acting upon the mercy of God in giving Jesus Christ for the nourishment of thy soul to eternal life as if thou didst hear a voice from heaven saying here is the body of my Son given for thee particularly take it and eat apply it to thee and so make Christ one with thee by faith as the bread is made one with thy body when thou doest eat it And then when thou comest to take hold of the bread thou art to put forth an act of faith faith being as the hand of the soul and at that instant when thou takest the bread and puttest it into thy mouth to eat thou shouldest stir up the act of faith a fresh laying more hold upon Jesus Christ look as once thou didst in thy first conversion when Christ was presented to thee in the word or in any other way there was an act of faith drawn forth whereby thy soul did cast it self and roule it selfe upon Jesus Christ so shouldest thou renew it renew the same work of faith that thou didst find in thy very first conversion and thereby thou shalt come to have renewed comfort in the renewing of that act I might name thee other graces and dispositions how there should be a stirring an acting of them only remember I leave all this point with this note that grace is not enough for partaking the Sacrament of the Lords Supper except there be an acting and a stirring up of that grace many Christians are careful to prepare and examine before whether they have grace or no but at that time when they come to receive then there is not a lively working and stirring of that grace and so they come to lose the comfort and benefit of that Ordinance Thus much shall suffice for this point of sanctifying Gods Name in receiving the holy Communion I shall now come to the last point which is the sanctifying the Name of God in Prayer Sanctifying the Name of God in Prayer NOw this argument might take us up many Sermons but upon occasion of the dayes of Prayer and Humiliation I have preached divers Sermons about the point of Prayer therefore I shall be briefe and only now reckon up together and set before your view the severall things that are to bee done for the Sanctifying of the Name of God in Prayer First for Prayer in that wee draw nigh to God and it 's a duty of Gods worship that I suppose all of you cannot but acknowledge and that it is a natural duty of worship the other was instituted but this is natural its natural for the creature to draw nigh to God in prayer wherein the creature tenders up his homage to God and manifests his profession of his dependance upon God for all good that he hath and acknowledges God as the Author of all good therefore this is worship and it 's a great part of worship Prayer it is such a part of worship as sometimes in Scripture it 's put for the whole worship of God He that cals upon the Name of God shall be sav'd that is he that worships God aright Jerem. 10.25 and Powre out thy wrath upon the Heathen that know thee not and on the families that call not on thy Name that do not pray that is that do not worship thee there one part of worship is put for the whole as being a principal part of the worship of God Surely we must sanctifie Gods Name in Prayer for it is that that sanctifies all things to us 1 Tim. 4.5 Every thing is sanctified by the word of God and prayer And if the argument of Christ was right as no question but it was that the Temple was greater than the gold upon the Temple because the Temple did sanctifie the gold and the Altar was greater than the offering that was offered upon it because it did sanctifie the offering then Prayer must needs be a mighty great Ordinance a greater thing than any other because that it sanctifies all things The word sanctifies the creatures but prayer sanctifies the very word unto our use and therefore when we reade the word we are to pray for a sanctified use of the word Prayer is a great Ordinance a great duty of worship that sanctifies all prayer hath a casting voice as I may say in all the great works of God in the world the great affaires of the Kingdome of God the Kingdome of his power and the Kingdome of Christ I say prayer hath a kind of a casting voice and doth order under God the great things of the world they are according to the prayers of the Saints they bring down blessings vpon the godly they powre forth judgements on the wicked the prayers of the Saints they are the vyalls that are powred forth in a speciall manner upon the heads of the wicked therefore Gods Name is to be Sanctified in Prayer It is to be sanctified first in preparation Psalme 10.17 Thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt cause thine ear to hear it is the Lord that prepareth the heart and then he causes his eare to hear and therefore in 1 Pet. 5.7 we are there required to watch unto prayer men and women should keep a narrow watch over their hearts and minds that they may not be hindred in their prayers that they may be alwaies in a fit posture to pray watch unto prayer it 's that that would help us against many temptations to evil if I give way to such and such temptations it will hinder my prayers I shall not have that freedom and inlargment in prayer as otherwise if I give way to such and such things therefore let me take heed of this for it will hinder my prayers As if the Apostle should say this should be the care of Christians then they are like to sanctifie the Name of God in prayer if this be their great care that there is nothing in the world that shall hinder their prayers O let me take heed I do nothing to hinder my prayers if I go abroad into company and am merry and jocond and there game and drink and sport my self in company will not thiâ— hinder my prayers will not this hinder the spiritualâ—â—sse of my heart in Communion with God in prayer when I â—ome home at night I appeal to you have you had that freedâ—m in prayer afterwards surely no therefore watch unto prayer Now for the preparation of the heart to prayer we must understand either First What is to be done in the course of ones life or Secondly What 's to be done just when one comes to prayer For the first the course of ones life labour to keep al things even and clear between God and your soules that so you may not come with shakels about your legs with guiltiness I mean upon your consciences men that have given way to any base sinful way when they come to prayer the guilt of their hearts doth even sink them but those that can keep their peace with God
estate of those that do not Sanctifie God in his Word Page 200 1 They lose the choicest opportunity ibid 2 The Word will be a great aggravation of sin ibid 3 They that reject the Word reject Christ Page 201 4 It is an Argument of hardness of heart Page 202 5 It is a sad s gn of Reprobation ibid 6 To such there can be nothing sanctified Page 203 7 They are nigh to a curse ibid 8 It will turn to their damnation Page 205 9 It will not comfort them in afflictions Page 206 10 God will make his word good upon them Page 207 11 The word shall judge them ibid 12 God will blast them that sanctifie not his name in his word Page 208 Use 2 Exhortation to glorifie the Word of God Page 209 God will Sanctifie His Name in mercy upon those that sanctifie it in hearing the word Page 210 1 All the good in the world is theirs ibid 2 It is a certain evidence of their election Page 213 3 God will Sanctifie them by the word Page 214 4 They will be the glory of the Ministers at the day of Christ ibid 5 It will rejoyce them hereafter when God shall magnifie His word Page 215 SERMON XI Of Sanctifying the Name of God in Receiving the Sacrament Page 225 1 Receiving the Sacrament is a part of Gods Worship Page 226 2 Gods Name must be Sanctified in our Receiving the Sacrament Page 228 1 Because there are presented the greatest mysteries of salvation ibid 2 It is an Ordinance that Christ hath left out of His love ibid 3 It is the Sacrament of our Communion with Christ Page 229 4 The Covenant of Grace is sealed in it ibid 2 No duty is urged with more strength and severity ibid 3 Nothing striks more upon mens Consciences Page 230 How many are to Sanctifie Gods Name in the Sacrament Page 231 1 Those that receive it must be holy Page 232 1 Because it is the seal of the Covenant ibid 2 It is an Ordinance of spiritual 〈◊〉 Page 233 3 Because we are required to examine our selves ibid 4 It is a Sacrament of Communion with God and the Saints Page 234 2 It must be received in a holy Communion ibid Wicked men not to be admitted to this Communion Page 235 SERMON XII Addition to the former concerning holy Commuion Page 242 The qualifications in the soul to fit it for receiving the Lords Supper Page 244 1 Knowledge ibid 2 A broken heart Page 246 3 Actual purging the heart from sin Page 249 4 Hungring and thirsting after Jesus Christ Page 251 5 Exercise of faith Page 252 6 Exercise of Spirituall joy Page 255 7 Thankfulness ibid 8 Renewing of Covenant Page 257 9 Renewing of love towards God and our brethren Page 258 SERMON XIII We must keep to the institution in the Sacrament Page 261 1 For the gesture Page 262 2 Delivering it to all in generall and not into every particular mans hand Page 264 3 That the Communicants be all the while exercised in their thoughts about the death of Christ Page 265 Meditations in receiving the Sacrament Page 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 Page 268 4 It was the body and blood of that person that is God that reconciles us ibid. 5 To consider the dreadfulnesse of Gods justice ibid 6 The price of saving a Soul Page 269 7 The greatnesse of the evill of sin ibid. 8 The infinite love of God to mankinde ibid. 9 That beleevers shall be nourished to eternall life ibid. 10 To meditate upon the Covenant of grace to beleevers Page 270 Holy dispositions to be actuated in receiving the Sacrament Page 271 Of Sanctifying the name of God in Prayer Page 272 What preparation we are to make to Prayer Page 274 1 Concerning the matter of Prayer Page 276 2 Concerning the manner of Prayer Page 280 Concerning wandring thoughts in Prayer Page 281 SERMON XIV A further enlargement concerning wandring thoughts in Prayer Page 283 5 Rules to helpe against wandring thoughts Page 286 1 Set a high price upon the duties of Prayer ibid. 2 To renew resolutions against wandring thoughts Page 287 3 To set the presence of God before us Page 288 4 To account all wandring thoughts evill ibid. 5 To blesse God if at any time he did help us against them Page 289 3 For sanctifying Gods name in Prayer there must be the breathings of the spirit Page 289 4 There must be pure hearts and hands Page 292 5. Wee must call upon God in truth ibid. What it is to call upon God in truth ibid. 6 Wee must pray in faith Page 293 7 In the spirit of adoption Page 294 8 Wee must pray with constancy Page 295 9 We must pray in humility ib. 10 We must tender up al our prayers in the name of Christ Page 296 Conclusion of all Page 297 FINIS THREE TREATISES OF Mr. Ieremiah Burroughs VIZ. 1. The rare Iewel of Christian Contentment Wherein is shewed 1. What it is 2. The holy Art or Mystery of it 3. Several Lessons that Christ teacheth to work the Heart to Contentment 4. The excellencies of it 5. The evils of Murmuring 6. The aggravations of that sin II. Gospel-Worship Wherein is shewed 1. The right maner of Sanctifying the Name of God in general and particularly in these three great Ordinances 1. Hearing the Word 2. Receiving the Lords-Supper 3. Prayer III. Gospel-Conversation Wherein is shewed 1. That the Conversation of Believers must be above what could be by the light of Nature 2. Beyond those that lived under the Law Suitable to what Truths the Gospel holds forth Published by Thomas Goodwin William Greenhill Sydrach Simpson Philip Nye William Bridge John Yates William Adderly London Printed for Peter Cole at the Printing-Press in Cornhil neer the Royal Exchange and Richard Westbrook 1648. Gospel-worship OR The right manner of drawing nigh to God in general And particularly in these three great Ordinances Viz. 1 Hearing of the Word 2 Receiving the Lords Supper 3 Prayer LEVITICUS 10.3 Then Moses said unto Aaron This is it that the Lord spake saying I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the People I will be glorified And Aaron held his peace THESE words are the speech of Moses to Aaron his Brother endeavouring to quiet and comfort his heart which was no question exceedingly troubled upon that great and sore affliction that was upon him in the strange death of his two sons Nadab Abihu the story is this After Aarons sons were consecrated to the Priestly Office they coming to attend this their Office the very first day after their consecration to offer Incense unto God they ventured to offer Incense with strange fire with other fire than God had appointed Upon that the fire of Gods wrath broke out upon them
not see how Christ was under those elements both represented and exhibited unto them that 's the first thing there must be knowledge and understanding And now for the knowledge and understanding of the nature of the Sacrament there need be knowledge in other points of Religion for we can never come to understand the nature of this Sacrament without knowing God and knowing our selves knowing in what estate we were by nature knowing our Fall knowing the way of Redemption knowing Jesus Christ what he was and what he hath done for the making of an Atonement the necessity of Jesus Christ and what the way of the Covenant is that God hath appointed to bring mens souls to eternal life by The main points of Religion must be known but especially that that concerns the nature of a Sacrament Now this knowledge likewise must be actual not meerly habitual knowledge but there must be a stirring up of this knowledge that is by meditation I must be meditating have actual thoughts and meditations of what Ido know that ought to be the work of a Christian in coming to receive the Sacrament to quicken up his knowledge to have a renewed work of his knowledge by actual thoughts and meditations of the main points of Religion and especially of th 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 it's heart must 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 for 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 and 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 crucifyed 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 lie goveling 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 nailed 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 have Christ to be crucified again before your eyes if you should see the body of Christ hanging upon the Crosse 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 amomg 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 letting 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 their hearts there was indeed a naturalness in it that if they did behold Christ it might break their 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 all the riches of the Covenant of grace to the soul there may be expected here a further blessing than in the other though its 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
