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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
dishonoured by us In 2 Thess 3.1 Finally Brethren pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you Oh that we were able to say so and yet through Gods mercy in some degree we hope we can say so and I could heartily pray that the word of God might be glorified in all places as it hath been with many of you but yet go on in this and labour every one of you that it may be more glorified that you may manifest the power of the word in your conversations that all that do behold you may glorifie the word and say Oh what hath the Lord wrought in such a place in such families families that were wretched vile carnal and liv'd without God in the world Prophane Swearers foul-mouth'd Unclean Now since they have attended upon the word how hath it wrought upon them what a change is there in such men and women That the carnal husband may say since such time as my wife hath attended upon the word I have seen a Beauty in her conversation she is more holy more gentle and meek and so my servant more submissive and faithful and so my children more obedient than before Oh that the word may be thus glorified Take heed I beseech you that the Word be not blasphemed by any of you In Tit. 2.5 there the Apostle gives divers exhortations and among others to wives and to servants To be discreet chast keepers at home good obedient to their own husbands that the Word of God be not blasphemed you must perform your duties unto your husbands and why that so the Word of God be not blasphemed that is that neither your husbands nor any of your friends may blaspheme the Word and say What do you get this by going to Sermons Oh it should pierce your hearts when as your consciences tell you that you have given cause whereby the Word of God should be blasphemed and so he exhorts servants and others and all in the strength of this argument That the Word of God be not blasphemed you get up early in a morning to hear the Word that 's good but take heed you give no occasion that the Word be blasphemed Now I shall shew what an excellent thing it is so to Sanctifie God Name in the Hearing of His Word as to honor it and how God will Sanctifie His own Name in mercy to you 1 First All the good in the Word is thine if thou dost Sanctifie Gods Name There is abundance of good in this Word that we preach it is the word of the Gospel and to have all the good in that to be thine that must needs be an excellent thing you wil say sometimes I reade and hear such things in the Word that if I were but sure that these things were my portion how happy should I be Here 's one sign by which thou mayest be assured that they are all thy portion Is it thy unfained care to Sanctifie Gods Name in the Hearing of his Word Oh peace be to thee all the good in the Word is thine And here we might fall into a commendation of the word of the Gospel and if I should give way to that a great deal of time would quickly be gone I wil only give you one Scripture for your encouragement to Sanctifie Gods Name in the hearing of his word by way of commendation of it It is Rom. 10.5 a place I am afraid you have not had the sweetness of it for the want of understanding it It is quoted out of Deut. For Moses describeth the Righteousness which is of the Law that the man which doth those things shall live by them But the Righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring Christ again from the dead But what saith it The word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach The text hath some difficul y and yet exceeding sweet to us to know it I confess it the Apostle Paul had not quoted this place out of Deut. and thus interpreted it who could ever have thought in reading of Deut. that by the one had bin meant the word of the Law and by the other the word of the Gospel therefore the meaning is this here is a comparison between the word of the Law and the word of the Gospel Concerning the word of the Law there is two things wherein that comes short of the word of the Gospel First It is not so nigh thee Secondly It is not so certain to assure thy Soul what shall become of thee to all eternity The word of the Law saith who shall ascend into heaven c. But the word of the Gospel is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart You will say Why is not the word of the Law as nigh one as the word of the Gospel I Answer The word of the Law you hear it in your eares but it is not written in the heart as the word of the Gospel is The Law cannot work savingly upon the heart of a man to bring salvation those that are meerly Legal they can hear the duties that are required but that word hath no power to write in their hearts what they do hear But now when you come to hear the word of the Gospel that is nigh you even in your very hearts as well as in your ears God speaks in it and it comes into your hearts and there it works efficaciously which the Law cannot The Law is but as a dead Letter in comparison of the word of the Gospel If you come meerly to hear the Law preached and not in an Evangelical way you may hear it a hundred times