the great barrier between God and the soul; and the blessings of salvation can never reach the heart, until the reigning power of unbelief is subdued.

Surely, then, it is no marvel that so little benefit is derived from attending upon the ordinances of religion, when it is evident so many come up to the house of God without any believing apprehension of the blessings which the Lord promises to his faithful worshippers, and never realise the glorious truth, that we have "an High Priest over the house of God;" "a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man." And in dependence upon his merits and intercession, "draw near with a true heart, in the full assurance of faith;" expecting there and then to find "all the promises of God yea and amen in Christ Jesus."

Unbelief not only includes distrust of God's promises, and want of dependence upon Christ's merits, but also want of reliance upon the gracious aid of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is one great fruit of Christ's intercession, and the special promise he has made to his church. Without his aid, we can neither perform the duties, or enjoy the priviliges, of the sanctuary. He alone can enable us to "worship the Father in spirit and in truth;" he alone can open our hearts to attend to the things which belong to our peace, and so clothe, with divine energy, the word of God, as to render it effectual to our conversion and sanctification. He must begin, carry on, and perfect, the work of grace in our hearts; and he alone can render the public means of grace effectual to such

ends. If the church of Christ is to be built up in her most holy faith, we must ever remember, “it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."

Not only does the want of the Holy Spirit's aid and influences totally disqualify us for the services of the sanctuary, and prevent our deriving benefit from its ordinances, but, if this is specially the dispensation of the Spirit, and if the Spirit is ready to afford his gracious aid to those who feel their need and seek his assistance, then, it is not only vain to engage in the service of God while we slight or neglect the influences of his Holy Spirit, but there must be a high degree of provocation in overlooking that Divine Agent, "without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy," and rashly endeavouring to derive profit from the means of grace, which have no power to convey any but what the Holy Spirit imparts.

II. In treating of the circumstances which render the services of the sanctuary unprofitable, we made no attempt to distinguish between the causes of the total want of profit in some, and those which occasion comparatively little profit in others. We should be sorry to identify those who derive some advantage from public worship, and who bitterly lament that they do not derive more, with those who derive no benefit, and who neither feel nor deplore their loss. Nor can we conceive the former deliberately giving expression to the sentiments contained in our text; whereas many of the latter feel, and openly avow, there is no pleasure nor profit found in God's service. While these two

classes may differ widely as to their state before God, the same causes which totally disqualify the one for performing the duties and deriving benefit from the ordinances of religion may, more or less, in proportion as they are under their influence, disqualify the other for performing the duties and deriving the full benefit of divine ordinances. The circumstances, therefore, which render attendance upon public worship unprofitable, will supply materials for most useful and diligent self-examination, even to those who derive considerable advantage from its ordinances.

There are some considerations which might reasonably have been expected by those who feel and lament they do not derive more benefit from the public means of grace. As we have, in a preceding discourse, pointed out the motives which should lead to the observance of public worship, and the spirit in which its ordinances ought to be attended, we shall now confine our observations to the application of our subject, which may furnish some additional hints to those who may be anxious to improve by them. There are four particulars specified by the Lord, as reasons for his having no pleasure in those worshippers and their services, whom he charges, in our text, with saying that they found his service to be vain and profitless. These particulars are stated in chap. i. 8. 13:-"They brought the blind, the lame, the sick, and the torn, for sacrifice." This was literally the case; but it has a spiritual signification, and aptly points out different classes of public worshippers, which have existed in all ages, and may be found among ourselves.

We are fully borne out in the truth of this observation from the fact, that the same terms are frequently employed in Scripture to denote the spiritual state of individuals.

First, "the blind."-This term is applied by our Lord to the scribes and pharisees, and was one of the characteristic features of the church at Laodicea. It denotes spiritual ignorance,―ignorance of our own state and character,-ignorance of our wants and necessities,-ignorance of God and of his service, and of the gracious provision which he has made for our recovery and preservation from sin, and of the means by which we can obtain these spiritual blessings. This spiritual ignorance forms a characteristic feature in many public worshippers. They come to the house of God without any intelligent apprehension of the nature of the services in which they are about to engage; they perceive not, and consequently enter not into, the spirituality of these services; and so far are their services from being "reasonable services," that they are but "the sacrifice of fools." They hear without spiritual discernment, and understand not what they hear; and thus resemble the wayside hearers, because they do not understand: "The devil cometh, and taketh away the word out of their hearts." Thus their devotion is blind, and their hearing vain. We would direct such to Jesus, who, when on earth, made the blind to see his glory, and who has promised to give light to them that sit in darkness, and who commands the spiritually blind "to anoint their eyes with eye-salve, that they may see."

Secondly, those who may be denominated "the lame," or those whose hearts are not engaged in God's service, and who reluctantly come up to worship in his holy temple. They seem to halt between two opinions. A sense of duty, and a regard for their reputation, impel them to attend the house of God; but their own feelings and inclinations render them averse to engage in its services. Such persons frequently make no scruple of coming in after the service has begun, clearly evincing in what light estimation it is held, how easily they can dispense with a part, how little they regard the devotion of their fellowworshippers, which is disturbed by the practice, or feel concern for His glory whom they professedly come up to worship. Such indeed may say, "It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?" For though they dare not omit, they delight not to perform, the duties of religion; and they fail in that essential qualification for acceptable and profitable worship—to seek God, not only with their heart, but with their whole heart.

Thirdly, those who are styled "the sick." The term "sick" is employed in Isaiah i. v. to denote the corruption of the judgment, and the alienation of the affections from God:-" The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint." This description of man's state does not merely convey to us the idea of want of knowledge and spiritual discernment. These are defects; but they convey to us distinctly the idea of something positively and