Angels and Men that I do acknowledg that the Lord is present with me in this duty 4. Fourthly Consider God is an unchangable God immutable That is another Attribute of God He is unchangeable First Therefore our hearts must be taken off from these mutable things and set upon God as that unchangable good Secondly We must be humbled for our fickleness and unconstantness there is no shadow of change in God and there is no shadow of constancy in us Thirdly When we come into the presence of a God who is unchangable then we should look upon God as being the same now that ever He was heretofore He hath as much displeasure against sin now as ever he had and that God that hath done such great things for his Church in former times is the same God to do good to His people as ever he was And make use of this When you reade the Word and there find how God hath made Himself appear to be glorious for His people and now every time I am to worship God I should think that I am to deal with God that is the same that ever he was a merciful and gracious and just and powerful as ever he was and so my heart is to work towards him 5. Fiftly When I am to Worship God I am to look upon Him as the Living God as that God that hath life in Himself and gives life unto his Creatures Then what sutable behavior doth become me I must come before His presence with fear It is a fearful thing to fall into his hands that is the living God that hath my life under his feet He hath the absolute dispose of my present and eternal condition He gave me my life he hath preserved my life and so may take it away when he pleases and bring death eternal death unto me These things may marvelously help your meditation when you are to come before Him you who are barren in your meditations go over the Attributes of God thus and consider what you may be able to draw from thence God He is the living God What behavior then doth beseem me towards this living God Oh let me be afraid lest my soul depart from the living God Let me bring a living Service to Him I must not bring a dead heart let me take heed how I come before the living God with a dead heart and with a dead service to sacrifice that which is dead before it comes it 's like a carrion that lies dead in the ditch Oh let us be humbled for our dead hearts and dead sacrifices it is a living God that I am worshiping and therefore I must pray Lord turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity and quicken my heart in thy Law Psal 119. 37. Remember when thou comest to worship that thou come with a quikned heart for thou hast to deal with a living God A man or woman that is of an active spirit cannot endure a dull and heavy servant in the family but the Lord is a pure act and nothing else but act and therefore he doth expect that all his people should have quick active and lively spirits 6 When you come to worship God you are to look upon Him as Almighty And so are First To fear his great Power when you come before Him And Secondly Then you are not to be discouraged by any difficulties I come to seek for some great thing and I come to seek to a great God that hath all Power in Heaven and Earth and infinitely more power than there is in all creatures in Heaven and Earth I am praying to a God that can create peace create help My condition cannot be so desperate but this Infinite Almighty God is able to help me Let me make him the object of my faith as he is so infinitely Almighty What a full object of faith is this God that hath all power in Him Let me therefore come to him as a strong Tower Run to the Name of God as a strong Tower that can help in all straights whatsoever There would be much drawing forth of our Faith if we could present the Lord before us as an infinite Almighty God when we see outward helps and means neer at hand then we can beleeve that we may have some succour from him but when all outward helps and means fail then we are discouraged we do not sanctifie Gods Name but we rather take this Name of God in vain when as our hearts are discouraged with any difficulties now the Lord expects that all his Children that come to worship him should worship him as the Almighty God and so have their hearts working towards him there would be mighty workings of Spirit towards God if we saw him by the eye of Faith as well as Reason 7. Look upon God as an Omniscient God as a God infinitely understanding all things Now what doth this call for First If God be a God of infinite understanding then let not me bring a blind Sacrifice to God then let not me bring an ignorant heart to God this is the excellency of an understanding creature to know the rule and end of its own Actions now thou comest to worship an infinite God of infinite understanding then know the rule of what you do and know the end of what you do and come with understanding in His presence Secondly If He be so understanding come with a free open heart to open whatsoever is in thine heart to God take heed of keeping any secret resolutions in thine own heart God knows thee and can tell how to find thee out God knows all that is in thine heart before all the secret baseness that is in thine heart the Lord doth understand it the Lords eye is a piercing eye He sees thorow and thorow thy heart It 's a vain thing for thee to come and conceal any thing before Him You will say If God understand a mans heart what need he come and confess Yes He requires it as thy duty that thou shouldest come and open all before him In spight of thy heart thou canst not cover any thing from the Lords eyes but the Lord will see whether thou beest willing of thy self that He should understand al God doth not require us to come and confess our sins that so he might know that which he knew not before but for this end That there might be a testimony that thou art willing that he should know all that is in thy heart therefore now when thou comest to worship him ransack every corner of thy heart and confess all before the Lord and give glory to his Name as that God that is an All-seeing God that knows all the windings and turnings of thy heart Now meditate of these things that be presented to thee and it will be a mighty means to help thee to sanctifie his Name 8. God is a God of infinite Wisdom therefore when we come to worship God let us be ashamed of our folly When thou comest
Word than to entertain Christ in your houses You that are of loving dispositions that if a good Minister shall come to your houses or a good Christian that you see but the Image of Christ in your hearts spring within you and you will do any thing to entertain them Well but what if Jesus Christ should come if you knew that such a man that came within your doors were the Son of God how would you bestir your selves to entertain him But know it is a more acceptable service to Jesus Christ to attend upon his Word than to provide for him in your houses And there is great reason too that we should be diligent in drawing nigh to the Word and give ear unto it because you find that the Lord doth express himself in the Scripture how he gives ear to us when we speak to him God is said to encline His ear sometimes to open His ear sometimes to bow His ear sometimes to cause His ear to hear and divers such expressions there are to that purpose Now if God when we that are poor wretches speak to Him shall bow His ear bend His ear open His ear cause His ear to hear much more should we when we come to attend upon Him 2. Secondly as there must be attending to the Word of God so there must be an opening of the heart to receive what God speaks to you it is true it is the work of God to open the heart but God works upon men as upon rational creatures and He makes you to be active in opening your hearts so that when you have any truth come to be revealed you should open your understandings your conscience and will and affections Oh Lord thy truth which thou art presenting here to my soul at this time let it come in let me receive it as the expression is in Prov. 2. 1. My Son if thou wilt receive my words and then in ver 10. When wisdom entereth into thy heart The words of wisdom the Words of God they must enter into the heart get in it may be they get into thy ear but that 's not enough they must get into thy heart in Job 8. 37. There Christ complains that His Word had no place in them that 's a sad thing when the Word of God shall have no place in the heart If a temptation to sin comes that hath a place in the heart but when the Word comes that hath no place in the heart I say it is a very sad thing that we can find no room for the Word we should get room for the Word Open ye gates Stand open ye everlasting doors that the King of Glory may come in Know that when you come to hear the Word the Lord is knocking at the doors of your hearts have not you felt it sometimes Open O open the doors let all be opened to receive the Word into your hearts That is the second thing for the behavior of the soul in hearing 3. The third thing is The careful applying of the word so in Prov. 2. 2. There must be an applying of the heart to the word and an applying of the word unto the heart All action is by an application of the thing that doth act unto the subject there must be an application of the word to thy soul as now suppose thou comest to hear the Word and thou hearest of some sin that it may be thou knowest thou art guilty of take the Word and lay it to thy heart and say The Lord hath met with my soul this day the Lord hath spoken to me to the end that I might be humbled for this sin and the other sin that my conscience tells me I am guilty of So doth the Lord put thee upon a duty that concerns thee acknowledge this the Lord hath spoken to me this day and put me upon the reformation of my family and the reformation of mine own heart Is there a word presented apply that and let not the trouble of thy heart cause thee to cast off that word that God hath spoken to thee The application of the word to thy heart is of mervelous use and it concerns not only Ministers in general to lay before people the doctrin of the Gospel but to apply it And know that it concerns you as well as Ministers to apply it And not only when they come to that that is called Use but all the way in the opening of the word it concerns you all to apply it to your own souls and to consider how doth it concern me in particular My brethren there is no such way to honor God or get good to your own souls as the application of the word unto your selves As a man that is asleep if there be a noise made it will not awake him so soon but come and call him by his name and say John or Thomas and that will awake him sooner than a greater noise will So when the word makes a noise when it is delivered only in the general men take little notice of it but when the word comes particularly to the souls of men and doth as it were call them by name this awakens them Now God many times doth speak to your hearts but you should apply it you know the word is compared to meat and it must be applied to the body Then do we worship God in a right way when as we take notice of Gods word as concerning us in particular as that notable Scripture that you have in 1 Cor. 14. 25. Where there come a poor man into the Church of God and hears Prophesying hears the word opened and the text saith he is convinced of all he is judged of all and then in vers 25. Thus are the secrets of his heart manifest and so falling down on his face he worships God and reports that God is in you of a truth That is when the word comes and meets with his soul in particular that he finds himself to be aim'd at by the Word then he worships God and saith that God certainly is in them Here 's the reason now that when you come to hear the Word you do not worship God because you apply it not to your selves you are ready to say This was well spoken to such a one and it concerns such a one but how doth it concern thy soul in particular Sometimes the Lord doth even force men and women to apply it whether they will or no for that they think the Minister speaks to them in partiticular and that no body was spoken too in the Congregation but themselves This is a mercy when the Lord doth it unto you but it is a greater mercy when the Lord gives you a heart to apply to your selves and although it may trouble you a little for the present yet be willing to apply it and account it a great mercy from the Lord That the Lord will be pleased to speak in particular to your souls 4. Fourthly We must mix