and it will never be written in your hearts but when you come to hear the Gospel in an Evangelical way that will come to be written in your hearts So that the word of the Gospel is nigh you But what is the meaning of the other Say not who shall ascend up into heaven c The meaning is this As if the Apostle should say The truth is while you have no other but the righteousness of the Law you are at an infinite uncertainty about your eternal estates The Law saith Do and live but you can never know when you have done enough so as to be certain that you are well for eternity That saith Who shall ascend into heaven to know the mind of God concerning me whether he will accept of me and of that obedience and worship that I tender up to him Who shall go down into the deep Who shall go down to Hell to know there whether that place be prepared for him or no It is a phrase that only expresseth an uncertainty that one cannot be satisfied about his eternal estate
others taking the bread and wine all that while you should be thinking of the death of Christ and discerning the Lords body and consider what these outward elements do signifie and that they do seale the great benefit of the Covenant of grace therefore it is not according to the institution to be singing of Psalmes in the mean time while the Sacrament is receiving and so to have your thoughts about other things singing of Psalmes in its due time is a good thing but for you to do it at that time when as the death of Christ is presented before you and Christ cals you to look upon his body and to think upon what he hath done and suffered this is no seasonable time of singing and if you reade the institution you shall find that Christ after all was done the text saith they sung an hymne so that according to the institution it is after the action is done of eating and drinking then for the Church to joyne together and sing a Psalme in the praise of God and then they must mind all the same thing togeâ—her for that 's the thing to be done in the Sacrament that look what one doth all must mind together for when one part sings and the other are waiting for the bread and wine this is not sutable to the holy Table-action and that Communion that God requires of us though the things in themselves are both good that are doing yet when we are about this holy Ordinance being it is an Ordinance for Communion all are to be doing the same thing at the same time and so when all have done eating and drinking then for all to joyne together in singing to the praise of God Now it may be this at first seems strange to many yet certainly observe this do but keep to the institution in the Sacrament though you may think it a more mean way yet you will find a greater beauty in this Ordinance than ever you found in all your lives for the more we keep to Christs institution and mingle nothing of our owne the more glory and beauty and excellencie doth appear in the Ordinances of Jesus Christ but when any man shall mix any of his owne inventions though he may do it to a good end and think to adde to and put a greater lustre upon the Sacrament the truth is that which he thinks to be a greater lustre reverence or honor put upon it it doth rather take off the lustre and glory of the Sacrament then are the institutions of Christ glorious when there is no mixture among them thus we should sanctifie the Name of God in receiving this holy Sacrament you have had divers things propounded to you whereby you may come to know and castly to see that there hath been a great deale of dishonour done to this Sacrament and the beauty and glory of it hath been darkened and the sweet that the Saints might otherwise have received in partaking hath been exceedingly hindred There is but one thing more that I shall propound to you and that is the several meditations that we should meditate on in receiving of the Sacrament the most concerning meditations are suggested in the holy Communion that are in any thing whatsoever more concerning more efficacious more various meditations we have suggested here than in any thing and it is a great sign that men and women do not discern the Lords body if so be their meditations be barren at that time I will therefore suggest some nine or ten meditations that that Ordinance of God may hold out very plainly and familiarly to every Communicant for the busying of their thoughts all the time that action is a doing Meditation 1. As first that the way of mans salvation it was by a Mediator it is not only by Gods mercy Gods saying that he is offended by sin but he will be content to passe it by no but it is through a Mediator now this meditation is suggested thus when I see the bread and wine if I discern what that signifies it will hold forth this to me that the way of mans salvation it is not meerly from hence that God saith well I will pardon them and no more but there is required a great work of God to make an Atonement between sinners and himself this Sacrrment doth hold forth thus much unto us wherefore else have we bread and wine but to signifie that the way of our reconciliation it must be through a Mediator Med. 2. The second Meditation is