beleevers they shall be nourished to eternall life so that there is no feare 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 spirituall 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 spirituall way surely then the weakest in the world will be strengthned to goe 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 spirituall 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 drinke indeeed that will nourish to eternall 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 calld 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 cald a Covenant is calld 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 Gospell as in a way of Covenant why then they thinke 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 soule that all the precious things of the Gospel come to mee 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 then they did before t is not only new in respect of the Covenant of workes 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 wee heare 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 wee should labour to sanctifie our hearts when we are receiving of the Sacrament and in the working of these meditations upon our hearts wee 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 wee are there must be an actuating of these holy dispositions that before wee 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 sanctifyed in the 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 Iesus Christ which was given for you take eat thou shouldest have thy faith so acting upon the mercy of God in giving Iesus Christ for the nourishment of thy foule to eternall life as if thou didst heare a voice from heaven saying here is the body of my Sonne 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 commest to take hold of the bread thou art to put forth an act of faith faith being as the hand of the soule and at that instant when thou takest the bread and puttest it into thy mouth to eat thou shouldest stirre up the act of faith afresh 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 drawne forth whereby thy soule did cast it selfe 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 and an acting of them onely 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 actuating and a stirring up of that grace many Christians are carefull 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 benefit of that Ordinance Thus much shal 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 breife 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 its a duty of Gods worship that I suppose all of you cannot but acknowledge and that it is a naturall duty of worship the other was instituted but
you that pray much with others look what expressions you have made and see whether there be answerable dispositions to the expressions you have made and how that the Lord doth remember every expression that you have made Thirdly wee must call upon God in truth that is conscionably to performe the ingagements of prayer prayer puts an ingagement upon the heart now those that call upon him in truth are conscionable to performe the ingagements as now do I pray for any good thing I am ingaged to endeavour in the use of all meanes for the attaining of the good thing when you confesse a sin why you are ingaged by that meanes to endeavour all your might against that sin and when you pray for my grace you are ingaged to make use of all means you can for the attaining of that grace and then besides in prayer there is much profession unto God of our sincerity and uprightnesse and of our willingnesse to be at his dispose performe these ingagements that thou makest to God in prayer if God should present to us all our professions that we have made to him in prayer and tell us how we have come short of them it would make us be in shame and confusion in our owne thoughts Another thing in prayer must be faith pray without doubting as in the former Scripture the prayer of faith prevailes much James 1. 6 7. a man that wavereth and doubteth must not thinke to obtaine any thing of God But I should have opened what that faith is that wee should have in prayer wee must have faith to beleeve that the thing that we doe pleaseth God and faith in Gods promises and faith in Gods providence this should be exercised in the time of our prayers And therefore after we have done to goe away beleeving as Hannah in 1 Sam. 1. 18. wee read of her that after shee had been praying she went away and lookt no more sad the text faith noting that after wee have been powring forth our soules to God wee should beleeve and exercise faith and not go in as drooping a way as ever we did Object You will say yea if wee knew certainly that God will hear us Answ The way to be assured that God will hear you is by casting your selves upon God how can you know that he will hear but by resting upon him I have been with God and I have been doing the duty of a poore creature and for the successe I leave it to God and therefore it must bee with faith But I have so many sins mixt with my prayers how can I beleeve You have an excellent Scripture for that to helpe a soule to exercise faith in prayer notwithstanding there hath been many infirmities in Psal 65. 2 3. O thou that hearest prayers unto thee all flesh shall come Thou hearest prayers but I have a great many sins that hinders no marke what though iniquity prevailes against me as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away O make use of this Scripture though you remember not other things yet you that have dejected hearts and are afraid that God will not hear your prayers see what the text saith Thou hearest prayer Lord but will not my sins hinder no saith David iniquity prevailes against me as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away exercise faith in this and know that God doth not heare prayer because thou art not sinfull because of thy worthinesse but meerly for his free grace Another holy disposition in prayer should be this the soul should come with a holy freedome with the Spirit of adoption to God crying Abba Father if thou comest to God meerly as to a Judge though its true those that doe not know that God loves them yet are bound as Creatures to pray but thou canst never sanctifie the name of God till thou hast a child-like Spirit the Spirit of adoption the Lord loves to have his Children come with freedome of Spirit to himselfe in prayer to come as children and not to come with dejected countenances and discouraged hearts but come freely to open thy heart to God as any child would open his heart to a gracious and loving Father Another disposition is fervencie in prayer the effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much and that will be a meanes to help against vain thoughts too as when the honey is scalding hot then the flyes will not come to it if thy heart were as it were scalding hot in prayer thou wouldest not have such vain thoughts Next there must be constancie in prayer in 1 Thess 5. 17. by that I mean this never to give over untill we have that wee pray for or something else in lieu of it it may be thou hast prayed and nothing is come of it be not discouraged thou hast to deal with a great God and therefore pray again and again and again and pray with this resolution well let God doe with mee what he will I will as long as I live call upon him and if God shall cast mee away yet he shall cast me away calling upon him as the poore woman of Canaan when Christ call'd her dogge and discouraged her yet still she would pray I but dogges may have crums that heart is in an ill condition that is discouraged in prayer because it doth not get what it would and therefore to thinke with themselves I had as good not pray at all take heed of any such thoughts Againe if you would pray to God indeed so as to sanctifie his name in prayer there should be humility in your hearts so as to be sensible of your own unworthinesse I spake somwhat about being sensible of the distance between God and us when I spake about sanctifying of Gods name in general The last that I shall speak of is this when you have done all this all these qualifications will not sanctifie Gods name except all be tendred up in the name of Jesus Christ and in the power of his merits let a man or woman pray with as much fervencie zeale constancie purity in truth and sincerity yet except hee puts up all in the name of Christ I say hee cannot be accepted our spirituall offerings must be tendered up in his name but I have Preached much about that but now put all that hath been said together and this it is to pray That is when as I pray understandingly when I give my self to prayer when there are the breathings of the holy Ghost in my prayer when there is purity of heart like a golden viall together with sincerity when it is in truth of heart when it is in faith when it comes from a spirituall Adoption when it s in fervencie when in constancie reverence humility and all put up in the name of Jesus Christ now a man prayes as it is said of Saul behold hee prayeth so I may say of those that are instructed in this Art behold they pray you see now that prayer
because then we should and if we Worship God as we ought we do act our faith and humility and all the graces of the Spirit We do act them as it were upon God when we come to Worship him That 's required in every duty of Worship that you should stir up the faculties of your souls and all the graces of the Spirit of God and you should act them upon God when you are Worshipping of him T is not enough to come with grace when you come to Worship God but there must be an acting of that grace upon God And so we find in Scripture that the acting of grace upon God it is a drawing neer to him therefore in Isa 29. 13. the Lord complaines there This people draws neer to me with their lips but their hearts are far from me as if God should say Indeed they come and speak to me and therefore they think they draw nigh to me but I expect that their hearts should be acting upon me that 's the meaning And in Zeph. 3. 2. God complains there of his people that they did not draw neer to him as they should And it appears plainly it was from hence that their graces did not act so upon God as they ought She obeyed not the voice she received not correction she trusted not in the Lord she drew not neer to her God So that acting faith upon God is a drawing nigh to God and so acting any grace upon God is a drawing nigh to God Now when is there a time for the acting of our graces upon God so as when we come to worship God And therefore in Isa 64. 7. the Lord complains there That no man did stir up himself to take hold on him When we come to Worship God we should stir up our selves to take hold of God And thus you see in what respects the Soul may be said to draw nigh to God when it comes to worship him Now for the Application of this point and it is in divers particulars The First is this Hence learn what you do when you come to Worship God and consider of it every time you come to performe any act of Worship Truly this one thing would be of marveilous use and it would help forward to the next Point of Sanctifying of Gods Name This you are all convinced of That it is your duty to Worship God when you pray you come to Worship God when you come to hear his Word you come to Worship him and when you receive the Sacrament you Worship him Now if I should come from one end of the Congregation to the other and ask every one of you this Question It is your duty to Worship God is it not Yes that you will all be ready to answer And what do you do when you Worship God I fear that this Second Question would gravell many You will say We must pray to God and serve him and hear his Word and go to the Communion◠yea but what do your Souls do in this Work of Worshipping of God This should be the answer and so you should think with your selves and charge this upon your own hearts I am now going to Worship God either in Prayer Word or Sacraments I am now going to tender up that homage that is due from a creature to the infinite Creator so that I must so pray as I must manifest that high respect that I owe to God as my Creator but that I shall speak to more afterward only now remember this That you do professe every time you go to Prayer That you go to tender up that homage that you owe unto God and so every time you come to hear the Word there is a profession that you come to tender up that respect and homage that you owe to the infinite God And so likewise when you come to receive the Sacrament Now when we come to offer a present to men we know how we prepare and with what suitable presence we desire to offer but of that afterward when we come to speak of Sanctifying Gods Name 2 Secondly Remember when I come to Worship God I come to set my self before the Lord in those ways that God doth let out the choice of his mercies to his people in I have many mercies from God in the enjoyment of the creature but when I come to Worship him I expect the communication of his mercy in another way then through any creature in the World The duties of his Worship are the chief chānels that God doth let out the choicest of his mercies to the hearts of his people through and now I am going to Worship him I am going to present my self before God Indeed there is a little glimmering of the light of God through other creatures to me but the glorious beames of the light of God is through the duties of his Worship 3 And then Thirdly I am now going to act my Soul upon God so that if I have any abilities to close with God to act my Soul upon him it must be put forth now at this time I am indeed at all times to labour to injoy communion with God when I see the creatures the Sun and Moon and Stars to labour to lift up my heart to God and when I see the glory of God in the Sea and for my meat and drink I am to blesse God and to acknowledge God in all but now when I come to Worship God then all the strength of my Soul is to be acted upon God in a more speciall manner I must then above all labour to stir up whatsoever I have in my Soul to act upon God this is now to Worship God Secondly If to Worship God be to draw nigh to God hence we see the reasons why guilty consciences have little mind to the duties of Gods Worship When a man or woman hath given liberty to any licentious way sinned against their consciences if they have any light in their consciences it is one of the tediousest things in the World to come to the duties of Gods Worship they had rather do any thing then to come to holy dutys as to Prayer and especially to secret prayer A man or woman that hath an inlightened conscience and is under the guilt of sin the coming to God in holy duties is a very grievous burden to them Why Here 's the Reason Because to Worship God is to draw nigh to God and the guilt that is upon them hath made the presence of God terrible to them and therefore they had rather go into their company be merry eat drink sport or any thing rather then to come into Gods presence We know how it was with Adam when God appeared in the garden and called to him he ran to hide himself Why Because he had guiltinesse upon him Oh the evill that the guilt of sin brings upon the Soul it makes the presence of God terrible The presence of God it should be more
