See tiJat God be yow End in all. confort> The Angels difdain not to ftudy our ftudies, and to learn by tbt Church tbt manifold wif dom of God, Eph. 3· JO· 1 Pet. J, 12. They are nor {0 far from us, nor fa firange to us and our affair!', as that we (bould imagine our felves to be out of their communion. Though we m~y not wodhip -them, ( Col. 2. r8. ) we mufi worfhip as with thwr. ~· 20· Direct. 9· '1 ak,t' fpecial care to the Matw· of Y:JHr fYor(hip that it be fuch aF i1 ilgreeable tiJ tbt DirflJ, 9 , rPill of God:, tothe b?lin.eJI of hi1 nature, and the diref1ion1 of !Jil wo,d; and fuch aJ bath a promifi of Aduherium his acctptiHer. Offer hi~ not the facrifice of fools who l{nrnl' not th,jt they do evil, and are adding eH, impium ro 1heir fins, white they think they arepleafing him. Bring nof.Jijt fire unro his Altars: Let your Zeal cfi, lacr.ilegunt Df God be accordint, to JtnJwlfdgt· for no zeal will makt: a corrupt unlawful ki.ld of Wocfhip, to be:~~~,~~~·~~~· acctptable unto God. manu furore inlliruitur)ut difpo:lrio Di1·in1 vio!e!U·. Cypti.ur, Ealef. f. 1, ,, Lcv.Jo. r, 2, 3· Rom. 10. 2, J• ~· 21· Dirdt. 10. See th~t J'O" perform every part of IYI)rjhipt(J. tbe pr~per tJtd to which it i1 ap- Direll. IO· poinud: botb .11 ta the rtltimate, remote, and nurcjt md. T~c End IS r./JentJal_to thefe Rel.uive duries. Jf you intend not the right md, you mal~e another tbilfg of 1t: As the Preachmg of aSermon to edilie • Thef. "· 4· the Church or puttingup a prayer to procure Gods blcffings, is not the fame thing as a Stage-players Col. • 10 • prophanc re'peating the fame words in fcorn of Godlinds, or an Hypocrires ufing them for commodity ~0~~:.'71_9;1• or applaH[e. TheVlt·imate endof all -,vorjhip an~ all mor~l afiions is the f«me, eve1~, rhe Pleafing and Htb. 11 • 6. Glo1·ifyi 11 g God, 1 Cor. ro.sr. 2T1m.2.4· B::hdes whteh every part of Worflup harh irsprnpcr 1)oh.3.22• nrarrjtcn'd. · The:fe mull nor only be dijlinllly k,;ww;t, but at1ut~l!J' intmded. lr is Gud in Chrift, rhat a holy worChippcr rhirlleth after and fcekpb tor in every parr of woJfhip : eicher to k;_now more ~~ God, and of his will,and bldlings ; or to have fome lll')re Communion with him, or fomc further grace communicated from him, to receive his pardoning, or cltanfing, or quicktning, or confirming, '(Jr comforting or t:Xahing grace; to be honoured or delignred in his holy tt:l'vic~, or to make known Pr•l. 41 hisgrace and Glory for the good of mhcrs, and the honour of his name. Htre it is that God pro- Pfai. 8 4· -claimeth his name as Exod. 34 6. The ordinances of Gods Worfhip are like dtc Tree in whichZ.uhmr climbed up (being of biinklf roo low) to have a fight of Chrilt. H~rc we come to le~rn the will of God for our (alVltion ; and muft t:uter tht: Affembly with fuch re[olutiflnS as Cl)rneliuf and his Company trlft, ACT. 10. 31· lYe are all here met to hear all things comm.mded tbce of God: and as Atr. 2. 37· and AU. 16. 30· ro lc.nn what we mutt do to be faved. Hither we come for thlt holy light, which m:ty thew us our fin, and 01ew us the gf'acc which we have rc:ceived, and Chew us che unfpeakable Jo.ve of God, till we are humbled for lin, and lifted up by faith in ChriH, and can with Tb.,mar as it were put our fingers into his wounds, and fay in alfura.nce, My Lordandmy God: and as PfJ.l. 48. I4· ~hU G1Jd Hottr God for ever ami ever: he wili be our gHide even unto drath. Here we do as it wc:re wich Mary fit ac the feet of Jcfus, to hear his word, Lttk: 10. 