the implacable enemies of God and who were not as David praied against Judas so many hundred yeers before he was born by a prophetical spirit he knew that he was the child of perdition indeed if we could certainly know a man that were to be a cast-away eternallie 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 curs'd him Now I say those that had an extraordinarie spirit that did know who these were they might do it but this is no example for us in an ordinarie way to wish evil and curses upon others But thus far we may do 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 mischief 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 pursue 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 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 Kingdom of Jesus Christ doth also require that we should pray against all means that hinder the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ so that every time that the Church praies Thy Kingdom come or any praies Thy Kingdom come they do as much as say O Lord Do thou set thy self against all the Enemies of thy Kingdom if they belong to thy Election Lord convert them but otherwise Lord confound them Now thus we see how we are to sanctifie the Name of God in Prayer in regard of the Matter of the Prayer but now for the Manner of Prayer The most things I confess are there First When we come to prayer we must be sure to pray with understanding 1 Cor. 14. 15. What is it then I will pray with the Spirit and will pray with understanding also God doth not love the Sacrifice of fools we must not come babling to God in prayer to speak we know not what and to multiply words we know not wherefore but God doth require that those that come to prayer come with understanding that they offer to God a rational a reasonable an understanding sacrifice God is a Spirit and he will be worshiped in Spirit and in Truth now as it belongs to all other duties of Worship so especially in prayer to know what we do when we pray not to think to put off God with a meer emptie sound that 's the first thing The Second thing in the manner of Prayer it is The giving up all the faculties of our souls in it I spake to that in the Worship of God in general we shall apply it now particularly to prayer the giving up not only our understandings but wills thoughts affections strength in prayer in 2 Chron. 20. 3. it is said of Jehoshaphat that he set himself to seek the Lord he did give his whol self to seek the Lord we are to give our whol self and not to divide in Prayer Now this were an argument that indeed might well take up a whol Sermon in shewing the evil of the wandering of our spirits in prayer we should take heed of the wandering of our spirits in the hearing of the Word and receiving the Sacraments and so in prayer the people of God are much troubled with the wandering of their thoughts both in Word and Sacrament and it is their great burden and should be so but I never hear any more complainings of the wandering of their spirits than in the time of prayer the people of God are much pestered in their spirits with this evil it is very grievous unto them and many of them go under it as a grievous burden all their daies the chiefest burden that is upon their spirits is their wandering in prayer so that if God should speak to them as he spake unto Solomon and bade him ask what he should give him I verily beleeve there are many in this Congregation that have already good assurance of Gods love in Christ if they had not that that would be the main thing that they would ask but having attained that if God would speak from Heaven and say What shall I give you for your selves if he should ask you in the general it may be you would ask something for the Churches but if it be for your selves you would put up this Petition Oh Lord that I may be delivered from a wandring spirit in holy duties and especially in the dutie of Prayer that I may thereby come to enjoy more holy communion with thy self than ever yet I enjoied and they would account this to be a greater mercie than if God should give them to be Kings or Queens over the whol world if God should put these two into the ballance Either the whol world to possess or otherwise to have more free hearts in coming to God in prayer and to be delivered from that which hath so much hindred ther Communion with God in prayer they would despise and scorn the world in comparison of such a mercie as this is howsoever carnal hearts they think little of it but those that are the Servants of God they find it to be very grievous to them but being the time is past I shall reserve that to speak yet a little more largely for the help of those that are under the burden of it I 'le only speak one thing further now and that shall be to those that are wicked and vile and not only have vain wandring thoughts in prayer but even in the very dutie of prayer manie times have wicked and ungodly thoughts how horrible are they unclean thoughts murderous thoughts it may be and most abominable I confess even those which are godlie may somtimes have some blasphemous thoughts cast into them for the Devil is never more busie than at the time of prayer but they rather come from the Devil than from the stream and corruption of their own hearts which may be we may make out more cleerlie afterward but now I speak to such as have most wicked
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 Kingdom 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 all 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 surtherance of their eternal good And however it be here yet hereafter at the great day of Judgment 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 hadst 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 marvelous 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 general 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 unto the Point in the General the last day we finished it I do not intend to look back to any thing that was said but we are to proceed to shew how the Name of God should be Sanctified in the Particular Duties of his Worship Now the Duties of Gods Worship are especially these Three 1. The Hearing of the Word 2. Receiving of the Sacrament 3. And Prayer Other things come under Worship but yet these are the three chief duties of Worship and I intend to speak to al these three and to shew how we should Sanctifie the Name of God in drawing nigh unto him in the Word Sacrament and Prayer We might chuse several Texts for all these but they fall full within the General and therefore it shall be sufficient for to ground the Sanctifying of Gods Name in these Duties of Worship upon this Text. 1. Of Sanctifying the Name of God in the Hearing of the Word THat which we are to speak to this morning it is the Sanctifying of the Name of God in the hearing of his Word If you would have the ground of what we are to say concerning this in a particular Scripture you may have it in Luke 8. 