and the understanding from the prudent And that is the reason why so many great Scholars are blasted in their very parts because they would worship God according to the precepts of men in a formal way and so all hypocrites and formal worshippers the Lord doth blast them in one way or other the judgments of God upon the spirits of men were sometimes in the time of the Law But in the times of the Gospel there we find generally the judgments of God to be more spiritual upon the hearts and consciences of men we find it by experience God doth discover that he doth not accept of such as those are and therefore when you see any that have made profession of Religion that had excellent Parts at first many common Gifts and now are as we say no body Remember this Text That God will be Sanctified in those that come nigh Him Secondly The Lord doth manifest that he wil be Sanctified in those that draw nigh him by awaking their consciences many times upon their sick beds and death beds the Lord doth force them to give glory to him and there to acknowledge that they did not worship God in Uprightness but in Formality And now they are in horrour of conscience and cry out in the anguish of their souls upon the apprehension of the dreadfull wrath of God that is upon them Take heed for the Lords sake of this thing when you are performing of the duties of Worship do not rest in the outward duties for they will never comfort you upon your sick and death beds you may perhaps put off your consciences a little for the present but when you come upon your sick beds there will be no comfort unto you and then you will be forced to say wel all this while I have but taken the Name of God in vain and now God hath rejected me and all my services and you will then speak to those that come about your beds side and bid them take warning by you take heed that when you worship God you worship him to purpose I have spent time in prayer and hearing but for want of this I find I have no comfort at all but the Lord appears to be terrible to my soul and comes out against me as an enemy I say now Gods Name is Sanctified whatever becomes of thee he will force glory from thee one way or other and it may be even here in this time of thy life but how ever at the great day when the secrets of all hearts must be disclosed before men and Angels then the Lord will appear to be a holy God by rejecting all such services that thou didest tender up to him and it will then be a great part of the work of the day of Judgment for God to be Sanctified in those that did worship him by declaring before men and Angels how He did reject such formal and hypocritical worship that they did tender up unto him Oh that God would strike this upon your hearts that it may abide upon you every time you come to worship Him to think thus Let me look to it to Sanctifie His Name now for I hear that God will Sanctifie it Himself if I do not do it But then on the other side If so be that thou makest conscience of Sanctifying Gods Name in duties then he will Sanctifie his Name in a way of Mercy that is He will manifest how he doth accept of the least degree of holines though there be much mixture God hath a way to take away the mixture by the blood of his Son and then to accept of any holiness He sees in thee He will Sanctifie his Name by meeting with thee and revealing His glory to thee when thou art worshipping of Him There is an excellent Scripture for this Exod. 29.43 There I will meet with the Children of Israel and the Tabernacle shall be Sanctified by my Glory Thou that hast a gracious heart and art worshipping of God in Sincerity thou art as a Tabernacle of God and God hath His Service and Worship from thee thou art as the Temple of God and there will I meet with thee saith God and I will Sanctifie my Tabernacle by my Glory God wil sanctifie thy heart by his Glory if thou dost Sanctifie his Name Further Thou shalt it may be not alwaies have such glorious comforts the full beams of the Sun rising upon thee but at one time or other the Lord will break in upon thee and manifest his Glory to thee and it 's like if thou hast not such full comforts now yet upon thy sick-bed though God doth not then alwaies manifest Himself fully for sometimes the disease may be a hinderance yet it is ordinary that those that in their constant way did Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties they do lie comfortably upon their sick beds and a glorious entrance is made for them into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ And then again All things are Sanctified unto them as on the other side those that do not sanctifie Gods Name al things are cursed to them if thou doest not make Conscience of sanctifying Gods Name in duties God cares not to sanctifie any thing for thy good But now those that make conscience of Sanctifying Gods Name in holy duties the Lord takes care that all things shall be Sanctified for their good for the furtherance of their eternal good And however it be here yet hereafter at the great day of Judgement it will be a part of the glory of God to manifest before Men and Angels how He did accept of those holy services that thou didst tender up to Him when hypocrites shall be cast away and abhor'd and thou who had'st an upright sincere heart shalt be owned before God and before Men and Angels at that great Day and God shall say Well it is a part of the glory of my Holiness to make it appear that I have accepted of these holy things that these my poor servants have tendered up to me And this now is of marveilous use for the comforting of a gracious heart those duties that thou doest now think thou hast lost and there will nothing come of them thou shalt certainly hear of them another day God will make it appear there is nothing that He stands more upon than the glory of his Holiness and it is the glory of his Holiness that is thy strength in this thing and that makes it certain to thee that there must be a manifestation of thy acceptance and therefore take these Truths into thy heart about Sanctifying the Name of God You have had only the Point in generall opened to you Oh that the Spirit of God would bring things unto your remembrance SERMON VIII LEVITICUS 10.3 I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE have as you may remember Preached many SERMONS upon that Point of Sanctifying the Name of God in the duties of his Worship We have spoken
before this Holy God We had need take heed how we appear in his presence and Worship him according to the way that He himself would be Worshipped As if Moses should say This Honor that God hath by this means in the hearts of his people it is that that you should account a greater good then the Lives of your Children whatever they are This is the Scope of Moses speech to Aaron Now upon this the Text faith Aaron held his peace He was silenced It may be before He was expressing himself in greif and sorrow'd exceeding much in words but now he was quiet and had nothing to say he did by his silence acknowledge his Children were deer to him but it 's fit that God should be glorified what ever becomes of his Children and therefore Aaron holds his peace But the word that is here translated Holds his peace It hath more in it then meer silence for the Hebrews have another word to signifie meer silence of speech but this signifies a staying of the heart that it doth not further proceed in any trouble of spirit a silence in the very heart and staying of it a staying of the motions of the heart I find the same word to be used in Scripture when Joshua said to the Sun stand still stay thy self on Gibeon Jos 10.12 It 's the same word that is here translated and Aaron held his peace that is he was stayed from further vexing or troubling of himself or being disquieted Whereas his heart was in a strong violent motion Now Moses speech did stop him and gave a stop to his heart to make it stand still in a wonderful manner As the Sun when Joshua spake to it to stand still As if the Lord should have spoken to his â—eart Aaron thy heart is in a mighty strong motion but consider that I must be Sanctified in those that draw nigh me and let all those motions of thy heart be stopt and quiet Thus now you see the meaning of the Scripture and the scope of it Now in this Scripture you have these Three special and notable Points 1 That in worshiping of God there is a drawing nigh unto Him 2 That when we do draw nigh to God we should take heed to our selves that we Sanctifie Gods Name 3 If we do not Sanctifie Gods Name in our drawings nigh to Him then certainly God will Sanctifie his own Name upon us These are the three Points that I intend to handle And especially the second to handle largly among you I confess upon another occasion in one Sermon I have spoke out of these words but now I intend not only in general to shew you how you should sanctify Gods Name in Worship but likewise in the particular Acts of Worship As Sanctifying his Name in Prayer in Receiving the Sacrament in Hearing the Word in the severall cheif parts of the Worship of God how his Name should be Sanctified For in al these you do draw nigh to God And for that end I have pitcht my thoughes upon this Scripture But before I come to these three great Points that are the principal Points in the words read unto you I shal take up divers other notes of observation that lie up and down as it were scattered that are of great use and will help us further to make use of this Scriture in the other points that I shall come to afterwards and handle more largely The first Note is this That in Gods Worship there must be nothing tendered up to God but what he hath commanded whatsoever we meddle with in the Worship of God it must be what we have a Warrant for out of the Word of God For this speech of Moses is upon occasion of the Judgment of God upon Aarons Sons for offering strange fire They offered fire that God had not commanded Hence I say that all things in Gods worship must have a warrant out of Gods word must be commanded It 's not enough that it is not forbidden I beseech you observe it it is not enough that a thing is not forbidden and what hurt is there in it But it must be commanded I confess in matters that are Civil and natural there this may be enough If it be but according to the rules of prudence and not forbidden in the word we may make use of this in Civil and natural things But now when we come to matters of Religion and the Worship of God we must either have a command or somewhat out of Gods Word by some Consequence drawn from some Command wherein God manifests his will either a direct command or by comparing one thing with another or drawing consequences plainly from the Words We must have a warrant for the Worship of God One would have thought that these Priests offering Incense to the true God what hurt was there in taking other Fire But there was no Command for it and therefore it was not accepted It 's true there are some things in the Worship of God that are Natural and Civil helps and there we need not have any Command As for instance when we come to Worship God the Congregation meets they must have a convenient place to keep the Air and weather from them now this is but a natural help and so far as I Use the place of worship as a natural help I need have no Command But if I will put any thing in a Place beyond what it hath in it's own nature There I must look for a Command For if I account one place more Holy than another or to think that God should accept of worship in one place rather than in another This is to raise it above what it is in it's own Nature So that when any Creature is raised in a Religious way above what it hath in it by Nature if I have not Scripture to warrant me I am therein Superstitious It 's a very useful rule for to help you If any Creature that you make any use of in away of Religion beyond what it hath in its own Nature if you have not some warrant from the Word of God whatsoever specious shew there may be in it it is Superstition As now for the place there was a place that was Holy but then it had an Institution from God And so for garments to use those that are decent the light of reason is enough but if I wil put any thing upon them beyond what there is in them in their own nature as heretofore in a Surplis what Had that any more decency in it's owne nature but only mans Institution Now when man shall put a Religious respect upon a thing by vertue of his own Institution when he hath not a warrant from God Here 's Superstition we must al be willing worshippers but no Wil-worshippers We must come freely to Worship God but we must not Worship God according to our own wils and therefore what ever we do in the Worship of God if we have
not a warrant for it when this is said who requireth this at your hands It will stop our mouthes another day In Matthew 15.9 In vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrine the Commandements of men In vain it is a vaine thing to Worship God when there is nothing but a Commandement of man for this Worship If you would Worship God you must have a Commandement of God for the Worship And in Isa 29.13 there is a place to the same purpose that shews how the Lord is offended with any man that shal teach his fear by their own precepts Wherefore the Lord said Forasmuch as this people draw neer me with their mouth and with their lips do honor me but have removed their heart far from me and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men Mark it Now if this be so the Lord have mercy upon us in this thing You have cause to be humbled every one of you I beleeve in some degree or other this Congregation very much and most Congregations that have had the fear of God taught them by the precepts of men How many things have there been in the Worship of God that you can shew no warrant in the Word for A great many things meerly mens inventions however they are now cast out because Authority came in and cast them out and so you submit to it but that 's not enough for you to submit to it because Authority would have it so but you ought to be humbled before God for all your Will worship for all your yeildings to any thing in the Worship of God that was taught by the precepts of men You see how severe God was to Nadab and Abibu for but taking other fire then that which God had appointed to offer up Incense though there was no direct commandment against it If the Lord hath spared you and not manifested any displeasure upon you you have cause to acknowledge Gods mercy and to be humbled for all your false worship Certainly God doth expect it from this Land to be humbled for their will-Worship or otherwise they sow among thornes All the Reformation that is among us if there be not a humiliation before for all our false-Worship 't is not enough that we set up now the true Worship of God but we must be humbled for our false Worship And that 's the first Note That in the Worship of God there must be nothing but what God Commands The Second Note is In the Matters of Worship God stands upon little things Such things as seem to be very small and little to us yet God stands much upon them in the matter of Worship For there is nothing wherein the Prerogative of God doth more appear than in Worship as Princes they stand much upon their Prerogatives Now God hath written the Law of natural Worship in our hearts as that we should love God fear God trust in God and pray to God this God hath written in our hearts But there are other things in the Worship of God that are not written in our hearts that only depend upon the Will of God revealed in his Word which were no duties except they were revealed in his Word And these are of such a nature as we can see no reason for but only this because God will have them As now There are many kinds of Ceremonies to manifest honour to Princes that there is no reason for them at all but meerly because it is a Civill Institution so appointed So God would have some wayes for the honoring of Him that the Creature should not see into the reason of them but meerly the Will of God to have them so Now God stands much upon little things though men would think it a little matter whether this fire or that fire and will not this burn as well as that But God stands upon it And so for the Ark when Vzza did but touch the Ark when it was ready to fall we would think it no great matter but one touch of the Ark cost him his life There is not any one minnim in the Worship of God but God stands mightily upon it In the matter of the Sabbath that 's His Worship for a poor man to gather a few sticks what great matter is it Put God stands upon it And so when the men of Beth-shemesh did but look into the Ark it cost the lives of fifty thousand threescore and ten men If it be a matter of a holy thing that concerns his worship he would not have it abused in any thing Let us learn to make conscience of little things in the Worship of God and not to think O how nice such are and how precise and nice in such small things Thou doest not understand the nature of Divine worship if so be thou art not nice about it God is nice and stands upon little things in the matter of his Worship Another Note is this That there are no priviledges or dignities of men that can secure them from God sâ—roke First Moses the man of God he was their Uncle Aaron that great instrument of Gods glory he was their Father They were men that were newly consecrated to the Priests office they were renowned men that God put much glory upon yet if they will venture but to offend God in this little thing Gods wrath breaks out upon them and kils them presently Let us take heed then of venturing and do not think that any services that we have done heretofore can bear us out If the greatest cannot be bore out with all their Priviledges how dare we poor wormes venture upon the displeasure of God Thou that art a worthless creature of no use at all in the world darest thou provoke this God when as the Lord is so angry against men that are of great use and service to let out his wrath upon them suddenly If you should see a Prince not spare his Favorite or his Nobles that are about him but upon one offence that we think is but a little offence that the Pinces anger should be so much against them as to cost them their lives what cause is there for poor people to tremble then when they have done that which may incur the anger of their Prince You see all outward priviledges and greatness will not excuse from the stroke of Gods Justice it should not excuse from the stroke of mans justice It 's true among men poor people they go to it if they offend but if great men offend they escape but it is not so with God for Nadab and Abihu were great and renowned men The Fourth Note is That the more the dignity of men is the more is their danger if they look not to it And this Note I gather from hence That Nadab and Abihu were the two eldest sons of Aaron and we find in the Scripture that Eleazer and Ithamer that were the two other sons of Aaron they escaped and were not thus consumed Why
the praise of men to be thy God for whatsoever thou doest lift up in the highest place that 's thy God whatsoever it be therefore if thou liftest up the praise of men and makest that thy end thou makest that thy God and so thou art a worshipper of men but not a worshipper of God Thirdly Take heed of making Self thy end there are some that are not so base low in their hearts as to make the praise of men their end but they aime and look at themselves that is they aime at their own peace and satisfying their own Consciences in the performance of duties now though it 's true when we performe duties of Gods Worship we may expect to receive some good to our selves and we may be incouraged to the duties by the expectation of good to our selves yet we must look higher we must look at the honor and praise of God that the Name of the blessed God may be honored Now I am going to Prayer Oh that I may pray so as I may lift up Gods Name I am going to Hear Oh that I may hear so as God may be honored by my hearing 't is this that carries me on to hearing the Word and makes me rise readily and to go forth cheerfully I hope that God may have some honour by my hearing this day God knows that this is the thing that I aim at I do not come for company nor to be seen of men neither do I come meerly to satisfie mine own Conscience Others go and hear such Truths of God as do good to their Souls and if I should neglect them meerly for mine own ease my Conscience would not let me be quiet howsoever there are many whose Consciences will be quiet enough though they lose an opportunity in the Worship of God but yet there are others whose Consciences cannot do so their Consciences would tell them when they are lying and turning themselves upon their beds How do you know but that God had something to speak to thy heart this morning that may never be spoken to thy heart at any other time therefore they cannot be at quiet except they attend upon God in the duties of his Worship but still this is not enough meerly to satisfie Conscience thy main end it must be that thou mayest this day know some part of the mind of God that God may speak to thy heart that so thou mayest be fitted to honour the name of God that thou mayest be inabled to live to his honour the week following so much the better As in this manner thy thoughts should be Lord I find a drossie carnal heart I am busie in the world in the week time and I find that my heart is sullied and defiled with the businesse of the World and intangled but Lord thou hast appointed thy Sabbath and Word to be a means to Sanctifie my heart and to clense it Oh Lord communicate thy grace to my Soul through thy Ordinances upon this day that so I may be inabled the week following the better to live to thine honour Lord I come into thy presence to that end that I might know some part of thy Will and that I might get thy Spirit to be conveyed through this Word of thine into my heart this should be thy end when ever thou comest and not only Self I will give you two or three Scriptures to shew that God regards little any duties where self is the highest end the First is in Hos 7.14 They howled upon their beds saith the Text there but they cryed not to me The Lord there did acknowledge that they were very much affected in their Prayers but what was it it was but a howling upon their beds and how so it was because only they did cry for themselves They have not cryed unto me saith the Lord with their heart when they howled upon their beds It was but meerly for Corn and Wine and Oyle but not unto me they aim'd at themselves and not at me And in Amos 5.22 there the Lord professes that he did reject the fat of their peace-offerings Though ye offer me saith he burnt-offerings and your meat-offerings I will not accept them neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts They were careful to offer their fattest beasts in their peace-offerings and will not God regard them It was in their peace-offerings that they offered their fat beasts and there they were to eate a great part of it themselves Indeed the burnt-offering was wholly offered unto God God had all that but the peace-offering those that did offer it they did eat a great part of it themselves now they were very careful in those offerings that they were to partake of themselves to offer fat beasts you do not see that the Holy-Ghost takes any notice of fat beasts in their burnt-offerings Now the Note from hence is this That in those things where men are interested themselves they will be very careful to have the best things But now the Lord rejected the fat beasts of their peace-offerings saith God You were very careful to offer fat beasts in your peace-offerings where you may feed your selves but for those offerings wherein I have all there you are not so careful and therefore I regard them not The Third Scripture is in Zach. 7.5 there they did keep many daies in seeking of God is is an observable Scripture for these times Speak unto all the People of the Land and to the Priests saying When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month even those seventy yeers Did ye at all fast unto me even unto me Mark the phrase you fasted in the fifth and seventh month and for seventy yeers together but saith the Lord Did you at all fast unto me and then mark how it is doubled To me even unto me Noting that when we fast or pray or do any thing in the Worship of God we should be sure to aime at God more than our selves that God may not say of us another day Do you do it to me even to me You may ask me this Question How may I know that I am acted by self-ends in holy duties for it is a hard thing for one to know ones own heart when one it acted by principles of self and when we aim at God in holy duties Now for that I will give you these notes to try whether you be acted from your selves or no. The First is this If a man loves holy duties though he finds no present good comes in by them because they are such things as God requires and therefore though I get nothing by them yet this is enough to carry me on and to carry me on readily and willingly in the Worship of God those that can delight in Gods Worship even at that time though they find nothing coming in to themselves But now when we find not that coming in that we do desire we begin to be weary of Worship and say
that is there must not be a heart and a heart there must not be a compounded heart but you must bring simple hearts before God without any composition of dross in your selves and of any kind of falsness but in the simplicity of your hearts you must come to worship God and thus you shall worship him with such worship as is some way suitable to him as he is a Spirit 2 Further consider God as he is an eternal God what suitable disposition doth this require of me when I am to look upon God as an eternal being it requires this only That therefore thy heart must be taken off from all temporal good things and set upon that eternal good thou mayest indeed desire these outward good things but in order to thy eternal good Then further Thou art worshipping an eternal God hence then whatsoever sin thou doest confess although committed 20. or 40. yeers ago thou must look upon it as if it were now presently committed and be humbled as much before the Lord as if it were now committed at this present you will say Why so Because God is an Eternal God Yes For if I understand Gods Eternity I know that there is no succession in Gods being therefore the sins that I committed in my youth if I come to confess them they are before God as if they were now a doing in regard of time and therefore I must as much as I can look so upon them and be humbled for them as if they were sins lately committed Many people are troubled for their sins the very day after they commit them but a little time wears off their trouble but if you did consider that you had to deal with an eternal God then you would look upon your sinnes though a long time since committed as if they were but now done Likewise there will be this required from the consideration of Gods Eternity You must come with such a disposition of heart as not to think much though what you desired be deferred and not granted in your time when you would have it For if there be no time that alters with God but a thousand yeers are with God as one day then that that we account long before it s done it is nothing with God and therefore we must have our hearts so work towards God as towards an Eternal God as one with whom there is no alteration of time at all with whom there is no succession of time If we come to a man and seek any thing of him if he doth not answer us presently we will think that he will forget it and other things wil come into his mind but when we come to worship God we must look upon Him as an Eternal being and that time alters nothing with him Thus understanding God in a right way wil much help us in his worship and to Sanctifie His Name We cannot Sanctifie Gods Name without knowing His name without having serious thoughts about His Name and getting our hearts to work accordingly 3 Thirdly Look upon God when you come to Worship Him in His incomprehensible being that is as a God that fils all places His being is as real in the room that we are praying in the place that we are meeting in as it is in Heaven Now then when we come to worship Him we must consider that that infinit glorious being stands before us looks upon us is at our elbow and therefore especially when you Worship in Secret consider this it is good to consider it when you are with others but especially I say consider it when you are in secret and know that when you are most private you have one that looks on you and takes notice of you who is more than if you had ten hundred thousand witnesses standing by you and looking upon you For it is the Lord that stands by you and sees your behaviour sees what you do in your worshipping of Him take heed therefore that there be nothing done by you that is unbeseeming the presence of such a God as the Lord is Suppose that some of you were praying and there were some godly able Minister stood neer you it would be some means to stir up your hearts to mind what you did but now the Lord He is not in the next room only but in the same room and stands by you Lâ—t there be nothing done therefore unbeseeming the presence of that infinite holy God that stands by you and hold this Truth forth the Lord is present with me I acknowledge it and I own it and therefore I carry my self thus and all because I would witnes to Angels and men that I do accknowledg that the Lord is present with me in this duty 4 Fourthly Consider God is an unchangable God immutable That is another Attribute of God He is unchangeable First Therefore our hearts must be taken off from these mutable things and set upon God as that unchangable good Secondly We must be humbled for our fickleness and unconstantness there is no shadow of change in God and there is no shadow of constancy in us Thirdly When we come into the presence of a God who is unchangable then we should look upon God as being the same now that ever He was heretofore He hath as much displeasure against sin now as ever He had and that God that hath done such great things for His Church in former times is the same God to do good to His people as ever He was and make use of this When you reade the Word and there find how God hath made Himself appear to be glorious for His people and now every time I am to worship God I should think that I am to deal with God that is the same that ever he was as merciful and gracious and just and powerful as ever He was and so my heart is to work towards Him 5 Fiftly When I am to Worship God I am to look upon Him as the living God as that God that hath life in Himselfe and gives life unto his creatures Then what sutable behaviour doth become me I must come before His presence with fear It is a fearfull thing to fall into His hands that is the living God that hath my life under His feet He hath the absolute dispose of my present and eternal condition He gave me my life He hath preserved my life and so may take it away when He pleases and bring death eternal death unto me These things may marveilously help your meditation when you are to come before Him you who are barren in your meditations go over the Attributes of God thus and consider what you may be able to draw from thence God He is the living God What behaviour then doth beseeme me towards this living God Oh let me be afraid lest my Soul depart from the living God Let me bring a living Service to Him I must not bring a dead heart let me take heed how I come before the living God
