use the world as though we used it not but Be not conformed unto this world The word in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Accommodate not your selves to the world so Erasmus reads it Fashion not your selves to the world so Beza But in ours and some other Translations Conform not c. As a Player is fashioned to the gesture and words either of drunkenness or adultery when he acteth them on the scaffold that is the true notation of the word Be not conformed to this world i.e. Do not make the manners of the world the rule of your life let not your corrupt mindes which will carry you after a corrupt world prevail with you Now these are the precepts which are laid down by way of Negation I shall give you two that are set down by way of Affirmation Acts 2.43 saith Peter there Save your selves from this untoward generation i.e. from the corrupt society of unbelievers And again 2 Cor. 6.17 Come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord q.d. Do not comply with the corruptions of the world let all these go whatever you lose or suffer for it Thus much for the precepts In the second place I shall commend this duty unto you from the constant practice of the people of God even in all ages See an instance of it 1. in Noah when the whole earth was corrupt before God he walked perfectly uprightly with God in his generation Gen. 7.1 Noah walked alone in a way different from a world of wicked people he was most sincere in the service of God in the darkest midnight of damned impiety 2. Abraham pull'd as a brand out of Ur of the Caldees where-ever he came he set up altars to God in the midst of Idolaters and makes open profession of his worship before the people of the land Gen. 12.6 7 8 So Joshua after him Josh 24.15 Do you what you will though you do generally universally serve other gods I and my house will serve the Lord. See this in Elijah who was zealous for the Lord God of hosts though alone and singular 1 King 19.10 I might tell you of Obadiah who seared the Lord greatly in a common defection 1 King 18. But come we unto the New Testament and let us see what practice of this duty we finde there I shall begin with Christ who is the original copie an infallible unerring example he was eaten up with the zeal of his Fathers house when it was polluted and profaned by all sorts Joh. 2.14 15 16 17. The Apostles after his departure resolved to obey God notwithstanding the menaces of the Councel Acts 4.19 20. Paul openly contesteth with the Gentiles at Athens about their fensless superstition Acts 17.22 Antipas held forth the Word of life even unto the death where Satans throne was Rev. 2.13 Polycarp that blessed Martyr of Jesus Christ who being commanded by the Tyrant to do sacrifice to the Idol returns this answer Eighty and odde years have I served my master Christ and he never deceived me and shall I now desert him God forbid me any such wickedness Octoginta sex annos ills servui c. It were easie to come lower and nearer our own times and to produce a whole cloud of such who held forth the Word of life by a bold and wise profession in the darkness of Popery But I will give you one onely instance more and then conclude it was Athanastus that notable champion of Christ who stood stoutly to the defence of the Truth when all the Christian world beside was turned Arrian Ille vâ—r totius orbis impetum sustinuit the whole world was set against Athanasius and Athanasius against the whole world And thus you have heard how the force-mentioned duty hath been practised by the servants of God I come to the Grounds of the Point If you look either upward or downward either to God or men you will finde Reason sufficient for the practice of this duty all which Reasons are grounded upon the text and shall be thence gathered I shall begin with the first The Reasons taken from God and they shall be these two 1. God doth exactly observe and graciously accept of such his servants as continue constant with him in corrupt and depraved times in a general defection or declension when sin is grown usual and almost epidemical then to adhere to the Truths Ways and Ordinances of God Oh how pleasing and acceptable is this unto God! The Lord hearkned and heard saith my Text God was much taken and affected with those sweet conferences those godly dialogues and discourses which dropt from the mouthes of the godly of those times he hearkned and heard it was melodious and delightful musick to his heavenly ears and he doth as it were apply his ears close he lays them near to their lips as loth to lose any part of their holy language The lord hearkned and heard 1 Pet. 3.12 saith the Apostle there The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers or as 't is in the Original His ears are unto or rather into their prayers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now what the Apostle there speaks of that individual or particular duty of Prayer is as true of their whole Christian practice not a prayer which the godly put up not a good work they do not a good word which they utter no not a good thought which they conceive but the Lords eyes are upon it and his ears open unto it he sets it all down in his Register or Note-book A book of remembrance was written But then 2. As the Lord doth graciously accept of this practice so will he plentifully reward it this labour of faith and love shall never be forgotten it shall not onely be entred or ingrossed in a book of remembrance but they they shall be mine saith the Lord of hosts 1. They shall be mine i.e. I will not onely own them by a general right as my creatures but by a special peculiar and distinguishing title as my children my Saints and Servants such as have made a covenant with me by sacrifice I will be their God and they shall be my people I will look upon them as the top of my wealth and my most esteemed treasure as my Jewels whom I will keep safe in the golden Cabinet of my special providence and fatherly protection But this is not all I will spare them too as a man spareth his onely son that serveth him i.e. I will not cast them out or reject them for every small fault for every flaw or defect in their services I shall give them their allowance pass by and over-look their weaknesses How effectual me thinks might these Considerations be to provoke us to a holy contention in godliness when the times are never so bad and boisterous Hereby we shall please God hereby we shall procure good unto our selves And thus in brief of the first sort of