Nature of Jesus Christ and this is a Meditation that hath abundance that might spring out of it What hath the Son of God taken our Nature upon him hath he Body and Blood and human Nature upon him Oh! how hath God honored humane Nature Then let not me abuse my Body to Lust to Wickednesse seeing that Jesus Christ hath taken the body of man upon him humane Nature upon him let me honor humane Nature that is so neerly united to the Divine Nature That 's the second Meditation Med. 3. Here is presented unto us what this Mediator hath done for the reconciling of us unto God that his body was broken he hath subjected himself to the breaking of his body and to the powring forth of his blood for the reconciling of us it is not meerly as before that God saith I will pardon them but Christ undertaking to make peace between his Father and us it cost him the breaking of his body and the powring forth of his blood this is an useful Meditation Oh! what should we be willing to suffer for Jesus Christ in our bodies even to resist unto blood seeing Christ hath been content to have his precious body broken and his blood shed for us Med. 4. Again A Fourth Meditation is this That here we come to see we have occasion of meditating of what the Scripture saith That we are by the blood of God saved it is the blood of God They crucified the Lord of Glory that 's the Scripture phrase we should consider when we see the Wine powred out and so put in mind of blood Whose blood and whose body is this it is no other but the body and blood of him that was truly God the second Person in Trinity This is the great Mystery of the Gospel and this is very needful for us to be thinking of when we see the body broken and the blood powred out What will the breaking of the body and shedding of the blood of a meer creature be sufficient to make peace between God and Man surely no therfore you must meditate whose body this is and whose blood this is it is the body and blood of him that was God It 's true God hath no body nor no blood but the same person that was God had a body and blood that body and blood was united unto the Divine Nature in an hypostatical union and from thence it came to have an efficacy for to satisfie God for to reconcile God and us together This is the great Mystery of Godliness Med. 5. Another Meditation is this When you see the Bread broken and Wing powred out Oh! the infinit dreadfulness of the Justice of God! how dreadful is the Justice of God that coming upon his own Son and requiring satisfaction from him that should thus break him and bruise him that should have his blood that should require such sufferings even from his Son dreadful is Gods Justice the Justice of God it is to be feared and to be trembled at here we see what is required for the sin of man and nothing would be bated to Jesus Christ himself Med. 6. Another Meditation is this Here I see presented to me what every soul that shall be saved cost whoever shall have his soul saved he hath it sav'd by a ransom by a price paid that is more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds thou slightest thine own soul but if it prove to be saved it cost more than if thousands of worlds had been given for thee even the shedding of the blood of Christ every drop of which was more precious than ten thousand worlds Med. 7. Again From hence see what is the evil of sin how great it is that hath made such a breach between God and my soul that only such a way and such a means must take away my sin I must either have lain under the burden of my sin eternally or Jesus Christ that's God and man must suffer so much for it Oh what Meditations are these to take up the hearts of men Med. 8. Behold the infinit love of God to mankind and the love of Jesus Christ that rather than God would see the children of men to perish eternally he would send his Son to take our Nature upon him and thus to suffer such dreadful things herein God shows his love it is not the love of God so much in giving you a good voyage and prospering you outwardly in the world But so God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son And it pleased the Father to break his Son and to powr out his blood here is the love of God and of Jesus Christ Oh! what a powerful mighty drawing efficacious Meditation should this be unto us Med. 9. Those that are Beleevers they shall be nourished to eternal life so that there is no fear that ever a Beleever should quite fall off from God and die in his sin Why Because the body and blood of Christ is given to him for his spiritual nourishment though a Beleever be never so weak yet seeing God hath appointed the body and blood of his Son for him to feed upon and to drink in a spiritual way surely then the weakest in the world will be strengthened to go through all the hazards and dangers that there are in the world 't is this that strengthens Beleevers to encounter with all kind of dangers it 's this that preserves the weakest grace in a Beleever namely the Spiritual nourishment that God the Father hath appointed to them even the feeding upon the Body and drinking the very Blood of his Son this is meat indeed and drink indeed that will nourish to eternal life Med. 10. The last Meditation is this When you come to this seeing the Bread broken and the Wine powred out you have an occasion to meditate of the whol new Covenant the Covenant of Grace that God hath made with sinners for so the words of institution are This is the Cup of the New Testament the New Testament which is all one with the New Covenant only different in this particular it contains the substance of the new Covenant but cal'd Testament in this regard to shew that the Lord doth do all in the new Covenant that is he doth not only promise such and such mercies upon condition of our beleeving and repenting but he doth work beleeving and repenting and works grace and therefore the same thing that is sometime call'd a Covenant is call'd a Testament that is the will of God wherein the Lord doth bequeath his rich legacies to his Children to those that shall be eternally saved so that all the good things in the Covenant of Grace they are bequeathed by way of Testament as well as Covenant and this is a mighty comfortable Meditation to the Saints for indeed when they look upon the way of the Gospel as in a way of Covenant why then they think thus This require somewhat of our parts to be done and indeed God will
be acting upon me that 's the meaning And in Zeph. 3. 2. God complains there of his people that they did not draw neer to him as they should And it appears plainly it was from hence that their graces did not act so upon God as they ought She obeyed not the voice she received not correction she trusted not in the Lord she drew not neer to her God So that acting faith upon God is a drawing nigh to God and so acting any grace upon God is a drawing nigh to God Now when is there a time for the acting of our graces upon God so as when we come to worship God And therefore in Isa 94. 7. the Lord complains there That no man did stir up himself to take hold on him When we come to Worship God we should stir up our selves to take hold of God And thus you see in what respects the Soul may be said to draw nigh to God when it comes to Worship him Now for the Aplication of this point and it is in divers particulars The First is this Hence learn what you do when you come to Worship God and consider of it every time you come to perform any act of Worship Truly this one thing would be of marveilons use and it would help forward to the next point of Sanctifying of Gods Name This you are all convinced of That it is your duty to Worship God when you Pray you come to Worship God when you come to hear his Word you come to worship him and when you receive the Sacrament you Worship him Now if I should come from one end of the Congregation to the other and ask every one of you this Question It is your duty to Worship God Is it not Yes that you will all be ready to answer And what do you do when you Worship God I fear that this Second Question would gravel many You will say We must pray to God and serve him and hear his Word and go to the Communion yea but what do your Souls do in this work of worshiping of God This should be the answer and so you should think with your selves and charge this upon your own hearts I am now going to worship God either in Prayer Word or Sacrament I am now going to tender up that homage that is due from a creature to the infinit Creator so that I must so pray as I must manifest that high respect that I owe to God as my Creator but that I shall speak to more afterword only now remember this That you do profess every time you go to Prayer That you go to tender up that homage that you owe unto God and so every time you come to hear the Word there is a profession that you come to tender up that respect and homage that you owe to the infinite God And so likewise when you come to receive the Sacrament Now when we come to offer a present to men we know how we prepare and with what sutable presence we desire to offer but of that afterward when we come to speak of Sanctifying Gods Name 2 Secondly Remember when I come to Worship God I come to set my self before the Lord in those ways that God doth let out the choice of His Mercies to his people in I have many mercies from God in the enjoyment of the creature but when I come to worship Him I expect the communication of his mercy in another way than through any creature in the world The duties of his Worship are the chief channels that God doth let out the choicest of His Mercies to the hearts of His people through and now I am going to worship Him I am going to present my self before God Indeed there is a little glimmering of the light of God through other Creatures to me but the glorious Beams of the light of God is through the duties of His Worship 3. And then Thirdly I am now going to act my Soul upon God so that if I have any abilities to close with God to act my soul upon him it must be put forth now at this time I am indeed at all times to labor to enjoy Communion with God when I see the Creatures the Sun Moon and Stars to labor to lift up my heart to God and when I see the glory of God in the Sea and for my meat and drink I am to bless God and to acknowledg God in all but when I come to worship God then all the strength of my soul is to be acted upon God in a more special manner I must then above all labor to stir up whatsoever I have in my soul to act upon God this is now to worship God Secondly If to worship God be to draw nigh to God hence we see the reasons why guilty consciences have little mind to the duties of Gods Worship When a man or woman hath given liberty to any licentious way and sinned against their consciences if they have any light in their consciences it is one of the tediousest things in the world to come to the duties of Gods Worship they had rather do any thing than come to holy Duties as to Prayer and especially to secret Prayer A man or woman that hath an enlightned conscience and is under the guilt of sin the coming to God in holy duties is a very grievous burden to them Why Here 's the Reason Because to worship God is to draw to God and the guilt that is upon them hath made the presence of God terrible to them and therefore they had rather go into their company and be merry eat drink sport or any thing rather than to come into Gods presence We know how it was with Adam when God appeared in the Garden and called to him he ran to hide himself Why Because he had guiltiness upon him Oh! the evil that the guilt of sin brings upon the soul it makes the presence of God terrible The presence of God it should be more comfortable to us than our lives but our sin makes Gods presence grievous and terrible A Child sometimes when it hath offended the Father and is conscious to its self of the offence that it hath given the Father it had rather be in the Kitchin among the Servants than to come into the Hall or Parlor where the Father is because it hath offended him And so it is with a guilty conscience when it is conscious to its self of some haunt of evil that it hath given it self unto it hath no mind at all of coming into the presence of the Father but hangs off My Brethren the very presence of God in the Communion of his Saints is terrible to a guilty conscience the very looking upon a godly man is terrible to a guilty conscience When as thou hast been abroad and been loose and wicked in thy waies I appeal to thy conscience when thou comest into the presence of some holy gracious man or woman that lives close with God Doth it
