the implacable enemies of God and who were not as David praied against Judas so many hundred yeers before he was born by a prophetical spirit he knew that he was the child of perdition indeed if we could certainly know a man that were to be a cast-away eternallie from God it were another matter As the Church in the time of Julian because of his Apostasie being so abominable it was determined almost generally by them that he had committed the sin against the holy Ghost and upon that they curs'd him Now I say those that had an extraordinarie spirit that did know who these were they might do it but this is no example for us in an ordinarie way to wish evil and curses upon others But thus far we may do with the Enemies of the Church First We may curse them disjunctively Lord either take them out of the way or keep them that they may not do such mischief in the Church or thus conditionally If thou seest Lord that they be implacable thou knowest them if so let thy wrath and curse pursue them Lord thou seest what evil they are set upon and therefore rather than they should attain their mischievous designs let thy wrath and curse pursue them so we may do it but not absolutely to curse any though they should do us never so much wrong we are called to blessing But now in zeal to God take heed that we be not carried on in our own passion but being sure it is zeal to God we may wish the curses of God to pursue those that God knows to be implacable this is but an appealing to God and not at all fastning it upon any particular persons that we know but leaving it unto God for the execution of it and so in a zeal to the Glory of God we may do it and we are warranted so to do by the second Petition Thy Kingdom come for that Petition that requires us to pray for the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ doth also require that we should pray against all means that hinder the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ so that every time that the Church praies Thy Kingdom come or any praies Thy Kingdom come they do as much as say O Lord Do thou set thy self against all the Enemies of thy Kingdom if they belong to thy Election Lord convert them but otherwise Lord confound them Now thus we see how we are to sanctifie the Name of God in Prayer in regard of the Matter of the Prayer but now for the Manner of Prayer The most things I confess are there First When we come to prayer we must be sure to pray with understanding 1 Cor. 14. 15. What is it then I will pray with the Spirit and will pray with understanding also God doth not love the Sacrifice of fools we must not come babling to God in prayer to speak we know not what and to multiply words we know not wherefore but God doth require that those that come to prayer come with understanding that they offer to God a rational a reasonable an understanding sacrifice God is a Spirit and he will be worshiped in Spirit and in Truth now as it belongs to all other duties of Worship so especially in prayer to know what we do when we pray not to think to put off God with a meer emptie sound that 's the first thing The Second thing in the manner of Prayer it is The giving up all the faculties of our souls in it I spake to that in the Worship of God in general we shall apply it now particularly to prayer the giving up not only our understandings but wills thoughts affections strength in prayer in 2 Chron. 20. 3. it is said of Jehoshaphat that he set himself to seek the Lord he did give his whol self to seek the Lord we are to give our whol self and not to divide in Prayer Now this were an argument that indeed might well take up a whol Sermon in shewing the evil of the wandering of our spirits in prayer we should take heed of the wandering of our spirits in the hearing of the Word and receiving the Sacraments and so in prayer the people of God are much troubled with the wandering of their thoughts both in Word and Sacrament and it is their great burden and should be so but I never hear any more complainings of the wandering of their spirits than in the time of prayer the people of God are much pestered in their spirits with this evil it is very grievous unto them and many of them go under it as a grievous burden all their daies the chiefest burden that is upon their spirits is their wandering in prayer so that if God should speak to them as he spake unto Solomon and bade him ask what he should give him I verily beleeve there are many in this Congregation that have already good assurance of Gods love in Christ if they had not that that would be the main thing that they would ask but having attained that if God would speak from Heaven and say What shall I give you for your selves if he should ask you in the general it may be you would ask something for the Churches but if it be for your selves you would put up this Petition Oh Lord that I may be delivered from a wandring spirit in holy duties and especially in the dutie of Prayer that I may thereby come to enjoy more holy communion with thy self than ever yet I enjoied and they would account this to be a greater mercie than if God should give them to be Kings or Queens over the whol world if God should put these two into the ballance Either the whol world to possess or otherwise to have more free hearts in coming to God in prayer and to be delivered from that which hath so much hindred ther Communion with God in prayer they would despise and scorn the world in comparison of such a mercie as this is howsoever carnal hearts they think little of it but those that are the Servants of God they find it to be very grievous to them but being the time is past I shall reserve that to speak yet a little more largely for the help of those that are under the burden of it I 'le only speak one thing further now and that shall be to those that are wicked and vile and not only have vain wandring thoughts in prayer but even in the very dutie of prayer manie times have wicked and ungodly thoughts how horrible are they unclean thoughts murderous thoughts it may be and most abominable I confess even those which are godlie may somtimes have some blasphemous thoughts cast into them for the Devil is never more busie than at the time of prayer but they rather come from the Devil than from the stream and corruption of their own hearts which may be we may make out more cleerlie afterward but now I speak to such as have most wicked
