give up all that you are have or can do to God Lord I am thy servant take all Faculties of Soul and Members of Body improve all lay out all to thine own praise to the uttermost to bring glory to thy great Name If every time you came to God in Prayer you did this this were to sanctifie your selves to God I spake before of a sanctified heart but now this is in a profession of your selves unto God do it secretly at least in your own thoughts if you do not every time express it in words yet in your own thoughts do it devote yourselves to God every day Of admirable use it would be if every day when men and women worship God either in their closets or families they did professedly devote and consecrate themselves to God and so likewise every time they come to hear the Word or to receive Sacraments God would account his Name to be sanctified in such a work as this is 8. Lastly That that must make all up and without which all the other is nothing it is That you must tender up al your worship in the Name of Jesus Christ let a man or woman worship God never so well yet when they have done all if they do not tender it up in the Name of Jesus Christ God will not account his Name to be sanctified thou must by Faith look upon Jesus Christ as the glorious Mediator that is come into the world by whom thou hast access unto the Father And act thy Faith upon Christ and give up thy Duties into his hand as the hand of a Mediator to be tender'd up to the Father by him though thou hast labored what thou canst to perform Duty as well as thou art able yet thou must not think to tender it up by thine own hand unto God but thou must tender it up to the Father by the hand of Jesus Christ the Mediator and so thou shalt sanctifie the Name of God in holy Duties We reade in Levit. 16. 13. that when Aaron was to tender up the Incense he was to put the Incense on the fire before the Lord that the cloud of the Incense may cover the Mercy-seat that is upon the Testimony that he die not Mark it is as much as his life is worth whether he doth it or doth it not Now Incense it is in the New Testament called Prayer and so in the Old Testament too it was a kind of emblem of Prayer The offering up of our Prayers is the offering up of Incense to God and the Mercy-seat it was a Type of Jesus Christ Now the Incense should cover the Mercy-seat so our Prayers must go up to Jesus Christ must be upon him and so must be accepted by the Father And as we reade in Judg. 13. 20. when Monah offered a Sacrifice the text saith that the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame This Angel of God here was Jesus Christ as we might easily from this Scripture make it out and he ascends up in the flame from the Altar Now though we do not offer such kind of Sacrifices with Fire and Incense as they did in the time of the Law yet when we are offering up of our Incense there must be a flame of Fervency and Zeal But that is not enough together with the flame of the Altar and the Angel of God Jesus Christ the great Angel of the new Covenant for Angel signifies nothing but Messenger the great Messenger that is come into the world about that great Errend of his To Reconcile the World to Himself He must ascend up in the flame and so God will account his Name to be sanctified the Name of God is not sanctified but through Jesus Christ The acting of our Faith upon Christ as Mediator is a special ingredient to the Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy Duties as you know the Scripture saith That the Altar doth Sanctifie the Gift offered upon the Altar Jesus Christ is the Altar upon whom all our Spiritual Sacrifices are to be offered and this Altar doth sanctifie the Gift that is offered upon it let never so great a gift be offered upon any other Altar it was not accounted holy nor accepted So let men by their natural strength or power that they have offer up the most glorious and speciousest Service to God it is not accepted except it be offered up upon the Altar Jesus Christ We have an Altar now not the Communion Table but Jesus Christ himself is our Altar upon whom we are to offer al our Sacrifices and this Altar must sanctifie the Gift we can never have our Gift Sanctified no nor Gods Name sanctified in this Gift except it be offered upon this Altar and our Faith acted upon Jesus Christ People little think of this but of other things viz. That when we worship God we should worship him with Fear and Reverence and with Humility and with strength of Intention such kind of things every one that hath any enlightening of conscience will think of at some time or other but people do least think of this which is the greatest ingredient of all in the Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties that is To come and tender up all to the Father in the Name of Jesus Christ How many men and women that have been Professors of Religion twenty or thirty years and yet not acquainted with this great Mystery of Godliness To tender up all to God in the Name of his Son This is that that upon divers occasions I have spoken unto and am willing upon every occasion as I meet with it to speak of because it is a principal part of the great Mystery of the Gospel without which all our duties are rejected of God and cast away Now then put all these Nine things together and see by them what we ought to do that we may sanctifie the Name of God in holy Duties But there is something further to be spoken that may help you to sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties and that is Several workings of heart sutable to the several Attributes of God for that is to sanctifie Gods Name to have the duty to be such as is some way sutable to such a God as we are now worshiping Now then let us consider what the Scripture saith of God and then let us see what sutable dispositions we should have in us unto those things that the Scripture saith of God 1. First You know the Scripture saith that God is a Spirit in Joh. 4. 24. Then presently Christ saith That he that worships him must worship him in Spirit that is there must be a sutableness in our worship to what God is Is God a Spirit then all that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth that is thus When I am to go to worship God I must consider of him as he is an infinite and glorious Spirit well then surely bodily worship is not sufficient for me Though I do kneel down in prayer or
