prepared either for Prayer hearing the Word or receiving Sacraments Now because Sacraments are so rare those that have any inlightened conscience they think they dare not but prepare for Sacraments but you should be alwaies in a preparation for the receiving of the Sacraments as the Primitive Christians did And thos that have been acquainted with this Point that I am upon of preparing for duties they have come to such a frame of Spirit as that there is not so much time required of them as of others for they are in a constant fitnesse so that there is no instant of time in the whole day but if God cals them to Prayer they could presently fall down upon their knees and pray so as to Sanctifie Gods name in Prayer that were an excellent temper indeed if you could find it so that you walk so spiritually and holily before God as there could be never a quarter of an hour from morning to night nor from the beginning of the week to the end but if you were cald to pray or to receive the Sacrament you had your heart fitted that you could come into Gods presence with a prepared heart and were able to Sanctifie Gods Name in the duty Acquaint your selves with this work of Preparation and so you may have hearts â—itted to come into Gods presence at any time SARMON IV. LEVITICUS 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE proceed now to what remaines There are onely for the perfecting of this point two Cases of conscience to be resolved And then we are to proceed to other things The first is whither we ought at all times to set apart some time for preparation to every duty of Gods Worship Secondly suppose we do not find our hearts prepared as we do desire whither it were better to leave off the duty then performe it For the first of these Viz. Whether we are alwaies bound to set some time apart for preparation to the duty that we are to performe The answer to that is this we must distinguish of persons There are som that are exercised in the way of godlinesse and do keep their hearts close with God in the waies of holinesse now for them it may be supposed that through their exercise in the waies of godlinesse and keeping of their hearts constant with God in communion with him walking with God closely that they are at all times prepared to every good work and 〈◊〉 fulfil that command of the Apostle pray continually that is in the disposition of their hearts they are fit to pray at any time there is no day in the week nor no hour in the day but they if God call them to it could fal down to solemn â—raier And indeed this is an exellent condition and a good evidence of the hearts walking close with God that there is no time but they are fit to pray and fit for any Ordinance yea to recive the Sacrament of the Lords upper It is posible to keep the heart so close to God as to be fit for praier and for the hearing of the Word and for receiving of the Sacrament every day or any hour in the day but this needs a very close walking with God and communion with God and the truth is this is very rare most men let out their hearts so much to other things as their consciences cannot but tel them that if God call them to praier at such a time in the day they are altogether unfit for it If they were called to receive the Sacrament their consciences would fly in their faces and tel them they are unfit for it but it is not so with those that walke close with God though they be in the world You will say if a man have businesse in the world how can this be Yes though they have buâ—â—neâ—e in the world yet they carry the heavenlinesse of their hearts along with them our conversation is in heaven saith the Apostle Phil. 3. Now the word that is translated our conversation it is a word that signifies our City converse our trading is in heaven when we go to the City or the Exchange or about any businesse yet our trading is alwaies in Heaven But now there are other sorts of people that had need at all times to look to their hearts in way of preparation As First those that first set upon the duties of Religion young beginners that begin at first to set their faces towards Heaven to worship God they had need look to their hearts they should spend some time in Preparation when they come to holy duties and the truth is when the conscience of a man or woman is at first inlightened and awakened they will be very carefull in preparing to holy duties the fear of God it is mighty upon their Spirits at first and it should not be lesse afterwards the constancy of Gods fear should bring their hearts to such a holy temper as to make them fit for holy duties alwaies Secondly Those men and women that at any time shall sin against conscience shall commit such sins as shall in a kind even lay wast Conscience shall break their peace between God and their Souls they had need spend some time in preparation for holy duties they cannot come into the presence of God to enjoy communion with God but they had need before hand be very serious in the examination of their hearts and to endeavour the working of their hearts into mourning for their sinne and to labour to possesse their Souls with the presence of God even before they come These two sorts of people such as have not been acquainted with the waies of godlinesse or such as have broken their peace with God by some evill carriage of theirs towards God in some vile way I say it is required of them to bee more solemne in the worke of Preparation 2 But now for the second case which indeed is the main Suppose when we come to duties and begin to examine our hearts and begin to bethink our selves whether we be prepared yea or no to holy duties and we do not find our hearts prepared according to that that we do desire whether then we may let the duty go for that time and forbear the performance of it as suppose Prayer or receiving the Sacrament or coming to the Word or any other holy duty And the reason of this doubt is because when any man or woman is consciencious they think with themselves that they must Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties now if they cannot find their hearts in a fâ—t disposition to Sanctifie the name of God in holy duties they are ready to think thus Were it not better to neglect this duty and lay it aside for the present will God accept of a duty when I performe it and am not fit for it Therefore for the Answer to this because it is a temptation that sometimes carnal hearts have and they are ready to take this
generall heads of our meditation for our preparation to duty Viz. What God He is we have to deal with meditate of God in his Attributes and then meditate of the weight of our duties and the nature of them and the rule of them and the end of them get your hearts possessed with meditations of this nature and in this as a speciall thing doth consist your preparation to holy dutie and that 's the first thing 2 The Second thing wherein the preparation to a duty consists it is in this In the taking off of the heart from every sinfull way the indeavour at least If there be iniquity in thine hand or heart labour to put it out When thou are come into Gods presence do not bring into the presence of God the love of any sin in thine heart but labour to put it from thy heart In 2 Chron. 29. 5. We find there what is required to preparation the Text saith Hezekiah said unto them Hear me ye Levits sanctifie now your selves and sanctifie the house of the Lord God of your fathers and carry forth the filthinesse out of the holy place that is sanctifying a thing to carry forth the filthinesse out of that thing that we would sanctifie so the Sanctifying of our hearts it is by carrying forth the filthinesse out of our hearts so as to be fit for a duty And in Job 11. 13 14. If thou prepare thine heart and siretch out thine hand towards him What then If iniquity he in thine hand put it far away and let not wickednessed well in thy tabernacles These Two must be together 3 A Third thing is this The Preparation of the heart it is the disintangling of the heart from the world and from all occasions and businesses in the world I am to worship God but how is my heart insnared and intangled in this and the other businesse Now when I come to worship God I must lay aside all for there 's the preparation of the heart the separating of it for such a work for that 's the nature of Sanctification the separating of a thing from a common use I am to worship God now I must labour to separate my heart from a common use At other times God gives me liberty to let out my heart to common uses but now when I come to worship him I must separate my heart from all common uses that my heart may be wholly for God I remember it is said in the story of Cieil which was Lord treasurer that when he went to read he would lay his gown off and say Lie there Lord Cieil So when we go to duty we should say Lie by world and by laying aside the world I mean laying aside of all houshold affairs or affairs in trading c. I must be as one that hath nothing to do in the world for that time It is true the time cannot be said to be holy for this as the time of the Sabbath day is holy You will say Why may not any time be said to be holy that I spend in holy duties No that is not enough to make time holy for the time that God makes holy it is not holy because of the duties that I perform in it but the duties that I perform then are more acceptable because they are done in such a time and so that makes a place holy not because it is appointed for holy duties and uses but because it is so appointed by God and the performing a duty in that place is more acceptable to God then in another place But now though we cannot make our time holy in that second sense yet in the first it is time set apart for a holy use and in that regard it is holy and so we should look upon it as not to have our outward businesse to devour that time that is holy in that regard as Nehemiah When Tobiah and Sanballat sent to him to come and confer with them No saith he I cannot go for the work is great that I have to do So we must not intangle our selves to meddle with other things when we are to come to worship God for our work is great The Fourth thing for Preparation is To Watch and to Pray We should watch over our hearts least they be made unfit for duties So we should prepare for Prayer all day long in this sense that is we should watch over our hearts that they bee not let out so far as to hinder us in prayer when we come to do it I remember that Tertullian saith That the Christians did so sup as if that they were to pray so when thou art in company thou shouldest watch unto Prayer Oh that you did so you cannot but be conscious to your selves that oftentimes when you have bin in company your hearts have been put out of tune and frame that you have been no way fit for prayer when you come home your house and family finds it so you that take such delight in company and fitting up late I appeale to your consciences whither you can come home and find your selves fit either in your family or closet to go and open your hearts to God This is one Note by the way wherby you may come to know whither you have been immoderate in company at any time God gives not men liberty to be busie in any outward occasions in the world so as to unfit them for his service preparation consists in that in watching over your hearts that you may not be unfitted for any holy duty when God cals you to it but that you may be ready even to every good work The Fift is this Preparation consists in the readinesse of the faculties of the soul and the graces of the spirit of God presently to act upon the setting upon a holy duty When a man or woman shall find the faculties of their soul and the graces that are in them to be ready to act as soon as ever they fall upon duty just as you see a company of Ringers when they have made all preparation for the raising of the bels then in an instant when they begin to pull all the bels go in that tune that according to their skil they set them in And so it should be with our hearts the faculties of our souls and graces though now we are not upon duty yet we should be so ready that as it were upon a pull all the faculties of our souls and graces of Gods Spirit should work in a melodious way There are those that keep their hearts so prepared as at the very first moment that they set about the duty of Worship all faculties and graces begin to act and to stir and are working towards God as a fire when all the matter is ready laid presently it comes to be kindled and flame out and thus it should be with our hearts So that now you see wherein preparation of our hearts to duty consistâ— The next thing is the Excellency of
the preparation and that may be in way of Application to you to make you to be in love with Preparation for holy duties There is abundance of good in it First By this meanes we come to make every duty of worship easie to us things are difficult when we come upon them unprepared If you have a friend come to dinner or supper to you and should come suddenly and you have nothing prepared there would be a great deal of stir in the house but it you have every thing prepared it would be carried on in an easie way and the reason why people eâ—mplaine so much of difficulty in duty it is because their hearts are not prepared Indeed we have naturally many things to keep us off from God but now when the heart is prepared for a holy duty it goes off as easie to God even into the infinite ocean of All mercy and goodnesse as a ship goes off to be lansht when you have made preparation for it and the heart can go with a holy boldne e to God when you have made preparation for holy duties In Job 11. the place which I quoted before for the work of preparation do but consider a verse or two further and you shall find what abundance of good there comes upon the keeping of the heart prepared in things that are good Vers 13. If thou prepare thâ—ne heart c. And then Vers 15. Then shalt thou life up thy face without spot yea thou shalt be steadfâ—st and shalt not fear When the heart is prepared for that that is good when it comes into the presence of God it is able to lift up its self without fear in a steadfast comfortable way and this will quit the cost of any labour 2 Secondly if the heart be prepared it will do a great deal in a little time In 2 Chron. 29. 36 it is said That Hezekiah rejoyced and all the people that God had prepared the people for the thing was done suddenly The thing came off freely and suddenly when as that they were prepared Hezekiah rejoiced and bleâ—ed God for such a mercy as this was it is a great mercy to have the hearts of people prepared unto a good work And so in 2 Chr. 27. 6. the text saith Jothâ—m became mighty because he prepared his waieâ— before the Lord his God Jothâ—m he grew mighty by this and so certainly the way to grow to be very strong and mighty to be able to do a great deal in a little time it is to make preparation there may be as much work done in one hour â—â— as in ten times to much time when the heart is not prepared for it In Ezra 7. 10. you shall find that the reason is given why Ezra had such good successe in his journy it was because he had prepared his heart Make preparation for holy duties and you shall have success in holy duties There is a notable Scripture for that in Psal 10 17 where the holy Ghost saith that God prepares the heart and what then when God doth prepare the heart he doth then cause his eare to hear There was never a prayer made wherin the heart was prepared for it but that praier was heard they go both together Lord thou wilt prepare their heart and thou wilt cause thine eare to hear it God hath once prepared thy heart thou wilt be sure to be heard then Is it not worth a world for to know ones self to be accepted of God in every duty of Wo-ship that we tender up to him this one Scripture Psal 10. 17. will shew it Oh the excellency that there is in Preparation to duty There is one thing more that is very observable and that is this Where the heart is prepared to duties there the Lord will passe by weaknesses and imperfections in duties When thou comest to perform holy duties thou art troubled will the Lord have regard to such a duty as this is thou mayest have certain assurance that the Lord will have regard if thou canst make this point good to thine own soul that it was thy care to make preparation for this duty canst thou say Lord I have indeavoured and done what I could to fit my heart for duty but O Lord I find when I am at it wonderful distractions much deadnesse and vanity what shall I do Why canst thou make good the former and appeal to God that indeed it was thy care to make preparation I 'le give thee one cripture then for the quieting of thy heart in this That the weaknesse of the duty shall be pardoned and past by where there is care to prepare before hand the â—cripture is in 2 Chron. 30â— 18 19. But Hezekiah prayed for them saying The good Lord pardon every one what every one every oâ—e that prepareth hâ—â— heart to seek the Lord God of his fathers though he be not clâ—aused according to the purifie â—tion of the Sanctuary As if he should say Oh Lord there are many things amisse in this people they are not in many regards purifâ—ed according to the order that thou hast set but Lord if thou doest but see any heart prepared to seek thee though theâ— fail in such particulars Lord heal them and pardon them and did God hearken to his prayer Mark the following words And the Lord hearkned to Hezekiah and heaâ—ed the people Nay saith God I will not stand so much upon the purification of the Sanctuary if they have prepared their hearts to seek me Take this Scripture know it 's written for thine instruction and thou mayest make use of it to thine own soul this day if thou canst appeale to God that thou art carefull to prepare thy heart though thou shouldest not have that purenesse of thy heart as thou doest desire the Lord will pardon thee and heaâ— thee make conscience of Preparation to holy duties Again furthe by being carefull to make Preparation for duties within some little time thou wilt bring thy heart to such a frame as it will alwaies he ready for duty without much adoe Indeed at first it is somewhat hard You will say Are we bound to spend sometime every time we go to prayer before hand or every time we come to the Word That should have been one of the Cases of Conscience but I cannot come to Answer that but this we may say Be carefull to prepare for duties you that are young beginners or you that have made profession a longer time but yet have not had the weight of this duty upon your spirits now be carefull for a while to prepare for every duty of Gods Worship that God calls you to and I say within a little time thou mayest bring thy heart into such a temper as thou mayest be ready at all times to performe holy duties because you shall be able to come to that temper and frame that the Apostle exhorts to Pray continually for indeed so it should be with us we should be alwaies
