upon thy Heart and tye them about thy Neck Prov. 6.21 otherwise thou wilt mourn at the last when Soul and Body which thou didst so much pamper are lost and say How have I hated Instruction and my heart thorough inconsideracy despised Reproof nor obeyed the voice of mine own Reason nor inclined mine Ear when from the Word and Works of God she would have instructed me Pro. 5.12 13. There is a Spiritual as well as an Earthly Husbandry which is the ground of all holy thriving and fruitfulness and Consideration if any thing would Till the Heart and Manure the Affections and root Grace in the inward and make it put forth and flourish in the outward man and God would second it with his Heavenly Showres and bless the springing thereof Psal 65.10 And as Solomon saith He that Tilleth his Land shall be satisfied with bread Prov. 12.11 so much more he that Tilleth his Heart by daily Meditation and exercise of Grace shall find encrease And I may truly say in Allusion to that in Prov. 13.23 Much spiritual encrease is in the Tillage of the Heart but there is that which is destroyed for want of Consideration and Judgment I shall detain the Reader no longer from the Treatise it self if he hath any time to spare for such a Subject but only recommend him and the Matters here mentioned to the blessing of God that they may succeed to his greater Glory and their Eternal Felicity that may read it which is the unfeigned Prayer of him that is Your true Servant in the Lord and well-wisher W. D. Psal 50.22 Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 L. xxii 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 IT 's not much material whether David or Asaph were the Author of this Psalm some ascribe it to one some to the other The reason of the Doubt seems to be the Inscription or the Title of the Psalm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may signifie either to Asaph or for Asaph It is most likely that David composed the Psalm and directed it to Asaph or his successours that had the charge of the Musick of the Temple to compose and prick it to some Tune But however the Scope and Drift of the Psalm is to reprove the Jews who had transformed the Worship of God into meer Pomp and Ceremony and were come up to that degree of Blindness and Absurdity that they thought their Sacrifices and Oblations and the constant performances of all that was visible to the Eye was highly accepted of God though their hearts were full of the filth of Lust and Concupiscence and all manner of odious Impiety hence one of their great Rabbins sticks not to expound that in the 66. Psal 18. v. If I regaerd iniquity in my heart God will not hear my prayers interogatively viz. Though I regard iniquity c. will not God hear my Prayers Yes surely he will Hence they are charged by the Prophet for this very Crime and God protests against such service with great Indignation as if he had never instituted and appointed it Who hath required this at your hands Isa 1.12 And he upbraids them with their outward oblations as if they had bin meerly their own Invention and wholy beside his order Isai 66.3 He that killeth an Ox is as if he slew a man he that sacrificeth a Lamb as if he cut off a Dogs neck and yet its notorious enough that God commanded these Sacrifices why then doth he not approve the Execution of his own commands The truth is God appointed these External Rites and visible Symbols of his worship But it was in Conjunction with the inward and more principal worship and whilst they came in Company with that they were accepted But when they began to Divorce what God had tyed together by such a flat necessity And when they made no Conscience of the Moral and Spiritual part of Gods worship but all their care was for the Ceremonial part It was high time for God to shew how he was distasted with such a bodily service as this that had neither life nor spirit and therefore nothing that suited with his Nature who is a Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and truth as well as in form and shew And therefore the Psalmist the better to awake them summons them before the Tribunal of God as ready to proceed to a fearful sentence against them This manner of speech by Parables Types and Representations of things that were not but supposed to be were schemes of Rhetorick familiar to that People for the more powerful working on the Affections But here God by a Prolepsis being about to judge is introduced with circumstances of Majesty and Terror v. 3. Our God shall come and shall not keep silence a Fire shall devour before him and shall be very Tempestuous round about him with some allusion to the dreadful appearance of God at Mount Sinai when he gave the Law now comes to require an account of it with as terrible an appearance v. 4. He shall call to the Heavens above that is the Angels to cite and gather these guilty Sinners before Him that were like to speed so much the worse because they were in league with God Sanctified by an external Covenant made with him but yet treacherously and perfidiously broken therefore called Saints Gather my Saints together those that have made a Covenant with me by Sacrifice v. 5. Then comes in the charge ver 7. Hear O my people which is amplyfied to the end of the Psalm and the folly and unbecomingness of such a worship detected and set forth to the life which that stupid people presented him with instead of Service worthy so glorious a Majesty Do you think that Bullocks and He Goats are things that I Regard If I had such a delight in these as you take me to have I have no need to come to you for every Beast of the Forest is mine and the Cattle upon a thousand Hills I know all the Fowles of the Mountains v. 10 11. If I were hungry I would not tell thee See what gross conceits they had of God as if he had an appetite after the flesh of Bulls and the blood of Goats v. 12 13. whether they were so sottish as to think that God did feed upon such Diet as this and did take pleasure in it by a plain and direct apprehension it matters not much be sure they were guilty of such a Sin by consequence and interpretation whilst they could go on with so much confidence in the oblation of such Sacrifices when their hearts were perfectly destitute of any Love and Reverence of God and their hands were full of Rapine and Blood and used no attention of Mind to consider what these outward Sacrifices did signifie to them And then in the 14. ver he shews them the true and acceptable worship after he had confuted their
