Sacrament he gave thanks he gave thanks for what he gave thanks to God the Father that he was pleased to send him into the world to die for poor souls now shall Jesus Christ give thanks unto God the Father for that which did cost him his life yea saith Christ I see that here is a way to save souls and let it cost me my life if it will yet I bless thee O Father if souls may come to be saved though it cost me my life Christ rejoyced in his Spirit in thanking his Father for this then how should our hearts be enlarged with thankfulness when we come to this that the Ancients were wont to call the Eucharist that is a thanksgiving we are to give God thanks for every mercy you will not eat your own bread without giving of thanks but when we come to have this bread this bread of life here is matter of thankfulness here is matter of enlargment of soul thou that hast the deadest and dullest soul and straightest Spirit yet when thou comest hither and understandest what thou doest here thou canst not but see matter for the enlargment of thy heart and wish that thou hadst ten thousand thousand times more strength to express the praises of the Lord here is a thing that must be the subject of the Hallelujahs and doxologies that Angels and Saints must for ever sound out in the highest Heavens dost thou know what the Lord presents to thee here it is more than if the Lord should say I will make ten thousand worlds for the sake of this creature and give all these worlds to him thou wouldest think that thou wert bound to bless him then only when God in Bread and Wine reaches out to the the body and Blood of his Son 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 soul My soul praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise His holy Name bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits who forgiteth all thine iniquitie who healeth all thy diseases O poor soul here is the foundation of all mercies dost thou praise God for Justification for sanctification here is a glorious application of the mercie of God to the souls of sinners and therefore if ever thou wert thankfull be thankfull here The Sabbath my Brethren that is appointed to be the set constant day of thanksgiving for the great mercies of God in Christ and there are other daies for National mercies now a special work of the Lords day is The celebration of this holy Sacrament and the Christians in former times were wont to do it every Lords day because that is the day appointed by God for to be the day of thanksgiving for that great mercy the Lord Jesus Christ and that 's the reason why the Sabbath was changed the last day in the week was the Jewish Sabbath and that was to celebrate the memorial of the Creation of the World and the first day now it is to be the day of thanksgiving for al the work of God in mans Redemption Eighthly 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 actual renewing of your Covenant with God that 's thus I come to receive this Bread this wine and this is to be as the Seal of the Covenant on Gods part now this will be emplied in the nature of the thing that if I take the Seals of Gods Covenant that I must be willing to set to my Seal 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 Cavenant That he will bestow his Son Life and Salvation through him and thou must likewise come in on thy part and beleeve on his Son and repent which is the Tenour of the Gospel now every time thou comest to receive this Sacrament thou comest to renew this Covenant As if thou shouldest say Lord thou hast been pleased to make a Covenant of Grace as the first Covenant was broken and all men were cast by that Covenant now thou hast made a Covenant of Grace and callest thy servants whom thou intendest to save that they should renew their Covenant with thee in this Sacrament of thine Lord here I come and Lord here I renew it and set to my seal 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 self for ever to thee as thou hast given me the Body and Blood of Christ for my salvation so Lord here I consecrate my body and blood to thee the last drop of my heart blood shall be given to thee and so my strength and estate and name or what ever I am or have shall be thine Have you done thus when you have come to receive the Sacrament have you actually renewed your covenant with God you that have taken the body of Christ have you given up your body to Christ What 's the reason then that you sin so much with your bodies that you abbuse your body with uncleanness and drunkenness and other wickedness afterwards Oh you prophane the name of God and the very Body and Blood of Christ in this except thou givest up the body and soul to God in way of Covenant Ninthly in the last place for the sanctifying of Gods Name there is required the renewing of Love the coming with lovely dispositions and the renewing of the grace of love not only towards God but towards our Brethren for it is the feast of the Lord and it is an act of communion Communion not only with Christ but with His Churches with his saints and as I have told you that there is a profession of our selves to be of the same body with Jesus Christ then the Lord requireth that His Children should not fall out that come to His Table but that there should be love and peace there 's a mighty bond upon thee when thou comest to the Sacrament and therefore first all heart burnings and heart grudges must be laid aside and secondly you must come with a willinness to be reconcilled one to another willingnes to pass by all infirmities in thy Brethren here I have the Seal of Gods wllingness to pass by al my sins and therefore I must be willing to pass by all infirmities in my Brethren I must now cast out all ill wishes towards others and come with a disire of all good unto them and with a heart ready to imbrace any opportunity to do any good thou doest lye unto God except thou comest with such a heart as this is Lord thou knowest that I am willing to take all opportunities to do good
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 ears but it is not written in the heart as the Word of the Gospel is The Law cannot work savingly upon the heart of a man to bring salvation those that are meerly Legal they can hear the duties that are required but the 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 wel as in your ears God speaks in it and it comes into your hearts and there it works efficaciously which the Law cannot The Law is but a dead Letter in comparison of the Word of the Gospel If you come meerly to hear the Law preached add not in an Evangelical way you may hear it a hundred times and it wil never be written in your hearts but when you come to hear the Gospel in an Evangelical way that will come to be written in your hearts so that the Word of the Gospel is nigh you But what is the meaning of the other Say not who shall ascend up into Heaven c The meaning is this As if the Apostle should say The truth is while you have no other but the righteousness of the Law you are at an infinite uncertainty about your eternal estates The Law saith Do and live but you can never know when you have done enough so as to be certain that you are well for eternity That saith Who shal ascend into Heaven to know the mind of God concerning me whether he will accept of me and of that obedience and worship that I tender up to him Who shall go down into the deep Who shall go down to Hell to know there whether that place be prepared for him or no It is a phrase that only expresseth an uncertainty that one cannot be satisfied about his eternal estate 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 cannot 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 now my Ship prospered then I could be at a certainty then I should hear whether I were a rich man yea or no but except I could do such a thing I am at an uncertainty Such is the expression here As if a poor soul should say I would fain be saved and loth to perish eternally But all the while the soul remains under the Law it remains in an uncertain condition but now saith he The Word of the Gospel is nigh thee even in thine heart and that is the Word that we preach that saith Rom. 10. 9. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt beleeve in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved As if he should say This Word of the Gospel that is come into thine heart doth assure thy soul of thy eternal 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 News 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 will assure us of our salvation to all eternity and of Gods eternal purpose to do thee good in Heaven You would account it a great happiness if there could be any art to send abroad to the Straits or to other place to know how things fare with you but now if thou hast the Word of the Gospel within thee if that prevails in thy soul thou hast alwaies got something in thy heart that will tell thee how things are with thee in Heaven and what shall become of thee for all eternity Oh who would not sanctifie the Name of God in hearing of His Word seeing it is such a blessed Word wherein the Gospel is opened with more clearness than it hath been to many of our fore-fathers 2. It is a certain evidence of your election in Thess 1. 3. 4 5. Remembring without ceasing your work of Faith and labor 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 than if you did bear Jesus Christ in your wombs You that are women would not you have accounted it a great happines if Christ had been born in your wombs Now if thou comest to the hearing of the word and sanctifiest Gods Name in it thou art in a better condition and hast a greater blessing upon thee than if thou hadest born Jesus Christ in thy womb In Luk 11. 27 28. And it came to pass as he spake these things that a certain woman of the company lift up her voice and said unto him Blessed is the womb that bear thee and the paps which thou hast sucked Seeing Christ and what gracious things came from him she spake so But he said Yea rather blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it That is Labor to sanctifie my Name as hath been opened in the particulars rather is that woman blessed that doth so than the woman that bear Christ Me thinks this one Scripture should be such a Scripture for women to cause them to sanctifie Gods Name in hearing of the word instead of a hundred Scriptures certainly thou maiest be so blessed if thou wilt beleeve the word that comes from Christs mouth 3. Do you sanctifie the Name of God in the Word that will sanctifie you by that your souls come to be sanctified and it will comfort you in the day of your affliction and it will save you at last 4 You that do sanctifie Gods Name in
Gospel-Worship OR The Right Manner of Sanctifying the Name of GOD in General And particularly in these Three great Ordinances Viz. 1. Hearing of the WORD 2. Receiving the Lords SVPPER 3. PRAYER By JEREMIAH BURROUGHS Being the Second of the Seven Volumns lately published by Thomas Goodwin William Bridge William Greenhil John Yates Sydrach Sympson Philip Nye William Adderly COLE 1216. London Printed by Peter Cole in Leaden-Hall and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Printing-Press in Cornhil near the Royal Exchange 1653. TO the READER OVR purpose in this Preface is not to speak either of the eminent Worth of the Author whose memory is blessed in the hearts of all the godly in this Nation or of this Piece it self here published but only to assure thee That it is his And although it riseth not up to that exactness and perfection as might have been in them had he publish'd them himself yet with that different allowance which is to be given Notes taken from his mouth in ordinary and frequent Preaching We doubt not but that in their use and benefit they may be as profitable to the Saints as other of his Writings being as full of weighty and Divine Materials having also the impress of the Spirit and language of this holy Man one of the greatest Preachers of this Age stampt all along upon them We to whom this our Brother was most dear and precious being entrusted with the publishing of his Sermons have thought good first to usher abroad these few which if they receive that welcom they deserve many other excellent Pieces of his may soon after have encouragement to appear in publick view The Points treated of in these are of great concernment and therefore we conceive the Author though in handling of them he had room enough for the discussing many of the controversies of the times yet he purposely waved it and bent himself to the single delivery of that which tended most to edification and best suted with such a popular Auditory as that was to whom he spake The Lord of Heaven bless them to thy spiritual advantage and enable thee by such means as these to sanctifie his Name in the use of all his Ordinances which is the desire of Thomas Goodwyn William Greenhil Sydrach Sympson Philip Nye William Bridge John Yates William Adderly The CONTENTS of the several ensuing Sermons SERMON I. THe occasion of the words 1 The words opened 5 Observ 1 There must be nothing in Gods Worship but what he hath commanded 8 Obs 2. God stands upon little things in matters of his worship 11 Obs 3. No priviledg can secure from Gods stroke 12 Obs 4. The more dignity the more danger ibid Obs 5. The beginnings of great matters meet with difficulties 13 Obs 6. Those that enter into publick places have need of the fear of God ib. Obs 7. We should pick out Gods meaning from dark expressions in his word 14 Obs 8. Sinners may meet with judgments never threatned in the Word 16 Obs 9. God is very quick with some in the way of judgment 17 Obs 10. The holiness of a duty will not bear a man out in his miscarriage in it ib. Obs 11. The Lord is terrible out of his holy places 18 Obs 12. Gods judgments are oft sutable to mens sins ib. Obs 13. We should take heed of bringing strange fire to Gods service 19 SERMON II. Obs 14. Gods saints many times meet with afflictions in their children 20 Obs 15. Gods judgments come many times in an invisible way 21 Obs 16. Gods glory more precious to him than mens lives 22 Obs 17. The nearer any are to God the more careful they should be to glorifie him ib. Obs 18. When judgments are exemplary we should look to the word how God makes it good 23 Obs 19. The great honor of Gods Name in the making it holy ib. Obs 20. True friendship to comfort friends in distress from the Word 24 Obs 21. The way to quiet the heart in affliction is to think God wil have honor by it 25 Doct. 1. In worshiping God we draw nigh to him 26 In what respect we are said to draw nigh God in worship 27 Use 1. To take heed what we do when we worship God 30 Use 2. Why guilty consciences fly from the worship of God 31 Use 3. Why Hypocrites meet with such severe judgments 32 Use 4. To neglect Gods Worship is to depart from him 33 Use 5. Exhortation to be much in Gods worship 34 SERMON III. Use 6. The honor of Gods Servants to draw nigh him 39 Doct. 2. We must sanctifie Gods Name in drawing nigh to him 42 First In preparation to his worship ib. 1 Because he is a great God 43 2 The duties of Gods worship are great 44 3 Our hearts are naturally unprepared 46 4 The hindrances of Gods worship are many ibid 5 The Heathens prepared to worship ship their Idols ibid 6 Preparation shews sincerity of heart 47 Five things wherein preparation consists 48 1 A right apprehension of God 49 2 Taking the heart from sinful waies ibid 3 Taking off the heart from the world ibid 4 In watching and prayer 50 5 In acting the faculties and graces 51 Four things of the excellency of Preparation 52 1 It will make duties easie ib. 2 We shal do much in a little time ib. 3 The Lord will pass by weakness in duties 53 4 It will make the heart alway ready for duty 54 SERMON IV. Cases of Conscience 1 Whether we be alway bound to set some time apart for preparation to duties 55 2 Whether being not prepared the duty may be omitted 57 Answered in 4. particulars 1 The omission of duty will not fit the soul for duty 58 2 It is but a temptation to keep from duty 59 3 If the duty be done in sincerity though there be not due preparation it is better than to omit it ib. 4 While people struggle with their corruptions and seek not God they fall into snares 61 In what manner duties are to be performed that Gods Name may be sanctified ibid 1 We must perform them so that we may glorifie God as a God 62 Which is done 1 When we offer all we have 63 2 When we grieve that we can do no more 64 3 There is an impression of Gods infinitness on the duties of his Saints ibid 2 When the soul follows after God as a God 66 3 When the soul comes expecting the choicest mercies of God ib. How the heart must behave it self to sanctifie Gods Name in respect of his greatness and glory ibid 1 It must be a sanctified heart 67 1 Because the Lord accepts the person before he accepts the action 69 2 God looks more at the principle of the duty than at the duty ib. 3 According as the heart is so will the duty be 70 SERMON V. 2 In sanctifying Gods Name in Worship we must have high thoughts of God 71 3 We must have
presented the greatest mysteries of salvation ibid 2 It is an Ordinance that Christ hath lest out of his love ibid 3 It is the Sacrament of our communion with Christ 229 4 The Covenant of grace is sealed in it ibid 2 No duty is urged with more strength and severity ib. 3 Nothing strikes more upon mens consciences 230 How many are to Sanctifie Gods Name in the Sacrament 231 1 Those that receive it must be holy 232 1 Because it is the seal of the Covenant ibid 2 It is an Ordinance of spiritual nourishment 233 3 Because we are required to examine our selves ib. 4 It is a Sacrament of communion with God and the Saints 234 2 It must be received in an holy communion ibid Wicked men not to be admitted to this communion 235 SERMON XII Addition to the former concerning holy communion 242 The qualifications in the soul to fit it for receiving the Lords Supper 244 1 Knowledg ibid 2 A broken heart 246 3 Actual purging the heart from sin 249 4 Hungring and thirsting after Jesus Christ 251 5 Exercise of Faith 252 6 Exercise of spiritual Joy 255 7 Thankfulness ibid 8 Renewing of Covenant 257 9 Renewing of love towards God and our brethren 258 SERMON XIII We must keep to the institution in the Sacrament 261 1 For the gesture 262 2 Delivering it to all in general and not into every particular mans hand 264 3 That the Communicants be all the while exercised in their thoughts about the death of Christ 265 Meditations in receiving the Sacrament 267 1 That the way of mans salvation it is through a Mediator ibid 2 This Mediator between God and Man is true Man ibid 3 That his Body was broken and his blood shed for us 268 4 It was the Body and blood of that person that is God that reconciles us ibid 5 To consider the dreadfulness of Gods justice ibid 6 The price of saving a soul 269 7 The greatness of the evil of sin ibid 8 The infinit love of God to mankind ibid 9 That Beleevers shall be nourished to eternal life ib. 10 To meditate upon the Covenant of grace to Beleevers 270 Holy dispositions to be actuated in receiving the Sacrament 271 Of Sanctifying the Name of God in Prayer 272 What preparation we are to make to prayer 274 1 Concerning the Matter of Prayer 276 2 Concerning the Manner of Prayer 280 Concerning wandring thoughts in Prayer 282 SERMON XIV A further enlargement concerning wandring thoughts in in Prayer 283 Five Rules to help against wandring thoughts 286 1 Set an high price upon the duties of prayer ibid 2 To reuew resolutions against wandring thoughts 287 3 To set the presence of God before us 288 4 To account all wandring thoughts evil ibid 5 To bless God if at any time he did help us against them 289 3 For sanctifying Gods Name in prayer there must be the breathings of the spirit 289 4 There must be pure hearts and hands 292 5 We must call upon God in truth ibid 6 We must pray in faith 293 7 In the spirit of adoption 294 8 We must pray with constancy 295 9 We must pray in humility ib. 10 We must tender up all our prayers in the Name of Christ 296 Conclusion of all 297 Books printed by Peter Cole at the Printing-Press in Cornhil London Seven Books of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs lately published As also the Texts of Scripture up in which they are grounded 1 The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment Phil. 4 11. Wherein is shewed 1 What Contentment is 2 It is an holy Art and Mystery 3 The Excellencies of it 4 The Evil of the contrary sin of Murmuring and the Aggravations of it 2 Gospel-Worship on Levit. 10. 3. Wherein is shewed 1 The right manner of the Worship of God in general and particularly In Hearing the Word Receiving the Lords Supper and Prayer 3 Gospel-Conversation on Phil. 1. 17. Wherein is shewed 1 That the Conversations of Beleevers must be above what could be by the light of Nature 2 Beyond those that lived under the Law 3 And sutable to what Truths the Gospel holds forth To which is added The Misery of those men that have their Portion in this Life only on Psal 17. 14. 4 A Treatise of Earthly-mindedness Wherein is shewed 1 What Earthly-mindedness is 2 The great Evil therof on Phil. 3. part of the 19. vers Also to the same Book is Joyned A Treatise of Heavenly-mindedness and walking with God on Gen. 5. 24. and on Phil. 3. 20. 5 An Exposition on the fourth fifth sixth and seventh Chapters of the Prophesie of Hosea 6 An Exposition on the eighth ninth and tenth Chapters of Hosea 7 An Exposition on the eleventh twelfth and thirteenth Chapters of Hosea being now compleat Twelve several Books of Mr. William Bridg Collected into one Volumn Viz. 1 The great Gospel Mystery of the Saints Comfort and Holiness opened and applied from Christs Priestly Office 2 Satans Power to Tempt and Christs Love to and Care of His People under Temptation 3 Thankfulness required in every Condition 4 Grace for Grace or the Overflowings of Christs Fulness received by all Saints 5 The Spiritual Actings of Faith through Natural Impossibilities 6 Evangelical Repentance 7 The Spiritual-Life and In-being of Christ in all Beleevers 8 The Woman of Canaan 9 The Saints Hiding-Place in time of Gods Anger 10 Christs Coming is at our Midnight 11 A Vindication of Gospel Ordinances 12 Grace and Love beyond Gifts Six Sermons Preached by Dr. Hill Viz. 1 The Beauty and Sweetness of an Olive Branch of Peace and Brotherly Accommodation budding 2 Truth and Love happily married in the Saints and in the Churches of Christ 3 The Spring of Strengthning Grace in the Rock of Ages Christ Jesus 4 The Strength of the Saints to make Jesus Christ their Strength 5 The Best and Worst of Paul 6 Gods Eternal Preparations for his dying Saints A Godly and Fruitful Exposition on the first Epistle of Peter By Mr. John Rogers Minister of the Word of God at Dedham in Essex A Platform of Church-Discipline Gathered out of the Word of God and agreed upon by the Elders and Messengers of Churches assembled in the Synod at Cambridg in New-England Tears of Repentance Or a further Narrative of the Progress of the Gospel amongst the Indians in New-England Setting forth not only their present state and condition but sundry Confessions of sin by diverse of the said Indians wrought upon by the saving Power of the Gospel Together with the manifestation of their faith and hope in Jesus Christ and the Work of Grace upon their hearts The Wonders of the Load-stone by Mr. Samuel Ward of Ipswich An Exposition on the Gospel of the Evangelist St. Matthew by Mr. Ward Clows Chyrurgery Marks of Salvation Christians Engagement for the Gospel by John Goodwyn Six several Books by Nich. Culpeper Gent. Student in Physick and Astrology 1 The Anatomy of the Body of Man Wherein is
