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 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 sweetnes 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 strnger cannot prevaile 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 prevaile 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 joyfull to those that converse with him That Reverend Divine that is now with God Doctor Preston when he was to die he had this speech I shall but change my place I shall not change my company whereas its otherwise if thou growest estranged from God when death comes it will look with a terrible face for then thou hast to deale with God thou art then to go into the presence of the infinite dreadfull 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 its eternall doome 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 time 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 is 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 How often would I have gathered thee as a Hen gathereth her Chickins There are a company of Kites abroad in the world and we are poor shiftlesse creatures now how happy are we then if we can run under the shaddow of Gods wing there is a kind of shaddow in the presence of God in the injoyment of the creature but the shadow of God that we have in his Worship that is as the shadow of his wing There is the shadow of a Tree and that may help from some kind of troubles but there 's another manner of shadow under the shadow of the wing of the Hen because that nourishes the Chickin The men of the world they have the shadow of the Tree as it were Gods generall providence which is over all creatures but the Saints of God that draw nigh to God they have the shadow of Gods wing like the shadow of the Hens wing to the Chickin which doth comfort it and safeguard it let us by the duties of Worship thus draw nigh to God and keep nigh unto him SERMON III. LEVITICUS 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me I WILL onely adde one particular more to what we said the last day and then proceed If in the duties of Worship we are nigh to God then hence appears the great honour that God puts upon his Servants that do Worship him Certainly the Worshippers of God have great honour put upon them because the Lord vouchsafes them to draw nigh unto him they are such as are precious and honourable in his eies I will not inlarge my self in this only give you three Scriptures that shew the great honour and respect that God puts upon those that he doth admit to come and Worship him The first Scripture is in Deut. 4. 17. There Moses speaking of the People of Israel and the great respect that God shewed to them more then others for saith he What nation is there so great who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for What Nation is there so great as you are So great How doth it appear that the Nation of Israel is a greater Nation then other Nations are how That hath God so nigh unto them in all things that they call upon him for herein any man or woman or nation may be said to be great that is greatly honoured by the Lord God in that they have the Lord nigh to them and they are nigh to him here 's the greatnesse of a nation you would think that if one would describe the greatnesse of a nation it should be in their great wealth their great trading and traffique that they have and the fertile place that they live in no this is not the greatnesse of a nation But what nation is there so great that hath the Lord God so nigh to them There 's the greatnesse of a nation and so a spirituall heart would account greatesse to consist in having God to be nigh unto it The Second Scripture is in Numb 16. 9. There we have Moses speaking unto the Sons of Korah rebuking them for their sin and he brings this aggravation to them of the greatnes of their sin saith he Seemeth it but a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring you neer to
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 dishonour a man may sometimes imploy in some businesse 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 performe worship in a formall 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 displeasure 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 inlightened conscience to think thus It stands upon the holinesse 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 formall 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 hypocrisâ—e and in formality they have been blasted in their parts and common gifts The judgement 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 read the story you shall find that their cloathes were not burnt and yet they were burnt in their bodies So the Lord some times doth blast men inwardly in their Spirits in their Souls in their Parts in their common Gifts â—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 spirituall judgments rather then with outward temporall judgements In the time of the Law those that did not sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties the Lord did appear by some externall and visible way upon their bodies but now in the time of the Gospel there God comes with more spirituall judgements upon mens Souls and those are the most terrible judgements 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 For asmuch 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 marvelous work amongst this people even a marvelous work and a wonder for the wisdome 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 formall 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 formall way and so all hypocrites and formall worshippers the Lord doth blast them in one way or other the judgements 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 judgements of God to be