this That this Mediator that stands between God and us is verily and truly man he hath taken our nature upon him the bread that puts us in mind of the body of Christ and the wine of his blood and therefore we are to meditate of the humane nature of Jesus Christ and this is a meditation that hath abundance that might spring out of it what hath the Son of God taken our nature upon him hath he body and blood and humane nature upon him Oh how hath God honoured humane nature then let me not abuse my body to lust to wickednesse seeing that Jesus Christ hath taken the body of man upon him humane nature upon him let me honour humane nature that is so neerly united to the Divine nature that 's the second Meditation Meditation 3. Here 's presented unto us what this Mediator hath done for the reconciling of us unto God that his body was broken he hath subjected himself to the breaking of his body and to the powring forth of his blood for the reconciling of us it is not meerly as before that God saith I 'le pardon them but Christ undertaking to make peace between his Father and us it cost him the breaking of his body and the powring forth of his blood this is a useful Meditation Oh what should we be willing to suffer for Jesus Christ in our bodies even to resist unto blood seeing Christ hath been content to have his precious body broken and his blood shed for us Meditation 4. Again a fourth Meditation is this That here we come to see we have occasion of meditating of that Scripture saith that we are by the blood of God saved it is the blood of God they crucified the Lord of glory that 's the Scripture phrase we should consider when we see the Wine powred out and so put in mind of blood whose blood and whose body is this It is no other but the body and blood of him that was truly God the second Person in Trinity This is the great Mystery of the Gospel and this is very needful for us to be thinking of when we see the body broken and the blood powred out What will the breaking of the body and shedding of the blood of a meere creature be sufficient to make peace between God and Man surely noâ— therefore you must meditate whose body this is and whose blood this is it is the body and blood of him that was God It 's true God
hath no body nor no blood but the same person that was God had a body and blood that body and blood was united unto the Divine nature in a hypostatical union and from thence it came to have an efficacie for to satisfie God for to reconcile God and us together this is the great mystery of godliness Med. 5. Another Meditation is this when you see bread broken and Wine powred out Oh the infinite dreadfulness of the justice of God how dreadful is the justice of God that coming upon his own Son and requiring satisfaction from him that should thus break him and bruise him that should have his blood that should require such sufferings even from his Son dreadful is Gods justice the justice of God it is to be feared and to be trembled at here we see what is required for the sin of man and nothing would be bated to Jesus Christ himself Med. 7. Another Meditation is this Here I see presented to me what every soul that shall be saved cost whoever shall have his soul savd he hath it savd by a ransom by a price paid that is more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds thou slightest thine own soul but if it prove to be saved it cost more than if thousands of worlds had been given for thee even the shedding of the blood of Christ every drop of which was more precious than ten thousand worlds Meditation 7. Again from hence see what is the evil of sin how great it is that hath made such a breach between God and my soul that only such a way and such a means must take away my sin I must either have laine under the burden of my sin eternally or Jesus Christ that's God and man must suffer so much for it Oh what Meditations are these to take up the hearts of men Meditation 8. Behold the infinite love of God to mankind and the love of Jesus Christ that rather than God would see the children of men to perish eternally he would send his Son to take our nature upon him and thus to suffer such dreadfull things herein God shows his love it is not the love of God so much in giving you a good voyage and prospering you outwardly in the world But so God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son And it pleased the father to break his Son and to poure out his blood here is the love of God and of Jesus Christ Oh what a powerfull mighty drawing efficacious Meditation should this be unto us Med. 9. Those that are beleevers they shall be nourished to eternal life so that there is no fear that ever a beleever should quite fall off from God and die in his sin Why Because the body and blood of Christ is given unto him for his spiritual nourishment though a beleever be never so weak yet seeing God hath appointed the body and blood of his Sonne for him to feed upon and to drink in a spiritual way surely then the weakest in the world will be strengthened to go through all the hazzards and dangers that there are in the world 't is this that strengthens Beleevers to encounter with