graspe both and is willing to part with neither such a man goes not straight on but he walkes unevenly in his courses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is while hee is quiet and no temptation doth assaile him then he walkes with GOD in a strait rule but let a temptation come and put him to it then he steps out of the way hee will not let his credit or his profit goe As a weather-cocke let there bee no winde at all and it stands still like a fixt thing but as soone as the wind comes it turnes about So is it with such a man while he is quiet while religion costs him nothing he walkes on in an even way but let a temptation come and assault him and because he hath not a single object vpon which he is resolved therefore hee goes out and walkes unevenly Contrary to this is hee that hath pitched upon one object upon GOD alone hee saith let me have the Lord alone and and heaven alone though I have noe more thus I have pitched thus I have resolved that let what will come I will part with all when it comes into composition with this Beloved you never have a single heart till now This singlenesse of heart David expresseth in himselfe Psa. 27.4 One thing have I desired that I will require that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all my dayes and behold thy beauty that is this one thing have I chosen I have pitched upon it I care for nothing besides if other things come so it is but this I require that I may walke with the Lord that I may bee in his house all my dayes that is that I may injoy the vse of GODS ordinances and walke with him and behold his beauty in them And such a speech was that of Christ to Martha One thing is necessary that is if you looke to any thing else it is in vaine you ought to take him alone as a wife takes a husband that must have none besides for so it must be And this is the first thing required to simplicity and singlenesse of spirit The second is this Let the heart be cleansed from all admixture of sinfull affections and so brought into such a frame that it may be apt to looke onely upon one object upon God alone And this I take out of Matth. 6.22 The light of the body is the eye if then the eye be single the whole body shall be light c. even as the eye guides all the members of the body the hands feet c. so doth the heart or minde guide all the actions of a man Now as the eye if it be vitiated or distempered with drunkennesse or surfeit or the like it doth not represent things single but double and treble and so makes a man to walke unevenly so sinfull affections which are contrary to the simplicity of the minde doe so distemper it that it cannot looke upon God alone as upon one single object but it hath an eye to other objects with him and he is distempered betweene them and so he walkes unevenly As for example feare will make a man to walke in a double way all miscarriage and double-dealing carriage comes from feare were it not for feare men would be plaine and simple therefore feare of men or any creature losse of credit life or liberty this is a snare and distempers the eye and till the heart be cleansed of these you will never walke evenly And so doth covetousnesse distemper us and voluptuousnesse or any 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in any kinde any over-eager desire or too much haste to accomplish the end which a man propounds to himselfe So Iacobs too much hasting after the blessing made him not to looke single upon God but to goe a double and uneven way in using unlawfull meanes to obtaine it And Ieroboams too greedy desire of the Kingdome made him to joyne God and the Calves together for two severall principles cause two severall motions And so is it when there is any inordinate affection be it what it will be there is not a simplicity of heart and if there be not you will never looke upon God alone but upon some creature upon some object or other Therefore Iames 4.8 Cleanse your hearts you wavering-minded As if when the heart was cleansed from corruption the minde would be freed from wavering and brought to simplicity were the heart purged there would be a constancy and evennesse in our mouth and in all our wayes This expression of simplicity you shall finde in Matth. 10.16 Beholde I send you as sheepe among wolves be wise therefore as serpents and innocent as doves The meaning is this I send you saith our Saviour among men as cruell as wolves that will persecute and hurt and devoure you wherefore be wise as serpents that is as serpents have many wiles doe winde and turne to shelter off a stroke and defend their head so doe you but on the other side take heede of being too fearefull of this persecution so that when to endure it comes to be a duty you doe not shrinke backe and withdraw your selves but in such a case let your hearts be simple cleansed from such an inordinate affection as that feare is and even take that blow as the doves doe which have no wiles as the serpents have to defend themselves So that in any such case when a duty is to be done as the professing of my name or the like here you must take the blow as willingly as the dove doth there is no avoiding in such a case therefore take heed that your hearts be simple that there be no feare there so that you must be haled to the duty And this is the very meaning and scope of the words Innocent as doves that is let no sinfull inordinate temptation admixe it selfe and so deprive you of this simplicity of heart because you doe not like my service This you shall see lively exemplified in Saint Paul 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sinceritie not with fleshly wisedome but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you wards Saint Paul was a very prudent man and therefore hated above all the Apostles as Saul was angry with David because he walked wisely he was so subtle to escape out of his hands which is as if the hounds should complaine of the hare that she hath so many trickes to escape from them but as I say he was a very prudent man and he used the serpents wisedome to save himselfe as he did when the assembly consisted of Sadduces and Pharises he put a division betweene them and so escaped himselfe as it were through the middest of them So the first part was true in him he was as wise as a serpent to keepe the blow off from himselfe But now saith the Apostle if carnall wisedome shall