are most potent with God As now a stranger cannot prevail in any Petition so as a familiar friend can Thus my brethren when strangers come into Gods presence God doth not so much regard them but when his familiars come into his presence the Saints of God that keep close with him in constant communion and converse in the duties of his Worship God doth take them as His familiar friends and they will prevail much with God Secondly By this means the teror of death will be taken away there is no such way to take off the terror of the thoughts of death as by keeping familiarity with God death then is joyful to those that converse with him That Reverend Divine that is now with God Docter Preston when he was to die he had this speech I shall but change my place I shall not change my company whereas its otherwise if thou growest-estranged from God when death comes it will look with a terrible face for then thou hast to deal with God thou art then to go into the presence of the infinite dreadful God into whose presence thou never hadst any mind to go before but saith death I must now carry thee into the presence of God As thy Body returns to the dust so thy soul must return to God that gave it that is to receive its eternal doom c. But now saith a Saint what must my boby return to dust and my soul to God that gave it it is he which I have been with every day and can say as he said My soul go forth go forth why art thou unwilling to go forth to him that thou hast conversed with all thy daies And then what safety is there in being neer to God especially in these dangerous times In the times wherein we live it is safe to be neer God in Psal 22. 11. Be not far from me for trouble is neer saith David Lord trouble is neer me be not thou far from me It 's a blessed thing to have God neer us when trouble is neer us Trouble is neer many of you perhaps there 's not a spans breadth between death and us what a blessed thing is it then to have God to be neer us When the poor Chickin sees the Kite come neer to seize upon it and is like to be supprized if the Hen be neer it runs to the Hen and the Hen covers it and keeps it safe So it should be with us for so Christ saith of Jerusalem How often would I have gathered thee as a Hen gathereth her Chickens There are a company of Kites abroad in the world and we are poor shiftless Creatures now how happy are we then if we can run under the shadow of Gods wing There is a kind of shadow in the presence of God in the enjoyment of the creature but the shadow of God that we have in his Worship that is as the shadow of his Wing There is the shadow of a Tree and that may help from some kind of troubles but there 's another manner of shadow under the shadow of the wing of the Hen because that nourishes the Chicken The men of the world they have the shadow of the Tree as it were Gods general providence which is over all creatures but the Saints of God that draw nigh to God they have the shadow of Gods Wing like the shadow of the Hens wing to the Chicken which doth comfort it and safe-guard it Let us by the duties of Worship thus draw nigh to God and keep nigh unto Him SERMON III Leviticus 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me I WILL only add one Particular more to what we said the last day and then proceed If in the duties of Worship we are nigh to God then hence appears the great Honor that God puts upon His Servants that do Worship him Certainly the Worshipers of God have great Honor put upon them because the Lord vouchsafes them to draw nigh unto Him they are such as are precious and honorable in his eyes I will not enlarge my self in this only give you three Scriptures that shew the great honor and respect that God puts upon those that he doth admit to come and worship him The first Scripture is in Deut. 4. 17. There Moses speaking of the people of Israel and the great respect that God shewed to them more than others for saith he What Nation is there so great who hath God so Nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for What Nation is there so great as you are So great How doth it appear that the Nation of Israel is a greater Nation than other Nations are How That hath God so Nigh unto them in all things that they call upon him for herein any man or woman or Nation may be said to be great that is greatly honored by the Lord God in that they have the Lord nigh unto them and they are nigh unto him here 's the greatness of a Nation You would think that if one would describe the greatness of a Nation it should be in their great Wealth their great Trading and Traffick that they have and the Fertile place that they live in No this is not the greatness of a Nation But what Nation is there so great that hath the Lord God so nigh to them There 's the greatness of a Nation and so a spiritual heart would account greatness to consist in having God to be nigh unto it The second Scripture is in Numb 16. 9. There we have Moses speaking unto the sons of Korah rebuking them for their sin and he brings this aggravation to them of the greatness of their sin saith he Seemeth it but a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the Congregation of Israel to bring you neer to Himself That is That you should come to worship him Is this a small thing to you Is not this honor enough As if Moses should have said Why do you contend for any more Honor the Lord hath separated you to bring you neer to himself Object This you will say was spoken to the Priests Answ But it may be said of every gracious soul for every Beleever Christ hath made a King Priest and Prophet unto himself now there is no Beleever but Jesus Christ hath separated him or her from the rest of the world to be neer unto God This is the dignity that God hath put upon thee that thou art separated by His grace to be one neer to Him whereas others of the world they depart from Him continually depart more and more from Him but I say the Lord by his grace hath set thee apart for Himself as he saith in Psal 4. 3. The Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself Thou art separated from the world To what end It is that thou mightest be neer to Him this is thy priviledg and thou shouldest account it
the heart prepared in things that are good vers 13. If thou prepare thine heart c. and then vers 15. Then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot yea thou shalt be stedfast and shalt not fear When the heart is prepared for that that is good when it comes into the presence of God it is able to lift up it self without fear in a stedfast comfortable way and this will quit the cost of any labor Secondly If the heart be prepared it will do a great deal in a little time In a Chron. 29. 36. it is said That Hezekiah rejoyced and all the poeple that God had prepared the people for the thing was done suddenly The thing came off freely and suddenly when as that they were prepared Hezekiah rejoyced and blessed God for such a mercy as this was It is a great mercy to have the hearts of people prepared unto a good work And so in 2 Chron. 27. 6. the text saith Jotham became mighty because he prepared his waies before the Lord his God Jotham he grew mighty by this And so certainly the way to grow to be very strong mighty to be able to do a great deal in a little time it is to make preration there may be as much work done in one hour so as in ten times so much time when the heart is not prepared for it In Ezra 7. 10. you shall find that the reason is given why Ezra had such good success in his journey it was because he had prepared his heart Make preparation for holy duties and you shall have success in holy duties There is a notable Scripture for that in Psal 10. 17. where the holy Ghost saith that God prepares the heart And what then when God doth prepare the heart he doth then cause his ear to hear There was never a prayer made wherein the heart was prepared for it but that prayer was heard they go both together Lord thou wilt prepare their heart and thou wilt cause thine ear to hear if God hath once prepared thy heart thou wilt be sure to be heard then Is it not worth a world for to know ones self to be accepted of God in every duty of Worship that we tender up to him this one Scripture Psal 10. 17. will shew it Oh the excellency that there is in preparation to duty There is one thing more that is very observable and that is this Where the heart is prepared to Duties there the Lord will pass by weaknesses and imperfections in duties When thou comest to perform holy duties thou art troubled Will the Lord have regard to such a duty as this is Thou maiest have certain assurance that the Lord will have regard if thou canst make this point good to thine own soul that it was thy care to make preparation for this duty Canst thou say Lord I have endeavored and done what I could to fit my heart for duty but O Lord I find when I am at it wonderful distractions much deadness and vanity What shall I do Why canst thou make good the former and appeal to God that indeed it was thy care to make preparation I 'le give thee one Scripture then for the quieting of thy heart in this That the weakness of the duty shall be pardoned and past by where there is care to prepare beforehand the Scripture is in 2 Chron. 33. 18 19. But Hezekiah prayed for them saying The good Lord pardon every one what every one every one that prepareth his heart to seek the Lord God of his fathers though he be not clensed according to the purification of the Sanctuary As if he should say Oh Lord there are many things amiss in this People they are not in many regards purified according to the order that thou hast set but Lord if thou doest but see any heart prepared to seek thee though they fail in such particulars Lord heal them and pardon them and did God hearken to his prayer Mark the following words And the Lord hearkned to Hezekiah and healed the people Nay saith God I wil not stand so much upon the purification of the Sanctuary if they have prepared their hearts to seek me Take this Scripture know it 's written for thine instruction and thou mayest make use of it to thine own soul this day if thou canst appeal to God that thou art careful to prepare thy heart though thou shouldest not have that pureness of thy heart as thou doest desire the Lord will pardon thee and heal thee make conscience of preparation to holy duties Again further By being careful to make preparation for duties within some little time thou wilt bring the heart to such a frame as it will alwaies be ready for duty without much ado Indeed at first it is somewhat hard You will say Are we bound to spend some time every time we go to prayer beforehand or every time we come to the Word That should have been one of the Cases of Conscience but I cannot come to Answer that but this we may say Be careful to prepare for duties you that are yong beginners or you that have made profession a longer time but yet have not had the weight of this duty upon your spirits now be careful for a while to prepare for every duty of Gods Worship that God calls you to and I say within a little time thou mayest bring thy heart into such a temper as thou mayest be ready at all times to perform holy duties because you shall be able to come to that temper and frame that the Apostle exhorts to Pray continually for indeed so it should be with us we should be alwaies prepared either for Prayer hearing the Word or receiving Sacraments Now because Sacraments are so rare those that have any enlightened conscience they think they dare not but prepare for Sacraments but you should be alwaies in a preparation for the receiving of the Sacraments as the primitive Christians did And those that have been acquainted with this Point that I am upon of preparing for duties they have come to such a frame of spirit as that there is not so much time required of them as of others for they are in a constant fitness so that there is no instant of time in the whol day but if God calls them to prayer they could presently fall down upon their knees and pray so as to Sanctify Gods Name in prayer that were an excellent temper indeed if you could find it so that you walk so spiritually and holily before God as there could be never a quarter of an hour from morning to night nor from the beginning of the week to the end but if you were cal'd to pray or to receive the Sacrament you had your heart fitted that you could come into Gods presence with a prepared heart and were able to sanctify Gods Name in the duty Acquaint your selves with this work of Preparation and so you may have hearts fitted to come into
Secondly Our hearts must be sanctified because the Lord doth look more to the principle from whence a thing comes than at the the thing it self As indeed were our hearts right as they should then all the good things that come to us we would not so much regard what the things are that we do enjoy from God as what the principle is from whence they come that is Whether what we do enjoy from God is from the love of God in Jesus Christ or no Whether it it be from the general Bounty and Patience of God or from the special love of God in Jesus Christ Our hearts would regard that most if we were spiritual now then look as a godly man is not satisfied with enjoying any good thing from God except he knows it comes from a principle of love to him in Jesus Christ So God is not pleased with any thing that comes from us except he knows that it comes from a principle of Love Grace and Holiness in our hearts Thirdly According as the heart is so will the service be Certainly if the heart be unclean the duty will be unclean perhaps the words may be fine and brave but if there be an unclean heart the duty will be unclean As it is with a man that hath the Plague suppose he makes a brave Oration yet his breath is infectious so it is in our services with God If so be that our hearts within us have the plague then certainly the breath that comes from us all our duties will be unclean and therefore that is the first thing that we are to look for in the sanctifying Gods Name in holy duties Look to have thy heart sanctified and consider from what principle it comes 't is for want of this that thousands of our duties are cast aside and God never doth regard them But this is the first Particular there are many more to speak of SERMON V. Leviticus 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE proceed The next thing therefore for the behavior of the soul in the sanctifying Gods Name in Worship is this When we come to Worship God if we would sanctifie Gods Name we must have high thoughts of God we must look upon God as he is upon his Throne in Majesty and in Glory as in Isa 9. 