any miscarriage for do not think that because your duties are very good and holy that by doing thereof you may venture upon mixture take heed of mixing any evil any miscarriage in any holy thing though you have performed a thousand holy duties yet it will not bear you out in the miscarriage of them The Eleventh Note is this That the Lord is very terrible out of his holy places The Note is the same that you have in Psal 68. 35. The Lord is terrible out of his holy places When we have to deal with God who can stand before this holy God our God is a consuming fire The Lord manifests himself here most dreadfully to strike with Fire these two Priests as in Ezek. 9. 6. Begin at my Sanctuary saith God God is terrible terrible towards those that shall dare to approach unto him and yet are wicked and ungodly in their approaching he is terrible to those that are neer unto him God would have us all to tremble at his presence In the Twelfth place Gods Judgments are often very sutable to mens sins Here they sinned by fire and they are consumed by fire They offended by strange fire and God strikes them by a strange fire The Judgments of God are very sutable to the sins of men oftentimes As here by fire so another time we find it by water Pharaoh he sins by drowning the Infants of the people of Israel in the waters and God drowns him in the Sea If you will be drowning by water you shall have water enough saith God And so here if you will be medling with strange Fire you shall have strange Fire saith God God doth many times proportion Judgments to sinners that his righteousness might the more appear those very creatures in which we sin many times God makes them or others of the same kind to be the Executioners of his Wrath. So it was with the Jews they would sell Christ for 30. pieces of silver and they were sold 30. of them for a penny afterwards And so the story of Adoni-bezek in the first of Judges that was so cruel in such a way to cut off Thumbs and Toes of Kings even so he was served in the like kind and it 's ordinary for men that are of cruel fiery spirits to meet with cruel fiery spirits likewise And I would apply it in this particular You that are stout Children to your Parents if God lets you live you many times meet with the very same in your Children and when you that are Parents meet with stubborn Children you should reflect Doth not God come righteously upon me And so you that are Servants you are stout to your Masters and afterwards when you come to have Servants they will be so to you and perhaps you were unfaithful to your Governors afterwards when you come to have servants it 's a thousand to one but they will be so to you Now you should strike your hand upon your heart and say It 's just with God that it should be so and that He should come upon me in my own kind Another Note is this They offered strange fire Let 's take heed all of us how we bring strange fire into Gods Service Bring strange fire into Gods Service What 's that I find diverse Writers speaking upon this saith Ambrose Lusts and Covetousness are this strange Fire That which I would have you consider of is this Above all strange fire take heed of the strange Fire of passion and anger and especially in the Worship of God and at any time when you find your hearts heated and fired with Anger when you are about to worship God remember this Scripture Nadab and Abihu were consumed by God with fire from God for coming into Gods presence with strange fire Now O Lord how often have we come into thy presence with strange Fire Perhaps your hearts have been burning hot with passion when you have been coming into Gods presence You are to pray with fervency for so the Scripture saith we are indeed to be heat in prayer by the holy Ghost in our hearts but certainly not to come with the fire of passion and anger Lift up your hands without wrath and doubting If you have been passionate and your hearts have been heat that way be sure you get your hearts cold before you go to Prayer And so when you come to hear the Word if your hearts have been heat with passion be sure you get them cold before you come to hear the Word Receive with meekness the ingrafted Word that may save your souls And so when you come to the Lords Supper Take heed of coming with wrath and malice for then you come but to offer strange Fire It is a special Consideration for Ministers that come to preach they should take heed of bringing strange fire into ther Pulpits that is of venting their own passions That hath been ever a rule that I have been convinced of since I knew any thing of Preaching That that man that is appointed to reveal Gods wrath had need to conceal his own wrath that 's certainly a rule for all Preachers for the Lord sends his Preachers to make known his wrath against mens sins but now the more they make known his wrath the more they should conceal their own and so by that means when they come in the openest way to manifest Gods wrath the more their preaching would be accepted Now it 's true a carnal heart would be ready to think That when a Preacher speaks out of true zeal to God he will be ready to say That he hath aiming at himself Take heed of that I beleeve you have had but little occasion of such a temptation in this place but however this I know it is the duty of the Ministers of God to be sure to bring nothing but the Fire of the Spirit of God the Fire that they have from the Alter their tongues being touch'd with one of these Coals and not that they should come with their own passions to further the Righteousness of God no The wrath of man doth not accomplish the Righteousness of God There are some other particulars which being laid down we shall come to the Three main Points SERMON II. Leviticus 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE began these words the last day and shewed the scope of them and opened the meaning of them and spake of divers Notes of Observation that we gathered from this story of Nadab and Abihu and of Gods dealing with them From the general story of it there were many Points of notable Observation that were drawn from thence I 'le ad some few now and so come to the main Doctrinal Point in the Text. A further Note of Observation is this That many times even the dear Saints of God do meet with very sore and grevous offlictions in their Children That the most eminent Saints of God are not freed from very grievous afflictions even
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 94. 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 Aplication 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 perform any act of Worship Truly this one thing would be of marveilons 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 gravel 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 worshiping 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 Sacrament I am now going to tender up that homage that is due from a creature to the infinit 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 afterword only now remember this That you do profess 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 sutable 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 than through any creature in the world The duties of his Worship are the chief channels 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 Beams 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 labor to enjoy Communion with God when I see the Creatures the Sun Moon and Stars to labor 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 bless God and to acknowledg God in all but when I come to worship God then all the strength of my soul is to be acted upon God in a more special manner I must then above all labor 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 and 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 than come to holy Duties as to Prayer and especially to secret Prayer A man or woman that hath an enlightned 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 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 and be merry eat drink sport or any thing rather than 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 guiltiness upon him Oh! the evil that the guilt of sin brings upon the soul it makes the presence of God terrible The presence of God it should be more comfortable to us than our lives but our sin makes Gods presence grievous and terrible A Child sometimes when it hath offended the Father and is conscious to its self of the offence that it hath given the Father it had rather be in the Kitchin among the Servants than to come into the Hall or Parlor where the Father is because it hath offended him And so it is with a guilty conscience when it is conscious to its self of some haunt of evil that it hath given it self unto it hath no mind at all of coming into the presence of the Father but hangs off My Brethren the very presence of God in the Communion of his Saints is terrible to a guilty conscience the very looking upon a godly man is terrible to a guilty conscience When as thou hast been abroad and been loose and wicked in thy waies I appeal to thy conscience when thou comest into the presence of some holy gracious man or woman that lives close with God Doth it
thy great Honor thou hast not that Honor and respect in the world as others have but thou art one of Gods separate Ones that thou art neer to Him A third Scripture is in Psal 33. 28. There you may see how the Prophet David did highly esteem of that great Honor that the Lord did put upon him in this in being neer to God But it is good for me to draw neer to God Mark how he speaks But it is good for me Why For loe they that are far from thee shall perish thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee As if he should say There are some that did seem to be neer unto thee heretofore that were as the Wife to the Husband but they are gone a whoring from thee base Hypocrites base Apostates they are gone a whoring from thee their hearts being carnal they did not find that Contentment and satisfaction in thy Worship as thy Saints do and therefore they are gone a whoring from thee but it is good for me to draw neer to thee It is an excellent Scripture Do you see any yong ones or others that were very forward not many yeers ago and would speak of good things and seem to rejoyce in the Word but now they are gone a whoring they are departed from God and His Waies and the pleasures of the flesh hath taken their hearts Thou wilt destroy them saith David that go a whoring from thee So thou shouldest think with thy self Oh miserable is the condition of those who once were forward in the profession of Religion and now are gone a whoring from God But it is good for me to draw neer to God they are gone from thee and thou wilt destroy them but it is good for me to draw neer to thee I bless my self in drawing neer to thee the Lord and bless the time that ever I did draw neer to thee and that ever I knew those waies wherein my soul hath drawn neer to God Such as worship God aright and do delight in the Worship of God they are such as have a great honor put upon them they do draw nigh to God And thus we have finished the first Point The second Point is that will hold us some time and that is The Sanctifying Gods Name in our drawing neer to God When we worship God we draw nigh to Him but let us take heed how we draw nigh Heb. 10. 12. Let us draw neer with a true heart Look to thy feet when thou comest into the house of God Eccles 5. 1. Now for the Sanctifying of Gods Name in drawing nigh to Him we shall endeavor to open it 1. In shewing you wherein the Sanctification of Gods Name consists or what we should do that we might sanctifie the Name of God in drawing nigh to Him 2. The Reason why God will have his Name to be Sanctified in those that do draw nigh to Him How we should sanctifie the Name of God in drawing nigh to Him it is under these two Heads First There must be a dew preparation unto the Worship of God that we exercise our selves in at any time Secondly A right behavior of our souls in it in these two things consists the Sanctifying of Gods Name in His Worship Now under these Two Heads all that I shall speak about the opening of the Sanctifying of Gods Name will be contain'd At this time I shall only speak to the First The due preparation of the Soul unto the Duties of Gods Worship Therein consists a special part of the Sanctifying of Gods Name in drawing nigh to him And that it is so we find it in Scripture That preparation for Worship it is called the Sanctifying of our selves and by finding this in Scripture it hinted me upon this Head to speak of the preparation unto worship in our sanctifying Gods Name because I find in Scripture that the sanctifying of our selves for Worship and the preparation of our selves for Worship are al one I 'le give you these two texts In 1 Sam. 16. 5. you shall find there that Samuel when he was sent by God to anoint David in Bethlem the text saith I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord sanctifie your selves and come with me to the sacrifice Do you come peaceably say they Yes what then Sanctifie your selves and come with me to the Sacrifice That 's all one as if he should have said Prepare your selves and come with me to the Sacrifice and so in Job 1. 5. there you shall find that the holy man Job when his sons had been feasting he was somewhat afraid lest there should be some miscarriage and that they had sinned against God in their feasting as it is very hard to give liberty to please the flesh and not to sin not to transgress bounds therefore Job though he did not hear of any notorious abuse of their feasting yet he was afraid lest they should sin he knew how dangerous it was to have so much satisfaction to the flesh and not to transgress bounds therefore it is said he sent to his sons and sanctified them It was so saith the text when the daies of the feasting were gone about that Job sent and sanctified them that Job sent unto them to prepare them to offer sacrifice to prepare them for the Worship of God So that the Scripture holds forth this then that to prepare for Worship it is to sanctifie for worship and so it is one special thing that is required in our sanctifying of God in our drawing nigh to God to make a due preparation for his holy Worship Now for the orderly handling of things First I shal shew you That we must prepare for the Worship of God Secondly I shall shew you Wherein this preparation for the Worship of God doth consist Thirdly The excellency that there is in this or what great good there is in preparation for Gods Worship Fourthly I shall Answer a case of Conscience or two Fifthly I will shew you What is the behavior of the soul in Sanctifying Gods Name Sixthly The Reasons why God will be sanctified in the duties of his Worship First That there must be preparation to the Worship of God For first That God that we come to worship is a great and glorious God and we having to deal with such an infinite glorious dreadful Majesty it is fit that we should make preparation when we come nigh unto him therefore in Exod. 19. 10. when God came among the people to give them his Law he did require that they should be sanctified to day and to morrow and that they should wash their cloaths and be ready against the third day for the third day the Lord would come down upon mount Sinai in the sight of the people God did not so much stand upon their cloaths but it was to signifie an inward washing Now my breathren if when God came to give the Law they were so to prepare then certainly when we are come to worship
the heart prepared in things that are good vers 13. If thou prepare thine heart c. and then vers 15. Then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot yea thou shalt be stedfast and shalt not fear When the heart is prepared for that that is good when it comes into the presence of God it is able to lift up it self without fear in a stedfast comfortable way and this will quit the cost of any labor Secondly If the heart be prepared it will do a great deal in a little time In a Chron. 29. 36. it is said That Hezekiah rejoyced and all the poeple that God had prepared the people for the thing was done suddenly The thing came off freely and suddenly when as that they were prepared Hezekiah rejoyced and blessed God for such a mercy as this was It is a great mercy to have the hearts of people prepared unto a good work And so in 2 Chron. 27. 6. the text saith Jotham became mighty because he prepared his waies before the Lord his God Jotham he grew mighty by this And so certainly the way to grow to be very strong mighty to be able to do a great deal in a little time it is to make preration there may be as much work done in one hour so as in ten times so much time when the heart is not prepared for it In Ezra 7. 10. you shall find that the reason is given why Ezra had such good success in his journey it was because he had prepared his heart Make preparation for holy duties and you shall have success in holy duties There is a notable Scripture for that in Psal 10. 17. where the holy Ghost saith that God prepares the heart And what then when God doth prepare the heart he doth then cause his ear to hear There was never a prayer made wherein the heart was prepared for it but that prayer was heard they go both together Lord thou wilt prepare their heart and thou wilt cause thine ear to hear if God hath once prepared thy heart thou wilt be sure to be heard then Is it not worth a world for to know ones self to be accepted of God in every duty of Worship that we tender up to him this one Scripture Psal 10. 17. will shew it Oh the excellency that there is in preparation to duty There is one thing more that is very observable and that is this Where the heart is prepared to Duties there the Lord will pass by weaknesses and imperfections in duties When thou comest to perform holy duties thou art troubled Will the Lord have regard to such a duty as this is Thou maiest have certain assurance that the Lord will have regard if thou canst make this point good to thine own soul that it was thy care to make preparation for this duty Canst thou say Lord I have endeavored and done what I could to fit my heart for duty but O Lord I find when I am at it wonderful distractions much deadness and vanity What shall I do Why canst thou make good the former and appeal to God that indeed it was thy care to make preparation I 'le give thee one Scripture then for the quieting of thy heart in this That the weakness of the duty shall be pardoned and past by where there is care to prepare beforehand the Scripture is in 2 Chron. 33. 18 19. But Hezekiah prayed for them saying The good Lord pardon every one what every one every one that prepareth his heart to seek the Lord God of his fathers though he be not clensed according to the purification of the Sanctuary As if he should say Oh Lord there are many things amiss in this People they are not in many regards purified according to the order that thou hast set but Lord if thou doest but see any heart prepared to seek thee though they fail in such particulars Lord heal them and pardon them and did God hearken to his prayer Mark the following words And the Lord hearkned to Hezekiah and healed the people Nay saith God I wil not stand so much upon the purification of the Sanctuary if they have prepared their hearts to seek me Take this Scripture know it 's written for thine instruction and thou mayest make use of it to thine own soul this day if thou canst appeal to God that thou art careful to prepare thy heart though thou shouldest not have that pureness of thy heart as thou doest desire the Lord will pardon thee and heal thee make conscience of preparation to holy duties Again further By being careful to make preparation for duties within some little time thou wilt bring the heart to such a frame as it will alwaies be ready for duty without much ado Indeed at first it is somewhat hard You will say Are we bound to spend some time every time we go to prayer beforehand or every time we come to the Word That should have been one of the Cases of Conscience but I cannot come to Answer that but this we may say Be careful to prepare for duties you that are yong beginners or you that have made profession a longer time but yet have not had the weight of this duty upon your spirits now be careful for a while to prepare for every duty of Gods Worship that God calls you to and I say within a little time thou mayest bring thy heart into such a temper as thou mayest be ready at all times to perform holy duties because you shall be able to come to that temper and frame that the Apostle exhorts to Pray continually for indeed so it should be with us we should be alwaies prepared either for Prayer hearing the Word or receiving Sacraments Now because Sacraments are so rare those that have any enlightened conscience they think they dare not but prepare for Sacraments but you should be alwaies in a preparation for the receiving of the Sacraments as the primitive Christians did And those that have been acquainted with this Point that I am upon of preparing for duties they have come to such a frame of spirit as that there is not so much time required of them as of others for they are in a constant fitness so that there is no instant of time in the whol day but if God calls them to prayer they could presently fall down upon their knees and pray so as to Sanctify Gods Name in prayer that were an excellent temper indeed if you could find it so that you walk so spiritually and holily before God as there could be never a quarter of an hour from morning to night nor from the beginning of the week to the end but if you were cal'd to pray or to receive the Sacrament you had your heart fitted that you could come into Gods presence with a prepared heart and were able to sanctify Gods Name in the duty Acquaint your selves with this work of Preparation and so you may have hearts fitted to come into