people But that we spake too in shewing how we draw nigh to God in holy duties and it may well come in here again as an Argument why we should sanctifie Gods Name 4. A Fourth Reason is this Because there is no way for us to be fitted for the receiving of mercy from God through those duties of Worship but by our sanctifying of Gods Name when thou comest at any time to worship God what wouldest thou have there it some communion that thou wouldest enjoy with God now there is no way to make thee a fit subject of mercy or capable of the enjoying of Communion with God but by such a behavior of soul as this is that hath been spoken of To sanctifie the Name of God thou wouldest be loth to lose those duties of worship that thou doest perform therefore it is required of thee to sanctifie his Name lest thou doest lose all for 't is this that makes thee the only capable subject of what good is to be had there 5. We must sanctifie Gods Name in holy Duties because otherwise we should certainly never hold out in Duties but vanish and come to nothing now God would be worshiped so by his creatures as to be constantly worshiped he would have those that do worship him to worship him alwaies to worship him for ever and he would have this Worship that we perform to him but to be the begining of that eternal Worship that he shall have from us in Heaven And so the Saints do Worship God now the Worship which they perform it is but as the beginning of that Worship that hereafter in Heaven they shall tender up to God though there may be some difference in it as there our prayers will be turned into praises and it will not be in such outward Ordinances as now we worship God in there will be no Preaching nor Sacraments yet notwithstanding the Soul worship that is now will be in effect the same as it shall be in Heaven God would have us so to worship him as to continue to worship him Now I say â—nless his Name bâ— sanctified in our worshiping of him we will certainly fall off and the truth is This is the very ground of all Apostacie in Hypocrites Some that have been very forward in the worshiping of God when they were young ones and afterwards they have fallen off they were wont constantly in their families and in secret in their chambers to be worshiping of God and they accounted it the very joy of their lives for the present to be worshiping of God but it is not so with them now as it was yea they are fallen off it may be from their very profession of Religion and turn'd loose And now to be in vain company to drink or play is better to them than any Service of Worship of God they prize more to be in company with their sports than to hear a Sermon or to be in Communion with the People of God in Prayer Heretofore they would not have changed one short time of private Communion with God for the enioyment of a great deal of pleasures and content in the world but now it is otherwise with them How comes it to pass that these are apostatized thus from God Surely this is the ground of it That they did not sanctifie Gods Name in holy Duties at the most it was but a work of conscience that put them upon them and they had but some flashes there was no real Sanctification of their hearts whereby they did sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties and upon this it is that they have left off This I dare say That there was never any soul that did know what it was to sanctifie Gods Name in worship that ever was weary of worshiping God It may be some of you may say We have hard that there is much required in sanctifying Gods Name in duties and that is the only way to weary the soul and to make it fall off Oh no as we said the last day there is not any one thing that hath been opened for the sanctifiing of Gods Name in duties that any gracious heart can tell how to miss and the more we do sanctifie His Name the more we shall be in love with worship For it is from hence that those that sanctifie Gods Name in worship will hold out because they will find the sweetness of worship they will meet with God in holy duties and so they come to be encouraged in worship but as for others who do worship God in a formal way their worship will prove to be tedious to them for they perform the duties but do not find God in the duties in that spiritual way as the Saints do If they think they meet with God it is but an imagination rather than any real meeting with him they do not find the influence of God in their souls in holy duties so as those do that sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties here then you see the Reasons why we are to sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties Now then for the Application of all this 1. If all this which you have be required of us for the sanctifying of Gods Name Hence we see how little cause we have to rest upon any duty of worship that we do perform certainly the duties of worship that we perform are no such things as are fit to be rested upon for life and for salvation and yet for the most part there is scarce any thing that people have to rest upon or to tender up to God for acceptation to eternal life but only their prayers and their coming to hear and receiving of the Communion and such duties that they perform this is al they have to tender up for life and for salvation perhaps they may sometimes speak of Christ but the truth is that which their hearts rest upon for acceptation to eternal life is this And is it but this It is a weak prop a rotten reed that thou hast to rest upon Let the duties of Worship be performed never so well Suppose we did sanctifie Gods Name to the uttermost that is possible for any creature to do in this world yet such duties are not to be rested upon Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the Apostles the most holy men that ever did preform duties in the most holy manner yet wo to them if they have nothing to rest upon but their duties Consider therefore of this That what thou must rest upon for acceptation to Eternal life it must be that which must have so much worth in it as must satisfie for all thy sins that formerly thou hast committed yea and for all the sins that ever thou shalt commit Now I appeal unto any ones conscience Is that which thou performest is Prayer or receiving the Sacrament or hearing of the Word such a work as in thy conscience thou canst think it hath so much worth in it as to satisfie God for all the sins that ever thou