1 2. you shall find that the Prophet saw the Lord upon his Throne It is an excellent thing when all who come to worship God every time they come to worship Him have their eyes darted up to Heaven and behold the Lord God sitting in his Glory upon his Throne So you shall find in Rev. 4. the 24. Elders that worshiped God they saw him upon his Throne in his Glory and so they worshiped him they worshiped God to purpose indeed when they saw the Lord in that Majesty as he was We should at all times have high thoughts of God take heed of having low thoughts and apprehensions of the infinite Majesty of God at any time but especially when thou art to worship the great God then look upon the Lord in that infinite distance that there is between him and thy self yea that infinit distance that there is between him and all creatures in the world look upon the Lord as lifted up in glory not only above all creatures but above all excellencies that all Angels and Men in Heaven and Earth are able to imagine Look upon the Lord as having all Excellencies in Himself joyned in one and that immutably look upon him as the Fountain of all excellency good and glory that all creatures in the world have and look upon the Lord every time thou comest to worship him as that God whom Angels do adore and before whom the Devils are forc'd to tremble behold him in this his Glory and this will help thee to sanctifie his Name when thou comest to him The great Reason why people come and worship God in a slight way it is because that they do not see God in his glory 't is a great Mercy for God to give unto us a sight of himself a sight of his glory here in this world while we are worshiping of him this would keep our eyes and our thoughts from wandring if we had a sight of the glory of God and had high thoughts of God What 's the reason why we wander so as we do but meerly because we see not God As now suppose you were in your house and looking after every feather that were flying up and down if you should hear that the King were come into the room or any great Person it would compose your spirits because you have high thoughts of such as of those that are above you So let us look upon God as in his excellency and His glory and have high thoughts of him and this is that whereby we are to sanctifie Gods Name when we come before Him in holy duties And that 's the second thing First a sanctified heart and then high thoughts of God 3. A third thing is High-ends Raised-ends in the worshiping of God Prov. 15. 24. The way of life is above to the wise It is on high in this respect when he worships God his heart is lifted up on high there is a holy raising of the heart which is well pleasing to God Our hearts should be on high in regard of the high ends that we aim at in holy duties Lift up thy prayer saith Hezekiah to the Prophet in another case so I may say Lift up thy soul when thou comest to worship God in regard of the high ends that thou aimest at when we are worshiping God we should have our hearts above all creatures and above our selves Let not our hearts then be groveling upon the ground mingled with base and drossie things when we come to worship the Lord Indeed it is fit that we should have our hearts low as we shall shew hereafter in regard of humility but not low in regard of any baseness of spirit to mix with any base and low ends Now there are low and base ends in worshiping of God As First We must take heed we do not subject the Worship of God unto our Lusts that is a cursed thing thou art far from sanctifying Gods Name in worshiping of Him that shalt subject His Worship to thy base lusts this is an abominable and a cursed thing indeed You will say Who doth thus who is the man or where is he that will do this subject the Worship of God to his base lusts To that I answer Whosoever doth make use of any duty of Worship as Prayer Hearing the Word or what ever it be to cloak any kind of wickedness whosoever is conscious to himself of any kind of secret wickedness and yet shall think to cover it by the performance of duties and shall reason in this manner Who will think me to be guilty of such a vile thing when I pray so as I do and am so careful to hear
those that did offer it they did eat a great part of it themselves now they were very careful in those offerings that they were to partake of themselves to offer fat beasts you do not see that the holy Ghost takes any notice of fat beasts in their burnt offerings Now the Note from hence is this That in those things where men are interested themselves they will be very careful to have the best things But now the Lord rejected the fat beasts of their Peace-offerings saith God You were very careful to offer fat beasts in your Peace-offerings where you may feed your selves but for those offerings wherein I have all there you are not so careful and therefore I regard them not The third Scripture is in Zach. 7. 7. there they did keep many daies in seeking of God it is an observable Scripture for these times Speak unto all the People of the Land and to the Priests saying When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month even those seventy years Did ye at all fast unto me even unto me Mark the phrase You fasted in the fifth and seventh month and for seventy yeers together but saith the Lord Did you at all fast unto me and then mark how he doubled it To me even unto me Noting that when we fast or pray or do any thing in the Worship of God we should be sure to aim at God more than our selves that God may not say of us another day Do you do it to me even to me You may ask me this Question How may I know that I am acted by self-ends in holy Duties for it is a hard thing for one to know ones own heart when one is acted by principles of self and when we aim at God in holy Duties Now for that I will give you these Notes to try whether you be acted from your selves or no. The First is this If a man loves holy Duties though he finds no present good comes in by them because they are such things as God requires and therefore though I get nothing by them yet this is enough to carry me on and to carry me on readily and willingly in the Worship of God those that can delight in Gods Worship even at that time though they find nothing coming in to themselves But now when we find not that coming in that we do desire we begin to be weary of Worship and say Why have we fasted and thou seest it not This is an Argument that thou art acted by Self rather than by God Secondly To know whether we be acted by self-ends or rather by high ends for God Those men that can rejoyce in others that are able to honor God in holy duties more than themselves they may have a good evidence to their own souls that when they worship God they are acted by higher ends than Self but now such as are straightned themselves and when they see other more enlarged in the Worship of God they rather envy them are griev'd and troubled know that Self is a great ingredient in those duties that thou doest perform if thy heart were raised high to God though thou canst not thy self be enlarged in holy duties yet thy soul would be glad that any others are though I have a wretched and vile heart of my own yet blessed be God that there are any others that can worship God better than I can Thirdly A man that is acted by Self in holy duties he regards holy duties but little save in time of extremity in time of fear or in sickness or in danger But now one that hath high ends in holy duties makes the duties of Gods Worship to be the joy of his soul in the midst of his prosperity and that is an evident sign that thou art not acted by self ends but by higher ends Canst thou in the midst of thy abundance say Lord thou givest me all conveniences in this world and all outward things that I want but Lord this is that which is the joy of my soul this is that which makes my life comfortable even communion with thy self in the duties of thy worship that I have free access unto the Throne of thy Grace to worship Thee the Lord and there meet with thee when I am in the performance of holy duties O Lord thou that knowest all things knowest that this is the thing that makes my life comfortable It is not that I have a Table furnished with variety of dishes and that I can have liberty of time to go into company and spend according as I please but Lord those incomes of thy Spirit that I do find in the duties of thy Worship those are the things that makes my life blessed indeed unto me Such a man is able thus to appeal to God surely when he worships God he is acted by high ends and not by self-ends And that 's the Third thing that is necessary for sanctifying Gods Name in holy Duties thou must have a sanctified heart high thoughts of God and high ends In the fourth place There must be much reverence and much fear when thou comest into the presence of God to worship him thou doest not glorifie God as God except thou doest come into his presence with much fear reverence of his great Name Fear in worshiping of God it is so necessary that many times in Scripture we find that the very Worship of God is called The fear of God they are put both for one I might give you divers Scriptures for it and hence it was that the Name of God was called the Fear of Isaac Jacob did swear by the Fear of his father Isaac because Isaac being a great Worshiper of God kept his constant times to worship God and worshiped him in such a constant way as except David and Daniel we do not find mention of the constancy of any in the worshiping of God as we do of Isaac's for it is said that he walked but into the fields in the evening as he was wont to do to Meditate and to Pray and therefore God is called The fear of Isaac In Psal 89. 7. is a notable Scripture for this drawing nigh to God with fear God is greatly to be feared in the Assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him God is to be had in reverence of all them that are about him but in the Assembly of his Saints he is greatly to be feared he is daunting terrible so the words are in the Assembly of the Saints When thou comest nigh to God thou hadst need have thy heart possest with much fear So in Psal 2. 11. the Kings and Princes of the earth are called upon to serve the Lord with fear Let them be never so great yet when they come into Gods presence they must serve him with fear And so in Psal 5. 7. In thy fear will I worship toward thy holy Temple Now this fear of God it must not
that you should mind what he saith But when God is speaking to you and you are speaking to God every vain thought that comes by you are turning aside too as if it were a greater thing to talk to vain thoughts and temptations than to the great and glorious God Therfore now that is the very time that the Devil chuses for to bring temptations when we are in holy duties for the Devil knows then he doth two works at once he doth disturb us in our duties and call off our hearts to that that is wicked and doth agravate our sin exceedingly It may be thou wilt not dare to commit that sin that the temptation doth turn thy thoughts upon yea but the Devil hath spoiled the duty by it The Lord doth expect that there should be strength of Intention when thou art upon the duty and there is no time to parlie with temptations now whatever thoughts come in The truth is though they be good thoughts that should come into thy mind and that time that thou art Praying yet if they be not pertinent to the duty thou must cast them away as the temptation of the Devil You will say Can any thing that is good come from the Devil Certainly that which is materially good and coming unseasonably may be from the Devil the Devil may take advantage by what is in it self materially good and bring in that in an unseasonable time and so he may turn it to evil As now when thou art hearing the Word it may be the Devil thinks he cannot prevail to cause thee to have thy heart running about uncleanness yea but saith the Devil If I can inject good thoughts I will put into their minds some place of Scripture that is no way pertinent to this only to divert them The Devil gets much by this therefore look to it and know that God expects the strength of thy spirit in duty that is Strong intention thou art worshiping of God and therefore thou hadst need be intent about what thou art doing Indeed sometimes before you are aware evil thoughts will come into your minds As when a man is keeping of a door and there is a crowd of people without that would come in perhaps the man doth open the door for some Gentleman that he hears is at the door but when he opens it for one that is to come in fourty others will crowd in And so it is many times with the soul that when it opens the door for some good thought a great many evil thoughts will crowd in Those people might come in if they would stay their time but they should not now come in So about worldly businesses that are not in themselves unlawful if they will stay the time they may come in but they must be bard out now at this time There is required strength of Intention 2. Secondly Strength of Affection is required also That is The Affections must work mightily after God striving with God in Prayer If ever thou hadst a heart inflam'd in any thing it should be when thou art praying or attending upon the Word as the Heathens that worshiped the Sun sometimes I have told you that they would not have a Snail but a flying Horse they would offer that that was swift so when we come to the living God we must have living Affections our Affections boyling and that will be the way to cure vain thoughts as the Flies will not come to the Honey if it be boyling hot but when it is cold So if the heart be boyling hot and the affections a working it will keep out vain thoughts and temptations It is a sign of the breath of life when it is warm but artificial breath you know it is cold as now the breath that comes out of the body that is warm but the breath that comes out of a pair of bellows that is cold So the breath of many people in Prayer it is discovered to be but artificial breath because it is so cold but if there were spiritual life then it would be warm Ther must be strength of affection 3. Thirdly There must be likewise the strength of all the Faculties We should stir up whatever we are or have or can do to work in Prayer then the bent of Mind and Conscience and Will and Affection yea and the body should be put to it also and those that worship God to purpose they spend their bodies in nothing so much as in the worshiping of God It will be a sad thing another day when this shall be charged upon many Thou hast spent the strength of thy body upon lusts but when didst thou spend any strength of the body about any holy duty What a riddle is this to most people to tell them of spending the strength of their bodies in Prayer or hearing of the Word or Sanctifying a Sabbath they think the Sabbath is a time of rest I confess it is a time of rest from an outward labor but it is a time of spending strength in a spiritual way and those that shall worship God a right on the Sabbath will find it a spending of a great deal of strength and blessed is that strength that is spent in the Worship of God rather than in the waies of sin as most spend their strength If God gives thee a heart to spend thy strength in His Worship thou maiest think thus Lord thou mightest have left me to have spent my strength in sin how much better is it spent in the Worshiping of thy Name There is one notable Scripture in Jer. 8. 