Wesley Corpus

O that you would now “acquaint yourself with God,” that you may then be clothed with glory and immortality 3. Did God complain of the Jews, “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them?” And how justly may He make the same com plaint of us; for how exceeding small a proportion do we find of those in any place who call themselves Christians, that make a conscience of attending them ! Does one-third of the inhabi tants in any one parish throughout this great city constantly attend public prayer, and the ministry of his word, as of con science towards God? Does one-tenth of those who acknow ledge it is an institution of Christ duly attend the Lord's supper? Does a fiftieth part of the nominal members of the Church of England observe the fasts of the Church, or so much as the forty days of Lent, and all Fridays in the year? Who of these, then, can cast the first stone at the Jews for neglecting the ordinances of God? Nay, how many thousands are found among us who have never partook of the supper of the Lord! How many thou sands are there that live and die in this unrepented disobedi ence | What multitudes, even in this Christian city, do not attend any public worship at all; no, nor spend a single hour from one year to another, in privately pouring out their hearts before God! Whether God “meeteth him that remembereth him in his ways,” or not, is no concern of theirs: So the man eats and drinks, and “dies as a beast dieth : ” Drops into the dark, and disappears. It was not, therefore, of the children of Israel alone that the messenger of God might say, “There is none” (comparatively) “that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth himself up to take hold of thee.” 4. Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, “Because of swearing, the land mourneth.” But if this might be said of the land of Canaan, how much more of this land In what city or town, in what market or exchange, in what street or place of public resort, is not the holy “name whereby we are called ” taken in vain, day by day?