of his in the creatures So that you see there are two wayes to come to the knowledge of this that God is One I say is by naturall reason Or else to make it more plaine we shall see this in these two things 1 There is enough in the very creation of the world to declare him unto us 2 There is a light of the understanding or reason put into us whereby we are able to discerne those characters of God stamped in the creatures whereby we may discerne the invisible things of God his infinite power and wisdome and when these are put together that which is written in the creature there are arguments enough in them and in us there is reason enough to see the force of those arguments and thence we may conclude that there is a GOD besides the arguments of Scripture that wee have to reveale it For though I said before that Divinity was revealed by the HOLY GHOST yet there is this difference in the points of Theologie Some truths are wholly revealed and have no foot-steps in the creatures no prints in the creation or in the workes of GOD to discerne them by and such are all the mysteries of the Gospell and of the Trinitie other truths there are that have some vestigia some characters stamped upon the creature whereby wee may discerne them and such is this which wee now have in hand that There is a God Therefore we will shew you these two things 1 How it is manifest from the creation 2 How this point is evident to you by faith 3 A third thing i will adde that this God whom we worship is the only true God Now for the first to explicate this that The power and God-head is seene in the creation of the world Besides those Demonstrations else-where handled drawne from the Creation in generall as from 1 The sweet concent and harmony the creatures have among themselves 2 The fitnesse and proportion of one unto another 3 From the reasonable actions of creatures in themselves unreasonable 4 The great and orderly provision that is made for all things 5 The combination and dependance that is among them 6 The impressions of skill and workmanship that is upon the creatures All which argue that there is a God There remaine three other principall arguments to demonstrate this The consideration of the Originall of all things which argues that they must needs bee made by GOD the Maker of Heaven and Earth which wee will make good to you by these particulars If man was made by him for whom all things are made then it is certaine that they are made also For the argument holds If the best things in the world must have a beginning then surely those things that are subserving and subordinate to them must much more have a beginning Now that man was made by him consider but this reason The father that begets knowes not the making of him the mother that conceives knowes it not neither doth the formative vertue as we call it that is that vigour that is in the materials that shapes and fashions and articulates the body in the wombe that knowes not what it doth Now is is certaine that he that makes any thing must needs know it perfectly and all the parts of it though the stander by may be ignorant of it As for example he that makes a statue knowes how every particle is made he that makes a Watch or any ordinary worke of art he knowes all the junctures all the wheeles and commissures of it or else it is impossible that hee should make it now all these that have a hand in making of man know not the making of him not the father nor the mother nor that which wee call the formative vertue that is that vigour which is in the materials which workes and fashions the bodie as the work-man doth a statue and gives severall limbes to it all these know it not therefore hee must needs be made by God and not by man and therefore see how the Wise-man reasons Psal. 94.9 Hee that made the eye shall he not see he that made the eare shall not he heare c. that is he that is the maker of the engines or organes or senses or limbes of the body or hee that is maker of the soule and faculties of it it is certaine that he must know though others doe not the making of the body and soule the turnings of the will and the windings of the understanding all those other are but as pensils in the hand of him that doth all the pensill knowes not what it doth though it drawes all it is guided by the hand of a skilfull Painter else it could do nothing the Painter only knoweth what he doth so that formative vertue that vigour that formes the bodie of a man that knowes no more what it doth than the pensill doth but he in whose hand it is who sets it on worke it is he that gives vigour and vertue to that seed in the womb from whence the bodie is raised it is he that knows it for it is he that makes it And this is the first particular by which wee prove that things were