more spirituall 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 me Secondly the Lord doth manifest that he will be Sanctified in those that draw nigh him by awakeing 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 uprightnesse but in Formality And now they are in horrour of conscience and cry out in the anguish of their soules 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 well 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 appeares to be terrible to my soule and comes out against me as an enemy I say now Gods name is Sanctified what ever becomes of thee he will force glory from thee one way or other and it may be even here in this time of thy life but however at the great day when the secrets of all hearts must be disclosed before men and Angels then the Lord will apeare to be a holy God by rejecting all such services that thou didest tender unto 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 strik this upon your hearts that it may abide upon you every time you come to
what Incense or Sacrifice he would have the use of fire in it should be onely that fire and no other though God did never say to them directly in these words You shall make use of this fire and no other but God would have them to understand this That 's their sin therefore in offering of strange fire Now fire comes from the Lord and doth consume them Some think this fire came from the Altar but surely it could not be any ordinary fire that did consume Nadab and Abihu at this time for you shall find in the next ver to my text That the bodies of Nadab and Abihu were not consumed by the fire no nor their cloathes they were kil'd by the fire and yet their cloathes were whole therefore it was not an ordinary fire it was some Celestiall fire struke into them to slay them for so saith the text in the 4 th ver Come neer carry away your Bretheren from before the Sanctuary out of the Camp and so they went and carried them in their coats out of the Camp so tht their cloathes and bodies were not consumed only they were kil'd by the fire they were struck with a sudden death and that in the presence of the Lord such a death as God had never threatned in the Word before God had never threatned the Priests and said If you Offer strange fire you shall be consumed by fire but yet God smites them with death by fire they had not time to seek God no not so much as we use to say as to say Lord have mercy upon me they had no time to promise amendment at all now upon this heavy judgement the heart of Aaron could not possibly but be very much troubled yea and the spirit of Moses too for Moses was their unckle and Aaron their father they could not but be exceedingly much greived but Moses being the brother of Aaron seeing his spirit no question exceedingly troubled being under such a sad affliction and that such a Godly man even as Aaron was should have such a sad judgment befall his Children Moses comes and speakes comfortably to him and labours to support his spirit and how doth he do it He comes not as ordinarily you use to visit your brethren Oh! you must be content with this no but he comes and applyes the Word of God and shewes how God must be sanctified and by that he comes to quiet the heart of his brother Aaron This is that which the Lord hath spoke saith Moses Hee seekes to stay the heart of his Brother with that which God spake But where do we find that God spake this It 's hard to find in any Scripture these very words in ter minis before this time and therefore Augustin thinks it was onely the word God spake but not written and so they had it from hand to hand by tradition as many other things as the Prophecie of Enoch that the Apostle Jude speakes of you doe not find it written in the Book of God and yet the Apostle speakes of it so that indeed it was from hand to hand yea and we find in the New Testament when Paul speakes of a thing that Christ should say how that our Lord saith It is a more blessed thing to give then to receive you find it not recorded in the Gospels that Christ said so So this is that which the Lord said though it was not written from the beginning of Genesis to this very place or otherwise though it be not recorded in expresse terms yet somthing is recorded to the same purpose and effect and so it may seeme to have reference to that Scripture Exod. 29. 43. there we have a Scripture comes as neere to it as any I know And there will I meet with the children of Israel and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory that 's as much in effect as I will be sanctified in those that come nigh me in those that come to Worship me in my Tabernacle I will be sanctified in all things that concerne my Worship I will be sure to be sanctifyed there I will be sanctified I will be Hallowed for it is the very same that you have in the Lords Prayer Hallowed be thy Name only that 's the Greeke word and this is the Hebrew but if you would translate this word into Greeke you must translate it by the same word that Christ spake when he taught his disciples to pray hallowed bee thy name Hallowd and Sanctifyed is all one Lord let thy Name appeare to be Holy so I will be Sanctified that is I will have my Name appeare to be Holy I will be made known unto my People and to all the World that I am a holy God that 's the meaning of I will be Sanctifyed I will be knowne to al the world that I am a Holy God And before all the People I will be Glorifyed so it is in the latter part of the verse as if God should say I account it to be my glory that I should be manifested to be Holy before all the World I will be Sanctifyed that is I will have my People to demeane and carry themselves so as to hold forth their acknowledgement of my Holynesse so as by their carriage I may appeare to be a Holy God I will be Sanctifyed by them or otherwise if they shall not in an active way Sanctify my name that is if they shall not demeane themselves so as to hold forth the glory of my Holynesse then I will be Sanctifyed upon them I will demeane and carry my self towards them so as by my actions upon them I will make it appeare what a Holy God I am So God is Sanctified two wayes eyther by the Holynesse of his People in their carriage towards him holding forth the glory of Gods Holynesse and so in that 1. Pet. 3. 