seldom read the Scriptures nay many live in a total neglect and omission of the service of God they are swallowed up in a sensual brutish worldly life for religious exercises they seldom or never mind them nay O that there were not too many that did deride and scoff at these what shall I say to these Is this to be Christians Surely these are flat Atheists not Christians have these dedicated themselves to God that live as though they believed there was no God Have these resigned up themselves to his will who act in such an open contradiction to it How will Heathens and Turks rise up in judgment against these The Heathens when they had dedicated themselves to their Gods they would worship them according to their light The * See Mr. Rycauts History of the Ottoman c. B. 2. Chap. 1. p. 98. Chap. 23. p. 158. Turks pray five times every 24 hours Mahomet that villanous Impostor in his Alchoran speaks honourably of prayer he calls it the key of Paradise the pillar of religion and many such Elogiums he gives to it And he strictly enjoyned all his disciples to pray five times a day and the Turks are very careful in the observing of this injunction they have five great fundamentals in their religion and this is one to pray so often as I have said every day Lord what a sort of men are we Christians who have so many strict peremptory commands from our blessed Saviour for prayer and other holy exercises and yet we make no conscience of them O that men would either alter their course or abandon their Title they are a shame a reproach to Christianity what a Christian and not pray not read the Bible c. 't is a contradiction Well let these go I beseech you whoever you are that shall cast your eyes upon these lines to enter upon a constant course of duty comply with Gods will be religious pray without ceasing 1 Thes 5.17 come up to all acts of worship no time so well spent as time thus spent you will never repent of time thus spent you may and you will of that which is wasted in idleness drunkenness immoderate pleasures worldly pursuits but your praying-time hearing-time meditating-time Scripture-reading-time you will never repent of that or wish you had spent it otherwise And let me tell you there is that sweetness delight complacency refreshment in holy duties duly managed that if you did but experimentally feel it you would never be averse from them you would prefer duty before all carnal delights O let such especially who profess God be much in these let your hearts readily Eccho to Gods command as Davids did Psal 27.8 When thou saidst seek ye my face my heart said unto thee presently immediately as soon as ever the word was out of Gods mouth Thy face O Lord I will seek Do you not only yield a bare subjection to this will but let it be a willing chearful affectionate subjection pray and love prayer hear and love hearing receive the Sacrament and love receiving Let holy duties be naturalized to you so that you cannot live without them let them be to you more necessary than your daily food as the word was to Job Job 23.12 or than any thing that sustains the natural life let nothing part you duty be not diverted or taken off from it Daniel would rather cease to live than cease to pray Dan. 6.10 2. Surrender up your selves to the will of God as this refers to the life and the whole life so as to live in an obediential conformity to it especially where it refers to things moral that do eternally and indispensably oblige the creature This is holiness Complying with the will of God under the former Head is Religion under this 't is holiness for the nature of holiness consists in conformity to the will of God the standard measure rule of all righteousness O that you would act in an universal compliance with this will 'T is a great piece of Gods goodness that he hath given us so full so plain a revelation of his will in the word how we are to think speak live what we are to do what we are to shun how to trade converse eat drink how we are to order the whole conversation we have clear express discoveries of Gods will for all these now if you would resign up your selves to this will to order thoughts words actions the whole conversation conformably to it this would be self-dedication indeed real holiness And what a blessed thing is holiness let the world take heed how they disparage or deride holiness 't is Gods own glory he is glorious in holiness Exod. 15.11 and holiness is his glory Joh. 12.41 These things said Esaias when he saw his glory when was this when he heard the Seraphims crying one unto another Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is full of his glory Isa 6.3 'T is a beautiful thing 't is called the beauty of holiness Psal 110.3 Nothing puts such a beauty and glory upon the creature as holiness 'T is that which is necessary to the future glory without holiness no man shall see God Heb. 12.14 But I must not lanch out into so vast an Ocean the summ of all is this in your whole course consult the will of God and give obedience to it walk by this rule square all your actions by it and mercy and peace shall be upon you Gal 6.16 live not according to the * Eph. 2.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wills of the flesh or the wills of men but live according to the will of God 1 Pet. 4.1 c. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us c. That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the wil of the Gentiles c. In all your ways ask this question what would God have me to do And when you know this O see that you act accordingly Ah and like this will of God say just thus I would have it I would not have it otherwise I do not desire a better will or a better law only I desire a better heart Do thus and you are a people dedicated to God so much for self-surrender to the Preceptive will of God 2. There 's the Providential will of God you must resign up your selves to this will also A Christian carries it like himself when in every condition and in all occurrences he says with Pauls friends The will of the Lord be done Acts 21.14 when he is heartily willing that God should have his will and there is a kind of annihilation or exinanition of his own will when he speaks to God as once the Martyr Lord there shall be but one will betwixt thee and me and that shall be thy will And the truth is