prepared either for Prayer hearing the Word or receiving Sacraments Now because Sacraments are so rare those that have any inlightened conscience they think they dare not but prepare for Sacraments but you should be alwaies in a preparation for the receiving of the Sacraments as the Primitive Christians did And thos that have been acquainted with this Point that I am upon of preparing for duties they have come to such a frame of Spirit as that there is not so much time required of them as of others for they are in a constant fitnesse so that there is no instant of time in the whole day but if God cals them to Prayer they could presently fall down upon their knees and pray so as to Sanctifie Gods name in Prayer that were an excellent temper indeed if you could find it so that you walk so spiritually and holily before God as there could be never a quarter of an hour from morning to night nor from the beginning of the week to the end but if you were cald to pray or to receive the Sacrament you had your heart fitted that you could come into Gods presence with a prepared heart and were able to Sanctifie Gods Name in the duty Acquaint your selves with this work of Preparation and so you may have hearts â—itted to come into Gods presence at any time SARMON IV. LEVITICUS 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE proceed now to what remaines There are onely for the perfecting of this point two Cases of conscience to be resolved And then we are to proceed to other things The first is whither we ought at all times to set apart some time for preparation to every duty of Gods Worship Secondly suppose we do not find our hearts prepared as we do desire whither it were better to leave off the duty then performe it For the first of these Viz. Whether we are alwaies bound to set some time apart for preparation to the duty that we are to performe The answer to that is this we must distinguish of persons There are som that are exercised in the way of godlinesse and do keep their hearts close with God in the waies of holinesse now for them it may be supposed that through their exercise in the waies of godlinesse and keeping of their hearts constant with God in communion with him walking with God closely that they are at all times prepared to every good work and 〈◊〉 fulfil that command of the Apostle pray continually that is in the disposition of their hearts they are fit to pray at any time there is no day in the week nor no hour in the day but they if God call them to it could fal down to solemn â—raier And indeed this is an exellent condition and a good evidence of the hearts walking close with God that there is no time but they are fit to pray and fit for any Ordinance yea to recive the Sacrament of the Lords upper It is posible to keep the heart so close to God as to be fit for praier and for the hearing of the Word and for receiving of the Sacrament every day or any hour in the day but this needs a very close walking with God and communion with God and the truth is this is very rare most men let out their hearts so much to other things as their consciences cannot but tel them that if God call them to praier at such a time in the day they are altogether unfit for it If they were called to receive the Sacrament their consciences would fly in their faces and tel them they are unfit for it but it is not so with those that walke close with God though they be in the world You will say if a man have businesse in the world how can this be Yes though they have buâ—â—neâ—e in the world yet they carry the heavenlinesse of their hearts along with them our conversation is in heaven saith the Apostle Phil. 3. Now the word that is translated our conversation it is a word that signifies our City converse our trading is in heaven when we go to the City or the Exchange or about any businesse yet our trading is alwaies in Heaven But now there are other sorts of people that had need at all times to look to their hearts in way of preparation As First those that first set upon the duties of Religion young beginners that begin at first to set their faces towards Heaven to worship God they had need look to their hearts they should spend some time in Preparation when they come to holy duties and the truth is when the conscience of a man or woman is at first inlightened and awakened they will be very carefull in preparing to holy duties the fear of God it is mighty upon their Spirits at first and it should not be lesse afterwards the constancy of Gods fear should bring their hearts to such a holy temper as to make them fit for holy duties alwaies Secondly Those men and women that at any time shall sin against conscience shall commit such sins as shall in a kind even lay wast Conscience shall break their peace between God and their Souls they had need spend some time in preparation for holy duties they cannot come into the presence of God to enjoy communion with God but they had need before hand be very serious in the examination of their hearts and to endeavour the working of their hearts into mourning for their sinne and to labour to possesse their Souls with the presence of God even before they come These two sorts of people such as have not been acquainted with the waies of godlinesse or such as have broken their peace with God by some evill carriage of theirs towards God in some vile way I say it is required of them to bee more solemne in the worke of Preparation 2 But now for the second case which indeed is the main Suppose when we come to duties and begin to examine our hearts and begin to bethink our selves whether we be prepared yea or no to holy duties and we do not find our hearts prepared according to that that we do desire whether then we may let the duty go for that time and forbear the performance of it as suppose Prayer or receiving the Sacrament or coming to the Word or any other holy duty And the reason of this doubt is because when any man or woman is consciencious they think with themselves that they must Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties now if they cannot find their hearts in a fâ—t disposition to Sanctifie the name of God in holy duties they are ready to think thus Were it not better to neglect this duty and lay it aside for the present will God accept of a duty when I performe it and am not fit for it Therefore for the Answer to this because it is a temptation that sometimes carnal hearts have and they are ready to take this
CoÌ„munication of the choicest of his Mercies so then I Sanctifie Gods Name when I labour to prepare and open my heart for God as for the choicest Mercies that God hath to bestow upon his Creature When there is such a temper of heart that my conscience tels me it is suitable to that that is fit for a Soul to have that expects to receive the choicest Mercies from God but that we spake too more in the opening of our drawing nigh to God Now we are to come more particularly to this to open the Sanctifying of Gods Name 1 First In what particulars the behaviour of the heart may be discovered to be suitable to God in respect of Gods greatnesse and glory 2 Secondly What the behaviour of the heart should be as suitable to the severall Attributes of God It will cost us some time to open the particular things in the behaviour of the heart as in reference to the Greatnesse and Majestie of God considered more generally as in Psal 48. 1. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised And so in Mal. 1. 14. Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his fâ—ock a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing Why for I am a great King saith the Lord and therefore cursed is he that doth not offer a Sacrifice suitable to my Greatnesse And in 2 Chron 2. 5. we find that Solomon when he was preparing for the Temple he would build a great Temple why because God was a great God that he would build it too So that the Worship of God must be some great thing because the Lord is a great God and it must be suitable to his greatnesse Now if you ask me in what particulars doth the behaviour of the Soul consist that is very suitable to the greatnesse of God in the generall there are many things in this 1 The First is You must be carefull to bring a Sanctified heart You cannot tender up a worship suitable to his greatnesse except you bring a Sanctified heart with you there must be holinesse in the heart Under the Law you know if any one came to offer a Sacrifice in his uncleannesse he must be cut off and so it must be here we must look to it that we offer not to God in our uncleannesse Wash you and make you clean in Isa 1. and then come let us reason together There is no comming to God without washing and making clean in Psal 93. 5. Holinesse becometh thine house O Lord for ever Holinesse becometh the presence of God for ever we must look to get a Sanctified heart Sanctification consists in those two parts Mortification and Vivification there must be a mortifying of the lusts of the heart We read in the Law that every Sacrifice was to be salted with Salt that did signifie the mortification of our hearts when we come to offer up our selves as a Sacrifice to God the Salt did eat out the raw humors and kept the flesh from putrifying so doth the Grace of God in mortifying our Lusts In Heb 9. 14. you have a notable scripture for the clenâ—ng of our hearts when we come to offer any service to God How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your Consciences from dead works to serve the living God So that you cannot serve the living God untill your consciences be purged from dead works And how comes your consciences to be purged from dead works It is through the blood of Christ who through the eternall Spirit offered himself without spot to God he must purge your consciences So that here 's the way of Sanctifying Gods Name by applying of Jesus Christ who was offered to God without spot that our consciences might be purged from dead works that we might be purged from that naturall filthinesse and uncleannesse in which we all were for the whole world doth lie in filth as a carrion doth lie in his slyme Now if we would worship God so as to Sanctifie him we must apply Christ to our Souls and get our consciences purged from dead works and to have the Spirit of Christ in us to quicken up our hearts in the waies of holinesse to have the image of esus Chriâ—â—in us whereby we may be holy according to our proportion even as he himself is holy this is the Sanctifying of the heart There must be an habituall Sanctification and an actuall Sanctification of the heart An Habituall that is that the heart must be changed through the work of Regeneration there must be a Regeneration in the heart there must be Divine principles of the Graces of the Spirit of God in the heart But you will say May not an unregenerate man Pray To that I Answer It is true it is his duty to pray Poure forth thy wrath upon the Heathen and upon the families that call not upon thy Name But it 's as true that they cannot Sanctifie Gods Name in doing of it But if we would Sanctifie Gods Name in it there must be an Habitual holinesse in the heart for every thing doth act according to its principles in nature it is so and so doth the heart when it comes to Worship God it doth act according to the principles that it hath And then there must not only be Habitual Sanctification but Actual Sanctification likewise as in Exod. 19. 10 11. there you see what a doe there was to fit them for the hearing of the Law because God was to come among them God is to come among us and we are to come to God when we are to performe holy duties therefore it is not enough to have Grace but there must be an improving of Grace there must be an acting of Grace not only when you come to receive the Sacrament to think that then there must be an acting of Grace but every time you pray and hear there must be an acting of Grace A purging out of your corruptions and acting of Grace So that one cannot Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties unlesse he come thus far to be able to say Lord thou that knowest all things knowest there is nothing that thou doest reveale to be contrary to thy will but my heart is against it that 's the least thou canst not have any peace of conscience in drawing nigh to God untill thou come thus far to have thy heart to work thus against sin and to be set upon every good that God reveals to be his mind You know when a man of quallity comes to your house what a deale of stir there is not onely in sweeping but in making all things as clean and tite and shining as possibly can be Thus it should be when thou comest to God And the Reason why there must be this Sanctifying of the heart is 1 First Because the Lord doth first accept of the person before he doth accept oâ— the Action Men indeed do accept of the persons of
Name of God was called the fear of Isaac Jacob did swear by The fear of his father Isaac because Isaac being a great worshipper of God kept his constant times to worship God and worshipped him in such a constant way as except David and Daniel we do not find mention of the constancy of any in the worshipping of God as we do of Isaacs for it is said that he walked but into the fields in the evening as he was wont to do to Meditate and to Pray and therefore God is called The fear of Isaac In Psal 89. 7. is a notable Scripture for this drawing nigh to God with fear God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him God is to be had in reverence of all them that are about him but in the assembly of his Saints he is greatly to be feared he is daunting â—errible so the words are in the assembly of the Saints When thou comest nigh to God thou hadst need have thy heart possest with much fear So in Psal 2. 11. the Kings and Princes of the earth are cald upon to 〈◊〉 the Lord with fear Let them be never so great yet when they come into Gods presence they must serve him with fear And so in Psal 5. 7. In thy fear will I worship toward thy holy Temple Now this fear of God it must not be a servile fear But a â—liall and reverentiall fear For my brethren there may be a great deal of savish fear where God is not honoured there may be fear from some terrible apprehensions of God which â—er is not owned by God to this grace of fear He give you Two notable Scriptures for that in Deut. 5. 