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
in the very first act that they did God did siute them 〈◊〉 tremble the Lord is quick towards some he is patient towards others but do not thou presume because he is patient to others he may take thee in the very first act of thy sin and be quick with thee The Tenth Note is this That the holinesse of a duty will never bear a man out in the miscarriages of a duty This was a holy duty they were the true Preists of God they came to offer Incense to the true God It was right incense that they offered there was but this one miscarriage They had not the same fire that God would have now this miscarriage God comes upon them for and all the good there was in the Duty it would not bear them out Consider of this you that performe many holy duties take heed of giving way to your selves in any miscarriage for do not think that because your duties are very good and holy that by doing thereof you may venture upon mixture take heed of mixing any evill any miscarriage in a holy thing though you have performed a thousand holy duties yet it will not bear you out in the miscarriage of them The Eleaventh Note is this That the Lord is very terrible out of his holy places The Note is the same that you have in Psal 68. 35. The Lord is 〈◊〉 out of his holy places When we have to deal with God who can stand before this holy God Our God is a consuming fire The Lord manifests himself here most dreadfully to strike with fire these two Preists as in Ezek 9. 6. Begin at my Sanctuary saith God God is terrible terrible towards those that shall dare to approach into him and yet are wicked or ungodly in their approaching he is terrible to those that are neer unto him God would have us all to tremble at his presence In the Twelfth place Gods judgements are often very suitable to mens sins Here they sinned by fire and they are consumed by fire They offended by strange fire and God strikes them by a strange fire The judgements of God are very suitable to the sins of men oftentimes As here by fire so another time we find it by water Pharoah he sins by drowning the infants of the people of Israel in the waters and God drowns him in the Sea If you will be drowning by water you shall have water enough saith God And so here if you will be medling with strange fire you shall have strange fire saith God God doth many times proportion judgments to sinners that his righteousnes might the more appear those very creatures in which we sin many times God makes them or others of the same kind to be the executioners of his wrath So it was with the Jewes they would fell Christ for 30 pieces of silver and they were sold 30 of them for a penny atterwards And so the story of Adoni-hezek in the first of Judges that was so cruell in such a way to cut off Thumbs and Toes of Kings even so he was served in the like kind and it 's ordinary for men that are of cruell fiery spirits to meet with cruell fiery spirits too And I would apply it in this particular You that are stout Children to your Parents if God lets you live you many times meet with the very same in your Children and when you that are Parents meet with stubborn Children you should reflect Doth not God come righteously upon me And so you that are Servants you are stout to your Masters why afterwards when you come to have Servants they will be so to you and perhaps you were unfaithfull to your Governors afterwards when you come to have Servants it 's a thousand to one but they will be so to you Now you should strike your hand upon your heart and say It 's just with God that it should be so and that he should come upon me in mine own kind Another Note is this They offered strange fire Le ts take heed all of us how we bring strange fire into Gods service Bring strange fire into Gods service What 's that I find divers writers speaking upon this saith Amâ—â—rose Lusts and covetousnesse are this strange fire That which I would have you consider of it this Above all strange fire take heed of the strange fire of Passion and Anger and especially in the Worship of God and at any time when you find your hearts heated and fired with Anger when you are about to Worship God remember this scripture Nadab and Abihu were consum'd by God with fire from God for coming into Gods presence with strange fire Now O Lord how often have â—â— come into thy presence with strange fire Perhaps your hearts have bin burning hot with Passion when you have bin coming into Gods presence You are to pray with fervency for so the Scripture saith we are indeed to be heat in Prayer by the Holy Ghoâ—t in our hearts but certainly not to come with the fire of Passion and Anger Lift up your haâ—ds without wâ—ath and doubting If you have been Passionate and your hearts have been heat that way be sure you get your hearts cold before you go to Prayer And so when you come to hear the Word if your hearts have been heat with Passion be sure you get them cold before you come to hear the Word Receive with meeknesse the ingrafted Word that may save your Souls And so when you come to the Lords Supper take heed of coming with Wrath and Malice for then you come but to offer strange fire It 's a speciall Consideration for Ministers that come to Preach they should take heed of bringing strange fire into their Pulpits that is of venting their own Passions That hath been ever a rule that I have been convinced of since I knew any thing of Preaching That that man that is appointed to reveal Gods wrath had need to conceal his own wrath that 's certainly a rule for all Preachers for the Lord sends his Preachers to make known his wrath against mens sins but now the more they make known his wrath the more they should conceal their own and so by that means when they come in the openest way to manifest Gods wrath the more their Preaching would be accepted Now it 's true a carnal heart would be ready to think That when a Preacher speaks out of true zeal to God he will be ready to say That he hath aiming at himself Take heed of that I believe you have had but little occasion of such a temptation in this place But however this I know it is the duty of the Ministers of God to be sure to bring nothing but the fire of the Spirit of God the fire that they have from the Altar their tongues being toucht with one of these coales and not that they should come with their own Passions to further the Righteousnesse of God no the wrath of
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
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
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
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
this is naturall its naturall for the creature to draw nigh to God in prayer wherein the creature tenders up his homage to God and manifests his profession of his dependance upon God for all good that he hath and acknowledges God as the Author of all good therefore this is worship and its a great part of worship prayer it is such a part of worship as sometimes in Scripture it s put for the whole worship of God Hee that calls upon the name of God shall be sav'd that is hee that worships God aright Jerem. 10. 25. and Pour out thy wrath upon the Heathen that know thee not and on the families that call not on thy name that do not pray that is that do not worship thee there one part of worship is put for the whole as being a principall part of the worship of God Surely we must sanctifie Gods name in prayer for it is that that sanctifies all things to us 1 Tim. 4. 5. every thing is sanctifyed by the word of God and prayer And if the argument of Christ was right as no question but it was that the Temple was greater then the gold upon the Temple because the Temple did sanctifie the gold and the Altar was greater then the offering that was offered upon it because it did sanctifie the offering then prayer must needs be a mighty great Ordinance a greater thing then any other because that it sanctifies all things The word sanctifies the creatures but prayer sanctifies the very word unto our use and therefore when wee read the word we are to pray for a sanctified use of the word Prayer is a great Ordinance a great duty of worship that sanctifies all prayer hath a casting voice as I may say in all the great works of God in the world the great affaires of the Kingdome of God the Kingdome of his power and the Kingdome of Christ I say prayer hath a kind of a casting voice and doth order under God the great things of the world they are according to the prayers of the Saints they bring down blessings upon the godly they poure forth judgements on the wicked the prayers of the Saints they are the vyalls that are poured forth in a speciall manner upon the heads of the wicked therefore Gods name is to bee sanctifyed in Prayer It is to be sanctifyed first in preparation Psalme 10. 17. Thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt cause thine ear to hear it is the Lord that prepareth the heart and then he causes his eare to hear and therefore in 1 Pet. 5. 7. we are there required to watch unto prayer men and women should keep a narrow watch over their hearts and minds that they may not be hindred in their prayers that they may be alwaies in a fit posture to pray watch unto prayer it s that that would helpe us against many temptations to evill if I give way to such and such temptations it will hinder my prayers I shall not have that freedome and inlargement in prayer as otherwise if I give way to such and such things therefore let me take heed of this for it will hinder my prayers As if the Apostle should say this should be the care of Christians then they are like to sanctifie the name of God in prayer if this be their great care that there is nothing in the world that shall hinder their prayers O let me take heed I doe nothing to hinder my prayers if I goe abroad into company and am merry and jocond and there game and drinke and sport my selfe in company will not this hinder my prayers will not this hinder the spiritualnesse of my heart in Communion with God in prayer when I come home at night I appeal to you have you had that freedome in prayer afterwards surely no therefore watch unto prayer Now for the preparation of the heart to prayer wee must understand either First what is to be done in the course of ones life or Secondly What 's to be done just when one comes to prayer For the first the course of ones life labour to keepe all things even and cleare between God and your soules that so you may not come with shakels about your legs with guiltinesse I mean upon your consciences men that have given way to any base sinfull way when they come to prayer the guilt of their hearts doth even sink them but those that can keepe their peace with God in the course of their lives they have other manner of freedome in prayer then you that walke loosely and contract guiltinesse upon your Spirits And then the second thing is to keep our hearts sensible of our continuall dependance upon God sensible how wee depend upon God for whatsoever we are whatsoever we have whatsoever we do for the blessing of all is from God The beames of the Sun do not so depend upon the Sun as we upon God that if he doth but withdraw himselfe never so little from us wee all sinke downe to nothing and perish for ever that soule that every day and houre is sensible of the infinite dependance it hath upon God for its present and eternall estate will be fit for prayer and that should be our care for to carry our selves as any houre in the day or minute in the houre we might be fit to go to prayer that 's one meaning of that place in the Thessalonians pray continually not that every moment wee should be praying but that we should keepe our hearts in a praying frame some of you when you have let out your passions and are in a distemper what will you goe to prayer now your conscience will tell you that you are not fit to go to prayer at that time certainly if you be not fit to pray you are not fit to live you are in an ill condition at any time if you be not fit to pray and there can be no excuse whatever that can be sufficient to plead for your selves why you should not be fit to pray at any time there is that continuall dependance upon God for all and that need you have of the blessing of God for every thing that there is reason you should bee in a fit condition for praying at all times but now when you come to prayer at the set time then there should be a speciall preparation First you should prepare your selves by getting fresh and powerfull apprehensions of the glory of God before whom you goe prepare by meditation about the glory of that infinite God that you are now addressing your selfe unto possesse yourselves with thoughts and meditations of the glory of the great God that 's the first Secondly labour to get your hearts sensible of what you go for I am now going to God for what for pardon of sin or for assurance of his love or for power against sin or for such and such mercies let me by meditation work my heart to be sensible of these things that