name of a Christian whose soul is not set upon this O friends doth God set himself to further your good and will not you set your selves to further his glory Shall so much mercy be received from him and shall no glory be returned to him When Ahasuerus read in the Books how instrumental Mordecai had been to preserve his life he asks what honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this Esth 6.3 Pray do you call for the Book of mercies 't is a vast volume in every page and line 't is filled up with mercy read it a little there you 'l find creating mercy preserving mercy redeeming mercy and the many great things which God hath done for you Now ask what glory hath God had for all this I fear but very little how should this fill us with shame and grief O shall we not pay God his Quit-rent or his Rent-charge Doth he protect our persons estates houses c. shall we withhold his Tribute and Customs You know what I mean by this What a condescension is it that the great God will receive any honour from such poor worms as we are How should this raise and heighten our zeal Do any lose by promoting his glory In advancing God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Rhetor. we advance our selves by this we gain honour to our selves this is a thing that we are very ambitious of 't is a sweet morsel that we are very greedy of Now the best the surest way to attain this is for us to endeavour by all means to honour God for he tells us He will honour them that honour him 1 Sam. 2.30 The Romans so placed the Temple of honour that there was no coming at it but through the Temple of vertue Would you arrive at honour indeed never think to come to it but by your endeavours to exalt God To conclude this Do you expect to be glorifi'd with God in Heaven and shall not he be glorified by you on earth Doth not that deserve all you are or can do in order to the glorifying of God O set your selves therefore to further this glory of God If you may do it any way whether by doing or suffering Philip. 1.20 whether by life or death if Christ may be but magnified 't is no matter what it costs you and though you decrease and go down in the world if Christ may increase Joh. 3.30 and God may be honoured do you rejoyce How should we carry it like Persons indeed dedicated to God if we were thus zealous for Gods glory 't is not enough to talk of this or to do something in a slighty careless perfunctory manner in order to it but we must study plot contrive act to our utmost devote our selves to the glory of God More particularly I will leave two things with you 1. Let your deportment and conversation be such that God may be glorified Let your light so shine before men Matth. 5.16 that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven so Christ exhorts you The matter of our lives should be such or our lives materially considered should be such as that glory to God might result from them This glory of God lies in the displaying and manifesting of his glorious Attributes and excellencies to and before the world I speak of Gods manifestative glory Joh. 17.4 compar with verse 6. Numb 14.21 Levit. 10.3 Psal 72.19 You that profess your selves a dedicated people do you so live that you may display and manifest Gods infinite perfections that you may make them visible and conspicuous to the world live out the holiness wisdom mercy goodness of God that those that see your conversations may see much of God in them The Apostle speaks of holding forth the word of life Phil. 2.16 There is an holding forth of the God of life as well as of the word of life And the Saints are said to be a chosen generation a royal Priesthood a peculiar people that they should shew forth the vertues of him who hath called them out of darkness into his marvellous light 1 Pet. 2.9 Dedicated persons must shew forth the excellencies of the blessed God in their deportment 't is not enough for them in their own thoughts to acknowledge and admire them but they must 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shew them forth to others O let us often put this enquiry to our selves Do we so live as that the Attributes of God are made visible and conspicuous in our conversations 2. Let the glory of God be your supream and main end both in the whole life and also in particular actions 1. As to the whole life take it in the lump and mass this should be every mans end in life to exalt God O Lord thou art my God I will exalt thee Isa 25.1 We live but what is the end which we propound to our selves in living Many carry it as though they propounded no end at all to themselves they come into the world and know not wherefore and then go out of the world they know not whither O that any should be so brutish what a sad thing is it when there shall be an end to terminate life that there is no end to raise and elevate life The most have an end but 't is not this end That which they aim at is to get wealth to be great in the world to please the flesh to pamper the sensual part to make provision for posterity c. But as to the glorifying of their Creator and Maker that they never intend This is sad are these ends fit for a man Much more are they fit for a Christian O that mens profession should be so high and their ends so low Let it be otherwise with you let the end of your life be Gods glory An end makes the man this end makes the Saint Here lies the excellency of a man above a beast he propounds an end to himself and acts accordingly Here lies the excellency of the Saint above a man his end is the glorifying of God this is a blessed end indeed let it be yours If you live live to God Rom 14.7 if you dye dye to God in both eye God as your principal end The person and the life are to be judged by the end when the glory of God is the end then person and life are truly excellent God judges not of men by particular acts but by their fixed and ultimate end O as life is derived from God let it be devoted to God As his mercy is the spring of life let his glory be the end of life What unspeakable comfort and holy confidence will this give you when you come to die if you be sincere in this At the ending of life 't is the end of life that is sweet 'T was so to Christ I have glorified thee on the earth c. And now O Father glorifie thou me c. Joh. 17.4 5. To