him and lift up thy heart to him with reverence nor feel the fire kindle in thy heart and thy self willing to be offered up as a whole Burnt-offering in that fire To offer up Body and Soul with all their several faculties and actions as a living Sacrifice to him is but thy reasonable service Rom. 12.1 As it is his end why he made thee so it should be thy end to have his works continually in thine eye his Word ever in thine heart and his praises everlastingly in thy mouth This was the resolution of David and should be thine I will sing unto the Lord saith he as long as I live I will sing praises to my God whilst I have my being My meditation of him shall be sweet I will be glad in the Lord Psal 104.33 34. Consider that he hath infinite wisdom and therefore is fit to rule thee and all the world he hath infinite power and therefore its stark madness for such a Worm to resist him one word of his mouth will undo the Body and Soul for ever one angry frown of his Countenance will make thee wither and turn that moving body of thine into a dead and lifeless Clod yea and send thy Soul into eternal misery Didst thou but consider the holiness of his Nature and how much he abhorreth all sin and wickedness wouldst thou dare to commit it with so much boldness Didst thou but consider what a piercing eye he hath to whom the darkness and the light are both alike Psal 139.12 wouldst thou think to cover and conceal thy Sins from him or use craft and subtilty to blind his eyes Thou dost not consider what he is whilst thou usest such silly shifts as these are they do but provoke a wise man that hath but a Beam of Gods infinite wisdom how much more are they like to provoke him There 's nothing like ingenuity and plain dealing and humble confessing of thy Sin when thou hast to do with him Consideration of the Divine Purity and Justice would be a very effectual defence against all unjust and unrighteous practices If thou dost but consider what antipathy there is in Sin to the Divine Nature and what an affront it is to the Majesty of Heaven and Earth it would not go down so easily nor be such a sweet morsel to thee When men begin to take off the eye of their Consideration from God then they begin to walk in darkness and know not at what they stumble What makes men so vain and wicked in their imaginations and practices but because God is not in all their thoughts by Consideration What makes the ungodly to prefer the pleasures of Sin which are but for a season but because they do not eye and consider the recompence of reward What makes men either to neglect to come to God by prayer or to put up faint and cold supplications to him but that they consider not that he is and that he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him Thou wouldst not murmur and repine at any of Gods Providences towards thee if thou didst but consider what Equity Wisdom and Mercy there is in all his dealings towards thee thou wouldst endure the Cross and despise the shame if thou didst but seriously consider the joys that are set before thee thou wouldst be stedfast and unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord if thou didst but consider thy labour cannot be in vain in the Lord. I advise thee therefore to consider and think more frequently what an impartial righteous Judge thou hast to do with in thy actions and how dear thou shalt pay for thy Sin one of these days if thou wilt commit it and this would spur thee forward to thy duty when thou wouldst neglect it and keep thee backward from Sinful practice when thou wouldst commit it Let my counsel therefore be acceptable to thee have God more frequently in thy Meditations consider that he seeth and knoweth thy ways that he abhorreth all wickedness both of heart and life that he is the Governour of the World to whom all these things are as nothing that commandeth the Beings of Heaven and Earth that hath the Winds and the Sea and Men and Devils in the Chain of his Providence that was from all Eternity and is the same for ever and ever but thou art of yesterday and knowest nothing Job 8.9 Thou mayst resist the will of his Command and Precept because it is to try thee but thou canst not withstand the will of his purpose what he doth will peremptorily shall come to pass The Counsel of the Lord standeth for ever the thoughts of his heart to all Generations Psa 33.11 If thou lovest thy own Soul let God be continually before thy eyes it is because thou knowest him not that thou art so unlike him it is because thou art not acquainted with him that thy heart is so void of love to him it is because thou understandest him not that thou dost so little fear and reverence him And why hast thou so little knowledge and understanding of him but because thou considerest him not Didst thou but well consider his Omnipotency thou wouldst fear him more than all the world beside Didst thou but consider his Veracity thou wouldst take his word for the greatest security and give more credit to it than if thou hadst the word and Oath of the most trusty and sufficient men thou wouldst certainly believe the threatnings thereof and foresee the accomplishment of the promises thereof as if they were already made good and steer thy life according to the most wise and excellent precepts thereof Consider but his faithfulness and thou wilt see no reason to distrust him They that know thy Name saith the Prophet David will trust in thee for thou Lord hast never forsaken those that trust in thee Psal 9.10 Thou wouldst venture thy life and all thy comforts upon his Word come what will thou wouldst trust in the Lord and do good Psal 37.3 And whilst thou art intent upon thy duty wouldst not fear though men and Devils should combine against thee and the more experience thou hast the more thou wouldst be confident and say It 's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man It 's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in Princes Psal 118.8 9. Do but consider that he is a Spirit and thou wilt abhor a meer bodily service and tremble to let thy lips go when thy heart imagineth deceit and is not imployed in his worship and thou wouldest worship him in spirit and in truth John 4.23 24. Therefore men worship him they know not how nor care not in what manner because they worship they know not what Ver. 22. Men would not dare to offer up to him the Sacrifice of fools if they did but consider with whom they have to do Eccles 5.1 Neither would they come with dead hearts before the living God This is the
