676 Gen~ral DireElions for Worjhip. 0 Lord: in tbe morni1rg n:iU I dire{] my praJ'fT umo thrt, and n,;y look._ up : For thJu - God that hath pleafurt in wic~ednr!{1, ncithtr jhaJl evil dwcU with thee. Tbe [oolifo jhaUnot jlatJ~. notha fight; thou hmjl aUthe work,_ert of i•iquity -Thoujhalt dejlroy.thtm tb41 fptak,_ltafmg: th:L::J~?n abhor.the bioo~y and decotf~l man. ~HI M for me I w1U come mto tky hnu[t in th2 multitude of th mercui, and rH thJ! fiar wrll I wor.fhrp toward! thy holyTemple. Pfal. 66. I 8. If I regard iniquity in 11 ; Lev. ro 3· hea~t, the Lord wJ!J 110: htar me. Pfa). I 5· J, ~· Whojha~ abide in GodJ tabernacle, but ht tht~t walk.ftl> upnr.htly and work,_eth rtghteoufot/s ; God w1!l be fantilfted in them that come nitrb him ? and e fan~itied pe~f~ns. fir for this? and can the Hnholy offer him holy worjhip? The ~arnal mind if a;Hm~~~ agamft God, IS tt fit then to f~rve and henour_ ~irn_? Rorn. 8: 7, 8. See 2 C?r. 6. I), 1 6, 17 , 1 g, Let hi~ tha111am~th the u.sm~ of Cbrift depart fr(l'!' tmquzty. 2 T1m. 2. 19. It JS a purified peculiar; holypeople rh~t Clmf1 hath redeemed to be the W~I011ppers of God, and as Pridl:s to o.ff"er bim Rcceptab!e Sacrifice, :nt. 2. 14. J Pet. 2. )• 9· If }'OU WJJI. receive the Ki~rgdom that Calfnot be moved, you mu!l have gr.zce J.H yottr he.zrtJ to flrve God accrptably nmh reverEnce and godI)' fear :for our God U a con[uming (irt Hc:b. !1· 28. 29: I know an ungodly perfon as foon as he harh any repenting thoughts, mull expre[; rht'mm C:onflfl!on and Pra~er to ?od : But as no Prayers of an ungodly man :neprofitable to him, but thofe wluch are alts of h1s pemrtnt raurn toward1 God ; fo no worjhip of God bath a promifi of Divine acctptaHce, but that which is performed by fuch as fincerely return toGod: (and fuch are not ungodly ) : The facriJQceuf tbe wick.,ed H abomination to the Lord, hut tbe prayer of tbe upright H hit dcliJ!.bt, Prov. I 5· 8. I know the wicked mull: foe~ the Lord while he may be found, and caD upon bim while he it uear: but it mull be in forfakjng hi1 way and thought I and turning totbe Lord, Ifa. 55· 6, 7 • Simon MagM mull fir!l Repent of hi1 wick..edne[s, and thenpray that tbe thougbu of hi1 heart may be forgi'Ven, him, Ad'. 8. 22. 0 come not in thy unholy carnal flare to WorflHp God, unlcfs ir be as a penitent returner to him, to lament firfi thy fin and mifery, that thou maifi be h.nd'iticd and reconciled and fir ro Worfl1ip him. Dirtl1. 6. 9· 17· Direct. 6. Yet ta~e it not tJI fufficient th.11 thou art in aftate of [anllificalion, hm a/fo parli~ cularly [a11Wjie thy J'lf. to every pa~ticol.r addrt[J to God in holy m>rjhip. Even rhe Child of a King W11l not go ruddy m dtrt and filthmefs mto h1s fathers prefenct". Who would not fcarch his hearc and life, and clean{c his foul from his particular pollution, by renewed Repentance and p!.!rpofcs of reformation, before he venture to fpeak to God ? Particular jin1 have nude fad breaches between God and hi1 Cbildrw, and made foul work in fouls that the blood of Chrill h•d clcmfcd, Search therefore with f~ar, lefi thc_rc fhould be _any revivi~g fin,, or any hidden ~~ot of bitterncfi , or any ttanfgrellion whiCh thou wmlt,rj! at, or w•lf11lly chenlhdl m thy fclf; that, 1t there be fuch, thou mlill bewail and hare it, and not come to God as if he had laid by his batred of fin. DireeJ. 7• '9. 18. Direct. 