all kind of dangers it 's this that preserves the weakest grace in a Beleever namely the Spiritual nourishment that God the Father hath appointed to them even the feeding upon the body and drinking the very blood of his Son this is meat indeed and drink indeed that will nourish to eternal life Med. 10. The last Meditation is this When you come to this seeing the Bread broken and the Wine powred out you have an occasion to meditate of the whole new Covenant the Covenant of Grace that God hath made with sinners for so the words of institution are This is the Cup of the New-Testament the New-Testament which is all one with the new Covenant only different in this particular it containes the substance of the new Covenant but cal'd Testament in this regard to shew that the Lord doth do all in the new Covenant that is he doth not only promise such and such mercies upon condition of our beleeving and repenting but he doth work beleeving and repenting and works grace and therefore the same thing that is sometime call'd a Covenant is call'd a Testament that is the will of God wherein the Lord doth bequeath his rich legacies to his Children to those that shall be eternally saved so that all the good things in the Covenant of grace they are bequeathed by way of Testament as well as Covenant and this is a mighty comfortable meditation to the Saints for indeed when they look upon the way of the Gospel as in a way of Covenant why then they think this this requires somewhat of our parts to be done and indeed God will keep Covenant on his part but it may be we shall not keep Covenant on ours and so we may faile at last but now when thou lookest upon all the good things in the Gospel dispensed in the way of a Testament that is the will of God the legacies that God doth bequeath to his Servants this is a mighty comfort to the soul that all the precious things of the Gospel come to me in the way of a Testament and that 's the meaning of the new Testament that is the mercies of God in Christ comming now in the way of another administration than they did before 't is not only new in respect of the Covenant of works that God made with Adam but new in respect of the administration our forefathers the Patriarchs they had the same thing in substance but administred in a darker way and many differences there are but now when we hear of the new Testament there is presented unto us all the riches of the Covenant of grace in the way of a legacie and in the administration of it with cleernesse and with a great deal of mercy and goodnesse of God the terrour and harshnesse of the old administration being taken away Now these are the meditations by which we should labour to sanctifie our hearts when we are receiving of the Sacrament and in the working of these meditations upon our hearts we shall come to sanctifie the Name of God when we are drawing nigh to him in that holy Ordinance of his thus for meditation The next thing when we are there must be an actuating of these holy dispositions that before we spoke of 't is not enough for a Christian to bring grace to the Sacrament but there must be a stirring of that grace at that time or otherwise the Name of God is not sanctified in receiving of the Sacrament and above all graces the actuating of the grace of faith t is not enough that thou beest a beleever but thy faith must act at that very instant as thus First When thou hearest the Minister in the Name of Christ say thus this is the body of Jesus Christ which was given for you take eat thou shouldest have thy faith so
In worshipping God we draw nigh to him Page 26 In what respects draw nigh to God in worship Page 27 The word of the Gospel nigh Page 211 See Grace Delight Adoption Neglect Severall sorts that neglect to santifie Gods Name in hearing the word Page 197 Nourishment The Lords Supper an Ordinance for Spirituall nourishment Page 233 Beleevers are nourished to eternall life Page 269 O Omniscient What we should learn that God is Omniscient Page 98 Opening Ground of opening the heart to God Page 98 The heart must be opened to hear the word Page 175 Opportunity The happiest opportunity to sanctifie Gods Name is in hearing his Word Page 200 Ordinance An Ordinance of God whâ—â— Page 1â—â— The word an Ordinance of Gâ—d to convey good to us Page 66 Men are not to be forced to congregations where any of Christs Ordinances are waâ—ting Page 237 The Lords Supper the grâ—â—t Ordinance appointed to â—et forth Christs sufferings Page 348 Own We must bring to God in his service that which is his own Page 86 P Parts How to know when men are acted by natural parts in Gods worship Page 87 Passion Passion hinders the right hearing of the word Page 179 Wicked men in passion rise against God Page 180 Peace-Offering Difference between Peace-Offerings and Burnt-Offerings Page 75 Person God accepts the person before he accepts the offering Page 69 Place The Lord is very terrible out of his holy places Page 18 God in his essentiall presence in every place Page 26 See Holy Plowing Powing of the fallow ground of he heart what Page 168 Ma may do somewhat toward the powing of their hearts Page 169 See Word Potent Familarity