assisted in preparing their hearts and exciting their affections and graces when they draw nigh to God in that most awful solemn Ordinance of the Lords Supper By John Flavel Minister of Christ in Devon Duodecimo price 1 s. 6 d. A peaceable resolution of Conscience touching our present Impositions wherein Loyalty and Obedience are proposed and setled upon their true Foundation in Scripture Reason and Constitution of this Kingdom against all resistance of the present Powers and with compliance with the Laws so far as may be in order to Union with a Draught or Specimen for a Bill for Accommodation Octavo price 2 s. A Memento for English Protestants c. with an Answer to that part of the Compendium which reflects on the Bishop of Lincolns late Book Quarto price 1 s. 6 d. 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Mr. John Hinckley a nameless Impleader a nameless Reflecter or Speculum c. Mr. John Cheney's second Accusation Mr. Roger L'Estrange Justice c. The Dialogue between the Pope and a Phanatick J. Varney's Phanatick Prophesie Sacra Unio or an Holy Union chiefly proposed to the Divided Protestants in England and extensively to all other Christians abroad in the world according in Fundamentals and disowning the Popes Supremacy and Image-worship Whereto is added this needful advice that they all bear one with another in things which they cannot yet in their Conscience agree upon as Rites Ceremonies and Discipline together with the Protestants Religion 's Fundamental Doctrine and four Tables containing the Popish Religion at large and Grecian and Abasine and Muscovian written at this time of need in English and Latin for the good and Conservation of all true Protestants in Europe and all other good Christians in other parts of the world where the Latin is understood By Christopher Jelinger M. A. Some Arguments to assure and perswade the Infallible Truth and Divine Authority of Scripture for the Exercise of that part of Faith that consists in the Intellects Assent Argument I. THose Writings whose Pen-men were Authorized and approved by God must needs be of Divine Authority But the Writings of the Old and New Testament had such Pen-men Therefore c. The Major Proposition is beyond all doubt and past dispute The Minor Proposition viz. That the Pen-men of the Old and New Testament were Men Authorized and approved by God in that very Work is evident in that these Writers did attest and prove the Inspiration they did pretend to by frequent Reall and uncontrouled Miracles which none but God could enable them to do For First They were unquestionably above the power of meer Man Secondly These Writers thereof must derive their power from some invisible Author either Good or Bad But from the Devil or any bad Spirit they could not For First Some at least of those Miracles which were wrought by the Pen-men of the Old and New Testament were without the Spehre of all natural Causation and were such as no created Cause or meer natural Agent can possibly produce by the meer stock of their own strength Now the bad Spirits are no better than Creatures and can work no other waies but by natural Efficiency and Causation and therefore could not do some of these works Such was the Raising of the Dead to Life and the giving sight to those which were born perfectly blind Not to instance in any other Though perchance to cure all sorts of Diseases with a word and in a moment is more than the Devil can seemingly imitate or any one can do that hath not assistance from God Now the Rule is certain A privatione ad habitum non datur Regressus naturaliter if the privation be Total Nam productio totius entis entis ex materiâ prorsus ineptâ are the Specialties of God alone and Prerogatives Royal annexed to his Crown who hath ordained the constant course of Causes and Effects which we call Nature or the Course of Nature and hath made all those Agents that work in that orderly Course which we call Natural Causes Secondly If the evil Spirits could do such works as these which yet they cannot as hath been proved yet it would be inconsistent with the infinite Wisdom Truth and Goodness and the nature and being of that Government which as supreme Rector of Mankind he doth exercise to suffer his Creatures to be thus deluded and to leave Man under an Impossibility of ever attaining to the knowledge of his Will in a rational way and by such objective Evidence as may work conviction upon his own Faculties and the Faculties of others with whom he shall discourse Thirdly And yet if the Devil could do such works and God should permit him neither of which can be as hath been made appear yet it would not consist with his own interest to countenance and credit such Writers as these were and to Confirm Such a Doctrin that 's so destructive to his nature and that tends so visibly to the overthrow of his Kingdom For if Satan were thus divided and should fight after this desperate Manner against himself his Kingdom could not stand Mat. 12.25 Which is the very strength of our Saviours Argument when he was calumniated by the Jews to have wrought those mighty works which he did by the Power of Belzebub Undoubtedly either the Devil himself must want that that 's Essential to an Intelligent Being c. Spirit and void utterly of all understanding or else the man must that can think the Devil would so effectually promote his own Downfal and strike such a blow at the very Root of his own kingdom For we see by Experience where this Doctrine is once received the worship of Devils and all Magick Arts and impious Practices do forthwith vanish And the one true God is served with detestation of Devils And the Doctrine of Christ for Confirmation whereof these works were done forbids us to worship Devils and draws us away from all pollutions wherewith the evil Spirits are delighted Whose power and Force was broken by Christ's coming as Porphyry himself
