in their Children It was one of the forest afflictions that almost ever any Saint of God met withal in his Children this affliction of Aaron at this time That two of his Sons and as I told you the last day renowned men in Israel newly consecrated to the Office of Priesthood that the very first day they came to offer in their Office they were struck before all the people with Fire from Heaven and were consumed Oh what a sad affliction was it to Aaron their Father when he saw his Sons in such a manner destroyed by God Himself Consider of this you that have Children and are ready to murmur and complain of every little affliction that is upon you in respect of your Children If so be that your Children be but a little sick or there be any miscarriage of them you think it is a heavy hand of God But especially if God take away your Children by death then you mourn and will not be comforted Yea but though God have taken away your Children by death yea perhaps it may be by a violent death as being drowned c. yet they have not been strucken with Fire from Heaven by God and they have not been of such publick use These here were renowned men and taken away in their very sin too your Children which have gone upon their lawful imployments and God hath taken away their lives there is no such cause of murmuring here but when God takes away Children in their sins and in such a way as by Fire from Heaven thus God took away Aarons Children and he was as dear to God as you are And yet thus God deals with his Saints with Aaron in regard of his Children and with his elder Children and with two of them together This Example may be enough to still and quiet the hearts of men and women that are afflicted in respect of any calamity that befals their Children You see what a hand of God is against the very Children of Aaron A further Note is this That Gods Judgments we see sometimes though the effect of them be visible yet they come in an invisible way For you shal find if you reade on in this story That they were smote with fire from Heaven but it did not appear what fire for it did not so much as consume their cloathes not their bodies but went through all and struck them dead and no body could tell how Gods judgments do come in a way that is invisible if it had been in a visible flame of fire all would have seen it and it would have burnt their cloaths or their bodies but you shall find in the 5. verse That they were carried away from the Sanctuary in their cloaths they were not burnt Another Note is this That though the lives of men be dear and precious to God yet they are not so precious as his Glory The Glory of his Name is a thousand thousand times more dear unto God than the lives of thousand thousands of People the lives of Nadab and Abihu must go that God may be Sanctified If it comes so in the way as I may so say the lives of men and the Sanctifying of Gods Name the Glory of God must pass on and must have its course let the lives of men go which way they will We think much to have the lives of men taken away but if we know what the Glory of God meant and what infinite reason there is that God should be glorified we would not think it much that the lives of never so many men should go for the Glory of God 'T is mercy that our lives have not gone many times for Gods Glory How often might God have glorified Himself in taking away our lives We have cause to bless Him that our lives have been preserved so long as they have Again Note That the neerer any men are unto God the more they had need take heed that they glorifie Him for they must expect to be spared the less if they sin against Him Nadab and Abihu the Priests of God and they came neer to God yet by their transgression though I told you We do not find in any place of Scripture directly in words that this Fire is forbidden but they should have gathered Gods mind by consequence And therefore by the way I only Note That we must not think to urge upon men in all things strict commands in very words but if it be commanded so as we may draw it by any consequence it 's a command as now here for the Negative they had not a Negative prohibition in words yet they had it by Consequence So for the Affirmative though we have not the Affirmative in express words yet if we may have it by consequence it is an Affirmative as well as the Negative when we have it by consequence But now the Note of Observation is That the neerer any comes to God if they sin against Him they must not expect to be spared Do not think that God will spare you the more because you are Professors of Religion or because you do often worship him I suppose you that are acquainted with Scripture know that place in Amos 3. 