A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

The third reason may be this, that without this study and endeavour to serve the Lord in the duties of a godly life, all outward exercises of Religion are vain and unprofitable, as the hearing and reading of the Word, the receiving of the Sacraments, Prayer, Fasting, profession of Religion, and the rest, seeing they cannot please God, yea, are odious unto him; nor ⟨p. 702⟩profit us, nor we take profit by them. Thus the Lord professeth, that he abhorred their new Moons and solemn feasts, their Sacrifices and Oblations, ¹because they neglected the works of righteousness, and lived in their sins. That he who killed an Ox, was as he that slew a man, he that sacrificed ²a Lamb, as if he cut off a Dogs head, &c. because their lives were not reformed, but their souls delighted in their abominations. So when the people rejected Gods Law, and thought to have pleased him with Oblations, and (as it were) to have stopped his mouth with bribes, the Lord rejecteth their service as vain and unprofitable. To what purpose (saith he) ³cometh there to me incense from Sheba? and the sweet cane from a far Country? your offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. Thus the Lord rejecteth their solemn feasts, because they were not joined with