of the secrets of all hearts Thou knowest that I go with such a resolution to yeeld up my self to every truth of thine How would the Name of God be Sanctified if you did thus come to hear the Word If you did come with such a resolution Job 32.34 That wich I know not teach thou me and if I have done iniquity I will do no more In Isa 2.3 you have a prophesie of the Gentils how they should come to the Word And many people shall go and say Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his waies and we will walk in his paths Here is a blessed disposiâ—ion when you come to hear the Word Some of you come together in streets and Ianes and over the fields when you come together and meet one with another as you walk over the fields make use of this text Oh that this prophesie might be fulfilled in your coming over the fields every Lords day morning and at other times that you would say one to another or when you call one upon another to go to hear Come let us go up to the house of the Lord and he will teach us of his waies and we will walk in his paths We are resolved that whatever the Lord shall teach us to be his waies we will submit unto it This is a due preparation of the heart for the Sanctifying of Gods Name in the hearing of his word 4 When you come to hear the word come with longing desires after the word come with an appetite to it As in 1 Pet. 2.2 As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that yee may grow thereby Do it as new born babes Now you know little babes they do not desire milk to play withal but only to nourish them Children of three or four yeers old they may desire milk to play with but new born babes never care for it but when they are hungry to nourish them And so it is true many come to hear the word to play with it But now you should come to hear the word as new born babes with a hungring desire after the word that your Souls may be nourished thereby That were excellent if every Lords day and at other daies you did come as hungry to the Word as ever you went to your dinner or supper The Word of God should be to you more than your appointed food And then you are like to grow by it and to Sanctifie Gods Name in it 5 Pray before-hand That God would open thine eyes and open thine heart and accompany His Word thus did David Open mine eyes O Lord that I may understand the wonders of thy Law And you know what is said of Lydia The Lord opened her heart to attend to the Word that was spoken Now seeing it is an Ordinance thou doest expect more good from than what it self of of it's own nature is able to convey thou hadest need to Pray Lord I go to such an Ordinance of thine and I know there is no efficacy in it's self it is not able to reach to such effects as I expect that is to have my heart spoken too and quickened and to have mine eyes opened but O Lord open mine eyes and open mine heart Lord my heart naturally is lockt up against thy Word there are such wards in my heart that except thou art pleased to put in a key that may fit my heart it will never open Man he is not able to know my heart and therefore he cannot fit a key to answer every ward to resolve every doubt to silence every objection but Lord thou canst do it Do thou Lord therefore fit thy Word this day that may meet with my heart Lord I have gone often to thy Word and the key hath stuck in it and it hath not opened but Lord if thou wouldest but fit it and turn it with thine own hand my heart would open Oh come with such a praying heart to the Word and thereby shalt thou Sanctifie the Name of God in hearing His Word this is to come to the Word as to the Word of God you must not come to the hearing of the word as to hear a Spech or an Oration but come in such a preparation as this is and so I say God will be glorified and you will be profited The next thing is What should be the behaviour of the Soul in tht Sanctifying Gods Name in the word when it is come Now to that there are these particulars 1 First There must be a carefull attention unto the Word you must set your hearts unto it as Moses in Deut. 32.46 he said unto the people Set your hearts unto all the words which I testifie among you this day which you shall command your Children to observe to do for it is not a vain thing for you because it is your life Set your hearts to it for it iâ— not a vain thing it is your life when you come to hear the word give diligent attention to what you hear In Acts 8.6 it is said The people with one accord gave heed unto 〈◊〉 things which Philip spake They gave heed The word is used often in Scripture sometimes it is used for to beware of a thing Beware of the leven of the Pharisees Beware of them As a man when he sees an enemy and is aware of him he is very diligent to observe how to avoid him So there should be as much diligence to get good by the word as one would be diligent to avoid any danger whatsoever And the word signifies somtimes to give such heed as a disciple gives unto his master so they gave need to the word So in Pro. 2.1 2. My son if thou wilt receive my words and hide my commandements with thee so that thou encline thine eaâ—e unto wisdome We must diligently attend and not to suffer our eyes and our thoughts to be wandring but diligently attend to what is said my brethren there is all things that may challenge attention in the word What would make you to attend to any thing First If he that speaks were much above you If it were a great Prince or Lord that spake to you then you would attend Now though it is true it is but a man that it may be is inferiour to most of you that speaks yet know in him it is the Lord of Heaven and Earth that speaks to you And so you know what Christ saith Hee that heareth you heareth me So though you would not attend in respect of the Messenger so much yet as it is the Son of God that is speaking to you it may challenge your attention This day if you should hear a voice out of the clouds from Heaven speaking to you would you not then listen the truth is we should listen as much to the voice of God in the Ministry of His Word as if so be
God shall have no place in the heart If a temptation to sin comes that hath a place in the heart but when the Word comes that hath no place in the heart I say it is a very sad thing that we can find no room for the Word we should get room for the Word Open ye gates Stand open ye everlasting doors that the King of Glory may come in Know that when you come to hear the Word the Lord is knocking at the doors of your hearts have not you felt it sometimes Open Oh open the doors let all be opened to receive the Word into your hearts That is the Second thing for the behaviour of the Soul in hearing 3 The third thing is the careful applying of the Word so in Pro. 2.2 There must be an applying of the heart to the word and an applying of the word unto the heart All action is by an application of the thing that doth act unto the subject there must be an application of the word to thy soul as now Suppose thou comest to hear the Word and thou hearest of some sin that it may be thou knowest thou art guilty of take the Word and lay it to thy heart and say The Lord hath met with my soul this day the Lord hath spoken to me to the end that I might be humbled for this sin and the other sin that my Conscience tels me I am guilty of So doth the Lord put thee upon a duty that concerns thee acknowledge this the Lord hath spoken to me this day and put me upon the reformation of my family and the reformation of my own heart Is there a word presented apply that and let not the trouble of thy heart cause thee to cast off that word that God hath spoken to thee The application of the word to the heart it is of marveilous use and it concerns not only Ministers in general to lay before people the Doctrine of the Gospel but to apply it And know that it concerns you as well as Ministers to apply it And not only when they come to that that is called use but all the way in the opening of the Word it concerns you all to apply it to your own souls and to consider How doth it concern me in particular My brethren there is no such way to honour God or get good to your own souls as the application of the Word unto your selves As a man that is asleep if there be annoise made it will not awake him so soon but come and call him by his name and say John or Thomas and that will awake him sooner than a greater noise will So when the Word makes a noise when it is delivered only in the general men take little notice of it but when the Word comes particularly to the souls of men and doth as it were call them by name thi awakens them now God many times doth speak to your hearts but you should apply it you know the word is compared to meat and it must be applyed to the body Then do we worship God in a right way when as we take notice of Gods Word as concerning us in particular as that notable Scripture that you have in 1 Cor. 14.25 Where there comes a poor man into the Church of God and hears Prophesying hears the Word opened and the text saith He is c nvinced of all 〈…〉 and then in verse 25. Thus are the secrets of his heart manifes◠and 〈◊〉 falling down on his face he worship◠God and reports that God is in you of a truth that is when the Word comes and meets with his Soul in particular that he finds himself to be aim'd at by the Word then he worships God and saith that God certainly is in them here 's the reason now that when you come to hear the word you do not worship God because you apply it not to your selves you are ready to say this was well spoken to such a one and it concerns such a one but how doth it concern thy soul in particular Sometimes the Lord doth even force men and women to apply it whether they will or no for that they think the Minister speaks to them in particular and that no body was spoken too in the Congregation but themselves This is a Mercy when the Lord doth it unto you but it is a greater Mercy when the Lord gives you a heart to apply it to your selves and although it may trouble you a little for the present yet be willing to apply it and account it a great Mercy from the Lord That the Lord will be pleased to speak in particular to your Souls 4 Fourthly We must mix Faith with the Word or otherwise it will do us but little good Apply it and then beleeve it In Heb. 4.2 it is said that The Word preached did not profit them not being mixed with Faith in them that heard it Wherefore there must be a mixture of Faith to beleeve the word that the Lord brings unto you Now concerning that I 'le but propound these few particulars You will say Must we beleeve every thing that is spoken sometimes there are some things spoken that we cannot tell how to beleeve I do not mean so to beleeve every thing meerly being spoken for you must take heed what you hear as well as how you hear but do thus much at least 1 〈◊〉 the First place Whatsoever comes in the Name of God to you except you know certainly it is not according to the written Word you owe so much respect to it as to examine it at least to try it whether it be so or no as it is said of those Wel-bred men that I spake of that they did examine whether things were so or no. Do not cast off any thing presently that comes in the Name of God Now any thing that hath the broad Seal upon it you must not disobey You will say It may be counterfeit but do not disobey it till you be sure it be counterfeit Oh that men would give but this respect to all things that they hear never to cast them off till they have examined and tryed whether they be so or no. 2 Secondly Do but grant this respect to the Word that is spoken to you as to think thus What it all that I hear spoken against my sin which laies open the dangerous condition that my soul is in prove to be true what a case were I in then This hath been the beginning of the conversion of many Souls the having but such a thought as this It may be things are not so terrible as I hear but what if they do prove so then I am undone for ever Dare I venture my Soul and my eternal estate upon hopes that these things are not so bad as I hear I beleeve if you would put your selves to it you would think it a bold adventure and the comfort that any of you have grounded upon this meerly hoping that things are
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 sutableness to 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 it self honestly according unto the gravity holiness 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 hear 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 must 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 flight 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 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 stir'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 Psalm 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 Truths upon the Lords day if you would hide them thus in your hearts and keep them all the week they would help you against the many temptations that you meet withall you go abroad on the week daies into company and there you meet with a temptation and it overcomes you and you â—omplain Alas I am weak I have met with a temptation and it hath foil'd me But had you hid the word that you heard on the Lords day in your heart it would have kept you from the strength of your temptation that it should not have overcome you those that are truly godly they have a care to hide the word in their hearts when they hear it they think this word shall help me against such and such sins which I am prone to by nature and when a temptation comes to that sin I hope I shall have use of the word that I have heard this day As now suppose you hear a word against passion then you should hide that word in your hearts against that time that temptation comes to passion And you hear a word against sensuallity and abuse of the creatures you should hide that word against that temptation cometh And you hear a word against unrighteousnesse and unjust dealings when a temptation comes to that sin you should hide that word against that time So you hear a word that speaks of obedience to parents and servants duties to governors now you should hide that word in your hearts against that time I have hid thy word in my heart that I might not sin against thee You say that you would fain withstand and not be overcome with temptations why here is the way hide the Word within thee that thou mayest not sin against him And so in Pro. 2.1 you have a Scripture to the same purpose about hiding the commandements within us And then in 1 Joh. 2.14 I write unto you young men because you are strong and the Word of God abideth in you and ye have overcome the wicked one I have written to you young men you are young you have strong natures and so strength of nature for God But how comes this to pass You are strong and the Word of God abideth in you here is an excellent Scripture for all young men you have your memories fresh and if you will exercise your memories about any thing it should be in the Word of God it is a comely and an excellent thing to see young ones to have the Word of God abiding in them that if you come to them not only a week but a month after they have heard the word they are able to give you an account of it I am verily perswaded that there are many young ones in this place that are able to give you old ones If you ask them an account of what it is to Sanctifie Gods Name in the duties of Worship and why because the Word of God abideth in them It is the honour of young men to have the Word of God to abide in them and hereby they overcome the wicked one And on the other side many young people that do come to hear the Word it may be they are drawn to it by others or it may be they love to have a walk in the morning but the Word of God abideth not in them and therefore when the wicked one comes with temptations the week after they are overcome by him but those that have the Word of God abiding in them they overcome the wicked one And so in Joh. 8.31 you have a very remarkable Scripture for this purpose of keeping the Word after we have heard it Then said Jesus to those which beleeved on him if you continue in my Word then are you my Disciples indeed I beseech you observe it It is said that the Jewes did beleeve in Christ and yet saith Christ If ye continue in my Word then are you my Disciples why were they not the Disciples of Christ that did beleeve in him By this beleeving therefore we must understand some kind of general notion that they had of Christ they began to think that
word that I did reverence that I did obey that I did love that I made to be the joy of my heart this Word the Lord now doth magnifie and make to be honorable This will be comfortable to thy soul The Eleventh SERMON LEVITICUS 10.3 I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me THE last day we finished the Point of Sanctification of the Name of God in the hearing of His Word and now we will proceed to the Sanctification of the Name of God in Receiving the Sacrament that 's the next duty of Worship Now first for the word Sacrament I confese we have not that word in all the Scripture as neither have we the word Trinity and divers other words that Ministers make use of to set forth the Mysteries of Religion by but yet it is useful to consider the meaning why ministers in the Church have given this name unto those signs and seals that the Church receives Sacrament is to hallow a thing or to dedicate because in the Sacraments there are outward things that ere made holy for holy and spiritual ends Secondly We our selves do as it were hallow or dedicate our selves unto God in the use of these Ordinances that 's one reason from whence it hath the name Or otherwise as some will have it Sacramentum because it is to be received Sacramente with a holy mind and therefore cal'd the Sacrament The Churches have used it a long time in Tertullians time which was above fourteen hundred years agoe he was the first that we find used this word and most that would open the word unto us say that especially it was taken from the practise of Souldiers who when they came and listed themselves bound themselves in a solemn oath to be faithful to their Captain and to the Cause that they did undertake and the oath they were wont to call Sacramentum A Sacrament Now in regard that Christians when they come to this Ordinance they come to seale a Covenant with God and though they do not formally and explicitely take an oath yet they bind themselves in a holy Covenant which hath the strength even of an oath in it For a solemn Promise to the high God hath the strength of an oath in it and from thence they were cal'd by these names Sacraments but that for the word that you may understand it But the word the Scripture useth to set out this Sacrament by that now I am speaking of is the Communion of the body and blood of Christ so you have it in 1 Cor. 10.6 The Cup of blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ The bread which we break is it not the Communion of the body of Christ I say we are now treating about this point how we are to Sanctifie the Name of God in that which the Scripture cals the Communion of the body and blood of Christ And now for the opening of that First We must know that this is a part of the Worship of God and we draw nigh to God in this or otherwise it will not come up to our point And then we shall shew that God is to be Sanctified in this duty of worship And then thirdly how First We doe in this draw nigh to God We worship God For when we are comming to receive these holy Signes and Seals we come to present our selves before God and we have to deal with God himselfe in a service that he himselfe requires of us in a Holy in a Divine Service we come to present our selves to God for blessing for Communication of some higher good unto us then possibly those Creatures that we have to deal with are able of themselves to covey to us we come for a higher good than to tast a piece of bread or to drink a draught of wine we come I say to present our selves to God that we might have Communion with him and that we might have the blessing of the Covenant of grace conveyed unto us through these things now certainly this is a drawing nigh to God for to present our selves for the Conveyance of the blessing of the Covenant of grace through these Creatures yea that we might have Communion with God himself in them this is drawing nigh to him when we come to his Table therefore we draw nigh to God had not God instituted and appointed these Creatures Bread and Wine and the actions about them to be the means of Conveyance of blessing unto as it had been Will-worship for us to have expected any further presence of God in such Creatures than there is in the nature of them It is true God is present with every Creature when we eat and drink at our Tables God is present there but we cannot be said to draw nigh to God and worship God there for we there look for no further presence of God with us in them to convey further good than the Lord hath put into the nature of those things only when godly people take them and receive them as blessings sanctified by the word they take them as the blessings of God that come out of love to them But now when we come to receive that which is cal'd the Communion there we expect things that are beyond the nature of these Creatures to convey that that is by an institution of God set a part for supernatural uses and ends not to convey in any natural way such and such things but in a supernatural way through the institution of God and so it comes to be worship Had we not I say a command for this it were superstition and Idolatry for us to make use of such Creatures for such ends If any man in the world should have appointed a piece of Bread or a draught of wine to have signified and sealed the body and blood of Christ it had bin superstition in any and Wil-worship and sinful and abominable to you but we are to look upon God setting apart these Creatures for such holy and solemn ends and therefore when we come to be exercised in them we come to worship God and we come likewise to tender up our homage to God when we come to attend upon him in such Ordinances as these are to tender up that homage that is due from us poor Creatures unto such an infinite and glorious God and therefore we draw nigh to him in these Secondly We must sanctifie Gods Name in drawing nigh to him whatsoever we do whether we eat or drink we must do all to the glory of God Now if in our common eating and drinking we must do all to the glory of God then certainly in this spiritual eating and drinking there must be some special thing done for the glory of God in this 1. Because there is so much of God in it for here there is a presenting before us the great yea the greatest mysteries of salvation and the deep Counsels of God concerning eternal life are presented before us in
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 work 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 be a speciall means to compose thy Spirit and to keep thee from wandring 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 talk together no saith he I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down so when the Devil and the vanity of thine own heart would send to thee to parly and talke as it were with thee give an Answer I cannnt stand parlying with these things the work that I am about is a great work there are very few people that do account the work of prayer a great work if thou didst it would help thee much against the vanity of thy thoughts Secondly Every time thou goest to prayer thou that art most troubled with such vain thoughts renew thy resolutions against them I have been troubled with vain thoughts heretofore and am afraid if I look 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 over 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 he doth resolve upon it and set himselfe upon it and doth resolve through the grace of God that what soever difficultie he meets withall whatsoever it cost him that he will goe through this work 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 many a prayer by vaine thoughts and thou hast been troubled for them 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 renew thy resolutions and Covenant with God that for this prayer I will set my selfe against them whatsoever pains I take I will b sure yet withall to look up to Gods grace to assist me I will be sure this prayer to keep my heart close to what I am about and perhaps that will help you a little but yet some vaine thoughts will come for all that then the next night renew them again and the next morning renew them again and that till thou comest to a habit of keeping thy heart close to the dutie 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 real light of the infinite greatnesse Majestie and glory of that you present your selves unto when you are calling upon him if so be that thou canst have a real sight of God in his glory it will keep thy heart close to the dutie 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 coming in so if you would present the Lord in his glory and greatnesse excellencie majestie and power before you and what a dreadful God he is in himself and yet what a merciful God he is to us in his Son 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 do 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 darted in some vaine thoughts now because the thought hath no great evill in it selfe therefore they think they may play with it and their hearts close with it and so run 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 great 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 sinful before God though the thoughts for the matter of them be never so good yet thou art to abandon them as sinful at that time Therefore never be deceived with this that the thoughts are not very sinful 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 help 't is a rule of very great use for us to get further assistance from God in any thing if so be our hearts be inlarged to blesse God for any assistance wee have had heretofore and the reason why we gain 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 mercies formerly received and therefore God takes little or no delight in comming in with further mercies to us as if you hâ—â— a young nursery of trees and they began to thrive very well 〈◊〉 there comes a company of Caterpillars and spoiles almost 〈◊〉 the young Trees
Page 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 Page 62 Which is done 1 When we offer all we have Page 63 2 When we greive that we can do no more Page 64 3 There is an impression of Gods infinitness on the duties of his Saints ibid 2 When the Soul follows after God as a God Page 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 greatness and glory ibid 1 It must be a sanctified heart Page 67 1 Because the Lord accepts the person before he accepts the action Page 69 2 God looks more at the principle of the duty than at the duty ibid 3 According as the heart is so will the duty be Page 70 SERMON V 2 In sanctifying Gods Name in worship we must have high thoughts of God Page 71 3 We must have high ends in worshipping God Page 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 Page 73 3 Making Self our end in his worship Page 74 Which we do 1 Whâ—â—â—e are weary of duties if we find not that we desire Page 76 2 When men are streightened in Worship and envy others that 〈◊〉 Page 77 3 W◠〈◊〉 regard holy duties 〈◊〉 in times of extremity ibid 4 There must be reverence and 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 worship Page 78 5 There must be strength in the dâ—â—es of Gods worship Page 80 Strength of Intention Page 81 Affection Page 82 Faculties Page 83 6 There must be a humble frame of Spirit Page 84 Which consists 1 In adâ—â—â—â—g Gods goodness that we are alive to come before him ibid 2 To have no thought of any excellency in our selves Page 85 3 To come without our own righteousness ibid 4 To take off our hearts from all abilitie of grace ibid 5 To wait Gods leasure in regard of the time Page 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 Page 87 When duties are acted by natural 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 Page 88 5 When there is not constancy in duty ibid Duties acted by natural Conscience 1 It gives no strength to do them ibid 2 The 〈…〉 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 Page 89 5 It limits it selfe in dutie ibid 6 It is satisfied with little Page 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 Page 91 How to Sanctifie Gods Name in reference to his Attributes 1 God is a Spirit and to be worshipped in Spirit Page 93 2 God is Eternall and how to worship him in that consideration Page 94 3. God is incomprehensible and therefore seeth us in every place Page 95 4 God is unchangeable what that should teach us in our worship Page 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 Page 97 7 God is Omniscient and what that should teach us Page 98 8 God is a God of Wisdom and what that should teach us Page 99 9 God is Holy and what that should teach us in one worship ibid 10 God is Mercifull and what that should teach us Page 100 11 God is Just and what that should teach us Page 101 12 God is Faithfull and what we should learn thence Page 102 SERMON VII Reasons why God will be sanctified in all the duties of his Worship 1 God doth will himself the last End Page 104 2 The especial glory God hath in the world is to be actively honored Page 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 Page 106 Application 1 We have no cause to rest on our duties Page 107 2 The work of Religion is hard to flesh and blood Page 109 3 We should be humbled that we have no more sanctified Gods Name Page 110 4 Exhortation to sanctifie Gods Name Page 113 1 To consider we have to deal with God in worship Page 114 2 Not to come in our own strength Page 115 3 Not to be satisfied with the duty done ibid 5 God is displeased with the duties of wiked men Page 116 1 God blasts such men Page 117 2 God opens their eyes on their death bed to see what they have done Page 118 6 Those that sanctifie Gods name he will Sanctifie it in a way of mercy Page 119 SERMON VIII Of sanctifying Gods name in hearing of the word Page 161 Hearing the word is a part of Gods worship Page 162 1 We profess our dependance upon God for the knowing of his mind Page 163 2 In hearing we wait on God in the way of an Ordinance ibid In hearing the word 1 There must be preparation Page 165 Which is 1 To hear the word as the word of God Page 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 Page 168 3 Resolution to yeild to all truths delivered Page 170 4 A desire after the word ibid 5 Prayer before we hear the word Page 171 The behaviour of the Soul in hearing the word 1 Careful attention to it ibid Means to help attention ibid 2 An opening of the heart to receive it Page 175 3 Careful applying of the word ibid 4 It must be mixed with faith Page 177 How the word is to be mixed with Faith ibid SERMON IX 5 The word must be received with meekness Page 179 6 It must be heard with a trembling heart Page 181 7 With humble subjection to the word Page 182 8 It must be received with love and joy Page 184 9 It must be received into an honest heart Page 186 10 We must hide the word in our hearts Page 189 11 We must turne the word into practice Page 192 SERMON X Why God will be glorified in them that hear the word Page 195 1 Because there is so much of God in it ibid 2 God hath appointed it to convey special mercies ibid 3 It is quick and lively in working Page 196 Use 1 Reproof of severall sorts of men concerning the Word neglected Page 197 The fearfull
and slew them both presently in the very Sanctuary before all the people for it was a solemn time being the beginning of the solemn Consecration of the Priesthood Upon this the spirit of Aaron could not but be exceedingly troubled to see his two Sons thus struck Now Moses comes to him and saith This is that which the Lord spake I will be Sanctified in them â—â—at draw nigh me and before all the people I will be glorified And upon this Aaron held his peace We reade that once fire came down from Heaven in a way of Mercy to consume the Sacrifices but now fire comes down from heaven in a way of Judgment to consume the Sacrificers even Nadab and Abihu they were Aarons sons the sons of a godly man the son of the High-Priest they were his eldest sons for Aaron had other sons besides Nadab and Abihu Eleazer and Ithamar but these were his two eldest sons they were two young men they were struck in the very prime of their age they were two that were newly consecrated in the Priests office for so you find it in the 9. Chap. And they were two men of renown in the country and before all the people of Israel two men that God had much honored heretofore as you shall find in the 24 Chap. of Exod and the beginning this Nadab and Abihu were men of great repute and great renown that God did much honor in former times for when God called Moses and Aaron with the Elders to come up to him He singles out Nadab and Abihu amongst the rest and names them And he said unto Moses Come up unto the Lord thou and Aaron Nadab and Abihu and 70. of the Elders of Israel Moses and Aaron Nadab and Abihu are only named and then 70. of the Elders in general but Moses Aaron Nadab and Abihu as if these were the four eminent men of renown among all the people of Israel he names none of the 70. Elders but these two besides Moses and Aaron therefore these two that were consumed by strange fire were renowned men and newly consecrated into their Office What was their sin Their sin it was offering of strange fire so the Text saith that they offered strange fire which God commanded them not in the beginning of the Chapter But had God ever forbidden it Where do we find that ever God had forbidden them to offer strange Fire or appointed that they should oner only one kind of fire There is no Text of Scripture that you can find from the beginning of Genesis to this place where God hath said in terminis in so many words expresly You shall offer no fire but one kind of fire And yet here they are consumed by fire from God for offering strange fire I find in the 30. of Exod. ver 9. that there they were forbidden offering strange Incense but I do not find that they were forbidden offering strange fire In Levit. 6.13 and divers verses in that Chapter we find that God had appointed that they should keep constantly the fire on the Altar burning and never to let it go out Now that was it seems Gods intention that therefore they should make use of that fire and that fire only God would have them to pick out his meaning God sent fire down from heaven upon the Altar so in the latter end of the 9. Chap. God sent down fire from heaven gave them a charge to keep that fire on the Altar constantly and never to let it go out so that it seems God would have them pick out his meaning that because he had sent down fire from heaven upon the Altar and gave them power to keep that constantly God would have them therfore to understand that what Incense or Sacrifice he would have the use of fire in it should be only that fire and no other though God did never say to them directly in these words You shall make use of this fire and no other but God would have them to understand this That 's their sin therefore in offering of strange fire Now fire comes from the Lord and doth consume them Some think this fire came from the Altar but surely it could not be any ordinary fire that did consume Nadab and Abihu at this time for you shall find in the next ver to my text That the bodies of Nadab and Abihu were not consumed by the fire no not their cloathes they were kil'd by the fire and yet their cloathes were whol therefore it was not an ordinary fire it was some Coelestial fire struck into them to slay them for so saith the text in the 4th ver Come neer carry away your brethren from before the Sanctuary out of the Camp and so they went and carried them in their coats out of the Camp so that their cloathes and bodies were not consumed only they were kil'd by the fire they were struck with a sudden death and that in the presence of the Lord such a death as God had never threatned in the Word before God had never threatned the Priests and said If you Offer strange fire you shall be consumed by fire but yet God smites them with death by fire they had not time to seek God no not so much as we use to say as to say Lord have mercy upon me they had no time to promise amendment at all now upon this heavy judgment the heart of Aaron could not possibly but be very much troubled yea and the spirit of Moses too for Moses was their unkle and Aaron their father they could not but be exceedingly much greived but Moses being the brother of Aaron seeing his spirit no question exceedingly troubled being under such a sad affliction and that such a Godly man even as Aaron was should have such a sad judgment befal his Children Moses comes and speaks comfortably to him and labors to support his spirit and how doth he do it He comes not as ordinarily you use to visit your brethren Oh! you must be content with this no but he comes and applyes the Word of God and shews how God must be Sanctified and by that he comes to quiet the heart of his brother Aaron This is that which the Lord hath spoke saith Moses He seeks to stay the heart of his Brother with that which God spake But where do we find that God spake this It 's hard to find in any Scripture these very words in terminis before this time and therefore Augustin thinks it was only the word God spake but not written and so they had it from hand to hand by tradition as many other things as the Prophecie of Enoch that the Apostle Jude speaks of you do not find it written in the Book of God and yet the Apostle speaks of it so that indeed it was from hand to hand yea and we find in the new Testament when Paul speaks of a thing that Christ should say how that our Lord saith It is a more blessed thing