ever any creature in the world had God accepts of that and that you must look unto Can you say so when you go to worship God Lord it is true there is much weaknes in my spirit but thou that knowest all things knowest That thou hast more of my heart than ever any creature in the world had This is sutable to God God will account this in the Covenant of Grace to be a present sutable to Himself As in the Law when they offered to the building of the Temple every one could not offer gold and silver and precious stones but some came and offered Badgers-skins and some women did spin and offered Goate-hair to the building of the Temple and so God accepted of that being the most they could do 2. In the second place When we do not only offer unto God the most we can but when we ad to this the grief of our souls that we can do no more when the soul shall strive to the uttermost it can and when it hath done all saith I am an unprofitable servant Oh that I could do more This is sutable to God 3. Thirdly The People of God though they be weak yet the weakest Servant of God is able to offer up to God somewhat that is sutable to the infinite Majesty of God upon this Third Ground because there is a kind of impression of Gods infinitnes in those services that a gracious heart doth tender unto God and therefore sutable unto God You will say God is an Infinite Glorious God Be it so He is Infinit that 's certain but the duty of Worship that a grations heart tenders unto God it hath an impression of Gods infinitness upon it How is that If that can be made out then indeed we may be encouraged to worship God Thus That that a gracious heart tenders up to God hath an impression of His infinitness in this regard because as God hath no limits of His Being so a gracious heart when it comes to worship God will not propound any limits or bounds but in the desires of it would fain be enlarged infinitly if it could If it were possible for a creature to been larged to God infinitly it would be Here lies I conceive the main difference between the most glorious Hypocrite in the world and one that hath true Grace yea that hath but the least degree of grace The most glorious Hypocrite in the world who it may be for the outward act doth more than one that hath true grace yet such a one doth limit himself he doth great things but he doth it so as he limits himself that is so much as may serve for such and such ends of his so much as may serve his turn either to satisfie his Conscience or to get credit and esteem to be accounted eminent in such a way so much he doth do but his duty is alwaies limited within such bounds and if he could conceive that he might go to Heaven and that he might have as much Credit and Honor and as much peace of Conscience with doing less he would do less But now one that hath grace though but little though but the least dram of grace he goes farther Indeed saith he Though through the little grace that I have I cannot do what another can do yet this doth so enlarge my heart that I would have no bounds set in what I do for God but I would have it enlarged to the uttermost latitude if it were possible beyond whatever yet was done for God in the world and the more I do the more I do desire to do That 's now a kind of infinitness that there is in the heart where grace comes I say grace enlarges the heart to a kind of infinitness that the more it doth the more it would do there is no Hypocrite but will have his periods he will rise thus and thus and thus high ordinarily you shall find that if he lives in some company there he is high but if he lives in other company there he is lower Now there is nothing doth limit a gracious heart but to all Eternity it would work and work more and more for God Here now is a Worship that is some way sutable to the infinite Excellency that there is in God Here 's a kind of proportion as I may so speak even between the Creature and God himself in this thing but it is the grace of God in the Creature here is the Image of God indeed because grace doth so enlarge the heart even to an infinitness as it were for God And thus you see in the general what it is to sanctifie Gods Name to tender up to God that which is some way sutable to the glory of the infinite God 2. You know there was a Second thing viz. That then I do sanctifie Gods Name when I come so to Worship God as my heart works and follows after God as a God so as it doth beseem the soul of a Creature to follow the infinite Creator and to work after the inâ—â—nit Creator So David in Psal 63. 5. My soul followeth hard after thee O God and mark it 's a very sweet Scripture thy right hand upholdeth me Those whose hearts follow hard after the Lord they have the right hand of God upholding of them It 's a mighty encouragement to put forth the heart to the uttermost because when 〈…〉 â—o the right hand of God upholds thee so that thy heart must follow after God more than it followed after any creature 3. When I come to draw nigh to God I come to present my self for the CoÌ„munication of the choicest of His Mercies so then I sanctifie Gods Name when I labor to prepare and open my heart for God as for the choicest Mercies that God 〈◊〉 to bestow upon His Creature When there is such a temper of heart that my conscience tels me it is sutable to that that is fit for a soul to have that expects to receive the choicest mercie 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 Gods Name First In what particulars the behavior of the heart may be discovered to be sutable to God in respect of Gods greatness and glory Secondly What the behavior of the heart should be as sutable to the several Attributes of God It will cost us some time to open the particular things in the behavior of the heart as in reference to the greatness and Majestie of God considered more generally as in Psalm 48. 1. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised And so in Mal. 1. 14. Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing why for I am a great King saith the Lord and therefore cursed is he that doth not offer a sacrifice sutable to my greatness And in 2 Chron. 2. 5. we find
the Word and I hope I shall cover some wickedness this way If there be any in this place whose conscience tells them that they subject the Worship of God to such a base end as this is the Lord rebuke them this day and speak to their hearts If I knew any I would set mine eyes upon them and say as the Apostle to Simon Magus I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity and as he said to him that did seek to draw the Deputy from the Faith O thou child of the Devil and full of all subtilty to damn and undo thy self eternally that seekest to cloak any wicked way by any duty of Gods Worship Is it a great evil for a man or woman to make use of any of Gods Creatures to be serviceable to their lusts as meat and drink c What a damnable thing is it then to make use of any duty of Gods Worship sometimes extraordinary Worship as Fasting and Prayer to be a cloak to cover their wickedness Thou art so far from sanctifying Gods Name that thou pollutest Gods Name thou doest what in thee lies for to cast even dirt in the face of God himself that doest so The second base end is to subject the duties of Gods Worship to the praise of men as to perform duties of Gods Worship for the esteem of men and because we shall be well thought of take heed of this you yong ones and others you would fain be esteem'd well of by those that you live withal It is a desirable thing to have a good esteem from those that are godly but take heed that you do not subject the duties of Gods Worship to this Indeed it may be an encouragement to you as David saith Psal 52. 9. This is good before thy Saints David did encourage â—â—â—self to praise God because it was good before Gods Saints and I confess it may be an encouragement because holy duties are good before Gods Saints but take heed that this be not thy highest end that thou aimest at and that which carries thee on in the work meerly to get the praise of men and that they shall think that thou hast good gifts and parts and therfore thou art inlarged in that regard take heed of that know that now thou doest not worship God but thou worshipest men thou dost make the praise of men to be thy God For whatsoever thou doest lift up in the highest place that 's thy God whatsoever it be therefore if thou liftest up the praise of men and makest that they end thou makest that thy God and so thou art a worshiper of men but not a worshiper of God Thirdly Take heed of making Self thy end there are some that are not so base and low in their hearts as to make the praise of men their end but they aim and look at themselves that is they aim at their own peace and satisfying their own consciences in the performance of duties now though it 's true when we perform duties of Gods Worship we may expect to receive some good to our selves and we may be encouraged to the Duties by the expectation of good to our selves yet we must look higher we must look at the honor and praise of God that the Name of the blessed God may be honored Now I am going to Prayer Oh that I may pray so as I may lift up Gods Name I am going to Hear Oh that I may hear so as God may be honored by my hearing 't is this that carries me on to hearing the Word and makes me rise readily and to go forth cheerfully I hope that God may have some honor by my hearing this day and God knows that this is the thing that I aim at I do not come for company nor to be seen of men neither do I come meerly to satisfie mine own Conscience Others go and hear such Truths of God as do good to their Souls and if I should neglect them meerly for mine own ease my Conscience would not let me be quiet howsoever there are many whose Consciences will be quiet enough though they lose an opportunity in the Worship of God but yet there are others whose Consciences cannot do so their Consciences would tell them when they are lying and turning themselves upon their bed How do you know but that God had something to speak to thy heart this morning that may never be spoken to thy heart at any other time therefore they cannot be at quiet except they attend upon God in the duties of his Worship But still this is not enough meerly to satisfie conscience thy main end it must be that thou maiest this day know some part of the mind of God that God may speak to thy heart that so thou maiest be sitted to honor the Name of God that thou maiest be enabled to live to his Honor the week following so much the better As in this manner thy thoughts should be Lord I find a drossie carnal heart I am busie in the world in the week time and I find that my heart is sullied and defiled with the business of the world and entangled but Lord thou hast appointed thy Sabbath and Word to be a means to sanctifie my heart and to clense it Oh Lord communicate thy Grace to my soul through thy Ordinances upon this Day that so I may be enabled the week following the better to live to thy Honor Lord I come into thy presence to that end that I might know some part of thy Will and that I might get thy Spirit to be conveyed through this Word of thine into my heart this should be thy end when ever thou comest and not only self I wil give you two or three Scriptures to shew that God regards little any duties where self is the highest end The first is in Hosea 7. 14. They howled upon their beds saith the text there but they cryed not to me The Lord there did acknowledg that they were very much affected in their prayers but what was it It was but a howling upon their beds And how so It was because only they did cry for themselves They have not cried unto me saith the Lord with their heart when they howled upon their beds It was but meerly for Corn and Wine and Oyl but not unto Me they aim'd at Themselves and not at Me. And in Amos 5. 22. there the Lord professes that he did reject the fat of their Peace offerings Though ye offer me saith he burnt offerings and your meat offerings I wil not accept them neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts They were careful to offer their fattest beasts in their peace-offerings and will not God regard them It was in their peace-offerings that they offered their fat beasts and there they were to eat a great part of it themselves Indeed the burnt offering was wholly offered unto God God had all that but the Peace-offerings
those that did offer it they did eat a great part of it themselves now they were very careful in those offerings that they were to partake of themselves to offer fat beasts you do not see that the holy Ghost takes any notice of fat beasts in their burnt offerings Now the Note from hence is this That in those things where men are interested themselves they will be very careful to have the best things But now the Lord rejected the fat beasts of their Peace-offerings saith God You were very careful to offer fat beasts in your Peace-offerings where you may feed your selves but for those offerings wherein I have all there you are not so careful and therefore I regard them not The third Scripture is in Zach. 7. 7. there they did keep many daies in seeking of God it is an observable Scripture for these times Speak unto all the People of the Land and to the Priests saying When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month even those seventy years Did ye at all fast unto me even unto me Mark the phrase You fasted in the fifth and seventh month and for seventy yeers together but saith the Lord Did you at all fast unto me and then mark how he doubled it To me even unto me Noting that when we fast or pray or do any thing in the Worship of God we should be sure to aim at God more than our selves that God may not say of us another day Do you do it to me even to me You may ask me this Question How may I know that I am acted by self-ends in holy Duties for it is a hard thing for one to know ones own heart when one is acted by principles of self and when we aim at God in holy Duties Now for that I will give you these Notes to try whether you be acted from your selves or no. The First is this If a man loves holy Duties though he finds no present good comes in by them because they are such things as God requires and therefore though I get nothing by them yet this is enough to carry me on and to carry me on readily and willingly in the Worship of God those that can delight in Gods Worship even at that time though they find nothing coming in to themselves But now when we find not that coming in that we do desire we begin to be weary of Worship and say Why have we fasted and thou seest it not This is an Argument that thou art acted by Self rather than by God Secondly To know whether we be acted by self-ends or rather by high ends for God Those men that can rejoyce in others that are able to honor God in holy duties more than themselves they may have a good evidence to their own souls that when they worship God they are acted by higher ends than Self but now such as are straightned themselves and when they see other more enlarged in the Worship of God they rather envy them are griev'd and troubled know that Self is a great ingredient in those duties that thou doest perform if thy heart were raised high to God though thou canst not thy self be enlarged in holy duties yet thy soul would be glad that any others are though I have a wretched and vile heart of my own yet blessed be God that there are any others that can worship God better than I can Thirdly A man that is acted by Self in holy duties he regards holy duties but little save in time of extremity in time of fear or in sickness or in danger But now one that hath high ends in holy duties makes the duties of Gods Worship to be the joy of his soul in the midst of his prosperity and that is an evident sign that thou art not acted by self ends but by higher ends Canst thou in the midst of thy abundance say Lord thou givest me all conveniences in this world and all outward things that I want but Lord this is that which is the joy of my soul this is that which makes my life comfortable even communion with thy self in the duties of thy worship that I have free access unto the Throne of thy Grace to worship Thee the Lord and there meet with thee when I am in the performance of holy duties O Lord thou that knowest all things knowest that this is the thing that makes my life comfortable It is not that I have a Table furnished with variety of dishes and that I can have liberty of time to go into company and spend according as I please but Lord those incomes of thy Spirit that I do find in the duties of thy Worship those are the things that makes my life blessed indeed unto me Such a man is able thus to appeal to God surely when he worships God he is acted by high ends and not by self-ends And that 's the Third thing that is necessary for sanctifying Gods Name in holy Duties thou must have a sanctified heart high thoughts of God and high ends In the fourth place There must be much reverence and much fear when thou comest into the presence of God to worship him thou doest not glorifie God as God except thou doest come into his presence with much fear reverence of his great Name Fear in worshiping of God it is so necessary that many times in Scripture we find that the very Worship of God is called The fear of God they are put both for one I might give you divers Scriptures for it and hence it was that the Name of God was called the Fear of Isaac Jacob did swear by the Fear of his father Isaac because Isaac being a great Worshiper of God kept his constant times to worship God and worshiped him in such a constant way as except David and Daniel we do not find mention of the constancy of any in the worshiping of God as we do of Isaac's 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 terrible so the words are in the Assembly of the Saints When thou comest nigh to God thou hadst need have thy heart possest with much fear So in Psal 2. 11. the Kings and Princes of the earth are called upon to serve the Lord with fear Let them be never so great yet when they come into Gods presence they must serve him with fear And so in Psal 5. 7. In thy fear will I worship toward thy holy Temple Now this fear of God it must not
that you should mind what he saith But when God is speaking to you and you are speaking to God every vain thought that comes by you are turning aside too as if it were a greater thing to talk to vain thoughts and temptations than to the great and glorious God 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 agravate 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 spoiled the duty by it The Lord doth expect that there should be strength of Intention when thou art upon the duty and there is no time to parlie with temptations now whatever 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 which 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 prevail to cause thee to have thy heart running about uncleanness yea but saith the Devil If I can inject good thoughts I will put into their minds some place of Scripture that is no way pertinent to this only to divert them The Devil gets much by this therefore look to it and know that God expects the strength of thy spirit in duty that is Strong intention thou art worshiping of God and therefore thou hadst need be intent about what thou art doing Indeed sometimes before you are aware evil thoughts will come into your minds As when a man is keeping of a door and there is a crowd 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 fourty others will crowd in And so it is many times with the soul that when it opens the door for some good thought a great many evil thoughts will crowd in Those people might come in if they would stay their time but they should not now come in So about worldly businesses that are not in themselves unlawful if they will stay the time they may come in but they must be bard out now at this time There is required strength of Intention 2. Secondly Strength of Affection is required also That is The Affections must work mightily after God striving with God in Prayer If ever thou hadst a heart inflam'd in any thing it should be when thou art praying or attending upon the Word as the Heathens that worshiped the Sun sometimes I have told you that they would not have a Snail but a flying Horse they would offer that that was swift so when we come to the living God we must have living Affections our Affections boyling and that will be the way to cure vain thoughts as the Flies will not come to the Honey if it be boyling hot but when it is cold So if the heart be boyling hot and the affections a working it will keep out vain thoughts and temptations It is a sign of the breath of life when it is warm but artificial breath you know it is cold as now the breath that comes out of the body that is warm but the breath that comes out of a pair of bellows that is cold So the breath of many people in Prayer it is discovered to be but artificial breath because it is so cold but if there were spiritual life then it would be warm Ther must be strength of affection 3. Thirdly There must be likewise the strength of all the Faculties We should stir up whatever we are or have or can do to work in Prayer then the bent of Mind and Conscience and Will and Affection yea and the body should be put to it also and those that worship God to purpose they spend their bodies in nothing so much as in the worshiping 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 didst thou spend any strength of the body about any holy duty What a riddle is this to most people to tell them of spending the strength of their bodies in Prayer or hearing of the Word or Sanctifying a Sabbath they think the Sabbath is a time of rest I confess it is a time of rest from an outward labor but it is a time of spending strength in a spiritual way and those that shall worship God a right 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 than in the waies of sin as most spend their strength If God gives thee a heart to spend thy strength in His Worship thou maiest think thus Lord thou mightest have left me to have spent my strength in sin how much better is it spent in the Worshiping of thy Name There is one notable Scripture in Jer. 8. 2. that shews how much strength the Idolaters put forth in the worshiping of their Idol they would not do it in a slight and vain way but their hearts were much in that false-worship saith the text And they shall spread them before the Sun and the Moon and all the host of Heaven mark now whom they have loved and whom they have served and after whom they have walked and whom they have sought and whom they have worshiped All these are put together in reference to their Idols Oh that it could be said so of us in reference to God when we come to worship him whom we have loved and whom we have served and after whom we have walked and whom we have sought and whom we have worshiped there is all these several expressions to shew the strength of their spirits in following after their Idols And that is the Fift thing in our Sanctifying Gods Name 6. The Sixth is If thou wilt Sanctifie Gods Name in Worship there must be an humble frame of spirit worship him with much humility of soul Abraham did fall upon the ground before the Lord and dust and ashes saith he hath begun to speak unto thee yea we reade of Jesus Christ groveling upon the earth and the Angels they cover their faces in the presence of God and so should we be humble when we come before the Lord there is nothing more abases the