2. You only have I known of all the families of the Earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities Another Note is this That when a judgment is exemplary then we should have recourse to the Word of God to see how God doth make his Word good in that judgment So Moses doth This is that which the Lord hath said Do you see any remarkable hand of God in the execution of a judgment upon one have recourse to Gods Word and presently begin to think this What is there in Gods Word against that sin that this man hath been guilty of If you see a judgment of God upon a Drunkard remember the threats in the Word of God against Drunkenness and so the judgments of God upon unclean Persons Swearers Sabbath-breakers Lyars or any Prophane and ungodly persons have recourse to the judgments of God threatned in the Word against such and so likewise concerning Scorners and Opposers of Religion remember what is said in the Word of God against such and so learn to sanctifie Gods Name We might have mentioned some particular threats of God against particular sinners for the helping of you that when you see exemplary judgments to have recourse to the Word of God But we let that pass A further Note from this story is this That the great honor that God intends to his Name It is the making of his Name Holy I wil be Sanctified in them that draw nigh me and before all the people I will be glorified As Moses should say in Gods Name I must and will have glory from the people And how By making my Name appear to be Holy this is the glory that I stand upon above all other things that my Name may appear to be Holy that I may appear to be
exactly described the several parts of the Body of Man illustrated with very many large Brass Plates 2 A Translation of the New Dispensatory made by the Colledg of Physitians of London Whereunto is added The Key to Galen 's Method of Physick 3 A Directory for Midwives or A Guide for Women 4 Galen's Art of Physick with a large Comment 5 The English Physitian Being an Astrologo-Physical Discourse of the Vulgar Herbs of this Nation wherein is shewed how to cure a mans self of most Diseases incident to mans Body with such things as grow in England and for three-pence charge Also in the same Book is shewed 1 The time of gathering all Herbs both Vulgarly and Astrologically 2 The way of drying and keeping them and their Juyces 3 The way of making and keeping all manner of useful Compounds made of those Herbs 4 The way of mixing the Medicines according to cause and mixture of the Disease and part of the Body afflicted 6 A New Method both of studying and practising Physick Great Church Ordinance of Baptism Mr. Love's Case containing his Petitions Narrative and Speech Dr. Prestons Saints Submission and Satans Overthrow The Bishop of Canterburies Speech on the Scaffold The King's Speech on the Scaffold A Treatise of the Rickets being a Disease common to Children wherein is shewed 1 The Essence 2 The Causes 3 The Signs 4 The Remedies of the Disease Published in Latin by Dr. Glisson Dr. Bate Dr. Regemorter now translated into English Cum multis aliis Gospel-Worship OR The Right Manner of drawing nigh to God in General And particularly in these Three great ORDINANCES Viz. 1. Hearing of the WORD 2. Receiving the Lords SUPPER 3. PRAYER Leviticus 10. 3. Then Moses said unto Aaron This is it that the Lord spake saying I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the People I will be glorified And Aaron held his peace THese words are the speech of Moses to Aaron his Brother endeavoring to quiet and comfort his heart which was no question exceedingly troubled upon that great and sore affliction that was upon him in the strange death of his two Sons Nadab and Abihu The story is this After Aarons Sons were Consecrated to the Priestly-Office they coming to attend this their Office the very first day after their consecration to offer Incense unto God they ventured to offer Incense with strange Fire with other Fire than God had appointed Upon that the fire of Gods wrath broke out upon them and slew them both presently in the very Sanctuary before all the people for it was a solemn time being the beginning of the solemn Consecration of the Priest-hood Upon this the spirit of Aaron could not but be exceedingly troubled to see his two Sons thus struck Now Moses comes to him and saith This is that which the Lord spake I will be sanctified in them that draw nigh me and before all the people I will be glorified And upon this Aaron held his peace We reade that once fire came down from Heaven in a way of Mercy to consume the Sacrifices but now fire comes down from Heaven in a way of Judgment to consume the Sacrificers even Nadab and Abihu they were Aarons Sons the Sons of a godly man the Sons of the High-Priest they were his eldest Sons for Aaron had other Sons besides Nadab and Abihu Eleazar and Ithamar but these were his two eldest Sons they were two yong men they were struck in the very prime of their age they were two that were newly consecrated in the Priests Office for so you find it in the 9. Chap. And they were two men of renown in the Country and before all the people of Israel two men that God had much honored heretofore as you shall find in Exod. Chap. 24. and the beginning this Nadab and Abihu were men of great repute and great renown that God did much honor in former times for when God called Moses and Aaron with the Elders to come to him he singles out Nadab and Abihu amongst the rest and names them And he said unto Moses Come up unto the Lord thou and Aaron Nadab and Abihu and 70. of the Elders of Israel Moses and Aaron Nadab and Abihu are only named and then 70. of the Elders in general but Moses Aaron Nadab and Abihu as if these were the four eminent men of renown among all the people of Israel he names none of the 70. Elders but these two besides Moses and Aaron therefore these two that were consumed by strange fire were renowned men and newly consecrated into their Office What was their sin Their sin it was offering of strange fire so the text saith that they offered strange fire which God commanded them not in the beginning of the Chapter But had God ever forbidden it Where do we find that ever God had forbidden them to offer strange Fire or appointed that they should offer only one kind of Fire There is no text of Scripture that you can find from the beginning of Genesis to this place where God hath said in terminis in so many words expresly You shall offer no fire but one kind of fire And yet here they are consumed by Fire from God for offering strange Fire I find in the 30. of Exod. ver 9. that there they were forbidden offering strange Incense but I do not find that they were forbidden offering strange Fire In Levit. 