find that the next time you will commit it with more freedom and so one sin will prepare for another and it may be you have some trouble of Conscience at first but the next time you will have lesse trouble till at length you can commit it freely without any trouble of Conscience at all As it is in sinne so it is in godlinesse many times in some degree at the first you have a motion to a holy duty but through the stirrings of your corruptions you are not fit for it now do you but break through that difficulty and the next time you will be more fit and the next time after that you will be more fit and so still more and more fit as it is in sin If a man when he hath some trouble of conscience would but listen to his conscience and would not commit that sin his conscience would grow stronger upon him and strengthen him against that sin so if any man or woman listens to the temptation to deferre duty and put it off because they are not prepared why after that the corruption will grow more strong therefore set upon the duty and the performance of one duty will prepare for another 4 In the Fourth place while men and women are strugling with their souls and the corruption of their hearts and do not fall upon seeking God they by their very strugling to prepare themselves many times do insnare themselves It may be thou hast thoughts of Athisme or other wickednesse the very strugling with those thoughts may insnare thy heart now the better way were to fall upon prayer and to cry to God to help thee again them for while thou art strugling and striving with those thoughts thou art striving with the corruption of thy heart and with the Devil all alone but now when thou fallest to the duty thou callest in the help of God and of Jesus Christ and that is a great deal better while thou art musing plodding troubling thy heart that way I say thou art strugling alone but now when thou fallest upon the duty then thou callest in help from God and so thou art more able to the performance of the duty then thou wert before And therefore it is the best way to fall upon a duty though thou canst not find thy heart prepared as thou doest desire the very falling upon it will fit thee for it And thus much for the Answer unto those two Cases of Conscience Now then we are to proceed further in the opening of the Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties Thus much for the preparation of the heart But when the heart comes to it in what manner should the duty be performed so as the name of God may be sanctified in the duty or what is the behaviour of the Soul in the â—anctifying of Gods Name when it is in the very act of the duty To that â— Answer First in generall thus When the Soul labours to performe duties so as God may have such glory from the duty as is fit for a God to have in some measure then do I Sanctifie Gods name You will say this is a very hard thing to performe a duty so as that we should give God the glory that is fit for a God to have Certainly this is not done by every manner of performance of a duty of Worship yet you shall hear this opened to you and I hope you shall have it made very plaine before you First therefore I shall shew you that when we are to perform a duty of worship we should set our selves to glorifie God as a God that is to do it in that manner that God may have that glory that is fit for a God to have As now in the duty of Praise Psa 66. 2. make his praise glorious that is do it so as you may lift up His Name in it and that God may be glorious in your praise And Rom. 1. 21. there the Apostle speaking of the Heathens he doth rebuke them For what It was for this because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankfullâ— now this is spoken especially of the worship of God for he saith afterwards ver 23. that they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man c. So that it 's spoken of the worship of God that they glorified not God as God That is then to sanctifie Gods Name to glorifie God as God and therefore our Saviovr in the 4. of John when he spake to the woman of Samaria he tels her that God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and truth that is we must labour to suite our worship to what there is in God that our worship may be proportionable in some measure even to the nature of God himselfe And therefore God being a Spirit his worship must be a Divine worship I have read of some of the Heathens that did worship the Sun for a God and they would offer to the Sunne somwhat sutable therefore because they did so admire at the swiftness of the motion of the Sunne they would not offer a snaile to the sunne but a flying horse a horse with wings now a horse is one of the swiftest creatures and the strongest creature to continue in motion for a long time together and they added wings to the horse and they thought that sutable to be a sacrifice for the Sunne So when we come to worship God that is to sanctifie his Name we must behave our selves so as to give him the glory that is fit for a God to have As now in those three particulars which I opened to you when I shewed you wherein wee draw nigh to God This was one I tould you that when we come to worship God we come to tender up some present to God now then we must tender up such a present as is sutable to Gods excellencie If a man should come to a poor man to give a present If it were not worth twelve pence yet it may be taken well but if you were to tender up a present to a Prince a Monarch an Emperour then you must tender a present that is fit for the qualitie of the person Therefore Mal 1. 8. When the Lord rebukes them for their Sacrifices that they were such poore things Go saith God and tender up this to your governour and see whether he wil accept of it or no. So certainly that which may be accepted of by a mean man would be accounted a scorne if you should tender it up to a Prince or an Emperour Now when we are to worship God we must consider that we are to tender up our service to God who is the great King of Kings and Lord of Lords But you wil say is it possible for any creature when it comes to tender up it's worship to God to tender up that which is fit for a God to have This may rather be a
Worshipping of God 1 First the strength of Intention We must intend our work as if it were for our lives If ever we were seriously Intentive or Attentive about any thing it must be when we are worshipping of the Name of God When you are coming to Pray be Intent about it You shall see some when they are going in the street when they have much intention about their businesse their friends meet them and they never mind them one may perceive as they are going that they are mightily intent about their businesse My Brethren look upon every duty of worship as a great thing which you must be intent in your thoughts about and not give way to the wandring of your thoughts I have read of one Martyr that when he was to die and the fire a kindling saith an Officer What will not you speak when you see the fire kindling saith he I am speaking to God that is he was praying and he minded not at all what they were doing O what little things do take our thoughts away from holy duties When every toye every feather every light matter cals them off Is this to Sanctifie Gods Name Would not we account it a dishonourable thing if we were talking to one about serious businesse and when we are talking every one that comes by he should be looking after them and turning aside to talk with them If a Superiour be talking with you he doth expect that you should mind what he saith But when God is speaking to you and you are speaking to God every vain thought that comes by you are turning aside too as if it were a greater thing to talk to vain thoughts and temptations then to the great glorious God Therfore now that is the very time that the Devil chuses for to bring temptations when we are in holy duties for the Devil knows then he doth two works at once he doth disturb us in our duties and call off our hearts to that that is wicked and doth aggravate our sin exceedingly It may be thou wilt not dare to commit that sin that the temptation doth turn thy thoughts upon yea but the Devil hath spoyled the duty by it The Lord doth expect that there should be strength of Intention when thou art upon the duty and there is no time to parlie with temptations now what ever thoughts come in The truth is though they be good thoughts that should come into thy mind and that time that thou art Praying yet if they be not pertinent to the duty thou must cast them away as the temptation of the Devil You will say Can any thing that is good come from the Devil Certainly that that is materially good and coming unseasonably may be from the Devil the Devil may take advantage by what is in it self materially good and bring in that in an unseasonable time and so he may turn it to evil As now when thou art hearing the Word it may be the Devil thinks he cannot prevaile to cause thee to have thy heart running about uncleannesse yea but saith the Devil If I can inject good thoughts I will put into their minds some place of Scripture that is no way pertinent to this only to divert them The Devil gets much by this therefore look to it and know that God expects the strength of thy Spirit in duty that is strong intention thou art a worshipping of God and therefore thou hadest need be intent about what thou art a doing Indeed some-times before you are aware evil thoughts will come into your minds as when a man is keeping of a door and there is a croud of people without that would come in perhaps the man doth open the door for some Gentleman that he hears is at the door but when he opens it for one that is to come in forty others wil crowd in and so it is many times with the Soul that when it opens the door for some good thought a great many evill thoughts will crowd in those people might come in if they would stay their time but they should not now come in So about worldly businesses that are not in themselves unlawfull if they will stay the time they may come in but they must be bar'd out now at this time There is required strength of Intention 2 Secondly strength of Affection is required also That is the affections must work mightily after God striving with God in prayer If ever thou hadest a heart inflam'd in any thing it should be when thou art praying or attending upon the Word as the Heathens that worshipped the Sun sometimes I have told you that they would not have a Snail but a fâ—ying Horse they would offer that that was swift so when we come to the living God we must have living affections our affections boyling and that will be the way to cure vain thoughts as the flies will not come to the hony if it be boyling hot but when it is cold So if the heart be boyling hot and the affections a working it will keep out vain thoughts and temptations It is a sign of the breath of life when it is warm but artificiall breath you know it is cold as now the breath that comes out of the body that is warm but the breath that comes out of a pair of bellowes that is cold So the breath of many people in prayer it is discovered to be but artificiall breath because it is so cold but if there were spirituall life then it would be warm There must be strength of Affection 3 Thirdly There must be likewise the strength of all the Faculties We should stir up what ever we are or have or can do to work in prayer then the bent of mind and conscience and will and affection yea and the body should be put to it too and those that worship God to purpose they spend their bodies in nothing so much as in the worshipping of God It will be a sad thing another day when this shall be charged upon many Thou hast spent the strength of thy body upon lusts but when didest thou spend any strength of thy body about any holy duty What a riddle is this to most people to tell them of spending the strength of their bodies in prayer or hearing of the word or Sanctifying a Sabbath they think the Sabbath is a time of rest I confesse it is a time of rest from an outward labour but it is a time of spending strength in a spirituall way and those that shall worship God aright on the Sabbath will find it a spending of a great deal of strength and blessed is that strength that is spent in the worship of God rather then in the waies of sin as most spend their strength If God gives thee a heart to spend thy strength in his worship thou mayest think thus Lord thou mightest have left me to have spent my strength in sin how much better is it spent in the worshipping of thy
you are not in trouble and fear then it puts not on the heart to performance of duty but the Spirit of God puts on the Soule to duty when there is most peace and comfort 6 A little will serve the turn to satisfie a naturall conscience so be it they performe the duty it is enough but one that is acted by the Spirit of God in duty must meet with much of God or else he is not satisfied he goes mourning in the day time if he hath not met with much of God in the morning in the performance of duty Thus you see there 's much difference between the Actings of naturall parts and conscience in duty and the acting of the Spirit of God There be only now Two things more for the Sanctifying of Gods Name in duty and then we are to come to shew how we should Sanctifie Gods Name in duty in reference to the severall Attributes of God But First for those Two Heads further 8 The Eight thing is this When you come to performe holy duties if you would Sanctifie Gods Name you must consecrate your selves to God there must be a resignation of soul and body estate and liberty name and all you are have or can do unto God This is to Sanctifie Gods Name the consecration of your selves to God And the professing of this in the performance of duty when you are to pray were a very good thing actually to professe your selves to be Gods to professe that you do give up all that you are have or can do to God Lord I am thy servant take all Faculties of Soul and Members of body and improve all lay out all to thine own praise to the uttermost to bring glory to thy great name If every time you came to God in prayer you did this this were to Sanctifie your selves to God I spake before of a Sanctified heart but now this is in a profession of your selves to God do it secretly at least in your own thoughts if you do not every time expresse it in words yet in your own thoughts do it devote your selves to God every day Of admirable use it would be if every day when men and women worship God either in their closets or families they did professedly devote and consecrate themselves to God and so likewise every time they came to hear the Word or to receive Sacraments God would account his name to be Sanctified in such a work as this is 9 Lastly That that must make all up and without which all the other is nothing it is that you must tender up all your worship in the name of Jesus Christ let a man or woman worship God never so well yet when they have done all if they do not tender it up in the Name of Jesus Christ God will not account his Name to be Sanctified thou must by Faith look upon Jesus Christ as the glorious Mediator that is come into the world by whom thou hast accesse unto the Father And act thy Faith upon Christ and give up thy duties into his hand as the hand of a Mediator to be tender'd up to the Father by him though thou hast laboured what thou canst to performe duty as well as thou art able yet thou must not think to tender it up by thine own hand unto God but thou must tender it up to the Father by the hand of Jesus Christ the Mediator and so thou shalt Sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties We read in Levit. 16. 13. that when Aaron was to tender up the Incense he was to put the Incense on the fire before the Lord that the cloud of the Incense may cover the Mercy Seat that is upon the testimony that he die not Mark it is as much as his life is worth whether he doth it or doth it not Now Incense it is in the NEW TESTAMENT called Prayer and so in the OLD TESTAMENT too it was a kind of emblem of Prayer The offering up of our Prayers is the offering up of Incense to God and the Mercy Seat it was a Type of Jesus Christ Now the Incense should cover the Mercy Seat so our prayers must go up to Jesus Christ must be upon him and so must be accepted by the Father And as we read in Judg. 13. 20. when Manoah offered a Sacrifice the text saith that the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame This Angel of God here was Jesus Christ as we might easily from this Scripture make it out and he ascends up in the flame from the Altar Now though we do not offer such kind of Sacrifices with Fire and Incense as they did in the time of the Law yet when we are offering up of our Incense there must be a flame of Fervency and Zeal But that is not enough together with the fame of the Altar the Angel of God Jesus Christ the great Angel of the New Covenant for Angel signifies nothing but messenger the great Messenger that is come into the world about that great Errand of his to reconcile the world to himself he must ascend up in the flame and so God will account his Name to be Sanctified the name of God is not Sanctified but through Jesus Christ The Acting of our Faith upon Christ as mediator is a speciall ingredient to the Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties as you know the Scripture saith that the Altar doth Sanctifie the gift offered upon the Altar Jesus Christ is the Altar upon whom all our Spirituall Sacrifices are to be offered and this Altar doth Sanctifie the gift that is offered upon it let never so great a gift be offered upon any other Altar it was not accounted holy nor accepted so let men by their naturall strength or power that they have offer up the most glorious and speciousest Service to God It is not accepted unlesse it be offered up upon the Altar Jesus Christ we have an Altar now not the Communion Table but Jesus Christ himself is our Altar upon whom we are to offer all our Sacrifices and this Altar must Sanctifie the gift we can never have our gift sanctified no nor Gods name sanctified in this gift except it be offered upon this Altar and our Faith acted upon Jesus Christ People little think of this but of other things viz. That when we worship God we should worship him with fear and reverence and with humility and with strength of Intention such kind of things every one that hath any inlightening of conscience will think of at sometime or other but people do least think of this which is the greatest ingredient of all that is required in the Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties that is to come and tender up all to the Father in the Name of Jesus Christ How many men and women that have been professors of Religion 20 or 30 years and yet not acquainted with this great mysterie of godlinesse to tender up all to God in the name of his Son This
