come neer unto God our best services are so faulty and so filthy that in themselves they are rather a dishonouring of God than otherwise and therefore cannot be pleasing to God but onely through Jesus Christ in whom the Father is well pleased Therefore when we worship God we must gather into Jesus Christ and lay hold upon his Righteousness and present our services to God through Christ and leave our duties with Christ to be offered by him to his Father and our Father that they may be accepted through him as from him and for his sake I shall insist a little longer upon this forth Position that we are in hand with further to evince the necessity of Faith in the Mediator unto a right worshipping of God First I shall shew it respecting Prayer in particular and then respecting all Worship in general First respecting Prayer Faith is necessary To set Prayer on foot and To carry on the work and duty of Prayer and To the concluding of Prayer with an Amen and To keep the heart in a right frame after Prayer 1. It is necessary to set Prayer on foot or to bring the Soul to Prayer Can a man have any stomack to go and crave and make request where he hath no hope to speed Now where effectual Faith is not there can be no hope to speed in any suit to God and that upon this twofold account 1. It is upon account of the relation in which any soul standeth unto God that it can have any hope of obtaining that which it seeketh from God It is the consideration of God his Father-Hood and our Son-Ship that must bring us to Prayer giving us encouragement to go to God with our petitions The Prodigal saith I will arise Luk. 15.18 and go to my Father A Child hath reason to hope that his Father will hear him and do for him when he cannot expect it from a stranger Now how come we into the Religion of God to have him to be our Father How come we to have the Son-ship of Christ upon us by vertue of which we may be admitted into the presence of God and be received by him See that Scripture John 1.12 As many as received him to them gave he this Power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Priviledge to become the Sons of God even to them that believe on his Name Ye are all the children of God Gal. 3.26 saith the Apostle by Faith in Christ Jesus 2. We cannot stand before God without Righteousness and this the Soul hath not of its own in it self We cannot look upon our selves but as sinful guilty persons nor upon our duties but as very defective The Righteousness which we must have that we may be accepted of God must be a Righteousness out of our selves another's Righteousness viz. the Righteousness of Christ which yet must be ours that it may do us good Now it becomes ours by Faith the Righteousness which gives us access to God by Jesus Christ is the Righteousnes of Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 3.22 the Righteousness of God which is by the Faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe Now for as much as without this Righteousness we can have no hope God-ward How can we with any confidence draw neer to God till such time as by Faith we close with Jesus Christ and apply his Righteousness to our selves Upon this account Faith is necessary to set Prayer on foot to set the Spirit of Prayer on work 2. Faith is necessary to carry on the work of Prayer and for the discharging of the duty 1. That we may with humble holy boldness with a Child-like confidence pray unto God Eph. 3.12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the Faith of him 2. That we may lift up holy hands in Prayer I will saith the Apostle that men pray every where 1 Tim. 2.8 lifting up pure hands without wrath or doubting It is Faith that purifies the heart 2 Cor. 7.1 Having these promises let us cleanse our selves form all filthyness of the flesh and spirit Revelations concerning the Love and good Will of God concerning Christ and Grace do purge the Soul that takes them in 3. Faith is necessary for the enlarging of the heart in Prayer and to make us lively and earnest in praying I believed therefore have I spoken The believing Soul will utter it self and even pour it self forth before the Lord being perswaded it shall through Christ obtain at the hands of God that Grace which it sues for but the Unbelieving heart is straitned and where Faith is not fervency cannot be and where fervency is not the success of prayer is doubtful at least The effectual fervent Prayer of the Righteous man availeth much 3. Faith is necessary to the concluding of our prayers with an Amen testifying as our desires to have our petitions granted so our reliance on God and a penswasion that he will for Christ his sake grant our requests For it is by Faith that we leave our prayers with Christ in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen 4. Faith sets and keeps the Soul in a right frame after Prayer 1. It sets the heart at rest and keeps it quiet When I consider that Christ hath the offering up of my prayers and that God will not throw aside any of the petitions which his dear Son brings to him this quiets my heart 1 Sam. 1.18 When Hanna had prayed she did eat and her countenance was no more sad If she had not Faith her stomack would have been no better nor her heart quieter after Prayer than it was before but now believing that God had looked on the affliction of his Hand-maid and that he would give her that blessing which she prayed for now I say she goes away rejoycing in the goodness of God apprehended by Faith and eats her bread with a merry heart David being among many enemies and in the midst of dangers Psa 3.5 having prayed could lye down and take his rest believing that the Lord would preserve and deliver him as he had prayed 2. Faith sets the Soul and keeps it in a patient waiting frame and this is that which God requires and that which he loves psa 27.13 14. I had fainted saith David unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living wait on the Lord c. David's Faith resting on the promise of God upheld him to wait on the Lord for the accomplishment of his promise The Apostle tells us Hebr. 10.36 We have need of patience that after we have done the Will of God viz. in praying and using such means as God hath appointed we may receive the Promises There is a Promise of God to waiting Souls Isai 30 18 Blessed are they that wait for him Now it is onely the believing Soul that is a waiting Soul Isai 28.16