upon A word or two of each and so I shall come to the Observation First then what are we to understand by the Name of God Beloved the Name of God among other significations in Scripture hath four special ones 1. 'T is taken for God himself the name of a thing is put for the thing named Psal 44. Through thy Name will we tread them down that rise up against us Through thy Name i. e. through thee Through thee and through thy Name are here the very same Through thy Name here in this verse is added meerly exegetically to expound the meaning of through thee in the beginning of the verse And so again Psal 48.10 According to thy Name so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth The sense of the words is this Thou art praised like thy self as thou art in thy self so thou art or at least oughtest to be praised by thy people 'T is frequent in Scripture to put the Name for the Person you have it clearly Acts 1.15 The number of Names together were about an hundred and twenty i. e. the number of persons so many persons because numbred by their names 2. The Name of God is in Scripture often put for the Attributes of God and essential properties for the power of God wisdom of God mercy of God justice of God and the rest as we could easily shew you from Scripture But I would hasten to the Points 3. The Name of God signifies his Ways Ordinances or Worship Jer. 7.12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh where I set my Name at the first c. What is that i. e. where I first set up my publike worship And the reason why the Name of God is put for his Ordinances Worship is because as a man is known by his proper name so is God known by his proper Worship And hence 't is that often times false worship is called the setting up of a strange god this is evident Psal 81.9 and so elswhere in many places And then 4. And lastly the Name of God signifies that reverence esteem and honour which angels and men give unto God as you know amongst us the report and reputation that a man hath among men is a mans name what men speak of him that is his name suâ—h a one we say hath a good name such a one hath an ill name i. e. men speak well or ill of â—uch persons Gen 6.4 when Moses describes the gyants he saith they were men of renown in the later part of the vers the Hebrew is an sa hashem they were men of name men of name by an Hebraism â—re men of renown Num. 16 2. Famous in the congregation men of renown the Hebrew is These are men of name in the congregation Because the name of a man is the opinion he hath amongst men as a man is esteemed so his name is carried and himself is accepted in the world Thus I say the Name of God is that high esteem those honorable apprehensions which good angels and good men have of God Such as the thoughts and speeches of men are for the celebration of Gods glory and praise such is his Name in the world Well then now the question will be which of all these is intended in the text when 't is said of these fearers of God that they thought upon his Name Truly I know not how to exclude any of theâ—e four I suppose all of them are here intended they thought upon God and all other things which had any print or image of God stamped upon them his Attributes Ways Ordinances Worship Honour all these they thought upon Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a book of remembrance was writter before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his Name And thus much of the Objects I shall speak a little of the Act which was conversant about the Object and then give you the Observation The Act you see is thinking upon And that thought upon his Name The word in the Original is put participially 't is koshebka uleko sheba shemo And for them thinking upon his Name Now the root or verb hashabh whence this participle comes is rendered by Calvin two ways 1. To have in esteem or great price These godly ones here in my text were such as had an high and honourable esteem of the Name of God This I confess is well expounded and the Original is clear enough for it But yet in the second place 't is as well if not better expounded according to our Translation They excogitated or they thought upon his Name And because this is fully as clear if not clearer from the Original text as the other I shall not vary from our English Translation And this word hashabh doth not signifie simply or nakedly to think but to set the head and heart on work to finde our something and carries the intention of the minde with it as I could shew you from Jer. 18.18 Ezek. 38.10 and other places Well then in fine take the meaning of the Prophet to be this That thought upon his Name i.e. that seriously meditated that busied and bended their best thoughts upon God and the things of God upon God and upon the things that were of divine concernment Thus succinctly and briefly without any further enlargement So that now having opened this property of these holy ones take the Doctrine or Observation thus It is and it should be the practice of all them that truly fear God to meditate diligently upon God and upon the things of God All such whose hearts are possest with the true fear of God will be excogitating and thinking upon his Name I shall clear this from Scripture and then come to the Grounds and Reasons of it Reade Prov. 11.23 The desire of the righteous is onely good Taavah Haddikim The desire of the righteous or the affection of the righteous is onely good i. e. so far as he is righteous or spiritual he delights in the law of God after the inward man the main stream of his desires the course and current of his heart runs upon God and godliness Although when the flesh gets the winde and hill of the spirit all is not so well carried 't is oftentimes with a Christian as 't is with a Ferry-man he plies the Oar and eyes the shore homeward where he would be yet there comes in the interim a gale of wind that carrieth him back again So I say although a Christian in this viatorous condition is not so happy as to have his heart altogether empty of evil thoughts and desires yet that is the thing he strives unto and breathes after and God looks more upon the desires of his servants then upon their performances every man is in the account of God as good as he desires to be So that in this sense well might Solomon say The desire