and casts its self 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 Saviour 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 thy soul what didst thou then Oh soul how did thy soule work in closing with Christ as thy soule did then in closing with Christ so it must now renew the work there must be a renewall of the worke at that time So that when you come to the Sacrament you must not 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 soule 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 soule cannot take in Christ faith is as it were the mouth that is by the act of faith the soul doth open it selfe for Jesus Christ and not only opens it selfe but takes in Christ to the soule and makes Christ and the 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 set in a sullen and dogged way at his Table or to be crying but he would have the child set in comfort and with a holy cheerfulness 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 Object 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 brokennesse of Spirit that I meant must not bee slavish horrour and feare 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 evangelâ—cal joy may stand together very well And therefore know that this is not the time neither to give liberty to have your hearts â—nk 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 guest 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 thankfulnesse therefore it is called the Eucharist and in one of the Evengelists where it is said Christ blest the bread in another it is said Christ gave thanks Christ when he instituted this 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 that did cost him his life yea saith Christ I see that here is a way to save soules and let it cost me my life if it will yet I blesse thee O Father if soules may come to be sav'd though it cost me my life Christ rejoyced in his Spirit in thanking his Father for this then how should our hearts be inlarged with thankfulnesse 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 eate your owne bread without giving of thankes but when we come to have this bread this bread of life here is matter of thankfulnesse here is matter of enlargement of soul thou that hast the deadest and dullest soule and straightest Spirit yet when thou comest hither and understandest what thou doest here thou canst not but see matter for the enlargement of thy heart and wish that thou hadst ten thousand thousand times more strength to expresse the praises of the Lord here is a thing that must be the subject of the Hallelujahs and doxologies that Angels and Saints must for ever sound out in the highest heavens dost thou know what the Lord presents to thee here It is more 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 blesse him then only when God in the Bread and wine reaches out to thee the body blood of his Son here is more matter of praise than if ten thousand thousand worlds were given to thee and therefore God expects that thou shouldest say to thy soule my soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy Name blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities who healeth all thy diseases O poor soule here is the foundation of all mercies dost thou praise God for justification for sanctification here is a glorious application of the mercy of God to
speak to more afterward 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 of er a present to men we know how we prepare and with what suitable presence we desire to offer but of that afterward when we come to speak of Sanctifying Gods Name 2 Secondly Remember when I come to Worship God I come to set my self before the Lord in those ways that God doth let out the choice of His Mercies to His people in I have many mercies from God in the enjoyment of the creature but when I come to Worship Him I expect the coÌ„munication of His mercy in another way then through any Creature in the World The duties of His Worship are the cheif ChaÌ„nels 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 abilityes to close with God to act my soul upon Him it must be put forth now at this time I am indeed at all times to labour to enâ—oy Communion with God when I see the creatures the Sun Moon and Stars to labour to lift up my heart to God and when I see the glory of God in the Sea and for my meat and drink I am to bless God and to acknowledge God in all but now when I come to Worship God then all the strength of my Soul is to be acted upon God in a more special manner I must then above all labour to stir up whatsoever I have in my soul to act upon God this is now to Worship God Secondly If to Worship God be to draw nigh to God hence we see the reasons why guilty consciences have little mind to the duties of Gods Worship When a man or woman hath given liberty to any licencious way sinned against their consciences if they have any light in their consciences it is one of the tediousest things in the World to come to the duties of Gods Worship they had rather do any thing than come to Holy duties as to prayer and especially to secret prayer A man or woman that hath an enlightened conscience and is under the guilt of sin the coming to God in holy duties is a very grievous burden to them Why Here 's the Reason Because to Worship God is to draw nigh to God and the guilt that is upon them hath made the presence of God terrible to them and therefore they had rather go into their company be merry eat drink sport or any thing rather 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 Childe somtimes 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 Parlour 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 bin abroad bin 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 not daunt thee Now is the presence of God in the very faces of his Saints terrible to a guilty conscience How terrible is the presence of God in His Ordinances then Indeed those men and women whose consciences are not enlightened but are ignorant and sottish they can sin against God and go into His presence without any trouble you shall have men swear and be drunken over-night and come to the Sacrament the next day What 's the reason Because there is no light in their consciences their consciences are in darkness they are besotted in their sin but I speak now of one who hath an enlightened conscience the presence of God is terrible to such a one A Third Use is this Here 's the Reason why Hypocrites do meet with such vengeance from God as they do I confesse we shall meet with this more especially afterwards only by the way take notice of it Hypocrites above all men may expect the severest judgments of God upon them because they come so nigh God for they come often to the duties of Gods Worship now they that will come so nigh Gods presence and come with base and ungodly hearts to cloak their villany of all in the world they must expect to have the severe vengeance of God let down upon them they that stand nighest the bullet must expect to have the strength of it to be the more upon them so when the wrath of God proceeds out upon sinners wicked men that stand nighest Him they have the greatest strok of Gods wrath but of that more when I come to the Third Point That God will be Sanctified in those that draw nigh Him The Fourth Use is this If to Worship God be to draw nigh Him then to neglect Gods Worship is to depart from Him that must needs follow And this is a dreadful thing it is the Sentence that shall be at the last day of Judgement Depart from me Thou now art willing to depart from God Oh consider of this you that neglect Worship the Worship of God in your families and in your Closets and in the Congregation in the Communion of the Saints thou hast little minded or regarded the Worship of God it may be all thy dayes what hast thou been doing all this while Thou hast been departing from God all this while when thy conscience shall be but enlightened and awakened to see how far thou art from God how terrible will it be to thee Remember this you
that have no mind to the duties of the Worship of God but love the Commission of sin you neglect Gods Worship you were wont to Worship Him in a constant way in your closets and families but now you grow more loose and so you grow more dead every day than other you go off from God more and more Surely there can be no good to neglect Gods Worship And those that are loth to Worship God because they cannot Worship Him as they ought from this Point it appears plainly That there can be no good gotten by neglecting Gods Worship for it is departing from God whatsoever plea there may be by any temptation to neglect Gods Worship certainly there is danger in it and therefore never listen to any such temptation as shall draw your hearts from the duties of Gods Worship There are a generation of wantons in these times that make little matter of continuing the duties of Gods Worship they were wont constantly to worship God and to attend upon the Word but now it is nothing to them and they are even ready to thank God for it that they make not such conscience as they were wont to do in the duties of the Worship of God It may be they will say That heretofore some slavish terror did carry them on in the duties of Gods Worship more than the understanding of the freeness of the grace of God would admit of But shall the understanding of the freedom of the grace of God carry thee on lesse than thy slavish terror did Oh blind and wanton spirit that knowest not the waies of God nor the freeness of the grace of God nor the riches of it Oh what a dishonour art thou to Jesus Christ and to the freeness of His grace that thou canst go up and down from day to day and never worship God! Did Jesus Christ come into the world to that end for to cause thee to depart more from God 'T is plain out of the Word That the duties of Gods Worship are those duties whereby the soul comes to draw nigh to God And I beseech you Brethren observe these men whether there be that Holiness in their lives that Spiritualness as there was wont to be No you shall find them by degrees to grow loose yea run sometimes into grose sins grow many times to lying and deceiving and to drunkenesse and company-keeping yea to worse things by degrees Perhaps they are at first ready to say Is thy Servant a dead Dogge that I should do this But by departing from God they grow dead to Holy duties we find it by experience That the professors of Religion have not that Holiness Heavenlyness Spiritualnes as they were wont to have in former times no merveil for now they keep not so nigh to God as they were wont You that are Sea-men and Travelours sometimes you are neer the Sun and then you are hot but the further off the Sun you go you grow to be colder and colder And so those that neglect the Worship of God they go from warm Sun they go from the light of Gods Countenance and from the presence of God and so they grow cold and chill and by degrees they grow to prophaness and it is to be feared that many of them wil grow to meer Athisme Another Use is this A Use of Exhortation that we would be encouraged to Worship God and to be much in the Worship of God In Heb. 10.22 Let us draw neer saith the Text Who would not draw neer to God Oh what a good thing is it to be in the presence of God! Is not the Lord the fountain of thy life Is it not a sweet thing to be in his presence We think it a sweet thing to be in the presence of godly men Oh that we might alwaies live with such men and be nigh them That Martyr Docter Taylor rejoyced in this That ever he came into Prison to be acquainted with that Angel of God holy Master Bradford and as I remember some among the heathens that profest they would rather be in prison with Calo than be in the greatest glory with some other It is a blessed thing to be in the presence of God to be with him that is the God of our lives and the fountain of all good let us draw nigh to God often let us know that it is a mercy that we may draw nigh to God we might have been banished from the presence of the Lord long e're this time This is that that the happiness of the glorious Church is set out by in Rev. 22.4 They shall see his face and his Name shall be in their foreheads This is the priviledge of the Church And that it is such a blessing to draw nigh to God you may see it by that in Eph. 2.18 For through him we both have an access by one spirit unto the Father Through him Through Christ we have access by one Spirit unto the Father and now saith he Ye that were strangers and forreiners are made fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God and vers 13. But now by Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were a far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ and you have access through Christ So our coming nigh to God is such a priviledge as cost the blood of Christ and will not you improve it You were far off in your natural condition but now you are nigh through his blood Lay but this text warm to your hearts this morning That I that was far off am made nigh by the blood of Christ made nigh to God it will be a means for ever to draw your hearts to all those waies whereby you may draw neerest to God And by drawing nigh to God often you will come to increase your graces abundantly your graces how will they act the presence of God will draw forth the acts of grace as the presence of the fire draws forth our heat so the presence of God will draw forth our graces And by this means we come to live most holy lives We read of Moses he was upon the mountain forty daies with God and when he came down his face did so shine that the people were not able to bear it What 's the reason it was from hence because he was so nigh to God would you have your faces to shine in a holy conversation before men converse much with God be often with God be nigh to him and that will make you shine as lights in the middest of a crooked and perverse generation We find it so with some that converse much with God there is a shine upon their very countenances And further it is a special sign of our adoption to love to be nigh to God What should a Child love most but to be in the presence of his Father Would you know whether you have received the Spirit of adoption yea or no I can hardly give you any one sign so cleer as
this For to love to go into Gods presence As David said I was glad when they said Come and let us go up unto the House of the Lord. You shall have many that love to be in Gods presence so as they think on it over-night and long for the time while it comes I never am better than when I am with God me thinks when I get into Gods presence either in Prayer or any duty of Gods Worship I find my heart warmed and quickened c. They are ready to say with Peter Master it is good being here And that 's another thing It is that which will put us in mind of the life of heaven it is the only thing in heaven to be in the presence of God Why the more thou art nigh God in the Duties of Worship the more thou art in heaven and doest not thou pray That the will of God may be done in Earth as in Heaven Now the Saints and Angels are alwaies before God Worshipping of him then be as much as thou canst in the presence of God If thou wouldest be in heaven be there Many of the Saints they find it so It is not so with carnal hearts they are weary presently when they are in Prayer or hearing the Word it is not so to them yea that 's because thou hast not the presence of God as in Mal. 1. what weariness is there Thou canst be a gaming till one or two a clock at night and though thou shouldest lose thy supper or the work of thy family it is not tedious to thee to be exercised in those things that pleaseth the flesh but when thou comest to Worship God how quickly art thou tir'd now what wilt thou do in heaven where there is nothing else done to all eternity but Worshipping of God And then it must needs be delightful to God that thou shouldest come nigh him There is nothing in the world more pleasant to God then to have his Saints come into his presence What doth a Father more delight in than to have his Children about him Never did any Father or Mother love to have their Children by them so as God loves to have his Children come nigh him and be often with him And the truth is one great reason that God suffers you to fall into afflictions so much is that you may come running to him How doth the Child come running to the Father or Mother when it is afraid why the Lord is willing to permit men to do you wrong that you may run to him that he might have more of your presence Thou that art such a poor creature yet thou hearest this day that there is nothing in the world that God takes more pleasure in next to the presence of his own Son Jesus Christ and his Saints and Angels that he hath with him in heaven then to have his Saints come nigh him to have them alwaies to be under his wing And then by coming often into Gods presence in his Worship there will grow a sweet and blessed familiarity between God and thy soul for thou wilt be speaking to God and God will be speaking to thee too We know many times that dear friends who are very neerly linkt together yet if they be long absent one from another there grows a strangeness and so by degrees their friendship is deaded but now when they are together every day and there is an intercourse of love and friendship then their friendship is kept active and quick but now if they be absent long Indeed if they be absent in another Country when they cannot come together that they are sure it is not through any neglect then it will not damp their friendship but when they are neer and come not one to another then they think it is out of neglect and so they grow strange So it is with the Soul if there were no possibility of a coming into Gods presence then it would not hinder the sweetness of the love of God to us But now when we have those duties of Worship wherein we may draw nigh to God if we neglect them our familiarity with God will quickly be lost Acquaint thy self with God and be at peace God is willing to be acquainted with his Servants the Lord loves to be familiar with the poorest of his Saints and wilt not thou maintain that sweet familiarity with God These two benefits will follow upon thy familiarity with God First Those that are most familiar with God they are most potent with God As now a stranger cannot prevail in any Petition so as a familiar friend can Thus my brethren when strangers come into Gods presence God doth not so much regard them but when his familiars come into his presence the Saints of God that keep close with him in constant communion and converse in the duties of his Worship God doth take them as his familiar friends and they will prevail much with God Secondly By this means the terror of death will be taken away there is no such way to take off the terror of the thoughts of death as by keeping familiarity with God death then is joyful to those that converse with him That Reverend Divine that is now with God Docter Preston when he was to die he had this speech I shall but change my place I shall not change my company whereas it 's otherwise if thou growest estranged from God when death comes it will look with a terrible face for then thou hast to deal with God thou art then to go into the presence of the infinite dreadful God into whose presence thou never hadst any mind to go before but saith death I must now carry thee into the presence of God As thy Body returns to the dust so thy Soul must return to God that gave it that is to receive it's eternal doom c. But now saith a Saint what must my body return to dust and my Soul to God that gave it it is he which I have bin with every day and can say as he said My Soul go forth go forth why art thou unwilling to go forth to him that thou hast conversed with all thy daies And then what safety is there in being neer to God especially in these dangerous times in the times wherein we live it is safe to be neer God in Psal 22.11 Be not far from me for trouble is neer saith David Lord trouble is neer me be not thou far from me It 's a blessed thing to have God neer us when trouble is neer us trouble is neer many of you perhaps there 's not a spans breadth between death and us what a blessed thing is it then to have God to be neer us When the poor Chickin sees the Kite come neer it to seize upon it and is like to be surprized if the Hen be neer it runs to the Hen and the Hen covers it and keeps it safe So it should be with us for so Christ saith of Jerusalem