to give than to receive you find it not recorded in the Gospels that Christ said so So this is that which the Lord said though it was not written from the beginning of Genesis to this very place or otherwise though it be not recorded in express terms yet somthing is recorded to the same purpose and effect and so it may seem to have reference to that Scripture Exod. 29.43 there we have a Scripture comes as neer to it as any I know And there will I meet with the children of Israel and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory that 's as much in effect as I will be sanctified in those that come nigh me in those that come to Worship me in my Tabernacle I will be Sanctified in all things that concern my Worship I will be sure to be Sanctified there I will be sanctified I will be Hallowed for it is the very same that you have in the Lords Prayer Hallowed be thy Name only that 's the Greek word and this is the Hebrew but if you would translate this word into Greek you must translate it by the same word that Christ spake when he taught his disciples to pray hallowed be thy name Hallowed and Sanctified is all one Lord let thy Name appear to be Holy so I will be Sanctified that is I will have my Name appear to be Holy I will be made known unto my People and to all the World that I am a holy God that 's the meaning of I will be Sanctified I will be known to all the world that I am a Holy God And before all the People I will be Glorified so it is in the latter part of the verse as if God should say I account it to be my glory that I should be manifested to be Holy before all the World I will be Sanctified that is I will have my People to demean and carry themselves so as to hold forth their acknowledgment of my Holiness so as by their carriage I may appear to be a Holy God I will be Sanctified by them or otherwise if they shall not in an active way Sanctifie my name that is if they shall not demean themselves so as to hold forth the glory of my Holyness then I will be Sanctified upon them I will demean and carry my self towards them so as by my actions upon them I will make it appear what a Holy God I am So God is Sanctified two waies either by the Holiness of his People in their carriage towards him holding forth the glory of Gods Holiness and so in that 1 Pet. 3.15 Sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts the Saints do Sanctifie God in their hearts when they fear God as a Holy God and Reverence him and Love him as a holy God and so Sanctifie him in their lives when their lives do hold forth the glory of Gods Holiness then God is Sanctified But then if we do not do so then God Sanctifies himself that is in waies of Judgment upon those that do not in waies of holiness Sanctifie his Name And thus you have it Ezek. 28.22 And say Thus saith the Lord God Behold I am against thee O Zidon I will be glorified in the midst of thee and they shall know that I am the Lord when I shall have executed judgment in her and shall be Sanctified in her And this is all one with I will be glorified in the midst of them And in the â—8 of Ezek. 16 23. You have to the same purpose And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel as a clâ—ud to cover the Land it shall be in the latter daies and I will bring thee against my Land that the Heathen may know me when I shall be Sanctified in thee O Gog before their eyes And in the 23. ver Thus will I magnifie my self and Sanctifie my self and I will be known in the eyes of many Nations and they shall know that I am the Lord â—n the way of the execution of Judgment thus I will Sanctifie my self so I will be Sanctified in those that draw nigh me In those that are nigh me Nigh ones so it may be read that is especially the Priests that did approach to God Ezek. 42.13 they approach to God especially But it is meant generally of all those that shall have to deal in my Worship whosoever shall come to Worship me let them look to it they must Sanctifie my Name they must so demean themselves in my Worship as to hold forth my Name to be Holy or otherwise I will manifest my self against them in the waies of Judgment for I will appear to be a holy God I will have the glory of my Holiness one way or other saith God in those that come neer Me As if God should say Though it 's otherwise with men they indeed will be ready to favour those that are neer them but I will not do so Men will sooner pass by the offences of those that are neer them then those that are not as suppose that a stranger commits an offence you would be severe towards him but suppose it were one of your own Children or kinsmen what would you do then Do not we see that men will rather favour their own kindred than strangers though the offence be the same But I will not do so saith God Suppose it be one of your own family wil not you be ready to excuse them Suppose it were your own Child that should coÌ„mit such an offence Oh! what friends would you make to take him off from punishment Though men would do so towards their own yet be bitter severe towards strangers Yet I will not be so saith God Let those that are neer me look to it I will be Sanctified by them I will be Sanctified in those that draw neer me Now upon this when Moses said thus That God would be Sanctified in those that draw neer him this was Moses scope to Aaron as if Moseâ— should say Aaron though I confess the hand of God is heavy upon you this day Yet it is fit for you to submit to God 't is fit that God should be glorified what ever becomes of you you are deer to God but Gods Name is deerer to him then you are what ever the lives of your Sons were yet it is fit that God should be honored and his Name Sanctified what ever becomes of your Sons or of your Comforts and therfore let your heart be quieted you have had a great loss and affâ—iction upon you but God hath had glory God hath glorified himself How hath God glorified himself Very much by this way for God by this way hath done an act to make all the People of the Land fear before him to cause them to Worship him with al reverence All the people of the Land seeing such a Judgment as this and hearing of it they will learn for ever to fear and Reverence this God they will say How shall we appear
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 we 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 unfaithful to your Governours 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 my own kind Another Note is this They offered strange fire Let 's 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 Ambrose Lusts and Covetousnesse are this strange fire That which I would have you consider of is 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 we come into thy presence with strange fire Perhaps your hearts have been burning hot with Passion when you have been 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 Ghost in our hearts but certainly not to come with the fire of Passion and Anger Lift up your hands without wrath 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 heare the Word Receive with meekness 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 venturing 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 beleeve you have had but little occasion of such a temptation in this place But however this I know it is the duty of the Mini ers 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 coals and not that they should come with their own Passions to further the Righteousness of God no The wrath of man doth not accomplish the Righteousness of God There are some other particulars which being laid down we shall come to the Three main Points SERMON II. LEVITICUS 10.3 I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me Stepney Nov 16. 1645. WEE began these words the last day and shewed the scope of them and opened the meaning of them and spake of divers Notes of Observation that we gathered from this story of Nadav and Abinu and of Gods dealing with them From the generall story of it there weâ—e many Points oâ— notable Observation that were drawn from thence He adde some few now and so come to the main Doctrinal Point in the Text. A further Note of Observation is this That many times even the dear Saints of God do meet with very sore and grievous afflictions in their Children That the most eminent Saints of God are not freed from very grievous afflictions even in their Children It was one of the forest afflictions that almost ever any Saint of God met withall in his Children this affliction of Aaron at this time That two of his Sons and as I told you the last day renowned men in Israel newly consecrated to the Office of Priesthood that the very first day they came to offer in their Office they were struck before all the people with fire from Heaven and were consumed Oh what a sad affliction was it to Aaron their Father when he saw his Sonnes in such a manner destroyed by God Himself Consider of this you that have Children and are ready to murmur and complaine of every little affliction that is upon you in respect of your Children If so be that your Children be but a little sick or there be any miscarriage of them you think it is a heavy hand of God But especially if God take away your Children by death then you mourn and wil not be comfortred Yea but though God have taken away your Children by death yea perhaps it may be by a violent death as being drowned c. yet they have not been strucken with fire from Heaven by God and they have not been of such publick use These here were renowned men and taken away in their very sin too your Children which have gone upon their lawfull imployments and God hath taken away their lives there is no such cause of murmuring here but when God takes away Children in their sins and in such a way as by fire from Heavenâ— thus God took away Aarons Children and he was as dear to God as you are And yet thus God deals with His Saints with Aaron in regard of his Children and with his Elder Children and with two of them together This Example may be enough to still and quiet the hearts of men and women that are afflicted in respect of any calamity that befals their Children You see what a hand of God is against the very Children of Aaron A further Note is this That Gods judgements we see sometimes though the effect of them be visible yet they come in an invisible way For you shal find if you reade on in this story That they were smote with fire from heaven but it did not appear what fire for it did not so much as consume their cloaths nor their bodies but went through al struck them dead and no body could tel how Gods judgements do come in a way that is
that have no mind to the duties of the Worship of God but love the Commission of sin you neglect Gods Worship you were wont to Worship Him in a constant way in your closets and families but now you grow more loose and so you grow more dead every day than other you go off from God more and more Surely there can be no good to neglect Gods Worship And those that are loth to Worship God because they cannot Worship Him as they ought from this Point it appears plainly That there can be no good gotten by neglecting Gods Worship for it is departing from God whatsoever plea there may be by any temptation to neglect Gods Worship certainly there is danger in it and therefore never listen to any such temptation as shall draw your hearts from the duties of Gods Worship There are a generation of wantons in these times that make little matter of continuing the duties of Gods Worship they were wont constantly to worship God and to attend upon the Word but now it is nothing to them and they are even ready to thank God for it that they make not such conscience as they were wont to do in the duties of the Worship of God It may be they will say That heretofore some slavish terror did carry them on in the duties of Gods Worship more than the understanding of the freeness of the grace of God would admit of But shall the understanding of the freedom of the grace of God carry thee on lesse than thy slavish terror did Oh blind and wanton spirit that knowest not the waies of God nor the freeness of the grace of God nor the riches of it Oh what a dishonour art thou to Jesus Christ and to the freeness of His grace that thou canst go up and down from day to day and never worship God! Did Jesus Christ come into the world to that end for to cause thee to depart more from God 'T is plain out of the Word That the duties of Gods Worship are those duties whereby the soul comes to draw nigh to God And I beseech you Brethren observe these men whether there be that Holiness in their lives that Spiritualness as there was wont to be No you shall find them by degrees to grow loose yea run sometimes into grose sins grow many times to lying and deceiving and to drunkenesse and company-keeping yea to worse things by degrees Perhaps they are at first ready to say Is thy Servant a dead Dogge that I should do this But by departing from God they grow dead to Holy duties we find it by experience That the professors of Religion have not that Holiness Heavenlyness Spiritualnes as they were wont to have in former times no merveil for now they keep not so nigh to God as they were wont You that are Sea-men and Travelours sometimes you are neer the Sun and then you are hot but the further off the Sun you go you grow to be colder and colder And so those that neglect the Worship of God they go from warm Sun they go from the light of Gods Countenance and from the presence of God and so they grow cold and chill and by degrees they grow to prophaness and it is to be feared that many of them wil grow to meer Athisme Another Use is this A Use of Exhortation that we would be encouraged to Worship God and to be much in the Worship of God In Heb. 10.22 Let 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 Docter 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 Calo than 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 we might have been banished from the presence of the Lord long e're this time This is that that the happiness 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 access by one spirit unto the Father Through him Through Christ we have access 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 access through Christ So our coming nigh to God is such a priviledge as cost the blood of Christ and will not you improve it You were far off in your natural condition but now you are nigh through his blood Lay but this text warm to your hearts this morning That I that was far off am made nigh by the blood 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 increase 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 special sign 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 whether you have received the Spirit of adoption yea or no I can hardly give you any one sign so cleer as
things that do concern 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 communicates himself in his choice 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 Business of great consequence we make preparation for indeed if a business be a slight business we can fall upon it on a sudden you make not preparation to go in a Poaâ— 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 evil 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 heartâ— wâ—â—m at your work â—hy 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 business they come together and they are a long time before they can buckle to the business 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 Spiritual and holy things but by nature our hearts grovel in the dirâ— 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 sensible of the unfitness of our hearts to come into Gods presence Perhaps because thou knowest not God thou canst rush into his presence without any more ado 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 Lordshould 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 business and the other business would hinder the intanglements they would hinder the temptations of the Devil 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 business fals out amiss in the family and any thing go but crosse how are we put off the hinges and 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 they 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 uprightness of the heart to confist in the preparation for duty and the falsness 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 falseness 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 evil 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 himself upon those that in a way of Rebellion did rend themselves from under his government and he obeyed the word of the Lord but for all that he did evil in the fight of the Lord God looked upon him as a man that had no uprightness 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 heart 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 ye go to prayr Can you say that you take pains 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 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee in that thou hast taken away the groves 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 uprightness 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 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 returne indeed to the Lord if indeed your hearts be upright according to what you seeme to professe in turning to God 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 you see there is much lies upon preparation to the duties of Gods Worship Wel you wil say seeing thâ—re lâ—es sâ— much in it I pray open it wherein it doth â—â—nâ—iâ— To that I Answer it consists in these five things which 〈◊〉 bâ—t sly â—ame 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 greatness 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 general heads of our me ditation for our preparation to duty Viz. What God He is we have to deal with meditate of God n 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 special thing doth consist your preparation to holy duties 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 endeavour at least If there be iniquity in thine hand or heart labour to put it out When thou art 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 Levites Sanctifie now your selves and sanctifie the house of the Lord God of your fathers and carry forth the filthiness out of the Holy place that is sanctifying a thing to carry forth the filthynesse out of that thing that we would sanctifie So the sanctifying of our hearts it is by carrying forth the filthiness out of our hearts so as to be fit for a duty And in Job 11.13.14 If thou prepare thine heart and stretch out thine hand towards him what then If iniquity be in thy hand put it far away and let not wickedness dwel in thy tabernacles These two must be together 3. A Third thing is this The Preparation of the heart it is the dis-intangling 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 seperate 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 Cicil which was Lord-Treasurer that when he went to reade he would lay his gown off and say Lie there Lord Cicil So when we go to duty we should say Lie by world and by laying aside the world I mean laying aside of al 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 performe 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 than 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 Sanbaâ—â— sent to him to come and confer with them No saith he I cannot go for the work iâ—â—reat 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 lest they be made unfit for dâ—â—ieâ— So we should prepare for Prayer all day long in this seâ—se that is we should watch over our hearts that they bee nâ—â— bâ— 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 sitting up late I appeal to your consciences whether 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 whether 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 readiness 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 Ringerâ— 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 consists The next thing is the Excellency of this 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 means 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 if you have every thing prepared it would be carried on in an easie way and the reason why people complain 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 goodness as a ship goes off to be lanch'd when you have made preparation for it the heart can go with a holy boldness 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 thine heart c. And then Vers 15. Then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot yea thou shalt be steadfast 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 labor 2 Secondly if the heart be prepared it will do a great deal in a little time In 2. Chron. 2.36 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 rejoyced and blessed 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 Jotham became mighty because he prepared his waies before the Lord his God Jotham 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 so as in ten times so 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 success 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 wherein 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 if 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 Worship 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 pass 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 deadness 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 Scripture then for the quieting of thy heart in this That the weakness of the duty shall be pardoned and past by where there is care to prepare before hand the Scripture is in 2 Chron. 30.18 19. But Hezekiah prayed for them saying The good Lord pardon every one what every one every one that prepareth his heart to seek the Lord God of his fathers though he be not clensed according to the purification of the Sancttuary As if he should say Oh Lord there are many things amiss in this people they are not in many regards purified according to the order that thou hast set but Lord if thou doest but see any heart prepared to seek thee though they fail in such particulars Lord heal them and pardon them and did God hearken to his prayer Mark the following words And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed 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 thy instruction and thou mayest make use of it to thine own soul this day if thou canst appeal to God that thou art careful to prepare thy heart though thou shouldest not have that pureness of thy heart as thou doest desire the Lord will pardon thee and heal thee make conscience of Preparation to holy duties Again further by being careful to make Preparation for duties within some little time thou wilt bring thy heart to such a frame as it will alwaies be ready for duty without much ado Indeed at first it is somewhat hard You will say Are we bound to spend some time 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 careful 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 careful for a while to prepare for every duty of Gods Worship that God cals 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 enlightened 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 Chriâ—tian did And those 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 fitness 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 cal'd 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 fitted to come into Gods presence at any time SERMON III. LEVITICUS 10.3 Stepney Decem. 7. 1645. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE Proceed now to what remains There are only 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 Whether 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 Whether it were better to leave off the duty than perform 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 perform The Answer to that is this we must distinguish of persons There are some that are exercised in the way of godliness and do keep their hearts close with God in the wayes of holiness now for them it may be supposed that through their exercise in the waies of godliness 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 fitted to 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 fall down to solemn prayer And indeed this is an excellent 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 receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper It is possible to keep the heart so close to God as to be fit for Prayer 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 tell them that if God cal them to prayer 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 walk close with God though they be in
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 thankful 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 men 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 Savior 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 suit our worship to what there is in God that our worship may be proportionable in some measure even to the nature of God himself And therefore God being a Spirit his Worship mu â— 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 Sun somewhat sutable therefore because they did so admire at the swiftness of the motion of the Sun they would not offer a snail to the Sun 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 Sun So when we come to worâ— ip 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 particular which I opened to you when I shewed you wherein we draw nigh to God This was one I told 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 excellency 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 quality of the person Therefore in Malachi 1.8 When the Lord rebukes them for their Sacrifices that they were such poor things Go saith God and tender up this to your Governour and see whether he will accept of it or no. So certainly that which may be accepted of by a mean man would be accounted a scorn if you should tender it up to a Prince or an Emperour Now when we come 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 will 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 discouragement unto Prayer or any other duty of Worship than an incouragement To that I Answer thus Though we be very poor and mean yet it doth not hinder but we may tender up that to God which God wil acknowledge to be sutable to his infinit excellency as First If we tender up to God all that we have Though we be never so poor and mean yet if God hath the strength of our souls God accepts it For we are to know that God doth not stand in need of what we have or of what we do but that we might shew our respect to him Therefore if we give al that we have God accepts it As a Child if it puts forth all it's strength that it hath to do a busines which the father bids him whether the busines be done or no the father looks upon it and accepts it as sutable to the childs strength and it shews the respect that the child hath to his fa her And as it is stâ—â—ied of an Emperour that when a poor man had nothing to offer him but a little water that he had taken up with his hand he having nothing else the Emperour accepts of it So that s that which God looks for that the Creature should lift him above all If therefore when thou comest to worship God God hath more of thy heart than ever any creature in the world had God accepts of that and that you must look unto Can you say so when you go to Worship God Lord it is true there is much weaknes in my spirit but thou that knowest al things knowest That thou hast more of my heart than ever any creature in the world had This is sutable to God God wil account this in the Covenant of grace to be a present sutable to Himself As in the Law when they offered to the building of the Temple every one could not offer gold and silver and precious â—â—ones but some came and offered Badgers-skins and some women did spin and offered Goats-haire to the building of the Temple and so God accepted of that being the most they could do 2 In the Second place When we do not only offer unto God the most we can but when we adde to this the grief of our Souls that we can do no more when the Soul shall strive to the uttermost it can and when it hath done all saith I am an unprofitable servant Oh that I could do more This is sutable to God 3 Thirdly The People of God though they be weak yet the weakest Servant of God is able to offer up to God somewhat that is sutable to the infinite Majesty of God upon this Third Ground because there is a kind of impression of Gods infinitnes in those services that a gracious heart doth tender unto God and therefore sutable unto God You will say God is an Infinite Glorious God Be it so He is Infinit that 's certain but the duty of Worship that a gracious heart tenders unto God it hath an impression of Gods infinitness upon it How is that If that can be made out then indeed we may be encouraged to Worship God Thus That that a gracious heart tenders up to God hath an impression of His inf nitness in this regard because as God hath no limits of His Being so a gracious heart when it comes to worship God will not propound any limit or boundâ— but in the desires of it would â—ain be enlarged infinitly if it could If it were possible for a creature to be enlarged to God infini ly it would be Here lies I conceiâ—e the main difference between the most glorious Hypocrite in the world and one that hath true Grace yea that hath but