made and had not their originall from themselves The second is If things were not made then it is certaine that they must have a being from themselves Now to have a being from it selfe is nothing else but to be God for it is an inseparable propertie of God to have his being from himselfe Now if you will acknowledge that the creatures had a being of themselves they must needs be Gods for it belongs to him alone to have a being of himselfe and from himselfe The third followes which I would have you chiefly to marke If things have a being from themselves it is certaine then that they are without causes as for example That which hath no efficient cause that is no maker that hath no end Looke upon all the workes made by man that we may expresse it to you take an house or any worke or instrument that man makes therefore it hath an end because he that made it propounded such an end to himselfe but if it have no maker it can have no end for the end of any thing is that which the maker aymes at Now if things have no end they could have no forme for the forme and fashion of every thing ariseth only from the end which the maker propounds to himselfe as for example the reason why a knife hath such a fashion is because it was the end of the maker to have it an instrument to cut with the reason why an axe or hatchet hath another fashion is because it might be an instrument to chop with and the reason why a key hath another fashion different from these is because the maker propounded to himselfe another end in making of it namely to open lockes with these are all made of the same
you should see why we are to beleeve the Scriptures but this wee must leave till the next time We will now come to some use of the point for wee are not to dismisse you without some application but we must insert some uses here and there Vse 1 When you heare these arguments and this conclusion proving that there is a God the use you should make of it is to labour daily to strengthen our faith in this principle and to have an eye at God in all our actions for this is the reason given in the Text why one man comes to God because he beleeves that he is and another doth not because he beleeves it but by halves if they did beleeve this fully they would serve God with a perfect heart What is the reason that Moses breaks thorow all impediments he had temptations on both sides Prosperitie and preferment on the one side and adversity and afflictions on the other yet he passeth thorow wealth and povertie honour and dishonour and goes straight on in the way to heaven and 〈◊〉 reason is added in the Text because hee saw him that was invisible even so if you did see him that was invisible the God wee now speake of as you see a man that stands before you your wayes would be more even and wee should walke with him more uprightly than we doe if we did but beleeve that it is he that fills the heaven and earth as he saith of himselfe Ier. 23.24 Some may here say Object How can we see him that is invisible here is oppositum in adjecto to see him that is invisible Answ. Come to the body of a man you can see nothing but the outside the outward bulke and hide of the creature yet there is an immateriall invisible substance within that fils the body so come to the body of the world there is a God that fills Heaven and Earth as the soule doth the body Now to draw this a little nearer that invisible immateriall substance the soule of man which stands at the doores of the body and lookes out at the windows of the eyes and of the eares both to see and heare which yet wee see not yet it is this soule that doth all these for if the soule be once gone out of the house of the body the eye sees no more the eare heares no more than an house or chamber can see when there is no body in it and as it is the spirituall substance within the body that sees and heares and understands all so apply this to God that dwells in Heaven and Earth that as though you see not the soule yet every part of the body is full of it so if we looke into the world we see that it is filled and yet God like as the soule is in every place and fills it with his presence he is present with every creature he is in the aire and in your selves and seeth al your actions and heareth al your words and if we could bring our selves to a setled perswasion of this it would cause us to walke more evenly with God than we do and to converse with him after another manner when a man is present yea are sollicitous thinking what that soule thinkes of you how that soule is affected to you so if you beleeved God were in the world it would make you have an eye to him in all your actions as he hath an eye to you and to have a speciall care to please him in all things rather than to please men And this is the ground of all the difference betweene men One man beleeves it fully that there is such a mighty God another beleeves it but by halves and therefore one man hath a care only to please God in all things and to have an eye to him alone the other beleeving it but by halves he seeketh and earnestly followeth other things and is not so sollicitous what the Lord thinkes of him The thing therfore which we exhort you unto is that you would endevor to strengthen that principle more and more We speake not to Atheists now but to them that beleeve there is a God and yet we do not think our labour lost For though there be an assent to this truth in us yet it is such an one as may receive degrees and may be strengthened for I know that there are few perfect Atheists yet there are some degrees of Atheisme