grate Oh the ashes dirt and filth that there is in our services when we come to offer and tender them up to God! so that we have cause I say to be humbled for holy offerings There be many godly people that through Gods mercy are able to keep from gross sins they do not find it any great matter to keep from company swearing drinking uncleanness lying or wronging of others and such kind of sins as those are so that they see not such need of humiliation in this regard unless it be for that their natures be as corrupt as any though they break not forth into those actual gross sins but the main work of the humiliation of those that are godly it is to be humbled for their thoughts for the mispending of time and for not sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties those are the main things that are the subject of the humiliation of the Saints beside the body of sin and death that they carry about with them And it would be a good sign that thy heart hath some tenderness in it when thou makest these to be the matter of thy humiliation Carnal people are little troubled for these if they fall into such sins as that their consciences do fly in their faces then they are troubled and humbled but for such things as these are they are seldom humbled To be humbled for thy holy offerings is a good sign of a gracious heart We reade of Cherubims that they had six wings and with two of their wings the text saith they covered their faces So my Brethren we had need have wings as it were to cover our best duties they had wings and with two they covered their legs and with two their faces we had need not only of a covering for our lower parts meaner duties but a covering for our holy duties to cover our faces our best duties of all the most heavenly duties we perform had need be purged by the blood of Christ in Levit. 16. 16. we reade of their holy things that there was need of purging them by blood and so it should be in our holy duties Let us be humbled for our best performance that ever we performed in our lives The best had need be so But then as for others that have made little or no conscience of sanctifying of Gods Name how had they need be humbled Thou hast something more to repent of than thou thoughtest of for the truth is Those that have not made conscience of sanctifying of Gods Name in holy Duties they never in all their lives did any service for the honor of God thou hast lived perhaps thirty or fourty it may be sixty years or more and didst never yet honor God in any one thing that ever thou didst in all thy life You will say God forbid Have not I prayed and heard the Word much and received the Communion often and yet have I never honored God If thou hast not been acquainted with this Mystery of Godliness in sanctifying his Name in these things this is said from God to thee this morning That thou hast never done any one action to the honor of God Thou hadst need begin presently for thy time is not long And wilt thou go out of this world and the Name of God never to be honored by thee Yea and further Thou hast lost all thy duties all the time hath been lost that thou hast been in performance of duties now it is an ill thing to idle away time in the things of the world When a man hath an opportunity for to gain in the world if so be he loses his time and neglects it we account it a very sad thing to him but now to lose our trading-time for Heaven for the times of the worshiping of God are our trading times for Heaven that 's sad indeed And yet thou that makest not conscience of sanctifying the Name of God in holy duties all the time thou hast spent is lost And yet further You that have been false in the performing of duties and hypocrites not only all your pains and labor is quite lost for if that were so it might be well with you but you have aggravated your sins by your holy Duties Those Duties that others have enjoyed Communion with God in and furthered their eternal life by thou hast aggravated thy sins by them yet it was thy duty to do them but I say by not sanctifying of Gods Name thou hast aggravated thy sins so much the more As those that are godly they work out their salvation even in their natural actions they sanctifie Gods Name in eating and drinking and following their business they perform those actions in such a holy manner as they honor God in them and further their eternal peace but as they in their Natural and Civil actions work out their salvation so thou in the very religiousest actions dost work out thy damnation Certainly wicked men that are not acquainted with this work of Godliness to Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties they work out their damnation even in the performance of them You will say Then they had better not do them Yes they are bound to do them but they are bound to do them in a right manner as sometimes I have given you this instance and it is a ful and a cleer one to shew that men are bound to perform holy duties and not to leave them undone and yet they may further their own damnation while they are doing of them As for example If so be that a Prince should appoint a man to come into his presence such a day to Petition for his life which he hath forfeited by the Law If he do not come he may be a dead man But now if this man be drunk on that day and come drunk into the Kings presence he may be a dead man too for presuming to come drunk before him So wicked and ungodly men whether they worship or worship not they are in danger to perish But of this more when we come to shew that God will be sanctified In the fourth place here is an use of Exhortation That seeing we have this truth thus presented to us and opened before us Oh that we had hearts to apply our selves now to it with all our might to seek to sanctifie the Name of God when we draw nigh to him The Lord hath shewen thee what it is that he requires of thee make conscience of it for time to come thou doest not know what blessed communion thou mayest have with God if thou doest make conscience of this the truth is If you have not been acquainted with this you have not been acquainted with the way of a Christian in his enjoyment of Communion with God thou doest not know what the comfort of a Christian life means do but make tryal of this for time to come and thou wilt find more comfort in the waies of Godliness and more thriving in them in one quarter of a
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