18. take heed therefore how ye hear It is not enough to come to hear the Word that is good and no question but God is pleased with the willingness of people to come to hear his Word but you must not rest barely in hearing but take heed how you hear Now this is a Point of great consequence and I hope it may do good to help to make many Sermons to be profitable to you and the Point I hope is seasonable and will be very sutable unto you For those that come to hear so soon in a morning and are willing even in hard weather to come out of their beds they give some good testimony that they do desire to honor God in their hearing and to get good by their hearing and 't is pity that labor and pains should be bestowed and no profit but hurt rather got by it which God forbid Therefore now I am to speak to a Point that may help you so to hear as may recompence all your labor and pains in hearing In preaching to those that come to hear so that they may get good and benefit by it there is a great deal more encouragement than to such as come in a formal way because they use to come therfore this Point being a great Point I shall open it somewhat largely and cast into this Method First I shall shew you That the hearing of Gods Word is a part of the Worship of God for otherwise I could not ground it upon my text Secondly I shall shew you How we are to sanctifie Gods Name in the hearing of his Word either in regard of preparation unto it or our behavior in hearing of the Word Thirdly Why it is that God will be sanctified in this Ordinance of his Fourthly How God will sanctifie himself in such as do not sanctifie his Name in the hearing of his Word Fifthly How God will sanctifie his Name in waies of mercy to those that are careful to sanctifie his Name in the hearing of the Word These are the Five Principal things that concern this Argument For the first That the hearing of Gods Word it is a part of Gods Worship You heard in the opening of the Worship of God in the general what it was I told you it was a tendring up of the creatures homage to God as testimony of the respect that the creature did owe to God Now if that be the nature of Worship certainly the hearing of Gods Word it is a part of the Worship of God for in the hearing of Gods Word we First Do profess our dependance upon God for the knowing of his Mind and the way to Eternal Life Every time we come to hear the Word if we know what we do we do thus much We do profess that we do depend upon the Lord God for the knowing of his Mind and the Way and Rule to Eternal Life we do as much as if we should say Lord of our selves we neither know thee nor the way and means how we should come to be saved and therfore that we might testifie our dependance upon thee for this thing we here present our selves before thee Now this is a Testimony of the high respect we owe to God Secondly The hearing of Gods Word is a part of his Worship because in it we come to wait upon God in the way of an Ordinance to have that good conveyed to us by way of an Ordinance beyond what the thing in it self
upon the heads of the wicked therefore Gods Name is to be sanctified in Prayer It is to be sanctified first in preparation Psalm 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 ear 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 not to such and such temptations it will hinder my prayers I shall not have that freedom and enlargement in prayer as otherwise if I give way to such and such things therefore let me take heed of this or 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 sprot my self in company will not this hinder my prayers will not this hinder the spiritualness of my heart in Communion with God in prayer when I come home at night I appeal to you have you had that freedom 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 labor to keep all things even and cleer between God and your souls that so you may not come with shakles about your legs with guiltiness I mean upon your consciences men that have given way to any base sinful way when thay come to prayer the guilt of there hearts doth even sink them but those that can keep their peace with God in the course of thier lives they have other manner of freedom in prayer than you that walk loosly and contract guiltiness upon your spirits And then the second thing is To keep our hearts sensible of our continual dependance upon God sensible how we depend upon God for whatsoever we are whatsoever we have whatsoever we do for the blessing of all is from God The beams of the Sun do not so depend upon the Sun as we upon God that if he doth but withdraw Himself never so little from us we all sink down to nothing and perish for ever that soul that every day and hour is sensible of the infinite dependance it hath upon God for its present and eternal estate will be fit for prayer and that should be our care for to carry our selves as any hour in the day or minute in the hour we might be fit to go to prayer and that 's one meaning of that place in the Thessalonians Pray continually not that every moment we should be praying but that we should keep our hearts in a praying frame some of you when you have let out your passions and are in a distemper what will you go to prayer now your conscience will tell you that you are not fit to go to prayer at that time Certainly if you be not fit to pray you are not fit to live you are in an ill condition at any time if you be not fit to pray and there can be no excuse whatsoever that can be sufficient to plead for your selves why you should not be fit to pray at any time there is that continual dependance upon God for all and that need you have of the blessing of God for every thing that there is reason you should be in a fit condition for praying at all times but now when you come to prayer at the set time then there should be a special preparation First You should prepare your selves by getting fresh and powerful apprehensions of the glory of God before whom you go prepare by meditation about the glory of that infinite God that you are now addressing your self unto possess your selves with thoughts and meditations of the glory of the great God that 's the first Secondly Labor to get your hearts sensible of what you go for I am now going to God for what for pardon of sin or for assurance of his love or for power against sin or for such and such mercies let me by meditation work my heart to be sensible of these things that I am going to God for to set a due price upon those mercies that I am praying for and to get my heart affected with them Thirdly Labor to get your hearts separated from the world and from all things that are here below in the world and that should have been a third thing in the course of your lives you should never let out your hearts to any creature either to businesses or pleasures in the world so but that you may have command of your hearts to call them when you will to call them in to God in prayer and then when you come to prayer there should be an actual separation of your hearts from all things in the world dedicating your selves to God for this time as one that hath nothing to do with the world nothing to do with anie thing but this dutie that now you are about this is the preparation of your hearts to prayer in the course of your lives Now then for the Prayer its self First We must consider of the Matter of Prayer And Secondly Of the Manner of it First for the Matter of it We must look to it that it be according to Gods will 1 John 5. 