2. that shews how much strength the Idolaters put forth in the worshiping of their Idol they would not do it in a slight and vain way but their hearts were much in that false-worship saith the text And they shall spread them before the Sun and the Moon and all the host of Heaven mark now whom they have loved and whom they have served and after whom they have walked and whom they have sought and whom they have worshiped All these are put together in reference to their Idols Oh that it could be said so of us in reference to God when we come to worship him whom we have loved and whom we have served and after whom we have walked and whom we have sought and whom we have worshiped there is all these several expressions to shew the strength of their spirits in following after their Idols And that is the Fift thing in our Sanctifying Gods Name 6. The Sixth is If thou wilt Sanctifie Gods Name in Worship there must be an humble frame of spirit worship him with much humility of soul Abraham did fall upon the ground before the Lord and dust and ashes saith he hath begun to speak unto thee yea we reade of Jesus Christ groveling upon the earth and the Angels they cover their faces in the presence of God and so should we be humble when we come before the Lord there is nothing more abases the
do come and present my body to hear the Word or my body to receive the Sacrament this is not to worship God as a Spirit If indeed that our God were as the Heathens that were corporeal then it were another matter then bodily worship would serve the turn but God being a Spirit he must have Spiritual Worship therefore my soul and all that is within me magnifie his Name saith David my Soul magnifie his Name not my lips only but my soul The Apostle in 1 Tim. 4. 8. saith that bodily exercise profits little it is no great matter for the body God looks but very little at bodily exercise but it is godliness that is profitable it is the work of the Spirit when we come to pray we must pray in the Spirit that is we must pray with our souls we must powr forth our souls before God and when we come to hear our hearts must not go after our covetousness we must set our hearts to what we hear we must hear with our hearts as well as with our ears our souls must be at work in hearing of the Word when you hear it is not enough for you to come and sit in a Pew and have the sound of a mans voice in your ears but your souls must be at work And so when you come to receive the Sacrament your souls must feed upon Jesus Christ Bodily-worship without Soul-worship is nothing but soul-worship may be accepted without bodily-worship therefore it is the Soul that God doth principally look at in holy duties If you be not able to worship God in your bodies you may worship him in your souls and God regards that bodily exercise in holy duties is little worth somewhat it may be worth I confess sometime bodily exercise may further the soul as a reverend carriage of the body and the like but it is nothing in comparison the great work is the work of the soul for God is a Spirit and must be worshiped in Spirit And God is said to be a Spirit not only in that he is not of so thick a Capital substance but it notes the simplicity of God he is without any composition whatsoever is in God is God Himself He is absolutely One there are not divers things in God now then those that come to worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth that is there must not be a heart and a heart there must not be a compounded heart but you must bring simple hearts before God without any composition of dross in your selves and of any kind of falsness but in the simplicity of your hearts you must come to worship God and thus you shall worship him with such worship as is some way sutable to him as he is a spirit 2. Further consider God as he is an eternal God what sutable disposition doth this require of me when I am to look upon God as an eternal Being it requires this only That therefore thy heart must be taken off from all temporal good things and set upon that eternal good thou mayest indeed desire these outward good things but in order to thy eternal good Then further Thou art worshiping an eternal God hence then whatsoever sin thou doest confess although committed 20. or 40. yeers ago thou must look upon it as if it were now presently committed and be humbled as much before the Lord as if it were now committed at this present You will say Why so Because God is an Eternal God Yes For if I understand Gods Eternity I know that there is no succession in Gods Being therefore the sins that I committed in my youth if I come to confess them they are before God as if they were now a doing in regard of time and therefore I must as much as I can look so upon them and be humbled for them as if they were sins lately committed Many people are troubled for their sins the very day after they commit them but a little time wears off their trouble but if you did consider that you had to deal with an eternal God then you would look upon your sins though a long time since committed as if they were but now done Likewise there will be this required from the consideration of Gods eternity You must come with such a disposition of heart as not to think much though what you desired be deferred and not granted in your time when you would have it For if there be no time that alters with God but a thousand yeers are with God as one day then that that we account long before it s done it is nothing with God and therefore we must have our hearts so work towards God as towards an Eternal God as one with whom there is no alteration of time at all with whom there is no succession of time If we come to a man and seek any thing of him if he doth not answer us presently we will think that he will forget it and other things will come into his mind but when we come to worship God we must look upon him as an Eternal Being and that time alters nothing with him Thus understanding God in a right way wil much help us in his Worship and to Sanctifie his Name We cannot Sanctifie Gods Name without knowing his Name without having serious thoughts about his Name and getting our hearts to work accordingly 3. Thirdly Look upon God when you come to Worship Him in His comprehensible Being that is as a God that fils all places His being is real in the room that we are praying in the place that we are meeting in as it is in Heaven Now then when we come to worship Him we must consider that that infinite glorious Being stands before us looks upon us is at our elbow and therefore especially when you worship in secret consider this it is good to consider it when you are with others but especially I say consider it when you are in secret and know that when you are most private you have one that looks on you and takes notice of you who is more than if you had ten hundred thousand witnesses standing by you and looking upon you For it is the Lord that stands by you and sees your behavior sees what you do in your worshiping of Him take heed therefore that there be nothing done by you that is unbeseeming the presence of such a God as the Lord is Suppose that some of you were praying and there were some godly able Minister stood neer you it would be some means to stir up your hearts to mind what you did but now the Lord He is not in the next room only but in the same room and stands by you Let there be nothing done therefore unbeseeming the presence of that infinite holy God that stands by you and hold this truth forth The Lord is present with me I acknowledg it and I own it and therefore I carry my self thus and all because I would witness to
way or other appear to be against me in such duties that I tender up unto him Now you will say How doth God appear that he doth not accept of them He will appear in these three things 1. First By blasting those that do worship him thus in a formal way It shall at first be secret but afterwards it will appear more apparantly and we see it by experience that such as have been Professors of Religion and worship God in hypocrisie and in formality they have been blasted in their parts and common gifts The Judgment of God upon Nadab and Abihu that did not Sanctifie Gods Name it was secret at first It struck them dead and though by fire yet if you reade the story you shall find that their cloathes were not burnt and yet they were burnt in their bodies So the Lord sometimes doth blast men inwardly in their Spirits in their Souls in their Parts in their common Gifts He blasts them I say inwardly though it doth not appear outwardly yet at length it will appear before men that they are blasted and in these times of the Gospel the Lord doth come with spiritual judgments rather than with outward temporal judgments In the time of the Law those that did not Sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties the Lord did appear by some external and visible way upon their bodies but now in the time of the Gospel there God comes with more spiritual judgments upon mens souls and those are the most terrible judgments We have a notable Scripture for this in Isa 29. 13. How God doth blast those that do not sanctifie his Name in holy duties Wherefore the Lord said Forasmuch as this people draw neer me with their mouth and with their lips do honor me but have removed their heart far from me and their fear towards me is taught by the Precepts of men Mark what follows Therfore behold I wil proceed to do a marvelous work amongst this people even a marvelous work and a wonder for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid What do they come and draw neer me with their lips and their hearts are far from me and do they worship me in a formal way I 'le take away the wisdom from the wise and the understanding from the prudent And that is the reason why so many great Scholers are blasted in their very Parts because they would worship God according to the precepts of men in a formal way and so all Hypocrites and formal Worshipers the Lord doth blast them in one way or other the judgments of God upon the spirits of men were sometimes in the time of the Law But in the times of the Gospel there we find generally the judgments of God to be more spiritual upon the hearts and consciences of men we find it by experience God doth discover that he doth not accept of such as those are and therefore when you see any that have made profession of Religion that had excellent Parts at first many common gifts and now are as we say no body Remember this Text That God will be sanctified in those that come nigh Him Secondly The Lord doth manifest that he will be sanctified in those that draw nigh him by awaking their consciences many times upon their sick beds and death beds the Lord doth force them to give glory to Him and there to acknowledg that they did not worship God in Uprightness but in Formality And now they are in horror of conscience and cry out in the anguish of their souls upon the apprehension of the dreadful wrath of God that is upon them Take heed for the Lords sake of this thing when you are performing of the duties of Worship do not rest in the outward duties for they will never comfort you upon your sick and death beds you may perhaps put off your consciences a little for the present but when you come upon your sick beds there will be no comfort unto you and then you will be forced to say wel all this while I have but taken the Name of God in vain and now God hath rejected me and all my services and you will then speak to those that come about your beds side and bid them take warning by you take heed that when you worship God you worship him to purpose I have spent time in prayer and hearing but for want of this I find I have no comfort at all but the Lord appears to be terrible to my soul and comes out against me as an enemy I say now Gods Name is sanctified whatever becomes of thee he will force glory from thee one way or other and it may be even here in this time of thy life but however at the great day when the secrets of all hearts must be disclosed before Men and Angles then the Lord will appear to be a holy God by rejecting all such services that thou didest tender up to him and it will then be a great part of the work of the day of Judgment for God to be sanctified in those that did worship him by declaring before Men and Angels how did he reject such formal and hypocritical worship that they did tender up unto him Oh that God would strike this upon your hearts that it may abide upon you every time you come to worship him to think thus Let me look to it to sanctifie his Name now for I hear that God will sanctifie it himself if I do not do it But then on the other side If so be that thou makest conscience of sanctifying Gods Name in duties then he will sanctifie his Name in a way of Mercy that is he will manifest how he doth accept of the least degree of holiness though there be much mixture God hath a way to take away the mixture by the blood of his Son and then to accept of any holiness he sees in thee He will sanctifie his Name by meeting with thee and revealing his glory to thee when thou art worshiping of him There is an excellent Scripture for this Exod. 29. 