left in the best of Gods children which wee take not notice of for there is a two-fold Atheisme 1 One is when a man thinkes that there is no God and knowes he doth so 2 Another kinde of Atheisme is when a man doubts of the Deity and observes it not There are some degrees of doubting in the hearts of all men as we shall see by these effects that this untaken-notice-of Atheisme doth produce As when men shall avoid crosses rather than sinne not considering that the wrath and displeasure of God goes with it which is the greatest evill that can befall us What is the reason of it That whereas the greatest crosse is exceeding light if the wrath of God be put in the other ballance what is the reason that yet this should over-weigh the other in our apprehension if wee be fully perswaded of this principle that God made Heaven and earth What is the reason that when crosses and sinne come into competition as two severall wayes that we must goe one way why will men rather turne aside from a crosse to sinne against God and violate the peace of their consciences rather than undergoe losses or crosses or imprisonment Againe what is the reason that we are so readie to please and loth to displease men as a potent friend or enemie rather than God If this principle were fully beleeved that there is a God that made Heaven and Earth you would not doe so The Prophet Isaiah doth expresse this most elegantly Isai. 51.12 13 14. Who art thou that art afraid of man that shall die and the sonne of man which shal be made as grasse and forgettest the LORD thy Maker which stretched forth the Heavens and laid the foundation of the Earth As if he should say what Atheisme is this in the hearts of men Whence else are also those deceits lyes and shiftings to make things faire with men when they know that God is offended with it who seeth all things What is the reason that men are so sensible of outward shame more than of secret sinnes and care so much what men thinke of them and speake of them and not what God sees or knows Doth not this declare that men think as those Atheists of whom Iob speakes Iob 22. and doe they not conceive in some degree as those doe as if GOD did not descend beneath the circle of the heavens to the earth and his eyes were barred by the curtaines of the night that he did not take notice of the wayes of men and
prerogative if thou looke upon future times as thine and sayeth with the rich man in the Gospel now soule take thy rest this is sacrilege against God It is as if a man should say I have three thousand acres of land when he hath not three foot or if a man should say I have three thousand pound and hath not three pence It is the use made of it in Iames 4.13 14. Goe to now yee that say to day or to morrow we will goe into such a Citie c. Whereas yee ought to say if the Lord will we shall live and doe this or that if hee will give us leave to come in upon his ground This phrase is out of use with many men as clothes that are out of use we are unwilling to weare them but Christians should bring them into use againe and say if the Lord please let them labour to doe this in feare and trembling Thou shouldst thus thinke of time thou shouldst looke upon it as on a large field given by God and nothing of it belonging otherwise unto thee and looke what ground the Lord God gives thee thou art to sow seed in it and apply it to seeke him that thou mayest receive an harvest in future time and let men not say I will repent and turne to God hereafter but doe it presently in feare and trembling Boast not of time why doest thou deferre the time thou breakest into the Lords right and oftentimes he cuts thee off for it because thou breakest into that which doth nothing belong unto thee THE TENTH SERMON EXODVS 3.13 14. And Moses said unto God Behold when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them the God of your fathers hath sent mee unto you and shall say unto me what is his name what shall I say unto them And God said unto Moses I AM THAT I AM And he said thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel I AM hath sent me unto you WEE come now to the next Attribute and that is the Simplicity of God he is without all composition without any parts not having soule and body as we have not being compounded of substance and accident as we are but hee is simple without all composition Which I gather out of these words I AM WHAT I AM that is whatsoever is in mee it is my selfe I am a pure act all being a whole entire simple and uniforme being without parts not like to the creature for the best of them is compounded of actions and qualities but whatsoever is in me it is my selfe Now in this simplicity and immixture of God wee will first fall upon that which the Scripture sets downe in plaine words Iohn 4.24 God is a Spirit that is he is not mixt he is not compounded of body and soule as men are but he is a Spirit The word Spirit both in the Hebrew Greeke and Latine tongue doth signifie breath A breath is indeede a body but because it is the finest body the most subtile and most invisible therefore immateriall substances which we are not able to conceive are represented to us under the name of a spirit or breath Besides this is to be added though God bee said to be a spirit yet he is not properly a spirit as Angells are for an Angell is a creature and though it want a body and be a spirit yet it is a created substance but yet because that is neerest to the pure and incomprehensible nature of God therefore he calls himselfe a spirit as Angells are and our soules are To shew you what