is verbal only or that which is real as well as verbal and the profession real may be either regular or irregular A Verbal profession practically contradicted is invalidated by such a contradiction so that it is to be accounted as no profession He that in word professeth himself to be of the Christian Religion i. e. a Worshipper of God in Christ and yet in practice is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that doth not worship God surely he is no true Professor Nor is he a true professor of Religion who though he doth act something in the worship of God yet acteth not according to the rule of true Religion and worship Religion and Christianity is not a meer Notion but it is something Practical it notes not only the Minds reception of and the Wills subscription to the principles and rules of Christianity but also the framing of the heart and of the whole man to be acting and working in those Principles and Rules Thus stands the Argument A true profession of Christianity is real there is practical Religion and Christianity in the life and it is Regular so that the business of Religion the true Professour acteth according to Rule therefore they who truly professe the Christian Religion and are true real Christians are real and regular Worshippers of God the Father 2. It must needs be 2. Demonstration that true Christians are real worshippers of God because they are possessed and acted by the Spirit of God and Christ which Spirit is the efficient of holy Worship leading Souls to it and acting them in it Every thing acteth according to it's Principles Principiatum respondet suis principiis Christians are principled by the Spirit of Christ which doth efficaciously incline and govern them to do that which is pleasing to Christ The Spirit 's in-Being is argued by the Spirit his working in the Soul The Spirit of Christ is a sanctifying Spirit that sets the heart right toward God and orders the conversation aright in all points of holy Obedience so that they who have this Spirit must needs be worshippers of God Now I have dispatched the Doctrinal part of my Discourse Application I come to Application I shall make but two Uses of the Point The first for Conviction the other a Use of Exhortation Vse 1 First for Conviction And as the way or Medium to the Conviction aimed at Conviction I shall propound this clear Inference from the Doctrine If all true Gospel-professors be true Worshippers then they who are not true Worshippers are no◠true Professours Now if we come to try the hearts and practices of people by the description of true worship what a multitude of nominal Christians shall we find that are by our Doctrine shut out of the number of true Professors and real Christians How few Souls that are religiously observant of God and obedient to him Where there i◠no observance of God and obedience to him there is no true profession of Religion where there is no care to conform to the mind of Christ there is no rea◠Christianity What a number o◠Souls are there that do not believe do not love God do no◠turn to him do not thankfully acknowledg his goodness toward them do not set themselves to glorifie him for his Mercies Ah Souls Do you choose God for your portion and cheif good Do you affectionately accept of Jesus Christ to be your Saviour and Lord not only acknowledging his Sufferings and accepting of Pardon and Salvation through him but also acknowledging his Soveraignty and submitting to his Government and way of saving Where there is not such a choice of God and such an acceptation of Christ there is not that Faith which is a part of Internal Worship Do you love God above all inferiour earthly things loving these things but with a love subordinate to the love of God Where God is not thus loved the Soul doth not worship him Now alas how doth Self-love Creature-love love of the World yea and the love of Lusts shut God out of the affections of very many of us Where is that fear of God to be found which in all addresses to God composeth the Spirit by an awful apprehension of that infinite distance which is betwixt God and Us Where is that fear of God which fenceth the Soul against temptation unto sin and is operative and instrumental unto holy walking How few true Penitents are there that disallow and detest fin and carefully abstain from it and do actually resist it and turn from all sin unto God unto Piety and acts of Religion Now Friends If you do not believe do not love God and fear him and turn to him what Religion is in you what is your Profession where is your Christianity And now for external Worship to try men upon that account Some are not worshippers so much as in appearance practise no worship in their Families and seldome appear in the place of publick Worship And some there are alas how many that are worshippers only in appearance their Worship is meerly External they draw not near to God with their Spirits in any act of Worship nor is that which they do in point of Worship done with Conscience of God's Command or with any respect to his Glory or with Faith in the Mediator And how much vain Worship is taken up which is not ordered by God but by men which is not according to pure holy divine Institutions but according to corrupt rotten human inventions Now gather up all this and hence take conviction home to your selves You that do not acknowledge God in your hearts and lives You that do not believe his Revelations and believe in his Son You that love the world and love sin but love not God You that do not reverence the Holiness and the Majesty of God that stand not in awe of his Word that are not afraid to sin against him You that will not turn from your sins unto God You that regard not to worship God in publick and in private and you whose Worship is meerly External Take Conviction to your selves that you are not right Gospel-professors or real Christians forasmuch as you are not true Worshippers Vse 2 Being thus convinced learn what it is truly to Worship God Exhortation and become true Worshippers Labour to know the Lord and acknowledge the true God and believe in God and love God and fear God and worship him regularly according to the Scripture-rule as ever you desire that God should look upon you as Christians and own you as true Professors of Religion Now that you may be a little quickened Motives If you look into the Word of God you may thence take up Arguments fit for you to press upon your selves that you may be perswaded to give your selves up unto this Counsel The Apostle tells us Heb. 11.6 that God is a plentiful rewarder of them that diligently seek him that call upon his