15. Sanctifye the Lord God in your hearts the Saints doe sanctifye God in their hearts when they feare God as a Holy God and Reverence him and Love him as a holy God and so Sanctifie him in their lives when their lives doe hold forth the glory of Gods Holynesse then God is Sanctifyed Put then if we do not do so then God Sanctifies himself that is in wayes of Judgement upon those that do not in wayes of holynesse Sanctifie his Name And thus you have it Ezek. 28. 22. And say Thus saith the Lord God Behold I am against thee O Zidon I will be glorified in the middest of thee and they shall know that I am the Lord when I shall have executed judgment in her and shall be Sanctified in her And this is all one with I will be glorified in the middest of them And in the 38. of Ezek. 16 23. You have to the same purpose And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel as a cloud to cover the Land it shall be in the latter dayes and I will bring thee against my Land that the Heathen may
service God hath generally from the Men and women of the earth it should make our hearts bleed within us Where almost is the man or woman that according to that text in Isa Stirs up himself to take hold on God And I verily beleeve that in the opening of this point of Sanctifying the name of God in holy duties that I have bin in the bosoms of as many as in the opening of any point whatsoever and as many may have cause to lay their hands upon their hearts and say Certainly I have come short of what is required here and have not bin acquainted with this way this mysterie of godlines in Sanctifying Gods name in holy duties as I ought to be O be humbled for this for all the uncleannesie of your hearts in the performance of duties In Exod 27 4 5. you read that at the Altar where the â—acrifices weâ—e to be offered the Lord required that there should be a grate made Thou shalt make for it meaning the Altar a grate of net-work of brasse and upon the net shalt thou make four brasen rings in the four corners thereof and thou shalt put it under the compasse of the Altar beneath that the net may be even to the middest of the Altar There was as it were a grate for the ashes of the Altar to go through as you have grates in your fires to make them burn cleer and for the ashes to fal down so the Lord would have such a grate for the ashes of the Altar to fall down We had need of such a grate Oh the ashes and dirt and filth that there is in our services when we come to offer and tender them up to God! So that we have cause I say to be humbled for holy offerings There be many godly people that through Gods mercy are able to keep from grosse sins they do not find it any great matter to keep from company swearing drinking uncleannesse lying or wronging of others and such kind of sins as those are so that they see not such need of humiliation in this regard unlesse it be for that their natures are as corrupt as any though they break not forth into those actuall grosse sins but the maine work of the humiliation of those that are godly it is to be humbled for their thoughts for the mispending of time and for not sanctifying of Gods name in holy dnties those are the maine things that are the subject of the humiliation of the Saints beside the body of sin and death that they carry about with them And it would be a good sign that thy heart hath some tendernesse in it when thou makest these to be the matter of thy humiliation Carnall people little are troubled for these if they fall into such sins as their Consciences do fly in their faces then they are troubled and humbled But for such things as these are they are seldome humbled To be humbled for thy holy offerings is a good sign of a gracious heart We read of the Cherubims that they had six wings and with two of their wings the text saith they covered their faces so my brethren we had need have wings as it were to cover our best duties they had wings and with two they covered their legs and with two their faces We had need not only of a covering for our lower parts and meanner duties but a covering of our holy duties to cover our faces our best duties of all the most heavenly duties we perform had need be purged by the bloud of Christ In Levit. 16. 14. 16. we read of their holy things that there was need of purging of them by bloud and so it should be in our holy duties Let us be humbled for our best performance that ever we performed in our lives The best had need be so but then as for others that have made little or no conscience of Sanctifying of Gods name how had they need be humbled Thou hast something more to repent of then thou thoughtest of for the truth is those that have not made conscience of Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties they never in all their lives did any service for the honour of God thou hast lived perhaps 30. or 40. it may be 60. years or more and didest never yet honour God in any one thing that ever thou didest in all thy life You will say God forbid Have not I prayed and heard the word much and received the Communion often and yet have I never honoured God If thou hast not bin aquainted with this mysterie of godlinesse in Sanctifying his name in these things This is