ing, and committing adultery, they broke out, and blood touched blood*'. In both the hiftorical and prophetical parts of the Old Teftament, fimilar defcriptions are given of the character of that people whom the prophet here addreffed. Such then being their condition, no wonder their prayers were shut out from before God, and that he would not hear them when they called upon him.By the inftructive variety of fignificant expreffions ufed by our prophet on this fubject, we are taught, that frequent, pompous, and coftly fervices, feparated from true godliness, and holinefs of heart and life, far from being acceptable to the Lord, are an abomination in his fight, and unprofitable to those who perform them. We have inculcated upon us this important leffon, that hypocrify, in the fervice of the Living God, is most deteftable to him, who delights in truth in the inward parts; and that whilst perfons indulge in the practice of iniquity, they cannot expect he will regard their prayers, or other acts of worship. Let us, my friends, be hereby excited to diligent attention to our fpirits, especially when employed in the fervice of the Searcher of hearts, Whilft many reft fatisfied with the form of godlinefs, the profeffion of Christianity, and the performance of the external part of duty, let it be our conftant study to ferve the Lord in fincerity and truth, under a deep conviction, that he knoweth our hearts, and ponders our paths.

16 Wafh ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, ceafe to do evil.

After the warm expoftulations contained in the preceding verfes, we might juftly have expected to hear awful denunciations of terrible judgments against thofe who were addicted to fuch finful practices. In

* Hofea iv. 2.

ftead

ftead of these, we are agreeably furprised with the most friendly and falutary advices, neceffary to be carefully attended to, and faithfully observed, in order to deliverance from deferved calamities.—Wash ye. The people, to whom these words were primarily directed, were not only polluted through the corruption of their nature in common with others, in confequence of defcending from thofe who had revolted from God, but they had defiled themfelves by their multiplied tranfgreffions, and the unholy performance of the duties of divine worship. Sin is reprefented in scripture under many inftructive fimilitudes, ferving to fhew its vile abominable nature, its odiousness in his fight, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and the impurity of fuch as indulge in it. We thereby contract that filthiness of the flesh and spirit, that univerfal pollution with which our fouls and bodies are tainted, and from which our outward and inward man, our hearts and our hands, need to be cleanfed. All the wafhings and purifications under the law plainly fuppofed this defilement: they reprefented to men the indifpenfable neceffity of their being cleanfed from fin, and were emblematical of what is here recommended. Though this, and the following expreffion, may be viewed as explaining and enforcing each other, it may not be improper to confider the firft, as relating to pardon of fin, from the guilt of which we are delivered by the precious blood of Chrift, and the latter, as refpecting the pollution of fin, from which we are freed by the fpirit of Jefus. Both these are equally neceffary to the falvation of men, and infeparably joined together in the promises and commands of God. From the exprefs declarations contained in fcripture, it appears, that the guilt of fin is removed by the blood of the Son of God, who loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood, by faith in which we are freely juftified. This blood, and the abfolute neceflity of its application, were typified, under the Old Teftament,

Teftament, to the people whom our prophet now addreffed. When therefore he directs them to wash, he requires the diligent ufe of the means and inftitutions which God had appointed, that thereby they might obtain the remiffion of fins, and be faved from the punishment of their tranfgreffions; and cautions. them to beware of thofe fins which would add to the guilt already contracted.

Make you clean. God, in infinite mercy, hath promifed, I will fprinkle clean water upon you, and ye fhall be clean: from all your filthinefs, and from all your idols will I cleanfe you.' This intimates his gracious intentions, his perfect ability, to purify the most polluted finners, and that this extraordinary work is peculiar to him, who only can bring a clean out of an unclean thing. Notwithstanding, in perfect confiftence with fuch promifes, God faith, by Isaiah, Make you cican; intimating, that it is our indifpenfable duty, to concur with him in carrying on this great work, by the diligent improvement of the means he hath appointed for acquiring the purity he hath promifed, which is effential to our true happiness, and carefully to avoid every thing that might increase our impurity. To wafh and purify his people is the glorious prerogative of the bleffed God, and is effectuated by his word and Spirit; and therefore we obferve the fupplicants before his throne, under deep impreffion of this humbling truth, adopting fuch requefts as this, Wafh me throughly from mine ini