the least degree of Grace The most glorious Hypocrite in the world who it may be for the outward act doth more than one that hath true Grace yet such a one doth limit himself he doth great things but he doth it so as he limits himself that is so much as may serve for such and such ends of his so much as may serve his turn either to satisfie his Conscience or to get credit and esteem to be accounted eminent in such a way so much he doth do but his duty is alwaies limited within such bounds and if he could conceive that he might go to Heaven and that he might have as much Credit and Honor and as much peace of conscience with doing lesse he would do lesse But now one that hath Grace though but little though but the least dram of Grace he goes farther Indeed saith he though through the little Grace that I have I cannot do what another can do yet this doth so enlarge my heart that I would have no bounds set in what I do for God but I would have it enlarged to the uttermost I atitude if it were possible beyond what ever yet was done for God in the world and the more I do the more I do desire to do That 's now a kind of infinitness that there is in the heart where Grace comes I say Grace enlarges the heart to a kind of infinitness that the more it doth the more it would do there is no Hypocrite but will have his periods he will rise thus and thus and thus high ordinarily you shall find that if he lives in some company there he is high but if he lives in other company there he is lower Now there is nothing doth limit a gracious heart but to all Eternity it would work and work more and more for God Here now is a Worship that is some way suitable to the infinite excellency that there is in God Here 's a kind of proportion as I may so speak even between the creature and God Himself in this thing but it is the Grace of God in the creature here is the Image of God indeed because grace doth so enlarge the heart even to an infinitness as it were for God And thus you see in the general what it is to Sanctifie Gods Name to tender up to God that which is some way sutable to the glory of the infinite God 2 You know there was a Second thing viz. That then I do Sanctifie Gods Name when I come so to Worship God as my heart works and follows after God as a God so as it doth beseem the soul of a Creature to follow the infinit Creator and to work after the infinit Creator So David in Psal 63.5 My Soul followeth hard after thee O God and mark it 's a very sweet Scripture thy right hand upholdeth me Those whose hearts follow hard after the Lord they have the right-Hand of God upholding of them It 's a mighty encouragement to put forth the heart to the uttermost because when thou doest so the right hand of God upholds thee so that thy heart must follow after God more than it followed after any creature 3 When I come to draw nigh to God I come to present my self for the Cōmunication of the choicest of His Mercies so then I Sanctifie Gods Name when I labour to prepare and open my heart for God as for the choicest Mercies that God hath to bestow upon His Creature When there is such a temper of heart that my conscience tels me it is suitable to that that is fit for a Soul to have that expects to receive the choicest Mercies from God but that we spake too more in the opening of our drawing nigh to God Now we are to come more particularly to this to open the Sanctifying of Gods Name 1 First In what Particulars the behaviour of the heart may be discovered to be sutable to God in respect of Gods greatness and glory 2 Secondly What the behaviour of the heart should be as sutable to the several Attributes of God It will cost us some time to open the particular things in the behaviour of the heart as in reference to the Greatness and Majestie of God considered more generally as in Psalme 48.1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised And so in Mal. 1.14 Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing why for I am a great King saith the Lord and therefore cursed is he that doth not offer a Sacrifice sutable to my Greatness And in 2 Chron. 2.5 we find that Solomen when he was preparing for the Temple he would build a great Temple why Because God was a great God that he would build it too So that the Worship of God must be some great thing because the Lord is a great God and it must be suitable to his greatness Now if you ask me in what particulars doth the behaviour of the Soul consist that is very suitable to the greatness of God in the general there are many things in this 1 The First is You must be careful to bring a Sanctified heart You cannot tender up a worship suitable to his greatness except you bring a Sanctified heart with you there must be holiness in the heart Under the Law you know if any one came to offer a Sacrifice in his uncleanness he must be cut off and so it must be here we must look to it that we offer not to God in our uncleanness Wash you and make you clean in Isa 1. and then Come let us reason together There is no comming to God without washing and making clean in Psal 93.5 Holiness becometh thy house O Lord for ever Holiness becometh the presence of God for ever we must look to get a Sanctified heart Sanctification consists in those two parts Mortification and Vivification there must be a mortifying of the lusts of the heart We read in the Law that every Sacrifice was to be salted with salt that did signifie the mortification of our hearts when we come to offer up our selves as a Sacrifice to God the Salt did eat out the raw humors and kept the flesh from putrifying so doth the Grace of God in mortifying our Lusts In Heb. 9.14 you have a notable scripture for the clensing of our hearts when we come to offer any service to God How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your Consciences from dead works to serve the living God So that you cannot serve the living God untill your consciences be purged from dead works And how comes your consciences to be purged from dead works It is through the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God he must purge your consciences So that here 's the way of Sanctifying Gods Name by applying of Jesus Christ who was
offered to God without spot that our consciences might be purged from dead works that we might be purged from that natural filthinesse and uncleannesse in which we all were for the whole world doth lie in filth as a carrion doth lie in his slime Now if we would worship God so as to Sanctifie him we must apply Christ to our Souls and get our conscience purged from dead works and to have the Spirit of Christ in us to quicken up our hearts in the waies of holiness to have the Image of Jesus Christ in us whereby we may be holy according to our proportion even as he himself is holy this is the Sanctifying of the heart There must be an habitual Sanctification and an actual Sanctification of the heart An Habitual that is that the heart must be changed through the work of Regeneration there must be a Regeneration in the heart there must be Divine Principles of the Graces of the Spirit of God in the heart But you will say May not an unregenerate man Pray To that I Answer It is true it is his duty to pray Poure forth thy wrath vpon the Heathen and upon the families that call not upon thy Name But it 's as true that they cannot Sanctifie Gods Name in doing of it But if we would Sanctifie Gods Name in it there must be an Habitual holiness in the heart for every thing doth act according to it's principles in nature it is so and so doth the heart when it comes to Worship God it doth act according to the principles that it hath And then there must not only be Habitual Sanctification but Actual Sanctification likewise as in Exod. 19.10.11 there you see what ado there was to fit them for the hearing of the Law because God was to come among them God is to come among us and we are to come to God when we are to performe holy duties therefore it is not enough to have Grace but there must be an improving of Grace there must be an acting of Grace not only when you come to receive the Sacrament to think that then there must be an acting of Grace but every time you pray and hear there must be an acting of Grace A purging out of your corruptions and an acting of Grace So that one cannot Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties unless he come thu far to be able to say Lord thou that knowest all things knowest there is nothing that thou doest reveal to be contrary to thy will but my heart is against it that 's the least the 〈◊〉 not have any peace of conscience in drawing nigh 〈…〉 till thou come thus far to have thy heart to work 〈…〉 and to be set upon every good that God reveals to be his mind You know when a man of quallity comes to your house what a deal of stir there is not only in sweeping but in making all things as clean and tire and shining as possible can be Thus it should be when thou comest to God And the Reason why there must be this Sanctifying of the heart is 1 First Because the Lord doth first accept of the person before he doth accept of the Action Men indeed do accept of the persons of 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 acepted of Abel 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 sinful 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 means of acception of your persons which is through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and through the Sanctification ot 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 eternal life until 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 consider 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 â—anctified because the Lord doth look more to the principle from whence a thing comes than 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 enjoy from God as what the principle is from whence they come that is Whether what we do enjoy 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 special Love of God in Jesus Christ Our hearts would regard that most if we were Spiritual now then look as a godly man is not satisfied with enjoying any good thing from God except he knows it comes from a principle of Love to him in Jesus 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 Holiness 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 are 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 Majesty and in Glory as in Isa 6.1 2. you shal 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 say 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 Majesty as He was we should at all times have high thoughts of God take heed of having low thoughts and apprehensions of the Infinite Majesty 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 infinit distance that there is between Him and all creatures in the world look upon the Lord as lifted upon Glory not only above all Creatures but above al 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 immutablly look upon Him as the Fountain of all Excellency good and glory that al creatures in the world have And look upon the Lord every time thou comest to Worship Him as that God whom Angels do adore and before whom the Devils are forc'd 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 Worshipping 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 King were come into the room or any great Person it would compose your spirits because you have high thoughts of such as of those that are above you So let us look upon God as in His excellency 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 's 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 wise 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 ends that thou aimest at when we are Worshipping God we should have our hearts above al creatures and above our selves Let not our hearts then be groveling upon the ground mingled with base and drossie things when we come to Worship the Lord Indeed it is fit that we should have our hearts low as we shall shew hereafter in regard of humility but not low in regard of any baseness of spirit to mix with any base and low ends Now there are low and base ends in Worshipping of God As First We muâ—â— take heed we do not subject the Worship of God unto our Lusts that is a cursed thing thou art far from Sanctifying Gods Name in Worshipping of Him that shalt subject His Worship to thy base Lusts this is an abominable and a cursed thing indeed You will say Who doth thus who is the man or where is he that will do this subject the Worship of God to his base lusts To that I Answer Whosoever doth make use of any duty of Worship as Prayer Hearing the Word or what ever it be to cloak any kind of wickedness whosoever is conscious to himself of any kind of seeret wickedness and yet shall think to cover it by the performance of duties and shall reason in this manner Who will think me to be guilty of such a vile thing when I pray so as I do and am so careful to hear the Word and I hope I shall cover some wickedness this way If there be any in this place whose conscience tels them that they subject the Worship of God to such a base end as this is the Lord rebuke them this day and speak to their hearts If I knew any I would set mine eyes upon them and say as the Apostle to Simon Magus I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity and as he said to him that did seek to draw the Deputy from the Faith O thou child of the Devil and full of all subtilty to damn and undo thy selfe eternally that seekest to cloak any wicked way by any duty of Gods Worship Is it a great evil for a man or woman to make use of any of Gods creatures to be serviceable to their lusts as meat and drink c What a damnable thing is it then to make use of any duty of Gods Worship sometimes extraordinary Worship as Fasting and Prayer to be a cloak to cover their wickednesse Thou art so far from Sanctifying Gods Name that thou pollutest Gods Name thou doest what in thee lies for to cast even dirt in the face of God himself that doest so The Second Base end is to subject the duties of Gods Worship to the praise of men as to performe duties of Gods Worship for the esteem of men and because we shall be well thought of take heed of this you young ones and others you would fain be esteem'd well of by those that you live withal It is a desirable thing to have a good esteem from those that are godly but take heed that you do not subject the duties of Gods Worship to this Indeed it may be an incouragement to you as David saith Psal 52 9. This is good before thy Saints David did incourage himself to praise God because it was good before Gods Saints and I confesse it may be an incouragement because holy duties are good before Gods Saints but take heed that this be not thy highest end that thou aimest at and that which carries thee on in the work meerly to get the praise of men and that they shall think that thou hast good gifts and parts and therefore thou art enlarged in that regard take heed of that know that now thou doest not Worship God but thou Worshippest men thou doest make
Why have wee fasted and thou seest it not This is an Argument that thou art acted by Selfe rather than by God Secondly To know whether we be acted by self-ends or rather by high ends for God Those men that can rejoyce in others that are able to honor God in holy duties more then themselves they may have a good evidence to their own souls that when they Worship God they are acted by higher ends than Selfe but now such as are streightned themselves and when they see others more enlarged in the Worship of God they rather envy them are greiv'd and troubled know that Self is a great ingredient in those duties that thou doest perform if thy heart were raised high to God though thou canst not thy self be enlarged in holy duties yet thy soul would be glad that any others are though I have a whetched and vile heart of my own yet blessed be God that there are any others that can Worship God better than I can Thirdly A man that is acted by Self in holy duties he regards holy duties but little save in time of extremity in time of fear or in fickness or in dangers But now one that hath high ends in holy duties makes the duties of Gods Worship to be the joy of his Soul in the mid'st of his prosperity and that is an evident sign that thou art not acted by self ends but by higher ends Canst thou in the mid'st of thy abundance say Lord thou givest me all conveniences in this world and all outward things that I want but Lord this is that which is the joy of my Soul this is that which makes my life comfortable even communion with thy Self in the duties of thy Worship that I have free accesse unto the Throne of thy Grace to Worship Thee the Lord and there meet with thee when I am in the performance of holy duties O Lord thou that knowest all things knowest that this is the thing that makes my life comfortable It is not that I have a Table furnished with variety of dishes and that I can have liberty of time to go into company and spend according as I please but Lord those incomes of thy Spirit that I do find in the duties of thy worship those are the things that makes my life blessed indeed unto me Such a man as is able thus to appeale to God surely when he worships God he is acted by high-ends and not by self-ends And that 's the Third thing that is necessary for Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties thou must have a Sanctified heart high thoughts of God and high ends In the Fourth place There must be much reverence and much fear when thou comest into the presence of God to Worship Him thou dost not glorifie God as God except thou dost come into his presence with much fear reverence of His great Name Fear in worshipping of God it is so necessary that many times in Scripture we find that the very Worship of God is called the fear of God they are put both for one I might give you divers Scriptures for it and hence it was that the 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 an notable Scripture for this drawing nigh to God with feare 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 terrible 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 cal'd upon to serve 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 filial and reverentiall fear For my Brethren there may be a great deal of slavish fear where God is not honored there may be fear from some terrible apprehensions of God which yet is not owned by God to be this grace of fear I 'le 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 middest of the darkness 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 greatness 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 terrifed sometimes but yet there is not a filiall and reverential fear of God in them And I find in I 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 dâ—est thou here Elijah Then his heart was more struck with fear where was most of Gods presence though it was in a soft voice than 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 enjoying 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 enjoying 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 Sanctifying 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 reverent carriage not lying all along in prayer upon the elbows sleeping but carrying your seves 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 slightness vanity the boldness and presumptuousness that there is in the hearts of men and women when they are Worshipping of God Fifthly The duties of Gods Worship must be ful 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 doâ—h defile the Name of God God is dishonored 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 strengih 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 business My Brethren look upon every duty oâ— 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 toy every feather every light matter cals them off Is this to Sanctifie Gods Name Would not we account it a dishonorable thing if we were talking to one about serious business 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 than to the great and glorious God Therefore 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 s n exceedingly It may be thou wilt not dare to coÌ„mit that sin that the temptation doth turn thy thoughts upon yea but the Devill hath spoiled 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 truâ—h 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 comming 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 uncleanness 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 sometimes 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 Gentlemen that be 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 unlawful 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 hadst 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 flying-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 artificial 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 bellows that is cold So the breath of many people in prayer it is discovered to be but artificial breath because it is so cold but if there were spiritual 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 whatever 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 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 the 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 confess it is a time of rest from an outward labour but it is a time of spending strength in a spiritual way and those that shall worship God aright on the Sabbath will find is a spending of a great deal of rength and blessed is that strength that is spent in the Worship of God raâ—her than in the waies of sin as most spend their strength If Gods 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 shews how much strength the Idolaters put forth in the worshipping of their Idol they would not do it in a sight 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 lived and whom they have served and after whom they have walked and whom 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 several expressions to shew the strength of their Spirits in following after their Idols And that is the Fift thing in our Sanctifying 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 than 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 abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes Now this humility must be in the sense of our own meanness and baseness Psa 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 sencible of their own baseness and meanness before God This poor man cryed to God we use to say Give that poor man somewhat It doth affect the heart of God when he sees much poverty of Spirit when we come before him we must be sencible of our infinite dependance upon God Come as the woman of Canaan O Lord even dogs do receive crums and though I be a dog 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 adore Gods goodness that thou art alive to pray and alive to hear 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 Again it is the goodess 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 Whatever 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 I ay 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 than thou that art able to make great Orations when thou comest before him 3 Thou must come without any righteousness 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 thou 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 enlargements 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 wait upon God in regard of the time and of the measure and of the manner of the Communication of himself in regard of the means by which he will please to communicae 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 poor man somewhat 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 God Name in two regards 1 First To give God his own for the matter of it 2 Secondly To give God his own that is what comes from the work of his own Spirit or else we do not Sanctifie Gods Name I will give you one text further about the matter of it in Exod. 39. if you read the Chapter you shall find that there is ten times said that they did as God had commanded Moses And then in the close of the Chapter when they had done as God had commanded in his Worship the text saith Moses blessed them That people is a blessed people that do observe the Worship of God as God hath commanded them But the main thing is all that we do it must acted by the Spirit of God it is not enough to have true silver and gold but it must have the right stamp or else it cannot go for current coyn And so it is not enough that the things that we offer to God in His Worship be Gods own be what we have warrant for out of Gods Word but it must have the stamp of the Spirit of God In the Worship of God there be Two Questions that He wil ask First Who required this at your hands But then if you can Answer thus Thou O Lord didst require it It is well but then God hath another Question Whose Image and Superscription is this If thou canst not give an Answer to that it will be rejected too Thou must be acted by Divine principles in all that thou doest there must be the stamp of the Spirit upon that which is tendered to God else it is nothing To open this Point fully will ask some time First Therefore I will shew you how we may know when our duties are acted by our naturall parts rather than by the Spirit of God Secondly How we may know whether our duties be acted by natural Conscience rather than by the Spirit of God 1 First If thou art acted by naturall parts they will not change thy heart Men that do perform duties by the strength of natural parts they may be as large as others and speak to the edification of others but those duties do never change their hearts now if thou beest actd by the Spirit of God thou wilt be changed into the very Image of His Spirit 2 Secondly If men are acted by naturall parts they wil not carry them through difficulties and discouragements but now the Spirit of God if thou hast acted by Him though thou dost meet with never such difficulties and discouragements thou wilt be carried through them all 3 Thou mayest know it by this wherein dost thou account the excellency of a duty to consist either in thy self or others Thou performest a duty now it may be thy parts do act very lively and to thy credit and yet thy conscience tells thee that thy heart was streightened Now canst thou rise up with joy because thou hast thy ends At another time perhaps thy heart is more troubled and broken But thou doest not express thy self so much then thou art discouraged And when thou seest another perform a duty if thou seest but any failing in their expressions thou pitchest upon that and lookest upon it as a poor thing thou art not able to see an excellency in holy duties except there be an excellency of naturall parts but those that have the Spirit of God they can finde the Spirit of God acting in others though they have not such naturall parts 4 Those that are acted by their natural parts in secret they are less enlarged than they are before others a great deal Their parts act much before others But what is there between God and their own souls 5 They that be so acted will not be very constant you shal have young ones that begin to look towards Religion their parts are a little fresh and they are mightily enlarged in holy duties and the thing is good for them to make use of their parts but how ordinary it is that after a few yeers they are
deader and duller than they were before and have less mind to the duties of Gods Worship than they had formerly Were this the Spirit of God you would find as much savour and relish in them afterwards as there was at that time Secondly For naturall Consciences which sometimes puts men upon acting of duties and indeed is better than meerly natural parts 1 If it be only natural Conscience it puts upon duties but gives no strength to do them but when the Spirit of God puts thee upon a duty it gives thee some strength to performe it some strength whereby thou gettest some Communion with God 2. If it be natural Conscience it puts upon the duty but makes not the heart glad of the duty and to love the duty but if it be the Spirit of God it makes thee to delight in it and to love it 3 Thirdly If it be natural Conscience thou doest not by that increase thy communion with God thou doest thy duties as in a round but now when the Spirit of God puts thee upon holy duties it is not a task done but thou sindest more and more increase in Communion with God thy heart more raised to God and more closing with the Lord and so still more and more in the course of thy life I had a little converse with God at first when God began to acquaint my Soul with His wayes but through his mercy now I find more communion with Him and so thou canst bless thy self in God in that converse that thou hast in communion with Him thou wouldst not lose that Communion thou hast with God in holy duties for all the world others have their companions that they have their communion withal much good may do them but the Lord hath shewen me another manner of communion which my Soul can have with Himself in which it hath sweet satisfaction And thus you have had Seven Particulars for the Sanctifying of the Name of God in holy duties SERMON VI. LEVITICUS 10.3 I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me Stepney Dec. 21. 1645. 4 AGAIN As Natural Conscience doth give no strength to do the duty so it makes not the duty to be strong to the Soul that is thus there 's no strength got by the duty they are not by one duty prepared for another But the way of the Lord is strength to the upright that is when a gracious heart is in the way of Gods Worship it finds the very duty of the Worship of God to be strength to it and so it fits it for another duty 5 Further A Naturall Conscience limits it's selfe and is bounded that is so much as will serve the turn for it 's own peace and quiet so much it will do and no more But when one is acted by the Spirit of God one is enlarged without any limits at all not bounded to ones own peace for the more peace a gracious heart hath in duty the more it is enlarged in duty Now a Natural Conscience that puts to duty and will act you when you want peace when you are in trouble and fear but when you are not in trouble and fear then it puts not on the heart to performance of duty but the Spirit of God puts on the Soule to dutie when there is most peace and comfort 6 A little will serve the turn to satisfie a natural Conscience so be it they performe the duty it is enough but one that is acted by the Spirit of God in duty must meet with much of God or else he is not satisfied he goes mourning in the day time if he hath not met with much of God in the morning in the performance of duty Thus you see there is much difference between the Actings of natural parts and conscience in duty and the Acting of the Spirit of God There be only now Two things more for the Sanctifying of Gods Name in duty and then we are to come to shew how we should Sanctifie Gods Name in duty in reference to the severall Attributes of God But First for those Two Heads Further 8 The Eight thing is this When you come to performe holy duties if you would Sanctifie Gods Name you must consecrate your selves to God there must be a resignation of soul and body estate liberty name and all you are have or can do unto God This is to Sanctifie Gods Name the consecration of your selves to God And the professing of this in the performance of duty when you are to pray were a very good thing actually to professe your selves to be Gods to professe that you do give up all that you are have or can do to God Lord I am thy servant take all Faculties of Soul and Members of body and improve all lay out all to thine own praise to the uttermost to bring glory to thy great Name If every time you came to God in prayer you did this this were to Sanctifie your selves to God I spake before of a Sanctified heart but now this is in a profession of your selves to God do it secretly at least in your own thoughts if you do not every time expresse it in words yet in your own thoughts do it devote your selves to God every day Of admirable use it would be if every day when men and women worship God either in their closets or families they did professedly devote and consecrate themselves to God and so likewise every time they came to hear the Word or to receive Sacraments God would account His Name to be Sanctified in such a work as this is 9 Lastly That that must make all up and witout which all the other is nothing it is that you must tender up all your worship in the Name of Jesus Christ let a man or woman worship God never so well yet when they have done all if they do not tender it up in the Name of Jesus Christ God will not account his Name to be Sanctified thou must by Faith look upon Jesus Christ as the glorious Mediator that is come into the world by whom thou hast access unto the Father And act thy Faith upon Christ and give up thy duties into his hand as the hand of a Mediator to be tender'd up to the Father by him though thou hast laboured what thou canst to performe duty as well as thou art able yet thou must not think to tender it up by thine own hand unto God but thou must tender it up to the Father by the hand of Jesus Christ the Mediator and so thou shalt Sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties We reade in Levit. 16.13 that when Aaron was to tender up the Incense he was to put the Incense on the fire before the Lord that the cloud of the Incense may cover the Mercy Seat that is upon the Testimony that he die not Mark it is as much as his life is worth whether he doth it or doth it not Now Incense it is in the NEW TESTAMENT called