I am going to God for to set a due prior upon those mercies that I am praying for and to get my heart affected with them Thirdly labour to get your hearts separated from the world and from all things that are here below in the world and that should have been a third thing in the course of your lives you should never let out you hearts to any creature either to businesses or pleasures in the world so but that you may have command of your hearts to call them when you will to call them in to God in prayer and then when you come to prayer there should be an actuall separation of your hearts from all things in the world dedicating yourselves to God for this time as one that hath nothing to do with the world nothing to do with any thing but this duty that now you are about this is the preparation of your hearts to prayer in the course of your lives Now then for the prayer its selfe First we must consider of the matter of prayer And Secondly of the manner of it First for the matter of it we must look to it that it be according to Gods will 1 John 5. 14. this is the confidence that wee have in him that if wee ask any thing according to his will hee heareth us therefore for the matter we must be sure it must be good that we pray for it must bee for the glory of God for the good of our selves and the good of our Brethren First for the glory of God that should be the cheife matter that we are to pray for so Christ when he teaches us to pray he begins the very first petition Matth. 6. 9 10. hallowed be thy name thy Kingdome come thy will be done first begin with the the glory of God mind that in the cheife place above all other things God gives you leave to pray for outward things but first for the glory of God minding that before your own benefit before the pardon of sin and your daily bread how few doe sanctifie Gods name in this people have little mind to pray but when they are in outward afflictions when they are upon their sick beds then they will pray or at sea in stormes then they will pray then it seemes that the maine matter of your prayer is onely for your selves but how hath the matters of the glory of the great God and the good of the Churches taken your hearts all this while how have your hearts been affected with this that the name of God hath been so little sanctifyed in the world and that the Kingdome of God hath not come and that the will of God hath not been done have these things taken up your hearts in prayer the matters of the glory of God and the good of the Churches though your selves have not any particular interest in them if these things did but take up your hearts in prayer then when you are at sea you would remember the cause of the Churches as much as your selves the Church is as it were in the midst of the sea tost up and downe and in a great storme now why do not you pray as earnestly for the Kingdome of Christ among his Churches as for your selves when you are in a storme at sea yea and spirituall things should be the cheife matter of your prayer for they are the neerest to the glory of God though God hath his glory from other things yet spirituall things are neerest the glory of God now in these dayes of prayer many will come to pray that they might be freed from danger that they might have outward peace this is good but spirituall things are the cheife things and therefore the strength of your spirits should be thus powred forth to God O that I could get my heart to God and the assurance of the love of God! O that I could get the shine of his face O that I could get power over such and such corruptions And I beseech you observe this that spirituall things may be prayed for absolutely but outward things must be prayed for conditionally I may pray and never put any condition in at all that the Lord would pardon my sins and help me against my corruptions c. But when I pray for the health of my body I ought to pray if this bee according to thy will then restore mee to the health of my body or the health of my husband or the health of my wife but thou mayst pray Lord convert the soule of my husband or the soule of my wife without any condition at all when your estates at Sea are in danger when you pray for them you must make conditions Lord as thou seest best for me so do thou deale with me this shewes the excellencie that there is in spirituall things above outward things surely spirituall things are more to be desired for they are to be prayed for absolutely and the other to be prayed for only conditionally that 's for the first In the second place we are to pray for our own good God doth give us leave so to doe only here comes in a question Quest Whether it be sinfull to pray for afflictions as sometimes some will be ready to do Answ To that I answer first take it absolutely considered we may not pray that God would afflict us because affliction is in its selfe materially an evill thing and a fruit of the curse therefore we may not I say absolutely pray for it but thus farre wee may pray for afflictions disjunctively conditionally comparatively Disjunctively thus Lord either grant unto me a sanctified use of such a mercy or otherwise let me rather be without it let me have a sanctified use of my sicknesse or otherwise let my sicknesse be continued to mee thus now you may pray for continuing in sicknesse Or thus conditionally Lord if thou seest that my heart be so vile and wretched that I will abuse through my corruption such and such mercies Lord rather take them from mee and let mee be without them if thou seest that there be no way to break this proud heart of mine but such a way Lord let that be thy way to break it if thou seest it according to thy will as the fittest way Then comparatively thus Lord rather let mee have any affliction then sin rather let me suffer losse of my estate then sin against thee then depart from thee any thing Lord rather then sin Thus you may pray for afflictions but not absolutely You must not pray that God would send you afflictions absolutely for you doe not know your hearts it may bee if afflictions should come your hearts may be as stubborne under your afflictions as they are now for affliction hath no power in it selfe to do us any good And then for the good of others for Christ teaches us to pray Our Father There comes in here a rebuke of the wicked practice of divers in cursing and then a question
other way or one taking up one end and the other the other end that is the meaning of it he helpes our infirmities the poore foule is pulling and tugging with its own heart and finds his heart heavy and dull like a logge in a ditch and have not many of you found your hearts so but now then when you are tugging with your hearts and would faine lift up your hearts to God in prayer there comes the Spirit of God at the other end and takes the heaviest end of the burden and helpes you to lift it up if a child were at one end of the logge and that were but light and the other end very heavy if one come and take up the heaviest end a little strength will serve for the lighter end so the Spirit comes and takes up the heavier end in duty and so helps our infirmities helpes together and then the other word is The Spirit that is together with the acting of the graces of the Spirit in our hearts you must not say so alasse what can I doe it must be the Spirit of God that must doe all it is true hee doth all First he gives converting and habituall grace and assisting and actuating grace but now when the Spirit hath wrought grace so as to convert the heart and hath given habituall grace in thy heart why then when the Spirit comes to assist it doth expect that thou shouldest stirre up all the gifts and graces of the Spirit and the very strength of thy body the Spirit of God expects that thou shouldest act to the uttermost thou art able what power hath been given thee by God and when thou art in acting then the Spirit comes and helpes together with us noting that we are to put forth what strength we have and thus Gods name will be sanctified when as wee putting forth the graces of the Spirit in us then the Spirit comes and helpes and what comes from us now comes from the breathings of the holy-Spirit in us and then God who knowes the meaning of the Spirit will know now the meaning of our sighs and groanes therefore when thou art going to prayer thou art to eye the Spirit of God thou art by the eye of faith to looke upon the Spirit of God and to cast thy soule upon the assistance of the Spirit of God thou art to looke upon the holy-Ghost as appointed by the Father and the Son to that office to bee a helper to his poore servants in the duties of worship and especially in that great duty of prayer now upon the reading of this text and having it thus opened this is one good helpe for thee in prayer read this text and then exercise thy faith upon it Lord hast thou not said that thy Spirit helpes our infirmities when we know not what to pray for nor how to pray for any thing as we ought but the Spirit will come now Lord make good this word of thine to my soule at this time and let mee have the breathings of the Spirit of God in me alasse the breaths of men if it come from gifts and parts I know thou wilt never regard it except there be the breathings of the holy-Ghost in mee in prayer now if you would know whether the Spirit of God doth come in or no you may know it by this the Spirit of God carries unto God and it makes the prayer sweet and delightfull so much of the Spirit of God as is there it comes to the soule in the duty and it leaves a savour behind it a gratious savour is alwaies left behind when the Spirit of God comes to breath O the breath of the Spirit of God is a sweet breath and it makes prayers sweet it never comes into the Soule but after it hath done any worke it came for it leaves a sweet sent after that the soule finds a sweetnesse in that prayer now many of you have been in the morning at prayer but I appeal to you what sweet savour of the Spirit of God is left behind certainly if the Spirit hath been there it is like civil that is put into a little box though you should take out the civit yet there will be a sweet savour left behind so though the Spirit of God in respect of the present assistance withdraws it self yet it leaves a sweet savour behind The fourth thing is purity of heart pure heart and hands in Heb. 10. 22. Rev. 5. 8. having every one of them harpes and golden vials full of odours which are the prayers of Saints mark the prayers of the Saints are odours in golden vials the golden vials I may compare to the heart the hearts of the Saints must be as golden vials and then their prayers will be as odours in 1 Tim. 2. 8. the holy-Ghost giving directions how wee should pray it is with this qualification I will therefore that men pray every where lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting the outward conversation must be pure and the heart pure in Job 22. 26. marke what 's said concerning that holy man there 's a promise made to him for the lifting up of his face to God putting away iniquitie from his Tabernacle that by putting away evill from our Tabernacles and so from our hearts we may be able to lift up our hearts with joy to goe and that 's the fift thing purity of heart and hands The sixt thing is in truth when we come to call upon God we must call upon him in truth Psal 145. 18. the Lord is nigh unto all to all that call upon him in truth you will say what is the meaning of that to that I answer First there must be inward dispositions answerable to the expressions as for instance when I come to expresse the greatnesse of the majestie of God then I must have an inward disposition sutable to this expression I must have a feare and reverence of the infinite majestie of God Secondly When I come to confesse my sin to judge my selfe for my sin there must be an inward disposition sutable to such a confession O how many men and women will come and speak great things against themselves for their sins and judge themselves for their sins and yet there is no such disposition in their hearts sutable to their words you shall have some in praying with others they will be a meanes to break the hearts of others they will so follow their sin and take such shame and confusion upon themselves for their sin and yet God knows their hearts not stird all this while and then they will call upon God for pardon of sin and for power against their sin and yet God knowes that their hearts do close with their sin and are loath to part with their sin in the mean time this is falsenesse of heart when the inward disposition is not answerable to outward expressions I beseech you my brethren consider of the prayers you have made and especially