open this Point fully will ask some time First Therefore I will shew you how we may know when our duties are acted by our natural parts rather than by the Spirit of God Secondly How we may know whether our duties be acted by natural Conscience rather than by the Spirit of God 1. First If thou art acted by natural parts they will not change thy heart Men that do perform duties by the strength of natural parts they may be as large as others and speak to the edification of others but those duties do never change their hearts now if thou beest acted by the Spirit of God thou wilt be changed into the very Image of his Spirit 2. Secondly If men are acted by Natural parts they will not carry them through difficulties and discouragements but now the Spirit of God if thou hast acted by him though thou doest meet with never such difficulties and discouragements thou wilt be carried through them all 3. Thou maiest know it by this wherein dost thou account the excellency of a duty to consist either in thy self or others Thou performest a duty now it may be thy parts do act very lively and to thy credit and yet thy conscience tells thee that thy heart was straightened Now canst thou rise up with joy because thou hast thy ends At another time perhaps thy heart is more troubled and broken But thou doest not express thy self so much then thou art discouraged And when thou seest another perform a duty if thou seest but any failing in their expressions thou pitchest upon that and lookest upon it as a poor thing thou art not able to see an excellency in holy duties except there be an excellency of natural parts but those that have the Spirit of God they can find the Spirit of God acting in others though they have not such natural parts 4. Those that are acted by their natural parts in secret they are less enlarged than they are before others a great deal Their parts act much before others But what is there between God and their own souls 5. They that be so acted will not be very constant you shall have yong ones that begin to look towards Religion their parts are a little fresh and they are mightily enlarged in holy duties and the thing is good for them to make use of their parts but how ordinary it is that after a few yeers they are deader and duller than they were before and have less mind to the duties of Gods Worship than they had formerly Were this the Spirit of God you would find as much savour and relish in them afterwards as there was at that time Secondly For natural Consciences which sometimes puts men upon acting of duties and indeed is better than meerly natural parts 1. If it be only natural Conscience it puts upon duties but gives no strength to do them but when the Spirit of God puts thee upon a duty it gives thee some strength to perform it some strength whereby thou gettest some Communion with God 2. If it be natural Conscience it puts upon the duty but makes not the heart glad of the duty and to love the duty but if it be the Spirit of God it makes thee to delight in it and to love it 3. If it be natural Conscience thou doest not by that encrease thy communion with God thou doest thy duties as in a round but now when the Spirit of God puts thee upon holy duties it is not a task done but thou findest more and more encrease in communion with God thy heart more raised to God and more closing with the Lord and so still more and more in the course of thy life I had a little converse with God at first when God began to acquaint my soul with His Waies but through His mercy now I find more communion with Him and so thou 〈◊〉 bless thy self in God in that converse that thou hast in communion with Him thou wouldst not lose that Communion thou hast with God in holy duties for all the world others have their companions that they have their communion withal much good may do them but the Lord hath shewen me another manner of communion which my soul can have with himself in which it hath sweet satisfaction And thus you have had Seven Particulars for the Sanctifying of the Name of God in Holy Duties SERMON VI. Leviticus 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me 4. AGain As Natural Conscience doth give no strength to do the duty so it makes not the duty to be strong to the soul that is thus Thre's no strength got by the duty they are not by one duty prepared for another But the way of the Lord is strength to the upright that is when a gracious heart is in the way of Gods Worship it finds the very duty of the Worship of God to be strength to it and so it fits it for another Duty 5. Further A Natural Conscience limits its self and is bounded that is so much as will serve the turn for its own peace and quiet so much it will do and no more But when one is acted by the Spirit of God one is enlarged without any limits at all not bounded to ones own peace for the more peace a gracious heart hath in duty the more it is enlarged in duty Now a Natural Conscience that puts to duty and will act you when you want peace when you are in trouble and fear but when you are not in trouble and fear then it puts not on the heart to performance of duty but the Spirit of God puts on the Soul to Duty when there is most peace and comfort 6. A little will serve the turn to satisfie natural conscience so be it they perform the duty it is enough but one that is acted by the Spirit of God in duty must meet with much of God or else he is not satisfied he goes mourning in the day time if he hath not met with much of God in the morning in the performance of duty Thus you see there is much difference between the acting of Natural parts and conscience in duty and the acting of the Spirit of God There be only now Two things more for the Sanctifying of Gods Name in Duty and then we are to come to shew how we should sanctifie Gods Name in Duty in reference to the several Attributes of God But First for those Two Heads Further 7. The Seventh thing is this When you come to perform holy duties if you would sanctifie Gods Name you must consecrate your selves to God there must be a resignation of Soul and Body Estate Liberty Name and all you are have or can do unto God This is to sanctifie Gods Name the consecration of your selves unto God And the professing of this is the performance of duty when you are to pray were a very good thing actually to profess your selves to be Gods to profess that you do
to have to deal with God look upon him as a God of infinite Wisdom and I say be thou ashamed of thy folly then and do thou exercise the grace of wisdom too when thou comest to God that is by propounding right ends of which we spake before That is one part of wisdom to have right ends and right means towards those ends so that the meditation of the wisdom of God when we come to worship him will further us to sanctifie his Name And further This is to Sanctifie Gods Wisdom when thou comest into Gods presence in thy greatest straights deny thy own wisdom come with a resolution to be guided by the Wisdom of God in this manner Lord I know not how to order my steps there is much folly and vanity in my heart but thou art a God of infinite Wisdom I come to thee for direction and I profess here I am willing to give up my whol Soul to be guided by thy wisdom If every time we come to Worship God we came thus Oh Lord whatsoever our thoughts have been heretofore yet if thou shalt but reveal thy mind to us we will hearken to thee Lord we beleeve that thy Wisdom it is thy Self and therefore we profess to give up our selves to thy Wisdom Now this is to Sanctifie the Name of God 9. Consider the holiness of God God is a God infinitely pure from all sin and therefore when we come to Worship God we must be ashamed of our holiness as the Prophet in Isa 6 when he heard the Seraphins cry Holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts he fals down and saith Wo is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips And is God a holy God Then let me take heed when I come before Him that I bring not with me a love to any sin for the Lord hates it and let me take heed that I do not cast dirt in the very face of Gods Holiness but give up my soul to be rul'd wholly by Him And labor that there may be a sutableness between the holiness of thy heart and of the infinite God Now this is to sanctifie Gods Name when the consideration of this Attribute of God hath such effect upon my heart that I labor upon this to come with a sutable heart before God 10. When thou comest before God Consider that thou comest to a merciful God And what should this work First It should make me come joyfully into His presence as a God that is willing to do good to his poor creatures that are in misery Secondly It should make me to come with a heart sensible of the need of this mercy O Lord I have had my heart let out to other vain things heretofore but now Lord thy mercy it is that my soul comes for as that wherein my chief and only good consists Thirdly It should make me come with expectation of great things from God do not come unto God as unto an empty Vine but as unto a full Vine and the more thy faith is raised to expect great things from God the more acceptable art thou to God Certainly the higher any ones faith is raised when they come into his presence to expect the greatest things the more acceptable It is otherwise with God than men if you come to men to beg a little thing you may be welcome but if you come to ask a great matter they will look askew upon you but the truth is the greater the things are that we come to God for the more welcome are we into Gods presence and those that are acquainted with God they know it and therefore they come the more fully When they come to ask Jesus Christ himself and his Spirit that is more worth than ten thousand worlds they come with more freedom of Spirit than when they come to ask their healths and the like Fourthly It will be likewise another means of sanctifying this Attribute of God when thou comest to him If thou doest come with a merciful heart towards thy brethren Take heed whensoever you come to worship God that you come not with a rugged and cruel heart towards any of your brethren therefore you find that Christ laies this upon you in teaching how to pray you most say Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive our brethren that trespass against us And you find it repeated again If you forgive then your Heavenly Father will forgive and not otherwise As if Christ should say When you come to beg mercy be sure you bring merciful hearts Fifthly It is a good way to sanctifie the Name of God in this Attribute for the soul to be solicitous with it self What is that that will hinder me from the mercy of God and let me avoid it It is otherwise a taking of the Name of God in vain for me to come to profess what need I have of Gods mercy and yet for al that never regard to avoid those things that may hinder the work of his Grace upon me 11. Consider the Justice of God that 's another Attribute Consider that thou hast to deal with an Infinite Righteous and Just God Do not think that if thou beest a Beleever that thou hast nothing to do with the Justice of God for certainly thou art to sanctifie the Justice of God Now you will say How should a Beleever sanctifie the Justice of God Thus First He should be apprehensive and sensible how by sin he hath put himself under Justice and deserved the stroke of Justice to be upon him to eternity he should consider what he is in himself It 's true that Jesus Christ hath come between a beleeving soul and the Justice of the Father and hath taken the stroke of Justice upon himself yea but though he hath done it it doth not hinder but that thou shouldst be apprehensive of what thou hast deserved thy self Secondly Here is a special thing in the sanctifying of the Justice of God When we come before him we should consider that we have to deal with an infinite just God and therefore not to dare to come but through a Mediator Here you have the reason why we must tender up all in the Name of Jesus Christ because when we are to come before God we are to sanctifie the Name of his Justice For thee to think thus I have sinned and God is merciful and I will go and pray to him that he might be merciful and there 's an end Is this all Oh no God requires the sanctifying of his Justice and there is nothing that doth sanctifie his Justice so much as this That when a poor creature sees the infinite distance that sin hath made between that infinite God and it it sees that though sin it hath made its self liable to Justice and when it sees that there is an absolute necessity that infinit Justice must have satisfaction and thinks the sinner If it comes to me that I must satisfie the Justice of God
way or other appear to be against me in such duties that I tender up unto him Now you will say How doth God appear that he doth not accept of them He will appear in these three things 1. First By blasting those that do worship him thus in a formal way It shall at first be secret but afterwards it will appear more apparantly and we see it by experience that such as have been Professors of Religion and worship God in hypocrisie and in formality they have been blasted in their parts and common gifts The Judgment of God upon Nadab and Abihu that did not Sanctifie Gods Name it was secret at first It struck them dead and though by fire yet if you reade the story you shall find that their cloathes were not burnt and yet they were burnt in their bodies So the Lord sometimes doth blast men inwardly in their Spirits in their Souls in their Parts in their common Gifts He blasts them I say inwardly though it doth not appear outwardly yet at length it will appear before men that they are blasted and in these times of the Gospel the Lord doth come with spiritual judgments rather than with outward temporal judgments In the time of the Law those that did not Sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties the Lord did appear by some external and visible way upon their bodies but now in the time of the Gospel there God comes with more spiritual judgments upon mens souls and those are the most terrible judgments We have a notable Scripture for this in Isa 29. 13. How God doth blast those that do not sanctifie his Name in holy duties Wherefore the Lord said Forasmuch as this people draw neer me with their mouth and with their lips do honor me but have removed their heart far from me and their fear towards me is taught by the Precepts of men Mark what follows Therfore behold I wil proceed to do a marvelous work amongst this people even a marvelous work and a wonder for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid What do they come and draw neer me with their lips and their hearts are far from me and do they worship me in a formal way I 'le take away the wisdom from the wise and the understanding from the prudent And that is the reason why so many great Scholers are blasted in their very Parts because they would worship God according to the precepts of men in a formal way and so all Hypocrites and formal Worshipers the Lord doth blast them in one way or other the judgments of God upon the spirits of men were sometimes in the time of the Law But in the times of the Gospel there we find generally the judgments of God to be more spiritual upon the hearts and consciences of men we find it by experience God doth discover that he doth not accept of such as those are and therefore when you see any that have made profession of Religion that had excellent Parts at first many common gifts and now are as we say no body Remember this Text That God will be sanctified in those that come nigh Him Secondly The Lord doth manifest that he will be sanctified in those that draw nigh him by awaking their consciences many times upon their sick beds and death beds the Lord doth force them to give glory to Him and there to acknowledg that they did not worship God in Uprightness but in Formality And now they are in horror of conscience and cry out in the anguish of their souls upon the apprehension of the dreadful wrath of God that is upon them Take heed for the Lords sake of this thing when you are performing of the duties of Worship do not rest in the outward duties for they will never comfort you upon your sick and death beds you may perhaps put off your consciences a little for the present but when you come upon your sick beds there will be no comfort unto you and then you will be forced to say wel all this while I have but taken the Name of God in vain and now God hath rejected me and all my services and you will then speak to those that come about your beds side and bid them take warning by you take heed that when you worship God you worship him to purpose I have spent time in prayer and hearing but for want of this I find I have no comfort at all but the Lord appears to be terrible to my soul and comes out against me as an enemy I say now Gods Name is sanctified whatever becomes of thee he will force glory from thee one way or other and it may be even here in this time of thy life but however at the great day when the secrets of all hearts must be disclosed before Men and Angles then the Lord will appear to be a holy God by rejecting all such services that thou didest tender up to him and it will then be a great part of the work of the day of Judgment for God to be sanctified in those that did worship him by declaring before Men and Angels how did he reject such formal and hypocritical worship that they did tender up unto him Oh that God would strike this upon your hearts that it may abide upon you every time you come to worship him to think thus Let me look to it to sanctifie his Name now for I hear that God will sanctifie it himself if I do not do it But then on the other side If so be that thou makest conscience of sanctifying Gods Name in duties then he will sanctifie his Name in a way of Mercy that is he will manifest how he doth accept of the least degree of holiness though there be much mixture God hath a way to take away the mixture by the blood of his Son and then to accept of any holiness he sees in thee He will sanctifie his Name by meeting with thee and revealing his glory to thee when thou art worshiping of him There is an excellent Scripture for this Exod. 29. 43. There I will meet with the Children of Israel and the Tabernacle shall be sanctified by my Glory Thou that hast a gracious heart and art worshiping of God in sincerity thou art as a Tabernacle of God and God hath his Service and Worship from thee thou art as the Temple of God and there will I meet with thee saith God and I will sanctifie my Tabernacle by my Glory God wil sanctifie thy heart by his Glory if thou dost sanctifie his Name Further Thou shalt it may be not alwaies have such glorious comforts the full beams of the Sun rising upon thee but at one time or other the Lord will break in upon thee and manifest his Glory to thee and it 's like if thou hast not such full comforts now yet upon thy sick bed though God doth not then alwaies manifest himself fully for
to hear is the Word of God That it is not the speaking of a man that you are going to attend upon but that you are now going to attend upon God and to hear the Word of the Eternal God Possess your souls with this you will never sanctifie Gods Name else in the hearing of his Word therefore you find that the Apostle writing to the Thessalonians he gives them the reason why the Word did them so much good as it did It was because they did hear it as the Word of God 1 Thes 2. 13. For this cause also saith he thank we God without ceasing because when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the Word of God which effectually worketh also in you that beleeve Mark so it came effectually to work because they received it as the Word of God many times you will say Come let us go hear such a man preach Oh no let us go hear Christ preach for as it doth concern the Ministers of God that they preach not themselves but that Christ should preach in them So it concerns you that hear not to come to hear this man or that man but to come to hear Jesus Christ We as the Ambassadors of Christ do beseech you saith the Apostle 2. Possess your hearts likewise with this Consideration That I come to hear the Word as an Ordinance appointed by God to convey Spiritual good to my soul and this is a very useful consideration and especially it concerns men of understanding and parts for the helping of them to hear For men that are of understanding and parts when they come to hear this temptation is ready to come upon them that except they hear some new thing that they did not understand before wherefore should they come I am able to understand as much in such a point as can be said And when I have come and heard many times I have heard but that I knew before and upon that they think there is no use of coming to hear Now this is a great mistake when you come to hear the Word you do not come alwaies to hear what you did not know it may be sometimes God may dart in something that you did not think of before or so fully understand but suppose it be not so you are to come to it as an Ordinance of God for the conveyance of spiritual good to your souls You will say Cannot we sit at home and reade a Sermon But hath God appointed that the great Ordinance for the converting and the edifying of souls in the way to eternal life True there is some use of it but the great Ordinance is the Preaching of the Word Faith comes by hearing the Scripture saith and never by reading So that though when you come to hear you do not hear that which you heard not before yet you come to attend upon this Ordinance for the conveyance of some spiritual good that it may be hath not been conveyed before or in a further degree than it hath been conveyed before and so you should come to hear the Word with your hearts possest with that meditation That it is the Word of God and the great Ordinance that God hath appointed for the conveyance of spiritual good so that I come now in obedience to God and in this I do testifie my respect to God that I wil attend upon this Ordinance of His for the conveyance of spiritual good to me and although I may think that this or the other means may do the deed as well yet because God hath appointed this to be his Ordinance therefore in obedience to him I will attend upon this means rather than upon other means as you know Naaman he thought the other waters would have been as good as the waters of Jordan to have healed him but if God will appoint him the waters of Jordan that they should heal him rather than other waters he must wash there No question but other waters had as much natural vertue in them as they had but because the waters of Jordan were the Ordinance that God for that time had appointed to cure his Leprosie withal he must come and wash in those waters rather than in any other So because preaching of the Word is the great Ordinance that God hath appointed to convey himself by therefore he doth require that thou shouldest shew thy respect to him so far as to attend upon him in this Ordinance The Second thing that is to be done in way of preparation it is To plow up the fallow ground of your hearts and not to sow amongst thorns as you have it in Jer. 4. 3. and so in Hosea 10. The Word of God you know is compared to seed in that Parable of Christ in Mat 13. And an Auditory is compared to the ground I suppose you are al acquainted with that Parable of the sower that it is to set out the Ministry of the Word and what fruit it hath upon the hearts of men a Congregation is like the field and a Minister preaching is like the Sower that sows the seed in the field he knows not which Truth whether that or the other will prosper the seed being sowed in some part of the ground is lost and in another part it grows so in one Pew the seed of the Word is lost in another Pew it grows up But now if people that are compared to the ground would so hear the Word as Gods Name may de sanctified in it their hearts must be plowed as if one should sow seed upon green soil saw it in the fields upon green grass What would become of it The ground must first be plowed for the preparation of the seed But you will say What is the meaning of the plowing of our hearts for the preparation of the Word The meaning is nothing else but this The work of humiliation the humbling of the soul before the Lord when it doth come to hear Gods Word Humble it in these two regards First Be humbled for your Ignorance that you know so little of Gods Mind as you do Secondly Be humbled for all the sinfulness of your hearts be sensible of the sinfulness and wretchedness of your hearts and the miserable condition that you are in if you can get your hearts broken with the sence of your sin and misery and come so to hear the Word it is very like the Word may be of mighty use and Gods Name may be very much sanctified in your hearing of the Word You will say Must we plow up our hearts before we come to hear It must be the Word that must plow us the Word is the Plow and so the Ministers of God are compared to Plowmen in the Word He that puts his hand to the Plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven It is true it cannot be expected that the heart should be
