Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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B09543
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The great sin of formality in God's worship: or, The formal worshipper proved a lyar and deceiver. Being the subject of a sermon preacht on the weekly lecture in Boston. / By Joshua Moodey ...
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Moodey, Joshua, 1633?-1697.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing M2522; ESTC W24941
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19,180
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of it among Gods visible people yea too much among those that may have the Root of the matter in them and also because it 's very provoking to God and mischievous to them that use it Now I call that Formal Worship which is opposed to that which is in reality Paul opposes a Form of Godliness to the power of it 2 Tim. 3. 5. Such Pretenders make Perilous Times He intends such Persons as used an appearance without any reality a shew without any substance They made a profession of Godliness and used much Pretensive Devotion in Worship but there was nothing in it save an appearance and shadow only Vox preterea nihil an empty Form no powerful sincerity in their heart nor good fruit in their life And this Vizard men put on to deceive that they may walk incoginto in the World Formal Worship is Hypocritical Worship like a painted Tomb without but Corruption Rottenness within Fire without and Frost within A flame in the mouth but Ice in the Heart A perfect piece of Pageantry a Play where he that is in shew a King is in Reallity a Beggar Such lying Worship is thus Described by Christ Mat. 15 8 9. Drawing near to God with the Lip when the Heart is far from him near in look and gestures but far in heart and spirit this is the spirit of an Hypocrite When out of any low base inferiour end men are drawn or driven to those duties which indeed they have no Heart to this the Lord accounts lying in his Worship And the more external Preparations the more Cost and Grandeur there is in it the bigger the lye Christ reduceth all our Obedience whether in point of Worship or otherwise unto that one word Love now if not loving Worship its lying Worship there is an Idol in the Heart which has their Love while God has their Lips only they pretend Devotion to God but the Idol in the Heart has the Heart all the while When the Heart and Body do not go together in the Service of God the Body shews much love but the Heart is otherwise imployed Ezek 33 31. This lying worship is opposed to worshipping God in Spirit and Truth John 4. 24. Paul served God with his spirit Rom. 1. 9. But their Spirits Soul and Hearts are not concerned or engaged and so there is no Truth in their services because no Spirit in them they are not spiritual and so cannot be true for it is Truth in the inward parts that God requires Psal 51 6. Ephraim was called a silly Dove without an Heart Hos 7 11. And that is a silly sorry Sacrifice that has no heart in it nor can it be acceptable to God Who chiefly minds the Heart Jer. 30. 21. 22. And as the heart is to go with it so the Conversation is to be consonant thereto Want of either makes the worship a lye As a man thinks in his heart so is he Prov. 23. 7. But that is known to God only and himself But when the Conversation contradicts the Devotion his deceitfulness is Obvious to men also Tit. 1. 16. and here Christ gives this Direction for the knowing of men by their fruits Mat. 7. 16. And if the Heart be false the Conversation will not be right for the Heart governs the Conversation If the Heart go not with the tongue the Walk will to the Prudent observer at least often give the Tongue the lye but if heart and tongue joyns the Conversation among men will evidence 〈…〉 the sincerity toward God Now such Worship is called Lying deceiving 1. Lying which is either Verbal or Practical Verbal lying when he speaks not the Truth in his Heart Psal 15 2. Affirming that to be Truth which he knows to be untruth or doth not know to be Truth or denying that to be Truth which he knows at least thinks to be Truth or knows not but that it may be Truth Practical Lying is when a man pretends and professes what he neither intends nor performs when his works deny what his words Profess this is practical lying he lies in his way though he speaks right in his words â—it 1. 6. He assumes the Name of Religion but he practically denies the thing which consists not in words but in Power in Love in Righteousness Holiness Self-denial Mortification c. to which he is a stranger And this is the Lying which the Lord blames them for here and threatens else where Isa 1. 10. 16. Isa 58. 1 7. with Psal 50. 7. 22. 2. It 's called Deceit also They compass me with Deceit Thus Mal. 1. 14. He that has a Male in his Flock and offers a corrupt thing to the Lord is called a Deceiver and such an oblation is a piece of meer deceit A Deceiver is a sly subtil under hand Dealer one that plays Leger-de-main that cogs and cheats and designs to put a sham upon another and this is the aim and spirit of a Formatist in Gods Worship he contrives to put a cheat upon God indeed to mock him Gal. 6 7. And such a Worshipper is called a Deceiver 1. Because he defrauds the glorious God of his just due and of the true Homage and Service which belongs to him from his Creatures It 's true God cannot properly be deceived but he offers at it does what he may towards it and like a foolish ignorant Atheist imagines he may do it thinks God will not see when he turns him off with a bad Sacrifice for a good one a corrupt and lame one for a sound one Job 22. 12 14. Thus he robs God of his Right sends away the Heart about other business and complements God with a little Bodily Exercise or Tongue-Devotion The worm of his Lust doth eat the Kernel and then with some seeming solemnity he makes the Heart-searching and Heart-demanding God a Present of the empty shell A very shameful and affronting Cheat. 2. It may be called a piece of Deceit because it does really deceive others men that can only judge by the outward appearance are utterly deceived by him Samuel was deceived by Eliahs look and Philip by Simon Magus's Profession Come see my zeal for the Lord was enough to have Blinded a Jonadab save that the load Trumpeting his own commendation was too much like an Hypocrite Oh thinks a good and charitable Christian this is certainly an Excellent Man see his Parts Zeal Affection c. and his aim being to seem Religious before men he puts himself in his finest dress when he appears upon the Stage in open view turns the best side outward when he has a great many Spectators while a sincere Soul whose business is to approve himself to God is most engaged and enlarged in his Closet where none but he that sees in Secret can observe him 3. But finally he is called a Deceiver because he doth most miserably and fatally deceive himself Jam. 1. 22 26. He puts a Paralogism or Fallacy upon himself argues falsly