a spirit is these foure things are to be considered 1 It is proper to a Spirit to be invisible impalpable not to bee discerned by any sense Therfore Christ bids his Disciples to feele him Behold my hands and my feete saith he that it is I my selfe handle and see for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as I have A Spirit is that which is drawn from the sight of any corporeall sense whatsoever and in this sense God is called a Spirit because he is invisible and therefore Moses is said to see him that is invisible not by any bodily eye but by the eye of faith 2 Every Spirit moves it selfe and other things also The body is but an earthy piece that is not able to stirre it selfe at all as you see it is when the soule is gone out of it it is the spirit that both moves it selfe and carries the body up and downe where it listeth and it moves it selfe with all speed and agility because it finds no resistance Bodies beside their elementarie motion vpward and downeward have no voluntarie motion they cannot move themselves whither they will as spirits doe And this I gather out of Ioh 3.8 the Holy Ghost is compared to the wind that blowes where it listeth 3. It is the propertie of every Spirit to move with exceeding great force and strength and with much vehemency so that it farre exceeds the strength of any body Therefore in Isa 31.3 speaking of the strength of the Aegyptians he saith that they are flesh and not spirit as if hee should say all flesh is weake but the spirit is strong Therefore you see the Divells that are spirits what strength they have and the man in the Gospell that was possessed it is said that he could breake the strongest bonds and you see it commonly in those that are possessed and you read how he threw downe the house over Iobs children This is the strength of the spirit exceeding the strength of any body 4 It insinuates it selfe and enters into any bodily substance without all penetration of dimension that is it is not held out of any place by reason of a body that is in it it may be in it though the place be otherwise full as you see the soule is in the body you shall find no where an emptie place the body is every where whole yet the Spirit insinuates it selfe in every part and no body can keepe it out And so is God he is invisible not seene by any eye hee moves himselfe and all things in the world as he lists and he doth what he doth with exceeding great strength and then hee fills every place both heaven and earth what bodies soever be there yet he may be there notwithstanding And thus you see in what sense this is to be understood God is a Spirit Now we will come to apply this Vse 1 If God be a Spirit first then this we may gather from it 1 That his eye is cheifely vpon the spirits of men There are many things in the world which his hand hath made but that which he chiefely lookes to is the minde and spirit of man Whereas a man consists of two parts a body and a spirit it is the spirit that is like to God and in regard of the spirituall substance of the soule it is said
to be made after his Image and therefore in Heb 12 God is called the Father of Spirits Why He is the Father of the body also he made that but the meaning is that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Father over them because he guides and nurtures them being most like to himselfe as the sonne is like the father so they are like to him and therefore hee most regards the spirits of men As you may see when Samuel went to anoint David King and all the sonnes of Iesse came before him those that were much more proper than David God tells him that he did not looke upon the persons of men nor upon their outward appearance hee heedes them not what doth he then he sees the soule and spirit of man the Lord looketh upon the heart and according to that hee judgeth of them 1 Sam. 16.7 Now if his eye be chiefly upon the spirit thou shouldest labour to let thine eye be chiefly still upon thy spirit and so thou shalt most please him Let thy eye be upon thy soule to keepe it cleane that it may be fit for communion with him who is a spirit This should teach you to looke to the fashion of your soules within because they are likest to him and carry his image in them he is a father of them in a speciall manner and they are that whereby you may have communion with him in that which is most proper unto him in spirituall exercises and performances Object But you will say what is it that you would have us to doe to our spirits to have them fit for the Lord that he may regard them and that they may be like to him Answ. 1 1 Thou must scoure and cleanse them from all filthinesse 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearely beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinisse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God There is a pollution which the Apostle speakes of which pollution he divides into two kindes of the flesh of the spirit both of these thou must labour to bee cleansed from but specially that of the spirit if tâ—â—n wouldst have it fit to have the Lord to delight in for he being a Spirit doth most regard those actions which are done by the Spirit and therefore that is the thing that mainely thou shouldst looke to Object But what is that pollution of spirit or what is that which doth defile it Answ. Every thing in the world defiles the spirit when it is lusted after 2 Pet. 1.4 Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust that is the world and all things in the world and all the parts of it they doe then corrupt the spirit defile and soile it when the soule of man hath a lust after them You might medle with all things in the world and not be defiled by them if you had pure affections but when you have a lust after any thing then it defiles your spirit therefore in Titus 1.15 the Apostle speakes of a conscience defiled And in Matt. 15. 