throughly plowed as it ought but by the Word therefore at the first coming to hear there is not hope that men will sanctifie Gods Name till the Word gets into plow them and so by getting at one time into their hearts they come to be prepared for hearing at another time And yet somewhat may be done before by that natural knowledg that men have they may come to know themselves to be sinners and come to understand themselves to be very weak and ignorant by some knowledg that they may have by the works of God and by conference with others and by reading and the like and so they may in some measure come to have their hearts to be humble And it is good to make use of these to humble the heart but now You that have heard the Word often and yet have not sanctified Gods Name there be Truths that you have heard heretofore that if you had made use of in private to have plowed up your hearts they would have prepared your hearts for the next time in hearing of the Word If therefore you would hear the word with a great deal more profit than formerly your hearts must be plowed by humiliation Secondly The heart must be plowed by laboring to get out those throns that are in the heart those lusts that grow deep in the heart as throns grow in the ground labor to pluck them out that is when thou comest to hear the word get thy heart into that frame as to be willing to profess against every known sin that thou hast found in thy heart labor to find out those lusts that are in thy heart and then profess against them that thou art willing to have them to be rooted out of thy heart if men and women would but do thus when they come to hear that God might see this in them that they have before they come profest against every known sin This would be an excellent thing indeed 3. Again in the third place which will follow from hence When thou comest to hear the Word come with resolution to yeeld to what ever God shall reveal to be his Mind I am now going to hear thy Word O Lord to wait upon thee to know what thou hast to say to me and thou that art the searcher of the secrets of all hearts Thou knowest that I go with such a resolution to yeeld up my self to every truth of thine How would the Name of God be sanctified if you did thus come to hear the Word If you did come with such a resolution Job 32. 34. That which I know not teach thou me and if I have done iniquity I will do no more In Isa 2. 3. you have a Prophsie of the Gentils how they should come to the Word And many people shall go and say Come ye and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord to the House of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his waies and we will walk in his paths Here 's a blessed disposition when you come to hear the Word Some of you come together in streets and lanes and over the fields when you come together and meet one with another as you walk over the fields make use of this text Oh! that this Prophesie might be fulfilled in your coming over the fields every Lord's day morning and at other times that you would say one to another or when you call one upon another to go to hear Come let us go up to the house of the Lord and he will teach us of his waies and we will walk in his paths We are resolved that what ever the Lord shall teach us to be his waies we will submit unto it This is a due preparation of the heart for the sanctifying of Gods Name in the hearing of his Word Fourthly When you come to hear the Word come with longing desires after the Word come with an appitite to it As in 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby Do it as new-born babes Now you know little babes they do not desire milk to play withal but only to nourish them Children of three or four yeers old they may desire milk to play with but new-born babes never care for it but when they are hungry to nourish them And so it is true many come to hear the Word to play with it But now you should come to hear the Word as new-born babes with a hungring desire after the Word that your souls may be nourished therby That were excellent if every Lords day and at other daies you did come as hungry to the Word as ever you went to your dinner or supper the Word of God should be unto you more than your appointed food and then you are like to grow by it and to sanctifie Gods Name in it Fifthly Pray beforehand That God would open thine eyes and open thine heart and accompany his Word Thus did David Open mine eyes O Lord that I may understand the wonders of thy Law And you know what is said of Lydia The Lord opened her heart to attend to the Word that was spoken Now seeing it is an Ordinance thou doest exspect more good from than what it self of its own nature is able to convey thou hadest need to pray Lord I go to such an Ordinance of thine and I know there is no efficacy in it self it is not able to reach to such effects as I exspect that is To have my heart spoken too and quickned and to have mine eyes opened But O Lord open mine eyes and open mine heart Lord my heart naturally is lockt up against thy Word there are such wards in my heart that except thou are pleased to put in a key that may fit my heart it will never open Man he is not able to know my heart and therefore he cannot fit a key to answer every word to resolve every doubt to silence every objection but Lord thou canst do it Do thou Lord therefore â—it thy Word this day that may meet with my heart Lord I have gone often to thy Word and the key hath stuck in it and it hath not opened but Lord if thou wouldst but fit it and turn it with thine own hand my heart would open Oh! come with such a praying heart to the Word and thereby shalt thou sanctifie the Name of God in hearing his Word This is to come to the Word as to the Word of God You must not come to the hearing of the Word as to hear a Speech or an Oration but come in such a preparation as this is and so I say God will be glorified and you shall be profited The next thing is What should be the behavior of the soul in the sanctifying Gods Name in the Word when it is come Now to that there are these Particulars First There must be a careful attention unto the WORD you must set your hearts unto it as Moses in
Word than to entertain Christ in your houses You that are of loving dispositions that if a good Minister shall come to your houses or a good Christian that you see but the Image of Christ in your hearts spring within you and you will do any thing to entertain them Well but what if Jesus Christ should come if you knew that such a man that came within your doors were the Son of God how would you bestir your selves to entertain him But know it is a more acceptable service to Jesus Christ to attend upon his Word than to provide for him in your houses And there is great reason too that we should be diligent in drawing nigh to the Word and give ear unto it because you find that the Lord doth express himself in the Scripture how he gives ear to us when we speak to him God is said to encline His ear sometimes to open His ear sometimes to bow His ear sometimes to cause His ear to hear and divers such expressions there are to that purpose Now if God when we that are poor wretches speak to Him shall bow His ear bend His ear open His ear cause His ear to hear much more should we when we come to attend upon Him 2. Secondly as there must be attending to the Word of God so there must be an opening of the heart to receive what God speaks to you it is true it is the work of God to open the heart but God works upon men as upon rational creatures and He makes you to be active in opening your hearts so that when you have any truth come to be revealed you should open your understandings your conscience and will and affections Oh Lord thy truth which thou art presenting here to my soul at this time let it come in let me receive it as the expression is in Prov. 2. 1. My Son if thou wilt receive my words and then in ver 10. When wisdom entereth into thy heart The words of wisdom the Words of God they must enter into the heart get in it may be they get into thy ear but that 's not enough they must get into thy heart in Job 8. 37. There Christ complains that His Word had no place in them that 's a sad thing when the Word of God shall have no place in the heart If a temptation to sin comes that hath a place in the heart but when the Word comes that hath no place in the heart I say it is a very sad thing that we can find no room for the Word we should get room for the Word Open ye gates Stand open ye everlasting doors that the King of Glory may come in Know that when you come to hear the Word the Lord is knocking at the doors of your hearts have not you felt it sometimes Open O open the doors let all be opened to receive the Word into your hearts That is the second thing for the behavior of the soul in hearing 3. The third thing is The careful applying of the word so in Prov. 2. 2. There must be an applying of the heart to the word and an applying of the word unto the heart All action is by an application of the thing that doth act unto the subject there must be an application of the word to thy soul as now suppose thou comest to hear the Word and thou hearest of some sin that it may be thou knowest thou art guilty of take the Word and lay it to thy heart and say The Lord hath met with my soul this day the Lord hath spoken to me to the end that I might be humbled for this sin and the other sin that my conscience tells me I am guilty of So doth the Lord put thee upon a duty that concerns thee acknowledge this the Lord hath spoken to me this day and put me upon the reformation of my family and the reformation of mine own heart Is there a word presented apply that and let not the trouble of thy heart cause thee to cast off that word that God hath spoken to thee The application of the word to thy heart is of mervelous use and it concerns not only Ministers in general to lay before people the doctrin of the Gospel but to apply it And know that it concerns you as well as Ministers to apply it And not only when they come to that that is called Use but all the way in the opening of the word it concerns you all to apply it to your own souls and to consider how doth it concern me in particular My brethren there is no such way to honor God or get good to your own souls as the application of the word unto your selves As a man that is asleep if there be a noise made it will not awake him so soon but come and call him by his name and say John or Thomas and that will awake him sooner than a greater noise will So when the word makes a noise when it is delivered only in the general men take little notice of it but when the word comes particularly to the souls of men and doth as it were call them by name this awakens them Now God many times doth speak to your hearts but you should apply it you know the word is compared to meat and it must be applied 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 come 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 partiticular 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 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
any just occasion to others to say Is this to hear Sermons Do you get nothing else but this by hearing Sermons If you should open the mouths of men to say so of you the Word of God as much as lies in you would be disgraced by you you should rather think thus It were better for me that I should die and that I were under the ground and rotting there than that the Word of God should ever be disgraced by me Let me hold forth the glory of the Word the Word is that which hath done good to my soul the Word is that which I would not for ten thousand worlds but have heard it and shall I disgrace this Word shall I give any occasion that this Word of the Lord should be spoken ill of by reason of me O God forbid Therefore if you regard not your selves and your own honor yet regard the honor of the word If ever you have got any good by the word you should go away with this resolution well I will labor all the daies of my life to honor this word of God that I have got so much good by If this were but the resolution of every one of your hearts this morning it would be a blessed mornings work SERMON X. Leviticus 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me NOW follow the Reasons why God stands so much upon it That he will have his Name Sanctified in this Ordinance of hearing his Word 1. First It is because there is so much of God in his Word and therefore we should Sanctifie Gods Name If it were possible there could be sin in Heaven that sin would be greater than sin committed here therefore the sin of the Angels when they were in Gods presence in a more special manner was the greater The Name of God being in any thing the greater will be the evil if we do not sanctifie Gods Name in it now there is very much of God in his Word more of God there than in all the Works of Creation and Providence In Ps 138. 2 Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name There being therefore so much of God in his Word we must sanctifie the Name of God in it 2. Secondly God hath appointed His Word to be the great Ordinance to convey the special mercies that He intends for the good of His People That we spake to before in the general in shewing how the duties of Gods Worship are as a Channel for the conveyance of Special good to the Saints But none more than the Word that 's the Ordinance to convey the first Grace to those that belong to Gods election The Sacraments is for strengthening and therefore there is rather more in the Word than in the Sacrament and yet every one thinks in conscience that he is bound to come carefully to the Sacrament and to look to Sanctifie Gods Name there It is an easier matter to convince men and women that they are bound to sanctifie the Name of God when they come to receive the holy Communion than for the hearing of the Word they think not so much of that but certainly the Word is appointed to be an Ordinance of conveying more blessing than the Sacrament because it is appointed to convey the first Grace and to convey strength of Grace as well as the Sacrament Now being appointed to convey such great things to the souls of the elect both the first grace and strengthening of grace and comfort and assistance thereof the Lord expects to have his name santifiied in it 3. Thirdly The name of God must be Sanctiffed in the Word because the word is very quick and lively it works men or women to life or death to salvation or damnation In Heb. 4. 12. The word of God quick and powerfull and sharper than any two edged sword piercing even to the deviding a sunder of soul and spirit c. It is very quick of operation the text saith that is when God hath to deal with men by His Word He wil not stand dallying and trifling with them but he is very quick with them either to bring there soules to life or to cast them away The time of mens ignorance God winks at but now he cals all men to repent Let them look to it now God did forbeare in the time of ignorance but He will not forbear so when the word comes Now is the Ax laid to the root of the tree And when was that when John Baptist came to preach repentance because the kingdom of Heaven is at hand though the tree were barren before and did not bring sorth good sruit yet it might stand still and not be cut down but when the powerfull ministration of the World comes then the Ax is laid to the root of the Tree either now come in and be saved or resist the Word and perish And therefore that is very observable when Christ sends out His Disciples to preach in Mark 16. 15 16. Saith he Go ye into al the world and preach the Gospel to every creature and he that beleeveth and is Baptized shall be saved but he that beleeveth not shall be damned As if he should say there shall be quick work made with them go preach those that belong to my election shal be brought in to beleeve and be saved and the others shall be damned As if God should say If they will come in and imbrace the Gospel they shall be saved if they wil not they shall be damned and there is an end of them So that I say we have need to look to it that we Sanctifie the name of God in His Word upon these Three Grounds Because there is so much of God in His Word Because he hath appointed it to convey the greatest Mercies to His Saints And because God is very quick in His Word one way or other We shall now proceed to the Application of this Point And First by way of reprehension to all those that do not sanctifie Gods Name in hearing the Word and herein we shal shew their feareful condition and how God will Sanctifie His Name upon them in waies of judgment and then when we come to the use of Exhortation to exhort you to sanctifie the Name of God there we shall shew you likewise how God will sanctifie His Name in waies of mercy upon those that do sanctifie Him in waies of obedience in Hearing of His Word 1. For the first Certainly if that be to sanctsfie the Name of God that we have spoken of Gods Name is but very little sanctified by people that do come to hear His Word and we have no cause to wonder that there is so little good got by the Word because there are so few that make conscience to sanctifie Gods Name in hereing it Some there are that are so far from sanctifying Gods Name in it as they altogether neglect it and make it a matter of nothing whether they come to hear it