tryall of this thou hast lost 〈◊〉 prayer by vaine thoughts and thou hast been troubled for 〈◊〉 and yet they come againe do but try for this weeke as I remember I said in the point of passion and anger that we should resolve with our selves well whatsoever fals out this morning I am resolved I will beare it so bethink thy selfe how many prayers thou hast lost by vaine thoughts and now 〈◊〉 thy resolutions and Covenant with God that for this prayer I will 〈◊〉 my selfe against them whatsoever paines I take I will be sure yet withall to look up to Gods grace to assist one I will be sure this prayer to keep my heart close to what I am about perhaps that will helpe you a little but yet some vain thoughts will come for all that then the next night renew them again and the next morning renew them again and that till thou commest to a habit of keeping thy heart close to the duty though now thou feelest thy heart so wild that thou thinkest it is impossible to bring it into order but certainly by such a means thy heart will be brought into order Thirdly Be sure to set the presence of God before you in prayer have a reall light of the infinite greatnesse Majestie and glory of that you present your selves unto when you are are calling upon him if so be that thou canst have a reall fight of God in his glory it wil keep thy heart close to the duty as if a man be wandring with his eyes and looking after every feather if the King or some great person come into the Room all his thoughts would be about the King or the great person that were comming in so if you would present the Lord in his glory and greatnesse excellencie majestie and power before you and what a dreadfull God he is in himselfe and yet what a mercifull God hee is to us in his Sonne this would mightily compose our hearts certainly men and women that are so wandring in their prayers it is because their eyes are not open to look upon God in his glory they are as it were dreaming and do not apprehend that God stands and looks upon them and observes them and that God takes notice of every wandring thought that comes from them they doe not consider that God doth converse with the thoughts of men as well as men do with the words of men that 's a third rule Fourthly Take heed thou beest not deceived because that those thoughts thou hast in prayer doe not appeare to be very evill in themselves This is a great deceit and hinder many in the sanctifying of Gods name in prayer there is sometimes damed in some vain thoughts now because the thought hath no great evill in it selfe therefore they thinke they may play with it and their hearts close with it and so 〈◊〉 along with it as the fish doth with the bait if the Devill casts in a thought of blasphemie that makes thee quake and shake but if thy thoughts have no 〈◊〉 evill in them but they are slight things matters of no moment one way or other upon that thy heart begins to be dandling and playing with them therefore remember this rule that in the time of prayer whatsoever thoughts be in thy mind that doe not concerne the present duty they are sinfull before God though the thoughts for the matter of them be never so good yet thou art to abandon them as sinfull at that time Therefore never be deceived with this that the thoughts are not very sinfull that 's another rule In the last place observe this rule if ever God hath helped thee at any time in prayer that thy heart hath been kept close to a duty and thou hast had Communion with him blesse God for that blesse God for that helpe t is a rule of very great use for us to get further assistance from God in any thing if so bee our hearts be inlarged to blesse God for any assistance wee have had heretofore and the reason why we gaine and prosper so little in our Christian course it is because we do not take notice of what God hath done for us to give God glory for mercyes formerly received and therefore God takes little or no delight in comming in with further mercyes to us as if you had a young nursery of trees and they began to thrive very well but there comes a company of Caterpillars and spoiles almost all the young Trees that are set only two or three are kept from the Caterpillars a man goes into his orchard and looks upon his Trees and this is spoild and that is spoiled but he sees two or three and these flourish fairly and these are full of buds and are like to come to something and he rejoyces mightily in those because they are sav'd when so many others are spoil'd and so doe thou view thy prayers and consider how many hath been spoiled as it were by these Caterpillars for I compare wandring vaine thoughts in prayer unto Caterpillars that are upon the trees and we see that if stormy rainy weather comes the Caterpillars will fall and one would thinke that these blustering stormes and the hand of God that hath been out against us should have clensed our thoughts and soules from these Caterpillars that have been upon our dutyes but many duties have been spoiled yet thou maist say that through Gods mercy such a Morning in my closet the Lord hath preserved a prayer to himselfe and I have gotten power over this vaine heart of mine blesse God for this and so the Spirit of God will be more ready to come in and help thee another time but thus much shall suffice to speak to this that 's the second thing we must give up our selves wholly to this duty The third thing for the sanctifying of Gods name in prayer is this there must be the breathings of the Spirit of God otherwise Gods name is not sanctifyed that in Rom. 8. 26. is cleere for this likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered if any of you should say how can wee sanctifie Gods name we are poore and weak we can doe little marke it is said here that the Spirit helpeth our infirmities to pray and the word is exceeding emphaticall in the originall in your books t is but meerly helping our infirmities but the meaning of the word is in these two things the Spirit helpes that is look how a man that is taking up a heavy peece of Timber at one end he alone cannot get it up but there comes another and takes it up at the other end and so helps him The word signifies such a kind of helping as when a man takes a thing at the other end or on the other side one standing the one way and the other standing the
God in regard of that essentiall presence of his yet there is a more peculiar and speciall drawing nigh to God in the duties of his Worship and that the Scripture seems to hold forth unto you First I le shew you how the Scripture holds it forth and then in what respects the Creature may be said to draw nigh to God in holy duties of Worship for so it was here they were coming to offer Incense 1 That we do draw nigh to God in holy Duties see Jam. 4. 8. Draw nigh to God so that you may be neerer God then you were that is by holy Services holy Duties hence it is in Ps 95. 2. Let us saith he come before his presence with thanksgiving so that there is a more peculiar coming before Gods presence when we come to Worship him then at other times And v. 6. O come let us Worship and how down let us kneel before the Lord our maker So in Psal 100. 2. Let us come before his presence with singing for that 's one part of the Worship of God But the Scripture is plain that there is a speciall coming before God when we are coming to Worship him and in this respect the Servants of God in Psal 148. 14. are said to be a people neer to God It is a very remarkable expression and le ts forth much the honour of the Saints of God There 's the commendation of the excellent estate of the Saints He al 's 〈◊〉 the hâ—rn of his people the praise of all his Saints even the children of Israel a people neer unto him The Saints of God the Children of Israel the Church of God are said to be a people neer to God Why neer him Because that they Worship God they are much exercised in the Worship of God This is one respect though there may be divers others mentioned yet in respect of their coming so much before God in his Worship therefore they are neer God Quest Neer him Why in what respects may a man be said to draw nigh to God when he Worships him Answ To that I Answer There are three respects in which a man when he is Worshipping of God may be said to draw nigh to God 1 First Because when we come to Worship God we come to tender up that homage and service unto him that is due from us as creatures to the infinite Creator that 's the very end of Worship If you would know what it is to Worship God it is this You come to tender up that homage and respect that is due from the creature to the Creator Now when a Subject comes to tender up his homage to his Prince he comes towards him when he doth it immediately So we have none to tender it up by but Jesus Christ and when we tender it up we must come our selves too for Christ doth not take our service and tender it up to God and we be absent but we must come with Christ and Christ takes us by the hand and so tenders it up to the Father while we are in presence so that we are said to come nigh to God in that respect because of the immediate tendering up of that Worship of ours to God I call it immediate in respect of any creature But in respect of Christ indeed he is a Mediator to do it but yet he doth it in a spirituall way and we have to do with none but God through Jesus Christ in the tendering up of our Worship to him We may make use of an institution that God hath appointed but we do not tender up our Worship to God through that creature but in the use of that creature we do come to God and our souls are to tender up that respect we owe to God immediately Therefore in Levit. 21. 21. it is said of the Priests in their Sacrifices when they were to come to Worship God No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the Priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire So that when any come to offer any offerings of the Lord made by fire it appeares he came nigh to God he came to bring a present to God therefore he comes nigh So when we come to offer our spirituall Sacrifices unto God we come nigh to God to offer it 's the offering of a Sacrifice to God And that 's the first thing because the creature comes to bring a present to God therefore he is said to draw nigh And Secondly the Soul is said to draw nigh to God in holy duties because it doth present it's self before God in those ways through which God doth use to communicate his choice precious most excelent and glorious mercies to his people I say when we come to Worship God we come to set our selves before God in those waies that God doth 〈◊〉 to communicate the choice most excelent and glorious rich mercies that he hath to communicate to his creature When we have to deal with creatures as meat and drink and our outward businesses we have to do with God in them but when we come to Worship God we come to present our selves before him in those things that he doth use to let out himselfe though in a more speciall and glorious manner to the souls of his people What 's the reason why heaven is said to be the presence of God and why those that are in heaven are said to live with God There they behold the face of God and are before him in a speciall manner therefore when Christ teacheth us to pray he teacheth us to look up to heaven and to say Our Father which â—rt in heaven c. Now certainly the essentiall presence of God is on earth as truly and really as in heaven and God is not so as to have one part in one place and another in another but All God is in every place but the reason why God is said to be in heaven it is because the Lord makes known himself there in a more glorious manner then in any other place and therefore heaven is the presence of God in a more speciall way Now then if the communication of God unto a creature be enough to make the presence of God more speciall if this be enough to make a creature to live with God and to be before his face because they are there where God doth most communicate himself then certainly when we come to Worship God we come to be neer God and be with God because the duties of his Worship are those means that the Lord hath appointed for the letting out of himself in the glory of his goodnesse and mercy to his people You may expect other manner of communication of Gods goodnesse through the duties of his Worship then in any other way And that 's the Second respect wherein you may be said to draw nigh to God in holy duties Thirdly You may be said to draw nigh to God
because then we should and if we Worship God as we ought we do act our faith and humility and all the graces of the Spirit We do act them as it were upon God when we come to Worship him That 's required in every duty of Worship that you should stir up the faculties of your souls and all the graces of the Spirit of God and you should act them upon God when you are Worshipping of him T is not enough to come with grace when you come to Worship God but there must be an acting of that grace upon God And so we find in Scripture that the acting of grace upon God it is a drawing neer to him therefore in Isa 29. 13. the Lord complaines there This people draws neer to me with their lips but their hearts are far from me as if God should say Indeed they come and speak to me and therefore they think they draw nigh to me but I expect that their hearts should be acting upon me that 's the meaning And in Zeph. 3. 2. God complains there of his people that they did not draw neer to him as they should And it appears plainly it was from hence that their graces did not act so upon God as they ought She obeyed not the voice she received not correction she trusted not in the Lord she drew not neer to her God So that acting faith upon God is a drawing nigh to God and so acting any grace upon God is a drawing nigh to God Now when is there a time for the acting of our graces upon God so as when we come to worship God And therefore in Isa 64. 7. the Lord complains there That no man did stir up himself to take hold on him When we come to Worship God we should stir up our selves to take hold of God And thus you see in what respects the Soul may be said to draw nigh to God when it comes to worship him Now for the Application of this point and it is in divers particulars The First is this Hence learn what you do when you come to Worship God and consider of it every time you come to performe any act of Worship Truly this one thing would be of marveilous use and it would help forward to the next Point of Sanctifying of Gods Name This you are all convinced of That it is your duty to Worship God when you pray you come to Worship God when you come to hear his Word you come to Worship him and when you receive the Sacrament you Worship him Now if I should come from one end of the Congregation to the other and ask every one of you this Question It is your duty to Worship God is it not Yes that you will all be ready to answer And what do you do when you Worship God I fear that this Second Question would gravell many You will say We must pray to God and serve him and hear his Word and go to the Communion◠yea but what do your Souls do in this Work of Worshipping of God This should be the answer and so you should think with your selves and charge this upon your own hearts I am now going to Worship God either in Prayer Word or Sacraments I am now going to tender up that homage that is due from a creature to the infinite Creator so that I must so pray as I must manifest that high respect that I owe to God as my Creator but that I shall speak to more afterward only now remember this That you do professe every time you go to Prayer That you go to tender up that homage that you owe unto God and so every time you come to hear the Word there is a profession that you come to tender up that respect and homage that you owe to the infinite God And so likewise when you come to receive the Sacrament Now when we come to offer a present to men we know how we prepare and with what suitable presence we desire to offer but of that afterward when we come to speak of Sanctifying Gods Name 2 Secondly Remember when I come to Worship God I come to set my self before the Lord in those ways that God doth let out the choice of his mercies to his people in I have many mercies from God in the enjoyment of the creature but when I come to Worship him I expect the communication of his mercy in another way then through any creature in the World The duties of his Worship are the chief chānels that God doth let out the choicest of his mercies to the hearts of his people through and now I am going to Worship him I am going to present my self before God Indeed there is a little glimmering of the light of God through other creatures to me but the glorious beames of the light of God is through the duties of his Worship 3 And then Thirdly I am now going to act my Soul upon God so that if I have any abilities to close with God to act my Soul upon him it must be put forth now at this time I am indeed at all times to labour to injoy communion with God when I see the creatures the Sun and Moon and Stars to labour to lift up my heart to God and when I see the glory of God in the Sea and for my meat and drink I am to blesse God and to acknowledge God in all but now when I come to Worship God then all the strength of my Soul is to be acted upon God in a more speciall manner I must then above all labour to stir up whatsoever I have in my Soul to act upon God this is now to Worship God Secondly If to Worship God be to draw nigh to God hence we see the reasons why guilty consciences have little mind to the duties of Gods Worship When a man or woman hath given liberty to any licentious way sinned against their consciences if they have any light in their consciences it is one of the tediousest things in the World to come to the duties of Gods Worship they had rather do any thing then to come to holy dutys as to Prayer and especially to secret prayer A man or woman that hath an inlightened conscience and is under the guilt of sin the coming to God in holy duties is a very grievous burden to them Why Here 's the Reason Because to Worship God is to draw nigh to God and the guilt that is upon them hath made the presence of God terrible to them and therefore they had rather go into their company be merry eat drink sport or any thing rather then to come into Gods presence We know how it was with Adam when God appeared in the garden and called to him he ran to hide himself Why Because he had guiltinesse upon him Oh the evill that the guilt of sin brings upon the Soul it makes the presence of God terrible The presence of God it should be more
comfortable to us then our lives but our sin makes Gods presence grievous and terrible A Child sometimes when it hath offended the Father and is conscious to its self of the offence that it hath given the Father it had rather be in the Kitching among the Servants then to come into the Hall or Parlour where the Father is because it hath offended him and so it is with a guilty conscience when it is conscious to its self of some haunt of evil that it hath given it self unto it hath no mind at all of coming into the presence of the Father but hangs off My Brethren the very presence of God in the communion of his Saints is terrible to a guilty conscience the very looking upon a godly man is terrible to a guilty conscience When as thou hast bin abroad c. bin loose c. wicked in thy waies I appeal to thy conscience when thou comest into the presence of some holy gracious man or woman that lives close with God doth it not daunt thee Now is the presence of God in the very faces of his Saints terrible to a guilty conscience How terrible is the presence of God in his Ordinances then Indeed those men and women whose consciences are not inlightened but are ignorant and sottish they can sin against God and go into his presence without any trouble you shall have men swear and be drunken over night and come to the Sacrament the next day What 's the reason Because there is no light in their consciences their consciences are in darknesse they are besotted in their sin but I speak now of one who hath an inlightened conscience the presence of God is terrible to such a one A Third Use is this Here is the Reason why Hypocrites do meet with such vengeance from God as they do I confesse we shall meet with this more especially afterwards only by the way take notice of it Hypocrites above all men may expect the severest judgements of God upon them because they come so nigh God for they come often to the duties of Gods Worship now they that will come so nigh Gods presence and come with base and ungodly hearts to cloak their villany of all in the world they must expect to have the severe vengeance of God let out upon them they that stand nighest the bullet must expect to have the strength of it to be the more upon them so when the wrath of God proceeds out upon sinners wicked men that stand nighest him they have the greatest strok of Gods wrath but of that more when I come to the Third Point That God will be Sanctified in those that draw nigh him The Fourth Use is this If to Worship God be to draw nigh him then to neglect Gods Worship is to depart from him that must needs follow and this is a dreadfull thing it is the sentence that shall be at the last day of judgement Depart from me Thou now art willing to depart from God Oh consider of this you that neglect Worship the Worship of God in your families and in your closets and in the congregation in the communion of the Saints thou hast little minded or regarded the Worship of God it may be all thy daies what hast thou been doing all this while thou hast been departing from God all this while when thy conscience shall be but inlightened and awakened to see how far thou art from God how terrible will it be to thee Remember this you that have no mind to the duties of the Worship of God but love the Commission of sin you neglect Gods Worship you were wont to Worship him in a constant way in your closets and families but now you grow more loose and so you grow more dead every day then other you go off from God more and more Surely there can be no good to neglect Gods Worship And those that are loth to Worship God because they cannot Worship him as they ought from this Point it appears plainly That there can be no good gotten by neglecting Gods Worship for it is departing from God whatsoever plea there may be by any temptation to neglect Gods Worship certainly there is danger in it and therefore never listen to any such temptation as shall draw your hearts from the duties of Gods Worship There are a Generation of wantons in these times that make little matter of continuing the duties of Gods Worship they were wont constantly to worship God and to attend upon the Word but now it is nothing to them and they are even ready to thank God for it that they make not such conscience as they were wont to do in the duties of the Worship of God It may be they will say That heretofore some slavish terror did carry them on in the duties of Gods Worship more then the understanding of the freenesse of the grace of God would admit of But shall the understanding of the freedom of the grace of God carry thee on lesse then thy slavish terrour did Oh blind and wanton spirit that knowest not the waies of God nor the freenesse of the grace of God nor the riches of it Oh what a dishonour art thou to Jesus Christ and to the freenesse of his grace that now canst go up and down from day to day and never Worship God! Did Jesus Christ come into the world to that end for to cause thee to depart more from God 'T is plain out of the Word That the duties of Gods Worship are those duties whereby the Soul comes to draw nigh to God And I beseech you brethren observe these men whither there be that holinesse in their lives that spiritualnesse as there was wont to be no you shall find them by degrees to grow loose yea run sometimes into grose sins grow many times to lying and deceiving and to drunkenesse and company keeping yea to worse things by degrees Perhaps they are at first ready to say Is thy Servant a dead Dog that I should do this But by departing from God they grow dead to holy duties We find it by experience That the professors of Religion have not that holinesse heavenlinesse spiritualnesse as they were wont to have in former times And no marveile for now they keep not so nigh to God as they were wont You that are Sea-men and Travelours sometimes you are neer the Sunne and then you are hot but the further off the Sunne you go you grow to be colder and colder And so those that neglect the Worship of God they go from the warm Sun they go from the light of Gods countenance and from the presence of God and so they grow cold and chill and by degrees they grow to prophanesse and it is to be feared that many of them will grow to meer Athisme Another Use is this A Use of Exhortation that we would be incouraged to Worship God and to be much in the Worship of God In Heb. 10. 22. Let