43. There I will meet with the Children of Israel and the Tabernacle shall be sanctified by my Glory Thou that hast a gracious heart and art worshiping of God in sincerity thou art as a Tabernacle of God and God hath his Service and Worship from thee thou art as the Temple of God and there will I meet with thee saith God and I will sanctifie my Tabernacle by my Glory God wil sanctifie thy heart by his Glory if thou dost sanctifie his Name Further Thou shalt it may be not alwaies have such glorious comforts the full beams of the Sun rising upon thee but at one time or other the Lord will break in upon thee and manifest his Glory to thee and it 's like if thou hast not such full comforts now yet upon thy sick bed though God doth not then alwaies manifest himself fully for
to hear is the Word of God That it is not the speaking of a man that you are going to attend upon but that you are now going to attend upon God and to hear the Word of the Eternal God Possess your souls with this you will never sanctifie Gods Name else in the hearing of his Word therefore you find that the Apostle writing to the Thessalonians he gives them the reason why the Word did them so much good as it did It was because they did hear it as the Word of God 1 Thes 2. 13. For this cause also saith he thank we God without ceasing because when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the Word of God which effectually worketh also in you that beleeve Mark so it came effectually to work because they received it as the Word of God many times you will say Come let us go hear such a man preach Oh no let us go hear Christ preach for as it doth concern the Ministers of God that they preach not themselves but that Christ should preach in them So it concerns you that hear not to come to hear this man or that man but to come to hear Jesus Christ We as the Ambassadors of Christ do beseech you saith the Apostle 2. Possess your hearts likewise with this Consideration That I come to hear the Word as an Ordinance appointed by God to convey Spiritual good to my soul and this is a very useful consideration and especially it concerns men of understanding and parts for the helping of them to hear For men that are of understanding and parts when they come to hear this temptation is ready to come upon them that except they hear some new thing that they did not understand before wherefore should they come I am able to understand as much in such a point as can be said And when I have come and heard many times I have heard but that I knew before and upon that they think there is no use of coming to hear Now this is a great mistake when you come to hear the Word you do not come alwaies to hear what you did not know it may be sometimes God may dart in something that you did not think of before or so fully understand but suppose it be not so you are to come to it as an Ordinance of God for the conveyance of spiritual good to your souls You will say Cannot we sit at home and reade a Sermon But hath God appointed that the great Ordinance for the converting and the edifying of souls in the way to eternal life True there is some use of it but the great Ordinance is the Preaching of the Word Faith comes by hearing the Scripture saith and never by reading So that though when you come to hear you do not hear that which you heard not before yet you come to attend upon this Ordinance for the conveyance of some spiritual good that it may be hath not been conveyed before or in a further degree than it hath been conveyed before and so you should come to hear the Word with your hearts possest with that meditation That it is the Word of God and the great Ordinance that God hath appointed for the conveyance of spiritual good so that I come now in obedience to God and in this I do testifie my respect to God that I wil attend upon this Ordinance of His for the conveyance of spiritual good to me and although I may think that this or the other means may do the deed as well yet because God hath appointed this to be his Ordinance therefore in obedience to him I will attend upon this means rather than upon other means as you know Naaman he thought the other waters would have been as good as the waters of Jordan to have healed him but if God will appoint him the waters of Jordan that they should heal him rather than other waters he must wash there No question but other waters had as much natural vertue in them as they had but because the waters of Jordan were the Ordinance that God for that time had appointed to cure his Leprosie withal he must come and wash in those waters rather than in any other So because preaching of the Word is the great Ordinance that God hath appointed to convey himself by therefore he doth require that thou shouldest shew thy respect to him so far as to attend upon him in this Ordinance The Second thing that is to be done in way of preparation it is To plow up the fallow ground of your hearts and not to sow amongst thorns as you have it in Jer. 4. 3. and so in Hosea 10. The Word of God you know is compared to seed in that Parable of Christ in Mat 13. And an Auditory is compared to the ground I suppose you are al acquainted with that Parable of the sower that it is to set out the Ministry of the Word and what fruit it hath upon the hearts of men a Congregation is like the field and a Minister preaching is like the Sower that sows the seed in the field he knows not which Truth whether that or the other will prosper the seed being sowed in some part of the ground is lost and in another part it grows so in one Pew the seed of the Word is lost in another Pew it grows up But now if people that are compared to the ground would so hear the Word as Gods Name may de sanctified in it their hearts must be plowed as if one should sow seed upon green soil saw it in the fields upon green grass What would become of it The ground must first be plowed for the preparation of the seed But you will say What is the meaning of the plowing of our hearts for the preparation of the Word The meaning is nothing else but this The work of humiliation the humbling of the soul before the Lord when it doth come to hear Gods Word Humble it in these two regards First Be humbled for your Ignorance that you know so little of Gods Mind as you do Secondly Be humbled for all the sinfulness of your hearts be sensible of the sinfulness and wretchedness of your hearts and the miserable condition that you are in if you can get your hearts broken with the sence of your sin and misery and come so to hear the Word it is very like the Word may be of mighty use and Gods Name may be very much sanctified in your hearing of the Word You will say Must we plow up our hearts before we come to hear It must be the Word that must plow us the Word is the Plow and so the Ministers of God are compared to Plowmen in the Word He that puts his hand to the Plow and looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven It is true it cannot be expected that the heart should be
Gospel Concerning the Word of the Law there is two things wherein that comes short of the Word of the Gospel First It is not so nigh thee Secondly It is not so certain to assure thy soul what shall become of thee to all eternity The Word of the Law saith Who shall ascend into Heaven c. but the Word of the Gospel is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart You will say Why is not the Word of the Law as nigh one as the Word of the Gospel I Answer The Word of the Law you hear it in your ears but it is not written in the heart as the Word of the Gospel is The Law cannot work savingly upon the heart of a man to bring salvation those that are meerly Legal they can hear the duties that are required but the Word hath no power to write in their hearts what they do hear But now when you come to hear the Word of the Gospel that is nigh you even in your very hearts as wel as in your ears God speaks in it and it comes into your hearts and there it works efficaciously which the Law cannot The Law is but a dead Letter in comparison of the Word of the Gospel If you come meerly to hear the Law preached add not in an Evangelical way you may hear it a hundred times and it wil never be written in your hearts but when you come to hear the Gospel in an Evangelical way that will come to be written in your hearts so that the Word of the Gospel is nigh you But what is the meaning of the other Say not who shall ascend up into Heaven c The meaning is this As if the Apostle should say The truth is while you have no other but the righteousness of the Law you are at an infinite uncertainty about your eternal estates The Law saith Do and live but you can never know when you have done enough so as to be certain that you are well for eternity That saith Who shal ascend into Heaven to know the mind of God concerning me whether he will accept of me and of that obedience and worship that I tender up to him Who shall go down into the deep Who shall go down to Hell to know there whether that place be prepared for him or no It is a phrase that only expresseth an uncertainty that one cannot be satisfied about his eternal estate except he could go to Heaven and there see and read Gods Book and so discover Gods mind concerning him or go down to Hell and so know whether that place be appointed for him or not except I can do one of these I cannot certainly tell meerly by the Law whether I shall go to Heaven or Hell As you that are Merchants and Dealers abroad you are at a great deal of uncertainty what shall become of your estates Indeed if I could send one over to the Indies to tell me now my Ship prospered then I could be at a certainty then I should hear whether I were a rich man yea or no but except I could do such a thing I am at an uncertainty Such is the expression here As if a poor soul should say I would fain be saved and loth to perish eternally But all the while the soul remains under the Law it remains in an uncertain condition but now saith he The Word of the Gospel is nigh thee even in thine heart and that is the Word that we preach that saith Rom. 10. 9. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt beleeve in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved As if he should say This Word of the Gospel that is come into thine heart doth assure thy soul of thy eternal estate so that though thou canst not go up to Heaven nor go down to Hell yet thou hast that in thine heart that doth as it were assure thee that thou shalt be eternally saved as if thou wert able to go up to the highest Heavens and fetch News from thence Oh now the good Word of the Gospel how should we prize it and keep it in our hearts for that 's in our hearts that will assure us of our salvation to all eternity and of Gods eternal purpose to do thee good in Heaven You would account it a great happiness if there could be any art to send abroad to the Straits or to other place to know how things fare with you but now if thou hast the Word of the Gospel within thee if that prevails in thy soul thou hast alwaies got something in thy heart that will tell thee how things are with thee in Heaven and what shall become of thee for all eternity Oh who would not sanctifie the Name of God in hearing of His Word seeing it is such a blessed Word wherein the Gospel is opened with more clearness than it hath been to many of our fore-fathers 2. It is a certain evidence of your election in Thess 1. 3. 4 5. Remembring without ceasing your work of Faith and labor of Love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father Knowing Brethren beloved your election of God Why For our Gospel came not to you in Word only but also in Power and in the holy Ghost and in much assurance And know this excellency there is in Sanctifying Gods Name in hearing the word I beseech you mark it that it is a more blessed thing than if you did bear Jesus Christ in your wombs You that are women would not you have accounted it a great happines if Christ had been born in your wombs Now if thou comest to the hearing of the word and sanctifiest Gods Name in it thou art in a better condition and hast a greater blessing upon thee than if thou hadest born Jesus Christ in thy womb In Luk 11. 27 28. And it came to pass as he spake these things that a certain woman of the company lift up her voice and said unto him Blessed is the womb that bear thee and the paps which thou hast sucked Seeing Christ and what gracious things came from him she spake so But he said Yea rather blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it That is Labor to sanctifie my Name as hath been opened in the particulars rather is that woman blessed that doth so than the woman that bear Christ Me thinks this one Scripture should be such a Scripture for women to cause them to sanctifie Gods Name in hearing of the word instead of a hundred Scriptures certainly thou maiest be so blessed if thou wilt beleeve the word that comes from Christs mouth 3. Do you sanctifie the Name of God in the Word that will sanctifie you by that your souls come to be sanctified and it will comfort you in the day of your affliction and it will save you at last 4 You that do sanctifie Gods Name in