any certain sign of Reprobation therefore I cannot say of any man he hath now such a mark upon him as doth evidently prove that he is a Reprobate we cannot tell that because we know not what God may do afterwards but we may say this That it is as dreadful a sign as any There are not any more dreadful signs than these two First For a man to be suffered to prosper in a sinful course For God to let men go on and have their hearts desire satisfied in an ungodly way And then secondly For the Lord to leave them to themselves so as the Ministry of the Word shal not work upon them that they shall be by Gods providence so disposed of as to live under a faithful and powerful Ministry and that it should not work upon them These are the two blackest signs of Reprobation and therefore it is a most dreadful thing to sit under the Ministry of the Word and not to sanctifie Gods Name in it 6. In the next place Surely there can be nothing sanctified to thee who doest not sanctifie Gods Name in His Word The Scripture saith That every thing is sanctified by the Word and Prayer And how canst thou exspect that the Word should sanctifie any thing unto thee seeing that thou doest not make conscience of sanctifying Gods Name in the Word The godly think thus 'T is the Word that must sanctifie all things to my soul and I had need then sanctifie Gods Name in that from which I exspect the sanctified use of all blessings You therefore that can sit under it and make not concience of sanctifying Gods Name in it I say you can expect no sanctified use of any thing that you have in this world 7. Such as do not sanctifie Gods Name in the Word are very nigh to a curse There is a notable Scripture for this in Heb. 6. 7 8. where the Apostle compares the Word to the rain that fals upon the ground For the earth that drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God But saith he that which beareth thorns and bryars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned The meaning is this plainly The rain here is the Word the good hearers they are like the ground that receive the rain and bring forth fruit and receive a blessing But now ill hearers that do not sanctifie Gods Name in his Word they are like ground that receives the rain as much as the other hear as many Sermons as the other but they bring forth nothing but thorns and bryars and mark what a dreadful expression is against them First It is rejected Secondly It is nigh to cursing Thirdly Whose end is to be burned Thou rejectest the Word doest thou The Lord rejecteth thy soul If thou hast no need of the Word the Word hath no need of thee it is a dreadful thing to be rejected of God And then thou art uigh unto cursing It may be the Lord may for the time withdraw Himself from the soul and manifest that it is at it were rejected but yet the soul hath not the curse of God upon it to say Well let this soul perish for ever but some there are that are under an actual curse and saith God Well My Word shall never do good to this soul such a one hath sate under it thus long and hath rejected it My Word shall never do good to him Like as in Luk. 14. where those that made excuses when they were bidden to the Supper the text saith at length That the Master of the Feast was angry which was God Himself that invited them by the Gospel to partake of His Son and when men would not come in but make excuses and refused the offer of the Gospel Verily saith he none of those men that were bidden shall tast of my Supper They shall never partake of any good of the Gospel This is a dreadful curse Now the Lord deliver you from having this curse pronounced against you but yet I beseech you tremble at this Scripture in the Hebrews they are nigh to cursing Who knows how nigh some soul in this place may be to this curse for God to say This soul hath been often invited and yet hath made excuses and put off all he shall never tast of my Supper of the good things in Jesus Christ the Word that hath been so rejected shall never do them good more you had better never been born than to have this curse actually upon you Oh fear and tremble lest your condition be such as to be nigh to cursing Who knows what a day a week may bring forth It may be the Lord may spare and be willing to pass by the neglect of former Sermons but who knows what the next actual rebellion against the Lord in His Word may do to bring the curse upon thee And then if so the next part of the verse will prove to be thy portion Whose end is to be burned Oh! It is a dreadful thing to sin against the Word God stands much upon it 8 Eightly Know that if Gods Name be not sanctisied in it the end that God hath appointed it for will be turned quite contrary to thee The proper end that God hath appointed his Word for it is to save souls but now where Gods Name is not sanctified it is turned quite contrary so the Apostle in 2 Cor. 2. 16. To the one we are the savor of death unto death and to the other the savor of life unto life It is a dreadful thing that the good Word of God in which there is such treasures of Gods mercy wherein the counsels of God concerning mans eternal estate comes to be revealed that this should prove to be the savor of death unto death unto any soul that is to have such an efficacy in it as to kill them by the very scent of it as it were As some things have such a poyson in them as the very scent is enough to poyson one So saith the Apostle to some our word hath that efficacy being turned quite to the contrary end some souls are sav'd and are and shal be blessing God to al eternity for the Word and thy soul is damn'd by the Word so as thou wilt hereafter curse the time that ever thou camest to hear it That wil be a dreadful thing that the same Word that others shal be blessing of God eternally in Heaven for that thou shalt be cursing eternally in Hell for it will be turned to the quite contrary end if it works not in the right way it will work the other the truth is it hardens mens hearts if it brings them not to God there is nothing that doth harden the hearts of men more than the Ministry of the Word yet by accident not by its self there is no men in the world have such hard hearts as those that
are wicked under the Ministry of the Word it is not only an argument that their hearts are hard but they are hardened by it That in Isa 6. 9 10. is remarkable for this and the rather because I find it so often quoted by Christ I think it is quoted three or four times in the Gospel And he said Go and tell this People hear ye indeed but understand not and 〈◊〉 ye indeed but perceive not Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and convert and be healed This is a strange Scripture What must a Prophet go to them to make their hearts fat and to shut their eyes why the word is appointed to open mens eyes but here the Prophet is sent to shut their eyes that they might not be converted this is dreadful this is for the punishment of some former neglect of the word of God sent unto this people above all Judgments you should be afraid of this It is not so much that a fire should be upon your houses as that God should make his word to be a means to harden your hearts In Ezek. 14. we have a dreadful expression to this purpose by the Prophet there where the Lord saith The people did come to enquire of him with setting up their Idols in their hearts but saith God I will answer them according to their Idol If men come to the Ministry of the word with their beloved sins and resolve that they will not part with them the Lord many times in his just judgment suffers some things in the word to be accidentally a means to harden them in that sin of theirs I will answer them according to their Idol Those men are in a dreadful estate whose hearts come to be hardened by the word 9. Ninthly If thou doest not sanctifie Gods Name in the hearing of the word what comfort canst thou ever have by the word in the day of affliction Certainly when the day of thy affliction comes then there is nothing can comfort thee but the word Vnless thy Law had been my delight saith David I should then have perished in mine affliction But thou having been exercised in the word so much and Gods Name not sanctified thou must not expect to have thy soul comforted in the day of thy affliction No marvel then though the word hath been applied again and again to your hearts and nothing would stick I remember it was an expression of one in a great deal of terror of conscience many came to apply comfortable Scriptures to him and he himself for a while did take those Scriptures and lay them upon his heart to passifie his troubled conscience but a little before he died he cries out with a most fearful terror There is a fair Plaister made but it will not stick on it wil not stick on so died despairing so there is in the word such a plaister as may help a wounded and troubled conscience but canst thou expect that hast not sanctified Gods Name in thy life time that it shall stick upon thy soul in the day of thy afflction never expect it for the Lord hath said otherwise Prov. 1. Because when I cryed and call'd ye would not hear you shal cry and call and I will not hear The Lord in His Word cries to the Oh thou sinfull soul who are going on in the waies of sin and eternall destruction Return return that is the way that will bring thee to eternall miseries but here is the way that wil bring thee to life and eternall salvation Thus the Lord cries and cals to day to day and thou stopest thy ear Oh how just is it with God to stop his ear from thy crying and calling in the day of thy affliction 10. Further Know that thou that doest not sanctife the Name of God in his Word that all the Word of God wil be made good one day upon thee God hath His time to magnifie his Law and to make it honorable Isa 42. 21. You slight Gods Law you slight His Word and despise it but God will magnifie it and make it honorable there is not any sentence that thou hast heard in the Word but it shall be made good whatsoever becomes of thy soul Thou thinkest that God is a merciful God he will not damn thee but though God be merciful and hath regard to His Creatures yet the Lord hath ten thousand times more regard to His Word than to all the souls of men and woman in the world and God will stand to make that good he will not have such regard to that wretched vile sinfull soul of thine as not to honor His Word He will honor His Word whatsoever becomes of thee and al that thou hast heard and rejected shall be made good upon the on day 11. Again the Word that thou doest reject and sin against it shall be the Word that shall judg thee Joh. 12. 48. Look to it as well as you will This Book of God out of which we preach and those truths that we delivered to you from his Word they must be called over again at the great day to judg your souls by the sentence of every of your eternal estates must be tryed out of this book Oh look upon it as the word that must judg your souls at the last day and then you will see it a dreadfull thing not to sanctifie Gods Name in it And then when the Word doth judg you you shall obey it whether you will of no. Now the Word convinces you and you will not obey it but when God comes to judg you by the Word then you shall obey it Then when God comes to reade that sentence out of the Word Go ye cursed into everlasting fire then I say you shall be forced to obey it 12. Lastly There is yet one thing more which should have been mentioned before which is very remarkable That those men which do not sanctifie Gods Name in his Word they will be blasted even here while they live their parts and common gifts that they yet have will be blasted wither and come to nothing We find it ordinarily that many that are yong had very good beginnings and very good parts that were very hopeful and would speak very savorly where they came afterwards beginning by degrees to neglect the Word the Lord hath blasted them their gifts have withered the common gifts of the Spirit have been taken from them I will give you one text for that in Luke 8. 18. Take heed therefore how you hear It is an Exhortation that follows upon the parable of the Sower that went out to sow because it is so that when the Word is sowen as seed there is so little of it doth prosper and most hearers do not sanctifie Gods Name in it therefore look to your selves Why For whosoever hath to him shal be
you use then to seal So it must be here I would appeal to many of your consciences that have come to the Lords Supper what transactions have there been between God and your souls Canst thou say the Lord was pleased to reveal Himself to me to make known to me my wretched condition and the way of grace and salvation and shewed me that upon my coming in to receive His Son he would be merciful to me and pardon my sins and I have found the Spirit of God working my heart to Jesus Christ the Lord from Heaven speaking to me and I sending an Answer to Heaven again how willing my soul was to accept of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with poor creatures in the word of His Gospel canst thou say this in the uprightness of thy heart if not know that this Seal belongs not to thee untill the Lord hath by His word subdued thy heart to this agreement first with him Secondly This Ordinance it is the Ordinance of spiritual nourishment of eating the flesh of Christ and drinking blood in a spiritual way Now it must needs suppose that first there must be life before there can be any nourishment received in If it be appointed to nourish and encrease 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 then to nourish but we reade of no such thing here but that which is to be done here is presently to feed to eat and to drink that is the end of the Sacrament therfore it must be supposed that thou must have Spiritual life there must come no dead soul to this Ordinance but those who are quickned by the Spirit of Jesus Christ they must come for nourishment Thirdly the act here required doth note That only those that are holy and godly can receive this Sacrament we are required by the Apostle examine our selves To examine our selves of what It must be of our godliness examine what work of God hath been upon the soul how God hath brought the soul to Himself 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 perform those acts that are required Fourthly It is a Sacrament of Communion with God and Communion with the Saints now what Communion hath Light with Darkness what fellowship hath Christ with Belial If it be a Sacrament of Communion of coming to the Table of God Will God have 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 those that are reconciled to God in the blood of his Son and those that are his Children that must sit at his Table therfore they must be holy Now this may suffice for that first thing that this is not an Ordinance for al sorts of people but such as have submitted to the condition of the Covenant before Such as have grace and ability to examin 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 therfore certainly are to be kept from this Sacrament but such 2 The Second thing wil make it out more fully and that is It is not enough that we be holy our selves and so al ignorant prophane and scandalous yea al that are meerly civil that cannot make out any work of godliness upon their hearts in bringing them to Christ are excluded But 1 It is to be done in a holy communion and is cleer one of that place in 1 Cor. 10. 16 17. The Cup of blessing which we bless it is not the Communion of the blood of Christ the bread which we 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 thay 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 deal 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 cānot receive the Sacrament alone there must be a Communion wheresoever it is to be administred 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 wil say Must it be received in a Communion of Saints what if wicked men do come there will that hinder us from sanctifying Gods Name in partaking of the Sacrament with them Do not we find in Scripture that the Church had alwaies wicked men among them there are alwaies tares growing up with the wheat If you reade even in the Corinthians you shall find that there were some in that Church that were wicked yea and it 's thought that Iudas himself did receive the Sacrament therefore what if wicked men be there doth that hinder Answ I answer First it is true That in the Church of God there have been wicked men and 't is like there will be wicked men to the end of the world but yet wheresoever there is a right Communion of Saints there ought to be the power of Christ exercised to cast out those wicked men or at least to withdraw from them This is the Law of Christ That if there be any that have Communion with you if any of them do appear to be wicked you are bound in conscience to go and tell them if they do not reform you are bound to take two or three and if they do not yet reform then you are bound to tell the Church to tell the Assembly of the Saints when they meet together for so the word Church doth signifie and we find in the 1 Cor. 5. chap. that when there was an incestuous person to be cast out it was done in the presence of the Congregation Thus far you are bound to do otherwise you cannot say that it is nothing to you if wicked men be there for you have not discharged your conscience and so you come to be defiled and you do not sanctifie Gods Name in this Ordinance because you have not done to the utternost of your duty for the casting out of those wicked men And mark in 2 Cor. 5. 7. there the Apostle writing to the Church bids them that they should purge out the old leaven
same body with him but now when I come in an ordinary way and I know such to be wicked vile and prophane and I professe nothing against them nor take any course at all I do then by partaking with them profess my self to be of the same body that they are of Thou doest as it were openly declare Lord here we come and profess that we are all of the Body of Jesus Christ now when thou knowest such and such are notoriously wicked and prophane and dost nothing in the world to help to purge them out dost not thou think that Gods name is taken in vain is not Gods Name prophaned here therefore it coâ—ceâ—â—s us very much to look unto it that it be a holy communion that we receive the Bread and Wine in I beseech you therefore understand things aright that I have spoken of I have labâ—â—ed to satisfie men that there is a way that we may partake of the Sacrament though wicked men be mixt with us but this is that which is required of you for doing your duty to keep your selves clean that you may not be accessary to any way to any wicked mans coming to partake of this holy mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ there are divers things further about this and the speciall thing I thought of was to shew you the holy qualifications that there ought to be but this I conceive to be the necessary and I should not have had peace in mine own conscience as being faithfull to you in what I am speaking of sanctifyng the Name of God in this Ordinance if I should not have mentioned this that I have spoken unto you and ther 's an error on both sides that I desire to meet withal either those that come hand over head and think it concerns them not at all with whom they come to the Sacrament but to look to their own hearts and there 's an error on the other side that if they do what they can to keep them away and yet if they should be suffered to come they may not come to partake of those things now it is very usefull for us to know what we should do in this case SERMON XII Leviticus 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me I Shall ad somthing to one particular that I had the last day concerning Peoples withdrawing from such a Congregation where they could not receive all the Ordinance of Jesus Christ As now If I were in a Church where I could have but a piece of the Sacrament suppose they deale with me as the papists do with the people that is they will give them the Bread and not the Wine Certainly I were not bound to stay with them then but I were bound to go where I might have the whol Sacrament So if a Church will give me some one Ordinance and not another I confess so long as there is hope that I may enjoy it and that they are in a way for injoyment I think there should be a great forbearance to a Church as wel as to a particular person as I must not withdraw from a particular man where there is hope still of his reformation that there may come good of my forbearance so towards a Church much more but I say if I cannot enjoy neither doth there appear any hope of injoyment of all Ordinances certainly it were but a cruelty to force men to stay there when as otherwhere they may enjoy all Ordinances for the good of there souls And this cannot be schism thus to do As now if this schism Supose a man were in a place and joyned in such a Communion for his outward benefit he may remove his dwelling from one place to another if he can have better trading in another place than certainly if he may have more Ordinance for the edification of his soul he may as well remove from one to another as he may remove if his trading be better in one place than another Christ would have all his people look to the edification of there souls and should I account that schism when a man or woman meerly out of tenderness and a desire to injoy Jesus Christ in all his Ordinances for the benefit of there souls they find such want to there souls of all Ordinances that though they may have some in one place yet if they cannot have all their souls do not so thrive now if this be all the end why they remove that they might have more edification to their souls injoying the Ordinances of Christ more fully God forbid that this should ever be acounted such a sin that the Scripture is to brand no that's schism when there is a violent rending out of malice for the want of love for as a postasie is a rending from the head so schism from the body that is when it is out of an evil spirit from envie or from malice from want of love or from any base sinister ends and upon no Just Ground but now when it is meerly out of love to Jesus Christ that I might have more edification to my soul and still I retaine love to the Saints that are there as they are in Communion and so far as they have any thing good among them I hold communion with them in that only I desire in humility and in meekness that I may be in such a place where my soul may be most edified where I may enjoy al those Ordinances that Christ hath appointed for his Church certainly that soul that can give this account to Jesus Christ for going from one place to another will be freed by Jesus Christ from such a sin as this is that the world calls Schism but the truth is this word is in mens mouths that understand not what it means and the Devil alwayes will have some word or other cast upon them that are good for he hath heretofore gained much by it so still he makes account to gain much by words and terms and therefore men should take heed of words and termes that they do not understand and examine seriously what the meaning is and what is held forth in these 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 an holy Communion Now we are to proceed to that which is the main thing and that is What are the holy Qualifications or dispositions of the soul together with the actings fit in receiving of the Lords Supper what is required in the soul for he sanctifying of the Name of God in this holy sacrament There are many things required As first there is required Knowledg I must know what I do when I come to receive this holy Sacrament knowledg applyed to the work that I am about When some of you have come to receive this Sacrament if God would 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 do when you come thither First You must be 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 Godlines those great and deep Counsels of my Will concerning my eternal estate those great Things that Angels desire to pry into that shall be the matter of eternal 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 sounding in mine ears the great Mysteries of Godliness the great Things of the Covenant of Grace and now I go 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 Seals of the blessed Covenant of thine the second Covenant the new Covenant the Seals of the Testimony and will of thine I am going to have confirmed to my soul thine everlasting Love in Jesus Christ Yea Lord I am going to that Ordinance wherein I expect to have Communion with thy self and the Communion of thy chief mercies to my soul in Jesus Christ I am going to feast with the to feed upon the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ Yea I am now going to set the Seal 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 strong bond of union and love between me and thy Saints than 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 spake of the disarming the Lords body he rebukes the Corinthians for there sin and shew them that they were guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ because they did not descren the Lords Body they look'd only upon the outward elements but did not discren what their 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 is the first thing there must be knowledg and understanding And now for the knowledg