this or what great good there is in preparation for Gods Worship 4. Fourthly I shall Answer a case of Conscience or two 5. Fiftly I will shew you what is the behaviour of the Soul in Sanctifying Gods Name 6 Sixthly The Reasons why God will be Sanctified in the duties of his Worship First That there must be preparation to the Worship of God For First that God that we come to Worship is a great and glorious God and we having to deal with such an infinite glorious dreadfull Majesty it is fit that we should make preparation when we come nigh unto him therefore in Exod. 19. 10. when God came among the people to give them his Law he did require that they should be Sanctified to day and tomorrow and that they should wash their cloaths and be ready against the third day for the third day the Lord would come down upon mount Sinai in the sight of all the people God did not so much stand upon their cloaths but it was to signifie an inward washing Now my brethren if when God came to give the Law they were so to prepare then certainly when we are to come to Worship God in the way of the Gospel we are to prepare as well as they because God is coming For that that is observable is why they were for two dayes together to make such preparation the argument is because of the presence of God The Lord said to Moses Go and Sanctifie the people to day and to morrow and let them wash their cloaths and be ready against the third day Why for the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai The Lord will come down the third day and therefore let them be Sanctified So when thou goest to Worship God thou expectest or shouldest expect that God will come to thee and that thy heart shall be drawn to God and therefore thou shouldest make some preparation For the time of preparation we shall speak to afterward when we come to the cases of Conscience about preparation for Worship And so in 1 Chr. 22. 5. 14. David makes preparation for the house of God because it was the house of God that he had to build though he could not do it himself in his own time yet being the house of God what great preparation was made by David The morral of which is this That the house of God being a Type of the Church and the worship of God as well as of Christ it shewes that there should be much preparation when we have to deal with God in his Ordinances Secondly As God is great that we draw nigh to so the duties of Gods worship are great duties they are the greatest things that doth concern us in this world and it is a sign of a very carnall heart to slight the duties of Gods Worship to make account of them as little matters Carnall hearts ordinarily the things that concern their businesses in the world they think great matters Oh I may not neglect that I may not neglect that I may not neglect such a businesse or I may not neglect to visit or gratifie such a friend but now for the worship of God it is good indeed but whither it be done or not it is no great matter therefore they can put off prayer if they have any businesse the time of prayer must pay for it they can put off that upon any slight occasion they do not account the duties of Gods worship great matters My brethren I beseech you learn this lesson this morning to account the duties of Gods worship great matters they are the greatest things that do concerne you here in this world for they are the homage that you tender up to the high God as you heard and those things wherein God communicats himself in his choise Mercies now being such great matters there is cause that we should prepare For that one thing of prayer saith Luther It is a great work and a difficult work and therefore there had need be preparation for it Businesse of great consequence we make preparation for indeed if a businesse be a slight businesse we can fall upon it on a sudden you make not preparation to go in a Boat in the Thames but to go a voyage you make great preparation Now if men and women would but understand the duties of Gods worship to be great they would see a necessity to make a preparation Many men for want of preparation to duties they lose a great part of the time when they come to performe a duty of Worship in prayer they spend half the time that is convenient to be spent in prayer before they begin to pray and so in hearing the word they are a long time before they can settle themselves to attend to the word or in any other kind of Worship I say a great deal of time in the worship is spent ordinarily before we can get our hearts to close with the worship now that is a sore and a great evill to lose any part of the time of worship Christians I beseech you account highly of the time of your worship you have bin so long time at prayer yea but how much of it hath been lost because you have not prepared before hand for it perhaps you kneel'd upon your knees but you were a long time before you could get your hearts warm at your work why you should have been warm before you had come It is so oftentimes with many men when they meet together and there is no preparation for their businesse they come together and they are a long time before they can buckle to the businesse that they came about because there was no preparation but if there be preparation made that every man knows before hand what his work is they can fall to it and they can dispatch as much in one hour as others do in two or three but of that we shall speak more afterwards Thirdly There must be preparation because our hearts are naturally exceedingly unprepared for every good work we are all naturally even reprobate to every good work the duties of Gods Worship are high and Spirituall and holy things but by nature our hearts grovell in the dirt and we are carnal sensual drossie dead slight sottish and vain altogether unfit to come into the presence of God Oh that we were but apprehensive and senfible of the unfitnesse of our hearts to come into Gods presence Perhaps because thou knowest not God thou canst rush into his presence without any more adoe but if thou knowest thy self and God thou couldest not but see thy self altogether unfit for his presence and so as to wonder that the Lord should not spurn thee out of his presence every time thou comest unto him there had need then be preparation because we are so unfit to come into his presence Fourthly There had need be preparation because of the great hinderances of the Worship
temptation and willing to neglect the duty upon such a thought as this that they are not prepared And the truth is they are more glad to let the duty fall then they are sorry for want of the preparation of their hearts for the duty I beseech you consider of this whether you have not found it so that sometimes when you have not been fit to performe a holy duty there hath not been a more secret willingnesse of the heart to let the duty go then a sorrow of the heart because you are not it for the duty This is a very evil sign that the heart is very much distempered Those that are godly indeed when they find not their hearts prepar'd for the duty it is the trouble of their souls it is that that goes neer to their hearts when they think with themselves that they are now like to lose a duty of the worship of God they are now like to lose their communion with God in a holy duty they even look upon themselves in an evill case in regard of this and it makes them watchfull for time to come to take heed of those things that have put them in such an unpreparation as they find their hearts to be in at this time Now if it be so with thee it is a good sign that thy heart may be upright with God though through infirmity it comes at such a time to be unprepared for the duty But yet suppose I find I am not prepared I am greiv'd and troubled at it for that must be premised whether were I better to leave the duty for this time then to fall upon it in such an unpreparation as this is Now for the Answer to this Question 1 First That which I would Answer to it is this The omission of a duty or the laying of a duty aside will never fit the Soul for a duty afterwards it is no way to make thy soul more fit afterwards because thou hast laid it aside now for the present do but observe your own hearts that way and you will find this by experience Such a time you have been busie in the world and occasions have hindered you so as your heart is out of temper and frame for a duty you lay it aside now are you more fit the next day If you do neglect duty in the morning upon any businesse are you fitter to perform duty at night because of it you will not find it to be so the forbearing a duty now will not make the Soul fitter for a duty afterwards therefore is no wisdome to forbear a duty for want of preparation because the forbearance will never help to further preparation but will make the Soul more unfit for duty It is an excellent speech that I read that Luther hath concerning himself I have learned this by experience that the oftener I do omit duty the oftener do I make my self the more unfit for duty and cause I have to abhorre my self It is not the deferring that makes thee the more fit 2 Therefore consider that this is but a temptation and that is the Second thing that I would propound to those that shall omit a duty because they are not prepared That this is but a Temptation to keep thee from it to tell thee that thou art not prepared and if thou shalt forbear it because thou art not prepared in this thing thou doest gratifie the Devil and the Devil hath what he would have and so would be incouraged to tempt thee another time because he hath now what he would have in causing thee to forbear the duty First he laboureth to unfit thee for it and then he tempts thee to forbear it because thou art unfit this is the subtilty of the Devil From whence is it that thou art unfit but from the temptation of the Devil And I and Luther again that was a man that had as much converse with God as any in his daies and a man that had as much to draw his heart away as many temptations and as many businesses as any for indeed the great Cause of Christ in all the Christian world in a great measure under God lay upon his shoulders and yet saith he If any one think that prayer must be defer'd till the Soul be purified from impure cogitations he doth no other then help the Devil who is powerfull enough he thinks to be wise in deferring the duty because he is not fit and he hath many ill thoughts and troubles in his Spirit he doth nothing else saith Luther but gratifie the Devil that is strong enough without this Oh let us take heed of gratifying the Devil in his temptations therefore remember it is a temptation for thee to omit a duty meerly because thou art not prepared for the duty 3 In the Third place that which I would Answer to this Question is this If any one performe a duty of Worship in that sincerity and strength that he is able to do it though he be not prepared as he ought yet it is better to do it then to neglect it It is true some do performe a duty in a meer formall way and to satisfie their consciences or to cloak and cover their sins and the like perhaps they may so performe it as it might be better to be unperformed then to performe it as they do but if you do indeavour to the uttermost of your strength to do it though you be not prepared as you do desire yet it is better to do it then to omit the doing of it and you will find it so for one duty doth prepare for another Though it be not done as I desire it should be done yet the doing of it as well as I can at this time will help me to do it better at another time that is certain as one sin doth prepare the heart for another sin so one duty prepares the heart for another as now suppose a man commits a sinne and he hath a conscience that is inlightened that doth hinder him from committing his sin with that full strength that he would do it many a man hath a mind to sin but through the inlightening of his conscience he cannot sinne with that delight as he would because his conscience flies in his face and doth interrupt him but yet for all this through the strength of his corruption he will break through to that sin now though at first they cannot commit that sin with that delight and freedome as they do at other times yet if their corruptions be so strong as to break through the light of their consciences the next time they come to the committing of that sin they will commit it with more freedome and ease a great deal This is evident by experience there is none of you but if you well observe your hearts you will find this A Temptation comes to a sin now you cannot do it with so much freedom as you would but yet you break through it you will
CoÌ„munication of the choicest of his Mercies so then I Sanctifie Gods Name when I labour to prepare and open my heart for God as for the choicest Mercies that God hath to bestow upon his Creature When there is such a temper of heart that my conscience tels me it is suitable to that that is fit for a Soul to have that expects to receive the choicest Mercies from God but that we spake too more in the opening of our drawing nigh to God Now we are to come more particularly to this to open the Sanctifying of Gods Name 1 First In what particulars the behaviour of the heart may be discovered to be suitable to God in respect of Gods greatnesse and glory 2 Secondly What the behaviour of the heart should be as suitable to the severall Attributes of God It will cost us some time to open the particular things in the behaviour of the heart as in reference to the Greatnesse and Majestie of God considered more generally as in Psal 48. 1. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised And so in Mal. 1. 14. Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his fâ—ock a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing Why for I am a great King saith the Lord and therefore cursed is he that doth not offer a Sacrifice suitable to my Greatnesse And in 2 Chron 2. 5. we find that Solomon when he was preparing for the Temple he would build a great Temple why because God was a great God that he would build it too So that the Worship of God must be some great thing because the Lord is a great God and it must be suitable to his greatnesse Now if you ask me in what particulars doth the behaviour of the Soul consist that is very suitable to the greatnesse of God in the generall there are many things in this 1 The First is You must be carefull to bring a Sanctified heart You cannot tender up a worship suitable to his greatnesse except you bring a Sanctified heart with you there must be holinesse in the heart Under the Law you know if any one came to offer a Sacrifice in his uncleannesse he must be cut off and so it must be here we must look to it that we offer not to God in our uncleannesse Wash you and make you clean in Isa 1. and then come let us reason together There is no comming to God without washing and making clean in Psal 93. 5. Holinesse becometh thine house O Lord for ever Holinesse becometh the presence of God for ever we must look to get a Sanctified heart Sanctification consists in those two parts Mortification and Vivification there must be a mortifying of the lusts of the heart We read in the Law that every Sacrifice was to be salted with Salt that did signifie the mortification of our hearts when we come to offer up our selves as a Sacrifice to God the Salt did eat out the raw humors and kept the flesh from putrifying so doth the Grace of God in mortifying our Lusts In Heb 9. 14. you have a notable scripture for the clenâ—ng of our hearts when we come to offer any service to God How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your Consciences from dead works to serve the living God So that you cannot serve the living God untill your consciences be purged from dead works And how comes your consciences to be purged from dead works It is through the blood of Christ who through the eternall Spirit offered himself without spot to God he must purge your consciences So that here 's the way of Sanctifying Gods Name by applying of Jesus Christ who was offered to God without spot that our consciences might be purged from dead works that we might be purged from that naturall filthinesse and uncleannesse in which we all were for the whole world doth lie in filth as a carrion doth lie in his slyme Now if we would worship God so as to Sanctifie him we must apply Christ to our Souls and get our consciences purged from dead works and to have the Spirit of Christ in us to quicken up our hearts in the waies of holinesse to have the image of esus Chriâ—â—in us whereby we may be holy according to our proportion even as he himself is holy this is the Sanctifying of the heart There must be an habituall Sanctification and an actuall Sanctification of the heart An Habituall that is that the heart must be changed through the work of Regeneration there must be a Regeneration in the heart there must be Divine principles of the Graces of the Spirit of God in the heart But you will say May not an unregenerate man Pray To that I Answer It is true it is his duty to pray Poure forth thy wrath upon the Heathen and upon the families that call not upon thy Name But it 's as true that they cannot Sanctifie Gods Name in doing of it But if we would Sanctifie Gods Name in it there must be an Habitual holinesse in the heart for every thing doth act according to its principles in nature it is so and so doth the heart when it comes to Worship God it doth act according to the principles that it hath And then there must not only be Habitual Sanctification but Actual Sanctification likewise as in Exod. 19. 10 11. there you see what a doe there was to fit them for the hearing of the Law because God was to come among them God is to come among us and we are to come to God when we are to performe holy duties therefore it is not enough to have Grace but there must be an improving of Grace there must be an acting of Grace not only when you come to receive the Sacrament to think that then there must be an acting of Grace but every time you pray and hear there must be an acting of Grace A purging out of your corruptions and acting of Grace So that one cannot Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties unlesse he come thus far to be able to say Lord thou that knowest all things knowest there is nothing that thou doest reveale to be contrary to thy will but my heart is against it that 's the least thou canst not have any peace of conscience in drawing nigh to God untill thou come thus far to have thy heart to work thus against sin and to be set upon every good that God reveals to be his mind You know when a man of quallity comes to your house what a deale of stir there is not onely in sweeping but in making all things as clean and tite and shining as possibly can be Thus it should be when thou comest to God And the Reason why there must be this Sanctifying of the heart is 1 First Because the Lord doth first accept of the person before he doth accept oâ— the Action Men indeed do accept of the persons of