6. 13. and divers verses in that Chapter we find that God had appointed that they should keep constantly the Fire on the Altar burning and never to let it go out Now that was it seems Gods intention that therefore they should make use of that Fire and that Fire only God would have them to pick out his meaning God sent Fire down from Heaven upon the Altar so in the latter end of the 9. chap. God sent down Fire from Heaven and gave them a charge to keep that Fire on the Altar constantly and never to let it go out so that it seems God would have them pick out his meaning that because he had sent down Fire from Heaven upon the Altar and gave them power to keep that constantly God would have them therefore to understand that what Incense or Sacrifice he would have the use of Fire in it should be only 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 not their cloathes they were kil'd by the Fire and yet their cloathes were whol
maker So in Psal 100. 2. Let us come before his presence with singing for that 's one part of the Worship of God But the Scripture is plain that there is a special coming before God when we are coming to Worship him and in this respect the Servants of God in Psal 148. 14. are said to be a people neer to God It is a very remarkable expression and sets forth much the honor of the Saints of God There 's the commendation of the excellent estate of the Saints He also exalteth the horn of his people the praise of all his Saints even the children of Israel a people neer unto him The Saints of God the Children of Israel the Church of God are said to be a people neer to God Why neer him Because that they Worship God they are much exercised in the Worship of God This is one respect though there may be divers others mentioned yet in respect of their coming so much before God in his Worship therefore they are neer God Quest Neer him Why in what respects may a man be said to draw nigh to God when he Worships him Answ To that I Answer There are three respects in which a man when he is Worshiping God may be said to draw nigh to God First Because when we come to Worship God we come to tender up that homage and service unto him that is due from us as Creatures to the infinite Creator that 's the very end of Worship If you would know what it is to Worship God it is this You come to tender up that homage and respect that is due from the Creature to the Creator Now when a Subject comes to tender up his homage to his Prince he comes towards him when he doth it immediately So we have none to tender it up by but Jesus Christ and when we tender it up we must come our selves too for Christ doth nor take our service and tender it up to God and we be absent but we must come with Christ and Christ takes us by the hand and so tenders it up to the Father while we are in presence so that we are said to come nigh to God in that respect because of the immediate tendering up of that Worship of ours to God I call it immediate in respect of any creature But in respect of Christ indeed he is a Mediator to do it but yet he doth it in a spiritual way and we have to do with none but God through Jesus Christ in the tendering up of our Worship to him We may make use of an institution that God hath appointed but we do not tender up our Worship to God through that creature but in the use of that creature we do come to God and our souls are to tender up that respect we owe to God immediatly therefore in levit 21. 21. it is said of the Priests in their Sacrifices when they were to come to Worship God No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the Priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire So that when any come to offer any offerings of the Lord made by Fire it appears he came nigh to God he came to bring a Present to God therefore he comes nigh So when we come to offer our Spiritual sacrifices unto God we come nigh to God to offer it 's the offering of a sacrifice to God And that 's the first thing because the creature comes to bring a Present to God therefore he is said to draw nigh And secondly The soul is said to draw nigh to God in holy duties because it doth present its self before God in those waies through which God doth use to communicate his choice precious most excellent and glorious mercies to his people I say when we come to Worship God we come to set our selves before God in those waies that God doth use to communicate the choice most excellent and glorious rich mercies that he hath to communicate to his creature When we have to deal with creatures as meat and drink and our outward businesses we have to do with God in them but when we come to worship God we come to present our selves before him in those things that he doth use to let out himself through in a more special