you that pray much with others look what expressions you have made and see whether there be answerable dispositions to the expressions you have made and how that the Lord doth remember every expression that you have made Thirdly wee must call upon God in truth that is conscionably to performe the ingagements of prayer prayer puts an ingagement upon the heart now those that call upon him in truth are conscionable to performe the ingagements as now do I pray for any good thing I am ingaged to endeavour in the use of all meanes for the attaining of the good thing when you confesse a sin why you are ingaged by that meanes to endeavour all your might against that sin and when you pray for my grace you are ingaged to make use of all means you can for the attaining of that grace and then besides in prayer there is much profession unto God of our sincerity and uprightnesse and of our willingnesse to be at his dispose performe these ingagements that thou makest to God in prayer if God should present to us all our professions that we have made to him in prayer and tell us how we have come short of them it would make us be in shame and confusion in our owne thoughts Another thing in prayer must be faith pray without doubting as in the former Scripture the prayer of faith prevailes much James 1. 6 7. a man that wavereth and doubteth must not thinke to obtaine any thing of God But I should have opened what that faith is that wee should have in prayer wee must have faith to beleeve that the thing that we doe pleaseth God and faith in Gods promises and faith in Gods providence this should be exercised in the time of our prayers And therefore after we have done to goe away beleeving as Hannah in 1 Sam. 1. 18. wee read of her that after shee had been praying she went away and lookt no more sad the text faith noting that after wee have been powring forth our soules to God wee should beleeve and exercise faith and not go in as drooping a way as ever we did Object You will say yea if wee knew certainly that God will hear us Answ The way to be assured that God will hear you is by casting your selves upon God how can you know that he will hear but by resting upon him I have been with God and I have been doing the duty of a poore creature and for the successe I leave it to God and therefore it must bee with faith But I have so many sins mixt with my prayers how can I beleeve You have an excellent Scripture for that to helpe a soule to exercise faith in prayer notwithstanding there hath been many infirmities in Psal 65. 2 3. O thou that hearest prayers unto thee all flesh shall come Thou hearest prayers but I have a great many sins that hinders no marke what though iniquity prevailes against me as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away O make use of this Scripture though you remember not other things yet you that have dejected hearts and are afraid that God will not hear your prayers see what the text saith Thou hearest prayer Lord but will not my sins hinder no saith David iniquity prevailes against me as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away exercise faith in this and know that God doth not heare prayer because thou art not sinfull because of thy worthinesse but meerly for his free grace Another holy disposition in prayer should be this the soul should come with a holy freedome with the Spirit of adoption to God crying Abba Father if thou comest to God meerly as to a Judge though its true those that doe not know that God loves them yet are bound as Creatures to pray but thou canst never sanctifie the name of God till thou hast a child-like Spirit the Spirit of adoption the Lord loves to have his Children come with freedome of Spirit to himselfe in prayer to come as children and not to come with dejected countenances and discouraged hearts but come freely to open thy heart to God as any child would open his heart to a gracious and loving Father Another disposition is fervencie in prayer the effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much and that will be a meanes to help against vain thoughts too as when the honey is scalding hot then the flyes will not come to it if thy heart were as it were scalding hot in prayer thou wouldest not have such vain thoughts Next there must be constancie in prayer in 1 Thess 5. 17. by that I mean this never to give over untill we have that wee pray for or something else in lieu of it it may be thou hast prayed and nothing is come of it be not discouraged thou hast to deal with a great God and therefore pray again and again and again and pray with this resolution well let God doe with mee what he will I will as long as I live call upon him and if God shall cast mee away yet he shall cast me away calling upon him as the poore woman of Canaan when Christ call'd her dogge and discouraged her yet still she would pray I but dogges may have crums that heart is in an ill condition that is discouraged in prayer because it doth not get what it would and therefore to thinke with themselves I had as good not pray at all take heed of any such thoughts Againe if you would pray to God indeed so as to sanctifie his name in prayer there should be humility in your hearts so as to be sensible of your own unworthinesse I spake somwhat about being sensible of the distance between God and us when I spake about sanctifying of Gods name in general The last that I shall speak of is this when you have done all this all these qualifications will not sanctifie Gods name except all be tendred up in the name of Jesus Christ and in the power of his merits let a man or woman pray with as much fervencie zeale constancie purity in truth and sincerity yet except hee puts up all in the name of Christ I say hee cannot be accepted our spirituall offerings must be tendered up in his name but I have Preached much about that but now put all that hath been said together and this it is to pray That is when as I pray understandingly when I give my self to prayer when there are the breathings of the holy Ghost in my prayer when there is purity of heart like a golden viall together with sincerity when it is in truth of heart when it is in faith when it comes from a spirituall Adoption when it s in fervencie when in constancie reverence humility and all put up in the name of Jesus Christ now a man prayes as it is said of Saul behold hee prayeth so I may say of those that are instructed in this Art behold they pray you see now that prayer
humble us 285 Humility required in our prayers 295 See Worship Hungring There must be hungring after Christ in the Sacrament 251 I Incense Incense what it signifieth 91 Incomprehensible Incomprehensiblenesse of God what it should teach us in our worship 95 Infinite There is an impression of Gods infinitnesse upon the duties of his servants 64 Infirmities Infirmities of others to be passed by of those that receive the Sacrament 258 Infirmities how helped by the spirit 290 Institution Institution of the Sacrament to be kept close to 261 Intention Strength of intention required in the worship of God 81 Joy The mercy of God should make us come to him with joy 100 The word to be received with joy 184 Difference in the joy of hypocrites and true Christians 186 Spirituall joy required in receiving the Sacraments 255 A broken spirit may consist with spiritual joy ibid Judge Judgement Sinners may meet with judgements 〈…〉 in the word 10 God is quick with same in the way way of his judgements 17 Judgements many times sutable to the sins 18 Gods judgements many times invisible 21 The word of God shall judge those that abuse it 207 Justice Justice of God seen in the death of Christ 268 K Knowledge Knowledge required in receiving the Lords Supper 244 Knowledge in other points necessary to them that receive the Sacrament 245 Knowledge actuall required in receivers 246 L Leaven Leaven how cast out by the Jewes 249 Life Living Gods goodness in sparing our lives to worship him 84 That God is a living God what it should teach us 96 The things delivered in the word concern our lives 174 Beleevers nourished to eternall life 269 Limitted The duties of Gods Children not limitted 65 Little In matters of worship God stands upon little things 11 Lose The ground why we lose so many prayers 296 Love Naturall conscience makes not the heart love a duty 88 The word must be received with love 184 The Sacrament ordained by Christ out of love 228 Love to be renewed in the receiving the Sacrament 258 The infinite love of God seen in the death of Christ 269 Lust The worship of God not to be subjected to our lusts 72 Who they be that subject it to their lusts 73 M Man The Mediator between God and man is man 276 Mean Mean men not to envy great ones why 13 Mediator The way of mans salvation is by a Mediator 267 Meditation Meditation in preparing the heart to holy duties 49 Meditations in the receiving the Sacrament 267 Meeknesse The word must be received with meeknesse 179 Mercy Mercifull God is mercifull 100 Mercy of God should teach us to be mercifull to others 101 The duties of worship the way to convey Gods choice Mercies 105 The word a means to convey speciall Mercies 195 Mercie-Seat Mercie-Seat a Type of Christ 91 Mind We should pick out Gods mind from dark expressions 14 We come to know the mind of God when we come to hear the word 163 Mysterie The greatest Mysteries of Salvation presented in the Sacrament 228. 