I might get thy Spirit to be conveyed through this Word of thine into my heart this should be thy end when ever thou comest and not only Self I will give you two or three Scriptures to shew that God regards little any duties where self is the higheâ— end the First is in Hos 7. 14. They howled upon their beds saith the Text there but they cryed not to me The Lord there did acknowledge that they were very much affected in their Prayers but what was it it was but a howling upon their beds and how so it was because only they did cry for themselves They have not cryed unto me saith the Lord with their heart when they howled upon their beds It was but meerly for Corn and Wine and Cyle but not unto me they aim'd at themselves and not at me And in Amos 5. 22. there the Lord professes that he did reject the fat of their peace offerings Though ye offer me saith he burâ—â—t offerings and your meat offerings I will not accept them neither will I reâ—ard the peace offering of your fat beasts They were carefull to offer their fattest beasts in their peace offerings and will not God regard them It was in their peace offerings that they offered their fat beasts and there they were to eate a grat part of it themselves Indeed the burnt offering was wholly offered unto God God had all that but the peace-offering those that did offer it they did eat a great part of it themselves now they were very carefull in those offerings that they should partake of themselves to offer fat beasts you do not see that the Holy Ghost takes any notice of fat beasts in their burnt-offerings Now the Note from hence is this That in those things where men are interested themselves they will be very carefull to have the best things But now the Lord rejected the fat beasts of their peace-offerings saith God you were very carefull to offer fat beasts in your peace-offerings where you may feed your selves but for those offerings wherein I have all there you are not so carefull and therefore I regard them not The Third Scripture is in Zach. 7. 5. there they did keep many daies in seeking of God it is an observable Scripture for these times Speak unto all the people of the land and to the Priests saying When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month even those seventy years did ye at all fast unto me even unto me Mark the phrase you fasted in the fifth and seventh month and for seventy years together but saith the Lord Did you at all fast unto me and then mark how it is doubled To me even unto me Noting that when we fast or pray or do any thing in the Worship of God we should be sure to aime at God more then our selves that God may not say of us another day Do you do it to me even to me You may ask me this Question How may I know that I am acted by self ends in holy duties for it is a hard thing for one to know ones own heart when one is acted by principles of 〈◊〉 and when we aime at God in holy duties Now for that I will give you these notes to try whither you be acted from your selves or no. The First is this If a man loves holy duties though he finde no present good comes in by them because they are such things as God requirs and therefore though I get nothing by them yet this is enough to carry me on and to carry me on readily and willingly in the worship of God those that can delight in Gods worship even at that time though they find nothing coming into themselves But now when we find not that coming in that we do desire we begin to be weary of worship and say Why have we fasted and thou seest it not This is an Argument that thou art acted by Self rather then by God Secondly To know whether we be acted by self ends or rather by high ends for God Those men that can rejoyce in others that are able to honour God in holy duties more then themselves they may have a good evidence to their own Souls that when they worship God they are acted by higher ends then self but now such as are streightned themselves and when they see others more inlarged in the worship of God they rather envy them are greiv'd and troubled know that Self is a great ingredient in those duties that thou doest performe if thy heart were raised high to God though thou canst not thy self be inlarged in holy duties yet thy soul would be glad that any others are though I have a wretched and vile heart of my own yet blessed be God that there are any others that can worship God better then I can Thirdly A man that is acted by self in holy duties he regards holy duties but little save in time of extremity in time of fear or of sicknesse or in dangers But now one that hath high ends in holy duties makes the duties of Gods worship to be the joy of his soul in the middest of his prosperity and that is an evident sign that thou art not acted by self ends but by higher ends Canst thou in the middest of thy abundance say Lord thou givest me all conveniencies in this world and all outward things that I want but Lord this is that which is the â—oy of my Soul this is that which makes my life comfortable even communion with thy self in the duties of thy worship that I have free accesse unto the Throne of thy Grace to worship thee the Lord and there meet with thee when I am in the performance of holy duties O Lord thou that knowest all things knowest that this is the â—hing that makes my life comfortable It is not that I have a Table furnished with variety of dishes and that I can have liberty of time to go into company and spend according as I please but Lord those incomes of thy Spirit that I do find in the duties of thy worship those are the things that makes my life bleâ—â—ed indeed unto me Such a man as is able thus to appeale to God surely when he worships God he is acted by high-ends and not by self ends And that is the Third thing that is necessary for Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties thou muâ—â— have a Sanctified heart high thoughts of God and high ends In the Fourth place There must be much reverence and much fear when thou comest into the presence of God to worship him thou doest not glorifie God as God except thou doest come into his presence with much fear reverence of his great Name Fear in worshipping of God it is so necessary that many times in Scripture we â—â—nd that â—he very worship of God is called The feâ—â— of God they are put both for one I might give you divers Scriptures for it and hence it was that the
Name There is one notable Scripture in Jer. 8. 2. that shewes how much strength the Idolaters put forth in the worshipping of their Idol they would not do it in a slight and vain way but their hearts were much in that false worship saith the text And they shall spread them before the Sun and the Moon and all the host of Heaven mark now whom they have loved and whom they have served and after whom they have walked and when they have sought and whom they have worshipped All these are put together in reference to their Idols Oh that it could be said so of us in reference to God when we come to worship him whom we have loved and whom we have served and after whom we have walked and whom we have sought and whom we have worshipped there is all these severall expressions to shew the strength of their spirits in following after their Idols And that is the Fift thing in our Sanctifying of Gods Name 6 The Sixth is If thou wilt Sanctifie Gods Name in Worship there must be an humble frame of Spirit worship him with much humility of Soul Abraham did fall upon the ground before the Lord and dust and ashes saith he hath begun to speak unto thee yea we read of Jesus Christ groveling upon the earth and the Angels they cover their faces in the presence of God and so should we be humble when we come before the Lord there is nothing more abases the Soul of man then the sight of God and the great reason of the pride of all mens hearts is because they never knew God If thou didest but see God thy heart must needs be abased and when doth the Soul see God if not when it comes to worship him In Job 42. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now my eye seeth thee wherefore I abhorre my self and repent in dust and ashes Now this humility must be in the sense of our own meanness and basenesse Ps 34. 6. This poor man cryed to God They are poor Souls that come into Gods presence that Sanctifie Gods Name most even those Souls that do apprehend and are senseable of their own basenesse and meannesse before God This poor man cryed to God we use to say Give that poor man some what It doth affect the heart of God when he sees much poverty of Spirit when we come before him we must be senseable of our Infinite dependance upon God Come as the woman of Canaan O Lord even doggs do receive câ—ums and though I be a dogg yet let me receive crums here is humility of Spirit Now this humility of Spirit appears in these things 1 First admiring Gods goodness that we do live at this time and that we have liberty to come before him we might have been past praying and worshipping of God think thus What a Mercy is it that we are not banished out of Gods presence that the Lord hath not spurnd us out of his sight as filth and cast us out as an everlasting abhorring while others have bin praying we might have bin yelling under the wrath of the eternal God Come with this apprehension of thy self and adorre Gods goodnesse that thou art alive to pray and alive to heare Gods word And that it is not only a duty but a rich priviledge and mercy that God will admit of thee to come into his presence Againe it is the goodnesse of God that he will vouchsafe to look upon the things that are done in heaven then if the Lord doth humble himself to behold the things that are done in heaven then how doth the Lord humble himself to behold me a poor vile cative as I am in my self and yet that God should not only behold me before him but invite me to come into his presence What mercy and goodnesse is this 2 Our hearts must be taken off from the thoughts and apprehensions of all excellencies in our selves we must not come in the pride of our hearts because we have abilities more then others what do all thy parts commend thee to God thou hast ability in expressing of thy self in Prayer why do thy parts commend thee to God What ever is natural in any of our duties is nothing to God only that which is from his own Spirit and therefore thou shouldest come in thine own thoughts as vile as if thou hadest no parts and abilities at all Lay aside all such apprehensions of thy self for the truth is some poor broken hearted sinner that can but sigh out a few groans to God and is not able to speak two or three sentences together in a right language but only breath out his Soul to God may be a thousand thousand times more acceptable to God then thou that art able to make great Orations when thou comest before him 3 Thou must come without any righteousnesse of thy own thou must never come into Gods presence but as a poor worm and if there be any difference that is made between thee and others in outward respects it is nothing to thee when thou art in the presence of God thou art as a base vile worm though though beest a Prince or Emperour 4 Thy heart must be taken off from what thou doest If thou hast any abilities of grace yet thy heart must be taken off there there may be pride not only from ones parts but it may be God hath given me inlargements in Prayer the Devil will come in and seek to puffe up thy heart even because of this But thy heart must be taken off there and thou must deny thy self in all when thou hast done the best service of all yet thou must conclude thou art an unprofitable servant when thou hast prayed the best yet rise with shame and take heed of having thy heart puft up even through the assistance of the graces of the Spirit of God in holy duties 5 Lastly Thou must come with a humble resignation of thy self to God to be content to wait upon God as long as he pleases to waiâ— upon God in regard of the time and of the measure and of the manner of the Communication of himself in regard of the meanes by which he will please to communicate himself wait upon him Let me have mercy though at the last hour This now is an humble heart in Prayer and when we come with such a poverty of Spirit as this is we may expect that the Lord will accept of us Give this poore man some what will God say This poore man cryed and the Lord heard him In the Seventh place we must bring that which is Gods own in Sanctifying Gods Name I spake to this before in the point of Preparation Viz. That in Gods Worship we must give him his own I will only mention it here in the Sanctifying of Gods Name in two regards 1 First To give God his owne for the matter of it 2 Secondly To give God his owne that is what comes from the
work of his owne Spirit or else we do not Sanctifie Gods Name I will give you one text further about the matter of it in Exod. 39. if you read the Chapter you shall find that there is ten times said that they did as God had commanded Moses And then in the close of the Chapter when they had done as God had commanded in his Worship the text saith Moses blessed them That people is a blessed people that do observe the Worship of God as God hath commanded them But the main thing is all that we do it must be acted by the Spirit of God it is not enough to have true silver and gold but it must have the right stamp or else it cannot go for current coyn And so it is not enough that the things we offer to God in his worship be Gods owne be what we have warrant for out of Gods Word but it must have the stamp of the Spirit of God In the Worship of God there be Two Questions that he will ask First Who required this at your hands But then if you can Answer thus Thou O Lord did'st require it It is well but then God hath another Question Whose Image and Superscription is this If thou canst not give an Answer to that it will be rejected too Thou must be acted by Divine principles in all that thou doest there must be the stamp of the Spirit upon that which is tendered to God else it is nothing To open this Point fully will ask some time First Therefore I will shew you how we may know when our duties are acted by our naturall parts rather then by the Spirit of God Secondly how we may know whether our duties be acted by naturall Conscience rather then by the Spirit of God 1 First If thou art acted by naturall parts they will not change thy heart Men that do performe duties by the strength of naturall parts they may be as large as others and speak to the edification of others but those duties do never change their hearts now if thou beest acted by the Spirit of God thou wilt be changed into the very Image of his Spirit 2 Secondly If men are acted by naturall parts they will not carry them through difficulties and discouragements but now the Spirit of God if thou hast acted by him though thou doest meet with never such difficulties discouragements thou wilt be carried through them all 3 Thou mayest know it by this wherein doest thou account the excellency of a duty to consist either in thy self or others Thou performest a duty now it may be thy parts do act very lively and to thy credit and yet thy conscience tels thee that thy heart was streightned Now canst thou rise up with joy because thou hast thy ends At another time perhaps thy heart is more troubled and broken But thou doest not expresse thy self so much then thou art discouraged And when thou seest another performe a duty if thou seest but any failing in their expressions thou pitchest upon that and lookest upon it as a poor thing thou art not able to see an excellency in holy duties except there be an excellency of naturall parts but those that have the Spirit of God they can find the Spirit of God acting in others though they have not such naturall parts 4 Those that are acted by their naturall parts in secret they are lesse inlarged then they are before others a great deal Their parts act much before others but what is there between God and their own Souls 5 They that be so acted will not be very constant you shall have young ones that begin to look towards Religion their parts are a little fresh and they are mightily inlarged in holy duties and the thing is good for them to make use of their parts but how ordinary is it that after a few years they are deader and duller then they were before and have lesse mind to the duties of Gods Worship then they had formerly Were this the Spirit of God you would find as much savour and relish in them afterwards as there was at that time Secondly for naturall Consciences which sometimes puts men upon acting of duties and indeed is better then meerly naturall parts 1 If it be only naturall Conscience it puts upon duties but gives no strength to do them but when the Spirit of God puts thee upon a duty it gives thee some strength to performe it some strength whereby thou gettest some communion with God 2 If it be naturall Conscience it puts upon the duty but makes not the heart glad of the duty and to love the duty but if it be the Spirit of God it makes thee to delight in it and to love it 3 Thirdly If it be naturall Conscience thou doest not by that increase thy communion with God thou doest thy duties as in a round but now when the Spirit of God puts thee upon holy duties it is not a task done but thou findest more and more increase in Communion with God thy heart more raised to God and more closing with the Lord and so still more and more in the course of thy life I had a little converse with God at first when God began to acquaint my Soul with his waies but through his mercy now I find more communion with him and so thou canst blesse thy self in God in that converse that thou hast in communion with him thou wouldest not lose that Communion thou hast with God in holy duties for all the world others have their companions that they have their communion withall much good may do them but the Lord hath shewen me another manner of communion which my Soul can have with himself in which it hath sweet satisfaction And thus you have had Seven particulars for the Sanctifying of the Name of God in holy duties SERMON VI. LEVITICUS 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me 4 AGAINE as Naturall Conscience doth give no strength to do the duty so it makes not the duty to be strong to the Soul that is thus there 's no strength got by the duty they are not by one duty prepared for another But the way of the Lord is strength to the upright that is when a gracious heart is in the way of Gods worship it finds the very duty of the worship of God to be strength to it and so it fits it for another duty 5 Further A Naturall Conscience limits its self and is bounded that is so much as will serve the turn for its owne peace and quiet so much it will do and no more But when one is acted by the Spirit of God one is inlarged without any limits at all not bounded to ones own peace for the more peace a gracious heart hath in duty the more it is inlarged in duty Now a Naturall Conscience that puts to duty and will act you when you want peace when you are in trouble and fear but when