said from God to thee this morning That thou hast never done any one action to the honour of God Thou hadest need begin presently for thy time is not long and wilt thou go out of this world and the name of God never to be honoured by thee Yea and further Thou hast lost all thy duties all the time hath bin lost that thou hast been in performance of duties now it is an ill thing to idle away time in the things of the World When a man hath an opportunity for to gain in the world If so be he loses his time and neglects it we account it a very sad thing to him but now to lose our trading time for heaven for the times of the worshipping of God are our trading times for heaven that 's sad indeed And yet thou that makest not conscience of Sanctifying the Name of God in holy duties all the time thou hast spent is lost And yet further You that have been false in the performance of duties and hypocrites not only all your pains and labour is quite lost for if that were all it might be well with you but you have aggravated your sins by your holy duties Those duties that others have injoyed communion with God in and furthered their eternall life by thou hast aggravated thy sins by them yet it was thy duty to do them but I say by not sanctifying of Gods Name thou hast aggravated thy sins so much the more As those that are godly they work out their salvation even in their naturall actions they sanctifie Gods Name in eating and drinking and following their businesse they performe those actions in such a holy manner as they honour God in them and further their eternall peace but as they in their naturall and civill actions work out their salvation so thou in the very religious actions doest work out thy damnation Certainly wicked men that are not acquainted with this work of godlinesse to sanctifie Gods name in holy duties they work out their damnation even in the performance of them You will say Then they had better not do them Yes they are bound to do them but they are bound to do them in a right manner as sometimes I have given you this instance and it is a ful and a cleer one to shew that men are bound to performe holy duties and not to
so all the week after they hold forth the word of God You that are servants it may be your masters are naught and the families naught from whence you come now when you go home though it may be they will not let you repeate the Sermon yet you are to hold forth the Sermon in your practice and conversation How is the Name of God glorified when we hold forth his word this is to let not only your light shine but the light of the word shine before men that they may behold it and glorifie your Father which is in heaven So that now put all these Eleaven Particulars together and then you have made good that expression we find in Act. 13. 48. That the word of God was glorified And to the same purpose we have another expression in 2 Thess 3. 1. Finally brethren Pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you This is the commendation of a people that they do glorifie the word of God I beseech you brethren in the Name of Jesus Christ this morning that you that are hearers of the Word would glorifie the Word and glorifie the Name of God in the word Oh that not one of you would be a disgrace or shame to the word of God this is the charge that God this morning laies upon you as ever you expect to receive any good from the word or to look upon the face of God with comfort whose word this is do not be a shame to his Word and to the Ministers of his word Put all these things together I say and learn to make conscience of Sanctifying Gods Name in hearing the Word that so there may be none of you that may give any just occasion to others to say Is this to hear Sermons Do you get nothing else but this by hearing Sermons If you should open the mouths of men to say so of you the Word of God as much as lies in you would be disgraced by you you should rather think thus It were better for me that I should die and that I were under the ground and rotting there then that the Word of God should ever be disgraced by me Let me hold forth the glory of the Word the Word is that that hath done good to my soul the Word is that that I would not for ten thousand worlds but have heard it and shall I disgrace this Word shall I give any occasion that this word of the Lord should be spoken ill of by reason of me O God forbid Therefore if you regard not your selves and your own honour yet regard the honour of the Word If ever you have got any good by the Word you should go away with this resolution Well I will labour all the daies of my life to honour this Word of God that I have got so much good by If this were but the resolution of every one of your hearts this morning it would be a blessed mornings work SERMON X. LEVITICUS 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me NOW follow the Reasons why God stands so much upon it that he will have his Name Sanctified in this Ordinance of Hearing his Word 1 First It is because there is so much of God in his Word and therefore we should Sanctifie Gods Name If it were possible there could be sin in heaven that sin would be greater then sin committed here therefore the sin of the Angels when they were in Gods presence in a more especial manner was the greater The name of God being in any thing the greater will be the evill if we do not sanctifie Gods Name in it now there is very much of God in his word more of God there then in all his works of Creation and Providence In Ps 138. 