255. Mixture Mixture of mans inventions with Gods Ordinances unlawfull 266 Mortification Mortification requisite to the sanctifying Gods name 67 Mouth Faith the mouth of the soul to receive Christ 254 N Name No way to enjoy mercies but by sanctifying Gods Name 105 See Sanctifie Nature Naturall Some duties of worship are naturall 261 Christ bath honoured humane nature by taking it 267 Neer Nigh God wil be sanctified in those that come neer him 6 Those that are neerest God should be most carefull 22 In worshipping God we draw nigh to him 26 In what respects we draw nigh to God in worship 27 The word of the Gospel nigh 211 See Grace Delight Adoption Neglect Severall sorts that neglect to sanctifie Gods Name in heating the word 197 Nourishment The Lords Supper an Ordinance for Spirituall nourishment 233 Beleevers are nourished to eternall life 269 O Omniscient What we should learn that God is Omniscient 98 Opening Ground of opening the heart to God 98 The heart must be opened to hear the word 175 Opportunity The happiest opportunity to sanctifie Gods Name is in hearing his word 200 Ordinance An Ordinance of God what 163 The word an Ordinance of God to convey good to us 166 Men are not to be forced to Congregations where any of Christs Ordinances are wanting 237 The Lords Supper the great Ordinance appointed to set forth Christ sufferings 348 Own We must bring to God in his service that which is his own 86 P Parts How to know when men are acted by naturall parts in Gods worship 87 Passion Passion hinders the right hearing of the word 179 Wicked men in passion rise against God 180 Peace-Offering Difference between Peace-Offerings and Burnt-Offerings 75 Person God accepts the person before he accepts the offering 69 Place The Lord is very terrible out of his holy places 18 God in his essentiall presence in every place 26 See Holy Plowing Plowing of the fallow ground of the heart what 168 Men may do somewhat toward the plowing of their hearts 169 See Word Potent Familiarity with God makes us potent with him 38 Prayer Prayer a great duty that needs preparation 45 Prayer required in preparation to duties 50 Vnregenerate men cannot sanctifie GODS Name in prayer 68 We should pray before we hear the word 171 Of sanctifying the Name of God in prayer 272 Prayer put for the whole worship of God 273 See Preparation Wandring Praise Gods worship must not be subjected to the praise of men 73 Preparation Preparation of the soul in the duties of Gods worship 42 Preparation and sanctification all one 43 Preparation to Gods worship why ibid Preparation 5 things wherein it consists 48 Preparation the excellency of it in severall things 52 Those that walk closely with God are in continuall preparation 56 Preparation a speciall duty of young beginners ibid Good men greived for want of preparation 58 Where there is sincerity duties should be done though there want preparation 59 Preparation required in hearing the word 165 Preparation to be made to prayer 273 See Prayer Great c. Prerogative Gods Prerogative appears most in his worship 11 No Prerogative can secure from Gods stroke 12 Presence Presence of God even in the godly terrible to wicked men 32 Presence of godly men comfortable 35 To set Gods presence before us in prayer 288 See Guilty Present When we worship God we tender a present to him 63 Sin committed long since to be looked on as present 94 Principle God looks more at the principle of the duty then at the duty 69 Good men looke at the principle of the things they enjoy from God 70 Prize To prize those mercies we beg in prayer 275 Prayer to bee highly priz'd 286 Promise Every Ordinance of Christ hath a speciall promise 248 Publick Those that are in publick place have especially need of the fear of God 13 Pure We must lift up pure hands in prayer 292
us draw neer saith the Text Who would not draw neer to God Oh what a good thing is it to be in the presence of God! Is not the Lord the fountain of thy life Is it not a sweet thing to be in his presence We think it a sweet thing to be in the presence of godly men Oh ' that we might alwaies live with such men and be nigh them That Martyr Doctor Taylor rejoyced in this That ever he came into Prison to be acquainted with that Angel of God holy Master Bradford and as I remember some among the heathens that profest they would rather be in prison with Caâ—o then be in the greatest glory with some other It is a blessed thing to be in the presence of God to be with him that is the God of our lives and the fountain of all good let us draw nigh to God often let us know that it is a mercy that we may draw nigh to God wee might have been banished from the presence of the Lord long e're this time This is that that the happinesse of the glorious Church is set out by in Rev. 22. 4. They shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads This is the Priviledge of the Church And that it is such a blessing to draw nigh to God you may see it by that in Eph. 2. 18. For through him we both have an accesse by one spirit unto the Father Through him Through Christ we have accesse by one Spirit unto the Father and now saith he Ye that were strangers and forreiners are made fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and vers 13. But now by Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were a far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ and you have accesse through Christ So our coming nigh to God is such a priviledge as cost the bloud of Christ and will not you improve it You were far off in your naturall condition but now you are nigh through his bloud Lay but this text warm to your hearts this morning That I that was far off am made nigh by the bloud of Christ made nigh to God it will be a means for ever to draw your hearts to all those waies whereby you may draw neerest to God And by drawing nigh to God often you will come to increate your graces abundantly your graces how will they act the presence of God will draw forth the acts of grace as the presence of the fire draws forth our heat so the presence of God will draw forth our graces And by this means we come to live most holy lives We read of Moses he was upon the mountain forty daies with God and when he came down his face did so shine that the people were not able to bear it what 's the reason it was from hence because he was so nigh to God would you have your faces to shine in a holy conversation before men converse much with God be often with God be nigh to him and that will make you shine as lights in the middest of a crooked and perverse generation We find it so with some that converse much with God there is a shine upon their very countenances And further it is a speciall signe of our adoption to love to be nigh to God What should a Child love most but to be in the presence of his Father Would you know whither you have received the Spirit of adoption yea or no I can hardly give you any one signe so clear as this for to love to go into Gods presence as David said I was glad when they said Come and let us go up unto the House of the Lord. You shall have many that love to be in Gods presence so as they think on it over-night and long for the time while it comes I never am better then when I am with God me thinks when I get into Gods presence either in Prayer or any duty of Gods Worship I find my heart warmed and quickned c. They are ready to say with Peter Master it is good being here And that 's another thing It is that which will put us in mind of the life of heaven it is the only thing in heaven to be in the presence of God Why the more thou art nigh God in the Duties of Worship the more thou art in heaven and doest not thou pray That the will of God may be done in Earth as in Heaven Now the Saints and Angels are alwaies before God Worshipping of him then be as much as thou canst in the presence of God If thou wouldest be in heaven be there Many of the Saints they find it so It is not so with carnall hearts they are weary presently when they are in Prayer or hearing the Word it is not so to them yea that 's because thou hast not the presence of God as in Mal. 1. what wearinesse is there thou canst be a gaming till one or two a clock at night and though thou shouldest lose thy supper or the work of thy family it is not tedious to thee to be exercised in those things that pleaseth the flesh but when thou comest to Worship God how quickly art thou tir'd now what wilt thou do in heaven where there is nothing else done to all eternity but Worshipping of God And then it must needs be delightful to God that thou shouldest come nigh him There is nothing in the world more pleasant to God then to have his Saints come into his presence What doth a Father more delight in then to have his Children about him never did any Father or Mother love to have their Children by them so as God loves to have his Children come nigh him and be often with him And the truth is one great reason that God suffers you to fall into afflictions so much is that you may come running to him How doth the Child come running to the Father or Mother when it is afraid why the Lord is willing to permit men to do you wrong that you may run to him that he might have more of your presence Thou that art such a poor creature yet thou hearest this day that there is nothing in the world that God takes more pleasure in next to the presence of his own Son Jesus Christ and his Saints and Angles that he hath with him in heaven then to have his Saints come nigh him to have them alwaies to be under his wing And then by coming often into Gods presence in his worship there will grow a sweet and blested familiarity between God and thy soul for thou wilt be speaking to God and God will be speaking to thee too We know many times that dear friends who are very neerly linkt together yet if they be long absent one from another there grows a strangenesse and so by degrees their friendship is deaded but now when they are together every day and there is
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
of God This businesse and the other businesse would hinder the intanglements they would hinder the temptations of the Devill they would hinder sometimes the indisposition of our bodies doth mightily hinder and the stirrings of the passions of our minds they hinder if there be any businesse fals out amisle in the family and any thing go but crosse how are we put off the hinges made unfit for holy duties There had need be preparation therefore because there are so many hinderances in the way many of you will complain that you are much hindered but do you do what you can to make preparation before hand Do the hinderances that you complain of put you on to be so much the more carefull to make due preparation for holy duties Fiftly We find that the heathens themselves by the light of nature when they did but worship their Idol gods they would make some preparation such as was suitable to those gods that the worshipped therefore they would wash their flesh and purge themselves but though their preparation was but very poor yet they taught us thus much That they were convinst in their consciences that when God was to be Worshipped people should be prepared The Sixt last reason hath a great deal in it which I beseech you consider of we find that the Scripture doth make the uprightnes of the heart much to consist in preparation for worship and doth make the falsenesse of the heart to consist in this that men do not prepare Perhaps you have not so much thought of this but yet it is of excellent use unto you We shall find the Scripture doth make the very uprightnesse of the heart to consist in the preparation for duty and the falsenesse of a mans heart to consist in this that he makes not conscience to prepare his heart for God and his worship And this I will shew unto you very plainly and cleerly take these two examples The first of Rehoboam and the second of Jehoshaphat one a wicked man whose heart was false and the other a godly man whose heart was right with God The falsenesse of the heart of the one is in 2 Chron. 12. 14. there you have what Gods thoughts of Rehoboam were in the verses before but now he brings the reason of his sentence upon him and saith the text he did evill because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord there were many good things that Rehoboam did I might shew you some things as how he did obey the Prophet of God when he was seeking to avenge himselfe upon those that did rend themselves from his obedience the Lord did but send his Prophet and though he had an army ready to revenge himselfe upon those that in a way of Rebellion did rend themselves from under his government he obeyed the word of the Lord but for al that he did evil in the fight of the Lord God look'd upon him as a man that had no uprightnes in him why for he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord saith God I look upon all Rehoboam did as nothing I look upon his waies as evil and himself as a wicked man Why Because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord if his hart had bin upright with me he would have prepared his heart to seek me I beseech you now lay this text to your hearts do you prepare your hearts to seek God when you go to prayer can you say that you take paines in preparing your hearts for it and in hearing the word and so likewise for receiving the Sacrament Now for Jehoshaphat a godly man in 2 Chron. 