19. saith our Saviour out of the heart proceede evill thoughts murthers adulterers fornications thefts false witnesse blasphemies these are the thâ—â—gs whâ—â—h defile a man He doth not speake onely of actuall adulterie or murther but even of the siâ—â—ull dispositions of the soule even these are things that defile the spirit in Gods sight who lookes upon them as you doe upon outward filthinesse with the eyes of your body So that every inordinate lusting of the soule doth defile the soule Object But is not this rule too strait We are commanded not to murther nor to commit adultery this is the commandement and why should you say that every disordered affection doth defile the soule and that it is more regarded by God then the outward actions Answ. You must know that the tenth commandement doth strike against these abominations Thou shalt not lust and so it is translated Rom. 7 so that these lustings of the spirit are those that defile the soule You see that God hath spent a whole commandement against them And indeede all the actuall sinnes committed by us simply considered in themselves as committed by the body are not so hated of God as the pollution of the spirit is Nay I dare be bolâ—â— to say that the act of adultery and murther is not so abominable in Gods eyes as the filthinesse of the spirit this is more abominable in the sight of God who is a spirit than the act of the body for it is the spirit that he mainly lookes to Indeed the act contracts the guilt because the lust is then growne up to an height so that it is come to an absolute will and execution Therefore if these lustings doe presse into the soule wee should put them out againe and reject them with shame and griefe for GOD is a Spirit and beholdes the continuall behaviour of thy spirit Againe the injury which you offer to others though in it selfe it be a great sinne yet that inward brooding of it in thy heart plotting mischiefe that boiles within thee while it hatches rancour and revenge this is that which he hates though thou shouldest never commit any actuall sinne this way Iam. 4.5 you have this phrase used The lust of the spirit to envie that is the bent of the spirit and inclination of the minde which lookes upon the gifts of others whereby it overshines them so that they lust to have that light put out that their candle might appeare above it though they act nothing yet this is abominable to him And that I might not deliver this without ground consider There is nothing so pleasing to God as a broken heart Isa. 57. Now the breaking of the heart is nothing else but the severing betweene the heart and sin As when you see an artificers worke wherein many parts are glued together if it should fall downe or the glue be dissolved then they all breake to pieces and when the lusts that are in our soules are thus severed this pleaseth the Lord not that the affliction of a mans spirit is pleasing to the Lord but the separation of sinne from his soule when the soder that joynes a sinfull action and the heart together when this is dissolved this doth please the Lord. And by the rule of contraries if this be true then it is true on the other side that when the spirit is glued by any lust to any inordinate thing it is most hatefull to God for the stronger the lust is the stronger is the glue and therefore a man the more he is tyed to this world and hath such strong lusts the more hee hath this uncleannesse and pollution of spirit And therefore as a broken heart is most acceptable to God so a spirit that is knit to any inordinate object by the thing that it cleaves to it becomes most hatefull and abominable to him
hath not much but yet some difference from the former is this when the spirit of a man beholds God alone when his eye is upon him when hee comes to worship him and upon nothing besides If a man will have an eye to men to the praise or dispraise that shall follow the performance of the duty he doth so farre worship men But hee serves God and worships him in spirit when his heart is left naked and stripped of all other respects in the world and so filled and over-awed with the presence of God that all other respects doe vanish This it is to worship God in singlenesse of heart and this is opposed to outward performance Col. 3.22 for eye-service is but onely a bodily and outward worship but when a man doth it with singlenesse of heart then it is not eye-service as there that is it is not outward onely Now singlenesse of heart is this when the minde hath but one single object to looke upon so that to looke not upon any creature but upon God and none besides This is to worship God in singlenesse of heart which is the same with holinesse of spirit As the holinesse of the vessell in the old law was when it was set apart from all other services to God alone so the holinesse of a mans spirit is when it is separated from all by-respects and aimes and is wholly devoted to him whence our word Devotion doth spring and when a man worships God with this nakednesse with this singlenes and holinesse of spirit then he worships God in spirit But when thou commest to performe any duty as to preach a Sermon or to pray and thou lookest what men will thinke of thee and what praise and credit thou shalt get by it this pollutes your spirit so farre as you doe this there is not singlenesse but doublenesse of spirit and here is eye-service in GODS account Therefore looke alwayes to worship him in spirit remember the argument here used GOD is a Spirit that is looke how the corporeall eye of man beholds the body when thou commest to Church and can see the negligence of thy behaviour and uncomely gesture so GOD that is a spirit he beholds the vanity and loosenesse of thy spirit within the turning and rouling of it this way or that way therefore take diligent heede to thy spirit labour to approve thy selfe to him care not what any creature saith or thinketh of thee and this is to worship him in thy spirit Now here are two Questions to be answered Quest. 