23 24 compared with the 29. It came to passe saith the text vers 23. when ye heard the voice out of the middesâ— of the darknesâ—e for the mountain did burn with fire that ye came neer unto me even all the heads of your tribes and your elders And ye said Behold the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatnesse and we have heard his voice out of the middest of the fire we have seen this day that God doth talk with man and he liveth now therefore why should we die for this great fire will consume us If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more then we shall die See with what a terrour they were struck at the apprehension of Gods appearance you would think surely these men did fear God much but mark in vers 29. O that there were such a heart in them that they would fear me Why did they not fear the Lord Were they not struck with such fear that they thought they should die they saw his presence so terrible that they were afraid they should die and yet O that there were such a heart in them that they would fear me So that it appears by this that one may be struck with much terrour in the apprehension of Gods presence and yet have no true fear of the Name of God So some of you it may be in time of thunder or danger are filled with terrour but yet may it not be said presently after O that there were the fear of God in the heart of this man or woman this youth or maid They are terrified sometimes but yet there is not a filiall and reverential fear of God in them And I find in 1 King 19. where you have the story of Gods appearing in that most terrible manner unto the Prophet Elijah by Fire by thunder and in a mighty Wind the Prophet was not so struck with fear of Gods presence when he did appear in the mighty wind or earthquake or fire as when God did appear in the small still voice therefore in vers 13. it is said And it was so when Elijah heard it that is the soft voice after the fire and earthquake and the mighty wind that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entring in of the Cave and behold there came a voice unto him and said What doest thou here Elijah Then his heart was more struck with fear where was most of Gods presence though it was in a soft voice then when the fire and earthquake did appear It is a good sign of a gracious fear when the soul can be struck with more fear from the word and from the sight of God in injoying of communion with him in his Worship then when God appears in the most terrible way of his works or when there is terrour in a mans conscience through fear of hell when God appears as though he would send him down presently to hell though God expects to be feared then but when the Soul in injoying communion with God in holy duties and the more communion he hath with God the more is he struck with reverence and the fear of God this is a sign of Sanctified fear and then doth the heart Sanctifie the Name of God indeed when it is so possessed with fear in the duties of worship Now this fear of God should be indeed in the Soul and expressed outwardly when you are in the assembly by such reverent carriage in prayer as if a heathen should come in he may see Gods Name Sanctified and may say How great is this God that this people do worship And in your Families a reverant carriage not lying all a long in prayer upon the elbows sleeping but carrying your selves so that if a heathen should come into your families they may say O how great is this God that this people do worship And likewise this fear it must be an abiding fear not only at that instant when you are worshipping of God or speaking of any of Gods Titles and Names but a fear that must abide upon your hearts after duty is over that is after you are come out from your Closets one may perceive the fear of God upon you and so walking all the day long in the fear of God as it becomes those that have been solemnly setting themselves to worship him Now this fear and reverence is contrary to the slightnesse vanity the boldnesse and presumptuousnesse that there is in the hearts of men and women when they are Worshipping of God Fifthly The duties of Gods worship must be full of strength for they are not suitable to God else because God is a God infinite in power and glory himself therefore God cannot indure vain Worshipping In Isa 1. 13. I hate vain oblations Vanity of Spirit in Worshipping of God is very hatefull to God it doth defile the Name of God God is dishonoured by the vanity of mens Spirits Now this strength is Three fold 1 First The strength of Intention 2 Secondly The strength of Affection 3 Thirdly The strength of all the Faculties of the Soul and the strength of Body too as much as we are able should be put forth in the
is that that upon divers occasions I have spoken unto and am willing upon every occasion as I meet with it to speak of because it is a principall part of the great mysterie of the Gospel without which all our duties are rejected of God and cast away Now then put all these Nine things together and see by them what we ought to do that we may Sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties But there is something further to be spoken that may help you to Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties and that is severall workings of heart suitable to the severall Attributes of God for that is to Sanctifie Gods Name to have the duty to be such as is some way suitable to such a God as we are now worshipping Now then let us consider what the Scripture saith of God and then let us see what suitable dispositions we should have in us unto those things that the Scripture saith of God 1 First You know the Scripture saith that God is a Spirit in Joh. 4. 24. Then presently Christ saith That he that worships him must worship him in Spirit that is there must be a suitablenesse in our worship to what God is Is God a Spirit then all that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth that is thus When I am to go to worship God I must consider of him as he is an infinite and glorious Spirit well then surely bodily worship is not sufficient for me Though I do kneel down in prayer or do come and present my body to hear the Word or my body to receive the Sacrament this is not to worship God as a Spirit If indeed that our God were as the Heathens that were corporeall then it were another matter then bodily worship would serve the turne but God being a Spirit he must have Spirituall worship therefore my soul and all that is within me magnifie his name saith David my Soul magnifie his name not my lips only but my Soul The Apostle in 1 Tim. 4. 8. saith that bodily exercise profits little it is no great matter for the body God looks but very little at bodily exercise but it is godlinesse that is profitable it is the work of the Spirit when we come to pray we must pray in the Spirit that is we must pray with our Souls we must poure forth our souls before God and when we come to hear our hearts must not go after our coveteousnesse we must set our hearts to what we hear we must hear with our hearts as well as with our ears our Souls must be at work in hearing of the word when you hear it is not enough for you to come and sit in a Pew and have the sound of a mans voice in your eares but your Souls must be at work And so when you come to receive the Sacrament your Souls must feed upon Jesus Christ Bodily worship without Soul-worship is nothing but Soul-worship may be accepted without bodily worship therefore it is the Soul that God doth principally look at in holy duties If you be not able to worship God in your bodies you may worship him in your Souls and God regards that Bodily exercise in holy duties is little worth some what it may be worth I confesse sometime bodily exercise may further the soul as a reverend carriage of the body and the like but it is nothing in comparison the great work is the work of the Soul for God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit And God is said to be a Spirit not only in that he is not of so thick a capitall substance but it notes the simplicity of God he is without any composition whatsoever is in God is God himself he is absolutely one there are not divers things in God now then those that come to worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth that is there must not be a heart and a heart there must not be a compounded heart but you must bring simple hearts before God without any composition of drofte in your selves and of any kind of falsenesse but in the simplicity of your hearts you must come to worship God and thus you shall worship him with such worship as is some way suitable to him as he is a Spirit 2 Further consider God as he is an eternall God what suitable disposition doth this require of me when I am to look upon God as an eternall being it requires this only That therefore thy heart must be taken off from all temporal good things and set upon that eternall good thou maiest indeed desire these outward good things but in order to thy eternal good Then further Thou art worshipping an eternal God hence then whatsoever sin thou doest confesse although committed 20. or 40. years ago thou must look upon it as if it were now presently committed and be humbled as much before the Lord as if it were now committed at this present you will say Why so Because God is an Eternal God Yes For if I understand Gods Eternity I know that there is no succession in Gods being therefore the sins that I committed in my youth if I come to confesse them they are before God as if they were now a doing in regard of time and therefore I must as much as I can look so upon them and be humbled for them as if they were sins lately committed Many people are troubled for their sins the very day after they commit them but a little time wears off their trouble but if you did consider that you had to deal with an eternal God then you would look upon your sins though a long time since committed as if they were now done Likewise there will be this required from the consideration of Gods Eternity you must come with such a disposition of heart as not to think much though what you desired be defered and not granted in your time when you would have it For if there be no time that alters with God but a thousand years are with God as one day then that that we account long before it s done it is nothing with God and therefore we must have our hearts so work towards God as towards an Eternall God as one with whom there is no alteration of time at all with whom there is no succession of time If we come to a man and seek any thing of him if he doth not answer us presently we will think that he will forget it and other things will come into his mind but when we come to worship God we must look upon him as an Eternall being and that time alters nothing with him Thus understanding God in a right way will much help us in his worship and so to Sanctifie his Name We cannot Sanctifie Gods Name without knowing his Name without having serious thoughts about his Name and getting our hearts to work accordingly 3 Thirdly Look upon God when you come to worship him in his incomprehensible
salvation and yet for the most part there is scarce any thing that people have to rest upon or to tender up to God for acceptation to eternall life but only their prayers and their coming to hear and receiving of the Communion and such duties that they perform this is all they have to tender up for life and for salvation perhaps they may sometimes speak of Christ but the truth is that which their hearts rest upon for acceptation to eternall life is this And is it but this It is a weak prop a rotten reed that thou hast to rest upon Let the duties of worship be performed never so well Suppose we did sanctifie Gods Name to the uttermost that is possible for any creature to do in this world yet such duties are not to be rested upon Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the Apostles the most holy men that ever did perform duties in the most holy manner yet wo to them if they have nothing to rest upon but their duties consider therefore of this that what thou must rest upon for acceptation to eternall life it must be that that must have so much worth in it as must satisfie for all thy sins that formerly thou hast committed yea and for all the sins that ever thou shalt commit Now I appeal unto any ones conscience is that which thou performest is prayer or receiving the Sacrament or hearing of the word such a work as in thy conscience thou canst think it hath so much worth in it as to satisfie God for all the sins that ever thou didest or shalt commit I am perswaded if people that have rested upon duties heretofore would but seriously have this thought in their minds That I must rest upon nothing for my acceptation for life and Salvation but that that must have such worth in it as to satisfie God for all my sins that ever have been committed or shall be committed this would take them off for ever from resting in duties Yea and it must be such as must be the object of the infinite holinesse of God to take content in Surely the duties that we performe are no such duties to rest upon the truth is If we would seriously consider what they are as they come from us we would even abhor our selves in dust and ashes and account of them as the Prophet speaks of his own righteousnesse as menstruous cloaths they are such as if God should deal with us as justly he may do he might cast them and us to the dogges for they are as the Prophet saith torne and rent Sacrifices now if a man in the time of the Law should bring to the Lord a sacrifice that was all torne and rent before he brought it would such a sacrifice have been accepted All the duties we performe as they come from us they are snch we read in Exod. 22. 31. concerning such things as were torne and rent that they should cast them to the dogges Ye shall be holy men unto we saith he verse ult neither shall ye eate any flesh that is â—orne of beasts in the field ye shall cast it to the dogs because ye are holy men unto me Must the people of Israel manifest their holinesse in this That they must eate nothing torne by beasts but cast it unto dogs Or was the holinesse of the people of Israel such as God required them that they must eate nothing that was torne by beasts What then is the holinesse of the infinite God our services that we performe are of themselves such as are torne by our beastly lusts many times how many are there that bring sacrifices to God that are as a carrion that swine have been tearing before hand and yet these are the Sacrifices that they bring to God and not only think that God should accept of them but they do rest upon them for their acceptation to eternall life How infinitly are these people mistakenâ— how little do they know of God or of the way of acceptation to eternall 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 bloud 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 busie 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 peice 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 then thou hast been acquainted with there is a power of godlinesse in it That Text of Scripture is a very famous one that shewes 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 professe 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 then yet you have and you must understand his worship in another manner then yet you do the Lord will be Sanctified in those that draw nigh him and therfore untill you understand God and his waies and worship you cannot serve the Lord. Know that the work of Religon is a very hard and difficult work for it requireth all this and therfore the Soule had need be very diligent and laborious that would come to worship God in a right way 3 Thirdly hence is a use of humiliation 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
