An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of…

He heats the Furnace of his wrath seven times hotter for hypocrites in heart, than for ordinary sinners. The Lord (Isa. 10.5.) speaking of the Assyrian saith, The staff in their hand is mine indignation: ⟨p. 263⟩I will send him against an hypocritical Nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down, like the mire in the streets. The Lord put a staff in the hand of that great King of Assyria, and he called it his indignation; it was the Lords indignation which was a staff in the Assyrians hand. But against whom will he send it? That text answers against an hypocritical Nation; Who are they? the people of his wrath. God hath wrath for all sinners, but the generation of hypocrites are the people of his wrath beyond all other people. None abuse God like hypocrites: For, first, hypocrites carry it towards God, as if he were like the Idols of the Heathen, that have eyes, and see not ears, and hear not, hands, and handle not; feet, and cannot walk: That is, they carry it towards God as if he were but an Idol, satisfied with mere outward shows and services. An Idol finds no fault, nor troubles any for their hypocrisy and false-heartedness: All that is required in the Idols service, is but outside and bodily exercise. Thus the hypocrites deal with God, as if he also would be satisfied and taken up with a little outside service; or as if sacrifice would please him, when his word is disobeyed, (1 Sam. 15.23.) Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and Sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord • Saul had been very careful to bring home sacrifices; He had not obeyed the command of God, yet hoped to put him off with a sacrifice. But what were herds and flocks of cattle to be sacrificed, when Saul rebelled against God? Nothing provokes God more than outward services of worship, when they are not accompanied with inward, and universal submission to his will; for that's no better a sacrifice, no purer worship, than a Heathen pays to his Idol-god. Hypocrites offer God only the blind, and the lame, (Mal. 1.14.) that is, maimed and imperfect services: there is imperfection in the services of the best, but theirs are imperfect services, so imperfect, blind and lame, that they are fit only for the blind, and the lame; so Idol-gods are called, (