and glorious manner to the souls of his people What 's the reason why Heaven is said to be the presence of God and why those that are in Heaven are said to live with God There they behold the face of God and are before him in a special manner therefore when Christ teacheth us to pray he teacheth us to look up to Heaven and to say Our Father which art in Heaven c. Now certainly the essential presence of God is on Earth as truly and really as in Heaven and God is not so as to have one part in one place and another in another but All God is in every place but the reason why God is said to be in Heaven it is because the Lord makes known himself there in a more glorious manner than in any other place and therefore Heaven is the presence of God in a more special way Now then if the communication of God unto a creature be enough to make the presence of God more special if this be enough to make a creature to live with God and to be before his face because they are there where God doth most communicate himself then certainly when we come to worship God we come to be neer God and be with God because the duties of his Worship are those means that the Lord hath appointed for the letting out of himself in the glory of his goodness and mercy to his people You may expect other manner of communication of God goodness through the duties of his Worship than in any other way And that 's the second respect wherein you may be said to draw nigh to God in holy duties Thirdly You may be said to draw nigh to God because then we should and if we worship God as we ought we do act our faith and humility and all the graces of the Spirit We do act them as it were upon God when we come to worship him That 's required in every duty of worship that you should stir up the faculties of your souls and all the graces of the Spirit of God and you should act them upon God when you are worshiping of him 'T is not enough to come with grace when you come to worship God but there must be an acting of that grace upon God And so we find in Scripture that the acting of grace upon God it is a drawing neer to him therefore in Isa 29. 13. the Lord complains there This people draws neer to me with their lips but their hearts are far from me as if God should say Indeed they come and speak to me and therefore they think they draw nigh to me but I expect that their hearts should
This is that that the happiness of the glorious Church is set out by in Rev. 22. 4. They shall see his face and his Name shall be in their foreheads This is the Priviledg of the Church And that it is such a blessing to draw nigh to God you may see it by that in Ephes 2. 18. For through him we both have an access by one Spirit unto the Father Through Him Through Christ we have access by one Spirit unto the Father and now saith he Ye that were strangers and forreigners are made fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God And vers 13. But now by Jesus Christ ye who somtimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ and you have access through Christ So our coming nigh to God is such a priviledg as cost the Blood of Christ And will not you improve it You were far off in your natural condition but now you are nigh through his Blood Lay but this Text warm to your hearts this morning That I that was far off am made nigh by the Blood of Christ made nigh to God it will be a means for ever to draw your hearts to all those waies whereby you may draw neerest to God And by drawing nigh to God often you will come to encrease your graces abundantly your graces how wil they act the presence of God wil draw forth the acts of grace as the presence of the fire draws forth our heat so the presence of God will draw forth our graces And by this means we come to live most holy lives We reade of Moses he was upon the mountain fourty daies with God and when he came down his face did so shine that the people were not able to bear it What 's the reason it was from hence because he was so nigh to God Would you have your faces to shine in a holy conversation before men converse much with God be often with God be nigh to him and that will make you shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation We find it so with some that converse much with God there is a shine upon their very countenances And further it is a special sign of our adoption to love to be nigh to God What should a Child love most but to be in the presence of his Father Would you know whether you have received the Spirit of aboption yea or no I can hardly give you any one sign so cleer as this For to love to go into Gods presence As David said I was glad when they said Come and let us go up unto the House of the Lord. You shal have many that love to be in Gods presence so as they think on it over-night and long for the time till it comes I never am better than when I am with God me thinks when I get into Gods presence either in prayer or any duty of Gods Worship I find my heart warmed and quickned c. They are ready to say with Peter Master it is good being here And that 's another thing It is that which will put us in mind of the life of Heaven it is the only thing in Heaven to be in the presence of God Why the more thou art nigh God in the Duties of Worship the more thou art in Heaven and doest not thou pray That the Will of God may be done in Earth as in Heaven Now the Saints and Angels are alwaies before God