name in the hearing of his Word Fifthly How God will Sanctifie his Name in waies of mercy to those that are carefull to Sanctifie his Name in the hearing of the Word These are the Five Principall things that concern this Argument For the First That the hearing of Gods word it is a part of Gods Worship You heard in the opening of the worship of God in the generall what it was I told you it was a tendering up of the creatures homage to God a testimony of the respect that the creature did owe to God now if that be the nature of Worship certainly the hearing of Gods word it is a part of the worship of God for in the hearing of Gods word we 1 First do professe our dependance upon God for the knowing of his mind and the way to eternall life Every time we come to hear the word if we know what we do we do thus much we do professe that we do depend upon the Lord God for the knowing of his mind and the way and rule to eternall life we do as much as if we should say Lord of our selves we neither know thee nor the way means how we should come to be saved and therefore that we might testifie our dependance upon thee for this thing we here present ourselves before thee now this is a Testimony of the high respect wee owe to God 2 Secondly The hearing of Gods Word is a part of his worship because in it we come to wait upon God in the way of an Ordinance to have that good conveyed to us by way of an Ordinance beyond what the thing is able in it self to do and therefore 't is worship I wait upon God when I am hearing the word if I know what I do to have some spiritual good conveyed to me beyond what there is in the meanes it self this makes it worship When I am busied in natural and civil actions there I must professe that these things can do me no good without God but I do not wait upon God in an ordinance for the conveyance of naturall good beyond what God hath put into the creature t is his blessing with it that God in the ordinary course of his providence doth convey such naturall or civill good in the use of those creatures But now when I come to hear his word I here come to wait upon God in the way of an Ordinance for the conveyance of some spirituall good that this Ordinance hath not in its self take it materially but meerly as it hath an institution in it and is appointed by God for the conveyance of such and such things God doth appoint meat to nourish me and together with his appointment he hath given a natural power to meat to nourish my body that in an ordinary course of providence is enough for the nourishment of my body but now when I come to hear the word I must look upon that not only as a thing appointed to work upon my soul and to save my soul by not as a thing that hath any efficacy put into it in a naturall way as the other hath it s not the nature of the thing that carries such a power in it but it is the institution of God and the Ordinance of God in it Now then when I come to wait upon God in an ordinance for the spirituall good that is beyond the vertue of any creature to convey to me certainly I worship God that is a speciall part of worship to wait upon God in this way Therefore in these two respects the hearing of Gods word it is a part of the Worship of God and I beseech you remember these two things every time you come to hear I come now to give a testimony that I am not able to understand God and the way to eternall life of my self but I do depend upon God for the knowledge of it And here I come to wait upon God for the conveyance of that good to my soul that is not in the power of any creature to convey Now I worship when I do these But further you shall find it more plain when we come to open how we should sanctifie Gods Name in the hearing of his word This is divine service as much as any service can be performed Heretofore our Prelates and those kind of men made all the Worship of God to be in their Divine Service as they call it which was of their own inventions and made light of the preaching or hearing of the Word but the Word is a great part of that divine service that God requires of us in his Worship and in it you do tender up your homage to God You therefore must not only when you come to hear think I come to get something I come to understand more then I did and to hear such a mans parts and the like but remember you come to tender up your homage to God to sit at Gods feet and there to professe your subjection to him That is one end of your coming to hear sermons Now then you will say What should be done in the hearing Gods Word so as Gods Name may be Sanctified For that as we opened in the generall that in the duties of Gods Worship there must be preparation and then an answerable behaviour of the soul So here there must first â—e a preparation of the soul to this work and then an answerable behaviour of the soul in it 1 There must be a preparation of the Soul so as when you come to hear you may with all readinesse receive the Word the soul must be made ready in Act. 17. 11. there it is said These were more noble then those of Thessalonica in that they received the Word with all readinesse of mind The word is with all Aâ—aerity as well as readinesse their minds were in a fit preparation to receive the word and the text saith They were more noble The word that 's translated more noble it signifie Better bred for I do not take this scripture as if it were meant only of men that were Earls or Lords that did thus receive the Word with readinesse but they were of a more noble disposition They were well bred men so the Greek word signifies A man some times preaching to a company of rude people that never had any good breeding they will behave themselves rudely they slight the word and like the Swine regard Acorns rather then Pearls And the word is seldome so profitable to a company of rude people that have no breeding at all but now there is more hopes to Preach to men that have breeding Men that are exercised in Arts and Sciences and have some understanding and so some ingenuity in them they will hearken to reason Now there is a great deal of spiritual reason in the word there is a great deal to convince men that are but rationall men let a man be but a rationall man and willing to attend to the word I
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 convinced of all he is judged of all and then in vers 25 Thus are the secrets of his heart manifest and so falling down on his face he worships 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 In 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 Welbred 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 if all that I hear spoken against my fin 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 not so bad as you hear it is a cursed comfort that hath no sure bottome Grant that respect therefore to the word 3 Thirdly consider this It may be I do not see cleerly that these things are so which are delivered I do not see enough to beleeve them now but what if I were now dying What if I were now going to receive the sentence of my eternall doome would I not then beleeve these things Would I not then think what I hear out of the word to be true It is an easie matter for men to reject the word while they have their healths and prosperity But if you were to die and upon your sick and death bed if you saw the infinite ocean of eternity before you what would you say then were the word true yea or no would you give beleif unto the suggestions of the Devill then We find it by experience That men that could easily cast off the word in their healths yet when they have come to ly upon their sick bed and death bed they found the word true Beleeve it now as well as then 4 Consider If thou doest not beleeve what a case art thou in Am I worse then the Devils themselves The Scripture tels me That the Devils beleeve and tremble Why Lord do I come to hear Sermons and am I more hard to beleeve then the very devils themselves They do beleeve that word that I cast off and they tremble at it but my Soul is not at all stirred as if there were no reallity in such things that have been spoken to me There be other things which may further help us towards beleeving of the word of God but these shall suffice And certainly my brethren till we come to this to beleeve the word though we should sit under it many years it will do us little good and we shall never Sanctifie the Name of God in the hearing of it SERMON IX LEVITICUS 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me THE next thing for the right behaviour of the Soul for Sanctifying Gods Name is this We must receive the Word with meeknesse of Spirit that you have in Jam. 1. 21. Wherefore lay apart all filthinesse and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the ingrafted word which is able to save your souls Receive with meekness The former part of this Scripture I confesse concerns some what that was before about the preparation of the Soul and we shall perhaps afterwards in the Application come to open the former part of this vers Lay apart all filthiness superfluity of naughtiness But only now we quote the place for this Receive with meekness the ingrafted word which is able to save your souls Let there be a quietnesse in your Spirits in attending upon the word no hurring There is a twofold distemper of passion in many people that is a great hinderance to the profit of the Word and
Sanctifying Gods Name in hearing it 1 The First is a distemper of Passion in those that have some trouble of conscience in them they are troubled for their fin and their Spirits are in a discontented froward humour because they have not that comfort that they do desire and therefore the Word of God when it comes to be preached to them if it doth not every way suit with their hearts and if they do not find present comfort by it their Spirits are in a distemper and frowardnesse and cast it off and if at any time there be never such comfortable things spoken in the word yet there is an anger in their spirits because they are not able to apply the Word to themselves and they think This doth not concern me now there should be meeknesse of Spirit in those that are in trouble of conscience above all they should quietly attend upon the Word and wait for the time that God will speak peace to their consciences And if I cannot find the Word suitable to me at this time yet I may at another time let me atend with meeknes let me receive everything with meeknesse the Word is above me and if ever I have good it must be by the word at last It doeth much concern those that are in trouble of Conscience to have meeke Spirits 2 There is another distemper in others and that is worse that is Such as when they find the word come neer unto them relating those sins that their consciences tels them they are guilty of their hearts rise against God and his Word and Ministers too Because it would pluck away some beloved corruption because it rebukes them for some haunt of evill some distemper of heart that they have been or are guilty of it puts a shame upon them and therefore their hearts do rise against it It is a dreadfull thing to have the heart rise against the Word As we read of that froward Prince Jehoiakim in the Prophesie of Jeremiah that when the Roll was read in his hearing sitting in the winter time by a great fire he tooke a penknife and cut it a pieces and threw it into the fire in anger and I have read that the Jewes kept a Fast every year to mourne for that great sin yet this Jehoiakim was the Son of Josiah whose heart did melt at the hearing of the Word he had an humble and a meek heart when the Law was read and yet see what a different Spirit Jehoiakim had either from his Father or grand-Father It is a great dishonour to the name of God for men to give liberty to their Passions to rise against the Word take heed of Passion either while you are hearing the Word or after the Word as many of you when you are discontented with what is said When you come in company what a fury are many men in upon the hearing of some things in the word that comes close to their hearts Remember when you are a hearing of the Word that it is that which is above you and it is not fit for one that is an inferiour to shew himself Passionate in the presence of a Superiour It is true the Ministers they may be in as low a condition as you and in a lower but the word they speak it is above all the Princes and Monarchs upon the face of the earth and it is fit therefore we having to deal with God that we should behave our selves in a meeke disposition 6 The next thing for the Sanctifying Gods name in the hearing of the word is this we must hear it with a trembling heart with fear as well as meeknesse and for that you have that famous Scripture in Isa 66. begining Thus saith the Lord the Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my footstool wher is the house that ye build unto me and where is the place of my rest For all those things hath my hand made and all those things have been saith the Lord but to this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word this is a most admirable Scripture Marke how God lifts up himself in his glory so great a God as the Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my footstool where is that house that ye will build unto me but then may a poor Soul say how shall I be able to stand before this God that is so glorious Saith God be not discouraged Poor Soul who doest tremble at my word for I look to you And then this is a further thing observable that God hath a regard to that soul that trembles at his word rather then to any that should build the most sumptuous buildings in the world for him for saith God here the Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my footstool where is the house that ye build unto me and where is the place of my rest they have built a glorious Temple to God but what do I regard that saith God I regard one that trembls at my word more then that great house that you have built unto me it is a notable Scripture to shew what a high respect God hath to one that trembles at his word he regards them more then this glorious Temple that was built unto him If you were able to build such a place as this was for the service of God you would think it a great matter it is not so much regarded as if you could bring a trembling heart to Gods word that 's a special thing wherein the Sanctifying of the name of God consists when we come to see the dreadfull authority that there is in the word of God when we are able to see more glory of God in his word then in all the works of God besides for there is more of his glory in the word then there is in the whole Creation of Heaven and Earth take the Sun and Moon and Stars you that are Marriners you have seen much of the glory of God abroad that one would think might strik terrour into all your hearts but know that there is more of the dreadfulnesse of Gods name in his word then in all his works In Psal 138. 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name the word it is magnified above all the name of God whatsoever and it is a very good sign of a Spirituall inlightened Soul that can see the name of God more magnified in his word then in all his works besides I appeal unto your consciences in this thing have you ever seen the name of God to be more magnified in his word then in all his works I may with very good confidence affirm this that there is no godly Soul upon the face of the earth that hath the weakest degree of grace but hath seen more of the glory of God revealed in his word then he hath seen in all the works of God besides and his heart hath been more taken with it