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name There being therefore so much of God in his word we must Sanctifie the Name of God in it 2 Secondly God hath appointed his Word to be the great Ordinance to convey the special mercies that he intends for the good of his people That we spake to before in the generall in shewing how the duties of Gods Worship are as a channel for the conveyance of speciall good to the Saints But none more then the Word that 's the Ordinance to convey the First Grace to those that belong to Gods election The Sacrament is for frengthning and therefore there is rather more in the Word then 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 then 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 then 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 then any two edged sword peircing 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 will 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 powerfull 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 therfore that is very observable when Christ sends out his Disciples 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 shall be quick
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 Apostle 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 counsels of God concerning mans eternal estates comes to be revealed that this should prove to be the favour of death unto death unto any soul that is to have such an efficacy in it as to kill them by the very scent of it as it were As some things have such a poyson in them as the very scent is enough to poyson one So saith the Apostle to some our word hath that efficacy being turned quite to the contrary end some souls are sav'd and are and shal be blessing God to al eternity for the word and thy soul is dam'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 shall be blessing of God eternally in heaven for that thou shalt be cursing eternally in hell for it will be turned to the quite contrary end If it works not in the right way it will work the other the truth is it hardens mens hearts if it brings them not to God there is nothing that doth harden the hearts of men more then the Ministry of the word yet by accident not by its self there is no men in the world have such hard hearts as those that are wicked under the Ministry of the word It is not only an argument that their hearts are hard but they are hardened by it That in Isa 6. 9. 10. is remarkable for this and the rather because I find it so often quoted by Christ I think it is quoted three or four times in the Gospel And he said go and tell this people hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not Make the heart of this people fat and make their eares heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their eares and understand with their heart and convert and be healed This is a strange Scripture what must a Prophet go to them to make their hearts fat and to shut their eyes why the word is appointed to open mens eyes but here the Prophet is sent to shut their eyes that they might not be converted this is dreadful this is for the punishment of some former neglect of the word of God sent unto this people above all Judgements 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 inquire of him with setting up their Idols in their hearts but saith God I will answer them according to their Idoll If men come to the Ministry of the word with their beloved sins and resolve that they will not part with them the Lord many times in his just judgment suffers some things in the word to be accidentally a means to harden them in that sin of theirs I will answer them according to their Idoll those men are in a dreadful estate whose hearts come to be hardened by the word 9 Ninthly If thou doest not Sanctifie Gods name in the hearing of the word what comfort canst thou ever have by the word in the day of thy affliction certainly when the day of thy affliction comes then there is nothing can comfort thee but the word Vnlesse 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 Sanctifed thou must not expect to have thy soul comforted in the day of thy affliction No marvail then though the word hath been applied again and again to your hearts and nothing would stick I remember it was an expression of one in a great deal of terror of conscience many came to apply comfortable Scriptures to him and he himself for a while did take those Scriptures and lay them upon his heart to passifie his troubled conscience but a little before he dyed he cries out with a most fearful terror there is a fair plaister made but it will 〈◊〉 on it will not stick on so dyed despairing so there is in the word such a plaister as may help a wounded and troubled conscience but 〈◊〉 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 cals 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 honorable Isa 42. 21. You sight Gods Law you slight his word and despise it but God will magnifie it and make it honorable there is not any sentence that thou hast heard in the word but it shall be made good whatsoever becomes of thy soul Thou thinkest that God is a merciful God he will not damn thee but though God be merciful hath regard to his creatures yet the Lord hath ten thousand times more regard to his word then 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
Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sinnes and you shall observe that the text saith he drank it and said drink yee all of it so that this is not according to the institution for a Minister to goe up and downe and to give it into every mans hand certainly this was not so from the beginning this is a way of mans own devising for the bread and the cup to be given into every bodies hand by the Minister Christ did but give it once hee gave it to them all and said drink yee all of this so it was done Quest But you will say is it not better for it to be given into every ones hand Answ No because that the giving of it once for all doth signifie more fully the fellowship and communion that they have together as at a Table it were a strange thing that every bit of meat must be given to every one particularly no but the dishes must bee set before them and they must take it themselves Indeed if they be children you cut every peice of meat and give it into their hands or mouths but that 's sutable to a fellowship at Table and communion to have the meat set before them being blest and then for all to partake of it And besides this giving it into every ones hand certainly it came to us from a Popish and superstitious conceit of the Papists for the Papists will give it into their mouths because the people must not defile it with their hands And it was to bring more reverence to the Sacrament now there 's a great deale of danger for to bring in mens devices for to cause more reverence we are to look to the Ordinance of Christ hee gave it once and said drink yee of it in General to them all and so the Ministers should do And besides there is this in it more and one would wonder that Ministers should give it in particular and not in generall to the Church for by this meanes Ministers might abundantly ease themselves of a great deale of charge and guilt for upon this ground it will appeare that a Minister though as an eminent officer he is to look to his Congregation that they be fit yet the truth is it concernes the Church as well to look who comes there and likewise the Minister I say to look about him that he doth not say The body of the Lord Jesus Christ was given to thee when he knowes they are prophane and wicked it concerns the Minister to look that he doth not tell a lie but now when the Minister gives it generally to the Church Take eate and Take drinke he gives it particularly to no body Now then his charge is divided to the Church and if there be any body that is unworthy let the Church look to it as well as he though he as an eminent Officer it s more especially in particular his duty then any others heretofore the charge would lie much upon the Minister but the Minister according to the institution should give the Sacrament to no particular but in generall to the Church and therefore if there were but any particular that the Minister upon a particular knowledge did know to be naught he might in great part discharge himselfe as professing against this or that particular man for it is not in his power alone to keep any from the Sacrament but if so be that he shall professe against such and such men the Church must joyne with him to labour to keep them from the Sacrament and that is the next thing for the institution Christ gave it not into any particular mens hands but he gave it to all saying Drinke and eat yee all of it A third thing that is to be observed for the institution of this that all the while the Communicants are taking eating and drinking the bread and wine they should all of them that while have their thoughts exercised about the death of Jesus Christ for that 's the institution do this in remembrance of mee there should be no action intermingled in the time of the receiving of the Sacrament nothing but minding the work that you are about that is to remember the death of Iesus Christ and to discerne the body of the Lord not only when you take your selves the bread and wine but when you see the bread and wine broken or powred forth and you see others taking the bread and wine all that while you should be thinking of the death of Christ and discerning the Lords body and consider what these outward elements do signifie and that they doe seale the great benefit of the Covenant of grace therefore it is not according to the institution to be singing of Psalmes in the mean time while the Sacrament is receiving and so to have your thoughts about other things singing of Psalmes in its due time is a good thing but for you to doe it at that time when as the death of Christ is presented before you and Christ calls you to look upon his body and to thinke upon what he hath done and suffered this is no seasonable time of singing and if you read the institution you shall find that Christ after all was done the text saith they sung an hymne so that according to the institution it is after the action is done of eating and drinking then for the Church to joyne together and sing a Psalme in the praise of God and then they must mind all the same thing together for that 's the thing to be done in the Sacrament that look what one doth all must mind together for when one part sings and the other are waiting for the bread and wine this is not sutable to the holy Table action and that Communion that God requires of us though the things in themselves are both good that are doing yet when we are about this holy Ordinance being it is an Ordinance for Communion all are to be doing the same thing at the same time and so when all have done eating and drinking then for all to joyne together in singing to the praise of God Now it may be this at first seems strange to many yet certainly observe this doe but keepe to the institution in the Sacrament though you may thinke it a more mean way yet you will find a greater beauty in this Ordinance then ever you found in all your lives for the more wee keep to Christs institution and mingle nothing of our owne the more glory and beauty and excellency doth appeare in the Ordinances of Iesus Christ but when any man shall mix any of his owne inventions though he may do it to a good end and think to adde to and put a greater lustre upon the Sacrament the truth is that which he thinks to be a greater lustre reverence or honour put upon it it doth rather take off the lustre and glory of the Sacrament then are the institutions of Christ glorious when there is no