flum

ber.

ber. Yea, they are greedy Dogs, which can never have enough, and they are Shepherds that cannot understand. They all look to their own Way, every one for his Gain, from his Quarter. (c. lvi. 10, 11.)

Little better were thofe of whom the Prophets that followed have left us fo dreadful an Account; Both Prophet and Prieft are profane; yea, in my Houfe have I found their Wickedness, faith the Lord. And from the Prophets of Jerufalem, is Profaneness gone forth into all the Land, (Jer. xxiii. 11. 15.) Her Priefts have violated my Law, and have profaned my holy things they have put no Difference between the Holy and the Profane, and I am profaned among them, (Ezek. xxii. 26.) If I be a Father, where is mine Honour; and if I be a Master, where is my Fear? faith the Lord of Hofts unto you, O Priefts, that defpife my Name, (Mal. i. 6.)

Yea, fome of them were fallen into the groffeft Sins. The Company of Priefts, faith Hofea, commit Lewdness: There is Whoredom of Ephraim, Ifrael is defpifed, (c. vi. 9, 10.) I have feen alfo in the Prophets of Jerufalem (faith GoD by Jeremiah) an horrible thing; they commit Adultery and walk in Lies, (C. xxiii. 14.)

18. And those who were clear of this, were deeply covetous. Who is there among you, that would but the Doors for nought? Neither do ye kindle Fire on my Altar for nought. I have no Pleafure in you, faith the Lord of Hofts, (Mal. vi. 1o.) The Priests of Zion preach for Hire, and the Prophets thereof divine for Money. Yet will they lean upon the Lord, and fay, Is not the Lord among us? (Mic. iii. 11.) Thus, faith the Lord, the Prophets bite with their Teeth, and cry, Peace And he that putteth not into their Mouths, they even prepare War against him, (c. iii. 5.) Therefore the Word of the Lord came unto Ezekiel, faying, Prophefy against the Shepherds of Ifracl, and fay, Woe be to the Shepherds of irael that do feed themselves: Should not the Shepherds feed the Flocks? Ye eat the Fat, and ye cloath you with the Wool; but ye feed not the Flock. The Difeas'd have ye not firengthen'd, neither bave ye bealed that which was fick, neither have ye

bound

all Times, God is here! He is now reading my Heart: He fpieth out all my Ways: There is not a Word in my Tongue but he knoweth it altogether: Is this the Character of us English Chriftians? The Mark whereby we are known from the Heathen? Do we thus know GOD? Thus confider his Power, his Love, his all-feeing Eye? Rather, are we not likewise a finful Nation, who have forgotten kim Days without number! A People laden with Iniquity, continually forfaking the Lord, and provoking the Holy One of Ifrael.

2. There is indeed a wide Difference, in this Refpect, between the Jews and us; they happen'd (if I may fo fpeak) to forget GoD, because other things came in their Way: But we defign to forget him; we do it of fet Purpose, because we do not like to remember him. From the Accounts given by Jeremiah, we have Reafon to believe, that when that People was moft deeply corrupted, yet the greateft Men in the Nation, the Minifters of State, the Nobles and Princes of Judah, talk'd of GOD fometimes, perhaps as frequently as upon any other Subject. But is it fo among us? Rather, is it not a Point of Goodbreeding to put GoD far away, out of our Sight? Is he talk'd of at all among the Great? The Nobles, or Minifters of State in England? Among any Persons of Rank or Figure in the World? Do they allow GOD any Place in their Converfation? From Day to Day, from Year to Year, do you difcourfe one Hour of the Wonders he doth for the Children of Men? If one at a Gentleman or Nobleman's Table was to begin a Difcourfe, of the Wisdom, Greatnefs or Power of GOD, would it not occafion (at least) as much Astonishment, as if he had begun to talk Blafphemy? And if the unbred Man perfifted therein, would it not put all the Company into Confufion? And what do you fincerely believe the more favourable Part would fay of him when he was gone? But that "He is a little touch'd in his Head; " or "Poor Man! he has not feen the World."

You

You know, this is the naked Truth. But how terrible is the Thought to every ferious Mind! Into what a State is this Christian Nation fallen! Nay, the Men of Eminence, of Fortune, of Education! Would not a thinking Foreigner who fhould be prefent at fuch an Interview, be apt to conclude, That the Men of Quality in England were_Atheists? That they did not believe there was any GoD at all; or, at beft, but an Epicurean GoD, who fat at Eafe upon the Circle of the Heavens, and did not concern himfelf about us Worms of the Earth? Nay, but he underftands every Thought now rifing in your Heart. And how long can you put him out of your Sight? Only till this Veil of Flesh is rent in funder. For your Pomp will not then follow you. Will not your Body be mingled with common Duft? And your Soul ftand naked before GOD? O that you would now acquaint yourself with GOD, that you may then be cloathed with Glory and Immortality!

3. Did GoD complain of the fews. Even from the Days of your Fathers ye are gone away from mine Ordinances, and have not kept them. And how juftly may he make the fame Complaint of us? For how exceeding small a Proportion do we find of thofe in any Place who call themfelves Chriftians, that make a Confcience of attending them? Does one Third of the Inhabitants in any one Parifh throughout this great City, conftantly attend Publick Prayer and the Minifry of his Word, as of Confcience towards God? Does one Tenth of thofe who acknowledge it as an Inftitution of Chrift, duly attend the Lord's Supper? Does a fiftieth Part of the nominal Members of the Church of England obferve the Fafls of the Church, or fo much as the forty Days of Lent, and all Fridays in the Year? Who of these then can caft the first Stone at the Jews, for neglecting the Ordinances of GOD?

Nay, how many Thoufands are found among us, who have never partook of the Supper of the Lord ? How many Thoufands are there, that live and die in this unrepented Difobedience? What Multitudes;