read 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 comendation of the word of the Gospel and if I should give way to that a great deal of time would quickly be gone I will only give you one Scripture for your encouragement to Sanctifie Gods name in the hearing of his word by way of comendation of it It is Rom. 10. 5. a place I am afraid you have not had the sweetnesse 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 difficulty and yet exceeding sweet to us to know it I confesse if the Apostle Paull 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 been ment 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 Legall 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 eares 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 Evangellicall 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 Evangellicall 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 righteousnesse of the Law you are at an infinit 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 not It is a phrase that only expresseth an uncertainty that one cannot be satisfied about his eternall estate except he could go to heaven and there see and read 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 confesse 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 of Gods eternal purpose to do the good in heaven You would account it a great happines 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 tel 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 clearnesse then 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 Gods name in hearing the word I beseech you mark it that it is a more blessed thing then if you did bear Jesus Christ in your wombes You that are women would not you have accounted it a great happines 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 then if thou hadest borne Jesus Christ in thy womb In Luk. 11. 27. 28. And it came to passe 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 keep it That is Labour to sanctifie my name as hath been opened in the particulars rather is that women blessed that do so then 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 wil sanctifie you by that your souls come to be sanctified it wil comfort you in the day of your affliction 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 judgement 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 runne 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 blesse God for all my studies and care and all the pains that ever I have taken and ventring my self for this People I shall blesse 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 Iâ—â— 22. 21. He will magnifie his Law and make it honorable 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 word that I did reverence that I did obey that I did love that I made to be the joy of my heart this word the Lord now doth magnifie and make to be honorable This will be comfortable to thy Soul The Eleventh SERMON The Eleventh SERMON LEVITICUS 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me THE last day we finished the point of Sanctification of the name of God in the hearing of his Word and now wee will proceed to the Sanctification of the name of God in receiving the Sacrament that 's the next duty of worship Now first for the word Sacrament I confesse wee have not that word in all the Scripture as neither have we the word Trinitie and divers other words that Ministers make use of to set forth the Mysteries of Religion by but yet it is usefull to consider the meaning why Ministers in the Church have given this name unto those signes and seals that the Church receives Sacrament is to hallow a thing or to dedicate because in the Sacraments there are outward things that are made holy for holy and spirituall ends Secondly wee our selves do as it were hallow or dedicate our selves unto God in the use of these Ordinances that 's one reason from whence it hath the name Or otherwise as some will have it Sacramentum because it is to be received Sacramente with a holy mind and therefore cald the Sacrament The Churches have used it a long time in Tertullians time which was above fourteen hundred years agoe he was the first that we find used this word and most that would open the word unto us say that especially it was taken from the practise of Souldiers who when they came and listed themselves bound themselves in a solemne oath to be faithful to their Captaine and to the Cause that they did undertake and the oath they were wont to call Sacramentum A Sacrament Now in regard that Christians when they come to this Ordinance they come to seale a Covenant with God and though they doe not formally and explicitely take an oath yet they bind themselves in a holy Covenant which hath the strength even of an oath in it For a solemne Promise to the high God hath the strength of an oath in it and from thence they were cald by these names Sacraments but that for the word that you may understand it But the word the Scripture useth to set out this Sacrament by that now I am speaking of is the Communion of the body and bloud of Christ so you have it in 1 Cor. 10. 6. The Cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the Communion of the bloud of Christ The bread which we break is it
the Covenant of grace both to have the Seale on his part and the Seale on ours surely this must needs call for a sanctifyed use of such a thing as is so holy as this is And that 's the first reason why we are to sanctifie Gods name in this because if we be in ordinary eating and drinking we must doe it then in this wherein there is so much of God wherein the Mysteries of Godlinesse are set before us wherein there is so much of the love of Christ wherein we are to have close Communion with Jesus Christ and wherein the Covenant of grace comes to be sealed on both sides there had need therefore be a sanctifying of Gods name in the use of it Secondly Consider this that there is no duty in all the book of God that I know of that is urged with more strength and severity then this is as that place in 1 Cor. 11. sheweth where you have required of every one that comes to receive the Bread and Wine in the Lords Supper That they should examine themselves and so eate and you have the most dreadfull expressions against those that doe not doe it that I know are mentioned against the neglect of any duty in all the Book of God there the holy-Ghost saith that whosoever eats and drinks unworthily First he is guilty of the body and bloud of Christ and then Secondly he eats and drinks his owne damnation These two expressions have as much dreadfulnesse in them as can be Imagined and we doe not find an exhortation to a duty backt with two such severe expressions in case we should neglect our duty as this exhortation What if wee doe not sanctifie Gods name in this duty wee come to be guilty of the body and bloud of Christ Bloud-guiltinesse is a terrible thing you know David cries out Lord deliver me from Bloud-guiltinesse to have but the bloud of an ordinary man to lie upon one to shed the bloud of the vildest Rogue that lives in a murderous way it would lie upon the Conscience and be very terrible it is impossible that such a man can be quiet all his dayes though he hath never such a seared Conscience A Heathen could not be at quiet if he hath the guilt of bloud lie upon him but to be guilty of the bloud of Christ whose bloud is ten thousand thousand times more worth then the bloud of all the men that ever lived upon the face of the earth must needs be a most dreadfull thing It is a fearefull expression guilty of the body and bloud of Christ that is he offers such an indignity to the body and bloud of Christ as the Lord will charge him of being guilty of it guilty of abusing of the body and bloud of Jesus Christ And then he doth eat and drinke his owne damnation but wee shall speake more to that when wee come to shew how God will sanctifie his name in those that doe not sanctifie it here in this holy Ordinance I will not therefore spend further time in those Scriptures for I bring them only now to shew that there is a necessity of it that we do sanctifie the name of God in this Ordinance Thirdly there is nothing that strikes more upon a mans conscience wee find it by experience even upon wicked mens consciences and especially upon such as begin to be enlightned in the holinesse of this Ordinance God hath put much honour upon it I confesse some men may use it superstitiously though it be an Ordinance of Christ yet God hath put a great deale of honour upon this Ordinance that men that are very wicked otherwise yet their Consciences tell them that when they come to this Ordinance then they must be good then they must not sinne but have good thoughts and good prayers at that time And many times they dare not come if their consciences tell them that they live in some sin I knew one my selfe once that was to be executed and he had never received this Ordinance in all his life though about fourty yeares of Age And being askt the reason why he confest he lived in some sin that hee was loth to leave and therefore would never come to that Ordinance all his life though herein the Devill gull'd and deceived him but I mention it to shew what a power there is in the consciences of men about this Ordinance this ordinarily is one of the first things that strikes upon the soules of men when they come to have their Consciences awakened Oh how have I prophaned the name of God in the Ordinance of the holy communion and have not sanctified his name in it That God should be sanctified in this Ordinance that 's cleer enough But now the great work is which is the third thing that I promised to shew how wee should sanctifie Gods name in this Ordinance Certainly the name of God hath bin much taken in vain there hath been a great deale of pollution in the use of this Ordinance and in mens Spirits when they have been exercising themselves in such an holy Ordinance as this is therefore I will open this to you and shall not be very large in it only to shew you the maine and principall things that may serve for the direction of us that the name of God may not be so taken in vaine and dishonored as heretofore and I shall cast what I intend to speak of into these particulars 1 That whosoever was to pertake of this must be holy himself none can sanctifie God but he must have a sanctified heart himselfe Secondly this Ordinance it must be received in a holy Communion There must be a Communion of Saints for this Ordinance and it cannot be received anywhere else but in a Communion of Saints Thirdly The holy disposition of soule particularly or the qualifications of soule that are required for the sanctifying of Gods name in this Ordinance Fourthly the manner of the explicite goings out of the soule that there are to bee at that very time of receiving Fifthly The keeping of the institution of Christ in our receiving These things are required for the sanctifying of the name of God in this Ordinance For the first Those that come must bee holy themselves This is an Ordinance not appointed for conversion to make holy others that are not converted may come to the word because the word it is appointed to worke conversion t is appointed to worke Grace to worke the first grace Faith comes by hearing but we doe not find in all the Scripture that this is appointed for conversion but it supposes conversion none are to come to receive this Sacrament but men and women that before are converted by the word the word first therefore is to be preached to men for their conversion and then this is an Ordinance appointed for to seale them therefore in the Primitive times they let all come to hearing of the word and then when the Sermon was done there was
an Officer stept up and cried holy things for holy men and then all others were to goe out and therefore it was called missa though the Papists did corrupt it and so called it the masse afterwards by mixing their own inventions in stead of the Supper of the Lord but it had that name at first I say this holy Communion was calld by the name of missa because that all others were sent away and only such as were of the Church and accounted godly staid holy things to holy men And this must needs be so because that the nature of it being the Seal of the Covenant of grace requires it it must be supposed that all that come hither must be in Covenant with God they must be such as have been brought to submit to the Condition of the Covenant Now the Condition of the Covenant of grace is Beleeve and be saved it is therefore appointed for beleevers And as the nature of it being a Seal supposeth a Covenant so none can have this Covenant sealed to them but those that doe first submit to it and are brought into Covenant when you make an Indenture and put to the Seale certainly the Seale belongs only to those that have their names in the Indenture Now t is true though mens names are not mentioned in the word yet the condition is to those that are brought in to beleeve in Jesus Christ saith God I come now to seale all my mercies in Christ to their soules We abuse God if we come to take the Seal to a blanke it is to make this Ordinance a ridiculous thing therefore there must be some transactions between God and your souls before you come to the Seale if a man should say to you come set to your seale to such a thing and there were never any kind of transactions between this man and you before you would account it ridiculous after there hath been agreements between you you use then to seale So it must be here I would appeal to many of your Consciences that have come to the Lords Supper what transactions have there been between God and your soules canst thou say the Lord was pleased to reveale himselfe to mee to make known to mee my wretched condition and the way of grace and salvation and shewed me that upon my comming in to receive his Son he would be mercifull to me and pardon my sins and I have found the Spirit of God working my heart to Jesus Christ the Lord from heaven speaking to me and I sending an Answer to heaven againe how willing my soule was to accept of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with poor Creatures in the word of his Gospell canst thou say this in the uprightnesse of thy heart if not know that this Seale belongs not to thee untill the Lord hath by his word subdued thy heart to this agreement first with him Secondly This Ordinance it is the Ordinance of spiritual nourishment of eating the flesh of Christ and drinking his bloud in a spirituall way Now it must needs suppose that first there must be life before there can be any nourishment received in If it be appointed to nourish and increase grace then surely there must be grace before what nourishment can a dead child take the very first thing that is to be done is nourishment here The word hath power to convey life and then to nourish but we read of no such thing here but that which is to be done here is presently to feed to eat and to drinke that 's the end of the Sacrament therefore it must be supposed that thou must have spiritual life there must come no dead Soule to this Ordinance but those who are quickned by the Spirit of Jesus Christ they must come for nourishment Thirdly the act here required doth note that only those that are holy and godly can receive this Sacrament we are required by the Apostle to examine our selves To examine our selves of what it must be of our godlinesse examine what worke of God hath been upon the soule how God hath brought the soule to himselfe and what Graces of the Spirit of God are there And how we have been brought into Covenant with God now if only those can receive worthily and are to come that first examine themselves then certainly such only as are godly are to come for they only can performe those acts that are required Fourthly It s a Sacrament of Communion with God and Communion with the Saints now what Communion hath Light and Darknesse or what fellowship hath Christ with Belial If it be a Sacrament of Communion of coming to the Table of God will God have his enemies to come to his Table you will invite no enemies to your Tables but your children and friends so they must be the children of God and the friends of God these that are reconciled to God in the bloud of his Son and those that are his children that must sit at his Table therefore they must be holy Now this may suffice for that first thing that this is not an Ordinance for all sorts of people but such as have submitted to the condition of the Covenant before Such as have grace and abilitie to examine themselves of their graces and such as are children and reconciled to God and so are fit to sit at the Table of God and to enjoy Communion with him and with his Son and with the Saints for we are one body sacramentally when we come to this holy Ordinance all others therefore certainly are to be kept from this Sacrament but such 2 The second thing will make it out more fully and that is it is not enough that wee be holy our selves and so all ignorant prophane and scandalous yea all that are meerly civil that can not make out any work of Godlinesse upon their hearts in bringing them to Christ are excluded But 1 It is to be done in a holy Communion and is cleer out of that place in 1 Cor. 10. 16 17. The Cup of blessing which wee blesse is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ the bread which wee break is it not the Communion of the body of Christ and then saith the Apostle in the 17. verse for we being many are one bread and one body therefore all that come to receive the Sacrament they must so come as they must be one body one spiritual Corporation this very consideration that those with whom we receive the Sacrament are one body with us it hath a great deale in it for the helping of us to sanctifie Gods Name this Ordinance I say it is to be received only in a holy Communion one Christian cannot receive the Sacrament alone there must be a Communion wheresoever it is to be administered it is not enough there is one Godly man there but there must be a Communion of Saints and in that communion it is to be received Quest You will say must it be received in