Why have wee fasted and thou seest it not This is an Argument that thou art acted by Selfe 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 then themselves they may have a good evidence to their own souls that when they Worship God they are acted by higher ends than Selfe but now such as are streightned themselves and when they see others more enlarged in the Worship of God they rather envy them are greiv'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 whetched 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 fickness or in dangers 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 mid'st 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 mid'st 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 accesse 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 as is able thus to appeale 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 of 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 dost not glorifie God as God except thou dost come into his presence with much fear reverence of His great Name Fear in worshipping 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 Worshipper of God kept his constant times to worship God and worshipped him in such a constant way as except David and Daniel we do not find mention of the constancy of any in the worshipping of God as we do of Isaacs for it is said that he walked but into the fields in the evening as he was wont to do to Meditate and to Pray and therefore God is called The Fear of Isaac In Psal 89.7 is an notable Scripture for this drawing nigh to God with feare 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 cal'd 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 be a servile fear but a filial and reverentiall fear For my Brethren there may be a great deal of slavish fear where God is not honored there may be fear from some terrible apprehensions of God which yet is not owned by God to be this grace of fear I 'le give you Two notable Scriptures for that in Deut. 5.23 24. compared with the 29. It came to passe saith the text vers 23 when ye heard the voice out of the middest of the darkness for the mountain did burn with fire that ye came neer unto me even all the heads of your tribes and your elders And ye said Behold the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness and we have heard his voice out of the middest of the fire we have seen this day that God doth talk with man and he liveth now therefore why should we die for this great fire will consume us If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more then we shall die See with what a terrour they were struck at the apprehension of Gods appearance you would think surely these men did fear God much but mark in vers 29. O that there were such a heart in them that they would fear me Why did they not fear the Lord Were they not struck with such fear that they thought they should die they saw his presence so terrible that they were afraid they should die and yet O that there were such a heart in them that they would fear me So that it appears by this that one may be struck with much terrour in the apprehension of Gods presence and yet have no true fear of the Name of God So some of you it may be in time of thunder or danger are filled with terrour but yet may it not be said presently after O that there were the fear of God in the heart of this man or woman this youth or maid They are terrifed sometimes but yet there is not a filiall and reverential fear of God in them And I find in I King 19. where you have the story of Gods appearing in that most terrible manner unto the Prophet Elijah by Fire by Thunder and in a mighty Wind the Prophet was not so struck with fear of Gods presence when he did appear in the mighty wind or earthquake or fire as when God did appear in the small still voice therefore in vers 13. it
is said And it was so when Elijah heard it that is the soft voice after the fire and earthquake and the mighty wind that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entring in of the Cave and behold there came a voice unto him and said What dâ—est thou here Elijah Then his heart was more struck with fear where was most of Gods presence though it was in a soft voice than when the fire and earthquake did appear It is a good sign of a gracious fear when the soul can be struck with more fear from the Word and from the sight of God in enjoying of communion with him in his Worship then when God appears in the most terrible way of his works or when there is terrour in a mans conscience through fear of hell when God appears as though he would send him down presently to hell though God expects to be feared then but when the Soul in enjoying communion with God in holy duties and the more communion he hath with God the more is he struck with reverence and the fear of God this is a sign of Sanctifying fear and then Doth the heart Sanctifie the Name of God indeed when it is so possessed with fear in the duties of Worship Now this fear of God should be indeed in the Soul and expressed outwardly when you are in the assembly by such reverent carriage in prayer as if a heathen should come in he may see Gods Name Sanctified and may say How great is this God that this people do worship And in your Families a reverent carriage not lying all along in prayer upon the elbows sleeping but carrying your seves so that if a heathen should come into your families they may say O how great is this God that this people do worship And likewise this fear it must be an abiding fear not only at that instant when you are worshipping of God or speaking of any of Gods Titles and Names but a fear that must abide upon your hearts after duty is over that is after you are come out from your Closets one may perceive the fear of God upon you and so walking all the day long in the fear of God as it becomes those that have been solemnly setting themselves to worship him Now this fear and reverence is contrary to the slightness vanity the boldness and presumptuousness that there is in the hearts of men and women when they are Worshipping of God Fifthly The duties of Gods Worship must be ful of strength for they are not suitable to God else because God is a God infinite in power and glory himself therefore God cannot indure vain Worshipping In Isa 1.13 I hate vain oblations Vanity of Spirit in Worshipping of God is very hatefull to God it doâ—h defile the Name of God God is dishonored by the vanity of mens Spirits Now this strength is Three fold 1 First The strength of Intention 2 Secondly The strength of Affection 3 Thirdly The strength of all the Faculties of the Soul and the strength of body too as much as we are able should be put forth in the Worshipping of God 1 First The strengih of intention We must intend our work as if it were for our lives If ever we were seriously Intentive or Attentive about any thing it must be when we are worshipping of the Name of God When you are coming to Pray be Intent about it You shall see some when they are going in the street when they have much intention about their businesse their friends meet them and they never mind them one may perceive as they are going that they are mightily intent about their business My Brethren look upon every duty oâ— Worship as a great thing which you must be intent in your thoughts about and not give way to the wandring of your thoughts I have read of one Martyr that when he was to die and the fire a kindling saith an Officer What! will not you speak when you see the fire kindling Saith he I am speaking to God that is he was praying and he minded not at all what they were doing O what little things do take our thoughts away from holy duties When every toy every feather every light matter cals them off Is this to Sanctifie Gods Name Would not we account it a dishonorable thing if we were talking to one about serious business and when we are talking every one that comes by he should be looking after them and turning aside to talk with them If a Superiour be talking with you he doth expect that you should mind what he saith But when God is speaking to you and you are speaking to God every vain thought that comes by you are turning aside too as if it were a greater thing to talk to vain thoughts and temptations than to the great and glorious God Therefore now that is the very time that the Devil chuses for to bring temptations when we are in holy duties for the Devil knows then he doth two works at once he doth disturb us in our duties and call off our hearts to that that is wicked and doth aggravate our s n exceedingly It may be thou wilt not dare to coÌ„mit that sin that the temptation doth turn thy thoughts upon yea but the Devill 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 what ever thoughts come in The truâ—h is though they be good thoughts that should come into thy mind and that time that thou art Praying yet if they be not pertinent to the duty thou must cast them away as the temptation of the Devil You will say Can any thing that is good come from the Devil Certainly that that is materially good and comming unseasonably may be from the Devil the Devil may take advantage by what is in it self materially good and bring in that in an unseasonable time and so he may turn it to evil As now when thou art hearing the Word it may be the Devil thinks he cannot prevaile to cause thee to have thy heart running about 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 a worshipping of God and therefore thou hadest need be intent about what thou art a 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 croud of people without that would come in perhaps the man doth open the door for some Gentlemen that be hears is at the door but when he opens it for one that is to come in forty others wil
Prayer and so in the OLD TESTAMENT too it was a kind of emblem of Prayer The offering up of our Prayers is the offering up of Incense to God and the Mercy Seat it was a Type of Jesus Christ Now the Incense should cover the Mercy Seat so our prayers must go up to Jesus Christ must be upon him and so must be accepted by the Father And as we read in Judg. 13.20 when Manoah offered a Sacrifice the text saith that the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame This Angel of God here was Jesus Christ as we might eaâ—â—ly from this Scripture make it out and he ascends up in the flame from the Altar Now though we do not offer such kind of Sacrifices with Fire and Incense as they did in the time of the Law yet when we are offering up of our Incense there must be a flame of Fervency and Zeal But that is not enough together with the flame of the Altar the Angel of God Jesus Christ the great Angel of the New Covenant for Angel signifies nothing but Messenger the great Messenger that is come into the world about that great Errand of his to reconcile the world to himself he must ascend up in the flame and so God will account his Name to be Sanctified the Name of God is not Sanctified but through Jesus Christ The Acting of our Faith upon Christ as Mediator is a special ingredient to the Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties as you know the Scripture saith that the Altar doth Sanctifie the gift offered upon the Altar Jesus Christ is the Altar upon whom all our Spiritual Sacrifices are to be offered and this Altar doth Sanctifie the gift that is offered upon it let never so great a gift be offered upon any other Altar it was not accounted holy nor accepted so let men by their naturall strength or power that they have offer up the most glorious and speciousest Service to God It is not accepted unless it be offered up upon the Altar Jesus Christ we have an Altar now not the communion Table but Jesus Christ himself is our Altar upon whom we are to offer all our Sacrifices and this Altar must Sanctifie the gift we can never have our gift sanctifâ—ed no nor Gods Name sanctified in this gift except it be offered upon this Altar and our Faith acted upon Jesus Christ People little think of this but of other things viz. That when we worship God we should worship him with fear and reverence and with humility and with strength of Intention such kind of things every one that hath any enlightening of conscience will think of at some time or other but people do least think of this which is the greatest ingredient of all that is required in the Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties that is to come and tender up all to the Father in the Name of Jesus Christ How many men and women that have been Professors of Religion 20 or 30 yeers and yet not acquainted with this great mystery of godliness to tender up all to God in the Name of his Son This is that that upon divers occasions I have spoken unto and am willing upon every occasion as I meet with it to speak of because it is a principle part of the great mystery of the Gospel without which all our duties are rejected of God and cast away Now then put all these Nine things together and see by them what we ought to do that we may Sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties But there is something further to be spoken that may help you to Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties and that is several workings of hearts suitable to the several Attributes of God for that is to Sanctifie Gods Name to have the duty to be such as is some way suitable to such a God as we are now worshipping Now then let us consider what the Scrip ure saith of God and then let us see what suitable dispositions we should have in us unto those things that the Scripture saith of God 1 First You know the Scripture saith that God is a Spirit in Joh 4.24 Then presently Christ saith That he that worships him must worship him in Spirit that is there must be a suitableness in our worship to what God is Is God a Spirit then all that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth that is thus When I am to go to worship God I must consider of him as he is an infinite and glorious Spirit well then surely bodily worship is not sufficient for me Though I do kneel down in Prayer or do come and present my body to hear the Word or my body to receive the Sacrament this is not to worship God as a Spirit If indeed that our God were as the Heathens that were corporeal then it were another matter then bodily worship would serve the turn but God being a Spirit he must have Spiritual Worship therefore my soul and all that is within me magnifie his Name saith David my Soul magnifie his Name not my lips only but my Soul The Apostle in 1 Tim. 4.8 saith that bodily exercise profits little it is no great matter for the body God looks but very little at bodily exercise but it is godliness that is profitable it is the work of the Spirit when we come to pray we must pray in the Spirit that is we must pray with our Souls we must poure forth our souls before God and when we come to hear our hearts must not go after our coveteousness we must set our hearts to what we hear we must hear with our hearts as well as with our ears our Souls must be at work in hearing of the Word when you hear it is not enough for you to come and fit in a Pew and have the sound of a mans voice in your eares but your Souls must be at work And so when you come to receive the Sacrament your Souls must feed upon Jesus Christ Bodily worship without Soul-worship is nothing but Soul-worship may be accepted without bodily worship therefore it is the Soul that God doth principally look at in holy duties If you be not able to worship God in your bodies you may worship him in your Souls and God regards that bodily exercise in holy duties is little worth somewhat it may be worth I confess sometime bodily exercise may further the soul as a reverend carriage of the body and the like but it is nothing in comparison the great work is the work of the Soul for God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit And God is said to be a Spirit not only in that he is not of so thick a Corporal substance but it notes the simplicity of God he is without any composition whatsoever is in God is God himself he is absolutely one there are not divers things in God now then those that come to worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth
that were sacrificing in the Temple when Pompey brake in to them with armed men and though they might have fled and saved their lives yet they would not leave off their sacrificing but were slain by the souldiers They did so mind it as a matter of great consequence Oh that we could mind the duties of Gods Worship as matters of great moment that so we might learn to Sanctifie the Name of God in the performance of them more then ever we have done 2 When thou comest to worship take heed thou doest not come in thine own strength For there is more required in Sanctifying the Name of God than thy strength is able to carry thee on in and therefore act thy Faith upon Jesus Christ every time thou comest to worship God not only as I said before to tender up thy services in his Name but act thy faith upon Christ to give thee strength to do what thou hast to do And what strength thou hast received from Christ be sure to stir it up many godly men and women have more strength than they know of themselves if they would but stir up that strength that they have received they might Sanctifie the Name of God a great deal more than they do Therefore remember that text before mentioned None stirs up himself to take hold on God Quicken up thy heart and rouze up thy Spirit when thou art to worship God 3 When ever thou art worshipping of God do not satisfie thy self meerly in the duty done but consider Do I Sanctifie Gods Name in the duty every time thou worshipest him examine thy heart whether thou doest it yea or no. And if thou findest that thou hast not attained in some comfortable measure to this that hath been presented to thee let the shame and the sorrow for that abide upon thy Spirit untill the next time thou comest to worship God at such a time I have been worshipping of God and God knows I have been stirring up my heart in some measure but I find my heart dead wandring sluggish and dull I say when thou findest thou canst not do it according to what is required in any comfortable measure Let the shame and sorrow of heart for it abide upon thee till the next time thou comest to worship God and that will mightily help thoee Thou art now praying and thou canst not now get up thy heart to what is required The next time thou comest to prayer come in the shame and sorrow of thy heart for the want of Sanctifying Gods Name the last time And so for hearing of the Word or receiving the Sacraments And this will further thee mightily for the Sanctifying the Name of God in holy duties But now that all may be sealed up unto you and so that we may close the Point know that God will be Sanctified in those that do draw nigh to him And there are these Two things in the Point First If we do not Sanctifie Gods Name God will Sanctifie his Name in a way of justice Secondly If we do Sanctifie his Name then he will Sanctifie his Name in a way of mercy towards us For the First God will manifest that he is displeased with such duties that thou doest performe he will manifest it one way or other that he is a holy God and he doth not accept of such unholy things as thou doest tender up to him for the truth is if God should accept of such unholy things from men God may be said to be like unto themselves As a man if he doth entertain any as his familiar friend that is naught and wicked it is his disgrace and dishonor a man may sometimes imploy in some business those that are naught and wicked and it may be no disgrace to him but if he doth entertain one in his house that is wicked it is a dishonour to him So God may imploy the most wicked men in the world in some outward services but if he should accept of them in his Worship it would be a dishonour to God and therefore God that he might Sanctifie his own Name he will manifest his displeasure at one time or other against such duties of worship you that perform worship in a formal manner and with unclean vile hearts I say it stands upon the honour of God if he will manifest himself a holy God he must manifest some dipleasure against that way of thy worshipping of him This one meditation one would think should mightily sink into the heart of any man that hath an enlightened conscience to think thus It stands upon the holiness of God And he cannot appear to be a holy God except he doth some 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 bin Professors of Religion and worship God in hypocrisie and in formality they have bin 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 honour me but have removed their heart far from me and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men Mark what follows Therefore behold I will proceed to do a marveilous work amongst this people even a marveilous 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 Scholars are blasted in their very parts because they would worship God according to the precepts of men in a formal way and so all hypocrites and formal worshippers the Lord doth blast them in one way or other the judgments of God upon the spirits of men were sometimes in the time of the Law But in the times of the Gospel there we find generally the judgments of God to be more spiritual upon the hearts and consciences of men we find it by experience God doth discover that he doth not accept of such as those are and therefore when you see any that have made profession of Religion that had excellent Parts at first many common Gifts and now are as we say no body Remember this Text That God will be Sanctified in those that come nigh Him Secondly The Lord doth manifest that he wil be Sanctified in those that draw nigh him by awaking their consciences many times upon their sick beds and death beds the Lord doth force them to give glory to him and there to acknowledge that they did not worship God in Uprightness but in Formality And now they are in horrour of conscience and cry out in the anguish of their souls upon the apprehension of the dreadfull wrath of God that is upon them Take heed for the Lords sake of this thing when you are performing of the duties of Worship do not rest in the outward duties for they will never comfort you upon your sick and death beds you may perhaps put off your consciences a little for the present but when you come upon your sick beds there will be no comfort unto you and then you will be forced to say wel all this while I have but taken the Name of God in vain and now God hath rejected me and all my services and you will then speak to those that come about your beds side and bid them take warning by you take heed that when you worship God you worship him to purpose I have spent time in prayer and hearing but for want of this I find I have no comfort at all but the Lord appears to be terrible to my soul and comes out against me as an enemy I say now Gods Name is Sanctified whatever becomes of thee he will force glory from thee one way or other and it may be even here in this time of thy life but how ever at the great day when the secrets of all hearts must be disclosed before men and Angels then the Lord will appear to be a holy God by rejecting all such services that thou didest tender up to him and it will then be a great part of the work of the day of Judgment for God to be Sanctified in those that did worship him by declaring before men and Angels how He did reject such formal and hypocritical worship that they did tender up unto him Oh that God would strike this upon your hearts that it may abide upon you every time you come to worship Him to think thus Let me look to it to Sanctifie His Name now for I hear that God will Sanctifie it Himself if I do not do it But then on the other side If so be that thou makest conscience of Sanctifying Gods Name in duties then he will Sanctifie his Name in a way of Mercy that is He will manifest how he doth accept of the least degree of holines though there be much mixture God hath a way to take away the mixture by the blood of his Son and then to accept of any holiness He sees in thee He will Sanctifie his Name by meeting with thee and revealing His glory to thee when thou art worshipping of Him There is an excellent Scripture for this Exod. 29.43 There I will meet with the Children of Israel and the Tabernacle shall be Sanctified by my Glory Thou that hast a gracious heart and art worshipping of God in Sincerity thou art as a Tabernacle of God and God hath His Service and Worship from thee thou art as the Temple of God and there will I meet with thee saith God and I will Sanctifie my Tabernacle by my Glory God wil sanctifie thy heart by his Glory if thou dost Sanctifie his Name Further Thou shalt it may be not alwaies have such glorious comforts the full beams of the Sun rising upon thee but at one time or other the Lord will break in upon thee and manifest his Glory to thee and it 's like if thou hast not such full comforts now yet upon thy sick-bed though God doth not then alwaies manifest Himself fully for sometimes the disease may be a hinderance yet it is ordinary that those that in their constant way did Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties they do lie comfortably upon their sick beds and a glorious entrance is made for them into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ And then again All things are Sanctified unto them as on the other side those that do not sanctifie Gods Name al things are cursed to them if thou doest not make Conscience of sanctifying Gods Name in duties God cares not to sanctifie any thing for thy good But now those that make conscience of Sanctifying Gods Name in holy duties the Lord takes care that all things shall be Sanctified for their good for the furtherance of their eternal good And however it be here yet hereafter at the great day of Judgement it will be a part of the glory of God to manifest before Men and Angels how He did accept of those holy services that thou didst tender up to Him when hypocrites shall be cast away and abhor'd and thou who had'st an upright sincere heart shalt be owned before God and before Men and Angels at that great Day and God shall say Well it is a part of the glory of my Holiness to make it appear that I have accepted of these holy things that these my poor servants have tendered up to me And this now is of marveilous use for the comforting of a gracious heart those duties that thou doest now think thou hast lost and there will nothing come of them thou shalt certainly hear of them another day God will make it appear there is nothing that He stands more upon than the glory of his Holiness and it is the glory of his Holiness that is thy strength in this thing and that makes it certain to thee that there must be a manifestation of thy acceptance and therefore take these Truths into thy heart about Sanctifying the Name of God You have had only the Point in generall opened to you Oh that the Spirit of God would bring things unto your remembrance SERMON VIII LEVITICUS 10.3 I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE have as you may remember Preached many SERMONS upon that Point of Sanctifying the Name of God in the duties of his Worship We have spoken
unto the Point in the general the last day we finished it I do not intend to look back to any thing that was said but we are to proceed to shew how the Name of God should be Sanctified in the particular duties of His Worship Now the Duties of Gods Worship are especially these Three 1 The Hearing of the Word 2 Receiving of the Sacrament 3 And Prayer Other things come under Worship but yet these are the Three cheif duties of Worship and I intend to speak to al these Three and to shew how we should Sanctifie the Name of God in drawing nigh unto Him in the Word Sacrament and Prayer We might chuse several Texts for all these but they fall full within the general and therefore it shall be sufficient for to ground the Sanctifying of of Gods Name in these duties of worship upon this Text 1 OF SANCTIFYING THE NAME OF GOD IN THE HEARING OF THE WORD That which we are to speak to this morning it is the Sanctifying of the Name of God in the Hearing of His Word If you would have the ground of what we are to say concerning this in a particular Scripture you may have it in Luke 8.18 take heed therefore how you hear It is not enough to come to hear the Word that is good and no question but God is pleased with the willingness of people to come to hear His Word but you must not rest barely in hearing but take heed how you hear Now this is a point of great consequence and I hope it may do good to help to make many Sermons to be profitable to you the point I hope is seasonable and wil be very sutable unto you For those that come to heare so soone in a morning and are willing even in hard weather to come out of their beds they give some good testimony that they do desire to honour God in their hearing and to get good by their hearing and it is pity that labor and pains should be bestowed and no profit but hurt rather got by it which God forbid Therefore now I am to speak to a point that may help you so to hear as may recompence all your labour and pains in hearing In preaching to those that come to hear that so they may get good and benefit by it there is a great deal more encouragement than to such as come in a formal way because they use to come therfore this Point being a great point I shall open it somewhat largely and shall cast it into this Method First I shall shew you that the hearing of Gods Word is a part of the Worship of God for otherwise I could not ground it upon my text Secondly I shall shew you how we are to Sanctifie Gods Name in the hearing of his Word either in regard of preparation unto it or one behaviour in the hearing of the Word Thirdly Why it is that God will be Sanctified in this Ordinance of his Fourthly How God will Sanctifie himself in such that do not Sanctifie his Name in the hearing of his Word Fifthly How God will Sanctifie his Name in waies of mercy to those that are carefull to Sanctifie his Name in the hearing of the Word These are the Five Principall things that concern this Argument For the First That the hearing of Gods Word it is a part of Gods Worship You heard in the opening of the worship of God in the general what it was I told you it was a tendering up of the creatures homage to God a Testimony of the respect that the creature did owe to God now if that be the nature of Worship certainly the hearing of Gods Word it is a part of the Worship of God for in the hearing of Gods Word we 1 First do profess our dependance upon God for the knowing of his mind and the way to eternal life Every time we come to hear the Word if we know what we do we do thus much we do profess that we do depend upon the Lord God for the knowing of his mind and the way and rule to eternal life we do as much as if we should say Lord of our selves we neither know thee nor the way means how we should come to be saved and therefore that we might testifie our dependance upon thee for this thing we here present our selves before thee Now this is a Testimony of the high respect we owe to God 2 Secondly The hearing of Gods Word is a part of his worship because in it we come to wait upon God in the way of an Ordinance to have that good conveyed to us by way of an Ordinance beyond what the thing in it self is able to do and therfore 't is worship I wait upon God when I am hearing the word if I know what I do to have some spiritual good conveyed to me beyond what there is in the means it self this makes it worship When I am bufied in natural and civil actions there I must profess that these things can do me no good without God but I do not wait upon God in an ordinance for the conveyance of natural good beyond what God hath put into the creature 't is his blessing with it that God in the ordinary course of his providence doth convey such naturall or civill good in the use of those creatures But now when I come to hear his word I here come to wait upon God in the way of an Ordinance for the conveyance of some spiritual good that this Ordinance hath not in it's self take it materially but meerly as it hath an institution in it and is appointed by God for the conveyance of such and such things God doth appoint meat to nourish me and together with his appointment he hath given a natural power to meat to nourish my body that in an ordinary course of providence is enough for the nourishment of my body but now when I come to hear the Word I must look upon that not only as a thing appointed to work upon my soul and to save my soul by not as a thing that hath any efficacy put into it in a natural way as the other hath it is not the nature of the thing that carries such a power in it but it is the institution of God and the Ordinance of God in it Now then when I come to wait upon God in an ordinance for the spiritual good that is beyond the vertue of any creature to convey to me certainly I worship God that is a special part of worship to wait upon God in this way Therefore in these two respects the hearing of Gods Word it is a part of the Worship of God and I beseech you remember these two things every time you come to hear I come now to give a Testimony that I am not able to understand God and the way to eternal life of my self but I do depend upon God for the knowledge of it And here I come to wait upon God