in other matters because they indulge their own humours taking up unadvisedly that which best likes them or may suit best with their carnal aims and interests not weighing things in the Scales of an unbiassed Judgement or in the ballance of the Sanctuary not impartially considering which is the best indeed If we do consider we must needs be convinced that the way of God his appointment is better than the wayes that are of man's invention and that God is to be obeyed rather than man therefore let us consider Counsel 2 2. Let us not shut our eyes against the light or harden our hearts against conviction so as to give our vote for or give our selves up to any other Worship pleasing to the flesh or favoured by the times against clear Demonstrations of the betterness or bestness and onely goodness of this Worship in spirit and in truth Let us prefer in our judgements and adhere in affection and practice to that which appears really to be the best Consulting with flesh and blood and advising with carnal reason and attending to carnal policy is that which doth strangely blind mens eyes and byass their judgements carrying them the wrong way if this be best why should I enter into a consultation Whether it be better for me to fix here or elsewhere Counsel 3 3. When in our judgement we prefer this true spiritual Worship before other Worships let us single it out to our selves and single our selves out to it disclaiming all Worship that comports not with true Gospel-worship David having chosen the way of truth hated every false way Counsel 4 4. Let us resolve as to single our selves out to true spiritual Worship with a denial of all false hypocritical carnal sophisticated superstitious will-worship so to stick to it against all discouragements and opposition with a denyal of shame and fear resolving through God and by the help of grace herein to keep a good conscience Counsel 5 5. Let us be careful religiously and zealously to act that true spiritual Worship which we are convinced is the only good Worship and which we make choice of and resolve to stick to O let us be true Worshippers in practice as well as in judgement and profession seriously and zealously worshipping God in spirit in truth Let us labour to get our minds and hearts more renewed and let us see that our Religion be not defective in the vital parts that there be spirit and life true heart-devotion and fervency of affection in our Worship Let us manage holy work with a holy heavenly mind giving God the kernel of spiritual Devotion as well as the shell of Adoration and let us be pleased with the simplicity of Gospel-Ordinances and delight in the simple pure plain institutions of Christ and let us in our practice keep as close as may be to Gods Commands not turning aside to the right hand or to the left Let us be Scripture-men in this point making the Scripture both the Foundation and Rule of our Worship and adhering thereunto Then we shall be sure and constant in our way For as the truth is the same yesterday and to day and for ever so will the Scripture-man be of the same mind and the same frame and the same practice in Religion whereas they who build not upon this foundation will be like that Bishop of Alexandria who was called Euripus because of his ebbing and flowing his going this way and that way in matters of Religion For a Bishoprick he would swear to the Nicene Council and then to keep his place when the Tyde turned he would again forswear it But he that fixeth upon God's Word will be constant and this constant man shall have peace shall have peace in Christ as our Saviour saith to his Disciples though in the world he may have tribulations Gal. 6.16 As many as walk according to this Rule peace be unto them And that you may enter into and persevere in a right course of true Gospel-worship such as is pleasing to God 1. There must be a sincere desire to be true worshippers and so a seeking unto God by prayer to have your judgement rightly informed and well settled in this matter and to have your hearts carried to true and spiritual Worship and to be guided and managed by the Spirit of God in your Worship Beg of God that you may understand and affect and act that which is right 2. We must captivate our own fleshly wisdom and carnal reason which may judge this or that Worship to be lawful and convenient and prudential and approvable though not the very best Corrupt reason must not be set up in the place of a Judge to give sentence in the matters of God nor must it be suffered to dispute Christ his Commands but this must be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ Where we have a clear Word we must learn to obey without reasoning not examining the matter by the judgement of corrupt reason Our corrupt minds will reason against duty and reason us off from it therefore reason must be subjugated to the Word of God to the Law of Christ 3. We must labour to work out of our hearts all inordinate love of earthly things Hag. 1.2 4. We shall find Haggai 1. that the peoples care and love to build their own houses made them to neglect the building of God's house Thus Covetousness put the Pharisees upon corrupt interpretations oâ— the Scripture When mens hearts are set upon the world they will part from their Religion rather than their Riches and they will take up any Worship for their wordly advantage When men delight more in the glory of their own houses than in the spiritual beauty of Ordinances no wonder if they stand little upon Christ his order Counsel 6 6. We must not attend to carnal policy which will make us to suit our selves to the times for the keeping of our selves in credit and in outward prosperity Some mens consciences are as a learned man hath well noted like Diogenes his Tub Mr. A. B. to be turned every way from the Sun and to the Sun and according as the wind blows Carnal respect is a Loadstone to a number of men Fac me Episcopum Romanum ero Christianus Make me Bishop of Rome said he once and I will be a Christian The carnal Politician so that he may be great and in favour with the Times will be for any Worship of any profession or party Carnal policy will make men to alter for their own carnal ends therefore we must take heed of this Counsel 7 7. That we may pitch upon the way of true spiritual Worship 〈◊〉 and may be fixed in it we must get our spirits fortified against temptations reproaches and persecutions There will be Scare-crows and there will be snares and our hearts naturally are fearful and we are too apt to catch at baits and to joyn with the world Now therefore here iâ—