now when it is meerly out of love to Jesus Christ that I might have more edification to my soule and still I retain love to the Saints that are there as they are in a Communion and so farre as they have any thing good among them I hold Communion with them in that onely I desire in humility and in meekenesse that I may be in such a place where my soule may be most edified where I may enjoy all those Ordinances that Christ hath appointed for his Church certainly that soule that can give this account to Iesus Christ for going from one place to another will be freed by Iesus Christ from such a sinne as this that the world cals Schisme but the truth is this word is in mens mouthes that understand not what it means and the devill alwayes will have some word or other cast upon them that are good for hee hath heretofore gained much by it so still he makes account to gaine much by words and Termes and therefore men should take heed of words and Termes that they do not understand and examine seriously what the meaning of these words and what is held forth in those words and thus much for that point that it must be in a holy Communion wherever there is the receiving of the Lords Supper it must be received in a holy Communion Now wee are to proceed to that which is the maine thing and that is What are the holy qualifications or dispositions of the soule together with the actings fit in the receiving of the Lords Supper what is required in the soule for the sanctifying of the name of God in this holy Sacrament there are many things required As first there is required knowledge I must know what I doe when I come to receive this holy Sacrament knowledge applyed to the worke that I am about when some of you have come to receive this Sacrament if God should have spoken from heaven and have said thus to you what are you doing now what do you go for what account had you been able to have given unto him you must understand what you doe when you come thither First you must bee able to give this account to God Lord I am now going to have represented to me in a visible and sensible way the greatest mysteries of godlinesse those great and deep Councels of thy will concerning my eternall estate those great things that the Angels desire to pry into that shall be the matter of eternall praises of Angels and Saints in the highest heavens that they may be set before my view Lord when I have come to thy word I have had in mine eares sounding the great mysteries of godlinesse the great things of the Covenant of grace and now I goe to see them represented before mine eyes in that Ordinance of thine that thou hast appointed Yea Lord I am now going to receive the Seales of the blessed Covenant of thine the second Covenant the new Covenant the Seales of the Testimony and will of thine I am going to have confirmed to my soule thine everlasting Love in Jesus Christ Yea Lord I am going to that Ordinance wherein I expect to have Communion with thy selfe and the communication of thy cheife mercies to my soule in Jesus Christ I am going to feast with thee to feed upon the body and bloud of Jesus Christ Yea I am now going to set to the Seale of the Covenant on my part to renew my Covenant with thee I am going to have Communion with thy Saints to have the bond of Communion with all thy people to be confirmed to me that there might be a stronger bond of union and love between me and thy Saints then ever these are the ends that I go for this is the work that I am now going about thus you must come in understanding you must come with understanding you must know what you are going about this is that which the Apostle speaks of when he speaks of the discerning the Lords Body he rebukes the Corinthians for their sin and shews them that they were guilty of the body and bloud of Christ because they did not discerne the Lords body they lookt only upon the outward elements but did not discerne what there was of Christ there they did not understand the institution of Christ they did not see how Christ was under those elements both represented and exhibited unto them that 's the first thing there must be knowledge and understanding And now for the knowledge and understanding of the nature of the Sacrament there need be knowledge in other points of Religion for we can never come to understand the nature of this Sacrament without knowing God and knowing our selves knowing in what estate we were by nature knowing our Fall knowing the way of Redemption knowing Jesus Christ what he was and what he hath done for the making of an Atonement the necessity of Jesus Christ and what the way of the Covenant is that God hath appointed to bring mens soules to eternall life by The maine points of Religion must be known but especially that that concernes the nature of a Sacrament Now this knowledge likewise must be actuall not meerly habituall knowledge but there must be a stirring up of this knowledge that is by meditation I must be meditating have actuall thoughts and meditations of what I doe know that ought to be the work of a Christian in comming to receive the Sacrament to quicken up his knowledge to have a renewed work of his knowledge by actuall thoughts and meditations of the maine points of Religion and especially of the nature and the end of this holy institution that is the first thing Secondly As wee must come understandingly without which wee cannot sanctifie Gods name so we must come with hearts sutable to the work that wee are about that is because the great thing that is here is the breaking of Christs body and the pouring forth his bloud A sutable disposition to this is brokennesse of heart sence of our sinne of that dreadfull breach that sin hath made between God and the soul our sin should be upon our hearts so as to break them But this brokennesse must be evangelicall it must be through the applying of the blood of Christ unto my soule I must come to be sensible of my sin but especially be sensible of it by what I see in the holy Sacrament that must make me sensible of my sinne There are a great many things to make me sensible of my sin The consideration of the great God that thou hast sinned against and the Curse of the Law that 's due to thee the wrath of God that is incensed against thee for thy sin and those eternall flames that are prepared for sinners those everlasting burnings But now those are not the things that will break the heart in an evangelicall way in a gracious way the maine thing by which the soule must come to break its heart must be the
compared to Leaven thou shouldest make a diligent search what sin there is in thy heart in any of the faculties of thy soule what sinne there is in thy thoughts in thy Conscience in thy understanding in thy will in any of thy affections what sinne there hath been in thy life what family sins what personall sins Thou shouldest make a diligent search to see whither there be not some Leaven some evill in thy heart and what ever sin thou shalt come to find out in thy heart there must be a casting of it out that is thy soule must be set against it to oppose it with all thy might whatever beloved sin whatever gainefull sin whatsoever become of thee thy soule must renounce that sinne of thine yea and in a kind of execration of thy selfe that 's thus Lord as ever I expect to receive any good by this body and blood of Christ that I come now to receive so Lord here I professe against every sin that I have found out in my heart I desire to find out all and professe against all and renounce all and would doe to the uttermost that I am able for delivering of my soule fully from every knowne or beloved sin oh that there might not be any remaining in my heart this must be the disposition of the soule comming hither and it must needs be thus or else we cannot sanctifie Gods name because there is nothing more sutable then this disposition unto the receiving of the Sacrament for we come here to professe that we doe acknowledge that sinne did cost so much as it did that it cost the blood of the Sonne of God now this cannot chuse but cause the heart to renounce sinne If indeed I doe beleeve that sinne hath cost the bloud of Christ that it cost him so deare as it did that it did trouble Heaven and earth that there must be such a mighty wonderfull way of satisfaction to God for my sinne committed against him certainly sinne hath a dreadfull evill in it oh let me never have to doe with such sin that was the cause of such sufferings to my Saviour that did shed his blood If so be that thou sawest a knife that had cut the throat of thy dearest child would not thy heart rise against that knife suppose you come to a Table and there is a knife laid at your Trencher and it was told you this is the knife that cut the throat of your childe or Father if you could use that knife as another knife would not any one say there was but little love to your Father or child So when there is a temptation comes to any sin this is the knife that cut the throat of Christ that pierct his sides that was the cause of all his sufferings that made Christ to be a curse now wilt not thou look upon that as a cursed thing that made Christ to be a curse oh with what detestation would a man or woman fling away such a knife and with the like detestation it is required that thou shouldest renounce sin for that was the cause of the death of Christ I remember it is reported of Anthony when Caesar was slaine he comes to stir up the people against those that had slaine Caesar and he takes the cloathes that were bloudy and holds them forth to the people and saith here is the bloud of your Emperour and upon that the people were inraged against those that had slaine him and went and pulld down their houses upon them so when thou comest to this Sacrament thou seest the bloud of Christ gushing out and for thy sin if ever thy sin be pardoned either thy soule must be eternally damn'd for thy sin or else thy sin cost the gushing out of the Blood of Christ now when thou seest this this should cause a holy rage in thy soule against sin that caused this surely the putting away sin the risings of the heart against sin must needs be a disposition sutable to such an Ordinance as this is And that 's the third thing required in the sanctifying of Gods name in this Ordinance the purging out of sin and rising of the heart against it 4. The fourth thing that is to be done for the sanctifying of Gods name here it is the hungering and thirsting of the soule after Jesus Christ whosoever coms hither he comes to a feast and the Lord expects that all his guests should come with stomacks unto this feast come with hungring and longing for Jesus Christ this should be the disposition of the soule oh that my soule might injoy Communion with Jesus Christ now this is the end that I am come for oh the Lord that knows the workings of my heart knowes that this is the great desire of my soule that I might enjoy Communion with Jesus Christ oh that I might have more of Christ that I might meet with Christ that I might have some further manifestation with Jesus Christ that I might have my soule further united to the Lord Christ and so have further influence of Christ to my soule I come with thirsting after the Lord Christ knowing my infinite need of him and the infinite excellency that there is in Jesus Christ my soule doth famish and perish for ever without Christ but in the injoyment of Christ there is a fulnesse for the satisfying of my soule that I have had of Christ sometimes in the word and sometimes in prayer that hath been sweet unto me but I expect a further Communion of Christ here for this is the grand Ordinance for Communion with Jesus Christ in deed the word in this respect it is beyond this Ordinance that is it is not only for the increase of grace but for the begetting this is only for the increase of grace and not appointed for the begetting now in that respect the Word is above the Sacrament but now this Sacrament is a more full Ordinance for Communion with Jesus Christ this is the Communion of the body of Jesus Christ and of his bloud and therefore there ought to be hungring and thirsting desires of the soule after Jesus Christ therefore you must take heed you doe not come with your Stomacks full of trash as children when they can get Plums and Peares and fill their stomacks with them when they come to your Tables though there be never so much wholsome diet they have no mind at all to it so it is with men of the world they fill their hearts with the trash of this world and with sensuall delights and hence it is that when they come to such a great Ordinance to enjoy Communion with Jesus Christ that then they feele no want at all of Christ only they come and take a little peece of bread and a draught of wine but for any strong pausing desires to meet with Jesus Christ there in the Ordinance to come so as they know not how to live without Christ even as a man that is an hungred
