to oppress," (Hos. xii. 7.) "Are there not yet the scant measure that is abominable; the wicked balances, and the bag of deceitful weights?" (Micah vi. 10, 11.) “He that departeth from evil, maketh himself a prey,” (Isa. lix. 15.) "And the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment." "The wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he. They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag," (Hab. i. 13, 14, 15.) "They covet fields, and take them by violence, and houses, and take them away," (Mic. ii. 2.) "They pull off the robe with the garment, from them that pass by securely," (v. 8.) "They have dealt by oppression with the stranger; they have vexed the fatherless and the widow," (Ezek. xxii. 7.) "The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery; and have vexed the poor and needy, yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully," (v. 29.) "Their works are works of iniquity, and the acts of violence are in their hands," (Isaiah lix. 6.) "Judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter," v. 14. 10. Truth indeed was fallen, as well as justice. "Every mouth (saith Isaiah) speaketh folly,” (c. ix. 17.) "This is a rebellious people, lying children," (c. xxx. 9.) "Their lips have spoken lies, and muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth; they trust in vanity and speak lies," (c. lix. 3, 4.) This occasioned that caution of Jeremiah, "Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth; they have taught their tongues to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity," c. ix. 4, 5. 11. And even those who abstained from these gross outward sins, were still inwardly corrupt and abominable. "The whole head was sick, and the whole heart was faint; yea, from the sole of the foot even unto the head, there was no soundness, but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying * sores," (Isa. i. 5, 6.) "All these nations (saith God) are uncircumcised: 'and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart," (Jer. ix. 26.) "Their heart is divided," (Hos. x. 2.) "They have set up their idols in their heart; they are all estranged from me through their idols," (Ezek. xiv. 3, 4.) Their soul still clave unto the dust. They laid up treasures upon earth. "From the least of them, (saith Jeremiah, even unto the greatest, every one is given to covetousness," (c. vi. 13.) "They panted after the dust of the earth," (Amos ii. 7.) "They laded themselves with thick clay," (Hab. iii. 6.) "They joined house to house, and laid field to field, until there was no place," (Isa. v. S.) "Yea, they enlarged their desires as hell: they were as death, and could not be satisfied," Hab. ii. 5. 12. And not only for their covetousness, but for their pride of heart were they an abomination to the Lord. "The pride of Israel (saith Hosea) doth testify to his face," (c. vii. 10.) "Hear ye, give ear, (saith Jeremiah,) be not proud-Give glory to the Lord your God," (c. xiii. 15.) "But they would not be reproved; they were still wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight,” (Isa. v. 21.) and continually saying to their neighbour, "Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou!" Isa. lxv. 5. They added hypocrisy to their pride. "This people (saith God himself) draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their hearts far from me," (Isa. xxix. 13.) "They have not cried unto me with their hearts, when they howled upon their beds," (Hos. 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 dissemble with him in their tongue," (Psal. Ixxviii. 36.) So that herein they only "profaned the holiness of the Lord." "And this have ye done again, (saith Malachi,) covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regarded not the offering any more," c. ii. 11, 13. 13. This God continually declared to those formal wor shippers; That their outside religion was but vain. "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices, saith the Lord? I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of hegoats. Bring no more vain oblations: incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with it; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.-When you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear," (Isa. i. 11, 13, 15.) "He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck," (c. lxvi. 3.) "When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer an oblation, I will not accept it," (Jer. xiv. 12.) "Go ye, serve your idols, if ye will not hearken unto me; but pollute ye my holy Name no more with your gifts," Ezek. xx. 39. 14. Yet all this time they were utterly careless and secure; nay, confident of being in the favour of God. "They were at ease; they put far away the evil day," (Amos vi. 1, 3.) "Even when God hath poured his anger upon Israel, it set him on fire round about, yet. he knew it not: it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart," (Isa. xlii. 25.) "A deceived heart had turned him aside, that he could not say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?" (c. xliv. 10.) So far from it, that at this very time they said, "We are innocent, we have not sinned," (Jer. ii. 35, 37.) “We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us," (c. viii. 8.) "The temple of the Lord! the temple of the Lord are we,' c. vii. 4. 15. Thus it was that they hardened themselves in their wickedness. "They are impudent children, saith God, and stiff-hearted," (Ezek. ii. 4.) "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush," (Jer. vi. 15.) "I have spread out my hand all the day to a rebellious people, that provoketh me to anger continually to my face," (Isa. lxv. 2, 3.) "They will not hearken unto me, saith the Lord, for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted," (Ezek. iii. 7.) "Since the day that their fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day, I have sent unto them all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them: yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck; they did worse than their fathers," Jer. vi. 25, 26. They were equally hardened against mercies and judgments. When he gave them rain, both the former and the latter in his season; when he reserved unto them the appointed weeks of the harvest, filling their hearts with food and gladness,, still none of this revolting and rebellious people said, "Let us now fear the Lord our God," (Jer. v. 23, 24.) "Nor yet did they turn unto him when he smote them," (Isa. ix. 13.) "In that day did the Lord call to weeping and to mourning: and behold joy and gladness, eating flesh and drinking wine: let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die," (c. xxii. 12, 13. "Although he consumed them, yet they refused to receive instruction; they made their faces harder than a rock-None repented him, but every one turned to his course, as a horse rusheth into the battle," (Jer. v. 3.; viii. 6.) "I have given you want of bread in all your places, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. I have also with-holden the rain from you when there were yet three months unto the harvest.— I have smitten you with blasting and mildew; your gardens and your vineyards the palmer-worm devoured.-I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt; your young men have I slain with the sword.-I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a fire-brand plucked out of the burning; yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord," Amos iv. 6-11. 16. In consequence of their resolution not to return, they would not endure sound doctrine, or those that spake it. They" said to the seers, see not, and to the prophets, prophesy not unto us right things-Speak unto us smooth things-Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us," (Isa. xxx. 10,'11.) "But they hated him that rebuked in the gate, and they abhorred him that spake uprightly," (Amos v. 10.) "Accordingly, thy people (said God to Ezekiel) still are talking against thee, by the walls, and in the doors of the houses," (c. xxxiii. 30.) "And Amaziah the priest sent to Jeroboam, king of Israel, saying, Amos hath conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. Also Amaziah said unto Amos, Go flee thee away into the land of Judah, and prophesy there. But prophesy not again any more at Bethel, for it is the king's chapel, and it is the king's court," (c. vii. 10, 12, 13.) From the same spirit it was that they said of Jeremiah, “Come, and let ús devise 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 constrained to cry out, "O Lord, I am in derision daily; every one mocketh me. Since I spake, the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision daily: for I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side: report, say they, and we will report it: all my familiars watched for my halting: saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him," (c. xx. 7, 8, 10.) And elsewhere, "Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife, and a man of contention to the whole earth. I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury: yet every one of them doth curse me," c. xv. 10. 17. "But if a man walking in the spirit of falsehood, do lie, (said the prophet Micah,) saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and strong drink, he shall even be the prophet of this people," (c. ii. 11.) And God gave them pastors after their own hearts: such were those sons of "Eli, sons of Belial, who knew not the Lord," (1 Sam. ii. 12.) Rapacious, covetous, violent men, (ver. 14, 15, 16,) by reason of whom "men abhorred the offering of the Lord," (ver. 17,) who not only "made themselves vile," (c. iii. 13,) but also "made the Lord's people to transgress," (c. ii. 24,) while |