altar ; leave thy gift there, that it may be ready for thee to offer when thou art reconciled to thy brother : but do not for a moment think of approaching me with acceptance, whilst thy brother's rights are overlooked. " The prayer of the up- right is doubtless God's dehght :" but, when presented by one who " regards iniquity in his heart, it not only shall not be heard," but it shall be held in utter " abomination Y'_ Hear how solemnly God protests against all such hypocritical ser- vices* It is not in the power of words to express more
sovereign contempt, or more rooted abhorrence, of such ser- vices, than is conveyed in these passages : and we may be assured, that if we attempt to draw nigh to God, either at his table or at the footstool of his grace, he will spurn us from him with indignation. Let us be ever so urgent in our sup- plications, his only answer will be, " Go thy way."
Let us not however be misunderstood on this subject : we are not to imagine, that the circumstance of our being at variance with a brother is any excuse for staying away from the Lord's table : (it were strange indeed if a want of love to man would excuse a want of piety to God :) this is certainly not the meaning of our text : the meaning is, that, as we can- not be accepted of God in such a state, it becomes us without delay to seek reconciliation with our offended brother.]
From this subject we may learn,
1. The necessity of frequent self-examination —
[It is here supposed that a person may be living in the exercise of religious duties, and, without being conscious of his danger, may be in a state wherein neither his person nor his services can be accepted of God : he goes to the altar of his God as usual, and there recollects that his brother has some cause of complaint against him. Alas ! there are many such self-deceiving people in the Christian world at this time. But how terrible ! and they continue in their delusions till God himself shall bring their sins to remembrance at his judg- inent-seat! How dreadful will it then be to be told, " Go thy way!" Let us then live in the habit of daily self-examination : let us not leave any of our ways unnoticed, lest some hidden evil remain unrepented of, and " separate between us and our God" for ever. Especially when about to come to the supper of our Lord, let us try our ways with more than common jealousy, according to that advice of the Apostle, " Let a man examine himself, and so let him come^." Let us go back to our early days, and ask. Whom have we offended ? whom de- frauded? whom calumniated? whom encouraged in the ways
"1 Prov. XV, 8. andxxi. 27. ^ Isai. i. 11 — 15. Amos v. 21 — 24.
' 1 Cor. xi. 28.