Worshiping of Him then be as much as thou canst in the presence of God If thou wouldest be in Heaven be there Many of the Saints they find it so It is not so with carnal hearts they are weary presently when they are in Prayer or hearing the Word it is not so to them yea that 's because thou hast not the presence of God as in Mal. 1. what weariness is there Thou canst be a gaming till one or two a clock at night and though thou shouldest lose thy supper or the work of thy family it is not tedious to thee to be exercised in those things that pleaseth the flesh but when thou comest to worship God how quickly art thou tir'd now what wilt thou do in Heaven where there is nothing else done to all eternity but worshiping of God And then it must needs be delightful to God that thou shouldest come nigh him There is nothing in the world more pleasant to God than to have His Saints come into His presence What doth a Father more delight in than to have his Children about him Never did any Father or Mother love to have their Children by them so as God loves to have His Children come nigh Him and be often with him And the truth is one great reason that God suffers you to fall into affliction so much is That you may come runing to him How doth the child come running to the Father or Mother when it is afraid why the Lord is willing to permit men to do you wrong that you may run to him that he might have more of your presence Thou that art such a poor creature yet thou hearest this day that there is nothing in the world that God takes more pleasure in next to the presence of his own Son Jesus Christ and his Saints and Angels that he hath with him in Heaven than to have his Saints come nigh him to have them to be alwaies under his wing And then by coming often into Gods presence in His worship there will grow a sweet and blessed familiarity between God and thy soul for thou wilt be speaking to God and God will be speaking to thee too We know many times that dear friends who are very neerly linkt together yet if they be long absent one from another there grows a strangeness and so by degrees their friendship is deaded but now when they are together every day and there is 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 and so they grow strange So it is with the soul if there were no possibility of coming into Gods presence then it would not hinder the sweetness 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 fallow upon thy familiarity with God First Those that are most familiar with God they
Deut. 32. 46. he said unto the people Set your hearts unto all the words which I testifie among you this day which you shall command your children to observe to do for it is not a vain thing for you because it is your life Set your hearts to it for it is not a vain thing it is your life when you come to hear the Word give diligent attention to what you hear In Act. 8. 6. it is said The people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake They gave heed The word is used often in Scripture sometimes it is used for to beware of a thing Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees beware of them As a man when he sees an enemy and is aware of him he is very diligent to observe how to avoid him So there must be as much diligence to get good by the Word as one would be diligent to avoid any danger whatsoever And the word signifies somtimes to give such heed as a Disciple gives unto his Master so they gave heed to the Word So in Prov. 2. 1 2. My son if thou wilt receive my words and hide my commandements with thee so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom We must diligently attend and not suffer our eyes and our thoughts to be wandring but diligently attend to what is said My brethren there is all things that may challenge attention in the Word What would make you to attend to any thing First If he that speaks were much above you if it were a great Prince or Lord that spake to you then you would attend Now though it is true it is but a man that it may be is inferior to most of you that speaks yet know in him it is the Lord of Heaven and Earth that speaks to you And so you know what Christ saith He that heareth you heareth me So though you would not attend in respect of the Messenger so much yet as it is the Son of God that is speaking to you it may challenge your attention This day if you should hear a voice out of the Clouds from Heaven speaking to you would you not then listen The truth is we should listen as much to the voice of God in the Ministry of his Word as if so be that the Lord should speak out of the Clouds to us And I will give you a Scripture for that that the voyce of God in his Word should be as much regarded of you as if God should speak from Heaven to you by an audible voice out of the Clouds In 2 Pet. 1. 18 19. This voice which came from Heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy Mount But mark in vers 19. We have also a more sure Word of Prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed Mark We heard a voice from Heaven saith Peter yea but we have a more sure word of Prophesie whereunto you do wel that ye take heed There was a voice from Heaven spake You will say If we had heard that voice we would have given heed to that Saith the Apostle You have a more sure Word of Prophesie Now Prophesie in Scripture is taken for Preaching Despise not Prophesie As if the holy Ghost should say You must have regard to the word of Prophesie as you would have regard to any voice from Heaven Suppose an Angel should come and speak to you Would not you attend to him then whatsoever thoughts you had they would be taken off for there is an Angel that is come down from Heaven to speak Now mark what is said in Heb. 1. 