and understanding of the nature of the Sacrament there need be knowledg 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 are by Nature knowing our Fall knowing the way of Redemtion 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 souls to eternall life by The main points of Religion must be known but especially that which concerns the nature of a Sacrament Now this knowledg likewise must be actual not meerly habitual knowledg but there must be a stirring up of this knowledg that is by meditation I must be meditating have actual thoughts and meditations of what I do know that ought to be the work of a Christian in coming to receive the Sacrament to quicken up his knowledg to have a renewed work of his knowledg by actual thoughts and meditations of the main Points of Religion and especially of the nature and the end of this holy institution that is the first thing Secondly As we must come understandingly without which we cannot Sanctifie Gods Name so we must come with hearts sutable to the work that we are about that is because the great thing that is here is the breaking of Christs body and the powring forth His blood A sutable disposition to this is brokenness of heart sence of our sin of that dreadful breach that sin hath made between God and the soul our sin should be upon our hearts so as to break them But this brokenness must be Evangelical it must be through the applying of the Blood of Christ unto my soul 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 sin 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 eternal flames that are prepared for sinners those everlasting burnings But now those are not the things that will break the heart in an Evangelical way in a gracious way the main thing by which the soul must come to break its heart must be the beholding of the evil of sin in the red glass of the blood of Jesus Christ the beholding him broken and truly there is nothing in the world that hath that power to break the heart of sin as the beholding of that which is to be beheld in the holy Sacrament and that heart is a hard heart that can see what is there to be seen not break in the apprehension of sin when I here see what my sin cost what a price was made for my soul when I see the hatred of God against sin and the justice of God in not sparing his Son but in breaking his Son for my sin and in shedding the blood of his Son for my sins I see here that the making of my peace with God did cost more than ten thousand worlds is worth I see that by my sin such a breach was made between God and my soul that all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World could never make up this breach only the Son of God he that was God and man that was thus broken by the burden of the wrath of his Father for my sins could do this The truth is when we come to this holy Communion we are to look upon Christ as if we saw Him hanging upon the Cross suppose thou hadst lived at the time when Christ was crucified and hadst understood as much concerning the death of Christ as now thou doest and what Christ was if so be that thou shouldest have beheld Him in the Garden and there sweating drops of water and blood and lie groveling upon the ground crying If it be possible let this cup pass from me and shouldest have followed Him to the Cross and there have seen His hands and feet naied and His side pierced and the blood trickling down and have heard him crying out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me would not such a sight as this is have broken thy heart for thy sin the truth is there is more I won't say only so much but I
say there is more in this Sacrament to break the heart for sin than such a sight as that You will say If you should haue Christ to be crucified again before your eyes if you should see the body of Christ hanging upon the Cross and there behold him crucified and hearing of him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me you would think if your hearts did not break for sin then that they were desperately hard know every time that thou hast come to receive the Sacrament thou hast come to see such a sight and it is as great an aggravation of the hardness of thy heart if it hath not broken at this sight as it would be if it should not break at that sight We reade in Gal. 3. 1. of Pauls speaking of the preaching of the Gospel he saith that Christ was crucified before those that did hear the word and foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you he doth not mean that Christ was crucified in Galatia but that where the word was preached he was evidently set forth and crucified among them but now my brethren the crucifying of Christ in the Word is not such a real evident and sensible setting forth of Christ crucified as when he is set forth in this Sacrament and t is that which works with more efficacie to break the heart than that other sight and the reason that I give is this Because you do never find that God did set that apart as an Ordinance an institution appointed to that end that they should come to look upon that for the breaking of there hearts there was indeed a naturalness in it that if they did behold Christ it might break there hearts but it was not such an Ordinance it was not a Sacrament as this is now this being in a Sacramental way in the use of an Ordinance appointed by Jesus Christ to set forth his sufferings and al the riches of the Covenant of grace to the soul there may be expected here a further blessing than in the other though it 's true the other might work mightily upon the heart but yet this being a great ordinance of Christ in the Church a great institution of Jesus Christ for the setting out of his sufferings it hath a more special blessing that goes along with it every Ordinance hath a promise and a more special blessing than any other thing that is not an Ordinance So when you come here to behold Christ crucified before you you cannot see Christ naturally crucified as upon the Cross but you have Christ crucified before you in the way of a Sacrament in the way of a solemn institution of Jesus Christ that hath a special blessing which goes along with it therfore if the heart be not broken here there is an aggravation of the hardness of the heart as great as if we should behold Jesus Christ upon the Cross and our hearts not broken there and indeed this is a special reason why those are said to be guilty of the body and blood of Christ that receive unworthily as if a man had been then alive and had been before the Cross and there have seen how the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for sin and should not have been affected with it but should have accounted it as a common thing this man in some regard might have been said to be guilty of His death that is to have joyned and consented with those that 〈◊〉 crucifie Him for if a man sees another commit a sin if he 〈◊〉 affected with that sin and it does not stir his heart he may come to be partaker of his sin so that those that come to see Jesus Christ crucified and have not their hearts at all stir'd with the crucifying of Christ they are in som regard truly said to be guilty of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ And that 's the second thing brokenness of spirit is sutable to the light of a broken Christ 3. The Third thing that is here to be done in the Sanctifying of Gods Name is the purging and clensing of the heart from sin and actuall clensing and purging the heart from sin there ought to be The Jews in there Passover were to cast out all leaven and those that were of the custom of the Jews say that they were wont to do three things in the casting out of their Leaven 1. they made diligent search for Leaven they lighted Candles to look into every corner lest there should be any bit of Leaven left in the house 2. When they found it they cast it out 3. They used an execration they did curse themselves if they should willingly keep any leaven in the house So my brethren when we come to partake of this holy Ordinance there should be a diligent inquisition for sin for sin in Scripture is compared to leaven thou shouldest make a diligent search what sin there is in thy heart in any of the faculties of thy soul what sin there is in thy thoughts in thy conscience in thy understanding in thy will in any of thy affections what sin there hath been in thy life what family sins what personall sins thou shouldest make a diligent search to see whether there be not some leaven some evil in thy heart and what ever sin thou shalt come to find out in thy heart there must be a casting of it out that is thy soul must be set against it to apose it with all thy might what ever beloved sin whatever gainfull sin whatsoever become of thee thy soul must renounce that sin of thine yea and in a kind of execration of thy life that 's thus Lord as ever I expect to receive any good by this Body and Blood of Christ that I come now to receive so Lord here I profess against every sin that I have found out in my heart I desire to find out all and profess against all and renouuce all and would do to the uttermost that I am able for delivering of my soul fully from every known or beloved sin Oh that there might not be any remaining in my heart this must be the disposition of the soul coming hither and it must needs be thus or else we cannot sanctifie Gods Name because there is nothing more sutable than this disposition unto the receiving of the Sacrament for we come here to profess That we do acknowledg that sin did cost so much as it did that it cost the Blood of the Son of God now this cannot chuse but cause the heart to renonnce sin If indeed I do beleeve that sin hath cost the Blood of Christ that it cost him so deer as it did that it did trouble Heaven and Earth that there must be such a mighty wonderful way of satisfaction to God for my sin committed against him Certainly sin hath a dreadful evil in it Oh let me
never have to do with such sin that was the cause of such sufferings to my Savior 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 Child 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 pierc'd 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 slain he comes to stir up the people against those that had slain Caesar and he takes the cloaths that were bloody and holds them forth to the people and saith Here is blood of your Emperor and upon that the people were enraged against those that had slain him and went and pulled down their houses upon them So when thou comest to this Sacrament thou seest the blood of Christ gushing out and for thy sin if ever thy sin be pardoned either thy soul must be eternally damn'd for thy sin or else thy sin cost the gushing out of the blood of Christ now when thou seest this this should cause an holy rage in thy soul against sin that caused this surely the putting away sin the rising 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 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 hungring and thirsting of the soul after Jesus Christ whosoever comes hither he comes to a feast and the Lord exspects that all his Guests should come with stomachs unto his feast come with hungring and longing for Jesus Christ this should be the disposition of the soul Oh that my soul might enjoy Communion with Jesus Christ now this is the end that I am come for Oh! the Lord that knows the workings of my heart knowes that this is the great desire of my soul that I might enjoy Communion with Jesus Christ Oh! that I might have more of Christ that I might meet with Christ that I might have some further manifestation of Jesus Christ that I might have my soul further united to the Lord Christ and so have further influence of Christ to my soul I come with thirst after the Lord Christ knowing my infinite need of him and the infinite excellency that there is in Jesus Christ my soul doth famish and perish for ever without Christ but in the enjoyment of Christ there is a fulness for the satisfying of my soul that I have had of Christ somtimes in the Word and somtimes in Prayer that have been sweet unto me but I expect a further communion with Christ here for this is the grand Ordinance for Communion with Jesus Christ indeed the word in this respect it is beyond this Ordinance that is it is not only for the increase of Grace but for the begetting This is only for the increase of Grace and not appointed for the begetting now in that respect the Word is above the Sacrament but now this Sacrament is a more full Ordinance for Communion with Jesus Christ this is the Communion of the body of Jesus Christ and of his blood and therfore there ought to be hungring and thirsting desires of the soul after Jesus Christ therefore you must take heed you do not come with your stomachs full of trash as children when they can get Plums and Pears and fill their stomachs with them when they come to your Tables though there be never so much wholsome diet they have no mind at all to it so it is with men of the world they fill their hearts with the trash of this world and with sensual delights and hence it is that when they come to such a great Ordinance to enjoy communion with Jesus Christ that then they feel no want at all of Christ only they come and take a little piece of bread and a draught of wine but for any strong pausing desires to meet with Jesus Christ there in the Ordinance to come so as they know not how to live without Christ even as a man that is an hungred cannot live without his meat and drink and so for the soul to have such a disposition after Christ this is a rare thing but know that Gods Name is not sanctified unless thou doest come in such a way unto his holy Sacrament that 's the fourth thing hungry and thirsty desires after Christ from a deep sence of the need of him and the apprehension of the excellency in him 5. In the fift place there must be an exercise of faith for the Sanctifying of Gods Name here Faith that is both the hand and the mouth of the taking of this spiritual meat and spiritual drink when thou comest to the Feast of the Lord Faith first is the eye and then the hand and mouth it is the eye of thy soul to give a real sight to what there is here you are not able to discern the body of the Lord but by the eye of Faith if thou comest only with bodily eyes to look upon what is here thou seest nothing but a little Bread and Wine but now where the eye of Faith is there is a real apperance of Jesus Christ to the soul as if Christ were bodily present and we need not have the bread truned in to his body for Faith cannot see the body of Christ through the bread and the blood of Christ gushing in the Wine And it is a mighty thing to have Christ and such sprituall things made real and not to be a fansie If one look upon the fire that is painted one cannot heat ones self in cold wether with that but fire that is really burning upon the harth so those that come to receive the Sacrament and not come with Faith that have only the eye of their bodies they only see as it were a painted Christ they do not see Christ really his body and blood and those great mysteries of the Gospel are not presented as real things to their souls and hence it is that they go away and get nothing but now when the soul comes with the eye of Faith the soul sees the
wonderful things of God it is the most glorious sight in the world al the glory of God in the Heavens and Earth is not like this Sight of Jesus Christ and the mysteries of the Gospel that do appear to the eye of Faith therefore you may by this know whether you have come with Faith or no to the Sacrament whether you have seen the most glorious Sight that ever your eyes did behold Alas with our natural eyes we behold a Minister coming with a piece of Bread and a little Wine but when the eye of Faith is opened then we behold the glorious things of the Gospel Many times when you come to hear the Word your hearts burn within you as they that went to Emaus but when you are breaking bread the eye of Faith that must look upon Jesus Christ and in this sense those that have pierced Christ must look upon him that Scripture is fulfilled in Zachariah 12. latter end They shall look on him whom they have pierced by their Sins and then mourn and lament This eye of Faith will cause mourning and lamenting for Sin And then As Faith is the eye to make what is here real 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 unto his Disciples saying Take eat this Take it how shal we take it By reaching out of the hand if you sanctifie Gods Name in this Ordinance as you reach out your hand to take the Bread and Wine so there must be an actual reaching out of the soul by Faith putting forth an act of Faith to receive Jesus Christ unto the soul to apply the Lord Jesus Christ unto thy soul with all his merits and good things that he hath purchased when the Minister doth give out that Ordinance 〈◊〉 should look upon God the Father giving out his Son as if this were your condition I am now in the presence of the eternal Father who now doth actually give out his Son to my soul and saith Soul here receive a new this day my Son with all that he hath purchased for thy good now then the soul 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 Son as my life as my Savior as the Fountain of all my good in whom I expect all the good I am like to have either here or to all eternity so that there must be a stirring up of the act of faith in an actual taking of Christ if thou beest a Beleever Canst thou remember what thou didst when first thou didst take Jesus Christ when the Lord in the preaching of His word did reveal Jesus Christ to my soul what didst thou then Oh soul how did thy soul work in closing with Christ as thy soul did then in closing with Christ so it must now renew the work there must be a renewal of the work at that time So that when you come to the Sacrament you must not think that it is then a time to listen to doubts fears and Scruples no but it is a time that God cals for the exercise of faith the casting of the soul upon Christ and His merits for life and for salvation or else the Name of God is not sanctified as it ought thou doest not Sanctifie Gods Name when thou art busying thy soul in doubts and scruples in thy receiving of the Sacrament And then faith is as the mouth when thou comest to eat and drink how canst thou if thou hast not a mouth thou hast a bodily mouth to take in Bread and Wine but know that without faith thy soul cannot take in Christ faith is as it were the mouth that is by the act of faith the soul doth open it self for Jesus Christ and not only opens it self but takes in Christ to the soul and makes Christ and the soul as one as our Bread and Wine is made one with our Body so faith takes in Christ and makes him as one with thee and turns Christ into the nourishment of thy soul and thou and Christ by faith are made as truly one as the Bread and Wine that is put into thy Body is made one with thy body This is the work of faith without which we cannot Sanctifie the Name of God Sixthly There must be spiritual Joy that must be exercised here for it is a feast here we come to sit with Christ at his Table we come as Children to our fathers Table and to sit there with Jesus Christ our Elder Brother now as a father doth not love to have his child sit in a sullen and dogged way at his Table or to be crying but he would have the child sit in comfort and with a holy cheerfulnes with a holy freedom of spirit not in a sullen way but as a child in the presence of his father and not as a servant with the master Obiect You told us before that there should be brokenness of spirit and sence of our sin Answ That may be and joy we rejoyce with trembling therefore that brokennese of spirit that I meant must not be slavish horror and fear but a kindly melting of the soul from the apprehension of the love of God unto it in Jesus Christ that was willing to be at so great cost to purchase the pardon of sin such a gracious mourning as may stand with joy and the truth is that that sorrow for sin in the Sacrament that is not mixt with joy is a sorrow that doth not Sanctifie Gods Name godly sorrow and evangelical joy may stand together very well And therefore know that this is not the time neither to give liberty to have your hearts sink no there must be no sinking sorrow of heart but such a sorrow of heart as in the midst of it you may be able to look upon God as a reconciled Father to you and have a cheerfulness of spirit as in the presence of God you must look upon your selves as Gods guests to be merry at his Table now this is a great mystery of godliness that there should be at the same time the sight of Christ crucified and yet at the same time a spiritual cheerfulness in the assurance of the love of God in Jesus Christ I say it is a mystery and only those that are Beleevers are able to understand this mystery how to have their hearts break and yet how to rejoyce at the same time in that unspeakable love of God that is here presented unto them in this Sacrament Seventhly In the next place There must be thankfulness 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