19. 3. there you may see what the Lord saith of Jehoshaphat that was godly Neverthelesse there are good things found in thee in that thou hast taken away the greves out of the land and hast prepared thine heart to seek God Jehoshaphat was found guilty in joyning himself to wicked men too much the Prophet comes and saith to him Wouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. Jehoshaphat here we see was very faulty in joyning with those that were wicked and is rebuked by the Prophet from the Lord What wilt thou joyne with the wicked the wrath of God is upon thee Well but for all that I beseech you observe it That at that time when the Lord is most displeased against Jehoshaphat and sends his Prophet in his name to pronounce this that the wrath of God is out against him yet for all this God cannot but take notice of this that he had an upright heart though he failed in that particular yet there is some good found in thee in that thou hast prepared thy heart to seek God Indeed through some sudden temptations thou art drawn aside in this particular act Yea but it hath been thy care to prepare thy heart to seek me and in that regard I do look upon thee as having an upright heart And thus you see how much the Scripture puts upon the preparation of the heart to seek God And so in 1 Sam. 7. 3. you shall find that the Scripture makes the uprightnesse of the heart to consist in this And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel saying If ye do returne unto the Lord with all your hearts what then why then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you and prepare your hearts unto the Lord and serve him only As if Samuel should say If you will return indeed to the Lord if indeed your hearts be upright according to what you seeme to professe in turning to God why then prepare your hearts to seek the Lord. You do not in truth turne to God except you make conscience to prepare your hearts Therefore you that yet never knew what it was to make conscience to prepare your hearts for holy duties know that you have not turned with all your heart unto the Lord there hath not been the true turning of your hearts unto the Lord. Thus now you see there is much lies upon preparation to the duties of Gods worship Well you will say seeing there lies so much in it I pray open it wherein it doth consist To that I Answer It consists in these five things which I shall but briefly name First In the possessing the heart with the right apprehension of that God before whom we come to tender our duties Then do we make conscience to prepare our hearts when we labour upon our going to worship God to get our hearts before hand possessed with right apprehensions of the Majesty of that God that we are going to Worship and of the greatnesse and weight of the duty that we are setting about the nature of it the manner how it is to be performed the rule by which we are to be guided the end that we are to aime at Meditation is a good preparation to holy duties And these are the
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
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
men because they do good actions but God accepts of the actions of men because their persons are good If indeed we see a man do good then we love him and accept of the person of the man but God first will accept of the person before the Action As the Lord accepted of Abeâ— first and then he accepted his offering So you must look to that to have your persons first accepted of God before any duty can be accepted You think though you be wicked and sinfull yet if you amend your life God will accept of you you go that way to work but certainly that is the wrong way you must first look after meanes of acceptation of your persons which is through the Righteousnesse of Jesus Christ and through the Sanctification of his Spirit whereby you come to have his Image and life and so are accepted and then all that proceeds from you comes to be accepted There is not any action which comes from you that comes to be accepted to eternall life untill your persons be accepted before God and therefore there must be a Sanctifying of the heart before there can be a Sanctifying the Name of God in the duties of his Worship Therefore when you come to performe any duties of Gods Worship you should coâ—â—der this Is my heart Sanctified I must Sanctifie Gods Name and how can I do that except my heart be Sanctified 2 Secondly Our hearts must be Sanctified because the Lord doth look more to the principle from whence a thing comes then at the thing it self As indeed were our hearts right as they should then all the good things that come to us we would not so much regard what the things are that we do injoy from God as what the principle is from whence they come that is Whether what we do injoy from God is from the love of God in Jesus Christ or no Whether it be from the generall Bounty and Patience of God or from the speciall â—oue of God in Jesus Christ â—ur hearts would regard that moâ—â— if we were Spirituall now then look as a godly man is not satisfied with injoying any good thing from God except he knows it comes from a principle of love to him â—esus Christ So God is not pleased with any thing that comes from us except he knows that it comes from a principle of Love Grace and Holinesse in our hearts 3 Thirdly According as the heart is so will the Service be Certainly if the heart be unclean the duty will be unclean perhaps the words may be fine and brave but if there be an unclean heart the duty will be unclean As it is with a man that hath the Plague suppose he makes a brave Oration yet his breath is infectious so it is in our Services with God If so be that our hearts within us have the plague then certainly the breath that comes from us all our duties will be unclean and therefore that is the first thing that we are to look for in the Sanctifying Gods Name in holy duties Look to have thy heart Sanctified and consider from what principle it comes t is for want of this that thousands of our duties are cast aside and God never doth regard them But this is the first Particular there is many more to speak of SERMON V. LEVITICUS 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE proceed The next thing therefore for the behaviour of the Soul in the Sanctifying Gods Name in Worship is this When we come to Worship God if we would Sanctifie Gods Name we must have high thoughts of God we must look upon God as he is upon his Throne in Maâ—estie and in Glory as in Isa 6. 1 2. you shall find that the Prophet saw the Lord upon his Throne It is an excellent thing when all who come to Worship God every time they come to Worship him have their eyes darted up to heaven and behold the Lord God sitting in his Glory upon his Throne So you shall find in Rev. 4. the 24 Elders that Worshipped God they saw him upon his Throne in his Glory and so they Worshipped him they Worshipped God to purpose indeed when they saw the Lord in that Majestie as he was we should at all times have high thoughts of God take heed of having low thoughts and apprehensions of the Infinite Majestie of God at any time but especially when thou art to Worship the great God then look upon the Lord in that infinite distance that there is between him and thy self yea that infinite distance that there is between him and all Creatures in the world look upon the Lord as lifted up in Glory not only above all Creatures but above all excellencies that all Angels and men in heaven and earth are able to imagine Look upon the Lord as having all excellencies in himself joyned in one and that immutably look upon him as the fountain of all excellencie good and glory that all Creatures in the world have And look upon the â—ord every time thou comest to Worship him as that God whom Angels do adore and before whom the Devils are forced to tremble behold him in this his Glory and this will help thee to sanctifie his Name when thou comest to him The great Reason why people come and Worship God in a slight way it is because that they do not see God in his glory 't is a great Mercy for God to give unto us a sight of himself a sight of his glory here in this world while we are Worshiping of him this would keep our eyes and our thoughts from wandring if we had a sight of the glory of God and had high thoughts of God What 's the reason why we wander so as we do but meerly because we see not God as now suppose you were in your house and looking after every feather that were flying up and down if you should hear that the â—ing were come into the â—oom or any great person it would compose your spirits because you have â—igh thoughts of such as or those that are above you So let us look upon God as in his excellencie and his glory and have high thoughts of him and this is that whereby we are to Sanctifie Gods Name when we come before him in holy duties And that is the Second thing First a Sanctified heart and then high thoughts of God 3. A Third thing is High-ends Raised-ends in the Worshipping of God Prov. 15. 24. The way of life is above to the wife it is on high in this respect when he Worships God his heart is lifted up on high there is a holy raising of the heart which is well pleasing to God Our hearts should be on high in regard of the high ends that we aime at in holy duties Lift up thy prayer saith Hezekiah to the Prophet in another case so I may say lift up thy Soul when thou comest to Worship God in regard of the high
Name of God was called the fear of Isaac Jacob did swear by The fear of his father Isaac because Isaac being a great worshipper of God kept his constant times to worship God and worshipped him in such a constant way as except David and Daniel we do not find mention of the constancy of any in the worshipping of God as we do of Isaacs for it is said that he walked but into the fields in the evening as he was wont to do to Meditate and to Pray and therefore God is called The fear of Isaac In Psal 89. 7. is a notable Scripture for this drawing nigh to God with fear God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him God is to be had in reverence of all them that are about him but in the assembly of his Saints he is greatly to be feared he is daunting â—errible so the words are in the assembly of the Saints When thou comest nigh to God thou hadst need have thy heart possest with much fear So in Psal 2. 11. the Kings and Princes of the earth are cald upon to 〈◊〉 the Lord with fear Let them be never so great yet when they come into Gods presence they must serve him with fear And so in Psal 5. 7. In thy fear will I worship toward thy holy Temple Now this fear of God it must not be a servile fear But a â—liall and reverentiall fear For my brethren there may be a great deal of savish fear where God is not honoured there may be fear from some terrible apprehensions of God which â—er is not owned by God to this grace of fear He give you Two notable Scriptures for that in Deut. 5. 