quity, and cleanse me from my fin t.'As the purification, here fpoken of, is equally incumbent upon you, brethren, as upon the Jews of old, permit me to exhort you, in the words of God, Wafh ye, ', make ye clean. Cleanfe your hands, your hands, ye finners, purify your hearts, ye double-minded t. To this neceffary work I call you, in order to convince you of your pollution, and your utter inability to wafh

Ezek. xxxvi, 25.

+ Pfal. li. 2.

James iv. 8.

away

away your fpiritual defilement, to inculcate upon you the indifpenfable neceflity of being throughly cleanfed from your iniquities, and to excite you to the diligent ufe of all the means inftituted for this purpose. Had I been illuftrating thefe directions whilft Judaifm was in force, I would have advised to the ceremonial wafhings appointed under the law, which fanctified to the purifying of the flefh, and typified good things which were then future. But now thefe carnal ordinances being abolished under the gofpel, I call you to the fountain opened for fin and

uncleannefs;' and you are now invited to repair to it immediately, in the exercife of faith, humility, and defire, that you may be washed from your fins, and cleanfed from your pollutions, that your confciences being purified from dead works, you may serve the Living God.

Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. The actions referred to, in this advice, feem to be thofe mentioned in the preceding verfes. The multitude of facrifices which the men of Judah prefented before the Lord, the folemn appearances they made in his divine prefence, the obfervance of their facred affemblies and appointed feafts, together with their many prayers, were no doubt the doings here intended. Much fin, particularly of hypocrify and formality, attended the performance of thefe duties; refpecting which, God, by the prophet, had expoftulated with them, in the foregoing verfes; and this it is which they are directed to put away. They did not observe divine inftitutions out of love to God and his authority, they did not delight in drawing nigh to him with their whole hearts, nor were they animated by a lively faith in the great objects prefigured by the different parts of their worship. All the evil that attended their doings was perfectly known to him, who searcheth the heart, and trieth the reins of the children of men, and before whom all things are naked and open. Not a finful thought, not the leaft diffimulation,

mulation, not a wrong intention or corrupt principle, fprung up in their hearts, but it came fully under his infpection, and proved highly offenfive to him, who cannot look on fin but with deteftation. That their doings might become acceptable to him, they are directed to put away the evil that adhered to their fervices, and heartily to renounce all thofe vicious principles, and wrong views, whereby they had been influenced in the worship of the true God. For this purpose, it was neceffary that their hearts fhould be purified by faith, their mistaken views corrected, their temper rectified, and their practices reformed.This exhortation is no lefs neceffary to us, than to those to whom it was primarily given. Ye may be fenfible, that much fin cleaves to all our fervices, which ought not only to be acknowledged with forrow, but renounced as hurtful and dangerous. If then iniquity be in your hand, put it far away, and let not wickednefs dwell in your tabernacles. For then fhalt thou lift up thy face without fpot, yea, thou fhalt be ftedfaft, and fhalt not fear. ** Ceafe to do evil. Similar, fhort, comprehenfive directions are often repeated, both in the Old and New Testament. We are exhorted, to depart from evil, and do good t;' we are required, to abhor that which is evil, and to cleave to that which is good.' Though evil fometimes denotes, in fcripture, all manner of fin and wickedness, it is to be understood at other times in a more reftricted fenfe, for the wrongs and injuries done by one person to another. In this fenfe, our divine Mafter requires us not to refift evil ||. This last feems evidently to be the import of the word in the expreffion before us, where the profeffing people of God are fuppofed to have been addicted to the practice of evil, and are diffuaded from perfifting in thofe evils they committed against + Pfal. xxxiv. 14.

*

Job. xi. 14, 15. Matth. v. 39.

Rom. xii. 9.