The sacrifice of the wicked [is] an abomination to the
Lord,
&c.] Even those sacrifices which were of divine appointment
under the former dispensation, when offered by wicked men,
without faith in Christ, without any sense of sin, repentance for
it, and reformation from it; when these were used as a cloak for
sin, under which they sheltered and satisfied themselves, and
went on in sin; when they brought them "with a wicked mind", as
in ( Proverbs
21:27 ) ; when either what they brought were not according to
the law, the lame and the blind; or were not their own, but
robbery for burnt sacrifice; or supposing that these would atone
for their sins of themselves; when either of these, or all this,
was the case, it was an abomination to the Lord; see ( Isaiah
1:11-15 ) ( 61:8 ) ( 66:3 ) . Wherefore much
more must Pagan sacrifices be an abomination to him; which were
not of his appointing, and were offered to devils, and not to
him; and which were many of them very inhuman and shocking; as
giving a man's firstborn for his transgression, and the fruit of
his body for the sin of his soul: and so likewise Papal
sacrifices, the sacrifice of the mass; the bloodless sacrifice,
the offering up again of the body and blood of Christ, they
pretend to; which, as it is wicked and blasphemous, is an
abomination to the Lord, and perhaps is chiefly intended.
Sacrifice may stand for every religious duty performed by a
wicked man, being hypocritically done, and with no good view; and
all their good works, which seem to be so; and are either not
according to the word and will of God, being never commanded by
him, of which sort are many among the Papists; or they are not
done in faith, and so sin, and do not spring from love to God;
but are done with a heart full of enmity to him, and are not
directed to his glory: in short, whatever is done by them, let it
have ever such an appearance of devotion and goodness; yet if it
is placed in the room of Christ, and used to the setting aside of
his righteousness, satisfaction, and sacrifice, it is an
abomination to the Lord; but the prayer of the upright [is]
his delight:
the prayer of such, whose hearts are right with God; who have
right spirits renewed in them; are Israelites indeed; have the
truth of grace and root of the matter in them; are honest,
sincere, and upright in heart: the prayer of such, which is an
inwrought one, wrought in his heart by the Spirit of God, and so
comes from God, and is his own breathing in him, must be well
pleasing to him; that which is fervent, earnest, and importunate,
which cometh not out of feigned lips, but from the heart, and is
put up with a true heart, in the sincerity of it; the prayer of
faith, the cry of the humble; the prayer which is addressed to
God as a Father, in the name of Christ the Mediator, which comes
perfumed with the incense of his mediation, introduced with the
celebration of the divine perfections, contains humble
confessions of sin and unworthiness, ascribes all blessings to
the grace of God, and expresses thankfulness for favours
received, is very acceptable and delightful to God; though it is
the prayer of a poor, mean, despicable creature in his own eyes,
and in the eyes of others, ( Psalms
102:17 ) ( 9:12 ) ( Song of Solomon
2:14 ) ( Luke
18:11-14 ) . This stands opposed to the pompous rites and
ceremonies, the gaudy worship and costly sacrifices, of wicked
men; such as used by the Papists.
Proverbs 15:8