one main cause why a man cannot take care for the things of the Lord as he ought to do such a man such a woman cannot attend upon the Lord in any duty without distraction Mat. 6.24 saith our Saviour there No man can serve two masters i. e. two masters of contrary interests and who issue forth contrary commands Every wicked man serves more masters then two he is a servant to lust yea he serves divers lusts and pleasures Tit. 3.3 but yet he serves not that One who is infinitely better and more deserving our service then all and serving Mammon he cannot serve God as he ought in any service and therefore not in that which I am now speaking of Col. 3.2 Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth q. d. If your thoughts run upon the things of the earth they wo'n't carry you out after things above And thus much of the Negative means or rather the hinderances of this holy meditation I come in the next place to speak of the Positive helps and with them I shall conclude this days publick Exercise 1. If you desire to think upon the Name of God then begin the day with the thoughts of him and of his mercies renewed upon you not onely every morning but every moment This seems to be Davids constant course from such texts as these are Psal 5.3 Psal 59.16 Psal 88.13 and the like you may finde in many other places that to begin with the thoughts of God in the morning is the way to put the soul into an heavenly frame and temper the whole day following We have a saying amongst us that the morning is a friend to the Muses Aurora Musis amica i. e. the morning is a good studying time I am sure the morning is a great friend to the Graces 't is the best time to begin our thoughts and meditations it will dispose the heart to and for communion with God all the day after And withal remember to close up the heart with God when you go to bed at night and if possibly you can fall asleep out of some heavenly meditation So will your heart be in a better plight when you awake He that thus raketh up fire over-night as one saith shall finde fire again in the morning That is the first Means to the Duty in hand 2. Guard and watch over your hearts all the day long that they be not drawn from God or from the thoughts of him either by any corruption from within or temptation from without Prov 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence defend it from all inroads and incursions from the flesh world and devil Keep but the heart well in tune and then it will not so easily go out from God Beloved if you suffer your hearts to be scattered up and down upon earthly vanities it will be far to seek when you should wait upon God either in Prayer or Meditation as a wilde horse turn'd to range up and down into a wilde Common that can hardly be taken when he should be sadled As you should be in the fear of the Lord all the day long so should you be raising elevating and winding up your hearts to God all the day long You should hold communion with God even in the duties of your particular callings and civil employments Phil. 3.20 saith the Apostle there Our conversation is in heaven The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conversation in the Greek is properly rendred thus Our civil life or our civil conversation is in heaven q. d. we exercise our general callings in our particular we go about earthly businesses with heavenly mindes extracting by a Divine Alchymie heavenly mediâ—â—â—ionâ— out of earthly objects and occasions And I conceive there is something to this purpose in that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.39 where he saith Brethren let every man wherein he is earth abide with God How doth a man abide with God in his particular calling not onely by keeping within the bounds and limits of that calling wherein God hath placed him but also executing the duties of it as in the sight of God by minding God in the several passages and occurrences of it This also is to abide with God in our calling and this we must do if we will be conscionable to the duty enjoyned 3. Would you have your thoughts to be set upon the right object upon God and goodness with these godly ones here in my text Then hold a strict hand over your thoughts be often in and upon the examination of them Evils you must know begin first in the thoughts Mat. 15.19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefts false witness blasphemies First evil thoughts and what then murders adulteries fornications thefts false witness blasphemies Evil thoughts are set in the front of this black Roll. When God would express the wickedness of the old world he saith Gen. 6.5 That every imagination of the thoughts of their heart was onely evil continually The imagination gives shape to every thing that the minde works upon The reason of Atheism is Blasphemy in the thoughts the reason of worldliness is some wicked thought that lies hid in the bosome and therefore saith God Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts You must not onely mark your way but your thoughts trace every corrupt desire every inclination every affection every transient motion whatever passeth thorow your hearts in the whole day call it to an audit set upon the tryal of it Our thoughts are even infinite nimble slippery and therefore we had the more need to watch them and to set upon the search of them and having found of what nature they are and of what tendencie they are cherish the good and check the bad One evil thought one sinful cogitation being uncontrolled and given way to O how may it vex and disquiet our hearts when we come to lie upon our death-beds As David dealt with his wayes so do you with your thoughts I considered my wayes saith he so do you your thoughts 4. If you would think of God and the things of God then heighten your love to God and the things of God Strong affections make strong impressions and cause great thoughts of heart A man cannot but think much of that which he loves much and therefore saith David in Psalm 119. verse 97. O how I love thy law it is my meditation all the day q. d. I do abundantly love thy law I do love it so greatly as that I cannot well express how greatly I love it O how I love thy law and therefore 't is that I am so much in the meditation of it Be sure of it that our infinite wandrings and woful trifling away of our golden hours in idle and evil thoughts is caused very much by our coldness and luke-warmness in our love to God and the things that are of divine concernment Would we but