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 Spirituall good to your souls You will say Cannot we fit at home and reade a Sermon But hath God appointed that the great Ordinance for the converting and the edifying of soules in the way of 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 bin 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 do I 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 wil 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 heal'd 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 naturall 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 withall 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 for 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 2 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 thornes as you have it in Jer. 4.3 and so in Hos 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 all 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 it is lost and in another part it grows so in one Pew the seed of the Word is lost and 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 be Sanctified in it their hearts must be plowed as if one should sow seed upon green soil sow 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 heare 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 sencible of the sinfulness and wretchedness of your hearts and the miserable conditon 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 in to 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 knowledge 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 humbled And it is good to make use of there 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 â—umiliation 2 Secondly tâ—â— heart must be plowed by labouring to get out those thorns that are in the heart those lusts that grow deep in the heart as thorns grow in the ground labour 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 in that thou hast found in thy heart labour to find out those lusts that are in thy heart and then profess against them that thou art willing to have them to be roâ—tâ—d out of thy heart if men and women would but do thus when they come to bear that God might see this in them that they have before they come profest gâ—â—nâ—t every known sin This would be an execellent thing indeed 3 Again in the third place which will follow from hence When thou comest to hear the Word come with a 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 a contrite spirit and trembleth at my Word This is a most admirable Scripture Mark how God lifts up Himself in His Glory so great a God as the Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my foot-stool where is that house that ye will build unto me But then may a poor soul say How shall I be able to stand before this God that is so glorious Saith God Be not discouraged poor soul who doest tremble at my Word for I look to you And then this is a further thing observable that God hath a regard to that soul that trembles at His Word rather than to any that should build the most sumptuous buildings in the world for Him for saith God here The Heaven is my Throne and the Earth is my foot-stool where is the house that ye build unto me and where is the place of my rest They have built a glorious Temple to God but what do I regard that saith God I regard one that trembls at my word more than that great house that you have built unto me It is a notable Scripture to shew what a high respect God hath to one that trembls at His word He regards them more than this glorious Temple that was built unto Him If you were able to build such a place as this was for the service of God you would think it a great matter it is not so much regarded as if you could bring a trembling heart to Gods word that 's a special thing wherein the Sanctifying of the Name of God consists when we come to see the dreadful Authority that there is in the word of God when we are able to see more glory of God in His Word than in all the works of God besides for there is more of his glory in the word than there is in the whole Creation of Heaven and Earth take the Sun and Moon and Stars you that are Marriners you have seen much of the glory of God abroad that one would think might strike terrour into all your hearts but know that there is more of the dreadfulness of Gods Name in His word than in all His works In Psal 138.2 Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name the Word it is magnified above all the Name of God whatsoever and it is a very good signe of a Spiritual enlightened Soul that can see the Name of God more magnified in His Word than in all His works besides I appeal unto your Consciences in this thing Have you ever seen the Name of God to be more magnified in His Word than in all His works I may with very good confidence affirm this that there is no godly soul upon the face of the earth that hath the weakest degree of grace but hath seen more of the glory of God revealed in His word than he hath seen in all the works of God besides and his heart hath bin more taken with it It requires therefore a trembling frame of heart when we hear it And then further When this is considered that the Word is that which bindeth the soul over either to life or death mens eternal estates are to be cast by the Word certainly then it requires a trembling heart to hear that by which the eternal estate of man is to be cast we do not Sanctifie Gods Name when we come to hear the Word except we come with trembling hearts and they are the most likely of all men and women to understand the mind of God as for such as come with conceited spirits that they understand as much before they come and think their reach of wit or capacity is beyond the capacity of any that shall open the Word unto them yet that were not so much if 〈◊〉 did but only rest upon the man and not reflect upon the word it self Now these that are rich in their own thoughts and understandings are sent empty away but those that come wiâ—h trembling hearts to the Word they are the men that are like to understand Gods Counsels revealed in His word In Ezra 10.2 3. Shechaniah the Son of Jehiel one of the Sons of Elam answered said unto Ezra we have transgressed against our God have taken strange wives c. Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing now therefore let us make a covenant with our God according to the counsel of my Lord and of those that tremble at the Commandement of our God So that those that tremble at Godâ— Word are such as are fitest to counsel they understand most of Gods mind and that 's another particular of the behaviour of the Soul in Sanctifying Gods Name in hearing his Word 7 The next is a humble subjection to the Word that we hear our hearts must bow to it must lie under the word that we hear it is a very remarkable Scripture that we have in 2 Chron. 6.12 There it is said concerning a great King Zedekiah He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the Prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. It is a very strange expression as any we have in the Book of God that Zedekiah a great King should be charged with this as a great sin that he did not humble himself Humble himself before whom you will say We are boud to humble our selves before God but here it is that he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the Prophet Why before the Prophet Because he spake from the mouth of the Lord. If it be any messenger that speaks from the mouth of the Lord God expects that we should humble our selves so that if any truth comes to be delivered unto you the Lord expects that you should fall down and yeeld obedience to it whatsoever your thoughts your judgements your opinions have heretofore been it there come any thing in the word against it you must submit your judgments submit your very consciences you must submit your wills whatsoever your hearts have been set upon though it hath been never so contentful to your spirits before yet now submit and yeeld though it go never so cross unto your minds your wils your ends yet all must be submitted and laid down flat before the Word so as to be willing to deny your selves of any thing in the world When a man or woman can say thus Lord it is true I confess before I heard thy word opened in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit unto me I was of such a mind and my heart went after such and such contentments and I thought it was impossible that ever my heart should be taken from them but O Lord thou hast been pleased plainly to shew to me by the opening of thy Word in the evidence of thy Spirit what thy mind is Now whatsoever becomes of my name of my comforts of my contentments in this world Lord here I cast down all before thee I submit unto thy Word this is a gracious
frame Now is the Name of God extol'd and lifted up in hearing of the Word the Name of God is Sanctified in such a work of spirit as this is I have read of a German Divine writing to Oecolampadius another famous German Divine he hath this expression Oh let the Word of God come and though we had 600. necks we would all submit them unto the Word of God saith he So it should be the temper of such as hear the Word and desire to Sanctifie Gods Name in it let the Word of God come this morning let God speak and we will submit had we 600. necks we will submit all we are or have to this Word of the Lord it is the Word of God that we are willing should triumph over us To have a Congregation to lie down under the Word of God that is preached to them is a most excellent thing and Gods Name is much Sanctified we do not brethren desire you should lie under us we are not only willing but we are very desirous that you would examin what we speak to you whether it be according to the Word of God or no. But look to it that if we do speak to you that which is the Word from the mouth of the Lord know then that God expects that you should submit your estates your souls your bodies all that you are and have to this word and that is another particular of the Sanctifying of the Name of God in hearing the Word there must be an humble submission of the soul unto it 8 Another particular wherein the behaviour of the Soul for the Sanctifying of Gods Name consists is this The word it must be received with love and with joy it is not enough for you to be convinc'd of the authority of it to think thus well I must yeeld to it this is the Word of God and if I do not yeeld to it I must expect the plagues and judgements of God to follow it that is not enough but you must yeeld to it with love and with joy except you receive the Word with love and with joy it is not Sanctified you do not Sanctifie Gods Name nor is it Sanctified unto you You must receive the Word not only as the true Word of the Lord but as the good Word of the Lord. In Thessalon 2.10 we find it to be the cause of mens being given over to a spirit of delusion Because they received not the Word of God in Love It is spoken of Antichrist that at his coming he shall come with all deceivableness and he shall prevail with them that perish who are they They that receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved It is not enough my Brethren to receive the truth that we might be saved but we must receive the love of the truth if ever we would be saved Good is the word of the Lord to my soul And we must receive it with joy too as well as with love Prov. 2.10 When wisdom entereth into thy heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy Soul Then discretion shall preserve thee understanding shall keep thee c. That is a great matter when the Word reveals some truth to thy understanding and thou canst so receive it as it should be pleasant to thy soul that thy soul rejoyces in it it is a good word it is that that doth me good at the heart when a people can hear the word and the word coming neer unto them they can say This word doth me good at the heart it is pleasant to my soul that is excellent In Act. 2.41 the godly are discribed those that did receive the Word so as to sanctifie Gods Name in it by this that they gladly received the Word and were baptized and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls There were three thousand in one day that did gladly receive the word What an auditory had Peter at this time Then the word it did them good when they gladly received it Quest But it may be said We reade in Mat. 13. of the stony ground the hearers that were not good and did not profit by the word so aâ— to be saved yet they received the word with j y And Herod it is said of him That he heard John Baptist gladly It seems then that it is not enough to receive it with gladness Answ To that I Answer First There must be that that Hypocrites may have if there be want of that we cannot Sanctifie Gods Name But you will say We must go further or else Gods Name is not Sanctified That I confess Therefore when I speak of gladness and joy know that I mean another kind of joy then the stony ground had and so certainly the pleasantness that is spoken of in Prov. which I mentioned before And the gladness that the three thousand did receive the Word withal is different from the gladness of the stony ground If you ask me wherein it differs I would Answer it differs thus The gladness of an Hypocrite in receiving Gods Word it ariseth either from the novelty of it because it is a new thing and he gets new notions that he had not before or else he is joyful from some other carnal excellencies that he finds going together with the Word some esteem or honor that he shall get by it some selvishnesse there is that makes his heart to be glad for there is a great deal of natural and carnal excellency that goes along many times with the Word But now this gladness that is spoken of in the Acts and in the Proverbs it is the gladness that ariseth from the apprehension of the Spiritual excellencies that there are in the Word as that it is that word that reveals God and Christ to my soul that word that comes neerest to my soul to the mortifying of my Lusts and the Sanctifying of my heart This is that which makes me rejoyce in the Word the holiness and the spiritual excellency that I see to be in the Word Thy Word is pure saith David and therefore doth thy servant love it and rejoyce in it This no Hypocrite can say I see the Image of God in his Word I see the very glass of Gods holiness in his Word I feel that in the word that may bring my Soul to God wherein my soul enjoyes communion with God and Jesus Christ and it is this that glads my soul If we receive the Word with joy thus we shall come to Sanctifie the Name of God in the hearing of it And that is the Eight particular 9 The Ninth Particular is this If we would Sanctifie the Name of God in his Word we must receiue the Word into honest hearts This you have in Luk. 8.15 in the Parable of the Sowerâ— you shall find there that there are divers grounds that do receive the seed and by those divers groundâ— are meant divers sorts of hearts There is First the high way