God that God may attain the glory of his infinit excellencie and this makes it to be a necessary duty that when we come to worship him we should Sainctâ—fie his name So that the first reason is taken from the very nature of God it is the very being of God that all things should work to himself and in such a suitable way as to lift up his excellencie and glory 2 Secondly We must Sanctifie God in the duties of his Worship because it is the speciall glory that God hath in the world to be actively honoured for his passive glory that is to be glorified in a passive way that he hath in hell but the speciall glory that God would have it is that he might be glorified actively Now there is no such way of glorifying the Name of God actively as by worshipping of him in a holy manner and therefore God stands much upon this That when we come to worship him we sanctifie his Name For saith God If I be not sanctified in my worship what active glory have I in the world It is the speciall active glory that God hath in the world the Sanctifying of his Name in the duties of his worship 3 Thirdly That which we have intimated before That the duties of Gods worship are the most precious things the special conveyances of the choice mercies that he intends to bestow on his Saints and therefore though he loses his glory in any thing else he would not lose it in that wherein he doth especially convey his mercy and goodnesse to his people But that we spake too in shewing how we draw nigh to God in holy duties and it may well come in here again as an Argument why we should sanctifie Gods name 4 A Fourth Reason is this Because there is no way for us to be fitted for the receiving of Mercy from God through those duties of worship but by our Sanctifying of Gods name when thou comest at any time to worship God what wouldest thou have there is some communion that thou wouldest injoy with God now there is no way to make thee a fit subject of Mercy or capable of the injoyment of Communion with God but by such a behaviour of Soul as this is that hath been spoken of to Sanctifie the Name of God thou wouldest be loath to lose those duties of worship that thou doest performe therefore it is required of thee to sanctifie his Name lest thou doest lose all for 't is this that makes thee the only capable subject of what good is to be had there 5 We must Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties because otherwise we should certainly never hold out in duties but vanish and come to nothing now God would be worshipped so by his creatures as to be constantly worshipped he would have those that do worship him to worship him alwaies to worship him for ever and he would have this worship that we perform to him but to be the beginning of that eternall worship that he shall have from us in heaven And so the Saints do Worship God now the worship which they performe it is but as the beginning of that worship that hereafter in heaven they shall tender up to God though there may be some difference in it as there our prayers will be turned into praises and it will not be in such outward Ordinances as now we worship God in there will be no Preaching nor Sacraments yet notwithstanding the Soul-worship that is now will be in effect the same as it shall be in heaven God would have us so to worship him as to continue to worship him Now I say unlesse his Name be Sanctified in our worshipping of him we will certainly fall off and the truth is this is the very ground of all Apostacie in Hypocrites Some that have been very forward in the worshipping of God when they were young ones and afterwards they have fallen off they were wont constantly in their families and in secret in their chambers to be worshipping of God and they accounted it the very joy of their lives for the present to be worshipping of God but it is not so with them now as it was yea they are fallen off it may be from their very profession of Religion and turned lose And now to be in vain company to drink or play is better to them then any service or worship of God they prize more to be in company with their sports then to hear a Sermon or to be in Communion with the people of God in Prayer Heretofore they would not have changed one short time of private communion with God for the injoyment of a great deal of pleasures and content in the world but now it is otherwise with them How comes it to passe that these are Apostatised thus from God Surely here is the ground of it That they did not Sanctifie Gods name in holy duties at the most it was but a work of conscience that put them upon them and they had but some flashes there was no reall sanctification of their hearts whereby they did sanctifie the name of God in holy duties and upon this it is that they have left off This I dare say That there was never any soul that did know what it was to sanctifie Gods Name in worship that ever was weary of worshipping God It may be some of you may say We have heard that there is much required in Sanctifying Gods Name in duties and that is the only way to weary the Soul and to make it fall off Oh no as we said the last day there is not any one thing that hath been opened for the Sanctifying of Gods name in duties that any gracious heart can tell how to misse and the more we do Sanctifie his Name the more we shall be in love with worship For it is from hence that those that Sanctifie Gods name in worship will hold out because they will find the sweetnesse of worship they will meet with God in holy duties and so they come to be incouraged in worship but as for others who do worship God in a formall way their worship will prove to be tedious to them for they performe the duties but do not find God in the duties in that Spirituall way as the Saints do If they think they meet with God it is but an imagination rather then any reall meeting with him they do not find the influence of God in their souls in holy duties so as those do that sanctifie Gods name in holy duties here then you see the Reasons why we are to Sanctifie Gods name in holy duties Now then for the Application of all this 1 If all this which you have heard be required of us for the Sanctifying of Gods Name Hence we see how little cause we have to rest upon any duty of worship that we do performe certainly the duties of worship that we performe are no such things as are fit to be rested upon for life and for
service God hath generally from the Men and women of the earth it should make our hearts bleed within us Where almost is the man or woman that according to that text in Isa Stirs up himself to take hold on God And I verily beleeve that in the opening of this point of Sanctifying the name of God in holy duties that I have bin in the bosoms of as many as in the opening of any point whatsoever and as many may have cause to lay their hands upon their hearts and say Certainly I have come short of what is required here and have not bin acquainted with this way this mysterie of godlines in Sanctifying Gods name in holy duties as I ought to be O be humbled for this for all the uncleannesie of your hearts in the performance of duties In Exod 27 4 5. you read that at the Altar where the â—acrifices weâ—e to be offered the Lord required that there should be a grate made Thou shalt make for it meaning the Altar a grate of net-work of brasse and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof and thou shalt put it under the compasse of the Altar beneath that the net may be even to the middest of the Altar There was as it were a grate for the ashes of the Altar to go through as you have grates in your fires to make them burn cleer and for the ashes to fal down so the Lord would have such a grate for the ashes of the Altar to fall down We had need of such a grate Oh the ashes and dirt and filth that there is in our services when we come to offer and tender them up to God! So that we have cause I say to be humbled for holy offerings There be many godly people that through Gods mercy are able to keep from grosse sins they do not find it any great matter to keep from company swearing drinking uncleannesse lying or wronging of others and such kind of sins as those are so that they see not such need of humiliation in this regard unlesse it be for that their natures are as corrupt as any though they break not forth into those actuall grosse sins but the maine work of the humiliation of those that are godly it is to be humbled for their thoughts for the mispending of time and for not sanctifying of Gods name in holy dnties those are the maine things that are the subject of the humiliation of the Saints beside the body of sin and death that they carry about with them And it would be a good sign that thy heart hath some tendernesse in it when thou makest these to be the matter of thy humiliation Carnall people little are troubled for these if they fall into such sins as their Consciences do fly in their faces then they are troubled and humbled But for such things as these are they are seldome humbled To be humbled for thy holy offerings is a good sign of a gracious heart We read of the Cherubims that they had six wings and with two of their wings the text saith they covered their faces so my brethren we had need have wings as it were to cover our best duties they had wings and with two they covered their legs and with two their faces We had need not only of a covering for our lower parts and meanner duties but a covering of our holy duties to cover our faces our best duties of all the most heavenly duties we perform had need be purged by the bloud of Christ In Levit. 16. 14. 16. we read of their holy things that there was need of purging of them by bloud and so it should be in our holy duties Let us be humbled for our best performance that ever we performed in our lives The best had need be so but then as for others that have made little or no conscience of Sanctifying of Gods name how had they need be humbled Thou hast something more to repent of then thou thoughtest of for the truth is those that have not made conscience of Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties they never in all their lives did any service for the honour of God thou hast lived perhaps 30. or 40. it may be 60. years or more and didest never yet honour God in any one thing that ever thou didest in all thy life You will say God forbid Have not I prayed and heard the word much and received the Communion often and yet have I never honoured God If thou hast not bin aquainted with this mysterie of godlinesse in Sanctifying his name in these things This is said from God to thee this morning That thou hast never done any one action to the honour of God Thou hadest need begin presently for thy time is not long and wilt thou go out of this world and the name of God never to be honoured by thee Yea and further Thou hast lost all thy duties all the time hath bin lost that thou hast been in performance of duties now it is an ill thing to idle away time in the things of the World When a man hath an opportunity for to gain in the world If so be he loses his time and neglects it we account it a very sad thing to him but now to lose our trading time for heaven for the times of the worshipping of God are our trading times for heaven that 's sad indeed And yet thou that makest not conscience of Sanctifying the Name of God in holy duties all the time thou hast spent is lost And yet further You that have been false in the performance of duties and hypocrites not only all your pains and labour is quite lost for if that were all it might be well with you but you have aggravated your sins by your holy duties Those duties that others have injoyed communion with God in and furthered their eternall life by thou hast aggravated thy sins by them yet it was thy duty to do them but I say by not sanctifying of Gods Name thou hast aggravated thy sins so much the more As those that are godly they work out their salvation even in their naturall actions they sanctifie Gods Name in eating and drinking and following their businesse they performe those actions in such a holy manner as they honour God in them and further their eternall peace but as they in their naturall and civill actions work out their salvation so thou in the very religious actions doest work out thy damnation Certainly wicked men that are not acquainted with this work of godlinesse to sanctifie Gods name in holy duties they work out their damnation even in the performance of them You will say Then they had better not do them Yes they are bound to do them but they are bound to do them in a right manner as sometimes I have given you this instance and it is a ful and a cleer one to shew that men are bound to performe holy duties and not to
leave them undone and yet they may further their own damnation while they are doing of them As for example If so be that a Prince should appoint a man to come into his presence such a day to Petition for his life which he hath forfeited by the Law if he do not come he may be a dead man But now if this man be drunk on that day and come drunk into the Kings presence he may be a dead man too for presuming to come drunk before him so wicked and ungodly men whether they worship or worship not they are in danger to perish But of this more when we come to shew that God will be Sanctified In the Fourth place here is a use of Exhortation that seeing we have this truth thus presented to us and opened before us O that we had hearts to apply our selves now to it with all our might to seek to sanctifie the name of God when we draw nigh to him The Lord hath shewen thee what it is that he requires of thee make conscience of it for time to come thou doest not know what blessed Communion thou maiest have with God if thou doest make conscience of this the truth is If you have not been acquainted with this you have not been acquainted with the way of a Christian in his injoyment of Communion with God thou doest not know what the comfort of a Christian life meanes do but make tryall of this for time to come and thou wilt find more comfort in the waies of godlinesse and more thriving in them in one quarter of a year then thou hast done before in seaven years one Christian that keeps close to God in holy duties and sanctifies the name of God in them I say finds more comfort with God and growes on in godlinesse more in one quarter of a year then the other doth in seven years that goes on in an ordinary dull and formall way in the performance of the duties of Worship Some there are in our time that cry out of duties and what need we trouble our selves so much those that know not how to sanctifie Gods name they think lightly of them but now do you apply your selves fully as you are able to this that I am speaking of and you will find yourselves to be as it were in another world you will be able to say Well I have not yet understood what it was to injoy communion with God in Prayer in Word and in Sacraments before this will make your faces shine in your conversations if you would do it and now to that end that you may do it there are these two or three things that I would propound to you 1 In the First place Learn to know God more with whom you have to do and present those things that you have heard before you in your meditations when as you are to come to God in Prayer or in any other duty and when you are worshipping of God remember that you have to do with God and none else You are every time you come to performe holy duties to be as a man or woman separated from all things Valerius Maximus tels a story of a young noble man that attended upon Alexander while he was sacrificing this noble man held his Censer for Incense and in the holding of it there fell a coal upon his flesh and burnt it so as the very scent of it was in the nostrils of all that were about him and because he would not disturb Alexander in his service he resolutely did not stir to put of the fire from him but holds still his Censer If heathens made such adoe in their sacrificing to their Idoll gods that they would mind it so as no disturbance must be made what ever they induted What care should we have then of our selves when we come to worship the high God And so Josephus he reports of the Preists that were sacrificing in the Temple when Pampey brake in to them with armed men and though they might have fled and saved their lives yet they would not leave off their sacrificing but were slain by the souldiers They did so mind it as a matter of great consequence Oh that we could mind the duties of Gods worship as matters of great moment that so we might learn to Sanctifie the name of God in the performance of them more then ever we have done 2 When thou comest to worship take heed thou doest not come in thine own strength For there is more required in sanctifying the name of God then thy strength is able to carry thee on in and therefore act thy Faith upon Jesus Christ every time thou comest to worship God not only as I said before to tender up thy services in his name but act thy faith upon Christ to give thee strength to do what thou hast to do what strength thou hast received from Christ be sure to stir it up many godly men women have more strength then they know of themselves if they would but stir up that strength that they have received they might Sanctifie the Name of God a great deal more then they do Therfore remember that text before mentioned None stirs up himself to take hold on God Quicken up thy heart and rouze up thy Spirit when thou art to worship God 3 When ever thou art worshipping of God do not satisfie thy self meerly in the duty done but consider do I sanctifie Gods Name in the duty every time thou worshipest him examine thy heart whether thou doest it yea or no. And if thou findest that thou hast not attained in some comfortable measure to this that hath been presented to theeâ— let the shame and the sorrow for that abide upon thy Spirit untill the next time thou comest to worship God at such a time I have been worshipping of God and God knows I have been stirring up my heart in some measureâ— but I find my heart dead wandering sluggish and dull I say when thou findest thou canst not do it according to what is required in any comfortable measure Let the shame and sorrow of heart for it abide upon thee till the next time thou comest to worship God and that will mightily help thee Thou art now praying and thou canst not now get up thy heart to what is required The next time thou comest to prayer come in the shame and sorrow of thy heart for the want of sanctifying Gods name the last time And so for hearing of the Word or receiving the Sacraments And this will further thee mightily for the Sanctifying the Name of God in holy duties But now that all may be sealed up unto you and so that we may close the point know that God will be sanctified in those that â—â— draw nigh to himâ— And there are these Two things in the Point First If we do not sanctifie Gods Name God will sanctifie his Name in a way of justice Secondly If we do Sanctifie his Name then he will