23 24 compared with the 29. It came to passe saith the text vers 23. when ye heard the voice out of the middesâ— of the darknesâ—e for the mountain did burn with fire that ye came neer unto me even all the heads of your tribes and your elders And ye said Behold the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatnesse and we have heard his voice out of the middest of the fire we have seen this day that God doth talk with man and he liveth now therefore why should we die for this great fire will consume us If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more then we shall die See with what a terrour they were struck at the apprehension of Gods appearance you would think surely these men did fear God much but mark in vers 29. O that there were such a heart in them that they would fear me Why did they not fear the Lord Were they not struck with such fear that they thought they should die they saw his presence so terrible that they were afraid they should die and yet O that there were such a heart in them that they would fear me So that it appears by this that one may be struck with much terrour in the apprehension of Gods presence and yet have no true fear of the Name of God So some of you it may be in time of thunder or danger are filled with terrour but yet may it not be said presently after O that there were the fear of God in the heart of this man or woman this youth or maid They are terrified sometimes but yet there is not a filiall and reverential fear of God in them And I find in 1 King 19. where you have the story of Gods appearing in that most terrible manner unto the Prophet Elijah by Fire by thunder and in a mighty Wind the Prophet was not so struck with fear of Gods presence when he did appear in the mighty wind or earthquake or fire as when God did appear in the small still voice therefore in vers 13. it is said And it was so when Elijah heard it that is the soft voice after the fire and earthquake and the mighty wind that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entring in of the Cave and behold there came a voice unto him and said What doest thou here Elijah Then his heart was more struck with fear where was most of Gods presence though it was in a soft voice then when the fire and earthquake did appear It is a good sign of a gracious fear when the soul can be struck with more fear from the word and from the sight of God in injoying of communion with him in his Worship then when God appears in the most terrible way of his works or when there is terrour in a mans conscience through fear of hell when God appears as though he would send him down presently to hell though God expects to be feared then but when the Soul in injoying communion with God in holy duties and the more communion he hath with God the more is he struck with reverence and the fear of God this is a sign of Sanctified fear and then doth the heart Sanctifie the Name of God indeed when it is so possessed with fear in the duties of worship Now this fear of God should be indeed in the Soul and expressed outwardly when you are in the assembly by such reverent carriage in prayer as if a heathen should come in he may see Gods Name Sanctified and may say How great is this God that this people do worship And in your Families a reverant carriage not lying all a long in prayer upon the elbows sleeping but carrying your selves so that if a heathen should come into your families they may say O how great is this God that this people do worship And likewise this fear it must be an abiding fear not only at that instant when you are worshipping of God or speaking of any of Gods Titles and Names but a fear that must abide upon your hearts after duty is over that is after you are come out from your Closets one may perceive the fear of God upon you and so walking all the day long in the fear of God as it becomes those that have been solemnly setting themselves to worship him Now this fear and reverence is contrary to the slightnesse vanity the boldnesse and presumptuousnesse that there is in the hearts of men and women when they are Worshipping of God Fifthly The duties of Gods worship must be full of strength for they are not suitable to God else because God is a God infinite in power and glory himself therefore God cannot indure vain Worshipping In Isa 1. 13. I hate vain oblations Vanity of Spirit in Worshipping of God is very hatefull to God it doth defile the Name of God God is dishonoured by the vanity of mens Spirits Now this strength is Three fold 1 First The strength of Intention 2 Secondly The strength of Affection 3 Thirdly The strength of all the Faculties of the Soul and the strength of Body too as much as we are able should be put forth in the
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
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
my soul And we must receive it with joy too as well as with love Prov. 2. 10. When wisdome entereth into thy heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy Soul Then discretion shall preserve thee understanding shall keep thee c. That is a great matter when the word reveals some truth to thy understanding and thou canst so receive it as it should be pleasant to thy soul that thy soul rejoyces in it it is a good word it is that that doth me good at the heart when a people can hear the word and the word coming neer unto them they can say This word doth me good at the heart it is pleasant to my soul that is excellent In Act. 2. 41. the godly are described those that did receive the word so as to sanctifie Gods Name in it by this that they gladly received the word and were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls There were three thousand in one day that did gladly receive the word What an auditory had Peter at this time Then the word it did them good when they gladly received it Quest But it may be said We read in Matt. 13. of the stony ground the hearers that were not good and did not profit by the word so as to be saved yet they received the word with joy And Herod it is said of him That he heard John Baptist gladly It seems then that it is not enough to receive it with gladnesse Answ To that I Answer First There must be that that Hypocrites may have if there be want of that we cannot Sanctifie Gods Name But you will say We must go further or else Gods Name is not sanctified That I confesse Therefore when I speak of gladnesse and joy know that I mean another kind of joy then the stony ground had and so certainly the pleasantnesse that is spoken of in Prov. which I mentioned before And the gladnesse that the three thousand did receive the Word withall is different from the gladnesse of the stony ground If you ask me wherein it differs I would Answer it differs thus The gladnesse of an Hypocrite in receiving Gods Word it ariseth either from the novelty of it because it is a new thing and he gets new notions that he had not before or else he is joyful from some other carnal excellencies that he finds going together with the word some esteem or honour that he shall get by it some selvishnesse there is that makes his heart to be glad for there is a great deal of natural and carnal excellency that goes along many times with the word But now this gladnesse that is spoken of in the Acts and in the Proverbs it is the gladnesse that ariseth from the apprehension of the spirituall excellencies that there are in the word as that it is that word that reveals God and Christ to my soul that word that comes neerest to my soul to the mortifying of my Lusts and the sanctifying of my heart This is that which makes me rejoyce in the word the holinesse and the spirituall excellencie that I see to be in the word Thy word is pure saith David and therefore doth thy servant love it and rejoyce in it This no Hypocrite can say I see the Image of God in his Word I see the very glasse of Gods holinesse in his word I feel that in the word that may bring my Soul to God wherein my soul injoyes communion with God and Jesus Christ and it is this that glads my soul If we receive the word with joy thus we shall come to Sanctifie the Name of God in the hearing of it And that is the Eight particular 9 The Ninth Particular is this If we would Sanctifie the Name of God in his word we must receive the Word into honest hearts This you have in Luk. 8. 15. in the Parable of the Sower you shall find there that there are divers grounds that do receive the seed and by those divers grounds are meant divers sorts of hearers There is First the high-way ground that is such as hear the word and never regard what they hear and as soon as ever they go out of the Congregation the seed of the Word is quite gone and is as if they had not heard at all And then there is the stony ground and the thorny ground that is those that hear with joy as was spoken of before but the cares of the world choak the seed of the word as soon as ever they are gone they are upon their worldly businesse and their thoughts and hearts runs that way But then there is the good ground that is Those that receive the seed of the Word into a good and honest heart a good and an honest heart they are both joyned together By a good heart is meant a heart that hath not malice in it a heart that doeth desire to empty it self of every thing that is against the Word and which is not suitable to the spiritualnesse of the Word A heart I say that entertaines nothing in it that any way makes against the word A good heart is a heart which as the Apostle saith in Jam. 1. 21. and that place may very well come in here to be opened is clensed from all filthinesse and superfluity of naughtinesse The word that is there translated filthinesse it signifies Excrements that which is unclean that which comes from the body such is the sinfulnesse of your hearts you come to hear the word if it be with evil hearts you mingle that very filthinesse which is as vile before God as excrements are And superfluity of naughtinesse by that I take is meant as if the holy Ghost should say Do not think it enough for to purge away filthinesse that is notorious stinking evils abominable sins that you do not come with such filthy vile hearts but whatsoever there is in your heart that is any way against the work of Grace it is a superfluity of naughtinesse all kind of evill thoughts and evill affections that are more then needs Look into your hearts and affections and see whatsoever you find there that is more then ought to be runing out unto any thing that they should not labour to purge out that saith he do not satisfie yourselves in any kind of evill whatsoever It may be you are clensed from the notorious evils of the World but if there remaines any naughtinesse any kind of drossinesse in your hearts that is not grace it is to be purged out for it is a superfluity So then that is a good heart that entertaines no kind of evill in it It may be there is some evill but it doth desire to purge out not only that that is filthy nastie and abominable but if there be any thing that should not be there a good heart is against it And that is a good heart that is willing to receive any thing that God reveals As we use to say Such a
