of the damned, before your heart break, and you kneel down in penitence for your guilt? O, sinner, beware of any plea that shall only serve to aggravate your guilt, and quiet your conscience in the pathway to death! Do you expect to soften down your heart by any round of external services, while you remain impenitent? But you never have and never can perform one of these duties as God requires, without penitence; and he will frown upon every impenitent effort.

But the question is still agitated, 'If this be the light in which the sinner is to be regarded who gives his attention to the external duties of religion; if he is to be condemned for every impenitent effort to perform them, shall he neglect these duties?' I reply, if God has given him liberty to do it, he may; but if he has not given him the liberty, he may not take it. To suppose that he is excused for the nonperformance of any of the external duties of religion, on the ground that he has no penitence for his sin, would be to suppose that a positive disobedience in any particular would be an excuse for neglecting a plain commanded duty in another,--that sin would be an excuse or justification of sin.

But

But the sinner is not justified in neglecting any duty which God demands. OBEDIENCE must be written upon the whole history of his outward acts, as well as upon the feelings of the heart. Not a single external duty may be dispensed with. the manner in which they must be performed is obvious; not with an impenitent heart, and an aversion to God's character; but with penitence for sin and love to his character. No external duty is performed as he requires, unless performed in this manOtherwise it is sin, as positively as any transgression in the whole history of the sinner's rebellion; and not merely sin, but sin of a most offensive character; it is " ABOMINATION."

ner.

Say not, then, fellow-sinner, that this discourse countenances the neglect of any of the external duties of religion. What God requires of any Christian, he requires of you,-and requires of you now. You cannot neglect one of these duties, without incurring guilt; and you cannot perform them aright, without penitence for sin, and love to the character of God. This is the

reason why, on God's authority, I have been urging you to immediate repentance. God demands it unconditionally, and it is absolutely necessary to the right, or even acceptable performance of any external duty; and until you do repent, every such service will be abomination in the sight of God; and for it you will deserve the everlasting perdition of the ungodly. But are you excused from these external duties, because you hate God's character and requirements, and love your sins? Present this plea at the bar of God, if you can open your mouth for such a purpose, and see whether the lightnings of his wrath will not send a thrill of agony through your soul, unfelt before! Tell him, that the fact of your hating him exempted you from all obligation to perform any external duty which he demanded! Dare you think of such a plea? Can you do it without withering all your hopes for eternity? If reading the word of God, prayer, and an attendance upon the instituted means of grace, are the duties of any one, they are the duties which you are bound to perform, and perform without delay,-and perform them, too, in a penitent believing manner. This is necessary to prevent them from being an abomination in his sight. Is there, then, any thing in this subject that is adapted to justify a neglect of any known duty? I repeat it, you are under obligation to perform every external duty which God has demanded,-to perform it now,—and to perform it with the very penitence and love and faith which have been urged in this discourse. Do this, and you will be accepted, refuse, and you do it at your own hazard, and must meet the consequences.

But perhaps the sinner is ready to inquire, What must I do? The Bible informs you,-repent as God requires, and love him with all the heart. But may I not defer repentance at all?' God" now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." • But if I should not repent now, will it not make some amends if I perform the external duties of religion? "The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord.” "When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hands to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination to me; the new moons, and sabbaths, and calling of as

semblies, I cannot away with. It is iniquity, even the solemn meeting! And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will

not hear."

If

you

find fault with this, fellow-sinners, you find fault with God's own representation of the very subject under consideration, He has stamped the seal of reprobation upon every external religious service, in which you engage, without penitence for your sins and love for his character and requirements. But you ask, 'May I not pray? God replies, "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination." Then I will not pray, if I am to be condemned for. it.' But, "the ploughing of the wicked is sin." Then I will not plough, I will neglect my worldly affairs.' But God replies, "the thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord.". Then I will not-speak it out, fellow-sinner, if you will. Tell God that if he condemns you for thinking, you will not think! This is a specimen only of the controversy which the sinner is carrying on with his Bible and his God! He starts in the wrong direction, and for every step he takes he is condemned. And while God urges and expostulates, “Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?" the sinner wages a still more determined war with reason, and conscience, and his Maker; and treads with longer and more rapid strides, the way to death. Nay more, he has determined, in the face of all the light of truth, and the pressure of obligation, to trample upon every command of Jehovah !