God whom we serve and his Service that can make the Heart to draw near and busily attend with Affections answerable to the Service it 's employed in And what acceptance such inconsiderate Service is like to find by him that will consider and weigh all our Services and judge Righteously you may see Esay 29.13 For as much as this People he means the Jewish Hypocrites draw near me with their Mouth and with their Lips do honour me but have removed their Heart far from me Therefore he threatens to bring heavy Judgments on them Their Hearts must needs be far from God that considers it not for that 's the first and leading Act of the Soul that brings it on and makes way for the following Acts of Judgment Complacency and Affection without which there can be no reasonable Service and how well God will receive any other Service from a reasonable Creature it 's a thing of easie understanding What an high presumption and affront is it to stand before God with the face and confidence of his People and to bow our selves with an external Reverence before him when the Soul is idle or otherwise employed and there 's nothing of Reverence or Worship in the Heart What a provocation to deal with God as your Cheats and Impostors deal with us that make a shew to our Eye of things that are nothing so and have no reality but cheat and delude our Sense To use Legerdedemain and slight in the Service of God and to conveigh a Prayer in the presence of God as if it came warm from the Heart when it was never born any deeper than the Mouth Be not deceived God will not be mocked Gal. 6.7 Think not to serve the All-seeing God as the Gibeonites served Israel nor to come and make a Covenant with God by Prayer as if your Services came from a far Countrey even from the depths and bottom of your Hearts when they come no farther than the Throat and are a mess of meer wind and words and these words are also nigh thee even at thy Mouth as the Apostle in another case Rom. 10.8 You may laugh at an Ape when he bows to you and kisseth his hand as if he meant you some high respect but you will not take your self to be honoured thereby much less will God take the gestures of your Body and your outward Presence and the sound of your Lips and such ridiculous Actions for a substantial and rational Service that Heart is dangerously mistaken that thinks so There 's no Harmony in Gods Ear unless Understanding Judgment and Affections together with the outward Worship and reverend Deportment of the Body all come together to make up the Quire otherwise 't will be the Sacrifice of a Fool and such as are foolish cannot stand in his sight Psal 5.5 1. Either with approbation or without shame and where there is no Consideration nor inward Intention of Mind and Heart there can be no other Sacrifice than this nothing but meer cheating Formalities Keep thy Foot therefore saith Solomon that is thy Heart when thou entrest upon the Service of God and be more ready to hear than to give the Sacrifice of Fools and why is it the Sacrifice of Fools mark the reason follows For they consider not that they do evil Eccl. 5.1 This it is that betrays them and marrs all If Consideration stay at home better thou hadst never gone to Church for God will be sure to miss that and hate such Worship where the most essential vital part is wanting and count thee a greater sinner in some respect than if thou hadst kept away the Carcass also since the Soul was wanting Who is blind but my Servant or deaf as my Messenger Who is blind as he that is perfect and blind as the Lords Servant Esay 42.19 Here God accuseth his Servants of a greater ignorance and deafness than other Men that worship him not at all What 's the reason The next verse will tell you ver 20. Seeing many things but thou observest or considerest not Seneca jears the Jews for casting a seventh part of their time upon a Weekly Sabbath and jear he might well enough if this poor shadow of meer outward Worship were all that that People could spare him Though I do not excuse the Blasphemy of that Heathen Moralist Mr. Weemes in his Christian Synagogue tells us of a Jewish distinction They it seems distinguish'd between the Internal and External Rest of the Sabbath The Internal Rest they stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. The Secret Sabbath the External Rest is when Men rest from bodily Labour but give not themselves to the Worship of God in the Spirit This they called the Sabbath of the Ox and the Ass If thine External Presence 〈◊〉 bodily Worship be all that thou canst offer up to God the Dog that follows thee to Church or thy Beast might be taught to serve God as well as thou O what contemptible and undervaluing thoughts have such Men of their Maker and the Object of their Worship o◠rather none at all Who can sit or kneel before God with an irreverend or roving Heart and quietly suffer this intolerable dishonour to be done to him that care not for the manner how 't is performed so they be but locally present and makes the common stailty to◠much their refuge because it is the common Complaint of the best that their Hearts are quickly lost in Gods Service therefore they are well enough though they take no effectual course to heal it Well it 's want of Consideration not only in the time of Service but at other times that puts them upon this absurdity in their approaches to God to give him the Eye and Mouth and any thing but the Heart The very Heathens themselves had more judicious manly thoughts of God than such Christians have Their Books are stuff'd with such sayings as imply inward Love and Reverence to be more acceptable than the fatest Sacrifice I could multiply Sentences enough to such a purpose if I thought it were worth the while Thus you see one sad effect of Inconsideration Secondly As the want of Consideration doth multilate the Service of God and cut out the very heart of it so it makes it altogether tasteless and insipid It 's impossible that God should be served in a due manner and his Servants not feel the difference between his and all other Service Mic. 2.7 Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly Who can say he hath cleansed his Heart in vain Psal 73.13 And that there is no profit in the sincere Worship of God and that in keeping his Commandments there is no reward Psal 19.11 Who can say there is no sweetness in the Hearts approaching to God That it is a dry and empty Employment though performed with the greatest solemnity and sincerity Where is the Man that can step forth and say that it's labour and loss and is not accompanied with