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 Wordâ— that 's the Ordinance to convey the First Grace to those that belong to Gods election The Sacrament 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 strengthning of grace and comfort and assistance thereof the Lord expects to have His Name Sanctified in it 3 Thirdly The Name of God must be Sanctified 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 is quick and powerfull and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit c. It is very quick of opperation 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 their souls 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 forbear 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 forth good fruit yet it might stand still and not be cut down but when the powerful Ministration of the Word 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 Discples to preach in Mark 16.15 16. Saith he Go ye into all 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 shal be quick work made with them go and 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 will not they shal 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 Ground Because there is so much of God in His word Because He hath appointed it to convey the grearest 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 al those that do not Sanctifie Gods Name in hearing the Word and herein we shal shew their fearful condition and how God will Sanctifie His Name upon them in wayes of judgement 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 wayes of mercy upon those that do Sanctifie Him in wayes of obedience in Hearing of His word 1 For the first Certainly if that be to Sanctifie 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 hearing 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 or no Saith Christ in Joh. 8.47 He that is of God heareth my Word ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God Certainly he that hath the knowledge of God and any interest in God and that belongs unto Him nothing is more sweet to him than the hearing of His word but because ye are not of God saith Christ therefore you hear not his word Those men and women that have no interest in God but live without God in this world they regard not to hear his word O how many have we that belong to this place that do so How many live without God in the world and do declare to al the world that they are not of Godâ— they have no part nor portion in God in that they hear not His word Some there are that come to hear it but they come to hear it as a meer matter of indifferency in a meer formall and customary way or for companies sake or to give content to others These are poor and low ends thou shouldest come to hear the word as expecting God should speak to thy Soul for the furtherance of thy eternal good but your consciences may tell you what vain and wandring hearts you have when you come to hear it The eyes of the fool saith Solomon are in all the corners of the earth up and down wandring little minding that you are come to hear God Himself speak to you in the Ministry of man And if so be that it be minded yet ordinarily the hearts of men do put off the word and if it come any thing neer to them they think to shift it from themselves to others We have a notable Scripture in Heb. 12.25 for such men as shift off Gods word when it comes many times very neer to them See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from Him which speaketh from Heaven See that ye refuse not him that speaks the Word see that you do not put him off And that that is the signification of it If you compare it with Luke 12.18 you shall find that there is the same word used where speaking of those that were invited to the supper it is said They all with one consent began to make excuse they began to shift it off that is the same word Oh
But now ill hearers that do not Sanctifie Gods Name in His Word they are like ground that receive the rain as much as the other hear as many Sermons as the other but they bring forth nothing but thorns and briers 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 nigh unto cursing It may be the Lord may for the time withdraw Himself from the soul and manifest that it is as 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 taste 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 passe by the neglect of former Sermons but who knows what the next actuall 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 dreadfull thing to sin against the Word God stands much upon it 8 Eightly Know that if Gods Name be not Sanctified 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 Aposte in 2 Cor. 2.16 To the one we are the savour of death unto death and to the other the savour 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 councels of God concerning mans eternal estate comes to be revealed that this should prove to be the savour of deah 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 will 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 wil 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 it's 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 see yee 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 may not be converted this is dreadfull 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 that 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 they will not part with them the Lord many times in His just judgement 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 Idoll those men are in a dreadful estate whose hearts come to be hardned 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 thy 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 marveil then
though the word hath been applied againe and againe 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 pacifie his troubled conscience but a little before he dyed he cries out with a most fearful terror There is a fair plaister made but it will not stick on it will not stick on so dyed dispairing 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 affliction never expect it for the Lord hath said otherwise Prov. 1. Because when I cryed and call'd ye would not hear you shall cry and call and I will not hear The Lord in his Word cries to thee Oh thou sinful soul who art going on in the waies of sin and eternal destruction Return return that is the way that will bring thee to eternal miseries but here is the way that will bring thee to life and eternal salvation Thus the Lord cries and call to day to day and thou stoppest thy eare Oh how just is it with God to stop his eare from thy crying and calling in the day of thy affliction 10 Further Know that thou that doest not Sanctifie the Name of God in his Word that all the Word of God will be made good one day upon thee God hath his time to magnifie his Law and to make it honourable Isa 42.21 You slight Gods Law you slight his Word and dispise it but God will magnifie it and make it honourable there is not any sentence that thou hast heard in the word but it shall be made good whatsoever becomes of thy soul Thou hinkest that God is a merciful God and he will not damn thee but though God be merciful 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 women in the world and God will stand to make that good he will not have such regard to that wretched vile sinful soul of thine as not to honour his Word he will honour his Word whatsoever becomes of thee and all that thou hast heard and rejected shall be made good upon thee one day 11 Again the word that thou doest reject and sin against it shall be the word that shall judge 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 this word they must be called over again at the great day to judge your souls by the sentence of every one of your eternal estates must be tryed out of this book Oh look upon it as the word that must judge your Souls at the last day and then you will see it a dreadful thing not to Sanctifie Gods Name in it And then when the Word doth judge you you shall obey it whether you will or no. Now the word convinces you and you will not obey it but when God comes to judge 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 young had very good beginnings and very good parts that were very hopeful and would speak very savourly 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 Luk. 8.18 Take heed therefore how ye 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 shall be given and whosoever hath not from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have You had need look to your selves how you hear for the truth is all depends upon it under God have you got any common gifts of the Spirit of God or any abilities to do any service for God do not be proud of them neither be jolly nor think that you are able to do better than others and that those are but ordinary things that the Minister speaks and you are gotten into a higher forme Look to your selves take heed you come not to the word with a proud Spirit be not offended at the plainness of the word take heed how you hear for if you do not that that you seem to have shall be taken from you saith Christ You seem to have excellent gifts yea you seem to have grace too but take heed how you hear for all this whatsoever parts you have got though you be highly esteemed in the company where you come and you are able to do things more than others yet I say Take heed how you hear for otherwise that that you have will be taken away from you have have we not seen this in our own experience and it is apparent that they began to be withered and to be blas ed by neglecting of the Word And therefore I beseech you look to this that you do Sanctifie the Name of God in his Word and let your hearts bow unto it as unto the Ordinance of God and wait upon it in the Ministry of it lest you wither and be blasted and come to nothing And thus I have shewen the great evil of not Sanctifying Gods Name and how God will be Sanctified I shall be very brief in the Use of Exhortation Oh that the Lord by this would cause some thing to stick upon your hearts that what hath been preached in this point may be made useful for many Sermons afterwards that it might be said of you in this place as it was said of them in Act. 13.48 When the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life beleeved Oh that God would make every one of you to be a means to glorifie the word of God! That should be our care that the word of God may be glorified by us we come to hear the word but take heed that the word of God be not
comes to a place and there 's only good seed sown and is a means of the conversion of many but together with the conversion of some there are others that do hear the Gospel Preached and the truth is they being mingled among the hearers of the Word in stead of bringing forth good fruit according to the Gospel they bring forth the Tares now saith the servant Lord how comes it to pass that we preach such excellent truths in this place and yet there are so many wicked men that bring forth such wicked fruit Lord is it thy mind that we should be wholly separated from them and have nothing to do with them that there should be a full separation while we live in this world no saith Christ not so for then the truth is if all godly men should wholly withdraw from wicked men and beleeve that they may not live among them they could not live in the world If you did beleeve it were your duty not so much as to live neer a wicked man nor to have any thing to do in any kind of converse with him there would be no Wheat growing in this field of the world here and therefore you must be content when you live where the Preaching of the Gospel is and the seed brings forth good fruit in some and in others it brings forth Tares you must not be offended by this that here in this world God doth not by some visible stroke of judgement come and strike them dead or that God doth not take some course that there should be a full separation here but that they might live together till the day of judgment here I say you shall not have such a full separation so that you see it carries a very fair sense to take the field to be the world and the kingdome of Heaven thereto be the Preaching of the Gospel in any place and so we must be content while we live in this world to be where wicked and ungodly men are But it doth not follow from this place that we are to have converse in the closest communion in Church-commmnion with wicked men to be made one body by eating the same bread and drinking the same wine it holds not forth such close communion as this is so that there 's little strength can be taken from that place but still it holds that wheresoever there is the Sacrament of the Lords Supper there must be a holy communion of Saints Object The Scripture only saith Let us examine our selves Answ I grant for the benefiâ— to mine own soul I must look to examine my self more especially but now for another I am but onely so farre bound to looke to him as to keepe my selfe clean it is true I am not bound to go and pry into his life and all his waies so as to force him to give an account of things that are secret but I am bound to keep a watch and if any thing be done that offends me then I am bound to go to him according to the former Rule of Christ and if he appears to be wicked then I am bound to see him purged from the Congregation for take but that other text in 1 Cor. 5.6 know you not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump If I do not do so much as concerns my duty then I am defiled by it So as that you must not think that it is nothing to you how many wicked men come to the Lords Table and that it belongs only to the Ministers and they are to look to it the truth is that every one in his place is to look to it and every one may be defiled if he doth not performe this duty that God requires of him do not say what have I to doe with my Brother am I my Brothers keeper it was the speech of Cain if thou beest of the same body you are to have a care of your Brother do not ye judge those that are within there is some kind of judgment that every one may passe upon such as do joyne with them in the same Body surely it concerns me much what shall I do in such an action as to joyne with them to eat bread whereby I must professe that I do beleeve my selfe to be of the same body that this drunkard is of that this Whoremaster is of that this swearer is of whenever you receive the Communion with any company you do professe your selves to be of the same body with that Company only in this case If I have discovered any and can particularly professe against any one then I do not professe my self to be of the 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 professe my selfe to be of the same body that they are of Thou doest as it were openly declare Lord here we come and professe that we are all of the body of Jesus Christ now when thou knowest such and such as 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 concerns 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 a right that I have spoken of I have laboured 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 that is required of you for doing your duty to keep your selves clean that you may not be accessory 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 special thing I thought of was to shew you the holy qualifications that there ought to be but this I conceived to be necessary and I should not have had peace in mine own conscience as being faithful to you in what I am speaking of sanctifying the Name of God in this Ordinance if I should not have mentioned this that I have spoken unto you and there 's an error on both sides that I desire to meet withall 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 suâ—â—ered to come they may not come to partake of those things now it is very usefull for us to know what we should doe in this case SERMON XII LEVITICUS 10.3 I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me I Shall adde something to one particular that I had the last day concerning