1. God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past to the fathers by the Prophets hath in these last daies spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the worlds And then in vers 3. he describes his Son And being made so much better than the Angels as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they If a Prophet should come and speak that is not so much as if the Son of God comes no nor as if an Angel should come for Jesus Christ hath obtained a more excellent Name than the Angels it is Christ that is the Ministry of his Word He that heareth you heareth me Secondly That which would cause attention is the greatness of the matter propounded It 's true if a man should speak of some slight and vain things there need not so much attention My brethern the matters in the Word are the great Things of God it is the Voice of God the great Mysteries of Godliness those deep things that the Angels themselves desire to pry into yea the Angels themselves by the Churches they come to have the knowledge of the Mysteries of God I make no question but in the Ministery of the Word among the Churches the Angels they attend and come to some knowledge in the Mysteries of Godliness for so the Scripture saith That they have it by the Churches there the greatest things of Gods Will the greatest Counsels of God that were kept hid from all eternity are opened to you in the Ministry of the Word We do not come to tel you tales and the conceits of men but to open the great Counsels of God wherein the depth of the Wisdom of God comes to be revealed to the children of men and therefore this cals for attention Thirdly Suppose they be great things yet if they do not so much concern us there is no such great reason of attention Therefore in the Third place that which we speak it is Your Life it is that concerns your Souls and Eternal estates Your Souls and Everlasting Estates do lie upon the Ministry of the Word if that be made effectual to you you are saved if that be not made effectual to you you are damned and undone for ever If we should come to tel you of something whereby you might get some good bargain or of a way how to get great riches I make no question but you would rise though it were a cold or rainy morning But know when you are called to hear the Word you are called to hear that which may do you good for ever that for which you may bless God for to all eternity with the Angels and Saints in the highest Heavens If they be such things of so great concernment then there had need be great attention You know what Christ said to Martha when she was troubled about his entertainment Luke 10. 41. Martha Martha thou art careful and troubled about many things but one thing is needful and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her What did Mary choose It was this That she did diligently attend upon Jesus Christ to hear the Word from his own mouth when Martha was busied in the house to provide for his entertainment but it is a better thing to attend upon the
do you go for What account had you been able to have given unto him You must understand what you do when you come thither First You must be able to give this account to God Lord I am now going to have represented to me in a visible and sensible way the greatest Mysteries of Godlines those great and deep Counsels of my Will concerning my eternal estate those great Things that Angels desire to pry into that shall be the matter of eternal praises of Angels and Saints in the highest Heavens that they may be set before my view Lord when I have come to thy Word I have had sounding in mine ears the great Mysteries of Godliness the great Things of the Covenant of Grace and now I go to see them represented before mine eyes in that Ordinance of thine that thou hast appointed Yea Lord I am now going to receive the Seals of the blessed Covenant of thine the second Covenant the new Covenant the Seals of the Testimony and will of thine I am going to have confirmed to my soul thine everlasting Love in Jesus Christ Yea Lord I am going to that Ordinance wherein I expect to have Communion with thy self and the Communion of thy chief mercies to my soul in Jesus Christ I am going to feast with the to feed upon the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ Yea I am now going to set the Seal of the Covenant on my part to renew my Covenant with thee I am going to have Communion with thy Saints to have the bond of Communion with all thy people to be confirmed to me that there might be a strong bond of union and love between me and thy Saints than ever these are the ends that I go for this is the work that I am now going about thus you must come in understanding you must come with understanding you must know what you are going about this is that which the Apostle speaks of when he spake of the disarming the Lords body he rebukes the Corinthians for there sin and shew them that they were guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ because they did not descren the Lords Body they look'd only upon the outward elements