the greatest Honour Pleasure Profit unless it be the Hypocrites and formal Professors that slight it over and whose Hearts are not engaged in the Work Mic. 2.7 Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly Verily there is a reward for the Righteous Psal 58.11 I mean such a one that comes not behind his Duty but keeps company with it You may safely and confidently aver to him that soweth Righteousness there is a sure reward as well as shall be Prov. 11.28 Many a refreshing joyful Song he hath whilst he is scattering this Seed what then will the joy of the Harvest be if Plowing and Sowing be such a pleasing Work I confess in all other Service that doth not refer to this the question may be truly put What doth it profit Where is any pleasure that my Heart and Soul can taste and find I have many a time come home by Weeping Cross when I have travelled hardest in the affairs and matters of this Life But he that saith his Heart hath found no sweetness nor reward in his approximation unto God and in the exercise of his Worship if he understands himself he doth but proclaim his Hypocrisie and tell the World that his Heart is defective in the Work That he doth not Worship his Maker and Redeemer in Spirit and in Truth Joh. 4.24 That he doth not consider to whom he doth repair nor what he may expect nor who is ready to intercede for him if he doth but look to him with a believing Heart otherwise if these things come under any due Consideration he could not find no taste nor sweetness in such a Service nor return with such a dry and empty Heart from the Fountain of infinite Joy and Fulness Could a Man come to the Sun and not be enlightened and stand under it's warm refreshing Beams and not be revived Could a Man touch the Hem and Border of Christs Garment and feel no Virtue come forth for his Refreshment much less can a Man stand in the presence of his Glory and have no reflections of Light and Comfort from him You may as well say that a Man may feed upon the most nourishing Sustenance and concoct what he eats and yet not thrive at all As that a Man may thoroughly and seriously consider the great sanctifying Truths and live under the power of such Thoughts and find nothing of Gust and Relish in them Peace and Comfort in some Degree are as inseparable from Grace if Consideration bring it into Exercise as Light is from the Sun And as Consideration doth gather strength and is more lively and vigorous so will the Exercise of Grace be more fervent and when Grace is upon the Wing and in a hasty flight Heaven-wards the Virgins that are her Companions Peace and Joy and Comfort I mean will not be dead and unactive but will like the shadow keep company and resemblance with the Body to which they do belong And they that are most frequent and strong in the Exercise of their Grace Faith Love and Hope will have the stronger and more frequent Consolations and Refreshments And therefore David whose Faith and Love and Thankfulness to God were continually working had the the greater sense and experience of this inward Joy and Comfort And such was the degree thereof oftentimes that he could not contain himself but he must needs break forth into Songs and Triumph How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter than Honey to my Mouth Psal 119.103 O how I love thy Law it is my Meditation all the day ver 97. Thy Statutes have been my Songs in the House of my Pilgrimage ver 54. The service of God must needs be tedious and irksome to them that have their minds on something else and think not what a courtesie they do themselves whilst they draw near to God with the Heart What a favour it is to approach such a presence What an Honour it reflects upon them and what advantage there comes in every way to him that offers a Sacrifice fit for God to accept 2. Exhortation SEcondly Having shewed you what an Obstruction Inconsideracy is to the Remembrance of God and instanced in two woful inconveniences that necessarily flow from an incogitant heedless Service of God By this time I hope our Eyes may be a little opened to see what a sin it 's to be defective in so great a Duty as Consideration is and therefore it 's the more seasonable to warn and beseech you that you would not at one dash blot out all true Worship of God and solid Peace and Comfort out of your own Hearts by a sin so inconsistent with the Rational Spiritual Nature that God hath bestowed upon Man Must not he that hath made both Soul and Body be worshiped with both and served with their united strength As the Eye guides the Body so doth Consideration first stir up and then steer and govern the Soul in all its operations and therefore if you leave out that the Soul cannot stir or move suitably to its Nature If then Forgetfulness of God be a sin that you would not for all the World be found guilty of at the great trying day then be sure not lay the Foundation of such a guilt by the neglect of Consideration Use that Faculty in all things if you would they should be wisely pone but fail not to use it in the service of God and in the matters of highest importance And as you have to do with God in all things either mediately or immediately in a nearer or remoter manner so it behoves you to consider if you will discharge the Duty and rightly perform your Work There are but two sorts of Actions that a Man hath a capacity to produce and in both we have to do with God 1. There are some Actions that have God for their Object or something immediately subservient to him and their end also Such are all Actions of Religious Worship whether External as Prayer Praises solemn Invocation of his Name in an assertory or promissory Oath hearing of the Word participation of the Sacraments or Internal as Faith Love Reverence Dependance Trust Submission 2. There are other Actions that have not God but something else for their Object yet they should have God for their Principal and Vltimate End Such are all the Actions where we have to do with Creatures whether They be Acts of Labour Refreshment In Study the Object about which our Action is conversant is that which our thoughts are exercised about whither it be Names or Things In Trafique the Object of our Action is that with or for which we Trafique In Eating and Drinking the Object is our Meat and Drink But the end in all these should be the pleasing of God and the promoting his Glory which is done when we ask Counsel of him and humbly beg his Direction in all these and heartily devote the Knowledge the Strength the Gain which comes in by these Actions