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
Gods presence at any time SERMON III Leviticus 10. 3. I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me WEE proceed now to what remains There are only for the perfecting of this Point two Cases of Conscience to be resolved And then we are to proceed to other things The First is Whether we ought at all times to set apart some time for Preparation to every duty of Gods Worship Secondly Suppose we do not find our hearts prepared as we do desire Whether it were better to leave off the duty than perform it For the First of these Viz. Whether we are alwaies bound to set some time apart for preparation to the duty that we are to perform The answer to that is this we must distinguish of persons There are some that are exercised in the way of godliness and do keep their hearts close with God in the waies of holiness now for them it may be supposed that through their exercise in the waies of Godliness and keeping of their hearts constant with God in communion with him walking with God closely that they are at all times prepared to every good work and fitted to fulfil that command of the Apostle Pray continually that is in the disposition of their hearts they are fit to pray at any time there is no day in the week nor no hour in the day but they if God call them to it could fall down to solemn Prayer And indeed this is an excellent condition and a good evidence of the hearts walking close with God that there is no time but they are fit to pray and fit for any Ordinance yea to receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper It is possible to keep the heart so close to God as to be fit for Prayer and for the hearing of the Word and for receiving the Sacrament every day or any hour in the day but this needs a very close walking with God and communion with God and the truth is this is very rare most men let out their hearts so much to other things as their consciences cannot but tell them that if God call them to Prayer at such a time in the day they are altogether unfit for it If they were called to receive the Sacrament their consciences would accuse them and tell them they are unfit for it but it is not so with those that walk close with God though they be in the world You wil say If a man have business in the world how can this be Yes Though they have business in the world yet they carry the heavenliness of their hearts along with them Our Conversation is in Heaven saith the Apostle Phil. 3. Now the word that is translated Our Conversation it is a word that signifies Our City Converse our trading is in Heaven when we go to the City or Exchange or about any business yet our trading is alwaies in Heaven But now there are other sorts of people that had need at all times to look to their hearts in way of preparation As First Those that first set upon the duties of Religion yong beginners that begin at first to set their faces towards Heaven to worship God they had need look to their hearts they should spend some time in Preparation when they come to holy Duties and the truth is When the conscience of a man or woman is at first enlightned and awakened they will be very careful in preparing to holy duties the fear of God it is mighty upon their spirits at first and it should not be less afterward the constancy of Gods fear should bring their hearts to such a holy temper as to make them fit for holy duties alwaies Secondly Those men and women that any time shall sin against conscience shall commit such sins as shall in a kind even lay wast conscience shall break their peace between God and their souls they had need spend some time in preparation for holy duties they cannot come into the presence of God to enjoy communion with God but they had need beforehand be very serious in the examination of their hearts and to endeavor the working of their hearts into mourning for their sin and to labor to possess their souls with the presence of God even before they come These two sorts of people such as have not been acquainted with the waies of Godliness or such as have broken their peace with God by some evil carriage of theirs towards God in some vile way I say it is requied of them to be more solemn in the Work of Preparation 2. But now for the Second Case which indeed is the main Suppose when we come to duties and begin to examine our hearts and begin to bethink our selves whether we be prepared yea or no to holy duties and we do not find our hearts prepared according to that that we do desire Whether then we may let the duty go for that time and forbear the performance of it as suppose Prayer or receiving the Sacrament or coming to the Word or any other holy Duty And the reason of this doubt is Because when any man or woman is consciencious they think with themselves that they must Sanctifie Gods Name in Holy Duties now if they cannot find their hearts in a fit disposition to sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties they are ready to think thus Were it not better to neglect this duty and lay it aside for the present Will God accept of a duty when I perform it and am not set for it Therefore for the Answer to this because it is a temptation that sometimes carnal hearts have and they are ready to take this temptation and willing to neglect the duty upon such a thoughts as this that they are not prepared And the truth is they are more glad to let the duty fall than they are sorry for want of the preparation of their hearts for the duty I beseech you consider of this whether you have not found it so that sometimes when you have not been fit to perform a holy duty there hath not been a more secret willingness of the heart to let the duty go than a sorrow of the heart because you are not fit for the duty This is a very evil sign that the heart is very much distempered Those that are godly indeed when they find not their hearts prepar'd for the duty it is the trouble of their souls it is that which goes neer their hearts when they think with themselves that they are now like to lose a duty of the Worship of God they are now like to lose their communion with God in a holy duty they even look upon themselves in an evil case in regard of this and it makes them watchful for time to come to take heed of those things that have put them in such an unpreparation as they find their hearts to be in at this time Now if it be so with thee it is a good sign that thy heart may be upright with God