with a dead heart and with a dead Service to sacrifice that which is dead before it comes it 's like a carrion that lies dead in the ditch Oh let us be humbled for our dead hearts and dead Sacrifices it it a living God that I am Worshiping and therefore I must pray Lord turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity and quicken my heart in thy Law Psal 119.37 Remember when thou comest to worship that thou come with a quickned heart for thou hast to deal with a living God A man or woman that is of an active spirit cannot endure a dull and heavie servant in the family but the Lord is a pure act and nothing else but act and therefore he doth expect that all His people should have quick active and lively spirits 6 When you come to Worship God you are to look upon Him as Almighty And so are 1. To Feare His great power when you come before Him And 2ly Then you are not to be discouraged by any difficulties I come to seek for some great thing and I come to seek to a great God that hath all power in Heaven and Earth and infinitly more power than there is in all creatures in Heaven and earth I am praying to a God that can create peace create help My condition cannot be so desperate but this Infinite Almighty God is able to help me Let me make Him the object of my faith as He is so infinitly Almighty What a full object of Faith is this God that hath all power in Him Let me therefore come to Him as a strong Tower run to the Name of God as a strong Tower that can help in al straights whatsoever There would be much drawing forth of our Faith if we could present the Lord before us as an infinit Almighty God when we see outward helps and means neer at hand then we can beleeve that we may have some succour from him but when al outward helps and means fail then we are discouraged we do not Sanctifie Gods Name but we rather take this Name of God in vaine when as our hearts are discouraged with any difficulties now the Lord expects that all His Children that come to worship Him should worship Him as the Almighty God and so have their hearts working towards Him there would be mighty workings of Spirit towards God if we saw Him by the eye of Faith as well as Reason 7 Look upon God as an Omniscient God as a God infinitly understanding all things Now what doth this call for First If God be a God of infinit understanding then let not me bring a blind sacrifice to God then let not me bring an ignorant heart to God this is the excellency of an understanding Creature to know the rule and end of it's own Actions now thou comest to worship an infinite God of infinite understanding then know the rule of what you do and know the end of what you do and come with understanding into His presence Secondly If He be so understanding come with a free open heart to open whatsoever is in thine heart to God take heed of keeping any secret resolutions in thine own heart God knows thee and can tell how to find thee out God knows all that is in thine heart before all the secret baseness that is in thine heart the Lord doth understand it the Lords eye is a piercing eye He sees thorow and thorow thy heart It 's a vaine thing for thee to come and conceale any thing before Him You will say If God understand a mans heart what need he come and confess Yes He requires it as thy duty that thou shouldest come and open all before Him In spight of thy heart thou canst not cover any thing from the Lords eyes but the Lord will see whether thou beest willing of thy self that He should understand all God doth not require us to come and confess our sins that so he might know that which he knew not before but for this end That there might be a testimony that thou art willing that he should know all that is in thy heart therefore now when thou comest to worship him ransack every corner of thy heart and confess all before the Lord and give glory to his Name as that God that is an All-seeing God that knows all the windings and turnings of thy heart Now meditate of these things that be presented to thee and it will be a mighty means to help thee to Sanctifie his Name 8 God is a God of infinite Wisdom therefore when we come to worship God let us be ashamed of our folly When thou comest to have to deal with God look upon him as a God of infinite Wisdom and I say be thou ashamed of thy folly then and do thou exercise the grace of wisdom too when thou comest to God that is by propounding right ends of which we spake before That is one part of wisdom to have right ends and right means towards those ends so that the meditation of the wisdom of God when we come to worship him will further us to Sanctifie his Name And further This is to Sanctifie Gods Wisdom when thou comest into Gods presence in thy greatest straights deny thy own wisdom come with a resolution to be guided by the wisdom of God in this manner Lord I know not how to order my steps there is much folly and vanity in my heart but thou art a God of infinite wisdom I come to thee for direction and I profess here I am willing to give up my whol Soul to be guided by thy wisdom If every time we come to worship God we came thus Oh Lord whatsoever our thoughts have been heretofore yet if thou shalt but reveal thy mind to us we will hearken to thee Lord we beleeve that thy Wisdom it is thy Self and therefore we profess to give up our selves to thy Wisdom Now this is to Sanctifie the Name of God 9 Consider the holiness of God God is a God infinitely pure from all sin and therefore when we come to worship God we must be ashamed of our unholiness as the Prophet in Isa 6. when he heard the Seraphims cry Holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts he fals down and saith Woe is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips And is God a holy God Then let me take heed when I come before him that I bring not with me a love to any sin for the Lord hates it and let me take heed that I do not cast dirâ— in the very face of Gods holiness but give up my Soul to be rul'd wholly by him And labour that there may be a suitableness between the holiness of thy heart and of the infinite God Now this is to Sanctifie Gods Name when the consideration of this Attribute of God hath such effect upon my heart that I labor upon this to come with a suitable heart before God 10 When thou comest before God
Consider that thou comest to a merciful God And what should this work First It should make me come joyfully into his presence as a God that is willing to do good to his poor Creatures that are in misery Secondly It should make me to come with a heart senciable of the need of this mercy O Lord I have had my heart let out to other vain things heretofore but now Lord thy mercy it is that my Soul comes for as that wherein my cheif and only good consists Thirdly It should make me come with expectation of great things from God do not come unto God as unto an empty Vine but as unto a full Vine and the more thy Faith is raised to expect great things from God the more acceptable art thou to God Certainly the higher any ones faith is raised when they come into his presence to expect the greatest things the more acceptable It is otherwise with God then men if you come to men to beg a litle thing you may be welcome but if you come to ask a great matter they will look askew upon you but the truth is the greater the things are that we come to God for the more welcome are we into Gods presence and those that are acquainted with God they know it and therefore they come the more fully When they come to ask Jesus Christ himself and his Spirit that is more worth than ten thousand world they come with more freedom of Spirit than when they come to ask their healths and the like Fourthly It will be likewise another means of Sanctifying this Attribute of God when thou comest to him If thou doest come with a merciful heart towards thy brethren Take heed whensoever you come to worship God that you come not with a rugged and cruel heart towards any of your brethren therefore you find that Christ laies this upon you in teaching how to pray you must say Forgive us our trepasses as we forgive our brethren that trespass against us And you find it repeated again If you forgive then your heavenly Father will forgive and not otherwise As if Christ should say When you come to beg mercy be sure you bring merciful hearts Fifthly It is a good way to Sanctifie the Name of God in this Attribute for the Soul to be solicitous with it self What is that that will hinder me from the mercy of God and let me avoid it It is otherwise a taking of the Name of God in vain for me to come to profess what need I have of Gods mercy and yet for al that never regard to avoid those things that may hinder the work of his grace upon me 11 Consider the Justice of God that is another Attribute Consider that thou hast to deal with an Infinite Righteous and Just God Do not think that if thou beest a Beleever that thou hast nothing to do with the Justice of God for certainly thou art to Sanctifie the Justice of God Now you will say How should a Beleever Sanctifie the Justice of God Thus First He should be apprehensive and sencible how by sin he hath put himself under Justice and deserved the stroke of Justice to be upon him to eternity he should consider what he is in himself It is true that Jesus Christ hath come between a beleeving Soul and the justice of the Father and hath taken the stroke of justice upon himself yea but though he hath done it it doth not hinder but that thou shouldest be apprehensive of what thou hast deserved thy self Secondly Here is a special thing in the Sanctifying of the Justice of God When we come before him we should consider that we have to deal with an infinite Just God and therefore not to dare to come but through a Mediator Here you have the reason why we must tender up all in the Name of Christ because when we are to come before God we are to Sanctifie the Name of his justice For thee to think thus I have sinned and God is merciful and I will go and pray to him that he might be merciful and there 's an end Is this all Oh no God requires the Sanctifying of his Justice and there is nothing that doth Sanctifie his Justice so much as this That when a poor creature sees the infinite distance that sin hath made between that infinite God and it it sees that through sin it hath made it's self liable to Justice and when it sees that there is an absolute necessity that infinite justice must have satisfaction and thinks the sinner If it comes to me that I must satisfie the justice of God I am never able to do it but there is a Mediator and therefore I 'le fly to him and by Faith tender up to the Father all the merits of his Son as a full satisfaction to his infinite justice When thou comest thus before the Lord thou Sanctifest his Name indeed Many think that when they come to pray they should look upon Gods Grace and Mercy and not upon his Justice but thou must look upon both Another Attribute it is Gods Faithfulnesse Consider thou hast to deal with a God of Infinite Truth and Faithfulness and therefore look upon him as an object of thy Faith to rest upon And likewise thou must bring a faithful heart suitable some way to this faithfulness of God that is a heart faithful with him to keep within the Covenant that thou hast entered into and to performe all the Vows that thou makest with God Remember thou hast to deal with a faithful God and as the Lord delights to manifest his Righteousness to poor Creatures that seek his face so this God doth expect that thou shouldest be faithful in all the Covenants that thou doest make with him and this is to Sanctifie Gods Name Now then put all these Attributes of God together and there you have his Glory the infinitness of his Glory The shine and lusture of all the Attributes together is Gods Glory I have then to deal with a glorious God and let me labour to perform such services as many have a Spiritual glory upon them that some image of the divine lusture that there is in God may be upon my services and let me look for glorious things seeing I have to deal with such a glorious God You will say Here is a great deal of do in serving of God how much is here that we must do I appeal to any gracious heart what canst thou want of any of these or what wouldest thou want Doest thou say Here 's a great deal Can there be too much to make thee happy These things are not only thy duty but thy happinesse glory and excellency consists in them If any one should bring you a great many Jewels and Pearls would you say Here 's a great deal adoe Oh no the more the merrier So say I this one meditation would take off the thoughts of a great deal for in all these my happiness consists and
How infinitly are these people mistaken how little do they know of God or of the way of acceptation to eternal life That is the first Use 2 Secondly If all this be required for the Sanctifying of Gods Name in duties That we cannot performe the duties of Worship without this behaviour of Soul hence we see that the work of Religion is a hard and difficult work to flesh blood A main work of Religion is the work of worshipping of God for indeed those that are not religious and godly they never worship God to any purpose then we come to worship God when we begin to be religious and godly Now it must needs be a busy work to be a religious and a godly man because there is so much required in the Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties many people think it a very easie matter to worship God and the worship that they tender up to God is an easie matter there is little in it If it were nothing else to worship God but meerly to go and say a few prayers and come and hear a Sermon and take a piece of Bread and Wine then it were the easiest matter in the world to come and worship God but there is more required in the duties of Gods worship than thou hast been acquainted with there is a power of godliness in it That Text of Scripture is a very famous one that shews the difficulty that there is in the Worship of God and how men are mistaken in thinking it such an easie and slight matter to worship God It is in Josh 24.16.19 where Joshua doth call upon the people to worship God and they came off presently and said They would worship him so you shall find them profess verse 16. But mark what the Text saith in verse 19. And Joshua said unto the people Ye cannot serve the Lord for he is an holy God he is a jealous God and he will not forgive your transgressions and your sins As if he should say You think it is nothing to serve the Lord and that it is an easie matter to serve him you think to put off God with any thing Alas you cannot serve the Lord for he is a holy God and a jealous God and you must have other manner of hearts than yet you have and you must understand his worship in another manner than yet you do the Lord will be Sanctified in those that draw nigh him and therefore untill you understand God and his waies and worship you cannot serve the Lord. Know that the work of Religion is a very hard and difficult work for it requireth all this and therefore the Soul had need be very diligent and laborious that would come to worship God in a right way 3 Thirdly Hence is a use of humiliatton to us all even to the best of us Oh how little how little hath the best of us all Sanctified the Name of God! how far have we all come short of the Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties And when we look abroad in the world and see what poor service God hath generally from the Men and Women of the earth it should make our hearts bleed within us Where almost is the man or woman that according to that text in Isa Stirs up himself to take hold on God And I verily beleeve that in the opening of this Point of Sanctifying the Name of God in holy duties that I have bin in the bosoms of as many as in the opening of any Point whatsoever and as many may have cause to lay their hands upon their hearts and say Certainly I have come short of what is required here and have not bin accquainted with this way this mystery of godlines in Sanctifying Gods Name in holy duties as I ought to be O be humbled for this for all the uncleanness in your hearts in the performance of duties In Exod. 27.4 5. you reade that at the Altar where the Sacrifices were to be offered the Lord required that there should be a grate made Thou shalt make for it meaning the Altar a grate of net-work of brass and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof and thou shalt put it under the compasse of the Altar beneath that the net may be even to the middest of the Altar There was as it were a grate for the ashes of the Altar to go thorow as you have grates in your fires to make them burne cleer and for the ashes to fal down so the Lord would have such a grate for the ashes of the Altar to fall down We had need of such a grate Oh the ashes and dirt and filth that there is in our services when we come to offer and tender them up to God! So that we have cause I say to to be humbled for holy offerings There be many godly people that through Gods mercy are able to keep from gross sins they do not find it any great matter to keep from company swearing drinking uncleanness lying or wronging of others and such kind of sins as those are so that they see not such need of humiliation in this regard unlesse it be for that their natures are as corrupt as any though they break not forth into those actuall grosse sins but the main work of the humiliation of those that are godly it is to be humbled for their thoughts for the mispending of time and for not sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties those are the maine things that are the subject of the humiliation of the Saints beside the body of sin and death that they carry about with them And it would be a good signe that thy heart hath some tenderness in it when thou makest these to be the matter of thy humiliation Carnall people little are troubled for these if they fall into such sinnes as that their Consciences do fly in their faces then they are troubled and humbled But for such things as these are they are seldom humbled To be humled for thy holy offerings is a good signe of a gracious heart We reade of the Cherubims that they had six wings and with two of their wings the text saith they covered their faces so my Brethren we had need have wings as it were to cover our best duties they had wings and with two they covered their legs and with two their faces we had need not onely of a covering for our lower parts and meaner duties but a covering for our holy duties to cover our faces our best duties of al the most heavenly duties we perform had need be purged by the blood of Christ In Levit. 16.14.16 we reade of their holy things that there was need of purging of them by blood and so it should be in our holy duties Let us be humbled for our best performance that ever we performed in our lives The best had need be so but then as for others that have made little or no conscience of Sanctifying
of Gods name how had they need be humbled Thou hast something more to repent of then thou thoughtest of for the truth is those that have not made conscience of Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties they never in all their lives did any service for the honour of God thou hast lived perhaps 30. or 40. it may be 60. yeers or more and did it never yet honor God in any one thing that ever thou didst in all thy life You will say God forbid Have not I prayed and heard the Word much and received the Communion often and yet have I never honored God If thou hast not been acquainted with this mysterie of godliness in Sanctifying His Name in these things This is said from God to thee this morning That thou hast never done any one action to the honour of God Thou hadest need begin presently for thy time is not long And wilt thou go our of this world and the Name of God never to be honored by thee Yea and further Thou hast lost all thy duties all the time hath bin lost that thou hast been in performance of duties now it is an ill thing to idle away time in the things of the world When a man hath an opportunity for to gain in the world If so be he loses his time and neglects it we account it a very sad thing to him but now to lose our trading time for Heaven for the times of the worshipping of God are our our trading times for Heaven that 's sad indeed And yet thou that makest not conscience of Sanctifying the Name of God in holy duties all the time thou hast spent is lost And yet further You that have been false in the performance of duties and hypocrites not only all your pains and labor is quite lost for if that were so it might be well with you but you have aggravated your sins by your holy duties Those duties that others have enâ—oyed Communion with God in and furthered their eternal life by thou hast aggravated thy sinnes by them yet it was thy duty to do them but I say by not sanctifying of Gods Name thou hast aggravated thy sins so much the more As those that are godly they work out their salvation even in their natural actions they Sanctifie Gods Name in eating and drinking and following their businesse they performe those actions in such a holy manner as they honor God in them and further their eternal peace but as they in their naturall and Civill actions work out their salvation so thou in the very religiousest actions dost work out thy damnation Certainly wicked men that are not acquainted with this work of godlinesse to Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties they work out their damnation even in the performance of them You will say Then they had better not do them Yes they are bound to do them but they are bound to do them in a right manner as sometimes I have given you this instance and it is a ful and a cleer one to shew that men are bound to performe holy duties and not to leave them undone and yet they may further their own damnation while they are doing of them As for example If so be that a Prince should appoint a man to come into his presence such a day to Petition for his life which he hath forfeited by the Law If he do not come he may be a dead man But now if this man be drunk on that day and come drunk into the Kings presence he may be a dead man too for presuming to come drunk before him so wicked and ungodly men whether they worship or worship not they are in danger to perish But of this more when we come to shew that God will be Sanctified In the Fourth place here is a use of Exhortation that seeing we have this truth thus presented to us and opened before us Oh 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 mayest 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 enâ—oyment of Communion with God thou doest not know what the comfort of a Chriâ—â—ian life means do but make tryall of this for time to come and thou wilt find more comfort in the wayes of godliness and more thriving in them in one quarter of a yeer than thou hast done before in seven yeers 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 godliness more in one quarter of a yeer than the other doth in seven yeers that goes on in an ordinary dull and formal 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 wil find your selves to be as it were in another world you wil be able to say Well I have not yet understood what it was to enjoy 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 seperated from all things Valerius Maximus tels a story of a yong 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 off 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 endured What care should we have then of our selves when we come to Worship the high God And so Josephus he reports of the Priests
or so fully understand but suppose it be not so you are to come to it as an Ordinance of God for the conveyance of Spirituall good to your souls You will say Cannot we fit at home and reade a Sermon But hath God appointed that the great Ordinance for the converting and the edifying of soules in the way of eternal life True there is some use of it but the great Ordinance is the preaching of the Word Faith comes by hearing the Scripture saith and never by reading So that though when you come to hear you do not hear that which you heard not before yet you come to attend upon this ordinance for the conveyance of some Spiritual good that it may be hath not bin conveyed before or in a further degree than it hath been conveyed before And so you should come to hear the Word with your hearts possest with that meditation That it is the Word of God and the great Ordinance that God hath appointed for the conveyance of Spiritual good So that I come now in obedience to God and in this do I testifie my respect to God that I wil attend upon this Ordinance of His for the conveyance of spiritual good to me and although I may think that this or the other means may do the deed as well yet because God hath appointed this to be His Ordinance therefore in obedience to Him I wil attend upon this means rather than upon other means as you know Naaman he thought the other waters would have been as good as the waters of Jordan to have heal'd him but if God will appoint him the waters of Jordan that they should heal him rather than other waters he must wash there No question but other waters had as much naturall vertue in them as they had but because the waters of Jordan were the ordinance that God for that time had appointed to cure his Leprosie withall he must come and wash in those waters rather than in any other So because preaching of the Word is the great Ordinance that God hath appointed for to convey Himself by therefore He doth require that thou shouldest shew thy respect to Him so far as to attend upon Him in this Ordinance 2 The Second thing that is to be done in way of preparation it is to plow up the fallow ground of your hearts and not to sow amongst thornes as you have it in Jer. 4.3 and so in Hos 10. The word of God you know is compared to seed in that Parable of Christ in Mat. 13. And an Auditory is compared to the ground I suppose you are all acquainted with that parable of the sower that it is to set out the Ministry of the Word and what fruit it hath upon the hearts of men a congregation is like the field and a Minister preaching is like the sower that sows the seed in the field He knows not which Truth whether that or the other will prosper the seed being sowed in some part of the ground it is lost and in another part it grows so in one Pew the seed of the Word is lost and in another Pew it grows up But now if people that are compared to the ground would so hear the Word as Gods Name may be Sanctified in it their hearts must be plowed as if one should sow seed upon green soil sow it in the fields upon green grass what would become of it The ground must first be plowed for the preparation of the seed But you will say What is the meaning of the plowing of our hearts for the preparation of the Word The meaning is nothing else but this The work of humiliation the humbling of the soul before the Lord when it doth come to heare Gods Word Humble it in these two regards First Be humbled for your Ignorance that you know so little of Gods mind as you do Secondly Be humbled for all the sinfulness of your hearts be sencible of the sinfulness and wretchedness of your hearts and the miserable conditon that you are in if you can get your hearts broken with the sence of your sin and misery and come so to hear the Word it is very like the Word may be of mighty use and Gods Name may be very much Sanctified in your hearing of the Word You will say Must we plow up our hearts before we come to hear It must be the word that must plow us the word is the plow and so the Ministers of God are compared to plowmen in the word He that puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of heaven It is true it cannot be expected that the heart should be throughly plowed as it ought but by the word therefore at the first coming to hear there is not hope that men will Sanctifie Gods Name till the word gets in to plow them and so by getting at one time into their hearts they come to be prepared for hearing at another time And yet somewhat may be done before by that natural knowledg that men have they may come to know themselves to be sinners and come to understand themselves to be very weak and ignorant by some knowledge that they may have by the works of God and by conference with others and by reading and the like and so they may in some measure come to have their hearts to be humbled And it is good to make use of there to humble the heart but now You that have heard the word often and yet have not Sanctified Gods Name there be truths that you have heard heretofore that if you had made use of in private to have plowed up your hearts they would have prepared your hearts for the next time in hearing of the word if therefore you would hear the word with a great deal more profit than formerly your hearts must be plowed by â—umiliation 2 Secondly tâ—â— heart must be plowed by labouring to get out those thorns that are in the heart those lusts that grow deep in the heart as thorns grow in the ground labour to pluck them out that is when thou comest to hear the word get thy heart into that frame as to be willing to profess against every known in that thou hast found in thy heart labour to find out those lusts that are in thy heart and then profess against them that thou art willing to have them to be roâ—tâ—d out of thy heart if men and women would but do thus when they come to bear that God might see this in them that they have before they come profest gâ—â—nâ—t every known sin This would be an execellent thing indeed 3 Again in the third place which will follow from hence When thou comest to hear the Word come with a Resolution to yeeld to what ever God shall reveal to be his mind I am now going to hear thy Word O Lord to wait upon thee to know what thou hast to say to me And thou that art the searcher
that the Lord should speak out of the clouds to us And I will give you a Scripture for that that the voice of God in His word should be as much regarded of you as if God should speak from heaven to you by an audible voice out of the clouds In 2 Pet. 1.18 19. This voice which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy Means But mark in vers 19. We have also a more sure Word of Prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed Mark We heard a voice from heaven saith Peter yea but we have a more sure word of Prophesie whereunto ye do wel that ye take heed There was a voice from Heaven spake you will say If we had heard that voice we would have given heed to that saith the Apostle You have a more sure word of Prophesie Now Prophesie in Scripture is taken for Preaching Di pise not Pr phesie As if the Holy Ghost should say You must have regard to the word of Prophesie as you would have regard to any voice from Heaven Suppose an Angel should come and speak to you would not you attend to him then whatsoever thoughts you had they would be taken off for there is an Angel that is come down from Heaven to speak Now mark what is said in Heb. 1.1 God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past to the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last daies spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the worlds And then in ver 3. He discribes His Son And being made so much better than the Angels as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent Name than they If a Prophet should come and spake that is not so much as if the Son of God comes no nor as if an Angel should come for Jesus Christ hath obtained a more excellent Name than the Angels and it is Christ that is the Ministry of His word He that heareth you heareth me 2 Secondly That which would cause attention is the greatnes of the matter propounded It is true if a man should speak of some slight and vain things there need not so much attention My Brethren the matters in the word are the great things of God it is the voice of God the great Mysteries of godlinesse those deep things that the Angels themselves desire to pry into Yea the Angels themselves by the Churches they come to have the knowledge of the Mysteries of God I make no question but in the Ministry of the Word among the Churches the Angels they attend and come to some knowledge in the Mysteries of godliness for so the Scripture saith That they have it by the Churches there the greatest things of Gods will the greatest Councels of God that were kept hid from all eternity are opened to you in the Ministry of the word We do not come to tell you tales and the conceits of men but to open the greaâ— Counsels of God wherein the depth of the wisdom of God comes to be revealed to the children of men and therefore this calls for attention 3 Thirdly Suppose they be great things yet if they do not so much concern us there is no such great reason of attention Therefore in the Third place That which we speak it is your life it is that that concerns your souls and eternal estates Your Souls and everlasting estates do lie upon the Ministery of the Word if that be made effectual to you you are sav'd if that be not made effectual to you you are damn'd and undone for ever If we should come to tell you of something whereby you might get some good bargain or of a way how to get great riches I make no question but you would rise though it were a cold or rainy morning But know when you are called to hear the Word you are called to hear that which may do you good forever that for which you may blesse God for to all eternity with the Angels and Saints in the highest Heavens If they be such things of so great concernment then there had need be a great attention You know what Christ said to Martha when â—e was troubled about His entertainment Luke 10.41 Martha Martha thou art carefull and troubled about many things but one thing is needâ—ull and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her What did Mary choose It was this That she did diligently attend upon Jesus Christ to hear the Word from His own mouth when Martha was busied in the house to provide for His entertainment but it is a better thing to attend upon the Word than to entertain Christ in your houses You that are of loving dispositions that if a good Minister shall come to your houses or a good Christian that you see but the Image of Christ in your hearts spring within you and you will do any thing to entertain them Well but what if Jesus Christ should come if you knew that such a man that came within your doors were the Son of God how would you beâ—â—r your selves to entertain him But know it is a more acceptable service to Jesus Christ to attend upon his Word then to provide for Him in your houses And there is great reason too that we should be diligent in drawing nigh to the Word give eare unto it because you find that the Lord doth expresse himself in the Scripture how he gives ear to us when we speak to him God is said to encline his ear sometimes to open his ear sometimes to bow his eare sometimes to cause his eare to hear and divers such expressions there are to that purpose Now if God when we that are poor wretches speak to him shall bow his ear bend his ear open his ear cause his ear to hear much more should we when we come to attend upon him 2 Secondly Aâ— there must be attending to the word of God so there must be an opening of the heart to receive what God speaks to you it is true it is the work of God to open the heart but God works upon men as upon rationall creatures and he makes you to be active in opening your hearts so that when you have any truth come to be revealed you should open your understandings your conscience and will and affections Oh Lord thy truth which thou art presenting here to my Soul at this time let it come in let me receive it as the expression is in Prov. 2.1 My Son if thou wilt receive my words and then in v. 10. When wisdom entereth into thy heart The words of wisdom the words of God they must enter into the heart get in it may be they get into thy eare but that 's not enough they must get into thy heart in Joh. 8.37 There Christ complains that his word had no place in them that 's a sad thing when the Word of