1 If GOD must thus be worshipped in spirit and it is the behaviour of that which he lookes to what necessity is there then of a bodily comely and outward gesture how farre is this required in his worship Answ. The spirituall worship of God is never well performed but when it is signified by the comely gesture of the body as farre as wee may I say they must concurre the body must goe with the spirit though indeed he chiefly lookes to the spirit for they are both his 1 Cor. 6.20 Besides the body doth exceedingly helpe the spirit and it doth testifie when you come before others that holinesse and reverence which you have of Gods glory and majesty Therefore to perswade you to this you must know that when ever you come to worship God there ought to be a great solemnity in every part of his worship which cannot be without the concurrence of the body and spirit of man they cannot be disjoyned And you shall see the necessity of this in these 3 things 1. Because though holinesse be seated in the spirit yet it doth will appeare in the body at the same time You know the light of the candle is seated in the candle yet it shines through the lant-horne if it be there so though holinesse be seated in the spirit yet it will appeare in the body if it be there It is so in all other things and therefore must needes be so in this As take any affections that are in us as a blushing affection when occasion is it will appeare in the body whether we will or no so an impudent face is discerned and perceived also so awefulnesse and feare and reverence they will shew themselves and looke out at the windowes of the eyes and appeare in the face except we willingly suppresse them Now if these will doe so surely it holds in this also If there be a reverence of the minde it will be seene in the behaviour of the body Therefore you see Eliah when he prayed earnestly the disposition of the body went with it he put his face downe betweene his legges So Iesus Christ when hee prayed for Lazarus hee groaned in his spirit and wept Now if he did so who might be exempted if any might then doe not thou thinke that thou canst have a holy reverent disposition of the minde and it not appeare in the body it cannot be Therefore you shall finde that this is called the heart every where because the affections are seated there and now the body is accordingly affected as the heart is affected for what affections a man hath such is his heart 2. Consider this If thou findest thy selfe apt to a carelesse negligent behaviour and carriage of the body when thou commest to GOD and pretendest this that he is a spirit and must be worshipped in spirit I say consider whether this be not an excuse that thy flesh makes to this end that it may be lazie and have some ease to it selfe from a false acception of that principle God is a Spirit that so it may give way to an outward lazinesse of the body Therefore looke narrowly to it thou shouldest stirre up the outward man that thou thereby maist stirre up the inward man when thou commest before God in any worship 3. Consider that to make any thing an ordinance there must be an application of the whole man to it otherwise it is but a lame performance and God will not reckon as the obedience of an ordinance For this truth must be remembred That an ordinance of God performed as it ought to be doth usually carry a blessing with it A prayer a Sacrament received as it ought a fast kept as it should moves the Lord to give a blessing if thou doest not Ponere obicem thou shalt not goe away empty for it is alwayes accompanied with a blessing as it is said to Ananias Acts 9. Goe to Paul for behold he prayes when it is a prayer indeed God can holde no longer Doe you thinke that Paul never prayed before when he was a Pharise Yes but it was not as he ought he never prayed indeed till now now consider when thou commest before the Lord to performe any duty to him thou wilt say it may be that my spirit is well disposed though the gesture of my body be not according but I say deceive not thy selfe with this but looke that it be a