7· TYhemver tbo~t comcft to worjhip God, labour to aw.1~eu. thy foul to a reverent apprehcnfioHtf the prc[ence and Grtatntfi 4Hd holinejj of bit Majefly, and lo a {criou; apprebmfion of tbt GrtatneJi and txceUency 9/ the holy work;_n·bich thou ta~tjl in band. Remember wirh whom thou btJft to do, Heb. 4· J 3· To fpeak to God, is anothn kind of work, than to fpeak to rhe grearefi Prince on earth, yea or the greatell: Angel in H:aven. Be holy, for rhc Lord your God is holy. To fanl1ifie the name of God, and come in Holincfi before him, is ro apprehend hirn as infinirely advanced above the whole Creation, and to come with Hearts that are [tporattd (Tom common thingJ to him, and eJe~ vatcd above a common frame. A common frame of hearc in worlhip ( fuch as we have about our common bufinefs ) is rnet"r prophanenrji. If it be commou ir is unc/eau. Look to your feet when you go to the houfe of God. Eccl. 5· I • Put off the fooael of earth~y C6mm01l nnhaUotl'cd affections, when ever y~u treati. oH holy grotmd, that is, when you are about holy worJt, and when you draw near the Holy God. In reverent adoration fay as Jacob, Gen. 28. 17· How dreadful is thit place? tbiJ is noneother but tht houfe of God, and thi1 iJ the gate of Heaven. See, Ifa. 6. 1, 3, 5· DirelJ. 8. 9· 19. Direct. S. In the worjhip of God, remember your communion with tbe boly .AngeiJ, and witb &U luk. 2o. 36. the hojit of Heaven. You are the fervants of the fame God, and though you are yet fAr below Ste Ecd. s. 5• them, you are doing that which tendeth towards their dignity :, for you muf\ be equal with them. i~.1·/~~· 1 ' You .work is partly of the fame kind. with theirs: Iris the fame Holy M•jcfiy that you admire and praife, though you fee h1m yet but as m aglap. And the Angels arc lome of them prefent with ym1, and fee you though you fee not them: 1 Cor• 11. 1c. you are commanded to refp:d: them in your behaviour in Cods worl'hip. If the eye .of faith were fo far opt.n.t.d, as r~at in all your M Worlhipping of God, you faw the bldfed compames of Angels, :hough not m the lame place and ~~' h~~:~-k man_ner with y.ou, yet in the fa m~ wor:fhip and in commUJ~i~n with you, ad~iring,. magnifying, ex~ of Communion tolhng and pratfing the mofi Glonous God, and the Glunhcd Redeemer, w1tn fi.. umng, fervenr, holy with A~gcls ; minds, it would fure do much to elevate your fouls, and raifc you up to fame imitation and refem– And/'11"1l~~ blancc of them. You find that in Gods publick wor!hip it is a great help to the foul, in holy !~fr :a:~d u checrfulnefs and fervour, to joyn with a full A../Jembly of h:Jty fervmt cbeerfu! wor!hippers; and that Lr. Lawmut it is very difficult to the: belt, to keep up life and fervent cheerfi1lnefs in fo lmall'or ignorant or pro– and Dr. Ha'fl- phane a company as where there is is no confiderahle number to concur with us. 0 then w?at "'~~as AnnDtat. a raifing help would it be, to praife God as within the fight and bearing of the Heavenly pra,(es on 1 Cor.u. of the Angelica! chore! You fee how apt men are to be comformed to the company that the~ are in.! They that are among Dancers, or gamcfters, or tiplers, or filthy talkers, or fcorncrs or raders, are apt to do as the company doth, or at leafi to be the more difpofed to it : And they that are among S~ints, in holy wor£hip or difcourfe, are apt to imitate them much more than they wot~ld do in other. company. And what likelier way is there, to make you like Angels in the wc:rfrup~ ping of God, than tod. it as in the communion of the Angelt l and by faith :o fee and htar them m :he confort ~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=