will pray then it seems that the main matter of your prayer is onlie for your selves but how hath the matters of the Glorie of the great God and the good of the Churches taken your hearts all this while how have your hearts been affected with this that the Name of God hath been so little sanctified in the world and that the Kingdom of God hath not come and that the Will of God hath not been done have these things taken up your heart in prayer the matters of the Glorie of God and the good of Churches though your selves have not anie particular interest in them if these things did but take up your hearts in Prayer then when you are at Sea you would remember the cause of the Churches as much as your selves the Church is as it were in the midst of the Sea tost up and down and in a great storm now why do not you pray as earnestly for the Kingdom of Christ among his Churches as for your selves when you are in a strom at sea yea and spiritual things should be the chief matter of your prayer for they are the nearest to the glory of God though God hath his glory from other things yet spiritual things are neerest the glory of God now in these daies of prayer many will come to pray that they might be freed from danger that they might have outward peace this is good but spiritual things are the chief things and therefore the strength of your spirits should be thus powered forth to God Oh that I could get my heart to God and the assurance of the love of God! Oh that I could get the shine of his face Oh that I could get power over such and such corruptions And I beseech you observe this That spiritual things may be prayed for absolutly but outward things must be prayed for conditionally I may pray and never put any condition in at all That the Lord would pardon my sins and help me against my corruptions c. But when I pray for the health of my body I ought to pray if this be according to thy wil then restore me to the health of my body or the health of my husband or the health of my wife but thou maiest pray Lord convert the soul of my husband or the soul of my wife without any condition at al When your estates at sea are in danger when you pray for them you must make conditions Lord as thou seest best for me so do thou deale with me this shewes the excellency that there is in spirituall things above outward things surely spiritual things are more to be desired for they are to be prayed for absolutly and the others to be prayed for only conditionally That 's for the first In the second place We are to pray for our owne good God doth give us leave to do so onely here comes in a Question Quest Whether it be sinfull to pray for afflictions as somtimes some will be ready to do Answ To that I answer frist Take it absolutely considered we may not pray that God would afflict us because afflione is in its self materially an evil thing and a fruit of the curse therefore we may not I say absolutely pray for it but thus far we may pray for afflictions disjunctively conditionally comparatively Disjunctively thus Lord either grant unto me a sanctified use of such a mercie or otherwise let me rather be without it let me have a sanctified use of my siknes or otherwise let my sickness be continued to me thus now you may pray for continuing in sickness Or thus conditionally ' Lord if thou seest that my heart be so vile and wretched that I will abuse through my corruption such and such mercies Lord rather take them from me and let me be without them if thou seest that there be no way to break this proud heart of mine but such a way Lord let that be thy way to break it if thou seest it according to thy will as the fittest way Then comparatively thus Lord rather let me have any afffiction then sin rather let me suffer loss of my estate than sin against thee than depart from thee any thing Lord rather than sin Thus you may pray for afflictions but not absolutly You must not pray that God would send you afflictions absolutely for you do not know your hearts it may be if afflictions should come your hearts may be as stubborn under your afflictions as they are now for affliction hath no power in it self to do us any good And then for the good of others for Christ teaches us to pray Our Father c. There comes in here a rebuke of the wicked practice of divers in cursing and then a question about it It is a wicked thing to use curses but it 's a most wicked thing to wish evil to others in way of prayer yet how manie doe so though it may be they do not think it they speak to God and desire him to bring such and such evils upon their neighbors yea somtimes parents upon their children this is a wicked practice of men what is it not wickedness enough for thee to have any desire that there should any evil befall thy brother but wilt thou dare to presume to call God to be an instrument of the execution of thy base sinfull wrath that God must be a drudg as it were to thy wrath and to thy passion this is abominable wickedness Any of you that ever have been guilty of this sin of cursing others Wives Children Servants or Friends the Lord rebuke you for this sin how far hast thou been from sanctifying Gods Name in Prayer whereas instead of sanctifying the holy Name of God thou hast called God to be a servant and a drudg to thy passion God must be call'd to help the venting of thy passion Oh! remember this you that have been at Sea and have been angry and things not going according to your mind have fallen a cursing and wishing such and such evils might come upon those you are angrie with that 's a kind of prayer but it 's a most fearful taking the Name of God in vain in the highest degree and certainlie God will not hold him guiltless that shall so take his Name in vain therefore be humbled for this sin Object But you will say Do not we reade in the Book of Psalms where many times the Prophet David doth curse the Enemies of God and wishes evil to come upon them Answ To that I answer First That the Prophet and those that pen'd the Psalms they had a prophetical spirit and those places that you reade that are in a way of cursing they are rather prophetical predictions of evil than direful imprecations they are rather fore-telling what shall be in a way of prophesie than wishing what should be Secondly If they be wishing what should be then I answer That those which were endued with such a prophetical spirit they did know who were
abominable thoughts rising from the stream and corruption of their hearts such thoughts as their hearts do close withal in prayer and they can roll those thoughts about in their minds as a Child will roll a piece of Sugar in its mouth and this is the wickedness of manie men and womens hearts Take but this one Note with you That all those dreadful vile unclean covetous thoughts of thine in Prayer they have been to God as if you had spoken them in words thoughts to God are all one with him as words are to men for God is a Spirit and the Spirit doth converse with God in thoughts as well as men do converse with men in words and what a woful guiltines would have been upon you had you spoken such vile and wicked things to men as somtimes hath been in your minds even when you have been praying to God how would the company have even spit in your faces and kick'd you from them none that have any face of godliness would have endured you in their company and yet here 's the evil of it your hearts are not troubled but you rise off your knees and away you go thou hast a cauterised conscience a seared conscience that canst entertain such vile thoughts at any time without having thy spirit afflicted and going away with shame and confusion as if the greatest evil had befallen thee therefore take heed of this SERMON XIV Leviticus 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE are first to sanctifie Gods Name in regard of the matters of our Prayers And secondly in regard of the manner For the first we made an end of it the last day and came unto the manner and there where two things mentioned First That we must pray with understandining Secondly we must give up our selves to Prayer Now in the close of the exercise we had occasion to fall upon that Argument about the wandering of our thoughts in Prayer and by that we come to take Gods name in vain instead of sanctifying of His Name God expects that we should have our thoughts and wills and affection our whol souls acting upon him in the duty of prayer or els we do not pray to God as unto a God vain thoughts in Prayer doe pick up the Sacrifice like the brids that Abraham drove away from the Sacrifice that they should not pick it Wicked lusts in mens hearts are like swine to take the meat and al to hale it in the dirt so their Prayers are filthy and durty with their lusts but those that are otherwise Godly yet by their vaine thoughts the beauty and excellency of there prayers is taken away as Wine and Beer that have the spirits of them gone so the life and spirit of our duties are gone by our vain thoughts and therefore vain thoughts do dead the heart very much So saith David in the 119. Psal Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity and quicken me in thy Law while our eyes look upon vanity there will be no quickness in our hearts in any service that we tender up to God now many of Gods people have experience of the evil of this and they groan under the burden of this as I said the last time if so be that the Lord should speak from Heaven to them and ask them what he should have they having already the asurance of his love in Christ they would ask the deliverance from a vain spirit in the performance of 〈◊〉 Duties Bring no vain Oblation saith God in Isa 1. 13. Oh what vain Oblation do we bring by the vanity of our thoughts in prayer 'T is true the best of us al will have vain thoughts somtimes but yet as one compares the vain thoughts of men in paryer like to a Spaniel that goes out with a man he walkes perhaps but half a mile but the Spaniel will be runing up and down this way and that way and if all the space of ground which the Spaniel hath gone over should me measured it may be while you are walking half a mile the Spaniel fetching compasses here and there would be halfe a dozen miles so our fances are like a Spaniel which will have fetches about this way and that way in a thousand vain thoughts but thus now it is with a godly man as a Spaniel though running from his master yet if he give him a call he is able to call him to him presently and it were well if it were so with us though our fances be wild yet if we were able to call in our fances and to have them at command it were well with us And I find very much that those that are new comers they complane much of the vanity of their thoughts they were wount to pray before and they never had such vane thoughts as now they have the reason why there is so much vanity of thoughts or at least so much taken notice of It is first because there is but a little grace in the midst of a great deal of corruption in yong converts like a spark of fire in the midst of a great deal of ashes now if there lies a heap of ashes and nothing else you do not stir them but if there be ashes and some fire then you will stir them and be blowing those sparks to kindle another fire by Now when you come to make any motion then the ashes wil flie about wheras before they lay still So it is here before God wrought upon thy heart there was nothing else but ashes upon thy soul and then they lay still but now God hath kindled some sparks of grace in thy heart and God is blowing them up to a greater heat and is bringing of them to a flame upon this motion that is in thy heart and the stirring to kindle those sparks further in thy heart it is that the ashes of thy corruption do as it were flie about thine ears and that there is such stirrings of corruption more than there was before 't is not because there is more corruption than there was formerly but before there being nothing else but corruption it lay still and now because there is something else therefore it is that corruption doth so stir and besides you know a man that was wont to keep lewd company if God turn him that he will keep that company no more at first he shall be more troubled with them than he was before and they will keep oftener knocking at his door and laboring to get him to them again so 't is here when the soul vanity and lusts were as friends together there was no disturbance and taking notice of any thing then but now when the soul is casting out those sinful distempers and will have no more of them they for the present will be more importunate active and stirring than they were before And besides the Lord doth this to humble thy heart the more that thereby thou mayest come to see the great
corruption that was in thy soul before the working of thy corruptions will discover much evil in thy heart that thou didst not think was there before when the corruptions of men and women lie still they think there is no such thing in their souls as your civil men what 's the reason that they bless themselves and think they are in a good condition it 's because their corruptions lie still in them and do not stir they cannot beleeve what abundance of wickedness there is in their hearts if God should open the wickedness that there is in the hearts of men naturally and so all unregenerate men they would think you spake strange riddles whereas they bless themselves they bless God they know no such thing in their hearts No yes there are such things only they are not stir'd but they lie quiet as mud in the bottom of a pond there it is yet you cannot see it till it be stir'd at first conversion I say the Lord suffers thy corruption thus to stir that he may discover to thee what an evil heart thou hast what abundance of sin there is in thy heart and therefore your yong converts they look upon themselves as more loathsom and vile than ever they thought they had been And besides The Devil sees it a vain thing to tempt a yong Convert to any gross act of sin when conscience hath life and power in it he shall never prevail that way but now he thinks he may prevail to disturb them with vain thoughts and therefore he laies his strength most that way therefore let not such be discouraged that find their spirits anoyed and pestred with them if they make them to be the burden of their souls notwithstanding much vanity of thoughts the Lord will accept of any desire that they have to sanctifie his Name in holy Duties And I shal give you these three or four Rules to help you against these wandring and vain thoughts in holy Duties and especially in Prayer First When thou goest to prayer account it to be a great work set a high price upon thy prayer not as having any excellency in it as it comes from thee but set an 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 an high price upon prayer at every time thou art going to prayer Lord I am now setting upon a work that is of very great consequence and much lies upon it and I would account it to be a sore and a great evil to me if I should lose but this prayer this would be a special means to compose thy spirit and to keep thee from wandring as Nehemiah in Nehem. 6. 3. a place which I have sometimes quoted upon such an occasion when the enemies of Nehemiah that would hinder the building of the Temple sent to him that they might talk together no saith he I am doing a great work to that I cannot come down so when the Devil and the vanity of thine own heart would send to thee to parly and talk as it were with thee give an answer I cannot stand parlying with these things the work that I am about is a great work there are verie few people that do account the work of prayer a great work if thou didst it would help thee much against the vanitie of thy thoughts Secondly Every time thou goest to prayer thou that art most troubled with such vain thoughts renew thy resolutions against them I have been troubled with vain thoughts heretofore and am afraid if I look not to it that I shall lose this Prayer also and therefore O Lord here I renew my resolutions to set against them in this prayer with all my might it is very much that may be done with 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 ago it hath little power over him but now when a man hath resolved upon a thing but this morning and just at the time when he is going about it now he doth resolve upon it and set himself upon it and doth resolve through the Grace of God that whatsoever difficultie he meets withal whatsoever it cost him that he will go through this work I say that resolutions renewed have a great deal of power and you cannot imagine what a great deal of power the renewing of resolution against vain thoughts will have if they were renewed everie time thou goest to prayer until thou gettest power over thy thoughts do but make trial of this thou hast lost many a prayer by vain thoughts and thou hast been troubled for them and yet they come again do but trie for this week as I remember I said in the point of passion and anger that we should resolve with our selves well whatsoever falls out this morning I am resolved I will bear it so bethink thy self how many Prayers thou hast lost by vain thoughts and now renew thy resolutions and Covenant with God that for this Prayer I will set my self against them whatsoever pains I take I will be sure yet withal to look up to Gods Grace to assist me I will be sure this prayer to keep my heart close to what I am about and perhaps that will help you a little but yet some vain thoughts wil come for all that then the next night renew them again and the next morning renew them again and that till thou comest to a habit of keeping thy heart close to the dutie though now thou feelest thy heart so wild that thou thinkest it is impossible to bring it into order but certainly by such a means thy heart will be brought into order Thirdly Be sure to set the presence of God before you in prayer have a real sight of the infinite Greatness Majestie and Glorie of that you present your selves unto when you are calling upon him if so be that thou canst be a real sight of God in his Glorie it will keep thy heart close to the dutie as if a man be wandring with his eyes and looking after everie feather if the King or some great person come into the room all his thoughts would be about the King or the great person that were coming in so if you would present the Lord in his Glorie and Greatness Excellencie Majestie and Power before you and what a dreadful God he is in himself and yet what a merciful God he is to us in his Son this would mightily compose our hearts certainly men and women that are so wandring in their prayers it is because their eyes are not open to look upon God in his Glorie they are as it were dreaming and do not apprehend that God stands and looks upon them and observes them and that God takes notice of everie wandring thought that comes from them
they do not consider that God doth converse with the thoughts of men as well as men do with the words of men that 's the third Rule Fourthly Take heed thou beest not deceived because that those thoughts thou hast in prayer do not appear to be verie evil in themselves This is a great deceit and hinders manie in the sanctifying of Gods Name in Prayer there is sometimes darted in some vain thoughts now because the thought hath no great evil in it self therefore they think they may play with it and their hearts close with it and so run along with it as the fish doth with the bait if the Devil casts in a thought of blasphemie that makes thee quake and shake but if thy thoughts have no great evil in them but they are slight things matters of no moment one way or other upon that thy heart begins to be dandling and playing with them therefore remember this Rule That in the time of prayer whatsoever thoughts be in thy mind that do not concern the present dutie they are sinful before God though the thoughts for the matter of them be never so good yet thou art to abandon them as sinful at that time Therefore never be deceived with this that the thoughts are not verie sinful that 's another Rule In the last place observe this Rule If ever God hath helped thee at any time in prayer that thy heart hath been kept close to a dutie and thou hast had communion with him bless God for that bless God for that help 't is a Rule of verie great use for us to get further assistance from God in any thing if so be our hearts be enlarged to bless God for any assistance we have had heretofore and the reason why we gain and prosper so little in our Christian course it is because we do not take notice of what God hath done for us to give God glorie for mercies formerly received and therefore God takes little or no delight in coming in with further mercies to us as if you had a yong Nurserie of Trees and they began to thrive very well but there comes a companie of Caterpillars and spoils almost all the yong Trees that are set only two or three are kept from the Caterpillars a man goes into his Orchard and looks upon his Trees and this is spoiled and that is spoiled but he sees two or three and these flourish fairly and these are full of Buds and are like to come to something and he rejoyces mightily in those because they are sav'd when so manie others are spoil'd and so do thou view thy Prayers and consider how many nie hath been spoiled as it were by these Caterpillars for I compare wandring vain thoughts in Prayer unto Caterpillars that are upon the trees and we see that if stormy rainy weather comes the Caterpillars will fall and one would think that these blustering storms and the hand of God that hath been out against us should have clensed our thoughts and souls from these Caterpillars that have been upon our duties but manie duties have been spoiled yet thou maiest say that through Gods mercie such a morning in my closet the Lord hath preserved a prayer to himself and I have gotten power over this vain heart of mine bless God for this and so the Spirit of God will be more readie to come in and help thee another time But thus much shall suffice to speak to this That 's the second thing we must give up our selves wholly to this dutie The third thing for the sanctifying of Gods Name in Prayer is this There must be the breathings of the Spirit of God otherwise Gods Name is not sanctified that in Rom. 8. 26. is cleer for this Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered If any of you should say How can we sanctifie Gods Name we are poor and weak we can do little Mark it is said here That the Spirit helpeth our infirmities to pray and the word is exceeding emphatical in the original in your books it is but meerly helping our infirmities but the meaning of the word is In these two things the Spirit helps that is look how a man that is taking up an heavie piece of Timber at one end he alone cannot get it up but there comes another and takes it up at the other end and so helps him the word signifies such a kind of helping as when a man takes a thing at the other end or on the other side one standing the one way and the other standing the other way or one taking up one end and the other the other end that is the meaning of it he helps our infirmities the poor soul is pulling and tugging with its own heart and finds his heart heavie and dull like a log in a ditch And have not many of you found your hearts so but now when you are tugging with your hearts and would fain 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 helps you to lift it up If a Child were at one end of the log and that were but light and the other end very heavie 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 helps 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 Alas what can I do it must be the Spirit of God that must do it It 's true he doth all First he gives converting and habitual grace and assisting and actuating grace but now when the Spirit hath wrought grace so as to convert the heart and hath given habitual grace in thy heart why then when the Spirit comes to assist it doth expect that thou shouldest stir 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 helps together with us noting that we are to put forth what strength we have and thus Gods Name will be sanctified when as we putting forth the graces of the Spirit in us then the Spirit comes and helps and what comes from us now comes from the breathings of the holy Spirit in us and then God who knows the meaning of the Spirit will know now the meaning of our sighs and groans therfore when thou art going to prayer thou art to eye the Spirit of God thou art by the eye of faith to look upon the Spirit of God and to cast thy