unto God all ye lands Psal 5.11 But let those that put their trust in thoe rejoyce let them shout for joy because thou defendest them let them also that love thy Name rejoyce in thee Secondly Scriptures that command Praise Psal 35.28 My tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long Psal 118.28 Thou art my God and I will praise thee Thou art my God and I will exalt thee Psal 34.1 I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth Psal 66.2 Sing forth the honour of his Name make his praise glorious Psal 66.8 O bless our God ye people and make the voice of his praise to be heard Psal 48.1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the City of our God in the Mountain of his Holiness Psal 135.3 Praise ye the Lord for the Lord is good sing praises unto his Name for it is pleasant Psal 147.1 Praise ye the Lord for it is good to sing praises unto our God for it is pleasant and praise is comely Verse 12. Praise the Lord O Jerusalem praise thy God O Sion In the 148 Psalm all Creatures are called upon and excited to the praises of God which must be meant but objectively of all irrational Creatures And rational Creatures are implied when others that have not reason are spoken to Psal 148.13 Praise the Name of the Lord for his Name only is excellent and his Glory is above the Earth and Heaven Psal 149.1 Praise ye the Lord sing unto the Lord a new song and his praise in the congregation of the saints Psal 149.6 Let the high praises of God be in their Mouth 1 of the saints Psal 150.1 2 3. Praise ye the Lord praise God in his sanctuary praise him in the firmament of his power Thirdly Scriptures provoking to Thankfulness Psal 109.4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise be thankful unto him and speak good of his Name 1 Thess 5.18 In every thing we ought to give thanks Col. 3.17 Whatsoever ye do in word or deed do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him Psal 69.30 I will praise the name of God with a song and magnifie him with thanksgiving Psal 118.1 O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his Mercy endureth for ever Vers 29. The same Reason is insisted on 36 times Psal 136.1 2 3. And the Reasons largely insisted on in the rest of the Psalm Psal 26.6 7. I will wash mine hands in innocency and so will I compass thine altar O Lord that I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wonderful works Psal 30.4 Sing unto the Lord ye saints of his and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness THere 's nothing that more becomes a Believer nor so well suits his Spiritual Heavenly Nature nor is a better Indication of a Child of God and one that hath attained to a perfect Man to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ than to delight and be skilful in this Noble Work And without all dispute There 's nothing that a corrupt Heart is more averse and backward to and hath less skill in There is indeed a joyful merry Heart pre-requisite to this Exercise but such a one as the World intermedleth not with but is the greatest stranger to of all things you can imagine Though there 's none love Mirth and Joy so passionately as the worldling yet his Mirth is quite of another stamp It 's the meer distortion of the Countenance or at best but the dilatation of the Blood and Spirits It is not the delectation and contentment of the Mind and Spirit It 's the laughter of a Fool a meer brutish sensual delight that they are so fond of Not the solid serious pleasure of a Saint and one that is perfectly in his right mind And thus to be merry after their Fashion is no hard nor difficult Task 'T is but be Mad and let go the Reigns of all good Government of a Mans self It is but to gratifie every desire and live at Randome and prosper in Folly and this will screw up a Carnal Mind to very profuse Laughter and Merriment All the Town shall quickly hear of it and perceive it too plainly in the Vanity Pride and Insolency of their Carriage And there 's no surer way to damp and dead the Spirit of these Men and to drive them into a melancholy dumpish vein than to spring some Heavenly Discourse that savoureth of Heavenly Wisdom and tendeth to the Divine Praises It 's easie to vent a little Froth and Mirth at a Feast or in a Jovial Meeting or when the Spirits are cheared with Wine and Carnal Pleasure But to be glad in the Lord to rejoyce in the meditation of his Excellent Greatness and Perfection even when the Flocks are cut off from the Fold and there is no Herd in the Stall and the Vine yieldeth not her Encrease and the labour of the Olive doth fail and all Earthly Comforts are wanting Then to rejoyce in the most High and to vent forth freely in Thanks and Praises unto him is the Top and Perfection of Piety But this is a strain that the merriest Worldling can never reach while he continues to be such Other Mirth needs great Restraint but this hath need of all Encouragement and Promotion it being so much above the Sphaere of corrupted Nature to do it to purpose And as some slight Praise I doubt not may come from the Mouth of one not yet ingrafted into Christ by a lively Faith from the sense of Common Mercies and General Grace So on the other side even a Believer through the weakness of his Grace and the distemper of his Body and the want of Exercise in this Duty may make but little Musick and be a very Bungler in this Work And so lose the Comfort and Strength that a Heart fervent and frequent in this Duty would daily get But before I say any thing to stir up to this Exercise I will first shew what 's requisite to or implied in this Joy and Delight in God and true Gratitude and Praise I put them all together because there is much Affinity and Correspondence between them And therefore As to the Subject of these Acts or the Person that must exert them he must be thus qualified and prepared 1. He must be of an open cheerful Temper There 's none more unfit for this Duty than the lumpish sad and heavy Heart Though I deny not but sadness and heaviness of Spirit is sometimes a Duty after the Commission of sin especially great and wilful sin till by renewed Sorrow Confession and a more cautelous Heed to prevent it for the future and the application of Christ's Blood by Faith the Cause of such Sadness be removed But a constant habitual sadness and despondency that neither Faith nor