not so bad as you hear it is a cursed comfort that hath no sure bottome Grant that respect therefore to the Word 3 Thirdly consider this It may be I do not see cleerly that these things are so which are delivered I do not see enough to beleeve them now but what if I were now dying What if I were now going to receive the sentence of my eternal doome would I not then beleeve these things Would I not then think what I hear out of the word to be true It is an easie matter for men to reject the word while they have their healths and prosperity But if you were to die and upon your sick and death bed if you saw the infinite ocean of eternity before you what would you say then were the Word true yea or no would you give beleif unto the suggestions of the Devil then We find it by experience That men that could easily cast off the word in their healths yet when they have come to lie upon their sick bed and death bed they found the word true Beleeve it now as well as then 4 Consider If thou doest not beleeve what a case art thou in Am I worse than the Devils themselves The Scripture tels me That the Devils beleeve and tremble Why Lord do I come to hear Sermons and am I more hard to beleeve than the very Devils themselves They do beleeve that word that I cast off and they tremble at it but my Soul is not at all stirred as if there were no reallity in such things that have been spoken to me There be other things which may further help us towards beleeving of the word of God but these shall suâ—â—â—ce And certainly my brethren till we come to this to beleeve the Word though we should sit under it many yeers it will do us little good and we shall never Sanctifie the Name of God in the hearing of it SERMON IX LEVITICUS 10.3 I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me THE next thing for the right behaviour of the Soul for Sanctifying Gods Name is this We must receive the Word with meeknesse of Spirit that you have in Jam. 1.21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the ingrafted word which is 〈…〉 save your souls Receive with meekness The former part of his Scripture I confess concerns some what that was before about the preparation of the Soul and we shall perhaps afterwards in the Application come to open the former part of this vers Lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness But only now we quote the place for this Receive with meekness the ingrafted Word which is able to save your souls Let there be a quietness in your spirits in attending upon the Word no hurring There is a twofold di emper of passion in many people that is a great hindrance to the profit of the Word and Sanctifying Gods 〈…〉 hearing it 1 The First 〈◊〉 distemper of Passion in those that have some trouble of conscience in them they are troubled for their sin and their spirits 〈◊〉 in a discontented froward humour because they have not that comfort that they do desire and therefore the Word of God when it comes to be preached to them if it doth not every way sure with their hearts and if they do not find present comfort by it their spirits are in a distemper and frowardness and cast it off and if at any time there be never such comfortable things spoken in the word yet there is an anger in their spirits because they are not able to apply the word to themselves and they think This doth not concern me Now there should be meeknesse of spirit in those that are in trouble of conscience above all they should quietly attend upon the word and wait for the time that God will speak peace to their consciences And if I cannot find the Word sutable to me at this time yet I may at another time let me attend with meekness let me receive every thing with meekness the Word is above me and if ever I have good it must be by the Word at last It doth much concern those that are in trouble of Conscience to have meek spirits 2 There is another distemper in others and that is worse that is Such as when they find the Word come neer unto them relating those sins that their Consciences tells them they are guilty of their hearts rise against God and His Word and Ministers too Because it would pluck away some beloved corruption because it rebukes them for some haunt of evill some distemper of heart that they have been or are guilty of it puts a shame upon them and therefore their hearts do rise against it It is a dreadfull thing to have the heart rise against the Word As we reade of that froward Prince Jehoiakim in the Prophesie of Jeremiah that when the Roll was read in his hearing sitting in the winter time by a great fire he took a pen-knife and cut it in pieces and threw it into the fire in anger and I have read that the Jewes kept a Fast every yeer to mourne for that great sin yet this Jehoiakim was the son of Josiah whose heart did melt at the hearinng of the Word he had an humble and a meek heart when the Law was read and yet see what a different spirit Jehoiakim had either from his Father or grand-Father It is a great dishonor to the Name of God for men to give liberty to their Passions to rise against the Word take hâ—ed of Passion either while you are hearing the word or after the word as many of you while you are discontented with what is said when you come in company what a fury are many men in upon the hearing of some things in the word that comes close to their hearts Remember when you are a hearing of the Word that it is that which is above you and it is not fit for one that is an inferiour to shew himselfe Passionate in the presence of a Superiour It is true the Ministers they may be in as low a condition as you and in a lower but the Word they speak it is above all the Princes and Monarchs upon the face of the Earth and it is fit therefore we having to deal with God that we should behave our selves in a meek disposition 6 The next thing for the Sanctifying Gods Name in the hearing of the word is this We must hear it with a trembling heart with fear as well as meekness and for that you have that famous Scripture in Isa 66. beginning Thus saith the Lord The Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my foot-sâ—ool where is the house that ye build unto me and where is the place of my rest For all those things hath my hand made and all those things have been saith the Lord but to this man will I look even to him that is poor and
of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my Word This is a most admirable Scripture Mark how God lifts up Himself in His Glory so great a God as the Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my foot-stool where is that house that ye will build unto me But then may a poor soul say How shall I be able to stand before this God that is so glorious Saith God Be not discouraged poor soul who doest tremble at my Word for I look to you And then this is a further thing observable that God hath a regard to that soul that trembles at His Word rather than to any that should build the most sumptuous buildings in the world for Him for saith God here The Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my foot-stool where is the house that ye build unto me and where is the place of my rest They have built a glorious Temple to God but what do I regard that saith God I regard one that trembls at my word more than that great house that you have built unto me It is a notable Scripture to shew what a high respect God hath to one that trembls at His word He regards them more than this glorious Temple that was built unto Him If you were able to build such a place as this was for the service of God you would think it a great matter it is not so much regarded as if you could bring a trembling heart to Gods word that 's a special thing wherein the Sanctifying of the Name of God consists when we come to see the dreadful Authority that there is in the word of God when we are able to see more glory of God in His Word than in all the works of God besides for there is more of his glory in the word than there is in the whole Creation of Heaven and Earth take the Sun and Moon and Stars you that are Marriners you have seen much of the glory of God abroad that one would think might strike terrour into all your hearts but know that there is more of the dreadfulness of Gods Name in His word than in all His works In Psal 138.2 Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name the Word it is magnified above all the Name of God whatsoever and it is a very good signe of a Spiritual enlightened Soul that can see the Name of God more magnified in His Word than in all His works besides I appeal unto your Consciences in this thing Have you ever seen the Name of God to be more magnified in His Word than in all His works I may with very good confidence affirm this that there is no godly soul upon the face of the earth that hath the weakest degree of grace but hath seen more of the glory of God revealed in His word than he hath seen in all the works of God besides and his heart hath bin more taken with it It requires therefore a trembling frame of heart when we hear it And then further When this is considered that the Word is that which bindeth the soul over either to life or death mens eternal estates are to be cast by the Word certainly then it requires a trembling heart to hear that by which the eternal estate of man is to be cast we do not Sanctifie Gods Name when we come to hear the Word except we come with trembling hearts and they are the most likely of all men and women to understand the mind of God as for such as come with conceited spirits that they understand as much before they come and think their reach of wit or capacity is beyond the capacity of any that shall open the Word unto them yet that were not so much if 〈◊〉 did but only rest upon the man and not reflect upon the word it self Now these that are rich in their own thoughts and understandings are sent empty away but those that come wiâ—h trembling hearts to the Word they are the men that are like to understand Gods Counsels revealed in His word In Ezra 10.2 3. Shechaniah the Son of Jehiel one of the Sons of Elam answered said unto Ezra we have transgressed against our God have taken strange wives c. Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing now therefore let us make a covenant with our God according to the counsel of my Lord and of those that tremble at the Commandement of our God So that those that tremble at Godâ— Word are such as are fitest to counsel they understand most of Gods mind and that 's another particular of the behaviour of the Soul in Sanctifying Gods Name in hearing his Word 7 The next is a humble subjection to the Word that we hear our hearts must bow to it must lie under the word that we hear it is a very remarkable Scripture that we have in 2 Chron. 6.12 There it is said concerning a great King Zedekiah He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the Prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. It is a very strange expression as any we have in the Book of God that Zedekiah a great King should be charged with this as a great sin that he did not humble himself Humble himself before whom you will say We are boud to humble our selves before God but here it is that he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the Prophet Why before the Prophet Because he spake from the mouth of the Lord. If it be any messenger that speaks from the mouth of the Lord God expects that we should humble our selves so that if any truth comes to be delivered unto you the Lord expects that you should fall down and yeeld obedience to it whatsoever your thoughts your judgements your opinions have heretofore been it there come any thing in the word against it you must submit your judgments submit your very consciences you must submit your wills whatsoever your hearts have been set upon though it hath been never so contentful to your spirits before yet now submit and yeeld though it go never so cross unto your minds your wils your ends yet all must be submitted and laid down flat before the Word so as to be willing to deny your selves of any thing in the world When a man or woman can say thus Lord it is true I confess before I heard thy word opened in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit unto me I was of such a mind and my heart went after such and such contentments and I thought it was impossible that ever my heart should be taken from them but O Lord thou hast been pleased plainly to shew to me by the opening of thy Word in the evidence of thy Spirit what thy mind is Now whatsoever becomes of my name of my comforts of my contentments in this world Lord here I cast down all before thee I submit unto thy Word this is a gracious
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 he seed oâ—â—e 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 doth desire to empty it self of every thing that is against the Word and which is not suitable to the Spiritualness of the Word A heart I say that entertains nothing in it that any way makes against the Word A good heart is a heart which as the Apo le saith in Jam. 1.21 and that place may very well come in here to be opened is clensed from all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness The word that is there translated filthiness it signifies Excrements that which is unclean that which comes from the body such is the sinfulness of your hearts you come to hear the Word if it be with evil hearts you mingle that very filthiness which is as vile before God as excrements are And superfinity of naughtiness by that I take is meant as if the holy-Ghost should say Do not think it enough for to purge away filthiness 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 naughtiness all kind of evil thoughts and evill affections that are more than needs Look into your hearts and affections and see whatsoever you find there that is more than ought to be runing out unto any thing that they should not labour to purge out that saith he do not satisfie your selves in any kind of evill whatsoever It may be you are clensed from the notorious evils of the world but if there remains any naughtiness any kind of drossiness in your hearts that is not grace it is to be purged out for it is superfluity So then that is a good heart that entertains 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 designs 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 than such a one that we cal 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 accompt 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 go further than 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 nor 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 enjoy 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 any 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 godliness 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
take heed of this that when you are hearing the Word and Christ comes and speaks to your hearts and you begin to think that it may concern you and your consciences begin to stir take heed that you do not shift Him off take heed that you do not put away the Word from you by any kind of pretence whatsoever It may be you will say If I were certain it were the Word of God and that God spake to me God forbid but that I should submit unto it But though it may be the hearts of men are not so notoriously rebellious as to resolve to sin against the Word which they will acknowledge to be the Word of God yet this is the deceit of the heart when the heart hath no mind to obey it will shift of the Word and have pretences and put-offs Oh take heed that you do not shift off him that speaks from Heaven by making any kind of excuse whatsoever but when thou hearest if the Word of God come to thy conscience do not listen to vain reasonings that are against it Others there are that cannot tell how to shift off the word but it will come upon them when they are hearing it may be they are a little stir'd but it is presently gone so that they are far from holding the Word far from keeping it in their hearts Oh how many of you have been stirrâ—d when you have been hearing the Word and how happy had it beeen for you if you had hid those words in your heart that the Lord hath spoken to you in the Ministry of it If you had but the Invitations of the Spirit now that sometimes you have had how happy were it for you but it is with many in hearing the Word Just as with you Marriners when you are to go abroad your friends come with you take their leaves of you and then you see them stand upon the shore a while but when you sail a little further your friends are out of sight and then you see only the shore you sail on a little further and then you see only the houses you sail a little further and then you see only the steeples and such high places and you sail yet a little further and then you see nothing but the Ocean So it is in hearing the Word It may be when you go home there are some things fresh in your minds but on the munday morning you have lost some but then there are some others that do yet present themselves before you and then you loose more and more untill you have lost the fight of all all truths are gone you see no more of the Word as if you had never heard it this is not to Sanctifie Gods Name you should treasure up the Word as the most rich treasure that may be Another sort to be rebuked are those who are so far from falling down before the Lord to receive the word with meekness as they can bless themselves in their wicked waies notwithstanding the word comes and meets with them I only name this because of that notable Scripture we have In Deut. 29.18 19. saith Moses there to them Take heed lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood what 's that root that beareth gall and wormwood And it come to pass when he beareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart c. Take heed there be not among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood This is a bitter root in mens hearts when they can hear the word of God and have their hearts rise against it and think with themselves that there is no such matter these are but meer words but meer wind let the Minister say what he will and talk as long as he will I will go on in my way I shall do well enough that which he saith it is but his opinion I say when men can bless themselves thus in their way and when there are such tumultuous and rebellious thoughts rising in their hearts this is a root of gall and wormwood and take heed of it it will bring forth bitter fruit one day But I should quickly be prevented if I should lanch into this argument to reprove the several waies of sinning against God in the hearing of his Word And therefore I leave those and come to shew what a fearful thing it is for men and women not to Sanctifie the Name of God in the hearing of his Word that so you may see that God will have his Name Sanctified upon them And they are these 1 In the First place You that do not Sanctifie Gods Name in hearing his word in those waies that have been opened to you First you loose the greatest and happiest opportunity of good that ever creatures had for an outward opportunity indeed when God moves by his Spirit if that be neglected that opportunity is more than meerly hearing the word but otherwise except it be at such a time when God adds his Spirit together with his Word I say you that are cast by the providence of God in such a place where the word of the Gospel is preached to you applied and urged upon you if you Sanctifie not the Name of God to hear as you ought and to profit by it I say you lose the greatest opportunity for good that is in the world Oh what hast thou lost that hast lived many yeers under the Ministry of the Gospel and yet hast not been acquainted with this mystery of godliness in sanctifying Gods name in the word There are many thousand souls that are and shall be blessing God to all eternity for what of God they have met withall in the word but thou hast sitten under it stuped as a block dead and barren and no good hath been done Wherefore is there a prize in the hand of a fool and he hath no heart to get wisdom This will lie upon thee heavy one day the loss of such an opportunity and that is the first 2 In the Second place Know that this word that is appointed by God for the conveyance of so much mercy to his elect it will prove to be the greatest aggravation of thy sin that can be This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light This is The condemnation If so be that light had not come among you then the condemdation had not been so great your sin had not been so great your punishment had not bin so great In Mat. 10.14 15. where speaking of those that did enjoy the word and yet did not Sanctifie Gods Name in it Whosoever shall not receive you saith Christ to his Disciples nor hear your words when ye depart out of that house or City shake off the dust of your feet Verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom
and Gomorah in the day of judgement than for that City It is a most dreadfull Scripture their very dust must be shaken off in token of indignation and it shall be more easie for the Land of Sodom and Gomorah in the day of judgment than for that place You would be very loth to be in a worse condition than Sodom and Gomorah that was consumed by fire from heaven And now suffer the vengeance of eternal fire Jude 7. Certainly they shall not be so deep in judgments as those that live under the Ministry of the word and Sanctifie not the Name of God in it Your sin is of a deeper dye than the sin of the Heathens yea and in some respects than the sin of the Devils they never had the word of the Gospel sent to be preached to them and therefore this will aggravate your sin not only beyond heathens but beyond Devils Look to it then that Gods Name be Sanctified in the hearing of his Word 3 Thirdly Know that so much as the word is rejected Jesus Christ is rejected Luk. 10.16 He that dispiseth you dispiseth me and he that dispiseth me dispiseth him that sent me It is Christ himself that is rejected when the word is rejected thou hast not to do with man so much as with Jesus Christ in the hearing of the Word And the power of Jesus Christ is to be put forth either to do the good by the word or to avenge thy neglect of the word Therefore in Mat. 28.18 19. when Christ sends forth his Disciples to preach he makes this preface All power is given unto me in heaven and earth go ye therefore and teach As if he should say I having received all power in heaven and earth through the power I received I send you to preach and I 'le be with you to the end of the world that is all power in heaven and earth shall go along with you to assiâ—t your Ministry either for the good of those that shall imbrace it or for the Misery of those that shall reject it So that whosoever stands out against the Ministry of the Word stands out against all the power in heaven and earth that is given to Christ Do not think that thou doest resist a poor weak mortal man but thou doest resist all the power in heaven and earth And is not this a dreadful thing then to be guilty of not Sanctifying of Gods Name 4 Fourthly It is an Argument of extreame hardness of heart not to be wrought upon by the Word Luk. 16.31 If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead saith Abraham Certainly that man or woman that shall not be wrought upon by the word so as to Sanctifie Gods Name in it I say to such If one should rise from the dead they would not have their hearts wrought upon and therefore much less are they like to be wrought upon by afflictions It may be some of you think when you are upon your sick beds then you will repent no surely if this that is the great Ordinance to bring men to God shall not work upon you so as God shall be honoured in itâ— you cannot expect that sickness and affliction should do it no if one should come from the dead to tell you of all the miseries that were there certainly if the word work not upon you that will not do it But you will say One would think that there should be more power to work upon the heart truly no because that is not such an Ordinance appointed by God for working such great works upon the hearts and consciences of men as the word is It is true the word is but a weak thing in it self but here lies the strength that it is an Ordinance of God appointed for to work upon the hearts of men therefore if this work not upon you to give God glory in the hearing of it there is no other means is like to do it 5 Fiftly When the word works not upon men it is a dreadful sign of Reprobation If our Gospel be hid saith the Apostle in 2 Cor 4 3. it is hid to those that are lost It is a dreadful Argument that here is a lost creature one that God intends no good to One â—he Lord works upon perhaps he lets pass another one in a family and not in another Now where it is so that the word worketh not I say there is no such dreadful brand of Reprobation as this is It is true we cannot give any certain sign of Reprobation therefore I cannot say of any man he hath now such a mark upon him as doth evidently prove that he is a Reprobate we cannot tell that because we know not what God may do afterwards but we may say this That it is as dreadful a sign as any There are not any more dreadfull signs than these two First For a man to be suffered to prosper in a sinful course For God to let men go on and have their hearts desire satisfied in an ungodly way And then Secondly For the Lord to leave them to themselves so as the Ministry of the Word shal not work upon them that they shall be by Gods providence so disopsed of as to live under a faithful and powerful Ministry and that it should not work upon them These are the two blackeâ— signs of Reprobation and therefore it is a most dreadfull thing to sit under the Ministry of the Word and not to sanctifie Gods Name in it 6 In the next place Surely there can be nothing Sanctified to thee who doest not Sanctifie Gods Name in His Word The Scripture saith That every thing is Sanctified by the Word and Prayer And how canst thou expect that the Word should sanctifie any thing unto thee seeing that thou dost not make conscience of Sanctifying Gods Name in the word The godly think thus 'T is the Word that must Sanctifie all things to my Soul and I had need then Sanctifie Gods Name in that from which I expect the sanctified use of all blessings You therefore that can fit under it and make not conscience of Sanctifying Gods Name in it I say you cannot expect no sanctified use of any thing that you have in this world 7 Such as do not Sanctifie Gods Name in the Word are very nigh to a curse There is a notable Scripture for this in Heb. 6.7 8. where the Apostle compares the Word to the rain that fals upon the ground For the earth that drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dresâ—ed receiveth blessing from God But saith he that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned The meaning is this plainly The rain here is the Word and the good hearers they are like the ground that receive the rain and bring forth fruit and receive a blessing
But now ill hearers that do not Sanctifie Gods Name in His Word they are like ground that receive the rain as much as the other hear as many Sermons as the other but they bring forth nothing but thorns and briers and mark what a dreadful expression is against them First It is rejected Secondly It is nigh to cursing Thirdly Whose end is to be burned Thou rejectest the word doest thou The Lord rejecteth thy soul If thou hast no need of the word the word hath no need of thee it is a dreadful thing to be rejected of God And then thou art nigh unto cursing It may be the Lord may for the time withdraw Himself from the soul and manifest that it is as it were rejected but yet the soul hath not the curse of God upon it to say Well let this soul perish for ever but some there are that are under an actual curse and saith God Well My word shall never do good to this soul such a one hath sate under it thus long and hath rejected it My word shall never do good to him Like as in Luk. 14. where those that made excuses when they were bidden to the Supper the text saith at length That the Master of the feast was angry which was God Himself that invited them by the Gospel to partake of His Son and when men would not come in but make excuses and refused the offer of the Gospel Verily saith he none of those men that were bidden shall tast of my Supper They shall never partake of any good of the Gospel This is a dreadful Curse Now the Lord deliver you from having this curse pronounced against you but yet I beseech you tremble at this Scripture in the Hebrews They are nigh to cursing Who knows how nigh some soul in this place may be to this curse for God to say This soul hath been often invited and yet hath made excuses and put off all he shall never taste of my Supper of the good things in Jesus Christ the word that hath been so rejected shall never do them good more you had better never been born than to have this curse actually upon you Oh fear and tremble lest your condition be such as to be nigh to cursing Who knows what a day a week may bring forth It may be the Lord may spare and be willing to passe by the neglect of former Sermons but who knows what the next actuall rebellion against the Lord in His word may do to bring the curse upon thee And then if so the next part of the verse will prove to be thy portion Whose end is to be burned Oh! It is a dreadfull thing to sin against the Word God stands much upon it 8 Eightly Know that if Gods Name be not Sanctified in it the end that God hath appointed it for will be turned quite contrary to thee The proper end that God hath appointed His Word for it is to save souls but now where Gods Name is not Sanctified it is turned quite contrary so the Aposte in 2 Cor. 2.16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death and to the other the savour of life unto life It is a dreadful thing that the good word of God in which there is such treasures of Gods mercy wherein the councels of God concerning mans eternal estate comes to be revealed that this should prove to be the savour of deah unto death unto any soul that is to have such an efficacy in it as to kill them by the very scent of it as it were As some things have such a poyson in them as the very scent is enough to poyson one So saith the Apostle to some our word hath that efficacy being turned quite to the contrary end some souls are sav'd and are and shal be blessing God to al eternity for the Word and thy soul is damn'd by the Word so as thou wilt hereafter curse the time that ever thou camest to hear it That will be a dreadful thing that the same word that others shal be blessing of God eternally in heaven for that thou shalt be cursing eternally in hell for it wil be turned to the quite contrary end If it works not in the right way it will work the other the truth is it hardens mens hearts if it brings them not to God there is nothing that doth harden the hearts of men more than the Ministry of the Word yet by accident not by it's self there is no men in the world have such hard hearts as those that are wicked under the Ministry of the word It is not only an argument that their hearts are hard but they are hardened by it That in Isa 6.9 10. is remarkable for this and the rather because I find it so often quoted by Christ I think it is quoted three or four times in the Gospel And he said Go and tell this people hear ye indeed but understand not and see yee indeed but perceive not Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed This is a strange Scripture what must a Prophet go to them to make their hearts fat and to shut their eyes Why the word is appointed to open mens eyes but here the Prophet is sent to shut their eyes that they may not be converted this is dreadfull this is for the punishment of some former neglect of the word of God sent unto this People above all Judgments you should be afraid of this It is not so much that a fire should be upon your houses as that God should make His word to be a means to harden your hearts In Ezek. 14. we have a dreadful expression to this purpose by the Prophet there where the Lord saith that the people did come to enquire of him with setting up their Idols in their hearts but saith God I will answer them according to their Idol If men come to the Ministry of the Word with their beloved sins and resolve they will not part with them the Lord many times in His just judgement suffers some things in the Word to be accidentally a means to harden them in that sin of theirs I will answer them according to their Idoll those men are in a dreadful estate whose hearts come to be hardned by the word 9 Ninthly If thou doest not Sanctifie Gods Name in the hearing of the Word what comfort canst thou ever have by the Word in the day of thy affliction Certainly when the day of thy affliction comes then there is nothing can comfort thee but the word Vnless thy Law had been my delight saith David I should then have perished in mine affliction but thou having been exercised in the word so much and Gods Name not Sanctified thou must not expect to have thy soul comforted in the day of thy affliction No marveil then