man is a good man that is you can propound nothing to him that is fit to be done but he is willing to hearken to you A good man he hath no kind of evill ends in him no evill designes at all but he is willing to hearken to every thing that is good So a good heart whatsoever is good he is ready to entertain if it be a good thing his heart is sutable to it and runs presently unto it having a good heart it doth presently close with the good word of the Lord. But what is meant by an honest heart By honesty of heart certainly there is more meant then such a one that we call an honest man that is a man that is honest in his dealings between man and man there is many a man that is accounted a very honest man in the world but hath not an honest heart I beseech you observe it That man that hath an honest heart to God is one that receives the seed of the word so as he goes beyond the high-way ground the stony ground or the thorny ground he goes beyond those three sort of professors he is one that hath an eminency in profession of Religion beyond those three now the world accounts many honest men that do not go beyond any of those three yea the world doth ordinarily account any of those three to be honest men as the high-way ground Are there not many honest men in the world that regard not the word of God at all but only come to hear a Sermon and as soon as they have done as it came in at one eare so it goes out at the other I fear there are some men and women that are accounted honest men and women in the world that can hardly give an account of any one Sermon they have heard in all their lives hardly I say but the word which they heard is presently taken away from them and yet these are accounted honest men in the world But this is not the honest heart the Scripture speaks of And many there are that goe further then these that come to hear the word with joy and yet they have not this honest heart Yea they may hear the word so as to bring forth a Blade and yet not have this honest heart By this honest heart I take therefore to be meant this A heart that deals squarely and truly with God behaving it self in a beseeming manner sutable to that authority and excellency that there is in the Word of God As now for example 1 First Amongst men he is accounted an honest man that deals squarely and truly with men in all actions such a man you will say is an honest man as honest a man as ever broke bread that is one that will deal squarely with men not only in one thing but turn him to any thing and you shall find a proportion between one action and another So this is an honest heart not one that only will be forward for God in some one action wherein he may injoy himself as well as God but one that deals squarely with God let God put him upon duty upon any service God shall find him still to be the same man Put him upon an easie service as many will imbrace that or put him upon a difficult service it is all one if it be the mind of God you shall find him square in every thing though he be put upon that which he is like to suffer very much in yet he goes on according to his principles An honest heart is one that hath received gracious principles and accordingly he acteth all the world cannot take him off from his principles of godlinesse that the Lord hath put into his heart 2 Secondly An honest man is one that provides things honest before men that doth all things in a seemly way in all those relations that he hath unto others that we account honesty So when a mans behaviour towards the word is such as doth beseem the word of that God with whom he hath to deal That look what excellency what glory there is in the word of God such a sutable behaviour there is in the heart of a man to it this is an honest heart So that there are those two things when a man is square with God in one thing as wel as another and when there is a sutablenesse in the behaviour of the Soul to what excellency there is in the word when the heart of man will not abuse the word at all but behaves its self honestly according unto the gravity holinesse and weight that there is in the word And thus now with such a good and honest heart we are to receive the word if we will Sanctifie Gods Name in it 10 A tenth particular is this If we will Sanctifie Gods name in the word we must hide the word in our hearts we must not only heart the word but keep it preserve it and then do we declare that we account the word of God to be worth something indeed For what is it to Sanctifie God as we have opened before in the general but such a behaviour towards him as may testifie the excellency of the name of God so the behaviour of the Soul in hearing the word must be such as may give a testimony to the excellency of the word and manifest the high esteem I have of it Now if I received a thing that is of great value if I slight it and let any body take it from me I do not give a testimony to the excellency of that thing but if I take it and lock it up and so keep it under lock and key I do thereby give a testimony of the esteem that I have of the excellency of that thing so now When I come to hear the word and meet with truths that have gotten into my Soul I close with them and am resolved within my heart as I am hearing of them well this truth I will keep through Gods grace this concerns me and I will make much of it and although I forget other things yet I hope I shall remember this to Sanctifie Gods name in hearing of the word In Isa 42. 23. Hear saith the holy Ghost there for the time to come When we come to the word we must not only hearken for the present as many of us while we are hearing our hearts are stirr'd for the present Oh that we could but have that affection of heart alwaies as we have when we are hearing of the word how many of you have said when you have been hearing such a sermon Oh then me thought I could have gone through fire and water for God I but mark it you must hear for afterwards And in Psa 119. 11. There the prophet David profest that he did hide the word in his heart the word was sweet unto him Thy word saith he have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee You that come and hear those
compared to Leaven thou shouldest make a diligent search what sin there is in thy heart in any of the faculties of thy soule what sinne there is in thy thoughts in thy Conscience in thy understanding in thy will in any of thy affections what sinne there hath been in thy life what family sins what personall sins Thou shouldest make a diligent search to see whither there be not some Leaven some evill in thy heart and what ever sin thou shalt come to find out in thy heart there must be a casting of it out that is thy soule must be set against it to oppose it with all thy might whatever beloved sin whatever gainefull sin whatsoever become of thee thy soule must renounce that sinne of thine yea and in a kind of execration of thy selfe that 's thus Lord as ever I expect to receive any good by this body and blood of Christ that I come now to receive so Lord here I professe against every sin that I have found out in my heart I desire to find out all and professe against all and renounce all and would doe to the uttermost that I am able for delivering of my soule fully from every knowne or beloved sin oh that there might not be any remaining in my heart this must be the disposition of the soule comming hither and it must needs be thus or else we cannot sanctifie Gods name because there is nothing more sutable then this disposition unto the receiving of the Sacrament for we come here to professe that we doe acknowledge that sinne did cost so much as it did that it cost the blood of the Sonne of God now this cannot chuse but cause the heart to renounce sinne If indeed I doe beleeve that sinne hath cost the bloud of Christ that it cost him so deare as it did that it did trouble Heaven and earth that there must be such a mighty wonderfull way of satisfaction to God for my sinne committed against him certainly sinne hath a dreadfull evill in it oh let me never have to doe with such sin that was the cause of such sufferings to my Saviour that did shed his blood If so be that thou sawest a knife that had cut the throat of thy dearest child would not thy heart rise against that knife suppose you come to a Table and there is a knife laid at your Trencher and it was told you this is the knife that cut the throat of your childe or Father if you could use that knife as another knife would not any one say there was but little love to your Father or child So when there is a temptation comes to any sin this is the knife that cut the throat of Christ that pierct his sides that was the cause of all his sufferings that made Christ to be a curse now wilt not thou look upon that as a cursed thing that made Christ to be a curse oh with what detestation would a man or woman fling away such a knife and with the like detestation it is required that thou shouldest renounce sin for that was the cause of the death of Christ I remember it is reported of Anthony when Caesar was slaine he comes to stir up the people against those that had slaine Caesar and he takes the cloathes that were bloudy and holds them forth to the people and saith here is the bloud of your Emperour and upon that the people were inraged against those that had slaine him and went and pulld down their houses upon them so when thou comest to this Sacrament thou seest the bloud of Christ gushing out and for thy sin if ever thy sin be pardoned either thy soule must be eternally damn'd for thy sin or else thy sin cost the gushing out of the Blood of Christ now when thou seest this this should cause a holy rage in thy soule against sin that caused this surely the putting away sin the risings of the heart against sin must needs be a disposition sutable to such an Ordinance as this is And that 's the third thing required in the sanctifying of Gods name in this Ordinance the purging out of sin and rising of the heart against it 4. The fourth thing that is to be done for the sanctifying of Gods name here it is the hungering and thirsting of the soule after Jesus Christ whosoever coms hither he comes to a feast and the Lord expects that all his guests should come with stomacks unto this feast come with hungring and longing for Jesus Christ this should be the disposition of the soule oh that my soule might injoy Communion with Jesus Christ now this is the end that I am come for oh the Lord that knows the workings of my heart knowes that this is the great desire of my soule that I might enjoy Communion with Jesus Christ oh that I might have more of Christ that I might meet with Christ that I might have some further manifestation with Jesus Christ that I might have my soule further united to the Lord Christ and so have further influence of Christ to my soule I come with thirsting after the Lord Christ knowing my infinite need of him and the infinite excellency that there is in Jesus Christ my soule doth famish and perish for ever without Christ but in the injoyment of Christ there is a fulnesse for the satisfying of my soule that I have had of Christ sometimes in the word and sometimes in prayer that hath been sweet unto me but I expect a further Communion of Christ here for this is the grand Ordinance for Communion with Jesus Christ in deed the word in this respect it is beyond this Ordinance that is it is not only for the increase of grace but for the begetting this is only for the increase of grace and not appointed for the begetting now in that respect the Word is above the Sacrament but now this Sacrament is a more full Ordinance for Communion with Jesus Christ this is the Communion of the body of Jesus Christ and of his bloud and therefore there ought to be hungring and thirsting desires of the soule after Jesus Christ therefore you must take heed you doe not come with your Stomacks full of trash as children when they can get Plums and Peares and fill their stomacks with them when they come to your Tables though there be never so much wholsome diet they have no mind at all to it so it is with men of the world they fill their hearts with the trash of this world and with sensuall delights and hence it is that when they come to such a great Ordinance to enjoy Communion with Jesus Christ that then they feele no want at all of Christ only they come and take a little peece of bread and a draught of wine but for any strong pausing desires to meet with Jesus Christ there in the Ordinance to come so as they know not how to live without Christ even as a man that is an hungred