they cannot want instruction if they will go for it to almost every Church about them or to their knowing Neighbours and desire to be instructed It 's one of these two or both that undoes all the World uncatechised Head and an unmortified Heart He that hath an honest Heart and a willing Mind cannot want the knowledge that is necessary to Salvation and wo to them that want this knowledge for the Lord Jesus shall shortly be revealed from Heaven in flaming Fire to take Vengeance on all that know not God Shun Ignorance therefore for he that knows not God cannot Remember him Thirdly Flee Inconsideracy for next to Ignorance this is the great impediment to this Remembrance and your own Happiness Wherefore hath God given thee a Faculty to consider and bestowed Reason on thee Wherefore hath he set his Word and Works before thee Doth he not mean to draw forth thy thoughts thereby that thou mayst consider and reap the benefit and give God the Glory The most concerning weighty truth will do no good and never affect thy Heart unless they be considered Though you know and believe that God is the Spring-head from whence all your Mercies come and that he hath redeemed you by his Son and offereth to save you by his Spirit and Word if you will but come unto Christ by Faith yet if you consider not these things no wonder if you make light of Christ no wonder if you trample his Blood under your Feet and go your â—way one to his Farm another to his Merchandize and take the happiness the World will afford you though it be at the Plow and Cart in rising early and sitting up late and in the hardest Toyl and Labour rather than believe in the Son of God or spend an hour in Prayer or reading the Word of God that you may Remember him that hath made all things and to whom all the World is but a shadow Though you believe that the wicked shall be turned into Hell and all that forget God and that all that die in impenitency shall be sentenced to the Eternal Flames yet if you shut these thoughts out of your minds and will not consider them what wonder if you live as if there were no such things What though you believe that the hour is coming in which all that are in the Grave shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and come forth they that have done good to the Resurrection of Life John 5.28 29. yet if you consider not what God hath prepared for them that love him no wonder if you be weary and faint in the way Consideration openeth the Eye and softneth the Heart and maketh you feel the force and power of truth If you shut your Eyes by inconsideration the most taking Objects will never move you and the most fearful sight will never fright you Though it is impossible to perswade a Man whose Eyes are open to run into the Fire or Water or throw himself down a Precipice yet going on and shuts his Eyes will not long escape one mischief or another you will go with the Ox to the slaughter and with the Fool to the correction of the Stocks if you consider not that it is for your Life O how many are now roaring in the unquenchable Fire that would never have come there if they had but considered O how many forget God and their own Souls day after day that would not that could not do so if they did but seriously consider What madness hath filled the Heart of Man that he should be backward to nothing more than to consider whilst it may do him good and when every thought will cut his Heart he will follow the work close and do nothing else but reflect upon and bewail his misery As consideration if it be timely followed and wisely managed is the best and usual instrument on mans part to bring a foolish careless senseless sinner to his wits again So Consideration when it is too late is the greatest instrument to put him quite out of his Wits and to fill his Heart with raging down-right madness for ever You will not be perswaded to consider now what you are doing and whither you are going and why God hath made you and given you life and time but mark what a Prophet tells you that cannot be deceived 〈…〉 In the latter days you shall consider it perfectly and no tongue shall be able to perswade you to the contrary As corrupt Nature is backward to nothing more than consideration whilst the day of mercy lasteth so he is prone to nothing more after this day is past and gone and as he will not consider now so he shall not then avoid it Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed 〈…〉 If you would therefore Remember God to your comfort and not to your terror shun Inconsideracy and fill your Hearts with matter from the daily observation of Gods Word and Works to feed your consideration I might insist more largely upon the hindrances and shew you what impediments 1. Pride 2. Discontent 3. and Worldliness are to this Remembrance but I wave them and proceed to the positive Directions First If you would get a comforting worthy Remembrance of God into your Heart then get your Heart deeply affected with the mischief that sin hath done you and the love and compassion that Christ hath shewed to you If you understand not what God made you at the first and for what an honourable high and noble end and how much your Nature is distorted and though you could not help it that you took such a perverse Nature from your Parents yet you have too much given your Actual Consent in that you have not bewailed and lamented your case in any considerable measure to this day If you know not what ever sin deserveth nor see so much evil in it as that it should deserve the penalty that God hath threatned nor consider what number of sins you have been guilty of and to what a degree of guilt they have been aggravated by you and what a necessity there was that you should perish everlastingly unless God should deny himself which the Apostle tells us he cannot do â— Tim. 2.13 and suffer his Justice Wisdom and Holiness to lie under disgrace and reproach if Christ had not undergone the wrath of God and so stop'd the mouth of Justice vindicated the Law of God made Transgression odious and ingag'd to bring the sinners to Repentance that should partake of the Fruits of his Death and to humble them in the sense of their former wickedness and to restore the Image of God in them again and to bring them to the love of his service again which before their Repentance and Conversion they do naturally hate and abhor If you do not understand what Christ hath done for you already and what he will do by his Spirit to the changing of your Hearts If