with God makes us potent with him Page 38 Prayer Prayer a great duty that needs preparation Page 45 Prayer required in preparation to duties Page 50 Vnregenerate men cannot sanctifie GODS Name in prayer Page 68 We should pray before we hear the word Page 171 Of sanctifying the Name of God in prayer Page 272 Prayer put for the whole worship of God Page 273 See Preparation Wandring Praise Gods worship must not be subjected to the praise of men Page 73 Preparation Preparation of the soul in the duties of Gods worship Page 42 Preparation and sanctification all one Page 43 Preparation to Gods worship why ibid Preparation 5 things wherein it consists Page 48 Preparation the excellency of it in severall things Page 52 Those that walk closely with God are in continuall preparation Page 56 Preparation a speciall duty of young beginners ibid Good men greived for want of preparation Page 58 Where there is sincerity duties should be done though there want preparation Page 59 Preparation required in hearing the word Page 165 Preparation to be made to prayer Page 273 See Prayer Great c. Prerogatiue Gods Prerogative appears most in his worship Page 11 No Prerogative can secure from Gods stroke Page 12 Presence Presence of God even in the godly terrible to wicked men Page 32 Presence of godly men comfortable Page 35 To set Gods presence before us in prayer Page 288 See Guilty Present When we worship God we tender a present to him Page 63 Sin committed long since to be looked on as present Page 94 Principle God looks more at the principle of the duty than at the duty Page 69 Good men look at the principle of the things they enjoy from God Page 70 Prize To prize those mercies we beg in prayer Page 275 Prayer to bee highly priz'd Page 286 Promise Every Ordinance of Christ hath a special promise Page 248 Publick Those that are in publick place have especially need of the fear of God Page 13 Pure We must lift up pure hands in prayer page 292 Q Questions Two qustions God will ask his worshippers Page 87 Quick God is quick in way of judgement with some Page 17 The word of God is quick in working Page 196 Quiet The best way to quiet the heart in affliction Page 25 R Ready What will make the heart ready for duty Page 54 Readinesse to hear the word wherein it consists Page 166 Reading Reading not to be preferr'd before hearing Page 167 Reprobation Not to sanctifie Gods Name in hearing the word a sign of Reprobation Page 202 Two fearfull signs of Reprobation Page 203 Resign In Gods worship we must resign all to God Page 90 Resolution We must hear the word with resolution to yeild to it Page 170 resolution against wandring thoughts in prayer Page 287 S Sabbath Sabbath see Strength Sacrament Sacrament the meaning of the word Page 225 Sacrament a part of Gods worship Page 226 We must sanctifie Gods Name in receiving the Sacrament Page 228 Vnworthy receiving the Sacrament severely threatned Page 229 How we sanctifie Gods Name in receiving the Sacrament Page 291 Whether Judas received the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Page 238 Safety Safety wherein it consists Page 38 Salt Salt of the Sacrifice what is signifieth Page 67 Sanctifie Sanctifie what it signifieth Page 5 Gods Name Sanctified two waies ibid Gods Name to be Sanctified when we draw nigh to him Page 42 How Gods Name is Sanctified in drawing nigh to him ibid How duties must be performed that Gods Name may be Sanctified Page 62 The heart must be Sanctified in regard of Gods greatness Page 67 Sanctification the parts of it ibid Sanctification of the heart double Page 68 Sanctifying of Gods Name the only way to fit us for mercies Page 105 Exhortation to Sanctifie Gods Name Page 113 Nothing Sanctified to them that do not Sanctifie God in his word Page 203 See Sacrament Satisfied Naturall Consciences is satisfied with a little duty Page 90 See Sin Schisme No Schisme to depart from a Church that hath not al Christs Ordinances Page 243 Schisme what ibid Difference between Schisme and Apostasie ibid Secret Men acted by naturall parts are not enlarged in secret Page 88 See The Sacrament so to be delivered as all may see what is done Page 262 Self Self not to be our end in our duties Page 74 Where self is the highest end God regards not the duties Page 75 Service Hearing the word is Divine Service Page 164 Shadow Shadow of Gods wing what Page 39 Shift Of those that shift off the word closely applyed Page 199 Silence Silence what Page 7 Sin The committing of one sin prepares for another Page 60 No salvation without satisfying for sin Page 108 The heart must be purged from sin to receive the Sacrament Page 249 Motives in the Sacrament to abhor sin Page 250 Sin the great evil of it Page 269 Singing Singing Psalmes in the time of the Sacrament unfit Page 265 Singing after the Sacrament requisite Page 266 Sitting Sitting at the Sacrament the fittest gesâ—ure Page 263 Soul The price of the salvation of a Soul Page 269 Spirit Spiritual We must be acted by the Spirit in our worship Page 87 God must be worshipped in Spirit Page 93 Spirituall things may be absolutely prayed for Page
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