though the word hath been applied againe and againe to your hearts and nothing would stick I remember it was an expression of one in a great deal of terror of conscience many came to apply comfortable Scriptures to him and he himself for a while did take those Scriptures and lay them upon his heart to pacifie his troubled conscience but a little before he dyed he cries out with a most fearful terror There is a fair plaister made but it will not stick on it will not stick on so dyed dispairing So there is in the word such a plaister as may help a wounded and troubled conscience but canst thou expect that hast not Sanctified Gods Name in thy life time that it shall stick upon thy soul in the day of thy affliction never expect it for the Lord hath said otherwise Prov. 1. Because when I cryed and call'd ye would not hear you shall cry and call and I will not hear The Lord in his Word cries to thee Oh thou sinful soul who art going on in the waies of sin and eternal destruction Return return that is the way that will bring thee to eternal miseries but here is the way that will bring thee to life and eternal salvation Thus the Lord cries and call to day to day and thou stoppest thy eare Oh how just is it with God to stop his eare from thy crying and calling in the day of thy affliction 10 Further Know that thou that doest not Sanctifie the Name of God in his Word that all the Word of God will be made good one day upon thee God hath his time to magnifie his Law and to make it honourable Isa 42.21 You slight Gods Law you slight his Word and dispise it but God will magnifie it and make it honourable there is not any sentence that thou hast heard in the word but it shall be made good whatsoever becomes of thy soul Thou hinkest that God is a merciful God and he will not damn thee but though God be merciful hath regard to his creatures yet the Lord hath ten thousand times more regard to his word than to all the souls of men and women in the world and God will stand to make that good he will not have such regard to that wretched vile sinful soul of thine as not to honour his Word he will honour his Word whatsoever becomes of thee and all that thou hast heard and rejected shall be made good upon thee one day 11 Again the word that thou doest reject and sin against it shall be the word that shall judge thee Joh. 12.48 Look to it as well as you will this Book of God out of which we preach and those truths that we delivered to you from this word they must be called over again at the great day to judge your souls by the sentence of every one of your eternal estates must be tryed out of this book Oh look upon it as the word that must judge your Souls at the last day and then you will see it a dreadful thing not to Sanctifie Gods Name in it And then when the Word doth judge you you shall obey it whether you will or no. Now the word convinces you and you will not obey it but when God comes to judge you by the word then you shall obey it Then when God comes to reade that sentence out of the word Go ye cursed into everlasting fire then I say you shall be forced to obey it 12 Lastly There is yet one thing more which should have been mentioned before which is very remarkable That those men which do not Sanctifie Gods Name in his Word they will be blasted even here while they live their parts and common gifts that they yet have will be blasted wither and come to nothing We find it ordinarily that many that are young had very good beginnings and very good parts that were very hopeful and would speak very savourly where they came afterwards beginning by degrees to neglect the Word the Lord hath blasted them their gifts have withered the common gifts of the Spirit have been taken from them I will give you one Text for that in Luk. 8.18 Take heed therefore how ye hear It is an Exhortation that follows upon the parable of the Sower that went out to sow because it is so that when the word is sowen as seed there is so little of it doth prosper and most hearers do not Sanctifie Gods Name in it therefore look to your selves Why For whosoever hath to him shall be given and whosoever hath not from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have You had need look to your selves how you hear for the truth is all depends upon it under God have you got any common gifts of the Spirit of God or any abilities to do any service for God do not be proud of them neither be jolly nor think that you are able to do better than others and that those are but ordinary things that the Minister speaks and you are gotten into a higher forme Look to your selves take heed you come not to the word with a proud Spirit be not offended at the plainness of the word take heed how you hear for if you do not that that you seem to have shall be taken from you saith Christ You seem to have excellent gifts yea you seem to have grace too but take heed how you hear for all this whatsoever parts you have got though you be highly esteemed in the company where you come and you are able to do things more than others yet I say Take heed how you hear for otherwise that that you have will be taken away from you have have we not seen this in our own experience and it is apparent that they began to be withered and to be blas ed by neglecting of the Word And therefore I beseech you look to this that you do Sanctifie the Name of God in his Word and let your hearts bow unto it as unto the Ordinance of God and wait upon it in the Ministry of it lest you wither and be blasted and come to nothing And thus I have shewen the great evil of not Sanctifying Gods Name and how God will be Sanctified I shall be very brief in the Use of Exhortation Oh that the Lord by this would cause some thing to stick upon your hearts that what hath been preached in this point may be made useful for many Sermons afterwards that it might be said of you in this place as it was said of them in Act. 13.48 When the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life beleeved Oh that God would make every one of you to be a means to glorifie the word of God! That should be our care that the word of God may be glorified by us we come to hear the word but take heed that the word of God be not
except he could go to heaven and there see and reade Gods Book and so discover Gods mind concerning him or go down to hell and so know whether that place be appointed for him or not except I can do one of these I can not certainly tell meerly by the Law whether I shall go to heaven or hell As you that are Merchants and dealers abroad you are at a great deal of uncertainty what shall become of your estates Indeed if I could send one over to the Indies to tell me how my Ship prospered then I could be at a certainty then I should hear whether I were a rich man yea or no but except I could do such a thing I am at an uncertainty Such is the expression here As if a poor soul should say I would fain be saved and loth to perish eternally But all the while the soul remains under the Law it remains in an uncertain condition but now saith he The Word of the Gospel is nigh thee even in thine heart And that is the word that we preach that saith Rom. 10.9 If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt beleeve in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved As if he should say This word of the Gospel that is come into thine heart doth assure thy soul of thy eternall estate so that though thou canst not go up to heaven nor go down to hell yet thou hast that in thine heart that doth as it were assure thee that thou shalt be eternally saved as if thou wert able to go up to the highest heavens and fetch newes from thence Oh now the good word of the Gospel how should we prize it and keep it in our hearts for that 's in our hearts that wil assure us of our salvation to all eternity and of Gods eternal purpose to do the good in heaven You would account it a great happiness if there could be any art to send abroad to the Straits or to other place to know how things fare with you but now if thou hast the word of the Gospel within thee if that prevails in thy Soul thou hast alwaies got something in thy heart that will tell thee how things are with thee in heaven and what shall become of thee for all eternity Oh who would not Sanctifie the Name of God in hearing of his Word seeing it is such a blessed Word wherein the Gospel is opened with more clearness than it hath been to many of our fore-fathers 2 It is a certain evidence of your election in Thess 1.3 4 5. Remembring without ceasing your work of Faith and labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father Knowing Brethren beloved your election of God Why For our Gospel came not to you in word only but also in power and in the holy Ghost and in much assurance And know this excellency there is in Sanctifying God Name in hearing the word I beseech you mark it that it is a more blessed thing than if you did bear Jesus Christ in your wombes You that are women would not you have accounted it a great happiness if Christ had been borne in your wombes Now if thou comest to the hearing of the word and Sanctifiest Gods Name in it thou art in a better condition and hast a greater blessing upon thee than if thou hadest born Jesus Christ in thy womb In Luk. 11.27 28. And it came to pass as he spake these things that a certain woman of the company lift up her voice and said unto him Blessed is the womb that bare thee and the paps which thou hast sucked Seeing Christ and what gracious things came from him she spake so But he said Yea rather blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it That is Labor to Sanctifie my Name as hath been opened in the particulars rather is that woman blessed that do so than the woman that bare Christ Me thinks this one Scripture should be such a Scripture for women to cause them to Sanctifie Gods Name in hearing of the word instead of a hundred Scriptures certainly thou maiest be so blessed if thou wilt beleeve the word that comes from Christs mouth 3 Do you Sanctifie the Name of God in the Word that will Sanctifie you by that your souls come to be Sanctified and it will comfort you in the day of your affliction and it will save you at last 4 You that do Sanctifie Gods Name in the hearing of his Word you will be the glory of the Ministers of God at the great day of â—udgment You will be an honour to them before the Lord and his Saints and Angels In Phil. 2.16 Holding forth saith the text the word of life This is the duty of all the hearers of the word that they must hold forth the word of life when you go home you must hold forth the power of the word you hear well what will become of that That I may rejoyce in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain neither laboured in vain Let that be one motive among the rest saith the Apostle this will be such a glory to me that I in the day of Jesus Christ shall rejoyce that I have not laboured in vain I shall bless God for all my studies and care and all the pains that ever I have taken and venturing my self for this People I shall bless God in the day of Jesus Christ Would it not be a comfortable thing to you that all the Ministers of God that come to preach the word faithfully to you If at the day of Jesus Christ you should hear them blessing God that ever he did send them to preach the Gospel in such a place and you should hear them saying Oh Lord it may be had I been sent to another place I should have spent all my strength in vain but through thy mercy I was sent to a teachable people that were ready to imbrace thy Word Oh this is my crown and glory Would it not do good to any whose hearts are faithful to think this that their holding forth the word of life will not only be a glory to God which is the cheif but it will be a glory to the Ministers to recompence all their labours that you shall not only be saved your selves in the day of Jesus Christ but you shall adde to the glory of his faithful Ministers likewise when they do appear before Christ 5 I shall adde one particular more There is a time coming when God shall magnifie his Word before men and Angels In Isa 22.21 He will magnifie his Law and make it honourable What a joy shal it be to thee when the Lord before men and Angels shall come to magnifie His Word and make it honorable for thee then to think This is the Word that spoke to my heart at such and such a time this is that
I mention it to shew what a power there is in the consciences of men about this Ordinance this ordinarily is one of the first things that strikes upon the souls of men when they come to have their Consciences awakened Oh how have I prophaned the Name of God in the Ordinance of the holy communion and have not Sanctified his Name in it That God should be Sanctified in this Ordinance that 's cleer enough But now the great work is which is the third thing which I promised to shew how we should sanctifie God Name in this Ordinance Certainly the Name of God hath bin much taken in vain there hath bin a great deal of pollution in the use of this Ordinance and in mens Spirits when they have bin exercising themselves in such an holy Ordinance as this is therefore I will open this to you and shall not be very large in it only to shew you the maine and principal things that may serve for the direction of us that the Name of God may not be so taken in vain and dishonoured as heretofore and I shall cast what I intend to speak of into these particulars 1 That whosoever was to partake of this must be holy himself none can sanctifie God but he must have a sanctified heart himself Secondly This Ordinance it must be received in a holy Communion There must be a Communion of Saints for this Ordinance and it cannot be received any where else but in a Communion of Saints Thirdly The holy disposition of soul particularly or the qualifications of soul that are required for the sanctifying of Gods Name in this Ordinance Fourthly the manner of the explicite goings out of the soul that there are to be at that very time of receiving Fifâ—hly The keeping of the institution of Christ in our receiving These things are required for the sanctifying of the Name of God in this Ordinance For the first Those that come must be holy themselves This is an Ordinance not appointed for conversion to make holy others that are not converted may come to the word because the word it is appointed to work conversion 't is appointed to work Grace to work the first grace Faith comes by hearing but we do not find in all the Scripture that this is appointed for conversion but it supposes conversion none are to come to receive this Sacrament but men and women that before are converted by the word the word first therefore is to be preached to men for their conversion and then this is an Ordinance appointed for to seal them therefore in the Primitive times they let all come to hearing of the word and then when the Sermon was done there was an Officer stept up and cried holy things for holy men and then all others were to go out and therefore it was called missa though the Papists did corrupt it and so called it the masse afterwards by mixing their own inventions in stead of the Supper of the Lord but it had that name at first I say this holy Communion was cal'd by the name of missa because that all others were sent away and only such as were of the Church and accounted godly staid holy things to holy men And this must needs be so because that the nature of it being the Seal of the Covenant of grace requires it it must be supposed that all that come hither must be in Covenant with God they must be such as have been brought to submit to the condition of the Covenant Now the Condition of the Covenant of grace is Beleeve and be saved it is therefore appointed for Beleevers And as the nature of it being a Seal supposeth a Covenant so none can have this Covenant sealed to them but those that do first submit to it and are brought into Covenant when you make an Indenture and put to the Seal certainly the Seal belongs only to those that have their names in the Indenture Now t is true though mens names are not mentioned in the word yet the condition is to those that are brought in to beleeve in Jesus Christ saith God I come now to seal all my mercies in Christ to their souls We abuse God if we come to take the Seal to a blank it is to make this Ordinance a ridiculous thing therefore there must be some transactions between God and your souls before you come to the Seal if a man should say unto you come set to you seal to such a thing and there were never any kind of transactions between this man you before you would account it ridiculous after there hath been agreements between you you use then to seal So it must be here I would appeal to many of your Consciences that have come to the Lords Supper what transactions have there been between God and your souls canst thou say the Lord was pleased to reveal himself to me to make known to me my wretched condition and the way of grace and salvation and shewed me that upon my coming in to receive his Son he would be merciful to me and pardon my sins and I have found the Spirit of God working my heart to Jesus Christ the Lord from heaven speaking to me and I sending an Answer to heaven again how willing my soul was to accept of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with poor Creatures in the Word of his Gospel canst thou say this in the uprightness of thy heart if not know that this Seal belongs not to thee untill the Lord hath by his word subdued thy heart to this agreement first with him Secondly This Ordinance it is the Ordinance of spiritual nourishment of eating the flesh of Christ and drinking his blood in a spiritual way Now it must needs suppose that first there must be life before there can be any nourishment received in If it be appointed to nourish and increase grace then surely there must be grace before what nourishment can a dead child take the very first thing that is to be done is nourishment here The word hath power to convey life and then to nourish but we reade of no such thing here but that which is to be done here is presently to feed to eat and to drink that 's the end of the Sacrament therefore it must be supposed that thou must have spiritual life there must come no dead Soul to this Ordinance but those who are quickned by the Spirit of Jesus Christ they must come for nourishment Thirdly the act here required doth note that only those that are holy and godly can receive this Sacrament we are required by the Apostle to examine our selves To examine our selves of what It must be of our godliness examine what work of God hath been upon the soul how God hath brought the soule to himselfe and what Graces of the Spirit of God are there And how we have been brought into Covenant with God now if only those can receive worthily and are to come that first
and casts its self upon Jesus Christ and saith as it were Amen to what the Father gives Oh Lord here I come and imbrace thy Son as my life as my Saviour as the fountain of all my good in whom I expect all the good I am like to have either here or to all eternity so that there must be a stirring up of the act of faith in an actual taking of Christ if thou beest a beleever canst thou remember what thou didst when first thou didst take Jesus Christ when the Lord in the preaching of his Word did reveal Jesus Christ to thy soul what didst thou then Oh soul how did thy soule work in closing with Christ as thy soule did then in closing with Christ so it must now renew the work there must be a renewall of the worke at that time So that when you come to the Sacrament you must not think that it is then a time to listen to doubts fears and scruples no but it is a time that God cals for the exercise of faith the casting of the soul upon Christ and his merits for life and for salvation or else the Name of God is not sanctified as it ought thou doest not sanctifie Gods Name when thou art busying thy soule in doubts and scruples in thy receiving of the Sacrament And then faith is as the mouth when thou comest to eat and drink how canst thou if thou hast not a mouth thou hast a bodily mouth to take in bread and wine but know that without faith thy soule cannot take in Christ faith is as it were the mouth that is by the act of faith the soul doth open it selfe for Jesus Christ and not only opens it selfe but takes in Christ to the soule and makes Christ and the soul as one as our bread and wine is made one with our body so faith takes in Christ and makes him as one with thee and turns Christ into the nourishment of thy soul and thou and Christ by faith are made as truly one as the bread and wine that is put into thy body is made one with thy body This is the work of faith without which we cannot sanctifie the Name of God Sixthly There must be spiritual joy that must be exercised here for it is a feast here we come to sit with Christ at his Table we come as children to our fathers Table and to sit there with Jesus Christ our Elder Brother now as a father doth not love to have his child set in a sullen and dogged way at his Table or to be crying but he would have the child set in comfort and with a holy cheerfulness with a holy freedom of spirit not in a sullen way but as a child in the presence of his father and not as a servant with the master Object You told us before that there should be brokenness of spirit and sence of our sin Answ That may be and joy we rejoyce with trembling therefore that brokennesse of Spirit that I meant must not bee slavish horrour and feare but a kindly melting of the soul from the apprehension of the love of God unto it in Jesus Christ that was willing to be at so great cost to purchase the pardon of sin such a gracious mourning as may stand with joy and the truth is that that sorrow for sin in the Sacrament that is not mixt with joy is a sorrow that doth not Sanctifie Gods Name godly sorrow and evangelâ—cal joy may stand together very well And therefore know that this is not the time neither to give liberty to have your hearts â—nk no there must be no sinking sorrow of heart but such a sorrow of heart as in the midst of it you may be able to look upon God as a reconciled Father to you and have a cheerfulness of spirit as in the presence of God you must look upon your selves as Gods guest to be merry at his Table now this is a great mystery of godliness that there should be at the same time the sight of Christ Crucified and yet at the same time a spiritual cheerfulness in the assurance of the love of God in Jesus Christ I say it is a mystery and only those that are Beleevers are able to understand this mystery how to have their hearts break and yet how to rejoyce at the same time in that unspeakable love of God that is here presented unto them in this Sacrament Seventhly In the next place there must be thankfulnesse therefore it is called the Eucharist and in one of the Evengelists where it is said Christ blest the bread in another it is said Christ gave thanks Christ when he instituted this Sacrament he gave thanks he gave thanks for what he gave thanks to God the Father that he was pleased to send him into the world to die for poor souls now shall Jesus Christ give thanks unto God the Father for that that did cost him his life yea saith Christ I see that here is a way to save soules and let it cost me my life if it will yet I blesse thee O Father if soules may come to be sav'd though it cost me my life Christ rejoyced in his Spirit in thanking his Father for this then how should our hearts be inlarged with thankfulnesse when we come to this that the Ancients were wont to call the Eucharist that is a thanksgiving we are to give God thanks for every mercy you will not eate your owne bread without giving of thankes but when we come to have this bread this bread of life here is matter of thankfulnesse here is matter of enlargement of soul thou that hast the deadest and dullest soule and straightest Spirit yet when thou comest hither and understandest what thou doest here thou canst not but see matter for the enlargement of thy heart and wish that thou hadst ten thousand thousand times more strength to expresse the praises of the Lord here is a thing that must be the subject of the Hallelujahs and doxologies that Angels and Saints must for ever sound out in the highest heavens dost thou know what the Lord presents to thee here It is more than if the Lord should say I will make ten thousand worlds for the sake of this creature and give all these worlds to him thou wouldest think that thou wert bound to blesse him then only when God in the Bread and wine reaches out to thee the body blood of his Son here is more matter of praise than if ten thousand thousand worlds were given to thee and therefore God expects that thou shouldest say to thy soule my soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy Name blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases O poor soule here is the foundation of all mercies dost thou praise God for justification for sanctification here is a glorious application of the mercy of God to
the soules of sinners and therefore if ever thou wert thankfull be thankfull here The Sabbath my Brethren that is appointed to be the set constant day of thanksgiving for the great mercies of God in Christ and there are other daies for national mercies now a special work of the Lords day is the celebration of this holy Sacrament and the Christians in former times were wont to do it every Lords day because that 's the day appointed by God for to be the day of thanksgiving for that great mercy the Lord Jesus Christ and that 's the reason why the Sabbath was changed the last day of the week was the Jewish Sabbath and that was to celebrate the memorial of the Creation of the world and the first day now it is to be the day of thanksgiving for all the work of God in mans redemption Eighthly A further thing is this if you would sanctifâ—e Gods Name you must be willing to renew your Covenant that 's the end of it there must be an actuall renewing of your Covenant with God that 's thus I come to receive this bread and this wine and this is to be as the Seale of the Covenant on Gods part now this will be emplyed in the nature of the thing that if I take the Seales of Gods Covenant that I must be willing to set to my Seale too to renew the Covenant that God cals me to now know all men and women that are sav'd they are sav'd by the vertue of the Covenant of grace and there God on his part promises and makes a Covenant that he will bestow his Son life and salvation through him and thou must likewise come in on thy part and beleeve on his Son and repent which is the Tenour of the Gospel now every time thou comest to receive this Sacrament thou comest to renew this Covenant As if thou shouldest say Lord thou hast been pleased to make a Covenant of grace as the first Covenant was broken and all men were cast by that Covenant now thou hast made a Covenant of grace and callest thy servants whom thou intendest to save that they should renew their Covenant with thee in this Sacrament of thine Lord here I come and Lord here I renew it and set to my seale to promise and Covenant with thee that as ever I expect to receive any good from Christ so Lord here I will be thine I will give up my selfe for ever to thee as thou hast given me the body and Blood of Christ for my salvation so Lord here I consecrate my body and blood to thee the last drop of my heart blood shall be given up to thee and so my strength and estate and name and whatever I am or have shall be thine Have you done thus when you have come to receive the Sacrament have you actually renewed your Covenant with God you that have taken the body of Christ have you given up your body to Christ what 's the reason then that you sin so much with your bodies that you abuse your body with uncleanness and drunkennesse and other wickednesse afterwards Oh you prophane the Name of God and the very body and blood of Christ in this except thou givest up thy body and soul to God in way of Covenant Ninthly In the last place for the Sanctifying of Gods Name there is required a renewing of Love the coming with lovely dispositions and the renewing of the grace of love not only towards God but towards our Brethren for it is the feast of the Lord and it is an act of Communion Communion not only with Christ but with his Churches with his Saints and as I have told you that there is a profession of our selves to be of the same body with Jesus Christ then the Lord requires that his children should not fall out that come to his Table but that there should be love and peace there 's a mighty bond upon thee when thou commest to the Sacrament and therefore first all heart-burnings and heart-grudges must be laid aside and Secondly you must come with a willingnesse to be reconciled one to another willingness to passe by all infirmities in thy Brethren here I have the Seale of Gods willingnesse to passe by all my sins and therefore I must be willing to passe by all infirmities in my Brethren I must now cast out all ill wishes towards others and come with a desire of all good unto them and with a heart ready to imbrace any opportunity to do any good thou doest lye unto God except thou comest with such a heart as this is Lord thou knowest that I am willing to take all opportunities to doe good to those that I now do communicate with for it is the nearest Communion that possibly can be in this world between one Creature and another and this is the reason why there should be that Ordinance of Christ set up every where to cast out those that are unworthy because it is the greatest union and Communion that possibly can be for it is the Sacrament and Communion of the same body they are the same members of Christ now if thou doest no think such a one to be a member of Christ why doest not thou what thou canst to have him cast out but so long as thou hast done nothing in private to him or in telling the Church thou doest own him to be a member of Jesus Christ if thou doest so take heed how thy heart be estranged from him take heed how thou behavest thy selfe to them take heed how thou livest in jarring way and a contentious way with them and holdest tâ—â—m off at staves end or walking at a distance from them though they be never so poor and mean know that thou doest prophane this holy Ordinance every time thou commest to it when thou commest with such a heart as this is if thou dost not find this renewed love Lord there began to be a strangenesse between me and those that have communicated with me but Lord thou art pleased to vouchsafe us to come once more to this Ordinance and Lord here we do professe that this Ordinance shall unite our hearts together more than ever they were I will study to doe what good possibly I can to my Brother that as we joyne here to the Feast of the Lord with comfort so we may live together in peace and love as it becomes the Saints of God and the members of the Body of Jesus Christ Oh how far are people from any such work of God as this is the Lord expects that this should be in you every time you come to the holy Communion Here hath been nine particulars now mentioned for the sanctifying of the Name of God when we come to partake of the Sacrament but oh Lord what cause have we to lay our hands upon our hearts for if this be to sanctifie thy Name then it hath been a riddle a mystery to us certainly my brethren these things are
acting upon the mercy of God in giving Jesus Christ for the nourishment of thy soul to eternal life as if thou didst hear a voice from heaven saying here is the body of my Son given for thee particularly take it and eat apply it to thee and so make Christ one with thee by faith as the bread is made one with thy body when thou doest eat it And then when thou comest to take hold of the bread thou art to put forth an act of faith faith being as the hand of the soul and at that instant when thou takest the bread and puttest it into thy mouth to eat thou shouldest stir up the act of faith a fresh laying more hold upon Jesus Christ look as once thou didst in thy first conversion when Christ was presented to thee in the word or in any other way there was an act of faith drawn forth whereby thy soul did cast it self and roule it selfe upon Jesus Christ so shouldest thou renew it renew the same work of faith that thou didst find in thy very first conversion and thereby thou shalt come to have renewed comfort in the renewing of that act I might name thee other graces and dispositions how there should be a stirring an acting of them only remember I leave all this point with this note that grace is not enough for partaking the Sacrament of the Lords Supper except there be an acting and a stirring up of that grace many Christians are careful to prepare and examine before whether they have grace or no but at that time when they come to receive then there is not a lively working and stirring of that grace and so they come to lose the comfort and benefit of that Ordinance Thus much shall suffice for this point of sanctifying Gods Name in receiving the holy Communion I shall now come to the last point which is the sanctifying the Name of God in Prayer Sanctifying the Name of God in Prayer NOw this argument might take us up many Sermons but upon occasion of the dayes of Prayer and Humiliation I have preached divers Sermons about the point of Prayer therefore I shall be briefe and only now reckon up together and set before your view the severall things that are to bee done for the Sanctifying of the Name of God in Prayer First for Prayer in that wee draw nigh to God and it 's a duty of Gods worship that I suppose all of you cannot but acknowledge and that it is a natural duty of worship the other was instituted but this is natural its natural 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 it 's 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 He that cals upon the Name of God shall be sav'd that is he that worships God aright Jerem. 10.25 and Powre 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 principal 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 sanctified 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 than the gold upon the Temple because the Temple did sanctifie the gold and the Altar was greater than 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 than 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 we reade 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 vpon the godly they powre forth judgements on the wicked the prayers of the Saints they are the vyalls that are powred forth in a speciall manner upon the heads of the wicked therefore Gods Name is to be Sanctified in Prayer It is to be sanctified 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 help us against many temptations to evil if I give way to such and such temptations it will hinder my prayers I shall not have that freedom and inlargment 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 do nothing to hinder my prayers if I go abroad into company and am merry and jocond and there game and drink and sport my self in company will not thiâ— hinder my prayers will not this hinder the spiritualâ—â—sse of my heart in Communion with God in prayer when I â—ome home at night I appeal to you have you had that freedâ—m in prayer afterwards surely no therefore watch unto prayer Now for the preparation of the heart to prayer we 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 keep al things even and clear between God and your soules that so you may not come with shakels about your legs with guiltiness I mean upon your consciences men that have given way to any base sinful way when they come to prayer the guilt of their hearts doth even sink them but those that can keep their peace with God