and concludes fallaciously concerning himself And it 's a proper punishment for him that thinks to deceive in his performance to find himself deceived in his expected acceptance As Jacob feared lest his Father might this Deceiver shall find that the All-seeing God most certainly will â—ind out the Deceit and reward him with a Curse instead of a Blessing Gen. 27. 12. Such persons may sport themselves with their own Deceivings for a time 2. Pet. 2. 13. but the Deceiver shall be deceived at â—ast And he is the worst Deceiver that â—eceives himself For a further discovery of this sin of Lying and Deceit in Gods Worship let us take notice of some of the Deceits used in Prayer Hearing Receiving the Sacrament aâ—â— Sanctifying the Sabbath and our particularizing here will offer much matter of Câ—nviction as we go along 1. Of Compassing God about with Lies and Deceit in Prayer Prayer is no small part of Instituted Worship and to be made use of with every part of Worship And doubtless Gods own Children have need to pray with David That God would remove from them the way of Lying even when they are Praying Psal 119. 29. In solitary prayer when they enter into their Closets and shut their doors they are more happy than the most and best of Christians always are if they can shut out all vain and impertinent thoughts from coming in All such and much more wicked blasphemous and unbelieving thoughts are faults and if allowed are lies though they are not wickednesses they are infirmities end if not watcht against and mourned over will be charged on us as Lies and Deceit In our ordinary social prayers how hard to keep our heart engaged in every word of Petition Confession or Thanksgiving uttered by him that iâ— our mouth unto God! vagaries are a sort of Lies and wandering or diverting is Deceiving In extraordinary Prayers on Fasting and Humiliation Days there is a great deal of deceit used Especially when men fast for strife and debate Isa 58. 4. rend their Garments but not their hearts watâ—â— their their eyes but do not afflict their Souls open their mouths but keep their hearts shut their heads hang down for a day like a Bullrush though many arrive not to that and so their lying is the more open and obvious and their sin goes before-hand unto Judgment But they have no Sacrince of a broken heart and contrite spirit to present the Lord withal What is this but dissembling and lying while they pretend performance of the Duties of such a Solemnity and yet neglect the principal thing required If there be not on such days especially in their Addresses to God hearty confessions of sin deep Humiliation under it and Soul affliction for it with serious resolution to turn from it all that is done without this is nothing but lying and deceiving and the greater the expence in the external part of the duty the greater the deceit if not rightly performed To instance in the several parts of prayer 1. There is Confession and that either of Gods Glory or our sin and vileness If we make Confession of Gods Glory and Majesty and yet do not really and practically believe what we say We call him Father but do not honour him Master but do not fear him Lord but do not obey him or Shepherd but do not hear his voice and follow him what do we less than mock and lye to him We confess his Omniscience but carry toward him in our hearts as if he were far out of our sight that though he planted the ear and formed the eye could neither hear nor see but was like the deaf and blind Idol Psal 115. come with our hands full of sin as if we thought he could not discern whether we did lift up holy hands or no. 1 Tim. 2. 8. We acknowledge his Power in words but doubt of his Ability to save us and engage not our hearts to take hold of his Strength and be at peace with him We confess his Wisdom and yet will instruct and limit the Holy One of Israel and be our own carvers in point of the things we would have granted us We call him our Soveraign but must have our own wills and while we say Thy Will be done are very impatient if ours be not complied with We verbally own his Goodness but we lye in our hearts if we do not close with him as Goodness it self and make him the object of our highest love accordingly We own his Mercy but do not coâ—â—ide and hope in it Confess him to be Just and yet pass not the time of our sojourning before him in fear We say it 's a fearful thing to fall into his hands and yet by such kind of trifling in his Worship do most directly deliver our selves up into the Hands of his Jealousie and Justice We profess our love to him but while our heart is not with him we mock him and lye to him as she told Sampson Judg. 16. 15. Thus while we confess all Gods Glorious Attributes in prayer but do not make him the object of our Faith Love Fear Delight c. we do but lye to him Thus also in Confession of our own Sin and Vileness We often confess sin but do not believe that we are such Sinners indeed as we say we are nor are sensible what an evil and bitter thing sin is We call our selves Sinners in the general but when we come to particulars are ready to extenuate and excuse if not to deny it Again if we confess the sin that we have no mind to part with and acknowledge those Iniquities that we keep in our bosoms with complacence and delight what is this but deceitful dealing with God We seem very pathetically in words to confess our own wretchedness and unworthiness but God and our own Consciences know that we do but lye unto him while not humbled to this day Ier. 44. 10. and are better opinionated of our selves than wee pretend to in our Confessions 2. A second part of Prayer is Petition And there is also a great deal of lying and deceit As for Instance When we ask outward things to spend them upon our Lusts not that we may sincerely use them for the Glory of God this is asking amiss Jam. 4. 3. This is deceitful Praying to ask his mercies that we may fight against him with his own weapons what is it but Couzenage and Deceit So when we ask Gifts only to make a fine shew among men and get a Reputation for Religion which is finally to sacrifice Gods Gifts to our ambition and vain-glory Or when we ask spiritual Blessings which we are not really concerned to receive Austin has such a passage in his Confessions that he often asked that of God in Prayer which he was in his heart afraid lest he should give Many seem to beg hard for Grace when God knows they do not desire it ask Knowledge when they hate the Light and cannot