peoples withdrawing from such a Congregation where they could not receive all the Ordinances of Jesus Christ As now If I were in a Church where I could have but a piece of the Sacrament suppose they dealt 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 goe where I might have the whole 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 enioy it and that they are in a way for enjoyment I think there should be a great forbearance to a Church as well as to a particular person as I must not withdraw from a particular man where there is hope still of his reformation and that there may come good of my forbearance so toward a Church much more but I say if I cannot enjoy neither doth there appear any hope of the enjoyment of all Ordinances certainly it were but a cruelty to force men to stay there when as other where they may enjoy all Ordinances for the good of their souls And this cannot be Schisme thus to do as now is this Schisme suppose 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 then certainly if he may have more Ordinances 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 their souls and should I account that Schisme when a man or woman meerly out of tenderness and a desire to enjoy Jesus Christ in all his Ordinances for the benefit of their souls they find such want to their 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 enioying the Ordinances of Christ more fully God forbid that this should ever be accounted such a sin that the Scripture is to brand no that's Schisme when there is a violent rending out of malice for the want of love for as Apostasie is a rending from the Head So Schism from the Body that is when it is out of an evil Spirit from envy 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 retain love to the Saints that are there as they are in a 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 that the world cals Scisme but the truth is this word is in mens mouthes that understand not what it means and the Devil alwaies 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 Termes and therefore men should take heed of words and Termes that they do not understand and examine seriously what the meaning of these words and what is held forth in those words and thus much for that point that it must be in a holy Communion wherever there is the receiving of the Lords Supper it must be received in a holy Communion Now 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 the receiving of the Lords Supper what is required in the soul for the sanctifying of the Name of God in this holy Sacrament There are many things required As first there is required knowledge I must know what I do when I come to receive this holy Sacrament knowledge applyed to the work that I am about when some of you have come to receive this Sacrament if God should have spoken from heaven and have said thus to you what are you doing now what do you go for what account had you been able to have given unto him you must understand what you 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 godliness those great and deep Councels of thy will concerning my eternal estate those great things that the 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 in mine eares sounding 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 communication of thy cheif mercies to my soul in Jesus Christ I am going to feast with thee to feed upon the body and blood of Jesus Christ Yea I am now going to set to 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 stronger 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 speaks of the discerning the Lords Body he rebukes the Corinthians for their sin and shews them that they were guilty of the body and blood of Christ because they did not discern the Lords body they lookt only upon the outward elements but did not discern what there was of Christ there they did not understand the institution of Christ they did
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 Crosse but you have Christ crucified before you in the way of a Sacrament in the way of a solemne institution of Jesus Christ that hath a special blessing which goes along with it therefore 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 Crosse 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 Crosse and there have seen how the blood of Jesus Christ was shed for sinne 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 did crucifie him for if a man sees another commit a sin if he be not affected with that sinne and it does not stir his heart he may come to be partaker of his sin so those that shall come to see Jesus Christ crucified and have not their hearts at all stir'd with the crucifying of Christ they are in some 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 Jewes in their Passe-over were to cast out all leaven and those that write of the custome of the Jews say that they were wont to do three things in the casting out of their Leaven 1. They made deligent 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 personal 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 the must be a casting of it out that is thy soul must be set against it to oppose it with all thy might whatever beloved sin whatever gainful sin whatsoever become of thee thy soule must renounce that sin of thine yea and in a kind of execration of thy self 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 professe against all and renounce all and would do to the uttermost that I am able for delivering of my soule 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 comming 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 professe that we do acknowledge that sinne 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 renounce sinne If indeed I do beleeve that sinne hath cost the blood of Christ that it cost him so deare as it did that it did trouble Heaven and Earth that here must be such a mighty wonderfull way of satisfaction to God for my sinne committed against him certainly sinne hath a dreadfull evill in it Oh! let me never have to doe with such sin that was the cause of such sufferings to my Saviour that did shed his blood If so be that thou saweh 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 here is a knife laid at your Trencher and it was told you this is the knife that cut the throat of your childe or father if you could use that knife as another knife would not any one say There was but little love to your father or child So when there is a temptation comes to any sinne this is the knife that cut the throat of Christ that pierc'd his sides that was the cause of all his suffering that made Christ to be a curse now wilt not thou look upon that as a cursed thing that made Christ to be a curse Oh with what detestation would a man or woman fling away such a knife and with the like detestation it is required that thou shouldest renounce sin for that was the cause of the death of Christ I remember it is reported of Anthony when Caesar was slaine he comes to stir up the people against those that had slaine Caesar and he takes the cloathes that were bloody and holds them forth to the people and saith here is the blood of your Emperour and upon that the people were enraged against those that had slaine him and went and pul'd 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 a holy rage in thy soul against sin that caused this surely the putting away sin the risings of the heart against sin must needs be a disposition sutable to such an Ordinance as this is And that 's the third thing required in the sanctifying of Gods Name in this Ordinance the purging out of sin and rising of the heart against it 4. The fourth thing that is to be done for the sanctifying of Gods Name here it is the hungering and thirsting of the soul after Jesus Christ whosoever comes hither
he comes to a feast and the Lord expects that all his guests should come with stomacks unto this feast come with hungring and longing for Jesus Christ this should be the disposition of the 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 knows 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 thirsting after the Lord Christ knowing my infinite need of him and the infinite excellency that there is in Jesus Christ my soule doth famish and perish for ever without Christ but in the enjoyment of Christ there is a fulnesse for the satisfying of my soule that I have had of Christ sometimes in the word and sometimes in prayer that hath bin sweet unto me but I expect a further Communion of 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 therefore there ought to be hungring and thirsting desires of the soule after Jesus Christ therefore you must take heed you doe not come with your Stomacks full of trash as children when they can get Plums and Peares and fill their stomacks with them when they come to your Tables though there be never so much wholsome diet they have no mind at all to it so it is with men of the world they fill their hearts with the trash of this world and with sensual delights and hence it is that when they come to such a great Ordinance to enjoy Communion with Jesus Christ that then they feele no want at all of Christ only they come and take a little 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 meate and drink and so for the soule to have such a disposition after Christ this is a rare thing but know that Gods Name is not sanctified unlesse thou doest come in such a way unto this holy Sacrament that 's the fourth thing hungry and thirsty desires after Christ from a deepe sence of the need of him and the apprehension of the 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 for 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 the soul to give a real sight of 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 reall appearance of Jesus Christ to the soul as if Christ were bodily present and we need not have the bread turned into his body for Faith can see the body of Christ through the bread and the blood of Christ gushing in the wine And it is a mighty thing to have Christ and such spiritual 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 weather with that but fire that is really burning upon the hearth so those that come to receive the Sacrament and not come with Faith that have only the eye of their bodies they only see as it were a painted Christ they do not see Christ really his body and blood and those great Mysteries of the Gospel are not presented as reall 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 wonderfull things of God it is the most glorious sight in the world all the glory of God in the heavens and earth is not like this fight 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 fight that ever your eyes did behold alas with our naturall 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 sence those that have pierced Christ must look upon him that Scripture is fulfilled in Zach. 12. latterend They shall look on him whom they have pierced by their sins and then mourne and lament this eye of Faith will cause mourning and lamenting for sin And then as faith is the eye to make what is here reall so faith is the hand to take it when you come to a feast you must have something to take the meat to you so saith Christ he brake bread and gave it to his Disciples saying take eat this take it how shall we take it by reaching out of the hand if you sanctifie Gods Name in this Ordinance as you reach out your hand to take the bread and wine so there must be an 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 to thy soule with all his merits and good things that he hath purchased when the Minister doth give out that Ordinance you should look upon God the Father giving out his Son as if this were you condition I am now in the presence of the eternal Father who now doth actually give out his Sonne to my soule and saith soule here receive a new this day my Sonne with all that he hath purchased for thy good now then the soul acts upon this and by stirring up an act of faith come and closes with this gift of the Father
the soules 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 's 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 of 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 all the work of God in mans redemption Eighthly A further thing is this if you would sanctifâ—e Gods Name you must be willing to renew your Covenant that 's the end of it there must be an actuall renewing of your Covenant with God that 's thus I come to receive this bread and this wine and this is to be as the Seale of the Covenant on Gods part now this will be emplyed in the nature of the thing that if I take the Seales of Gods Covenant that I must be willing to set to my Seale too to renew the Covenant that God cals me to now know all men and women that are sav'd they are sav'd by the vertue of the Covenant of grace and there God on his part promises and makes a Covenant that 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 seale to promise and Covenant with thee that as ever I expect to receive any good from Christ so Lord here I will be thine I will give up my selfe for ever to thee as thou hast given me the body and 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 up to thee and so my strength and estate and name and whatever 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 abuse your body with uncleanness and drunkennesse and other wickednesse afterwards Oh you prophane the Name of God and the very body and blood of Christ in this except thou givest up thy body and soul to God in way of Covenant Ninthly In the last place for the Sanctifying of Gods Name there is required a 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 requires 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 commest to the Sacrament and therefore first all heart-burnings and heart-grudges must be laid aside and Secondly you must come with a willingnesse to be reconciled one to another willingness to passe by all infirmities in thy Brethren here I have the Seale of Gods willingnesse to passe by all my sins and therefore I must be willing to passe by all infirmities in my Brethren I must now cast out all ill wishes towards others and come with a desire 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 doe good to those that I now do communicate with for it is the nearest Communion that possibly can be in this world between one Creature and another and this is the reason why there should be that Ordinance of Christ set up every where to cast out those that are unworthy because it is the greatest union and Communion that possibly can be for it is the Sacrament and Communion of the same body they are the same members of Christ now if thou doest no think such a one to be a member of Christ why doest not thou what thou canst to have him cast out but so long as thou hast done nothing in private to him or in telling the Church thou doest own him to be a member of Jesus Christ if thou doest so take heed how thy heart be estranged from him take heed how thou behavest thy selfe to them take heed how thou livest in jarring way and a contentious way with them and holdest tâ—â—m off at staves end or walking at a distance from them though they be never so poor and mean know that thou doest prophane this holy Ordinance every time thou commest to it when thou commest with such a heart as this is if thou dost not find this renewed love Lord there began to be a strangenesse between me and those that have communicated with me but Lord thou art pleased to vouchsafe us to come once more to this Ordinance and Lord here we do professe that this Ordinance shall unite our hearts together more than ever they were I will study to doe what good possibly I can to my Brother that as we joyne here to the Feast of the Lord with comfort so we may live together in peace and love as it becomes the Saints of God and the members of the Body of Jesus Christ Oh how far are people from any such work of God as this is the Lord expects that this should be in you every time you come to the holy Communion Here hath been nine particulars now mentioned for the sanctifying of the Name of God when we come to partake of the Sacrament but oh Lord what cause have we to lay our hands upon our hearts for if this be to sanctifie thy Name then it hath been a riddle a mystery to us certainly my brethren these things are