to have to deal with God look upon him as a God of infinite Wisdom and I say be thou ashamed of thy folly then and do thou exercise the grace of wisdom too when thou comest to God that is by propounding right ends of which we spake before That is one part of wisdom to have right ends and right means towards those ends so that the meditation of the wisdom of God when we come to worship him will further us to sanctifie his Name And further This is to Sanctifie Gods Wisdom when thou comest into Gods presence in thy greatest straights deny thy own wisdom come with a resolution to be guided by the Wisdom of God in this manner Lord I know not how to order my steps there is much folly and vanity in my heart but thou art a God of infinite Wisdom I come to thee for direction and I profess here I am willing to give up my whol Soul to be guided by thy wisdom If every time we come to Worship God we came thus Oh Lord whatsoever our thoughts have been heretofore yet if thou shalt but reveal thy mind to us we will hearken to thee Lord we beleeve that thy Wisdom it is thy Self and therefore we profess to give up our selves to thy Wisdom Now this is to Sanctifie the Name of God 9. Consider the holiness of God God is a God infinitely pure from all sin and therefore when we come to Worship God we must be ashamed of our holiness as the Prophet in Isa 6 when he heard the Seraphins cry Holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts he fals down and saith Wo is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips And is God a holy God Then let me take heed when I come before Him that I bring not with me a love to any sin for the Lord hates it and let me take heed that I do not cast dirt in the very face of Gods Holiness but give up my soul to be rul'd wholly by Him And labor that there may be a sutableness between the holiness of thy heart and of the infinite God Now this is to sanctifie Gods Name when the consideration of this Attribute of God hath such effect upon my heart that I labor upon this to come with a sutable heart before God 10. When thou comest before God Consider that thou comest to a merciful God And what should this work First It should make me come joyfully into His presence as a God that is willing to do good to his poor creatures that are in misery Secondly It should make me to come with a heart sensible of the need of this mercy O Lord I have had my heart let out to other vain things heretofore but now Lord thy mercy it is that my soul comes for as that wherein my chief and only good consists Thirdly It should make me come with expectation of great things from God do not come unto God as unto an empty Vine but as unto a full Vine and the more thy faith is raised to expect great things from God the more acceptable art thou to God Certainly the higher any ones faith is raised when they come into his presence to expect the greatest things the more acceptable It is otherwise with God than men if you come to men to beg a little thing you may be welcome but if you come to ask a great matter they will look askew upon you but the truth is the greater the things are that we come to God for the more welcome are we into Gods presence and those that are acquainted with God they know it and therefore they come the more fully When they come to ask Jesus Christ himself and his Spirit that is more worth than ten thousand worlds they come with more freedom of Spirit than when they come to ask their healths and the like Fourthly It will be likewise another means of sanctifying this Attribute of God when thou comest to him If thou doest come with a merciful heart towards thy brethren Take heed whensoever you come to worship God that you come not with a rugged and cruel heart towards any of your brethren therefore you find that Christ laies this upon you in teaching how to pray you most say Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive our brethren that trespass against us And you find it repeated again If you forgive then your Heavenly Father will forgive and not otherwise As if Christ should say When you come to beg mercy be sure you bring merciful hearts Fifthly It is a good way to sanctifie the Name of God in this Attribute for the soul to be solicitous with it self What is that that will hinder me from the mercy of God and let me avoid it It is otherwise a taking of the Name of God in vain for me to come to profess what need I have of Gods mercy and yet for al that never regard to avoid those things that may hinder the work of his Grace upon me 11. Consider the Justice of God that 's another Attribute Consider that thou hast to deal with an Infinite Righteous and Just God Do not think that if thou beest a Beleever that thou hast nothing to do with the Justice of God for certainly thou art to sanctifie the Justice of God Now you will say How should a Beleever sanctifie the Justice of God Thus First He should be apprehensive and sensible how by sin he hath put himself under Justice and deserved the stroke of Justice to be upon him to eternity he should consider what he is in himself It 's true that Jesus Christ hath come between a beleeving soul and the Justice of the Father and hath taken the stroke of Justice upon himself yea but though he hath done it it doth not hinder but that thou shouldst be apprehensive of what thou hast deserved thy self Secondly Here is a special thing in the sanctifying of the Justice of God When we come before him we should consider that we have to deal with an infinite just God and therefore not to dare to come but through a Mediator Here you have the reason why we must tender up all in the Name of Jesus Christ because when we are to come before God we are to sanctifie the Name of his Justice For thee to think thus I have sinned and God is merciful and I will go and pray to him that he might be merciful and there 's an end Is this all Oh no God requires the sanctifying of his Justice and there is nothing that doth sanctifie his Justice so much as this That when a poor creature sees the infinite distance that sin hath made between that infinite God and it it sees that though sin it hath made its self liable to Justice and when it sees that there is an absolute necessity that infinit Justice must have satisfaction and thinks the sinner If it comes to me that I must satisfie the Justice of God