14. This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us therfore for the Matter we must be sure it must be good that we pray for it must be for the Glorie of God for the good of our selves and the good of our Brethren First for the Glorie of God that should be the chief matter that we are to pray for so Christ when he teacheth us to pray he begins the very first Petition Matthew 6. 9 1â— Hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdom come thy Will be done First begin with the Glorie of God mind that in the chief place above all other things God gives you leave to pray for outward things but first for the Glorie of God minding that before your own benefit before the pardon of sin and your dailie bread how few do sanctifie Gods Name in this people have little mind to pray but when they are in outward afflictions when they are upon their sick beds then they wil pray or at Sea in storms then they
will pray then it seems that the main matter of your prayer is onlie for your selves but how hath the matters of the Glorie of the great God and the good of the Churches taken your hearts all this while how have your hearts been affected with this that the Name of God hath been so little sanctified in the world and that the Kingdom of God hath not come and that the Will of God hath not been done have these things taken up your heart in prayer the matters of the Glorie of God and the good of Churches though your selves have not anie particular interest in them if these things did but take up your hearts in Prayer then when you are at Sea you would remember the cause of the Churches as much as your selves the Church is as it were in the midst of the Sea tost up and down and in a great storm now why do not you pray as earnestly for the Kingdom of Christ among his Churches as for your selves when you are in a strom at sea yea and spiritual things should be the chief matter of your prayer for they are the nearest to the glory of God though God hath his glory from other things yet spiritual things are neerest the glory of God now in these daies of prayer many will come to pray that they might be freed from danger that they might have outward peace this is good but spiritual things are the chief things and therefore the strength of your spirits should be thus powered forth to God Oh that I could get my heart to God and the assurance of the love of God! Oh that I could get the shine of his face Oh that I could get power over such and such corruptions And I beseech you observe this That spiritual things may be prayed for absolutly but outward things must be prayed for conditionally I may pray and never put any condition in at all That the Lord would pardon my sins and help me against my corruptions c. But when I pray for the health of my body I ought to pray if this be according to thy wil then restore me to the health of my body or the health of my husband or the health of my wife but thou maiest pray Lord convert the soul of my husband or the soul of my wife without any condition at al When your estates at sea are in danger when you pray for them you must make conditions Lord as thou seest best for me so do thou deale with me this shewes the excellency that there is in spirituall things above outward things surely spiritual things are more to be desired for they are to be prayed for absolutly and the others to be prayed for only conditionally That 's for the first In the second place We are to pray for our owne good God doth give us leave to do so onely here comes in a Question Quest Whether it be sinfull to pray for afflictions as somtimes some will be ready to do Answ To that I answer frist Take it absolutely considered we may not pray that God would afflict us because afflione is in its self 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 mercie or otherwise let me rather be without it let me have a sanctified use of my siknes or otherwise let my sickness 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 afffiction then 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 absolutly 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 c. 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 way of prayer yet how manie doe 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 neighbors yea somtimes parents upon their children this is a wicked practice of men what is it not wickedness enough for thee to have any desire that there should any evil befall thy brother but wilt thou dare to presume to call God to be an instrument of the execution of thy base sinfull wrath that God must be a drudg as it were to thy wrath and to thy passion this is abominable wickedness Any of you that ever have been guilty of this sin 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 instead of sanctifying the holy Name of God thou hast called God to be a servant and a drudg to thy passion God must be call'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 wishing such and such evils might come upon those you are angrie with that 's a kind of prayer but it 's a most fearful taking the Name of God in vain in the highest degree and certainlie God will not hold him guiltless that shall so take his Name in vain therefore be humbled for this sin Object But you will say Do not we reade in the Book of Psalms where many times the Prophet David doth curse the Enemies of God and wishes evil to come upon them Answ To that I answer First That the Prophet and those that pen'd the Psalms they had a prophetical spirit and those places that you reade that are in a way of cursing they are rather prophetical predictions of evil than direful imprecations they are rather fore-telling what shall be in a way of prophesie than wishing what should be Secondly If they be wishing what should be then I answer That those which were endued with such a prophetical spirit they did know who were