Sacrifices were a part of the worship of God appointed by himself, and acceptable to him when offered in faith, according to his mind ; yet we find God frequently rejecting them in the Old Testament, whilst yet their institution was in force, and themselves good in their kind. Now, this rejection of them was not absolute, but with respect to somewhat that vitiated the service in them. Among these, two were most eminent : —
1. When they were rested in, as the matter and cause of their jus- tification and acceptation with God, beyond their typical virtue.
2. When they were relied on to countenance men in the neglect of moral duties, or to continue in any way of sin.
Both these evils attended this appeal of the Jews unto their sacri- fices. They did it first to please God, or appease God, — that on their account they might be freed from the guilt of sin, and be accepted :
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and then to countenance themselves in their immoralities and wicked- ness ; as is evident from the prophet's reply, verse 7, calling them from their vain confidence in sacrifices, to justice, judgment, mercy, and humble walking with God. But, —
Secondly, They find this will not do; conscience will not be satis- fied nor peace be obtained by any performance of these ordinary duties, though they should engage in them in an extraordinary man- ner; no, though they could bring thousands of rams, and ten thou- sand rivers of oil. Though men attempt never so vigorously, in never so extraordinary a manner, to quiet their souls, terrified with the guilt of sin, by any duties whatever, it will not do, — the work will not be accomplished ; therefore they will make farther attempts. If no- thing that God hath appointed will reach the end they aim at, because they were never appointed by him for that end, they will invent or use some way of their own that may appear to be of more efficacy than the other: " Shall I give my first-born for my transgression V
The rise and occasion of such sacrifices as here are mentioned, — the sacrificing of men, of men's sacrificing their own children; the use of such sacrifices throughout the world, among all nations; the craft and cruelty of Satan in imposing them on poor, sinful, guilty crea- tures, with the advantages which he had so to do,— I have elsewhere declared. For the present, I shall only observe two things in the state and condition of convinced persons, when pressed with then* sins, and a sense of the guilt of them, who are ignorant of the righteousness of God in Christ: —
1. They have a better opinion of their own ways and endeavours, for the pleasing of God and quieting their consciences, than of any thing of God's institution, or the way by him appointed for that end. This is the height that they rise to, when they have fixed on what is most glorious in their own eyes. Tell a Papist who is convinced of- sin, of the blood of Christ, — it is folly to him. Penances, satisfaction, purgatory, intercession of the church in the mass, have much more desirableness in them : — -these Eliabs must wear the crown. The case is the same with innumerable poor souls at present, who hope to find more relief in their own duties and amendment of life than in the blood of Christ, as to the appeasing of God and obtaining of peace.
2. There is nothing so horrid, desperate, irksome, or wicked, that convinced persons will not engage to do under their pressure on the account of the guilt of sin. They will burn their children in the fire, whilst the cries of their conscience outcry the lamentation of their miserable infants : which, as it argues the desperate blindness that is in man by nature, choosing such abominations rather than that way which is the wisdom of God; so also the terrors that possess poor souls convinced of sin, that are unacquainted with the only remedy.
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This being the state and condition of these poor creatures, the pro- phet discovers to them their mistake and desperate folly in the verse of my text.
Two things are contained in this verse ; — the one is implied, the other expressed in words: —
First. Here is something implied; and that is, a reproof of the error and mistake of the Jews. They thought sacrifices were appointed for the appeasing of God by their performance of them ; and that this was their business in their worship, — by their duty in perform- ance of them, to make satisfaction for the guilt of sin. This the prophet calls them from, telling them that is not their business, their duty : God hath provided another way to make reconciliation and atonement ; it is a thing above their power. Their business is to walk with God in holiness; for the matter of atonement, that lies on an- other hand. " He hath showed thee, 0 man, what he requireth of thee : " he expects not satisfaction at thy hands, but obedience on the account of peace made.
Secondly. What is expressed is this, — that God prefers moral wor- ship, in the way of obedience, to all sacrifices whatever ; according to the determination afterward approved by our Saviour, Mark xii. 33, ■' What doth the Lord require of thee?"