sanctifie his Name in a way of mercy towards us For the First God will manifest that he is displeased with such duties that thou doest performe he will manifest it one way or other that he is a holy God and he doth not accept of such unholy things as thou doest tender up to him for the truth is if God should accept of such unholy things from men God may be said to be like unto themselves As a man if he doth entertain any as his familiar friend that is naught and wicked it is his disgrace and dishonour a man may sometimes imploy in some businesse those that are naught and wicked and it may be no disgrace to him but if he doth entertain one in his house that is wicked it is a dishonour to him So God may imploy the most wicked men in the world in some outward services but if he should accept of them in his Worship it would be a dishonour to God and therefore God that he might sanctifie his own Name he will manifest his displeasure at one time or other against such duties of worship you that performe worship in a formall manner and with unclean vile hearts I say it stands upon the honour of God if he will manifest himself a holy God he must manifest some displeasure against that way of thy worshipping of him This one meditation one would think should mightily sink into the heart of any man that hath an inlightened conscience to think thus It stands upon the holinesse of God And he cannot appear to be a holy God except he doth some way or other appear to be against me in such duties that I tender up unto him Now you will say How doth God appear that he doth not accept of them He will appear in these three things 1 First by blasting those that do worship him thus in a formall way It shall at First be secret but afterwards it will appear more apparantly and we see it by experience that such as have bin professors of Religion and worship God in hypocrisâ—e and in formality they have been blasted in their parts and common gifts The judgement of God upon Nadab and Abihu that did not sanctifie Gods Name it was secret at first It struck them dead and though by fire yet if you read the story you shall find that their cloathes were not burnt and yet they were burnt in their bodies So the Lord some times doth blast men inwardly in their Spirits in their Souls in their Parts in their common Gifts â—he blasts them I say inwardly though it doth not appear outwardly yet at length it will appear before men that they are blasted and in these times of the Gospel the Lord doth come with spirituall judgments rather then with outward temporall judgements In the time of the Law those that did not sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties the Lord did appear by some externall and visible way upon their bodies but now in the time of the Gospel there God comes with more spirituall judgements upon mens Souls and those are the most terrible judgements We have a notable Scripture for this in Isa 29. 13. How God doth blast those that do not sanctifie his name in holy duties Wherefore the Lord said For asmuch as this People draw neer me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have removed their heart far from me and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men Mark what follows Therefore behold I will proceed to do a marvelous work amongst this people even a marvelous work and a wonder for the wisdome of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid What do they come and draw neer me with their lips and their hearts are far from me and do they worship me in a formall way I le take away the wisdom from the wise and the understanding from the prudent And that is the reason why so many great scholars are blasted in their very parts because they would worship God according to the precepts of men in a formall way and so all hypocrites and formall worshippers the Lord doth blast them in one way or other the judgements of God upon the spirits of men were sometimes in the time of the Law But in the times of the Gospel there we find generally the judgements of God to be more spirituall upon the hearts and consciences of men we find it by experience God doth discover that he doth not accept of such as those are and therefore when you see any that have made profession of Religion that had excellent Parts at first many common Gifts and now are as we say no body Remember this Text That God will be sanctified in those that come nigh me Secondly the Lord doth manifest that he will be Sanctified in those that draw nigh him by awakeing their consciences many times upon their sick beds and death beds the Lord doth force them to give glory to him and there to acknowledge that they did not worship God in uprightnesse but in Formality And now they are in horrour of conscience and cry out in the anguish of their soules upon the apprehension of the dreadfull wrath of God that is upon them Take heed for the Lords sake of this thing when you are performing of the duties of worship do not rest in the outward duties for they will never comfort you upon your sick and death beds you may perhaps put off your consciences a little for the present but when you come upon your sick beds there will be no comfort unto you and then you will be forced to say well all this while I have but taken the name of God in vain and now God hath rejected me and all my services and you will then speak to those that come about your beds side and bid them take warning by you take heed that when you worship God you worship him to purpose I have spent time in prayer and hearing but for want of this I find I have no comfort at all but the Lord appeares to be terrible to my soule and comes out against me as an enemy I say now Gods name is Sanctified what ever becomes of thee he will force glory from thee one way or other and it may be even here in this time of thy life but however at the great day when the secrets of all hearts must be disclosed before men and Angels then the Lord will apeare to be a holy God by rejecting all such services that thou didest tender unto him and it will then be a great part of the work of the day of Judgment for God to be Sanctified in those that did worship him by declaring before men and Angels how he did reject such formal and hypocritical worship that they did tender up unto him Oh that God would strik this upon your hearts that it may abide upon you every time you come to
truths upon the Lords day if you would hide them thus in your hearts and keep them all the week they would help you against the many temptations that you meet withall you go abroad on the week daies into company and there you meet with a temptation and it overcomes you and you complain Alas I am weak I have met with a temptation and it hath foyld me But had you hid the word that you heard on the Lords day in your heart it would have kept you from the strength of your temptation that it should not have overcome you those that are truly godly they have a care to hide the word in their hearts when they hear it they think this word shall help me against such and such sins which I am prone to by nature and when a temptation comes to that sin I hope I shall have use of the word that I have heard this day As now suppose you hear a word against passion then you should hide that word in your hearts against that time that temptation comes to passion And you hear a word against sensuallity and abuse of the creatures you should hide that word against that temptation cometh And you hear a word against unrighteousnesse and unjust dealings when a temptation comes to that sin you should hide that word against that time So you hear a word that speaks of obedience to parents and servants duties to governors now you should hide that word in your hearts against that time I have hid thy word in my heart that I might not sin against thee You say that you would fain withstand and not be overcome with temptations why here is the way hide the word within thee that thou mayest not sin against him And so in Pro. 2. 1. you have a Scripture to the same purpose about hiding the commandements within us And then in 1 Joh. 2. 14. I write unto you young men because you are strong and the word of God abideth in you and ye have overcome the wicked one I have written to you young men you are youug you have strong natures and so strength of nature for God But how comes this to passe You are strong and the word of God abideth in you here is an excellent Scripture for all young men you have your memories fresh and if you will exercise your memories about any thing it should be in the word of God it is a comely and an excellent thing to see young ones to have the word of God abiding in them that if you come to them not only a week but a month after they have heard the word they are able to give you an account of it I am verily perswaded that there are many young ones in this place that are able to give you old ones If you ask them an account of what it is to Sanctifie Gods name in the duties of worship and why because the word of God abideth in them It is the honour of young men to have the word of God to abide in them and hereby they overcome the wicked one And on the other side many young people that do come to hear the word it may be they are drawn to it by others or it may be they love to have a walk in the morning but the word of God abideth not in them and therefore when the wicked one comes with temptations the week after they are overcome by him but those that have the word of God abiding in them they overcome the wicked one And so in Job 8. 31. you have a very remarkable Scripture for this purpose of keeping the word after we have heard it Then said Jesus to those which beleeved on him if you continue in my word then are you my Disciples indeed I beseech you observe it It is said that the Jewes did beleeve in Christ and yet saith Christ If ye continue in my word then are you my Disciples why were they not the Disciples of Christ that did beleeve in him By this beleeving therefore we must understand some kind of general notion that they had of Christ they began to think that Christ might be the true Messias some kind of imperfect beleeving they had but they were not throughly brought off now saith Christ If you continue in my word you are my Disciples As if he should say Do not you think it enough that you come to hear me and that you are taken by what I say you must continue in my word and then you are my Disciples Christ will not own that man or woman to be his Disciple that doth not continue in his word O that you would consider of this you that satisfie your selves in having some flashes of your affections when you are hearing the word but do not think that you are the Disciples of Christ because of them In Tit. 1. 9. Holding fast the faithfull word as you have been taught that is the thing you should labour for to hold fast the faithful word hold it fast that it may not be taken from you and so you shall come to Sanctifie the name of God in the hearing of his word 11 The last that I shall speak to is this If thou wouldest Sanctifie the Name of God in hearing his word turn it into practice or otherwise the Name of God is blasphemed or at least is taken in vain by thee if thou doest not turn what thou hearest into practice So you have it in Jam. 1. 22. He that is not a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the word this man saith he shall be blessed in his deed And vers 22. Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves The word here that is translated Deceiving your own selves it s a word taken from Logicians and signifies to make a false Sylogisme A man that hears the Word and doth not do it he doth as it were reason thus Those that do come to Church as we use to say those surely are Religious people but I come to Sermons and therefore I am Religious Now this is a false reasoning and thou doest but cozen thy self Be not a hearer only but a doer of the word that thou maiest not deceive thine own soul So in Rom. 2. 3. Thinkest thou this O man that judgest them that do such things doest the same that thou shalt escape the judgement of God As if he should say You have the word and you are able to judge thereby what you hear but yet still you are wicked in your lives this is dispising of the riches of the goodnesse of God towards you And in Phillipians 2. 16. you have a remarkable text where the holy Ghost saith of the Philipians That he would have them hold forth the word of Life It were a most excellent thing if it might be said of this Congregation that as they come diligently to hear and are willing to take pains to get out of their beds so earely in the mornings
that if God should speak to them as he spake unto Solomon and bade him aske what he should give him I verily beleeve there are many in this Congregation that have already good assurance of Gods love in Christ if they had not that that would be the maine thing that they would aske but having attained that if God would speak from heaven and say what shall I give you for your selves if he should aske you in the Generall it may be you would aske something for the Churches but if it be for your selves you would put up this petition oh Lord that I may be delivered from a wandring spirit in holy duties and especially in the duty of prayer that I may thereby come to enjoy more holy communion with thy selfe then ever yet I enjoyed and they would account this to be a greater mercy then if God should give them to be Kings or Queens over the whole World if God should put these two into the balance either the whole world to possesse or otherwise to have more free hearts in comming to God in prayer and to be delivered from that that hath so much hindred their communion with God in prayer they would despise and scorne the world in comparison of such a mercy as this is howsoever carnall hearts they think little of it but those that are the servants of God they finde it to be very grievous to them but being the time is past I shall reserve that to speak yet a little more largely for the helpe of those that are under the burthen of it I 'le only speak one thing further now and that shall be to those that are wicked and vile that not only have vaine wandring thoughts in prayer but even in the very duty of prayer many times have wicked and ungodly thoughts how horrible are they unclean thoughts murderous thoughts it may bee and most abominable I confesse even those that are godly may sometimes have some blasphemous thoughts cast into them for the devill is never more busie then at the time of prayer but they rather come from the devill then from the stream and corruption of their own hearts which may be we may make out more cleerely afterward but now I speak to such as have most wicked abominable thoughts rising from the stream and corruption of their hearts such thoughts as their hearts doe close withall in prayer and they can roule those thoughts about in their minds as a child will roule a piece of sugar in its mouth and this is the wickednesse of many men and womens hearts Take but this one note with you that all those dreadfull vile unclean covetous thoughts of thine in prayer they have been to God as if you had spoken them in words thoughts to God are all one with him as words are to men for God is a spirit and the spirit doth converse with God in thoughts as well as men doe converse with men in words and what a wofull guiltines would have been upon you had you spoken such vile and wicked things to men as some times hath been in your minds even when you have been praying to God how would the company have even spit in your faces and kickt you from them none that have any face of godlinesse would have indured you in their company and yet here 's the evill of it your hearts are not troubled but you rise off your knees and away you go thou hast a cauterised conscience a seared conscience that canst entertain such vile thoughts at any time without having thy spirit afflicted and going away with shame and confusion as if the greatest evill had befalne thee therefore take heed of this SERMON XIIII LEVITICUS 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE are first to sanctifie Gods Name in regard of the matter of our prayers And Secondly in regard of the manner For the first we made an end of it the last day and came unto the manner and there were two things mentioned First that wee must pray with understanding Secondly wee must give up our selves to prayer Now in the close of the exercise wee had occasion to fall upon that Argument about the wandring of our thoughts in prayer and by that we come to take Gods name in vaine in stead of Sanctifying of his Name God expects that we should have our thoughts and wills and affections our whole soules acting upon him in the duty of prayer or ese we doe not pray to God as unto a God vaine thoughts in prayer do pick up the sacrifice like the birds that Abraham drove away from the Sacrifice that they should not peck it Wicked lusts in mens hearts are like swine to take the meat and all to hale it in the dirt so their prayers are filthy and dirty with their lusts but those that are otherwise godly yet by their vaine thoughts the beauty and excellencie of their prayers is taken away as wine and beer that have the spirits of them gone so the life and spirit of our duties are gone by our vaine thoughts and therefore vaine thoughts do dead the heart very much So saith David in the 119. Turne away mine eyes from beholding vanity and quicken mee in thy Law while our eyes look upon vanity there will be no quicknesse in our hearts in any service that we tender up to God now many of Gods people have experience of the evill of this and they groan under the burden of this and as I said the last time if so be that the Lord should speak from heaven to them and aske them what they would have they having already the assurance of his love in Christ they would aske the deliverance from a vain spirit in the performance of holy duties Bring no vaine Oblations saith God in Isa 1. 13. Oh what vain oblations doe wee bring by the vanity of our thoughts in prayer t is true the best of all will have vaine thoughts sometimes but yet as one compares the vaine thoughts of men in prayer like unto a spaniel that goes out with a man he walks perhaps but halfe a mile but the spannel will be running up and down this way and that way and if all the space of ground which the spaniel hath gone over should be measured it may be while you are walking halfe a mile the spaniel fetching compasses here and there would be halfe a dozen miles so our fancies are like a spaniel which will have fetches about this way and that way in a thousand vaine thoughts but thus now it is with a godly man as a spaniel though running from his master yet if he give him a call he is able to call him to him presently and it were well if it were so with us though our fancies be wild yet if we were able to call in our fancies and to have them at command it were well with us And I find it very much that those that are new commers they