cannot live without his meat and drinke and so for the soule to have such a disposition after Christ this is a rare thing but know that Gods name is not sanctifyed unlesse thou doest come in such a way unto this holy Sacrament that 's the fourth thing hungry and thirsty desires after Christ from a deepe sence of the need of him and the apprehension of the Excellencie in him 5. In the fift place there must be an exercise of Faith for the sanctifying of Gods name here Faith that is both the hand and the mouth for the taking of this spirituall meat and spirituall drink when thou comest to the Feast of the Lord Faith first is the eye and then the hand and mouth it is the eye of the soul to give a reall sight of what there is here you are not able to discerne the body of the Lord but by the eye of Faith if thou comest only with bodily eyes to look upon what is here thou seest nothing but a little bread and wine But now where the eye of Faith is there is a reall appearance of Jesus Christ to the soule as if Christ were bodily present and we need not have the bread turned into his body for Faith can see the body of Christ through the bread and the body of Christ gushing in the wine And it is a mighty thing to have Christ and such spirituall things made reall and not to be a fansie If one look upon the fire that is painted one cannot heat ones selfe in cold weather with that but fire that is really burning upon the hearth so those that come to receive the Sacrament and not come with Faith that have only the eye of their bodies they only see as it were a painted Christ they doe not see Christ really his body and bloud and those great Mysteries of the Gospel are not presented as reall things to their soules and hence it is that they go away and get nothing but now when the soule comes with the eye of Faith the soule sees the wonderfull things of God it is the most glorious sight in the world all the glory of God in the heavens and earth is not like this sight of Jesus Christ and the mysteries of the Gospell that do appeare to the eye of faith therefore you may by this know whether you have come with faith or no to the Sacrament whether you have seen the most glorious sight that ever your eyes did behold alas with our naturall eyes we behold a Minister comming with a peece of bread and a little wine but when the eye of faith is opened then wee behold the glorious things of the Gospell many times when you come to hear the word your hearts burne within you as they that went to Emaus but when you are breaking bread the eye of faith that must look upon Jesus Christ and in this sence those that have pierced Christ must look upon him that Scripture is fulfilled in Zach. 12. latter end they shall look on him whom they have pierced by their sins and then mourne and lament this eye of faith will cause mourning and lamenting for sinne And then as faith is the eye to make what is here reall so faith is the hand to take it when you come to a feast you must have something to take the meat to you so saith Christ he brake bread and gave it to his Disciples saying take eat this take it how shall we take it by reaching out of the hand if you sanctifie Gods name in this Ordinance as you reach out your hand to take the bread and wine so there must be an actuall reaching out of the soule by faith putting forth an act of faith to receive Jesus Christ unto the soule to apply the Lord Jesus Christ to thy soule with all his merits and good things that he hath purchased when the Minister doth give out that Ordinance you should look upon God the Father giving out his Sonne as if this were your condition I am now in the presence of the eternall Father who now doth actually give out his Sonne to my soule and saith soule here receive anew this day my Sonne with all that he hath purchased for thy good now then the soule acts upon this and by stirring up an act of faith comes and closes with this gift of the Father and casts its selfe upon Jesus Christ and saith as it were Amen to what the Father gives oh Lord here I come and imbrace thy Sonne as my life as my Saviour as the fountaine of all my good in whom I expect all the good I am like to have either here or to all eternity so that there must be a stirring up of the act of faith in an actuall taking of Christ if thou beest a beleever canst thou remember what thou didst when first thou didst take Jesus Christ when the Lord in the preaching of his word did reveale Jesus Christ to thy soule what didst thou then oh soule how did thy soule work in closing with Christ as thy soule did then in closing with Christ so it must now renew the work there must be a renewall of the worke at that time So that when you come to the Sacrament you must not thinke that it is then a time to listen to doubts feares and scruples no but it is a time that God cals for the exercise of faith the casting of the soule upon Christ and his merits for life and for salvation or else the name of God is not sanctified as it ought thou doest not sanctifie Gods name when thou art busying thy foule in doubts and scruples in thy receiving of the Sacrament And then faith is as the mouth when thou commest to eat and drinke how canst thou if thou hast not a mouth thou hast a bodily month to take in bread and wine but know that without faith thy soule cannot take in Christ faith is as it were the mouth that is by the act of faith the soule doth open it selfe for Jesus Christ and not only opens it selfe but takes in Christ to the soule and makes Christ and the soule as one as our bread and wine is made one with our body so faith takes in Christ and makes him as one with thee and turnes Christ into the nourishment of thy foule and thou and Christ by faith are made as truly one as the bread and wine that is put into thy body is made one with thy body This is the worke of faith without which wee cannot sanctifie the name of God Sixthly there must be spirituall joy that must be exercised here for it is a feast here we come to sit with Christ at his Table wee come as children to our Fathers Table and to sit there with Jesus Christ our elder Brother now as a Father doth not love to have his child set in a sullen and dogged way at his Table or to be crying but he would have the child set in comfort
and with a holy cheerfulnesse with a holy freedome of Spirit not in a sullen way but as a child in the presence of his Father and not as a Servant with the Master Object You told us before that there should be brokennesse of Spirit and sence of our sin Answ That may be and joy we rejoyce with trembling therefore that brokennesse of Spirit that I meant must not bee slavish horrour and feare but a kindly melting of the soule from the aprehension of the love of God unto it in Jesus Christ that was willing to be at so great cost to purchase the pardon of sin such a gracious mourning as may stand with joy and the truth is that that sorrow for sin in the Sacrament that is not mixt with joy is a sorrow that doth not sanctifie Gods name godly sorrow and evangelicall joy may stand together very well And therefore know that this is not the time neither to give liberty to have your hearts sinke no there must be no sinking sorrow of heart but such a sorrow of heart as in the midst of it you may be able to look upon God as a reconciled Father to you and have a cheerfulnesse of Spirit as in the midst of it you must look upon your selves as Gods guest to be merry at his Table now this is a great mystery of godlinesse that there should be at the same time the sight of Christ crucified and yet at the same time a spirituall cheerfulnesse in the assurance of the love of God in Iesus Christ I say it is a Mystery and only those that are Beleevers are able to understand this mystery how to have their hearts break and yet how to rejoyce at the same time in that unspeakeable love of God that is here presented unto them in this Sacrament Seventhly In the next place there must be thankefulnesse therefore it is called the Eucharist and in one of the Evangelists where it is said Christ blest the bread in another it is said Christ gave thanks Christ when he instituted this Sacrament hee gave thanks he gave thanks for what he gave thanks to God the Father that he was pleased to send him into the world to die for poor soules now shall Iesus Christ give thanks unto God the Father for that that did cost him his life yea saith Christ I see that here is a way to save soules and let it cost me my life if it will yet I blesse thee O Father if soules may come to be sav'd though it cost me my life Christ rejoyced in his Spirit in thanking his Father for this then how should our hearts be inlarged with thankefulnesse when we come to this that the Ancients were wont to call the Eucharist that is a thanksgiving we are to give God thankes for every mercy you will not eate your owne bread without giving of thankes but when wee come to have this bread this bread of life here is matter of thankefulnesse here is matter of inlargement of soule thou that hast the deadest and dullest soule and straightest Spirit yet when thou comest hither and understandest what thou doest here thou canst not but see matter for the inlargement of thy heart and wish that thou hadst ten thousand thousand times more strength to expresse the praises of the Lord here is a thing that must be the subject of the Hallelujahs and doxologies that Angels and Saints must for ever sound out in the highest heavens dost thou know what the Lord presents to thee here it is more then if the Lord should say I will make ten thousand worlds for the sake of this creature and give all these worlds to him thou wouldest thinke that thou wert bound to blesse him then only when God in the Bread and wine reaches out to thee the body bloud of his Sonne here is more matter of praise then if ten thousand thousand worlds were given to thee and therefore God expects that thou shouldest say to thy soule my soul praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy name blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases O poor soule here is the foundation of all mercies dost thou praise God for justification for sanctification here is a glorious application of the mercy of God to the soules of sinners and therefore if ever thou wert thankfull be thankefull here The Sabbath my Brethren that is appointed to be the set constant day of thankesgiving for the great mercies of God in Christ and there are other dayes for nationall mercies now a speciall work of the Lords day is the celebration of this holy Sacrament and the Christians in former times were wont to do it every Lords day because that 's the day appointed by God for to be the day of thankesgiving for that great mercy the Lord Jesus Christ and that 's the reason why the Sabbath was changed the last day of the week was the Iewish Sabbath and that was to celebrate the memoriall of the Creation of the world and the first day now it is to be the day of thanksgiving for all the work of God in mans redemption Eightly A further thing is this if you would sanctifie Gods name you must be willing to renew your Covenant that 's the end of it there must be an actuall renewing of your Covenant with God that 's thus I come to receive this bread and this wine and this is to be as the Seale of the Covenant on Gods part now this will be emplyed in the nature of the thing that if I take the Seales of Gods Covenant that I must be willing to set to my Seale too to renew the Covenant that God calls me to now know all men and women that are sav'd they are sav'd by the vertue of the Covenant of grace and there God on his part promises and makes a Covenant that hee will bestow his Son life and salvation through him and thou must likewise come in on thy part and beleeve on his Son and repent which is the Tenour of the Gospel now every time thou comest to receive this Sacrament thou commest to renew this Covenant As if thou shouldest say Lord thou hast been pleased to make a Covenant of grace as the first Covenant was broken and all men were cast by that Covenant now thou hast made a Covenant of grace and callest thy servants whom thou intendest to save that they should renew their Covenant with thee in this Sacrament of thine Lord here I come and Lord here I renew it and set to my seale to promise and Covenant with thee that as ever I expect to receive any good from Christ so Lord here I will be thine I will give up my selfe for ever to thee as thou hast given me the Body and bloud of Christ for my salvation so Lord here I consecrate my body and bloud to thee the last drop of
complaine much of the vanity of their thoughts they were wont to pray before and they never had such vaine thoughts as now they have the reason why there is so much vanity of thoughts or at least so much taken notice of It is first because there is but a little grace in the midst of a great deale of corruption in young converts like a spark of fire in the middest of a great deale of ashes now if there lies a heap of ashes and nothing else â—ou do not stirre them but if there be ashes and some fire then you will stir them and be blowing those sparkes to kindle another fire by Now when you come to make any motion then the ashes will fly about whereas before they lay still so it is here before God wrought upon thy heart there was nothing else but ashes upon thy soule and then they lay still but now God hath kindled some sparks of grace in thy heart and God is blowing them up to a greater heat and is bringing of them to a flame upon this motion that is in thy heart aud the stirring to kindle those sparks further in thy heart it is that the ashes of thy corruptions do as it were fly about thine eares and that there is such stirrings of corruption more then there was before 't is not because there is more corruption then there was formerly but before there being nothing else but corruption it lay still and now because there is something else therefore it is that corruption doth so stirre and besides you know a man that was wont to keep lewd company if God turne him that he will keep that company no more at first he shall be more troubled with them then he was before and they will keep oftener knocking at his doore and labouring to get him to them againe so 't is here when the soule vanity and lusts were as friends together there was no disturbance and taking notice of any thing then but now when the soule is casting out those sinfull distempers and will have no more of them they for the present will be more importunate active and stiring then they were before And besides the Lord doth this to humble thy heart the more that thereby thou maiest come to see the great corruption that was in thy soule before the working of thy corruptions will discover much evill in thy heart that thou didest not think was there before when the corruptions of men and women lie still they think there is no such thing in their soules as your civill men what 's the reason that they blesse themselves and think they are in a good condition it s because their corruptions lie still in them and doe not stirre they cannot beleeve what abundance of wickednesse there is in their hearts if God should open the wickednesse that there is in the hearts of men naturally and so all unregenerate men they would thinke you speak strange riddles whereas they blesse themselves they blesse God they know no such thing in their hearts not yes there are such things only they are not stird but they lie quiet as mudde in the bottome of a pond there it is yet you cannot see it till it be stird at first conversion I say the Lord suffers thy corruption thus to stir that hee may discover to thee what an evill heart thou hast what abundance of sin there is in thy heart and therefore your young converts they look upon themselves more loathsome and vile then ever they thought they had been And besides the Devil sees it a vaine thing to tempt a young convert to any grosse act of sin when conscience hath life and power in it heâ— shall never prevaile that way but now hee thinks he may prevail to disturbe them with vaine thoughts and therefore he layes his strength most that way therefore let not such be discouraged that find their Spirits anoyed and pestered with them if they make them to be the burden of their Soules notwithstanding much vanity of thoughts the Lord wil accept of any desire that they have to sanctifie his name in holy dutyes and I shall give you these three or four rules to helpe you against these wandering and vaine thoughts in holy dutyes and especially in prayer First when thou goest to prayer account it to be a great worke set a high price upon thy prayer not as having any excellencie in it as it comes from thee but set a high price upon it as a great Ordinance of God wherein there is Communion with God to be enjoyed and the influence of the grace of God to be conveyed through it so set a high price upon prayer at every time thou art going to prayer Lord I am now setting upon a worke that is of very great consequence and much lies upon it and I would account it to be a sore and a great evill to me if I should lose but this prayer this would bee a speciall meanes to compose thy Spirit and to keep thee from wandering as Nehemiah in Nehem. 