hath no body nor no blood but the same person that was God had a body and blood that body and blood was united unto the Divine nature in a hypostatical union and from thence it came to have an efficacie for to satisfie God for to reconcile God and us together this is the great mystery of godliness Med. 5. Another Meditation is this when you see bread broken and Wine powred out Oh the infinite dreadfulness of the justice of God how dreadful is the justice of God that coming upon his own Son and requiring satisfaction from him that should thus break him and bruise him that should have his blood that should require such sufferings even from his Son dreadful is Gods justice the justice of God it is to be feared and to be trembled at here we see what is required for the sin of man and nothing would be bated to Jesus Christ himself Med. 7. Another Meditation is this Here I see presented to me what every soul that shall be saved cost whoever shall have his soul savd he hath it savd by a ransom by a price paid that is more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds thou slightest thine own soul but if it prove to be saved it cost more than if thousands of worlds had been given for thee even the shedding of the blood of Christ every drop of which was more precious than ten thousand worlds Meditation 7. Again from hence see what is the evil of sin how great it is that hath made such a breach between God and my soul that only such a way and such a means must take away my sin I must either have laine under the burden of my sin eternally or Jesus Christ that's God and man must suffer so much for it Oh what Meditations are these to take up the hearts of men Meditation 8. Behold the infinite love of God to mankind and the love of Jesus Christ that rather than God would see the children of men to perish eternally he would send his Son to take our nature upon him and thus to suffer such dreadfull things herein God shows his love it is not the love of God so much in giving you a good voyage and prospering you outwardly in the world But so God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son And it pleased the father to break his Son and to poure out his blood here is the love of God and of Jesus Christ Oh what a powerfull mighty drawing efficacious Meditation should this be unto us Med. 9. Those that are beleevers they shall be nourished to eternal life so that there is no fear that ever a beleever should quite fall off from God and die in his sin Why Because the body and blood of Christ is given unto him for his spiritual nourishment though a beleever be never so weak yet seeing God hath appointed the body and blood of his Sonne for him to feed upon and to drink in a spiritual way surely then the weakest in the world will be strengthened to go through all the hazzards and dangers that there are in the world 't is this that strengthens Beleevers to encounter with all kind of dangers it 's this that preserves the weakest grace in a Beleever namely the Spiritual nourishment that God the Father hath appointed to them even the feeding upon the body and drinking the very blood of his Son this is meat indeed and drink indeed that will nourish to eternal life Med. 10. The last Meditation is this When you come to this seeing the Bread broken and the Wine powred out you have an occasion to meditate of the whole new Covenant the Covenant of Grace that God hath made with sinners for so the words of institution are This is the Cup of the New-Testament the New-Testament which is all one with the new Covenant only different in this particular it containes the substance of the new Covenant but cal'd Testament in this regard to shew that the Lord doth do all in the new Covenant that is he doth not only promise such and such mercies upon condition of our beleeving and repenting but he doth work beleeving and repenting and works grace and therefore the same thing that is sometime call'd a Covenant is call'd a Testament that is the will of God wherein the Lord doth bequeath his rich legacies to his Children to those that shall be eternally saved so that all the good things in the Covenant of grace they are bequeathed by way of Testament as well as Covenant and this is a mighty comfortable meditation to the Saints for indeed when they look upon the way of the Gospel as in a way of Covenant why then they think this this requires somewhat of our parts to be done and indeed God will keep Covenant on his part but it may be we shall not keep Covenant on ours and so we may faile at last but now when thou lookest upon all the good things in the Gospel dispensed in the way of a Testament that is the will of God the legacies that God doth bequeath to his Servants this is a mighty comfort to the soul that all the precious things of the Gospel come to me in the way of a Testament and that 's the meaning of the new Testament that is the mercies of God in Christ comming now in the way of another administration than they did before 't is not only new in respect of the Covenant of works that God made with Adam but new in respect of the administration our forefathers the Patriarchs they had the same thing in substance but administred in a darker way and many differences there are but now when we hear of the new Testament there is presented unto us all the riches of the Covenant of grace in the way of a legacie and in the administration of it with cleernesse and with a great deal of mercy and goodnesse of God the terrour and harshnesse of the old administration being taken away Now these are the meditations by which we should labour to sanctifie our hearts when we are receiving of the Sacrament and in the working of these meditations upon our hearts we shall come to sanctifie the Name of God when we are drawing nigh to him in that holy Ordinance of his thus for meditation The next thing when we are there must be an actuating of these holy dispositions that before we spoke of 't is not enough for a Christian to bring grace to the Sacrament but there must be a stirring of that grace at that time or otherwise the Name of God is not sanctified in receiving of the Sacrament and above all graces the actuating of the grace of faith t is not enough that thou beest a beleever but thy faith must act at that very instant as thus First When thou hearest the Minister in the Name of Christ say thus this is the body of Jesus Christ which was given for you take eat thou shouldest have thy faith so
in the course of their lives they have other manner of freedom in prayer than you that walk loosely and contract guiltiness upon your Spirits And then the second thing is to keep our hearts sensible of our continuall depâ—ndance upon God sensible how we depend upon God fâ—â— whatsoever we are whatsoever we have whatsoever we do or the blessing of all is from God The beames of the Sun do not so depend upon the Sun as we upon God that if he doth but withdraw himselfe never so little from us we all sinke downe to nothing and perish for ever that soule that every day and houre is sensible of the infinite dependance it hath upon God for its present and eternal estate will be fit for prayer and that should be our care for to carry our selves as any hour in the day or minute in the hour we might be fit to go to prayer and that 's one meaning of that place in the Thessalonians pray continually not that every moment we should be praying but that we should keep our hearts in a praying frame some of you when you have let out your passions and are in a distemper what will you go to prayer now your conscience will tell you that you are not fit to go to prayer at that time certainly if you be not fit to pray you are not fit to live you are in an ill condition at any time if you be not fit to pray and there can be no excuse whatever that can be sufficient to plead for your selves why you should not be fit to pray at any time there is that continual dependence upon God for all and that need you have of the blessing of God for every thing that there is reason you should be in a fit condition for praying at all times but now when you come to prayer at the set time then there should be a special preparation First You should prepare your selves by getting fresh and powerful apprehensions of the glory of God before whom you go prepare by meditation about the glory of that infinite God that you are now addressing yoâ—â— self unto posess your selves with thoughts and meditations of the glory of the great God that 's the first Secondly Labour to get your hearts sensible of what you go for I am now going to God for what for pardon of sin or for assurance of his love or for power against sin or for such and such mercies let me by meditation work my heart to be sensible of these things that I am going to God for to set a due price upon those mercies that I am praying for and to get my heart affected with them Thirdly labour to get your hearts separated from the world and from all things that are here below in the world and that should have been a third thing in the course of your lives you should never let out your hearts to any creature either to businesses or pleasures in the world so but that you may have command of your hearts to call them when you will to call them in to God in prayer and then when you come to prayer there should be an actuall separation of your hearts from all things in the world dedicating your selves to God for this time as one that hath nothing to do with the world nothing to do with any thing but this duty that now you are about this is the preparation of your hearts to Prayer in the course of your lives Now then for the Prayer it 's self First we must consider of the matter of Prayer And Secondly of the manner of it First for the matter of it we must look to it that it be according to Gods will 1 John 5.14 This is the confidence that wee have in him that if wee ask any thing according to his will hee heareth us therefore for the matter we must be sure it must be good that we pray for it must be for the glory of God for the good of our selves and the good of our Brethren First for the glory of God that should be the cheife matter that we are to pray for so Christ when he teacheth us to pray he begins the the very first Petition Matth. 6.9 10. hallowed be thy name thy Kingdome come thy Will be done First begin with the glory of God mind that in the cheif place above all other things God gives you leave to pray for outward things but first for the glory of God minding that before your own benefit before the pardon of sin and your dayly bread how few do sanctifie Gods Name in this people have little mind to pray but when they are in outward afflictions when they are upon their sick beds then they will pray or at sea in stormes then they will pray then it seemes that the maine matter of your prayer is only for your selves but how hath the matters of the glory 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 Kingdome of God hath not come and that the will of God hath not been done have these things taken up your hearts in prayer the matters of the glory of God and the good of Churchs though your selves have not any 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 storme now why do not you pray as earnestly for the Kingdome of Christ among his Churches as for your selves when you are in a storme at sea yea and spiritual things should be the cheife matter of your prayer for they are the neerest 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 cheife things and therefore the strength of your spirits should be thus powred forth to God Oh that I could get my heart to God and the assurance of the love of God! O that I could get the shine of his face O that I could get power over such and such corruptions And I beseech you observe this that spiritual things may be prayed for absolutely 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 will then restore me to the health of my body or the health of my husband or the health of
my wife but thou mayest pray Lord convert the soule of my husband or the soule of my wife without any condition at all 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 deal with me this shews the excellency that there is in spiritual things above outward things surely spiritual things are more to be desired for they are to be prayed for absolutely and the other to be prayed for only conditionally that 's for the first In the second place we are to pray for our own good God doth give us leave so to do only here comes in a question Quest Whether it be sinful to pray for afflictions as sometimes some will be ready to do Answ To that I answer first take it absolutely considered we may not pray that God would afflict us because affliction is in its selfe 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 mercy or otherwise let me rather be without it let me have a sanctified use of my sickness or otherwise let my sicknesse 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 affliction than 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 absolutely 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 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 a way of prayer yet how many do 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 neighbours â—eâ— sometimes parents upon their children this is a wicked practise of men what iâ— it not wickednesse enough for thee to have any desire that there should any evill befall thy brother but wilt thou dare to presume to call God to be an instrument of the execution of thy base sinful wrath that God must be a drudge as it were to thy wrath and to thy passion this is abominable wickednesse Any of you that ever have been guilty of this sinne 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 in stead of sanctifying the holy Name of God thou hast called God to be a servant and a drudge to thy passion God must be cal'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 a wishing such and such evils might come upon those you are angry with that 's a kind of prayer but it is a most fearful taking the Name of God in vain in the highest degree and certainly God will not hold him guiltlesse that shall so take his Name in vaine therefore be humbled for this sin Object But you will say do not we reade in the book of the Psalms where many times the Prophet David doth curse the enemies of God and wi hes evil to come upon them Answ To that I answer first that the Prophets and those that pen'd the Psalmes they had a prophetical spirit and those places that you reade that are in way of cursing they are rather prophetical predictions of evil than direful imprecations they are rather foretelling what shall be in a way of prophecie than wishing what should be Secondly If they be wishing what should be then I answer that those that were indued with such a prophetical spirit they did know who were the implacable enemies of God and who were not as David prayed against Judas so many hundred years before he was borne by a prophetical spirit he knew that he was the childe of perdition indeed if we could certainly know a man that were to be a cast-away eternally from God it were another matter as the Church in the time of Julian because of his Apostasie being so abominable it was determined almost generally by them that he had committed the sin against the holy Ghost and upon that they curst him Now I say those that had an extraordinary spirit that did know who these were they might do it but this is no example for us in an ordinary way to wish evill and curses upon others But thus far wee may doe with the enemies of the Church First we may curse them disjunctively Lord either take them out of the way or keep them that they may not do such mischiefe in the Church or thus conditionally if thou seest Lord that they be implacable thou knowest them if so let thy wrath and curse pursue them Lord thou seest what evil they are set upon and therefore rather than they should attain their mischievous designs let thy wrath and curse persue them so we may do it but not absolutely to curse any though they should do us never so much wrong we are called to blessing but now in zeal to God take heed that we be not carried on in our own passion But being sure it is in a zeal to God we may wish the curses of God to pursue those that God knows to be implacable this is but an appealing to God and not at all fastning it upon any particular persons that we know but leaving it unto God for the execution of it and so in a zeal to the glory of God we may do it and we are warranted so to do by the second Petition Thy Kingdom come for that petition that requires us to pray for the coming of the Kingdome of Jesus Christ doth also require that we should pray against all meanes that hinder the coming of the Kingdome of Jesus Christ so that every time that the Church prayes thy Kingdome come or any prayes thy