Q Questions Two questions God will ask his worshippers 87 Quick God is quick in way of judgement with some 17 The word of God is quick in working 196 Quiet The best way to quiet the heart in affliction 25 R Ready What will make the heart ready for duty 54 Readinesse to hear the word wherein it consists 166 Reading Reading not to be preferr'd before hearing 167 Reprobation Not to sanctifie Gods Name in hearing the word a sign of Reprobation 202 Two fearfull signs of Reprobation 203 Resign In Gods worship we must resign all to God 90 Resolution We must hear the word with resolution to yeild to it 170 resolution against wandring thoughts in prayer 287 S Sabbath Sabbath see Strength Sacrament Sacrament the meaning of the word 225 Sacrament a part of Gods worship 226 We must sanctifie Gods name in receiving the Sacrament 228 Vnworthy receiving the Sacrament severely threatned 229 How we sanctifie Gods Name in receiving the Sacrament 291 Whether Judas received the Sacrament of the Lords Supper 238 Safety Safety wherein it consists 38 Salt Salt of the Sacrifice what it signifieth 67 Sanctifie Sanctifie what it signifieth 5 Gods name Sanctified two waies ibid Gods name to be Sanctified when we draw nigh to him 42 How Gods Name is Sanctified in drawing nigh to him ibid How duties must be performed that Gods name may be Sanctified 62 The heart must be Sanctified in regard of Gods greatnesse 67 Sanctification the parts of it ibid Sanctification of the heart double 68 Sanctifying of Gods Name the only way to fit us for mercies 105 Exhortation to Sanctifie Gods Name 113 Nothing Sanctified to them that do not Sanctifie God in his word 203 See Sacrament Satisfied Naturall Consciences is satisfied with a little duty 90 See Sin Schisme No Schisme to depart from a Church that hath not al Christs Ordinances 243 Schisme what ibid Difference between Schisme and Apostacie ibid Secret Men acted by naturall parts are not enlarged in secret 88 See The Sacrament so to be delivered as all may see what is done 262 Self Self not to be our end in our duties 74 Where self is the highest end God regards not the duties 75 Service Hearing the word is Divine Service 164 Shadow Shadow of Gods wing what 39 Shift Of those that shift off the word closely applyed 199 Silence Silence what 7 Sin The committing of one sin prepares for another 60 No salvation without satisfying for sin 108 The heart must be purged from sin to receive the Sacrament 249 Motives in the Sacrament to abhor sin 250 Sin the great evill of it 269 Singing Singing Psalmes in the time of the Sacrament unfit 265 Singing after the Sacrament requisite 266 Sitting Sitting at the Sacrament the fittest gesture 263 Soul The price of the salvation of a Soul 269 Spirit Spirituall We must be acted by the Spirit in our worship 87 God must be worshipped in Spirit 93 Spirituall things may be absolutly prayed for 277 How to know when the Spirit helps our prayers 291 See Glory Sweet Strange see Fire Strength Strength required in Gods worship 80 Strength required to spend the Sabbath 83 Naturall conscience gives not Strength to duty 88 We must not come to duties in our own Strength 115 Strugling Strugling alone against corruption oft times en snares us 61 Subjection Subjection required in hearing the word 182 Sufferings The Sufferings of Christ chiefly represented in the Sacrament 246 Ground of suffering for Christ 268 Superstition Superstition what 9 Sutable see Judgement Sweet Breathings of the Spirit sweet 292 T Table Those that come to the Sacrament should come neer the table 261 Tares Tares what meant by them 238 Temptation Time of temptation the time of worship 81 We must hide the word in our hearts against temtation 191 Terrible see Place Thankfulnesse Thankfulnesse required in receiving the Sacrament 255 Motives to thankfulnesse 256 Time Preparation makes us do much in a little time 52 See Holy Thornes Thornes must be plucked out of the heart when we hear the word 169 Thoughts In the worshipping of God we must have high thoughts of God 71 Wicked men have many times wicked thoughts in prayer 282 Thoughts are to God as words are to men ibid See Wandring Tremble We should tremble at hearing the word 181 Truth We must pray in truth 292 Truth what meant by it ibid V Vain Where wicked men are willingly admitted to the sacrament Gods name is taken in vain 241 Unchangeable God is unchangeable 96 Understanding We must pray with understanding 280 Uncertainty The righteousnes of the law leaves at uncertainty 212 W Wait We must wait Gods leasure in regard of time 86 Ground of waiting from Gods eternity 95 Wandring WaÌ„dring thoughts in prayer 281 Directions against wandring thoughts in prayer 286 All wandring thoughts in prayer sinfull 288 See Birds Humble Devil c. Warrant see Command Watching Watching required in preparation to duty 50 Weaknesse God passeth by weaknes where the heart is prepared to duty 53 Weary A man that makes himself his end will be weary of duty 76 Wicked Wicked men are to be cast out or with drawn from in the sacrament 235 Every man in the congregation to look to the caâ—ing out of wicked men 241 Ground of excluding wicked men 258 Will Willing We must he willing not will worshippers 10 Things in Gods worship depend only upon his will 11 God requires that we will as he willeth 104 Our prayers must be according to Gods will 276 Wisdom Wisdom of God what to learn from it 99 Wisdom of God to be our guid ib. Womb Those that sanctifie Gods name in hearing the word it is a greater blessing then to bear him in their womb 213 Word To comfort afflicted friends from Gods word 24 The heart must be plowed by the word 196 The word must be glorified 194 Word what should make us esteem it 186 Word hath much of God in it 195 The word a means to convey speciall merices ibid. The word wherein the strength of it lies 202 All the good in the word for whom 210 The devil gets advantag by fastening il words upon the good 244 The word in what respect above the Sacrament 251 The word sanctified by prayr 273 Worship Difference between civil things Gods Worship 9 Natural helps in Gods worship ibid We should be humbled for false worship 11 Worship of God what 27 Worship of God the means to convey his choice mercies 28 To heed what we do in worship 32 Exhortation to be much in the worship of God 34 Hearing the word a Part of Gods worship 162 What makes hearing the word a worship 163 Prayer put for the whole worship of God 273 See Command Little c. World In preparation the heart must be taken from the world 49 In Prayer the heart must be taken from the world 275 Wrath Preachers that reveal Gods wrath should conceal their own 19 FINIS THE CONTENTS OF
THE SEVERALL ENSUING SERMONS SERMON I THE occasion of the Words page 1 The words opened 5 Observation 1 There must be nothing in Gods worship but what he hath commanded 8 Observation 2 God stands upon little things in matters of his worship 11 Observ 3 No priviledge can secure from Gods stroak 12 Observ 4 The more dignity the more danger Ibid Observ 5 The beginnings of great matters meet with difficulties 13 Observ 6 Those that enter into publick places have need of the fear of God ibid Observ 7 We should pick out Gods meaning from dark expressions in his word 14 Observ 8 Sinners may meet with judgements never threatned in the word 16 Observ 9 God is very quick with some in the way of judgement 17 Observ 10 The holinesse of a duty will not bear a man out in his miscariage in it ibid Observ 11 The Lord is terrible out of his holy places 18 Observ 12 Gods judgements are oft sutable to mens sins ibid Observ 13 We should take heed of bringing strange fire to Gods service 19 SERMON II Observ 14 Gods saints many times meet with afflictions in their children 20 Observ 15 Gods judgments many â—nes come in an invisible way 21 Observa 16. Gods glory more precious to him then mens lives 22 Observ 17 The neerer any are to God the more carefull they should be to glorifie him ibid Observ 18 When judgements are exemplarie we should look to the word how God makes it good 23 Observ 19 The great honour of Gods Name in the making it holy ibid Observ 20 True friendship to comfort friends in distresse from the word 24 Observ 21 The way to quiet the heart in affliction is to think God will have honour by it 25 Doct. 1 In worshipping God we draw nigh to him 26 In what respect we are said to draw nigh God in worship 27 Use 1 To take heed what we do when we worship God 30 Use 2 Why guilty consciences fly from the worship of God 31 Use 3 Why Hypocrites meet with such severe judgments 32 Use 4 To neglect Gods worship is to depart from him 33 Use 5 Exhortation to be much in Gods worship 34 SERMON III Use 6 The honour of Gods servants to draw nigh him 39 Doct. 2 We must sanctifie Gods Name in drawing nigh to him 42 First in preparation to his Worship ibid 1 Because he is a great God 43 2 The duties of Gods worship are great 44 3 Our hearts are naturally unprepared 46 4 The hinderances of Gods worship are many ibid 5 The Heathen prepared to worship their Idolls ibid 6 Preparation shewes sincerity of heart 47 5 Things wherein preparation consists 48 1 A right apprehension of God 49 2 Taking the heart from finfull waies ibid 3 Taking off the heart from the world ibid 4 In watching and prayer 50 5 In acting the Faculties and Graces 51 4 Things of the excellency of Preparation 52 1 It will make duties easie ibid 2 Wee shall do much in a little time ibid 3 The Lord will passe by weaknesse in duties 53 4 It will make the heart alway ready for duty 45 SERMON IV Cases of Conscience 1 Whether we be alway bound to set some time apart for preparation to duties 55 2 Whether being not prepared the duty may be omitted 57 Answered in 4 particulars 1 The omission of duty will not fit the Soul for duty 58 2 It is but a temptation to keep from duty 59 3 If the duty be done in sincerity though there be not due preparation it is better then to omit it ibid 4 While people struggle with their corruptions and seek not God they fall into snares 61 In what manner duties are to be performed that Gods Name may be sanctified ibid 1 We must performe them so that we may glorifie God as a God 62 Which is done 1 When we offer all we have 63 2 When we greive that we can do no more 64 3 There is an impression of Gods infinitnesse on the duties of his Saints ibid 2 When the Soul follows after God as a God 66 3 When the Soul comes expecting the choicest mercies of God ibid How the heart must behave it self to sanctifie Gods Name in respect of his greatnesse and glory ibid 1 It must be a sanctified heart 67 1 Because the Lord accepts the person before he accepts the action 69 2 God looks more at the principle of the duty then at the duty ibid 3 According as the heart is so will the duty be 70 SERMON V 2 In sanctifying Gods Name in worship we must have high thoughts of God 71 3 We must have high ends in worshipping God 72 Several base low ends in worshipping of God 1. In subjecting his worship to our lusts ibid 2 Subjecting his worship to the praise of men 73 3 Making Self our end in his worship 74 which we do 1 When we are weary of duties if we find not that we desire 76 2 When men are streightned in Worship and envy others that are enlarged 77 3 When men regard holy duties onely in times of extremity ibid 4 There must be reverence and fear in Gods worship 78 5 There must be strength in the duties of Gods worship 80 Strength of Intention 81 Affection 82 Faculties 83 6 There must be a humble frame of Spirit 84. Which consists 1 In admiring Gods goodnesse that we are alive to come before him ibid 2 To have no thought of any excellency in our selves 85 3 To come without our own righteousnesse ibid 4 To take off our hearts from all abilities of grace ibid 5 To wait Gods leasure in regard of the time 86 7 In Sanctifying Gods Name we must bring that which is his own ibid 1 The matter must be that which he hath commanded ibid 2 We must be acted by the spirit 87 When duties are acted by naturall parts and not the spirit of God 1 If they change not the heart ibid 2 If they carry not through difficulties ibid 3 When men rejoyce in acting their parts ibid 4 When there is little enlargment in secret 88 5 When there is not constancy in duty ibid Duties acted by naturall Conscience 1 It gives no strength to do them ibid 2 The heart loves not the duty ibid 3 It doth not increase communion with God ibid SERMON VI 4 It makes not a duty strong to the soul 89 5 It limits it selfe in dutie ibid 6 It is satisfied with little 90 8 In the sanctifying Gods Name in Worship there must be a resignation of all to God ibid 9 All Worship must be tendered in the Name of Jesus Christ 91 How to Sanctifie Gods Name in reference to his Attributes 1 God is a Spirit and to be worshipped in Spirit 93 2 God is Eternall and how to worship him in that consideration 94 3 God is incomprehensible and therfore seeth us in every place 95 4 God is unchangeable what that should teach us in our
worship 96 5 God is a living God and what we should learn thence ibid 6 God is Almighty what that should teach us in our worship 97 7 God is Omniscient and what that should teach us 98 8 God is a God of Wisdom and what that should teach us 99 9 God is Holy and what that should teach us in our worship ibid 10 God is Mercifull and what that should teach us 100 11 God is just and what that should teach us 101 12 God is Faithfull and what we should learn thence 102 SERMON VII Reasons why God will be sanctified in all the duties of his Worship 1 God doth will himself the last End 104 2 The especiall glory God hath in the world is to be actively honoured 105 3 The duties of worship are the means to convey Gods choicest mercies ibid 4 We are not fitted to receive mercies but by sanctifying Gods Name ibid 5 Else we shall not hold out in duty 106 Application 1 We have no cause to rest on our duties 107 2 The work of Religion is hard to flesh and blood 109 3 We should be humbled that we have no more sanctified Gods Name 110 4 Exhortation to sanctifie Gods Name 113 1 To consider we have to deal with God in worship 114 2 Not to come in our owne strength 115 3 Not to be satisfied with the duty done ibid 5 God is displeased with the duties of wicked men 116 1 God blasts such men 117 2 God opens their eyes on their death bed to see what they have done 118 6 Those that sanctifie Gods name he will sanctifie it in a way of mercy 119 SERMON VIII Of sanctifying Gods name in hearing of the word 161 Hearing the word is a part of Gods worship 162 1 We professe our dependance upon God for the knowing of his mind 163 2 In hearing we wait on God in the way of an Ordinance ibid In hearing the word 1 There must be preparation 165 Which is 1 To hear the word as the word of God 166 2 To hear the word as Gods Ordinance for our good ibid 2 To plow up the fallow ground of the heart and what is meant by it 168 3 Resolution to yeild to all truths delivered 170 4 A desire after the word ibid 5 Prayer before we hear the word 171 The behaviour of the Soul in hearing the word 1 Carefull attention to it ibid Means to help attention ibid 2 An opening of the heart to receive it 175 3 Carefull applying of the word ibid 4 It must be mixed with Faith 177 How the word is to be mixed with Faith ibid SERMON IX 5 The word must be received with meeknesse 179 6 It must be heard with a trembling heart 181 7 With humble subjection to the word 182 8 It must be received with love and joy 184 9 It must be received into an honest heart 186 10 We must hide the word in our hearts 189 11 We must turne the word into practice 192 SERMON X Why God will be glorified in them that hear the word 195 1 Because there is so much of God in it ibid 2 God hath appointed it to convey speciall mercies ibid 3 It is quick and lively in working 169 Use 1 Reproof of severall sorts of men concerning the word neglected 197 The fearfull estate of those that do not sanctifie God in his word 200 1 They lose the choicest opportunity ibid 2 The word will be a great aggravation of sin ibid 3 They that reject the word reject Christ 201 4 It is an argument of hardnesse of heart 202 5 It is a sad sign of Reprobation ibid 6 To such there can be nothing sanctified 203 7 They are nigh to a curse ibid 8 It will turn to their damnation 205 9 It will not comfort them in afflictions 206 10 God will make his word good upon them 207 11 The word shall judge them ibid 12 God will blast them that sanctifie not his name in his word 208 Use 2 Exhortatio to glorifie the word of God 209 God will sanctifie his Name in mercy upon those that sanctifie it in hearing the word 210 1 All the good in the word is theirs ibid 2 It is a certain evidence of their election 213 3 God will sanctifie them by the word 214 4 They will be the glory of the Ministers at the day of Christ ibid 5 It will rejoyce them hereafter when God shall magnifie his word 215 SERMON XI Of Sanctifying the Name of God in receiving the Sacrament 225 1 Receiving the Sacrament is a part of Gods worship 226 2 Gods Name must be sanctified in our receiving the sacrament 228 1 Because there are presented the greatest Mysteries of salvation ibid 2 It is an Ordinance that Christ hath left out of his love ibid 3 It is the Sacrament of our Communion with Christ 229 4 The Covenant of Grace is sealed in it ibid 2 No duty is urged with more strength and severity ibid 3 Nothing striks more upon mens Consciences 230 How many are to Sanctifie Gods Name in the Sacrament 231 1 Those that receive it must be holy 232 1 Because it is the seal of the Covenant ibid 2 It is an Ordinance of spirituall nourishment 233 3 Because we are required to examine our selves ibid 4 It is a Sacrament of Communion with God and the Saints 234 2 It must be received in a holy Communion ibid Wicked men not to be admitted to this Communion 235 SERMON XII Addition to the former conerning holy Communion 242 The qualifications in the Soul to fit it for receiving the Lords Supper 244 1 Knowledge ibid 2 A broken heart 246 3 Actuall purging the heart from sin 249 4 Hungring and thirsting after Jesus Christ 251 5 Exercise of Faith 252 6 Exercise of Spirituall joy 255 7 Thankfulnesse ibid 8 Renewing of Covenant 257 9 Renewing of love towards God and our brethren 258 SERMON XIII We must keep to the institution in the Sacrament 261 1 For the gesture 262 2 Delivering it to all in generall and not into every particular mans hand 264 3 That the Communicants be all the while exercised in their thoughts about the death of Christ 265 Mediations in receiving the Sacrament 267 1 That the way of mans salvation it is through a Mediator ibid 2 This Mediator between God and man is true man ibid 3 That his body was broken and his blood shed for us 268 4 It was the body and blood of that person that is God that reconciles us ibid 5 To consider the dreadfulnesss of Gods justice ibid 6 The price of saving a Soul 269 7 The greatness of the evill of sin ibid 8 The infinite love of God to mankind ibid 9 That beleevers shall be nourished to eternall life ibid 10 To meditate upon the Covenant of grace to beleevers 270 Holy disposition to be actuated in receiving the Sacrament 271 Of Sanctifying the name of God in Prayer 272 What preparation we are to make to Prayer 274 1 Concerning the matter of Prayer 276 2 Concerning the manner of prayer 280 Concerning wandring thoughts in Prayer 281 SERMON XIV A further enlargement concerning wandring thoughts in Prayer 283 5 Rules to help against wandring thoughts 286 1 Set a high price upon the duties of Prayer ibid 2 To renew resolutions against wandring thoughts 287 3 To set the presence of God before us 288 4 To account all wandring thoughts evill ibid 5 To bless God if at any time he did help us against them 289 3 For sanctifying Gods name in Prayer there must be the breathings of the spirit 290 4 There must be pure hearts and hands 292 5 We must call upon God in truth ibid What it is to call upon God in truth ibid 6 We must pray in faith 293 7 In the spirit of adoption 294 8 We must pray with constancy 295 9 We must pray in humility ibid 10 We must tender up al our prayers in the name of Christ 296 Conclusion of all 297 FINIS 1 Observ 2 Observ Observ Observ 5 Observ 6 Observ 7 Observ 8 Observ 9 Observ 10 Obser 11 Obser 12 Obser 13 Obser Stepney Nov. 16. 1645. 14 Obser 15 Obser 16 Obser 17 Obser 18 Obser 19 Obser 20 Obser 21 Obser That we draw nigh to God in Holy Duties What it is to worship God The Second respect wherein the Soule is said to draw nigh to God in holy duties Applic. 1 Applic. 2 Applic. 3 Applic. 4 Applic. 5 By drawing nigh to God often we increâ—se 〈◊〉 grâ—â—ts We come to live holy lives A special signe of our adoption We come to be put in mind of the life of heaven Our drawing nigh to God delightfull to him By coming into Gods presence there is a blessed familiarity betweeÌ„ God and the soul Our familarity with God makes us to be potent with him By our communion with God the terror of death wil be taken away Safety in being neer to God Stepney Nov. 30. 1645. Applic. 6 Great honour God puts upon his servants Doct. 2. Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3 Reason 4 Reason 5 Reason 6 Stepney Decem. 7. 1645. Stepney Dec. 14 1645. Stepney Dec. 21 1645. Stepney Janu. 4. 1645. Stepney Janu. 11 1645. Stepney Janu. 25. 1645. Stepney Febr. 1. 1645.