6. 3. a place that I have sometimes quoted upon such an occasion when the enemies of Nehemiah that would hinder the building of the Temple sent to him that they might talke together no saith hee I am doing a great worke so that I cannot come downe so when the Devill and the vanity of thine owne heart would send to thee to parly and talke as it were with thee give an Answer I cannot stand parlying with these things the worke that I am about is a great worke there are very few people that do account the worke of prayer a great worke if thou didst it would helpe thee much against the vanity of thy thoughts Secondly Every time thou goest to prayer thou that art most troubled with such vaine thoughts renew thy resolutions against them I have been troubled with vain thoughts heretofore and am afraid if I looke not to it that I shall lose this prayer also and therefore O Lord here I renew my resolutions to set against them in this prayer with all my might it is very much that may be done by strong resolutions and especially if thy strong resolutions be renewed resolutions for an old resolution begins to grow weak a man that hath resolved upon a thing a great while agoe it hath little power ever him but now when a man hath resolved upon a thing but this morning and just at the time when he is going about it now hee doth resolve upon it and set himselfe upon it and doth resolve through the grace of God that whatsoever difficultie he meets with all whatsoever it cost him that he will goe through this worke I say that resolutions renewed have a great deale of power and you cannot imagine what a great deale of power the renewing of resolution against vaine thoughts will have if they were renewed every time thou goest to prayer untill thou gettest power over thy thoughts do but make
other way or one taking up one end and the other the other end that is the meaning of it he helpes our infirmities the poore foule is pulling and tugging with its own heart and finds his heart heavy and dull like a logge in a ditch and have not many of you found your hearts so but now then when you are tugging with your hearts and would faine lift up your hearts to God in prayer there comes the Spirit of God at the other end and takes the heaviest end of the burden and helpes you to lift it up if a child were at one end of the logge and that were but light and the other end very heavy if one come and take up the heaviest end a little strength will serve for the lighter end so the Spirit comes and takes up the heavier end in duty and so helps our infirmities helpes together and then the other word is The Spirit that is together with the acting of the graces of the Spirit in our hearts you must not say so alasse what can I doe it must be the Spirit of God that must doe all it is true hee doth all First he gives converting and habituall grace and assisting and actuating grace but now when the Spirit hath wrought grace so as to convert the heart and hath given habituall grace in thy heart why then when the Spirit comes to assist it doth expect that thou shouldest stirre up all the gifts and graces of the Spirit and the very strength of thy body the Spirit of God expects that thou shouldest act to the uttermost thou art able what power hath been given thee by God and when thou art in acting then the Spirit comes and helpes together with us noting that we are to put forth what strength we have and thus Gods name will be sanctified when as wee putting forth the graces of the Spirit in us then the Spirit comes and helpes and what comes from us now comes from the breathings of the holy-Spirit in us and then God who knowes the meaning of the Spirit will know now the meaning of our sighs and groanes therefore when thou art going to prayer thou art to eye the Spirit of God thou art by the eye of faith to looke upon the Spirit of God and to cast thy soule upon the assistance of the Spirit of God thou art to looke upon the holy-Ghost as appointed by the Father and the Son to that office to bee a helper to his poore servants in the duties of worship and especially in that great duty of prayer now upon the reading of this text and having it thus opened this is one good helpe for thee in prayer read this text and then exercise thy faith upon it Lord hast thou not said that thy Spirit helpes our infirmities when we know not what to pray for nor how to pray for any thing as we ought but the Spirit will come now Lord make good this word of thine to my soule at this time and let mee have the breathings of the Spirit of God in me alasse the breaths of men if it come from gifts and parts I know thou wilt never regard it except there be the breathings of the holy-Ghost in mee in prayer now if you would know whether the Spirit of God doth come in or no you may know it by this the Spirit of God carries unto God and it makes the prayer sweet and delightfull so much of the Spirit of God as is there it comes to the soule in the duty and it leaves a savour behind it a gratious savour is alwaies left behind when the Spirit of God comes to breath O the breath of the Spirit of God is a sweet breath and it makes prayers sweet it never comes into the Soule but after it hath done any worke it came for it leaves a sweet sent after that the soule finds a sweetnesse in that prayer now many of you have been in the morning at prayer but I appeal to you what sweet savour of the Spirit of God is left behind certainly if the Spirit hath been there it is like civil that is put into a little box though you should take out the civit yet there will be a sweet savour left behind so though the Spirit of God in respect of the present assistance withdraws it self yet it leaves a sweet savour behind The fourth thing is purity of heart pure heart and hands in Heb. 10. 22. Rev. 5. 8. having every one of them harpes and golden vials full of odours which are the prayers of Saints mark the prayers of the Saints are odours in golden vials the golden vials I may compare to the heart the hearts of the Saints must be as golden vials and then their prayers will be as odours in 1 Tim. 2. 8. the holy-Ghost giving directions how wee should pray it is with this qualification I will therefore that men pray every where lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting the outward conversation must be pure and the heart pure in Job 22. 26. marke what 's said concerning that holy man there 's a promise made to him for the lifting up of his face to God putting away iniquitie from his Tabernacle that by putting away evill from our Tabernacles and so from our hearts we may be able to lift up our hearts with joy to goe and that 's the fift thing purity of heart and hands The sixt thing is in truth when we come to call upon God we must call upon him in truth Psal 145. 18. the Lord is nigh unto all to all that call upon him in truth you will say what is the meaning of that to that I answer First there must be inward dispositions answerable to the expressions as for instance when I come to expresse the greatnesse of the majestie of God then I must have an inward disposition sutable to this expression I must have a feare and reverence of the infinite majestie of God Secondly When I come to confesse my sin to judge my selfe for my sin there must be an inward disposition sutable to such a confession O how many men and women will come and speak great things against themselves for their sins and judge themselves for their sins and yet there is no such disposition in their hearts sutable to their words you shall have some in praying with others they will be a meanes to break the hearts of others they will so follow their sin and take such shame and confusion upon themselves for their sin and yet God knows their hearts not stird all this while and then they will call upon God for pardon of sin and for power against their sin and yet God knowes that their hearts do close with their sin and are loath to part with their sin in the mean time this is falsenesse of heart when the inward disposition is not answerable to outward expressions I beseech you my brethren consider of the prayers you have made and especially
Worshipping of God 1 First the strength of Intention We must intend our work as if it were for our lives If ever we were seriously Intentive or Attentive about any thing it must be when we are worshipping of the Name of God When you are coming to Pray be Intent about it You shall see some when they are going in the street when they have much intention about their businesse their friends meet them and they never mind them one may perceive as they are going that they are mightily intent about their businesse My Brethren look upon every duty of worship as a great thing which you must be intent in your thoughts about and not give way to the wandring of your thoughts I have read of one Martyr that when he was to die and the fire a kindling saith an Officer What will not you speak when you see the fire kindling saith he I am speaking to God that is he was praying and he minded not at all what they were doing O what little things do take our thoughts away from holy duties When every toye every feather every light matter cals them off Is this to Sanctifie Gods Name Would not we account it a dishonourable thing if we were talking to one about serious businesse and when we are talking every one that comes by he should be looking after them and turning aside to talk with them If a Superiour be talking with you he doth expect that you should mind what he saith But when God is speaking to you and you are speaking to God every vain thought that comes by you are turning aside too as if it were a greater thing to talk to vain thoughts and temptations then to the great glorious God Therfore now that is the very time that the Devil chuses for to bring temptations when we are in holy duties for the Devil knows then he doth two works at once he doth disturb us in our duties and call off our hearts to that that is wicked and doth aggravate our sin exceedingly It may be thou wilt not dare to commit that sin that the temptation doth turn thy thoughts upon yea but the Devil hath spoyled the duty by it The Lord doth expect that there should be strength of Intention when thou art upon the duty and there is no time to parlie with temptations now what ever thoughts come in The truth is though they be good thoughts that should come into thy mind and that time that thou art Praying yet if they be not pertinent to the duty thou must cast them away as the temptation of the Devil You will say Can any thing that is good come from the Devil Certainly that that is materially good and coming unseasonably may be from the Devil the Devil may take advantage by what is in it self materially good and bring in that in an unseasonable time and so he may turn it to evil As now when thou art hearing the Word it may be the Devil thinks he cannot prevaile to cause thee to have thy heart running about uncleannesse yea but saith the Devil If I can inject good thoughts I will put into their minds some place of Scripture that is no way pertinent to this only to divert them The Devil gets much by this therefore look to it and know that God expects the strength of thy Spirit in duty that is strong intention thou art a worshipping of God and therefore thou hadest need be intent about what thou art a doing Indeed some-times before you are aware evil thoughts will come into your minds as when a man is keeping of a door and there is a croud of people without that would come in perhaps the man doth open the door for some Gentleman that he hears is at the door but when he opens it for one that is to come in forty others wil crowd in and so it is many times with the Soul that when it opens the door for some good thought a great many evill thoughts will crowd in those people might come in if they would stay their time but they should not now come in So about worldly businesses that are not in themselves unlawfull if they will stay the time they may come in but they must be bar'd out now at this time There is required strength of Intention 2 Secondly strength of Affection is required also That is the affections must work mightily after God striving with God in prayer If ever thou hadest a heart inflam'd in any thing it should be when thou art praying or attending upon the Word as the Heathens that worshipped the Sun sometimes I have told you that they would not have a Snail but a fâ—ying Horse they would offer that that was swift so when we come to the living God we must have living affections our affections boyling and that will be the way to cure vain thoughts as the flies will not come to the hony if it be boyling hot but when it is cold So if the heart be boyling hot and the affections a working it will keep out vain thoughts and temptations It is a sign of the breath of life when it is warm but artificiall breath you know it is cold as now the breath that comes out of the body that is warm but the breath that comes out of a pair of bellowes that is cold So the breath of many people in prayer it is discovered to be but artificiall breath because it is so cold but if there were spirituall life then it would be warm There must be strength of Affection 3 Thirdly There must be likewise the strength of all the Faculties We should stir up what ever we are or have or can do to work in prayer then the bent of mind and conscience and will and affection yea and the body should be put to it too and those that worship God to purpose they spend their bodies in nothing so much as in the worshipping of God It will be a sad thing another day when this shall be charged upon many Thou hast spent the strength of thy body upon lusts but when didest thou spend any strength of thy body about any holy duty What a riddle is this to most people to tell them of spending the strength of their bodies in prayer or hearing of the word or Sanctifying a Sabbath they think the Sabbath is a time of rest I confesse it is a time of rest from an outward labour but it is a time of spending strength in a spirituall way and those that shall worship God aright on the Sabbath will find it a spending of a great deal of strength and blessed is that strength that is spent in the worship of God rather then in the waies of sin as most spend their strength If God gives thee a heart to spend thy strength in his worship thou mayest think thus Lord thou mightest have left me to have spent my strength in sin how much better is it spent in the worshipping of thy