complaine much of the vanity of their thoughts they were wont to pray before and they never had such vaine thoughts as now they have the reason why there is so much vanity of thoughts or at least so much taken notice of It is first because there is but a little grace in the midst of a great deale of corruption in young converts like a spark of fire in the middest of a great deale of ashes now if there lies a heap of ashes and nothing else â—ou do not stirre them but if there be ashes and some fire then you will stir them and be blowing those sparkes to kindle another fire by Now when you come to make any motion then the ashes will fly about whereas before they lay still so it is here before God wrought upon thy heart there was nothing else but ashes upon thy soule and then they lay still but now God hath kindled some sparks of grace in thy heart and God is blowing them up to a greater heat and is bringing of them to a flame upon this motion that is in thy heart aud the stirring to kindle those sparks further in thy heart it is that the ashes of thy corruptions do as it were fly about thine eares and that there is such stirrings of corruption more then there was before 't is not because there is more corruption then there was formerly but before there being nothing else but corruption it lay still and now because there is something else therefore it is that corruption doth so stirre and besides you know a man that was wont to keep lewd company if God turne him that he will keep that company no more at first he shall be more troubled with them then he was before and they will keep oftener knocking at his doore and labouring to get him to them againe so 't is here when the soule vanity and lusts were as friends together there was no disturbance and taking notice of any thing then but now when the soule is casting out those sinfull distempers and will have no more of them they for the present will be more importunate active and stiring then they were before And besides the Lord doth this to humble thy heart the more that thereby thou maiest come to see the great corruption that was in thy soule before the working of thy corruptions will discover much evill in thy heart that thou didest not think was there before when the corruptions of men and women lie still they think there is no such thing in their soules as your civill men what 's the reason that they blesse themselves and think they are in a good condition it s because their corruptions lie still in them and doe not stirre they cannot beleeve what abundance of wickednesse there is in their hearts if God should open the wickednesse that there is in the hearts of men naturally and so all unregenerate men they would thinke you speak strange riddles whereas they blesse themselves they blesse God they know no such thing in their hearts not yes there are such things only they are not stird but they lie quiet as mudde in the bottome of a pond there it is yet you cannot see it till it be stird at first conversion I say the Lord suffers thy corruption thus to stir that hee may discover to thee what an evill heart thou hast what abundance of sin there is in thy heart and therefore your young converts they look upon themselves more loathsome and vile then ever they thought they had been And besides the Devil sees it a vaine thing to tempt a young convert to any grosse act of sin when conscience hath life and power in it heâ— shall never prevaile that way but now hee thinks he may prevail to disturbe them with vaine thoughts and therefore he layes his strength most that way therefore let not such be discouraged that find their Spirits anoyed and pestered with them if they make them to be the burden of their Soules notwithstanding much vanity of thoughts the Lord wil accept of any desire that they have to sanctifie his name in holy dutyes and I shall give you these three or four rules to helpe you against these wandering and vaine thoughts in holy dutyes and especially in prayer First when thou goest to prayer account it to be a great worke set a high price upon thy prayer not as having any excellencie in it as it comes from thee but set a high price upon it as a great Ordinance of God wherein there is Communion with God to be enjoyed and the influence of the grace of God to be conveyed through it so set a high price upon prayer at every time thou art going to prayer Lord I am now setting upon a worke that is of very great consequence and much lies upon it and I would account it to be a sore and a great evill to me if I should lose but this prayer this would bee a speciall meanes to compose thy Spirit and to keep thee from wandering as Nehemiah in Nehem. 6. 3. a place that I have sometimes quoted upon such an occasion when the enemies of Nehemiah that would hinder the building of the Temple sent to him that they might talke together no saith hee I am doing a great worke so that I cannot come downe so when the Devill and the vanity of thine owne heart would send to thee to parly and talke as it were with thee give an Answer I cannot stand parlying with these things the worke that I am about is a great worke there are very few people that do account the worke of prayer a great worke if thou didst it would helpe thee much against the vanity of thy thoughts Secondly Every time thou goest to prayer thou that art most troubled with such vaine thoughts renew thy resolutions against them I have been troubled with vain thoughts heretofore and am afraid if I looke not to it that I shall lose this prayer also and therefore O Lord here I renew my resolutions to set against them in this prayer with all my might it is very much that may be done by strong resolutions and especially if thy strong resolutions be renewed resolutions for an old resolution begins to grow weak a man that hath resolved upon a thing a great while agoe it hath little power ever him but now when a man hath resolved upon a thing but this morning and just at the time when he is going about it now hee doth resolve upon it and set himselfe upon it and doth resolve through the grace of God that whatsoever difficultie he meets with all whatsoever it cost him that he will goe through this worke I say that resolutions renewed have a great deale of power and you cannot imagine what a great deale of power the renewing of resolution against vaine thoughts will have if they were renewed every time thou goest to prayer untill thou gettest power over thy thoughts do but make
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
the living God 97 Consciences of carnall men opened upon their death bed 118 Death of Christ to be meditated on in the Sacrament 165 Dear see Glory Delight God delights in our drawing nigh to him 37 Depart To neglect GODS Worship is to depart from him 33 Dependance We should continually be sensible of our dependance on God 274 Desire We must hear the word with a desire after it 170 Devill Devill gratified by omission of duties 59 Vnseasonable motions though materially good come from the Devill 82 Wandering thoughts in prayer suggested by the Devill 286 Difficulty Naturall parts in performance of duties will not carry thorow difficulties 87 Not to be discouraged in difficultes considering Gods power 97 The work of Religion difficult 109 Dignity see Prerogative The more dignity the more danger 12 Dishonour It were a dishonour to God to accept the services of wicked men 116 Disposition Inward disposition in prayer 292 Divine see Service Doubt The time of receiving the Sacrament no time for doubting 254 We must pray without doubting 293 Duty The holinesse of a duty will not bear men out in their miscarriage in it 17 Omission of duty will not fit for duty 58. 113 The doing of one duty prepares for another 60 Duties not to be rested on 103. 107. 115 To be humbled for our best duties 111 All duties of carnall worshippers lost 112 Sin of Hypocrites aggravated by holy duties ibid E Easie Preparation makes duties easie 52 Election Evidence of election 213 End see Extremity Our ends must be high in the worship of God 72 Base ends of men in Gods worship ibid To have right ends apart of wisdom 99 It is the nature of God to will himself the last end 104 Engagement Engagements of prayer to be performed 293 Envie see Mean Eternity Eternity of God how to be considered in our worship 94 Excellency Thoughts of our own excellency to be cast off in our worship 85 Exemplary Exemplary judgements should make us look into the word how God makes it good 23 Extremity Men that regard duties only in extremity make themselves their end 77 Examination Examination required in partaking of the Sacrament 233 Eye Faith as an eye to see Christ in the Sacrament 252 F Faith Faithfulnesse Faithfulnesse of God what it should teach us 102 Faith must be mixed in hearing the word 177 Faith exercised in receiving the Sacrament 252 Faith how to act it in the Sacrament 271 We must pray in Faith 293 Faculties All the faculties of the Soul to be given up in Prayer 281 Familiarity see Potent Drawing nigh to God breeds familiarity 37 Benefit of familiarity with God 38 Falling away Falling away the ground of it 34 Fear see Publick What fear we must have in Gods worship 78 In fear naturall Conscience puts in to duty 89 Fervency Fervency required in prayer 295 Fire Fire from Heaven Two fold 2 Fire that slew Aarons Sons what 3 Strange fire what 19 Folly To be ashamed of our follie when we come to GOD 99 Follow The Soul is to follow after God as a God 65 Free see Grace Friend see Word Friends who are the best 25 G Gesture Gesture in the Sacrament not meerly indifferent 262 Guilty see Bloud Guilty consciences flee the worship of God why 31 Guilt to be removed when we come to pray 274 God Duties must be performed to God as a God 62 When duties are offered to God as a God 63 The word to be heard as the word of God 166 We are reconciled by the blood of that person that is God 268 Good Good heart what 187 The word will be made good on the abusers of it 207 We are to pray for our own good 277 Gospel Gospel the tenour of it 257 Glory Glory of God dear to him 7 Glory of God dearer to him then the lives of men 22 Glory of God is the lustre of all his attributes together 102 The active Glory of God is the especiall honour he hath 105 Glory of God in his word the greatest 182 Why God will be glorified in them that hear the word 209 Those that will obey the word will be the Glory of the Ministers 214 We should have apprehensions of Gods Glory in prayer 275 The Glory of God is the chiefe thing we should pray for 276 Spirituall things nearest the Glory of God 277 Grace Grace to be acted especially in Gods worship 29 Grace the freenesse of it should make us more diligent in the worship of God 34 Graces increased by drawing nigh to God 35 Graces to be acted and stirred up in the Sacrament 271 We must act our own Graces in prayer together with the spirit 291 See Covenant Great A people are great that have God nigh them 40 We should prepare to Gods worship because he is great 43 The duties of Gods worship are great 44 How to sanctifie Gods name in respect of his greatnesse 67 Great things to be expected from God 100 We must hear the word with attention because of the greatnesse of him that sends it 172 We must be attentive because the matters delivered are great 173 H Habituall Habituall sanctification 68 Harden Nothing doth harden the heart more then the word by accident 205 Hand Faith is a Hand to take Christ in the Sacrament 253 The Cup in the Sacrament not to be delivered into every particular hand 264 Heart Our hearts naturally unprepared for duty 46 The heart in preparation to be taken from every sinfull way 49 As the heart is so are the duties 70 The heart is not changed by the acting of naturall parts 87 Good heart what 187 The word of the Law not in the heart 211 A broken heart required in receiving the Sacrament 246 Hearing Of sanctifying Gods Name in hearing the word 161 Hearing the word a part of Gods worship 162 How to know that God hears our prayers 294 Heathen Heathens attend to worship their Idolls 46 Heaven Being oft in Gods presence minds us of heaven 36 The worship of God here the beginning of that in heaven 106 Hide We must hide the word in our hearts 189 Highest What we lift highest in our worship that is our God 74 See Thoughts Ends. Hindrance Hindrances to Gods worship many 46 Holy Holinesse Holinesse the greatest honour of Gods Name 23 Holinesse of God to be held forth by his servants 24 Drawing nigh to God makes us holy 36 Time and Place said to be holy how 50 God infinitly holy 99 Those that receive the Lords Supper must be holy 232 Honest We must receive the word into honest hearts 186 Honest heart what 188 Honest amongst men who 189 Honour To quiet the heart in affliction is to know that God will have honour by it 25 Humble Humbled Humility Humility of Spirit requisite in the worship of God 84 To be humbled for not sanctifying the Name of GOD aright Humiliation in preparing to hear the word 168 Wandring thoughts in prayer suffered by God to
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.