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
Sacrament he gave thanks he gave thanks for what he gave thanks to God the Father that he was pleased to send him into the world to die for poor souls now shall Jesus Christ give thanks unto God the Father for that which did cost him his life yea saith Christ I see that here is a way to save souls and let it cost me my life if it will yet I bless thee O Father if souls may come to be saved though it cost me my life Christ rejoyced in his Spirit in thanking his Father for this then how should our hearts be enlarged with thankfulness when we come to this that the Ancients were wont to call the Eucharist that is a thanksgiving we are to give God thanks for every mercy you will not eat your own bread without giving of thanks but when we come to have this bread this bread of life here is matter of thankfulness here is matter of enlargment of soul thou that hast the deadest and dullest soul and straightest Spirit yet when thou comest hither and understandest what thou doest here thou canst not but see matter for the enlargment of thy heart and wish that thou hadst ten thousand thousand times more strength to express the praises of the Lord here is a thing that must be the subject of the Hallelujahs and doxologies that Angels and Saints must for ever sound out in the highest Heavens dost thou know what the Lord presents to thee here it is more than if the Lord should say I will make ten thousand worlds for the sake of this creature and give all these worlds to him thou wouldest think that thou wert bound to bless him then only when God in Bread and Wine reaches out to the the body and Blood of his Son here is more matter of praise then if ten thousand thousand worlds were given to thee and therefore God expects that thou shouldest say to thy soul My soul praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise His holy Name bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits who forgiteth all thine iniquitie who healeth all thy diseases O poor soul here is the foundation of all mercies dost thou praise God for Justification for sanctification here is a glorious application of the mercie of God to the souls of sinners and therefore if ever thou wert thankfull be thankfull here The Sabbath my Brethren that is appointed to be the set constant day of thanksgiving for the great mercies of God in Christ and there are other daies for National mercies now a special work of the Lords day is The celebration of this holy Sacrament and the Christians in former times were wont to do it every Lords day because that is the day appointed by God for to be the day of thanksgiving for that great mercy the Lord Jesus Christ and that 's the reason why the Sabbath was changed the last day in the week was the Jewish Sabbath and that was to celebrate the memorial of the Creation of the World and the first day now it is to be the day of thanksgiving for al the work of God in mans Redemption Eighthly A further thing is this If you would sanctifie Gods Name you must be willing to renew your Covenant that 's the end of it there must be an actual renewing of your Covenant with God that 's thus I come to receive this Bread this wine and this is to be as the Seal of the Covenant on Gods part now this will be emplied in the nature of the thing that if I take the Seals of Gods Covenant that I must be willing to set to my Seal too to renew the Covenant that God calls me to now know all men and women that are sav'd they are sav'd by the vertue of the Covenant of Grace and there God on his part promises and makes a Cavenant That he will bestow his Son Life and Salvation through him and thou must likewise come in on thy part and beleeve on his Son and repent which is the Tenour of the Gospel now every time thou comest to receive this Sacrament thou comest to renew this Covenant As if thou shouldest say Lord thou hast been pleased to make a Covenant of Grace as the first Covenant was broken and all men were cast by that Covenant now thou hast made a Covenant of Grace and callest thy servants whom thou intendest to save that they should renew their Covenant with thee in this Sacrament of thine Lord here I come and Lord here I renew it and set to my seal to promise and Covenant with thee That as ever I expect to receive any good from Christ so Lord here I will be thine I will give up my self for ever to thee as thou hast given me the Body and Blood of Christ for my salvation so Lord here I consecrate my body and blood to thee the last drop of my heart blood shall be given to thee and so my strength and estate and name or what ever I am or have shall be thine Have you done thus when you have come to receive the Sacrament have you actually renewed your covenant with God you that have taken the body of Christ have you given up your body to Christ What 's the reason then that you sin so much with your bodies that you abbuse your body with uncleanness and drunkenness and other wickedness afterwards Oh you prophane the name of God and the very Body and Blood of Christ in this except thou givest up the body and soul to God in way of Covenant Ninthly in the last place for the sanctifying of Gods Name there is required the renewing of Love the coming with lovely dispositions and the renewing of the grace of love not only towards God but towards our Brethren for it is the feast of the Lord and it is an act of communion Communion not only with Christ but with His Churches with his saints and as I have told you that there is a profession of our selves to be of the same body with Jesus Christ then the Lord requireth that His Children should not fall out that come to His Table but that there should be love and peace there 's a mighty bond upon thee when thou comest to the Sacrament and therefore first all heart burnings and heart grudges must be laid aside and secondly you must come with a willinness to be reconcilled one to another willingnes to pass by all infirmities in thy Brethren here I have the Seal of Gods wllingness to pass by al my sins and therefore I must be willing to pass by all infirmities in my Brethren I must now cast out all ill wishes towards others and come with a disire of all good unto them and with a heart ready to imbrace any opportunity to do any good thou doest lye unto God except thou comest with such a heart as this is Lord thou knowest that I am willing to take all opportunities to do good
to those that I now do communicate with for it is the neerest Communion that possible can be in this world between one Creature and another and this is the reason why there should be that Ordinance of Christ set up every where to cast out those that are unworthy because it is the greatest union and Communion that possibly can be for it is the Sacrament and Communion of the same body they are the same Members of Christ Now if thou doest not think such an one to be a Member of Christ why doest not thou do what thou canst to have him cast out but so long as thou hast done nothing in private to him or in telling the Church thou doest own him to be a Member of Jesus Christ if thou doest so take heed how thy heart be estranged from him take heed how thou behavest thy self to them take heed how thou livest in a jarring and a contentious way with them and holdest them off at staves end or walking at a distance from them though they be never so poor and mean know that thou doest prophane this holy Ordinance every time thou comest to it when thou comest with such an heart as this is if thou dost not find this renewed love Lord there began to be a strangeness between me and those that have communicated with me but Lord thou art pleased to vouchsafe us to come once more to this Ordinance and Lord here we do profess that this Ordinance shall unite our hearts together more than ever they were I will study to do what good possibly I can to my brother that as we joyn here to the feast of the Lord with comfort so we may live together in peace love as it becomes the Saints of God and the Members of the Body of Jesus Christ Oh how far are people from any such work of God as this is The Lord expects this should be in you every time you come to the holy Communion Here hath been Nine particulars now mentioned for the sanctifying of the Name of God when we come to partake of the Sacrament but O Lord what cause have we to lay our hands upon our hearts for if this be to sanctifie thy Name then it hath been a riddle a mysterie to us Certainly my brethren these things are the Truths of God which I have delivered and so fare as you have been wanting in any of these know so far you have taken Gods Name in vain is this holy Ordinance you have not been worthy receivers of this Sacrament you have cause to look back to your former waies and spend much humiliation for your sin herein and not to be so greedy of it as some are they must have the Communion but I put it to your consciences Have you repented you for the profaning of Gods Name And that 's that we should further have spoken of That God will be sanctified that 's thus If we do not sanctifie Gods Name it will quite turn to the contrary it is the proper end of the Sacrament to seal up our salvation but if we sanctifie not Gods Name it will seal up our condemnation if it hath not been thy endeavor to sanctifie the Name of God so many times as thou hast received the Sacrament so many seals hast thou upon thee for the sealing up of thy condemnation But yet for thy comfort while thou art alive it is possible that these sels may be broken open as we reade in the Revelations that John saw the Book that had seven seals upon it and none could be found that was able to open it at length the Lamb that was slain he was found worthy to open the Book So I say thy condemnation is sealed up with many seals and there is no creature that is able to conceal these seals only the Lamb Jesus Christ yea that Christ whose blood thou hast shed and been guilty of only he is worthy and he is willing to open these seals for as it was with those that did crucifie Christ yet they were saved by the same blood that thay had shed as in Acts 2. So though thou hast been guilty of shedding the blood of Christ again and again by thy prophane coming to the Sacrament yet know seeing there is life in thee and the day of Grace is continued it is possible that thy soul may be sav'd by that blood that thou hast crucified Oh how many are cut off that have thus prophaned the Name of God in this Sacrament and never came to understand this danger they are cut off and now are undone for ever then bless God that thou art alive to hear more about this Sacrament and how Gods Name should be sanctified that thou art alive and hast time to repent the of this great evil of prophaning the Name of God in this holy Sacrament SERMON XIII Leviticus 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me THere is one thing more about the Sanctifying the Name of God in the Sacrament which cleerly concerns us and that is To keep the Institution of the Sacrament for this is such a Worship of God as depends meerly upon institution that is upon a positive Law upon the wil of God There are some duties of Worship which are natural that we may know by the light of nature they are due to God but the Sacrament is a duty of worship that is only by institution and if God had not revealed it we had not been bound to it therefore in these duties of institution God stands very punctual upon them we must be very exact neither to err on the right hand nor the left to make any alteration in the points of Institution Now therefore for the Institution of this Sacrament we find it in divers of the Evangelists in Matth. 26. 26. there you shall find that Christ and his Disciples they eat the Sacrament together and this was the way of it They were together sitting at the same Table so it is called the Table of the Lord sometimes in Scripture therefore that 's the first thing that is according to the institution that those that do communicate must come to the Table as neer as they can as many as can sit about it and all to come as neer as they can and the reason is Because that otherwise you will not be able to attain the end why God should have you come to receive the end is to remember the death of Christ now except pou be able to see the Sight to see what is done to have your eye as well as your ear exercised you do not fully accomplish the end that is appointed for this is a Sacrament that doth present to our eyes the death of Christ and the great mysteries of salvation and therefore it is according to the institution that every Communicant must be where he may behold what is done he must be where he may see the breaking of the Bread and the powring forth of the