39· that fire from Heaven may come down -upon om hearts, and we may fay, Did nat our hearts burn within 1ff wbilt he JPak,..t to ur, and while <In opeHed to JU th; Scripture!'? Luk. 24· 32. Here we cry to him as the blind rnan, Lord that 1 may M3Ik 10 sr. -receive 11ry fight: We cry here to the Watchmen, Cant. 3•3· {awye him whom my foul lovctb : Here we are in his banqurting lloufe, under the bavncr ef bH Love, Cant. 2. 4• We have here the fealing and (9uickenings of hisfpitit, the morritication of our fin, the increafe of grace, and a profped' into life eternal, an'd a forefight of the cndlefs happine{s t'here. See then that you come to the Wor(hip of God with thcff inttntionJ and expeliations: that if God or Confcience call to you ( as God did fometime to 'EliM) wh-at doft thou here ? you may truly anfwcr, 1c1me to feek the LorO my God, and ro lean his will that 1might do ir. And that your fwret delights may make you fay,. Pfal. 8 4 . 4 • Bl{ffed are tbey th.Jt dwell in thy htntfc they will be jtiU praifing thee ! If thou come ro the Worihip of God in me<.>r cujlome, or to make thy carnal heart believi! th:J.t God will forgive rhce becaufe thou fo far fcn·cfi him, or to quiet rhy Confcience with the doing of a formal cask of duty, or ro be fcen of men, or that thou m~iH not be th~ught ungodly, if thdC be thy ends, thou wilr fpecd accordingly. A Holy f"ul cannot live upon the a1r of mans applaufe, nor upon the £hell of Ordinances, without God who is the kernel and the life of all: Iris the Love of God that brings them thither, and it is ·Love that they are exerdiing there, and the tnd 1{ Love, even the nearer approach of tht: {oul to God which they defire and intend. Be fure then that thefe bt: the true and re~l intentions of eh~ heart. · 9· 22· Que£\. But h"'"Jl,aU I i<_now 'whether indeed it be God himfilf that I am {eekjug, and that I How to know perform his worjhip to tbe af?ointcd ends? r~at we h:tv.:. AH[w. In fo great a bufinffs it is a fhamf to be unacquainted with your own Intentions? If ngh~~dun you nkc hetd what you do, and look after your hearrs, you may know what you come for~ and what v. or 1 1'· is your bufindS there. But m0rc particularly you m1y di[cern ir by thefe marks. I· He that hath right cnd1, ar.d feel{,eth God, will labour to fuit all his duties to thofe end1, and will lik,.e that befi which is bell fuircd to them: He will ftrive fo to preach and hear and pray, not as tends mol\ to prefer~ mtiJt or appJau[e, but as tcndeth mofi to pltafe and honourGod, and to attain his grace : And he will l~ve thlt Sermon or thar praJ'tt bdt, that is bel\ liited to bring up his foul to God, and not that which ttckleth a carnal ear. Muk what you fit the means to, and you may perceive what is your end. 2· .If it be G<Xl himfelf that you f«k after in his Worn1ip, you will not be fatistied witho«t God: lr t'i not the doing of the task that will f,;tisfie you, nor yet the greatefi: praile of m.en, no nor of the mofi ~odly men! But fo far ~s you h1ve attained yottr end) in the clcanfing or quickening or · Urengthcmng of the foul, or gettmg fomewhat ncarfr God) or pleafing or honouring him, fa tar only you
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