532 How ive make Religion our bufarsefs ? Seim. 23, ay ea çais; î, ward/y. Religion Both not (hand only in forms and fhadows this is to give God leaves inftead of fruit. ' l'is often feen that the pon.p of worfhip del'lroys the purity, as the paint of the Galafs hinders the light : And 'tis no untruth to fay, that formality may as well damn as prophanenefs. A. fuperflitious Pharifee may as well be in Hell as a drunken Epicure. A Chriflians main work lies with his heart. He that makes Religion his buGnefs, gives God the Vitals, he worfi -;ips him in i irit and in troth, john 4.2.4. In flilling the #irits are Uror;g eft. The good Chriflian diflils out the fpirits for Cod. Aaron muff cff:r the fat upon the Altar, He Jhal1of fer an offering made by fire, the fat that covereth the inwards. Verf. 16. All the fat is the Lords. If .Aaron had offered the skin inflead of the fat, it would not have been accepted. Externall devotion alone is offering the skin ; and they that give God only the skin of duty, (hall carry away only the (hell of comfort. 2 Charoi1. 2. Cbaratier. He who makes Religion his bufinefs, avoids every thing that may be a remora and hindrance to him in his work. A w c- ked man cares not whether the matter of Religion goes forward, or backward ; he (lands in the way of tentation ; and as if fin did not 45.18, come fait enough, he draws it as with a Cart- rope , Ifa. 5, is, But ham' who makes Religion his bufinefs, flies from tentation, and while he is running the heavenly race, lays glade every weight of fin which Both f. cafily beat him, Heb. i 2. i. A man may as well mifs of Heaven by loy- tering in the way, as by lofing the way, t Sam. 21.8. The Kings bon- nets required haft fo the buGnefs of Religion requires haft; there- fore the good Chriflian is careful that he be not taken off the work; and fo be taken tardy in ir. 3. Char4í1. 3 . Character. He who makes Religion his bufinefs , bath a care to preferve confcience inviolable, and had rather offend all the world than offend bis con fcience, z Tim. i. 3. 1 thank God whom I ferve from my forefathers with pure confcience. Much of Religion lies in confci- ence. Faith is a precious jewel!, but confcience is the Cabinet where D falix to"f this jewel! mull be kept, 1 Tim. 3. 9. Holding the myflery of faith in a fAà, ba o m a- pure confcience. Love is a beaucifull flower, but this flower moft grow perA-m virgultit in the garden of a pure confcience, i Tim. 1. 5. Charity out of a pore cox Zta, variifq; confcience. So facred a thing is confcience without this all Religion virturum drops in pieces. He who makes Religion his bufinefs,labours to get bus putP1 ta. confcience regulated by So ipture, (as the Watch is fee by the Dial) _ An erren:o.frar, . and having done this, he keeps his confcience as his eye, that no dull Tsar, zo. of fin fall into it. 4.. Charatltr
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