my wife but thou mayest 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 deal with me this shews the excellency that there is in spiritual things above outward things surely spiritual 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 do only here comes in a question Quest Whether it be sinful 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 evil thing and a fruit of the curse therefore we may not I say absolutely pray for it but thus far we 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 sickness or otherwise let my sicknesse be continued to me thus now you may pray for continuing in sickness 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 me and let me 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 me have any affliction than sin rather let me suffer loss of my estate than sin against thee than depart from thee any thing Lord rather than sin Thus you may pray for afflictions but not absolutely You must not pray that God would send you afflictions absolutely for you do not know your hearts it may be if afflictions should come your hearts may be as stubborn under your afflictions as they are now for affliction hath no power in it self 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 about it It is a wicked thing to use curses but it 's a most wicked thing to wish evil to others in a way of prayer yet how many do so though it may be they do not think it they speak to God and desire him to bring such and such evils upon their neighbours â—eâ— sometimes parents upon their children this is a wicked practise of men what iâ— it not wickednesse enough for thee to have any desire that there should any evill befall thy brother but wilt thou dare to presume to call God to be an instrument of the execution of thy base sinful wrath that God must be a drudge as it were to thy wrath and to thy passion this is abominable wickednesse Any of you that ever have been guilty of this sinne of cursing others wives children servants or friends the Lord rebuke you for this sin how far hast thou been from sanctifying Gods Name in prayer whereas in stead of sanctifying the holy Name of God thou hast called God to be a servant and a drudge to thy passion God must be cal'd to help the venting of thy passion Oh remember this you that have been at Sea and have been angry and things not going according to your mind have fallen a cursing and a wishing such and such evils might come upon those you are angry with that 's a kind of prayer but it is a most fearful taking the Name of God in vain in the highest degree and certainly God will not hold him guiltlesse that shall so take his Name in vaine therefore be humbled for this sin Object But you will say do not we reade in the book of the Psalms where many times the Prophet David doth curse the enemies of God and wi hes evil to come upon them Answ To that I answer first that the Prophets and those that pen'd the Psalmes they had a prophetical spirit and those places that you reade that are in way of cursing they are rather prophetical predictions of evil than direful imprecations they are rather foretelling what shall be in a way of prophecie than wishing what should be Secondly If they be wishing what should be then I answer that those that were indued with such a prophetical spirit they did know who were the implacable enemies of God and who were not as David prayed against Judas so many hundred years before he was borne by a prophetical spirit he knew that he was the childe of perdition indeed if we could certainly know a man that were to be a cast-away eternally from God it were another matter as the Church in the time of Julian because of his Apostasie being so abominable it was determined almost generally by them that he had committed the sin against the holy Ghost and upon that they curst him Now I say those that had an extraordinary spirit that did know who these were they might do it but this is no example for us in an ordinary way to wish evill and curses upon others But thus far wee may doe with the enemies of the Church First we may curse them disjunctively Lord either take them out of the way or keep them that they may not do such mischiefe in the Church or thus conditionally if thou seest Lord that they be implacable thou knowest them if so let thy wrath and curse pursue them Lord thou seest what evil they are set upon and therefore rather than they should attain their mischievous designs let thy wrath and curse persue them so we may do it but not absolutely to curse any though they should do us never so much wrong we are called to blessing but now in zeal to God take heed that we be not carried on in our own passion But being sure it is in a zeal to God we may wish the curses of God to pursue those that God knows to be implacable this is but an appealing to God and not at all fastning it upon any particular persons that we know but leaving it unto God for the execution of it and so in a zeal to the glory of God we may do it and we are warranted so to do by the second Petition Thy Kingdom come for that petition that requires us to pray for the coming of the Kingdome of Jesus Christ doth also require that we should pray against all meanes that hinder the coming of the Kingdome of Jesus Christ so that every time that the Church prayes thy Kingdome come or any prayes thy
doe not pray to God as unto a God vaine thoughts in prayer doe 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 dirtie with their lusts but those that are otherwise godly yet by their vaine thoughts the beautie 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 me in thy Law while our eyes look upon vanitie there will be no quickness in our hearts in any service that we tender up to God now many of Gods people have experience of the evil 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 do we bring by the vanitie of our thoughts in prayer 't is true the best of all will have vain 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 Spaniel 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 complain much of the vanitie of their thoughts they were wont to pray before and they never had such vain 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 deal 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 you 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 soul 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 and the stirring to kindle those sparks further in thy heart it is that the ashes of thy corruptions do as it were fly aboue thine eares and that there is such stirrings of corruption more than there was before 't is not because there is more corruption than 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 than he was before and they will keep oftener knocking at his doore and labouring to get him to them again so 't is here when the soul vanitie and lusts were as friends together there was no disturbance and taking notice of any thing then but now when the soul is casting out those sinful distempers and will have no more of them they for the present will be more importunate active and stirring than 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 didst 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 civil 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 wickedness that there is in the hearts of men naturally and so all unregenerate men they would think you speak strange riddles whereas they blesse themselves they blesse God they know no such thing in their hearts no yes there are such things only they are not stir'd but they lie quiet as mud in the bottome of a pond there it is yet you cannot see it till it be stir'd at first conversion I say the Lord suffers thy corruption thus to stir that he may discover to thee what an evil heart thou hast what abundance of sin there is in thy heart and therfore your young converts they look upon themselves more loathsome and vile than over 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 hee shall never prevaile that way but now hee thinks he may prevaile to disturb 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 Souls notwithstanding much vanity of thoughts the Lord wil accept of any desire that they have to sanctifie his Name in holy duties and I shall give you these three or four rules to help you against these wandering and vain thoughts in holy duties and especially in prayer First when thou goest to prayer account it to be a great work set a high price upon thy prayer not as having any excellency in it as it comes from thee but set a high price upon
golden vials ful of odours which are the prayers of Sainâ— mark the prayers of 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 we 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 evil from our Tabernacles and from our hearts we may be able to lift up our hearts with joy to go and that 's the fourth thing purity of heart and hands The fift 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 Majesty of God then I must have an inward disposition sutable to this expression I must have a fear and reverence of the infinite Majestie of God Secondly When I come to confesse my sin to judge my self 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 means to brâ—â—k 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 knows that their hearts do close with their sin and are loth 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 We must call upon God in truth that is conscionably to performe the engagements of prayer prayer puts an engagement upon the heart now those that call upon him in truth are conscionable to performe the engagments as now do I pray for any good thing I am ingaged to endeavour in the use of all means for the attaining of the good thing when you confesse a sin why you are ingaged by that means 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 for our sincerity and upright nesse and of our wilingnesse 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 own 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 think to obtain any thing of God But I should have opened what that faith is that we should have in prayer we must have faith to beleeve that the thing that we do 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 go away beleeving as Hannah in 1 Sam. 1.18 we reade of her that after she had been praying she went away and lookt no more sad the text saith noting that after we have been powring forth our soules to God we should beleeve and exercise faith and not go in as drooping a way as ever we did Object You will say yea if we 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 be with faith But I have so many sins mixt with my prayers how can I beleeve You have an excellent Scripture for that to help 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 Oh make use of this Scripture though you remember not other things yet you that have dejected hearts and are afraid that God will not heare 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 saith in this and know that God doth not hear prayer because thou art not sinful 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 freedom with the Spirit of adoption to God crying Abba Father if thou comest to God meerly as to a Judge though it 's true those that do 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 freedom 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 affectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much and that will be a means 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
for the setting out of his sufferings it hath a more special blessing that goes along with it every Ordinance hath a promise and a more special blessing than any other thing that is not an Ordinance So when you come here to behold Christ crucified before you you cannot see Christ naturally crucified as upon the Crosse but you have Christ crucified before you in the way of a Sacrament in the way of a solemne institution of Jesus Christ that hath a special blessing which goes along with it therefore if the heart be not broken here there is an aggravation of the hardness of the heart as great as if we should behold Jesus Christ upon the Crosse and our hearts not broken there and indeed this is a special reason why those are said to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ that receive unworthily as if a man had been then alive and had been before the Crosse and there have seen how the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for sinne and should not have been affected with it but should have accounted it as a common thing this man in some regard might have been said to be guilty of his death that is to have joyned and consented with those that did crucifie him for if a man sees another commit a sin if he be not affected with that sinne and it does not stir his heart he may come to be partaker of his sin so those that shall come to see Jesus Christ crucified and have not their hearts at all stir'd with the crucifying of Christ they are in some regard truly said to be guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ And that 's the Second thing brokenness of spirit is sutable to the light of a broken Christ 3. The Third thing that is here to be done in the Sanctifying of Gods Name Is the purging and clensing of the heart from sin and actuall clensing and purging the heart from sin there ought to be The Jewes in their Passe-over were to cast out all leaven and those that write of the custome of the Jews say that they were wont to do three things in the casting out of their Leaven 1. They made deligent search for Leaven they lighted Candles to look into every Corner lest there should be any bit of Leaven left in the house 2. When they found it they cast it out 3. They used an execration they did curse themselves if they should willingly keep any Leaven in the house So my brethren when we come to partake of this holy Ordinance there should be a diligent inquisition for sin for Sin in Scripture is compared to Leaven thou shouldest make a diligent search what sin there is in thy heart in any of the faculties of thy soul what sin there is in thy thoughts in thy Conscience in thy understanding in thy will in any of thy affections what sin there hath been in thy life what family sins what personal sins Thou shouldest make a diligent search to see whether there be not some Leaven some evil in thy heart and what ever sin thou shalt come to find out in thy heart the must be a casting of it out that is thy soul must be set against it to oppose it with all thy might whatever beloved sin whatever gainful sin whatsoever become of thee thy soule must renounce that sin of thine yea and in a kind of execration of thy self 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 profess 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 do to the uttermost that I am able for delivering of my soule fully from every known or beloved sin Oh that there might not be any remaining in my heart this must be the disposition of the soul comming hither and it must needs be thus or else we cannot sanctifie Gods Name because there is nothing more sutable than this disposition unto the receiving of the Sacrament for we come here to professe that we do acknowledge that sinne did cost so much as it did that it cost the Blood of the Son of God now this cannot chuse but cause the heart to renounce sinne If indeed I do beleeve that sinne hath cost the blood of Christ that it cost him so deare as it did that it did trouble Heaven and Earth that here 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 saweh 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 here 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 sinne this is the knife that cut the throat of Christ that pierc'd his sides that was the cause of all his suffering 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 bloody and holds them forth to the people and saith here is the blood of your Emperour and upon that the people were enraged against those that had slaine him and went and pul'd down their houses upon them So when thou comest to this Sacrament thou seest the blood of Christ gushing out and for thy sin if ever thy sin be pardoned either thy soul 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 soul 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 soul after Jesus Christ whosoever comes 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 soul Oh that my soul might enjoy Communion with Jesus Christ now this is the end that I am come for Oh the Lord that knows the workings of my heart knows that this is the great desire of my soul 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 of Jesus Christ that I might have my soul further united to the Lord Christ and so have further influence of Christ to my soul 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 enjoyment 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 bin sweet unto me but I expect a further Communion of Christ here for this is the grand Ordinance for Communion with Jesus Christ indeed 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 blood 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 sensual 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 piece 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 cannot live without his meate and drink and so for the soule to have such a disposition after Christ this is a rare thing but know that Gods Name is not sanctified unlesse thou doest come in such a way unto this holy Sacrament that 's the fourth thing hungry and thirsty desires after Christ from a deepe sence of the need of him and the apprehension of the Excellency in him 5 In the fift place there must be an exercise of Faith for the sanctifying of Gods Name here Faith that is both the hand and the mouth for the taking of this spiritual meat and spiritual drink when thou comest to the Feast of the Lord Faith first is the eye and then the hand and mouth it is the eye of the soul to give a real sight of what there is here you are not able to discern the Body of the Lord but by the eye of Faith if thou comest only with bodily eyes to look upon what is here thou seest nothing but a little bread and wine But now where the eye of Faith is there is a reall appearance of Jesus Christ to the soul as if Christ were bodily present and we need not have the bread turned into his body for Faith can see the body of Christ through the bread and the blood of Christ gushing in the wine And it is a mighty thing to have Christ and such spiritual things made real and not to be a fansie If one look upon the fire that is painted one cannot heat ones self in cold weather with that but fire that is really burning upon the hearth so those that come to receive the Sacrament and not come with Faith that have only the eye of their bodies they only see as it were a painted Christ they do not see Christ really his body and blood and those great Mysteries of the Gospel are not presented as reall things to their souls and hence it is that they go away and get nothing but now when the soul comes with the eye of Faith the soul sees the wonderfull things of God it is the most glorious sight in the world all the glory of God in the heavens and earth is not like this fight of Jesus Christ and the mysteries of the Gospel that do appear to the eye of Faith therefore you may by this know whether you have come with faith or no to the Sacrament whether you have seen the most glorious fight that ever your eyes did behold alas with our naturall eyes we behold a Minister coming with a piece of bread and a little wine but when the eye of Faith is opened then we behold the glorious things of the Gospel many times when you come to hear the word your hearts burn within you as they that went to Emaus but when you are breaking bread the eye of Faith that must look upon Jesus Christ and in this sence those that have pierced Christ must look upon him that Scripture is fulfilled in Zach. 12. latterend They shall look on him whom they have pierced by their sins and then mourne and lament this eye of Faith will cause mourning and lamenting for sin And then as faith is the eye to make what is here reall so faith is the hand to take it when you come to a feast you must have something to take the meat to you so saith Christ he brake bread and gave it to his Disciples saying take eat this take it how shall we take it by reaching out of the hand if you sanctifie Gods Name in this Ordinance as you reach out your hand to take the bread and wine so there must be an actual reaching out of the soul by faith putting forth an act of faith to receive Jesus Christ unto the soul to apply the Lord Jesus Christ to thy soule with all his merits and good things that he hath purchased when the Minister doth give out that Ordinance you should look upon God the Father giving out his Son as if this were you condition I am now in the presence of the eternal Father who now doth actually give out his Sonne to my soule and saith soule here receive a new this day my Sonne with all that he hath purchased for thy good now then the soul acts upon this and by stirring up an act of faith come and closes with this gift of the Father
thoughts Next there must be constancie in prayer in 1 Thess 5.17 by that I mean this never to give over until we have that we 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 do with me what he will I will as long as I live call upon him and if God shall cast me away yet he shal cast me away calling upon him as the poor woman of Canaan when Christ cal'd her dog and discouraged her yet still she would pray I but dogs may have crums that heart is in an il condition that is discouraged in prayer because it doth not get what it would and therfore to think with themselves I had as good not pray at al take heed of any such thoughts Again 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 unworthiness 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 he puts up all in the Name of Christ I say he cannot be accepted our spiritual 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 vial together with sincerity when it is in truth of heart when it is in faith when it comes from a spiritual 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 he prayeth so I may say of those that are instructed in this Art behold they pray you see now that prayer is more than to reade in a book more than to say a few words ye see it is a very hard thing to pray a work of great difficultie and no marveil though we have lost so many of our prayers as we have done we must not charge prayer and God with it but look to our selves I mean not charge the Ordinance of prayer but the vilenesse of our carriage in our prayers and let us for time to come know what a Christan life means it is said of Christ in Luke 9.29 that as he was praying the fashion of his countenance was changed Oh that 's an excellent thing that when we have been in our closets at prayer to come away with our faces shining my Brethren could we but pray in such a manner as this is the very fashion of our countenacnes would be changed as Moses when he came from the presence of God upon the Mount or as Christ that had the fashion of his countenance changed Prayer it is the sweet ease of ones spirit it 's the help at a dead lift it 's the great Ordinance of our Communion with God in this world and therefore let us learn this Art of sanctifying Gods Name in Prayer I shall conclude all in this you have heard the mystery of the sanctifying the Name of God in worshipping God now I beseech you you that have been a long time in the School of Christ as it were Apprentices to Christ to learn Christianity be ashamed that you have understood so little of this art in Sanctifying the Name of God in Prayer It is an art and a mystery that you must be instructed in and you are not Christians till you are instructed in this as in an art and mystery And that man and woman that shall be instructed truly in this art and mystery in Sanctifying Gods Name now in the worshipping of him such a man and woman shall be to all eternity Sanctifying the Name of God in praising of him There is a time coming when all the Saints must be in the presence of God and be alwaies praising of him and they shall then Sanctifie Gods Name for ever let us now learn this art of Sanctifying Gods Name in praying that we may eternally Sanctifie his Name in praising of him FINIS AN EXACT ALPHABETICAL TABLE OF AL THE PRINCIPAL TRUTHS IN THE FOREGOING SERMONS A Absolutely SPirituall things to be prayed for absolutely Page 277 Accept Acceptation Acceptation of our persons the means of it Page 69 God accepts not the duties of wicked men Page 116 The services of the Saints accepted Page 120 Act Actual Action see Grace Actual sanctification Page 68 The Lord accepts the person before the action Page 69 God is a pure act and requires actual service Page 97 Adoption Sign of adoption to desire to be oft in Gods presence Page 36 We must pray in the spirit of adoption Page 294 Affections Affections the strength of them required in Gods worship Page 82 Aggravation Aggravation of sin to neglect due hearing the Word Page 200 Afflictions see Honor They that sanctifie not God in hearing the Word can have no comfort from it in afflictions Page 206 Whether it be lawfull to pray for afflictions Page 277 Afflictions in themselves materially evil Page 278 All All that we have must be given to God Page â—â— All things Sanctified to the godly Page 119 Altar Christ is the Altar upon which wee must offer all our sacrifices Page 92 Angel Angel what it signifieth Page 91 Angels the aggravation of their sin Page 195 Anger Anger not to be brought into Gods service Page 19 Apply We must apply the Word in hearing it Page 175 Apostasie see Schisme Apostasie the ground of it Page 106 Assurance The Gospel gives assurance of salvation Page 212 Attention Attention must be given in hearing of the Word Page 171 B Beginners Beginners in Religion to be carefull of preparation Page 56 Beleeving Beleeving the condition of the covenant of grace Page 232 Birds Wandring thoughts in Prayer as the birds to Abrahams sacrifice Page 283 Blast God blasts those men that sanctifie him not in worship Page 117 God will blast those that neglect his word Page 208 Bless Many blesse themselves in evill waies Page 198 To bless God for helping us against wandring thoughts in Prayer Page 289 Blind Blind sacrifice not to be offered to God Page 98 Blood A fearfull thing to be guilty of Christs blood Page 230 Breathing see Spirit Broken see Heart What kind of broken heart is required
in receiving the Lords Supper Page 255 Christ's Body broken for us Page 268 C Children Gods Saints may meet with afflictions in their Children Page 20 Ground of contentment in afflictions upon our Children Page 21 Church Church what it signifieth Page 235 Church defiled by wicked men uncast out Page 236 Civil see Worship Christ All worship must be tendered in the Name of Christ Page 91 All must be tendered in Christ because of Gods Justice Page 101 They that reject the Word reject Christ Page 201 All our prayers must be tendered in the Name of Christ Page 296 Command Nothing must be tendered to God in worship but what he hath Commanded Page 8 No expresse Command for many things in the New-Testament Page 15 Comfort see Word Communion Communion with God not increased by duties done with naturall conscience Page 88 The Sacrament the Ordinance of our Communion with Christ Page 229 The Sacrament must be received in a holy Communion Page 234 How far the presence of wicked men hinder this Communion Page 235 No close Church Communion with wicked men Page 240 More Communion with Christ in the Sacrament than in the Word Page 251 Confession Ground of Confession to God Page 98 Conscience Sinners against conscience need great preparation to duties Page 57 Duties acted by natural Conscience Page 88 Naturall Conscience limits it self in duties Page 89 Trouble of Conscience should make men meekly hear the Word Page 180 Consciences of wicked men troubled about the Sacrament Page 230 Constant Men acted by naturall parts are not constant in duties Page 88 There must be constancie in our prayers Page 295 Contrary The Word will be made good on the contrary to those that abuse it Page 205 Conversion Conversion not wrought by the Sacrament Page 232 Covenant In the Sacrament we make a solemn Covenant Page 226 Covenant of grace sealed in the Sacrament Page 229 Those that receive the Sacrament must be in the Covenant of Grace Page 232 Condition of that Covenant ibid. Renewing of Covenant in the Sacrament Page 257 Crucified Christ Crucified in the Sacrament Page 248 Curse They that neglect the Word are nigh to a curse Page 203 Cursing of others sinful Page 278 How far we may curse the enemies of the Church Page 280 D Danger see Dignity Dark see Mind Dead Death Fear of death taken away how Page 38 We must not bring dead services and hearts to the living God Page 97 Consciences of carnall men opened upon their death-bed Page 118 Death of Christ to be meditated on in the Sacrament Page 165 Dear see Glory Delight God delights in our drawing nigh to him Page 37 Depart To neglect GODS Worship is to depart from Him Page 33 Dependance We should continually be sensible of our dependance on God Page 274 Desire We must hear the Word with a desire after it Page 170 Devil Devil gratified by omission of duties Page 59 Vnseasonable motions though materially good come from the Devil Page 82 Wandering thoughts in prayer suggested by the Devil Page 286 Difficulty Naturall parts in performance of duties will not carry thorow difficulties Page 87 Not to be discouraged in difficulties considering Gods power Page 97 The work of Religion difficult Page 109 Dignity see Prerogative The more dignity the more danger Page 12 Dishonour It were a dishouour to God to accept the services of wicked men Page 116 Disposition Inward disposition in Prayer Page 292 Divine see Service Doubt The time of receiving the Sacrament no time for doubting Page 254 We must pray without doubting Page 293 Duty The holinesse of a duty will not bear men out in their miscarriage in it Page 17 Omission of duty will not fit for duty Page 58. 113 The doing of one duty prepares for another Page 60 Duties not to be rested on Page 103. 107. 115 To be humbled for our best duties Page 111 All duties of carnall worshippers lost Page 112 Sin of Hypocrites aggravated by holy duties ibid E Easie Preparation makes duties easie Page 52 Election Evidence of election Page 213 End see Extremity Our ends must be high in the worship of God Page 72 Base ends of men in Gods worship ibid To have right ends a part of wisdom Page 99 It is the nature of God to will himself the last end Page 104 Engagement Engagements of prayer to be performed Page 293 Envie see Mean Eternity Eternity of God how to be considered in our worship Page 94 Excellency Thoughts of our own excellency to be cast off in our worship Page 85 Exemplary Exemplary judgements should make us look into the Word how God makes it good Page 23 Extremity Men that regard duties only in extremitie make themselves their end Page 77 Examination Examination required in partaking of the Sacrament Page 233 Eye Faith as an eye to see Christ in the Sacrament Page 252 F Faith Faithfulness Faithfulnesse of God what it should teach us Page 102 Faith must be mixed in hearing the Word Page 177 Faith exercised in receiving the Sacrament Page 252 Faith how to act it in the Sacrament Page 271 We must pray in Faith Page 293 Faculties All the Faculties of the Soule to be given up in Prayer Page 281 Familiarity see Potent Drawing nigh to God breeds familiarity Page 37 Benefit of familiarity with God Page 38 Falling away Falling away the ground of it Page 34 Fear see Publick What fear we must have in Gods worship Page 78 In fear naturall Conscience puts on to duty Page 89 Fervency Fervency required in prayer Page 295 Fire Fire from Heaven Two fold Page 2 Fire that slew Aarons Sons what Page 3 Strange fire what Page 19 Folly To be ashamed of our folly when wee come to GOD. Page 99 Follow The Soul is to follow after God as a God Page 65 Free see Grace Friend see Word Friends who are the best Page 25 G Gesture Gesture in the Sacrament not meerly indifferent Page 262 Guilty see Blood Guilty Consciences flee the worship of God why Page 31 Guilt to be removed when we come to pray Page 274 God Duties must be performed to God as a God Page 62 When duties are offered to God as a God Page 63 The Word to be heard as the Word of God Page 166 We are reconciled by the blood of that person that is God Page 268 Good Good heart what Page 187 The word will be made good on the abusers of it Page 207 We are to pray for our own good Page 277 Gospel Gospel the tenour of it Page 257 Glory Glory of God dear to him Page 7 Glory of God dearer to him than the lives of men Page 22 Glory of God is the lustre of all his Attributes together Page 102 The active Glory of God is the especiall honor he hath Page 105 Glory of God in his Word the greatest Page 182 Why God will be glorified in them that hear the Word Page 209 Those that will obey the Word will be the