he is in himself Infinite incomprehensible the supream and absolute being holy wise gracious merciful unchangeable just righteous c. Will you not dedicate your selves to such a God What a base thing is sin what a vain thing is the world in comparison of this God What a shame is it that men should chuse rather to give up themselves to these than to the ever blessed God! Something we must dedicate our selves to doth any object so deserve our love delight service zeal as God doth And then look upon him in what he is to you your Creator the fountain of your beings your preserver your benefactor your Lord and Soveraign your Judge he in whose hands your * Dan. 5.23 life breath and all your concerns are he that protects you from all dangers supplies you in all wants supports you under all burdens directs you in all straights rewards you in all services will you not dedicate your selves to this God He that alone can make you happy or miserable he that alone can save or damn he that alone can give you satisfaction inward peace and joy will you not be his He that is your good God your friend that desires your well-fare will you not surrender up your selves to him I am not pleading with you for dedition but for dedication the * Damus amicis dedimus Hostibus Stephan Vrbem agrum aras focos seque uti dederent Plaut in Amphitr Such as yielded upon the prevailing strength of their Enemy vvere called Dedititii Quum ex dedititiis Delgis complures Caesarem secuti Caes Comm. former is proper for an enemy the latter for a friend O 't is mens ignorance of God that keeps them from dedicating themselves to him surely did they but know him he should have their All. 4. Self-dedication to God is the Creatures advancement it puts an honour and excellency upon a person self is advanced and dignified when 't is thus dedicated as there pass'd a glory upon the first fruits by their being dedicated to God And therefore the excellency of the Saints is set forth by this allusion to the first fruits Of his own will begat he us Jam. 1.18 with the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his Creatures Jer. 2.3 Israel was holiness unto the Lord the first fruits of his increase Rev. 14.4 These were redeemed from among men being the first fruits unto God I say one thing intended in these expressions is to hold forth the excellency of the people of God as they are dedicated to him Self-dedication will make you as first fruits it will put a glory and excellency upon you Psal 16.3 dedicated persons are the excellent in the earth Take the whole crop there was not much in it but the first fruits being set apart for God there was an excellency in them take mankind in the lump and mass there is no such great worth in it but take those few that are singled out of this mass and set apart for God O they are excellent persons The pride of man puts him upon the affectation of excellency and advancement would you from an holy pride be ambitious of true excellency and advancement be a people separated for God devoted to him no honour like to that 5. I will add but one Consideration more 't is this as grace so glory as Christianity here so felicity hereafter depend upon self-dedication Would you not be saved Do you not desire Heaven and blessedness Would you not be happy in the world to come Surely you would then pray take the right way and course in order to this what 's that Dedicate your selves to God no dedication no salvation self must be dedicated or self cannot be saved Non-dedication must needs end in destruction How can he expect that God will give himself in the beatifick vision to him who is not willing to give his self to God here in holy dedication Did ever any arrive at the sight of God who had not first devoted themselves to holiness without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Heb. 12.14 O what a comfortable plea is this for a dying man for Heaven Lord I am thine save me Psal 119.94 I have been a doer of thy will upon earth let me now enter into the Kingdom Matth. 7.21 I have withheld nothing from thee do not thou now withhold glory from me Psal 84.11 Thus much I have said to urge the Exhortation in general That I may yet further drive the nail to the very Head that this advice may be yet more piercing and effectual I shall go over the particular branches of self-dedication and enforce each of them upon you by those considerations which are respectively proper to them 1. First therefore Give your selves to God Self is a gift that is only fit for a God 't is indeed too little for him but 't is too much for any thing besides him 't is not good enough for God 't is too good for any thing else O whilest others give themselves to low vain undeserving evil objects let us give our selves to the Lord. I shall desire the Reader throughly to weigh a few motives to induce him unto this 1. Nothing more equitable than that the Creature should give himself to God The Apostle urges this very duty by this he calls it a reasonable service Rom. 12.1 the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word imports giving or dedicating to God see Luke 2.22 Now this self-presenting or self-giving to God 't is a thing that is most reasonable 't is that which is grounded upon the highest reason Reason it self will tell a man he ought to give himself to God this * Prov. 20.27 candle of the Lord gives a light clear enough to direct a creature to this I know depraved reason opposes it but rectifi'd reason furthers it Your reason will tell you that you are bound to give to every one what is his right and due this is one of the undoubted maximes and principles of reason In the case I am upon reason lays down the proposition Scripture-revelation sets in with it to make the assumption and then grace makes the conclusion and so the syllogism is framed betwixt them I must give to every one what is his due there 's reason my person my all is Gods due there 's partly reason and partly revelation therefore I will give my self to God there 's grace Let me speak a little to that foundation upon which the reasonableness of the duty in hand is built and that is whatever I am or have 't is all Gods due God hath a fuller better right to a man than he hath to himself he is Gods more than he is or can be his own in the fall of Adam we lost our right and title to God but he did not lose his right and title to us this is eternal alteration or any such thing If you ask