Congregation that they be fit yet the truth is it concerns the Church as well to look who comes there and likewise the Minister I say to look about him that he doth not say The Body of the Lord Jesus Christ was given to thee when he knows they are prophane and wicked it concerns the Minister to look that he doth not tell a lye but now when the Minister gives it generally to the Church Take eat and Take drink he gives it particularly to no body Now then his charge is divided to the Church and if there be any body that is unworthy let the Church look to it as well as he though he as an eminent Officer it 's more especially in particular his duty than any others heretofore the charge would lie much upon the Minister but the Minister according to the Institution should give the Sacrament to no particular but in generall to the Church and therefore if there were but any particular that the Minister upon a particular knowledg did know to be naught he might in great part discharge himself as professing against this or that particular man for it is not in his power alone to keep any from the Sacrament but if so be that he shall profess against such and such men the Church must joyn with him to labor to keep them from the Sacrament and that is the next thing for the institution Christ gave it not into any particular mens hands but he gave it to all saying Drink and eat ye all of it A third thing that is to be observed for the institution of this that all the while the Communicants are taking eating and drinking the Bread and Wine they should all of them that while have their thoughts exercised about the death of Jesus Christ for that 's the institution Do this in remembrance of me there should be no action intermingled in the time of the receiving of the Sacrament nothing but minding the work that you are about that is to remember the death of Jesus Christ and to discern the Body of the Lord not only when you your selves take the Bread and Wine but when you see the Bread and Wine broken or powred forth and you see others taking the Bread and Wine all that while you should be thinking of the death of Christ and discerning the Lords Body and consider what these outward clements do signifie and that they do seal the great benefit of the Covenant of Grace therfore it is not according to the Institution to be singing of Psalms in the mean time while the Sacrament is receiving and so to have your thoughts about other things singing of psalmes in its due time is a good thing but for you to do it at that time when as the death of Christ is presented before you and Christ calls you to look upon his body and to think upon what he hath done and suffered this is no seasonable time of singing and if you read the institution you shall find that Christ after all was done the text saith they sang an Hymn so that according to the institution it is after the action is done of eating and drinking then for the Church to joyn together and sing a psalm in the praise of God and then they must mind all the same thing together for that 's the thing to be done in the Sacrament that look what one doth al must mind together for when one part sings and the other are waiting for the Bread and Wine this is not sutable to the holy Table-Action and that Communion that God requires of us though the things in themselves are both good that are doing yet when we are about this holy Ordinance being it is an Ordinance for Communion all are to be doing the same thing at the same time and so when all have done eating and drinking then for all to joyn together to the praise of God Now it may be this at first seems strang to many yet certainly observe this Do but keep to the institution in the Sacrament though you may think it a more mean way yet you will find a greater beauty in this Ordinance than ever you found in all your lives for the more we keep to Christs institution and mingle nothing of our own the more glory and beauty and excellency doth appear in the Ordinances of Jesus Christ but when any man shall mix any of his own inventions though he may do it to a good end and think to add to and put a greater lustre upon the Sacrament the truth is that wich he thinks to be a greater lustre reverence or honor put upon it it doth rather take off the lustre and glory of the Sacrament then are the institutions of Christ glorious when there is no mixture among them thus we should sanctifie the Name of God in receiving this holy Sacrament You have had divers things propounded to you whereby you may come to know and easily to see that there hath been a great deal of dishonor done to this Sacrament and the beauty and glory of it hath been darkened and the sweet that the Saints might otherwise have received in partaking hath been exceedingly hindred There is but one thing more that I shal propound to you and that is The several Meditations that we should meditate on in receiving of the Sacrament the most concerning Meditations are suggested in the holy Communion that are in any thing whatsoever more concerning more efficacious more various Meditations we have suggested here than in any thing and it is a great sign that men and women do not discern the Lords Body if so be their Meditations be barren at that time I will therefore suggest some Nine or Ten Meditations that that Ordinance of God may hold out very plainly and familiarly to every Communicant for the busying of their thoughts all the time that action is a doing Meditation 1. As first That the way of mans salvation it was by a Mediator it is not only by Gods mercy Gods saying that he is offended by sin but he will be content to pass it by no but it is through a Mediator Now this Meditation is suggested thus When I see the Bread and Wine if I discern what that signifies it will hold out this to me That the way of mans salvation it is not meerly from hence that God saith Well I will pardon them and no more but there is required a great work of God to make an atonement between sinners and himself this Sacrament doth hold forth thus much unto us wherefore else have we Bread and Wine but to signifie that the way of our reconciliation it must be through a Mediator Med. 2. The Second Meditation is this That this Mediator that stands between God and us is verily and truly Man he hath taken our Nature upon him the Bread that puts us in mind of the Body of Christ and the Wine of his Blood and therefore we are to meditate of the humane
What fear we must have in Gods worship 78 In fear natural conscience puts on to duty 89 Fervency Fervency required in prayer 225 Fire Fire from heaven Two-sold 2 Fire that slew Aarons sons what 3 Strange fire what 19 Folly To be ashamed of our folly when we come to God 99 Follow The soul is to follow after God as a God 65 Free see Grace Friend see Word Friends who are the best Page 25 G Gesture Gesture in the Sacrament not meerly indifferent 262 Guilty see Blood Guilty consciences flee the worship of God why 31 Guilt to be removed when we come to pray 274 God Duties must be performed to God as a God 23 The word to be heard as the word of God 166 We are reconciled by the blood of that person that is God 268 Good Good heart what 187 The word will be made good on the abusers of it 207 We are to pray for our own good 277 Gospel Gospel the tenour of it 257 Glory Glory of God dear to him 7 Glory of God dearer to him than the lives of men 22 Glory of God is the lustre of all his Attributes together 102 The active Glory of God is the especial honor he hath 105 Glory of God in his Word the greatest 182 Why God will be glorified in them that hear the word 209 Those that will obey the word will be the glory of the Ministers 214 We should have apprehensions of Gods glory in prayer 275 The glory of God is the chief thing we should pray for 176 Spiritual things neerest the glory of God Page 277 Grace Grace to be acted especially in Gods worship 29 Grace the freeness of it should make us more diligent in the worship of God 34 Graces encreased by drawing nigh to God 35 Graces to be acted and stirred up in the Sacrament 271 We must act our own graces in prayer together with the Spirit 291 See Covenant Great A people are great that have God nigh them 40 we should prepare to Gods worship because he is great 43 The duties of Gods worship are great 44 How to sanctifie Gods Name in respect of his greatness 67 Great things to be expected from God 100 We must hear the word with attention because of the greatness of him that sends it 172 We must be attentive because the matters delivered are great 173 H Habitual Habitual sanctification 68 Harden Nothing doth harden the heart more than the word by accident 205 Hand Faith is a hand to take Christ in the Sacrament 253 The Cup in the Sacrament not to be delivered into every particular hand 246 Heart Our hearts naturally prepared for duty Page 46 The heart in preparation to be taken from every sinful way 49 As the heart is so are the duties 70 The heart is not changed by the acting of natural parts 87 Good heart what 187 The Word of the Law not in the heart 211 A broken heart required in-receiving the Sacrament 246 Hearing Of sanctifying Gods Name in hearing the Word 161 Hearing the Word a part of Gods worship 162 How to know that God hears our prayers 294 Heathen Heathens attend to worship their Idols 46 Heaven Being oft in Gods presence minds us of Heaven 36 The Worship of God here the beginning of that in Heaven 106 Hide We must hide the Word in our hearts 189 Highest What we lift highest in our worship that is our God 74 See Thoughts Ends. Hindrance Hindrances in Gods Worship many 46 Holy Holiness Holiness the greatest Honor of Gods Name 23 Holiness of God to be held forth by his servants 24 Drawing nigh to God makes us holy 36 Time and place said to be holy how 50 God infinite holy 99 Those that receive the Lords Supper must be holy 232 Honest We must receive the Word into honest hearts Page 186 Honest heart what 188 Honest amongst men who 189 Honor To quiet the heart in affliction is to know that God will have honor by it 25 Humble Humbled Humility Humility of spirit requisite in the Worship of God 84 To be humbled for not sanctifying the Name of God aright Humiliation in preparing to hear the Word 168 Wandring thoughts in prayer suffered by God to humble us 285 Humility required in our prayers 295 See Worship Hungring There must be hungring after Christ in the Sacrament 251 I Incense Incense what it signifieth 91 Incomprehensible Incomprehensibleness of God what it should teach us in our Worship 95 Infinite There is an impression of Gods infinitness upon the duties of his servants 64 Infirmities Infirmities of others to be passed by of those that receive the Sacrament 258 Infirmities how helped by the spirit 290 Institution Institution of the Sacrament to be kept close to 261 Intention Strength of intention required in the Worship of God 81 Joy The mercy of God should make us come to him with joy Page 100 The word to be received with joy 184 Difference in the joy of hypocrites and true Christians 186 Spiritual joy required in receiving the Sacrament 255 A broken spirit may consist with spiritual joy ibid Judg Judgment Sinners may meet with judgments never threatned in the word 16 God is quick with some in the way of his judgments 17 Judgments many times sutable to the sias 18 Gods judgments many times invisible 21 The Word of God shall judg those that abuse it 207 Justice Justice of God seen in the death of Christ 268 K Knowledg Knowledg required in receiving the Lords Supper 244 Knowledg in other points necessary to them that receive the Sacrament 245 Knowledg actual required in receivers 246 L Leaven Leaven how cast out by the Jews 249 Life Living Gods goodness in sparing our lives to worship him 84 That God is a living God what it should teach us 96 The things delivered in the Word concern our lives 174 Beleevers nourished to eternal life 269 Limited The duties of Gods Children not limited Page 65 Little In matters of Worship God stands upon little things 11 Lose The ground why we lose so many prayers 296 Love Natural conscience makes not the heart love a duty 88 The Word must be received with love 184 The Sacrament ordained by Christ out of love 228 Love to be renewed in the receiving the Sacrament 258 The infinite love of God seen in the death of Christ 269 Lust The Worship of God not to be subjected to our lusts 72 Who they be that subject it to their lusts M Man The Mediator between God and Man is Man 276 Mean Mean men not to envy great ones and why 13 Mediator The way of a mans salvation is by a Mediator 267 Meditation Meditation in preparing the heart to holy duties 49 Meditations in the receiving the Sacrament 297 Meekness The word must be received with meekness 179 Mercy Merciful God is merciful 100 Mercy of God should teach us to be merciful to others Page 101 The duties of Worship the way to convey Gods choyce mercies 105 The