But stop, fellow-sinners, for one moment, and look calmly at the reason why you have purposed to discard and neglect the external duties of religion. It is because God will not accept them, performed in impenitence, and with hearts opposed to his character and requirements. He demands your supreme affection, and you will not yield it; he requires of you immediate repentance for sin, and you are determined to roll it still as a sweet morsel under your tongues. And while this is the fact, you take the attitude of open rebels against him and his government and because he will not patronise, will not approve of your rebellion, you have deliberately determined TO SET EVERY COM

But have you

MAND AND OBLIGATION OF JEHOVAH AT DEFIANCE! counted the cost of taking such a step? Have you weighed well the fearful consequences which it must involve? Are you prepared to meet them? "Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth; but wo UNTO HIM THAT STRIVETH WITH HIS MAKER!" The subject to which our attention has been called, suggests, in conclusion, several important practical remarks :—

1. We may learn from our subject, that those who are giving their attendance upon the external duties of religion, under the apprehension that they are doing all in their power, and all that God demands of them, as a compliance with the terms of the gospel, are deluded.

They have not yet taken the first step towards a compliance with God's demands. He requires the supreme affection of their hearts, and they give it to the world, to self, to sin. He demands repentance for their sin, and they refuse to repent; and substitute reading the Bible, attendance upon a preached word, and professed prayer. Nay, they may go through with the whole circle of Christian duties, so far as the external performance is concerned, and yet not take a single step towards obeying God,-towards a compliance with his requirements,-do nothing but what is abomination in the sight of God. It is a question which ought to be pondered by every sinner in this condition, and taking this course, whether a holy God will be likely to bear long with such a system of solemn mockery? Is it safe, (after being fully enlightened on the subject,) to repeat the insults which have been offered to him who has testified his abhorrence of these heartless services? O, "bring no more vain oblations." For you may have reached the last point of endurance, when God shall say, "CUT IT DOWN!"

But do you still ask, what you shall do? God has already told you" To obey is better than sacrifice." "He now commandeth all men everywhere to repent"; now, Now, is the day of salvation! Will you then drop the weapons of your rebellion, and now submit to the terms of mercy? If you ask whether you shall neglect the external duties of religion? I reply, not one of them for one moment. But perform them with

a penitent, broken, contrite heart, and with love to the character of God. Do this and you are a Christian. He demands this repentance now, and that this penitence should attend the performance of every external religious duty, not one of which may be dispensed with. But the inquiry is still urged, Should I not repent now, am I authorized in neglecting these external duties until I do repent? God has given you no liberty, fellow-sinner, to neglect either repentance or any other duty for a single hour; and if you take the liberty, you do it at your own risk; and assume a responsibility that might well make an angel tremble.

But the question is still propounded, by way of objection to the view here presented—' Is not the sinner more likely to become a Christian in an attendance upon the external duties of religion, than in a neglect of these?' I remark, in reply, that I am not authorized to recommend rebellion in any shape; or to say that one course of disobedience and rebellion is better adapted or more likely to make a person a Christian, than another. God condemns every species of this, and I dare not do otherwise. I know not what tendency there is in sin, in any form, to make a person a Christian,-to make him love God. The sinner has rebelled against the authority and government of Jehovah. God requires him to repent of this; he refuses; and while under this refusal, he wishes to know which is the most likely way to become a Christian, to insult God by a mock-service of religion; or to set every command of Jehovah at defiance! Sinner, I put the question back to you, is there any BETTER about it? with such a phalanx of truth by the side of your conscience→→→ and the whole of this resisted, can you feel that your prospects are brightening; that there is any thing very flattering before you? If you are solicitous about the course in which you will be most likely to become a Christian, and are willing to take it; it is, repent, and do it now. I dare not give any other direction, or encouragement in any other course. There is no other way in which you can become a Christian-defer it as you may. You must come to this point-repent of sin, because committed against a holy God. Will you speculate about your being likely to become a Christian, while you defer this, in any course of sin