you will but consent and take him for your Lord and Saviour you can never know that the love of Christ is so wonderful and obliging and if you leave Christ out of your Remembrance you can have no thoughts of God that will yield you solid comfort Secondly If you would Remember God aright endeavour to bring on others to this Remembrance and to set the motives before them that may well move the most backward Heart and recover the most forgetful to this duty whilst you are putting others in mind you will revive and strengthen the like disposition in your self and perform an acceptable service to God whereby you will increase his love to you and consequently the Remembrance of him will be more sweet to you Restore to me saith David the joy of thy Salvation and uphold me by thy free Spirit then will I teach Transgressors thy ways and Sinners shall be converted to thee Psal 51.12 13. The more any Grace is exercised the more it will gather fervour and intention To perswade others to this Remembrance is to reduce thine own Remembrance of him into practice whilst thou art teaching others thou canst not but learn thy self Whilst thou art bending others to Remember the Fountain of all Perfection and Goodness thou wilt feel thine own Heart and Affections more byassed toward him Who can infuse Life and Spirit into another and not grow vigorous himself David knew that he could not but thrive himself if others were gainers by him and therefore he invites others Psal 3â— 11 Come my Children hearken unto me and I will teach you the fear of the Lord. There are certain opportunities and seasons if they be wisely observed when either Affection or Affliction hath made way in which two or three words fetched from the Heart may work upon the Heart of one that hath shamefully forgot God all his days and recover him to this Remembrance And if God shew thee so much mercy and make thee such an instrument the thoughts and memory of God that hath shewed thee so much favour will be dearer to thee 3. If thou wouldst remember God with pleasure remember those that are in misery whither of Soul or Body with compassion For this will make you like to God who comforteth the sorrowful and bindeth up the broken in Heart and raiseth up those that are bowed down Psal 146.8 And the more there is of likeness the more there will be of Love and Remembrance A hard and unmerciful Heart is so unlike to God that it will strive to forget him lest the tender Boweis of God should upbraid his cruel and unrelenting Heart It 's a disposition highly pleasing to God and a blessed imitation of him to comport with those that lie under any distress or misery especially those that are ready to faint and sink under their burdens and it 's Justice as well as Mercy so to do Is it not just that thou shouldst cast an Eye of compassion and pity upon those on whom the Hand of God is fallen heavy either in Soul or Body especially when thou art as obnoxious as they and God hath spared you on purpose and set their miseries before you to move your Bowels Shouldst thou not have compassion on thy fellow Servant as God hath shewed pity unto thee Mat. 18.33 And kindness with tender heartedness is one part of the new Nature which Christ came to restore and therefore the Apostle doth endeavour to stir up the Ephesians Eph. 4.32 and also the Collosians Col. 3.12 Put on therefore as the Elect of God Holy and Beloved Bowels of Mercy and Kindness And as the miserable state and condition of Mens Souls doth most eminently bespeak this Affection so it 's Cruelty to overlook their other Miseries and not to take them into our consideration 1. To get our Hearts affected that we may truly pity them 2. And earnestly pray for them And 3. Contribute what other help we are able to make them as happy as our selves There is a selfishness too natural to every one of us that will not let us hear on this Ear and therefore we are so carless in this publick Calamity what others suffer so we are free How senseless are we under such a hand as is fallen upon many parts of this Nation And therefore we are so unthankful for our Health and Preservation when God hath required the Lives of so many of our Brethren from them What a fearful woful Scourge do the City feel and heavily groan under How do the Inhabitants of that one proud and glorious City reply to one another in Sighs and Groans and bitter Out cries and Lamentations where whole Families are smitten and blasted and Children and Parents pledge one another in Tears and drink the Wine of Astonishment where dearest Friends are made the Executors of the Calamities of their departed Friends and it 's taken and accounted for a mercy to die first lest the miserable Calamities of Wife and Children and their successive departure should be more than one single Death Their Eyes affect their Heart Lam. 3.51 But we as we see not their Miseries so neither do we feel them as we ought as thorough the goodness of God we are more safe than they so we are more secure and too void of any Christian sense of this common Calamity Alas alas they have the dreadful sound and noise of this Judgment in their Ears and see Death continually before their Eyes but we hear but at a distance and therefore are not stricken with the terror thereof The report of this Murdering-piece that God hath shot off in many places of this Nation is faint and dead before it comes to our sense But the less we see this Misery and hear these Cries the more we should supply this merciful defect by consideration If we saw or heard it may be we should not need many thoughts to fetch tears from our Eyes and Sighs from our Hearts Desolenciâ—â— and want of this compassion shews a fat and brawny Heart Though we are not to indulge this Affection so far as to make it guilty of siding against God as it will be apt to do if it proceed no farther and do not serve a higher end The end of this Affection is to make way for Compassion toward their Souls and to bewail and beg pardon for their Sins that have brought this misery on them 1. Objection I have done with the First Observable which the Texts suggesteth to us viz. That forgetfulness of God is a fearful and dangerous sin and exposeth such as are guilty of it to the unavoidable Wrath of God 2. Objection I come now to the Second Observation viz. That Consideration is one of the principal instruments on our part to bring us to the Remembrance of God at first and to prevent forgetfulness afterward or to recover us out of that degree of Forgetfulness into which we may possibly fall Two Suppositions 1. Here it is supposed 1. That we â—re