but did not discren what their was of Christ there they did not understand the Institution of Christ they did not see how Christ was under those elements both represented and exhibited unto them that is the first thing there must be knowledg and understanding And now for the knowledg and understanding of the nature of the Sacrament there need be knowledg in other Points of Religion for we can never come to understand the nature of this Sacrament without knowing God and knowing our selves knowing in what estate we are by Nature knowing our Fall knowing the way of Redemtion knowing Jesus Christ what He was and what He hath done for the making of an Atonement the necessity of Jesus Christ and what the way of the Covenant is that God hath appointed to bring mens souls to eternall life by The main points of Religion must be known but especially that which concerns the nature of a Sacrament Now this knowledg likewise must be actual not meerly habitual knowledg but there must be a stirring up of this knowledg that is by meditation I must be meditating have actual thoughts and meditations of what I do know that ought to be the work of a Christian in coming to receive the Sacrament to quicken up his knowledg to have a renewed work of his knowledg by actual thoughts and meditations of the main Points of Religion and especially of the nature and the end of this holy institution that is the first thing Secondly As we must come understandingly without which we cannot Sanctifie Gods Name so we must come with hearts sutable to the work that we are about that is because the great thing that is here is the breaking of Christs body and the powring forth His blood A sutable disposition to this is brokenness of heart sence of our sin of that dreadful breach that sin hath made between God and the soul our sin should be upon our hearts so as to break them But this brokenness must be Evangelical it must be through the applying of the Blood of Christ unto my soul I must come to be sensible of my sin but especially be sensible of it by what I see in the holy Sacrament that must make me sensible of my sin There are a great many things to make me sensible of my sin The consideration of the great God that thou hast sinned against and the Curse of the Law that 's due to thee the wrath of God that is incensed against thee for thy sin and those eternal flames that are prepared for sinners those everlasting burnings But now those are not the things that will break the heart in an Evangelical way in a gracious way the main thing by which the soul must come to break its heart must be the beholding of the evil of sin in the red glass of the blood of Jesus Christ the beholding him broken and truly there is nothing in the world that hath that power to break the heart of sin as the beholding of that which is to be beheld in the holy Sacrament and that heart is a hard heart that can see what is there to be seen not break in the apprehension of sin when I here see what my sin cost what a price was made for my soul when I see the hatred of God against sin and the justice of God in not sparing his Son but in breaking his Son for my sin and in shedding the blood of his Son for my sins I see here that the making of my peace with God did cost more than ten thousand worlds is worth I see that by my sin such a breach was made between God and my soul that all the Angels in Heaven and Men in the World could never make up this breach only the Son of God he that was God and man that was thus broken by the burden of the wrath of his Father for my sins could do this The truth is when we come to this holy Communion we are to look upon Christ as if we saw Him hanging upon the Cross suppose thou hadst lived at the time when Christ was crucified and hadst understood as much concerning the death of Christ as now thou doest and what Christ was if so be that thou shouldest have beheld Him in the Garden and there sweating drops of water and blood and lie groveling upon the ground crying If it be possible let this cup pass from me and shouldest have followed Him to the Cross and there have seen His hands and feet naied and His side pierced and the blood trickling down and have heard him crying out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me would not such a sight as this is have broken thy heart for thy sin the truth is there is more I won't say only so much but I
any miscarriage for do not think that because your duties are very good and holy that by doing thereof you may venture upon mixture take heed of mixing any evil any miscarriage in any holy thing though you have performed a thousand holy duties yet it will not bear you out in the miscarriage of them The Eleventh Note is this That the Lord is very terrible out of his holy places The Note is the same that you have in Psal 68. 35. The Lord is terrible out of his holy places When we have to deal with God who can stand before this holy God our God is a consuming fire The Lord manifests himself here most dreadfully to strike with Fire these two Priests as in Ezek. 9. 