thorow performance For as it was in the old law a lame sacrifice was accepted as none so a lame prayer a lame hearing the word a lame performance of any exercise God reckons as none Therefore in these things God sends them away empty as they came What better are they doe their hearts get any thing Beloved God is a fountaine and if he meet with a fit pipe as is an ordinance rightly performed there he usually conveyes his grace but if he meet with a foule pipe and obstructed there hee doth not conferre any blessing Now if thou saist I have thus behaved my selfe and have not beene answered Doe not deceive thy selfe for if it be truly performed you shall be answered so that looke if it be truly done expect a blessing GOD will not suffer his ordinance at that time to be a pen without inke or a pipe without water I hope there be none of us here that neglect prayer to GOD morning and evening that live as if there no GOD in the world as if they were not his subjects if there be GOD will wound the hoary scalpe of such But these are not the men I speake to but they are those that doe it from day to day they pray from time to time and omit it not these are the men whom wee are to advertise in this case Take heede though you pray every day yet it may be thou hast not made a prayer all thy life yet and this is the case of many For if thou considerest what an ordinance is indeed thou shalt know that the Lord doth not reckon all petitioning as a prayer nor set it downe for the ordinance And it may bee the case of the Saints sometimes though we speake not now to them they may pray often and yet the Lord not register nor set it downe for a prayer and therefore it may never come into remembrance before him And this I take to be Davids case in the time of his adultery the ground of which you shall see Psal. 51.16 17. Open thou my lips O LORD and my mouth shall set forth thy praise David had as it were mistaken himselfe he thought that he had prayed and offered a sacrifice but saith he I was deceived all this while I was not able to open my mouth to any purpose therefore Lord open thou my mouth I brought sacrifice in but thou regardest it not till my heart was humbled Therefore a broken and a contrite heart O GOD thou wilt not despise Therefore you deceive your selves that goe on in a customary performance of holy duties and thinke that you pray for all this that thinke this worship to be in the spirit onely when your outward man carries it selfe negligently this is but a lame performance they must goe both together Therefore looke that it be an ordinance which then it is when not onely the spirit of a man is well set but the whole man is applied to the duty that is when all the strength of a man goes to it Object If you say May not a man pray sometimes when he is walking or lying or riding by the way or the like Answ. I answer There be two times of prayer one is ordinary and in private when you may have all opportunity to doe it in a holy and solemne manner and then you ought to doe it solemnly The other is when you pray occasionally and there the occasion and disposition doth not admit such outward solemnity as when a man gives thankes at meate or prayeth when hee rides Here the Lord accepts the will for the deed GOD requires not this upon all occasions yet when you may you ought to doe it in a reverent manner not onely of spirit but of the bodie also You may gather it from Christ he fell on his face and prayed Luke 22.42 and Daniel and Abraham it is said that they bowed themselves to the ground And it is said of Christ that hee lifted up his eyes to heaven when he blessed the loaves Why are these set downe If any man might be freed Iesus Christ might but it pleaseth the holy Ghost to set downe that circumstance of him that he fell on his face and that hee lift up his eyes to heaven Indeed in this case when it is hurtfull to the body there it may be omitted the Lord will have mercie rather than sacrifice even mercie upon your bodies So also when you finde that it hurts the inward man and hinders it when the heart doth it out of a conceit that it may performe it the better then there is a libertie left unto you to dispense with it As I say for prayer so for other duties when a man comes to heare the word hee saith my minde is intent enough though I make not such a shew yet notwithstanding know this that thou must behave thy self reverently when thou commest before God You shall see in Luke 4. when Christ preached it is said that the eyes of all the people were fastened upon him Why is such a corporall gesture noted in the text is it in vaine No because it is a comely gesture therefore it is to be regarded Quest. 2 How should we conceive of GOD in prayer seeing he is a Spirit and a Spirit we never saw what conceit and apprehension of GOD should we have then when we come to call upon his name Answ. Wee may not conceive him under any corporeall shape for he is a Spirit and therefore they that thinke they may worship the humanity of Christ disjoyned are deceived we are not to worship it as separated from his Deity for we are to worship the Trinity in the Vnity and the Vnity in Trinity which we cannot doe if we worship his humanitie as separated from his Deity Therefore when you come to pray before GOD you must remember that he is a Spirit filling heaven and earth strong gracious mercifull full of goodnesse and truth c. concerning which three things are to bee considered First That he is a Spirit Object But how shall I conceive of a Spirit Answ. How doest thou conceive of the soule of another man when thou speakest to him thou never didst see it yet thou knowest that there is such a spirit that fills the body and that doth understand what thou sayest and speakes to thee againe so remember this of the Lord that he is a Spirit Compare Ier. 23.24 with this Can any man hide himselfe in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Doe not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord Secondly That the Lord fills heaven and earth as the soule fills the body so that thou must thinke that hee sees all things and heares all things Indeed the Lord is not in the world as the soule is in the body but in an incomprehensible manner which we cannot expresse to you yet this is an expression which wee may helpe our selves by and is used every where