6. Begin at my Sanctuary saith God God is terrible terrible towards those that shall dare to approach unto him and yet are wicked and ungodly in their approaching he is terrible to those that are neer unto him God would have us all to tremble at his presence In the Twelfth place Gods Judgments are often very sutable to mens sins Here they sinned by fire and they are consumed by fire They offended by strange fire and God strikes them by a strange fire The Judgments of God are very sutable to the sins of men oftentimes As here by fire so another time we find it by water Pharaoh he sins by drowning the Infants of the people of Israel in the waters and God drowns him in the Sea If you will be drowning by water you shall have water enough saith God And so here if you will be medling with strange Fire you shall have strange Fire saith God God doth many times proportion Judgments to sinners that his righteousness might the more appear those very creatures in which we sin many times God makes them or others of the same kind to be the Executioners of his Wrath. So it was with the Jews they would sell Christ for 30. pieces of silver and they were sold 30. of them for a penny afterwards And so the story of Adoni-bezek in the first of Judges that was so cruel in such a way to cut off Thumbs and Toes of Kings even so he was served in the like kind and it 's ordinary for men that are of cruel fiery spirits to meet with cruel fiery spirits likewise And I would apply it in this particular You that are stout Children to your Parents if God lets you live you many times meet with the very same in your Children and when you that are Parents meet with stubborn Children you should reflect Doth not God come righteously upon me And so you that are Servants you are stout to your Masters and afterwards when you come to have Servants they will be so to you and perhaps you were unfaithful to your Governors afterwards when you come to have servants it 's a thousand to one but they will be so to you Now you should strike your hand upon your heart and say It 's just with God that it should be so and that He should come upon me in my own kind Another Note is this They offered strange fire Let 's take heed all of us how we bring strange fire into Gods Service Bring strange fire into Gods Service What 's that I find diverse Writers speaking upon this saith Ambrose Lusts and Covetousness are this strange Fire That which I would have you consider of is this Above all strange fire take heed of the strange Fire of passion and anger and especially in the Worship of God and at any time when you find your hearts heated and fired with Anger when you are about to worship God remember this Scripture Nadab and Abihu were consumed by God with fire from God for coming into Gods presence with strange fire Now O Lord how often have we come into thy presence with strange Fire Perhaps your hearts have been burning hot with passion when you have been coming into Gods presence You are to pray with fervency for so the Scripture saith we are indeed to be heat in prayer by the holy Ghost in our hearts but certainly not to come with the fire of passion and anger Lift up your hands without wrath and doubting If you have been passionate and your hearts have been heat that way be sure you get your hearts cold before you go to Prayer And so when you come to hear the Word if your hearts have been heat with passion be sure you get them cold before you come to hear the Word Receive with meekness the ingrafted Word that may save your souls And so when you come to the Lords Supper Take heed of coming with wrath and malice for then you come but to offer strange Fire It is a special Consideration for Ministers that come to preach they should take heed of bringing strange fire into ther Pulpits that is of venting their own passions That hath been ever a rule that I have been convinced of since I knew any thing of Preaching That that man that is appointed to reveal Gods wrath had need to conceal his own wrath that 's certainly a rule for all Preachers for the Lord sends his Preachers to make known his wrath against mens sins but now the more they make known his wrath the more they should conceal their own and so by that means when they come in the openest way to manifest Gods wrath the more their preaching would be accepted Now it 's true a carnal heart would be ready to think That when a Preacher speaks out of true zeal to God he will be ready to say That he hath aiming at himself Take heed of that I beleeve you have had but little occasion of such a temptation in this place but however this I know it is the duty of the Ministers of God to be sure to bring nothing but the Fire of the Spirit of God the Fire that they have from the Alter their tongues being touch'd with one of these Coals and not that they should come with their own passions to further the Righteousness of God no The wrath of man doth not accomplish the Righteousness of God There are some other particulars which being laid down we shall come to the Three main Points SERMON II. Leviticus 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE began these words the last day and shewed the scope of them and opened the meaning of them and spake of divers Notes of Observation that we gathered from this story of Nadab and Abihu and of Gods dealing with them From the general story of it there were many Points of notable Observation that were drawn from thence I 'le ad some few now and so come to the main Doctrinal Point in the Text. A further Note of Observation is this That many times even the dear Saints of God do meet with very sore and grevous offlictions in their Children That the most eminent Saints of God are not freed from very grievous afflictions even