Seek God !Jimfelf i11 ewry Ordinance. you will be cont<nted. 3· If God be yoMr end, you will be faithful in the ufe of that more P . and JPiriuul worfhip, where God is to be found, though no humane applaufe be there to btvatt tained ; 4· And you will love fiill the fame fi•bfta~uial neceffary truth and duty which is to~ at– fouls as bre.td and drink is to your bodies; when thofe that have carnal ends wiu' be looking gur v.:riety and ch:mgt, and will bt weary of the neceff.uy bread of life. By obfcrving thefe things a rcr may difcern what are your ends in Worfhip. you ~· 23· And here I mull not let go this nccdfary Direction, till I have driven on the Reader w· h foroc ~ur~ i~po~tunirr ro the ~ l"ious practice of it~ It is lamentable to fee, how ~any turn ;~e Wor!l11pot Und mro vile hypocrifie, and dead formalzty; and oiler God aCarrion for a Sacrifict a d yet thtir Con{cienc<.s arc fo far from clllcking them tor this heynous fin, that rhey are much pieafid and qu1e<cd by ir,as if they had defcrvcd well of God, and proved themfelvcs very godly people a~d by t~is_ fin had made him amends for the. eo~man fin~ of their lives~ Is it God himfelf, and his fanCbfymg grJce that thofe men feek after m hts · Wmfhtp, who hate hts grace and fcorn fanctific. t~on, and can l.:o~.vc _God to be enjoyed by others, if thty may but c~joy their fldhly pkafures, an~ nch(s and honours m r~c '"':orld. ~ven the Haters of G?d and Holmefs are f? blinded, as to per. fw•de themfelvcs that m hJS Worlh1p they are truly feekmg that God and Hohncfs which they hate. 2 Tim.;.). AndOwhat ade'<llof pams IS many a formal Hypocnte at tohttlc purpofe; in fpending m 1 ny 1 Tim. 4. 7 • hours in outfide, hcan\efs, lifclefs, wodhip, while they never 'hirjlul a{ttr God, nor after a holy con. formity to him, communion wirh him, or fruition of him, in all their lives. 0 whar a deal oflabour do theft Pharifees lofe in bodily exercife which projitrtb ••thing, for want of a right end in all that rhey do> bccaufc it is not God that they feek? when Golineji is profitable la aU tbings, 1 Tim. 4 . 8. And what is Godlimfi bur the foul! devottdnefs to God, a~d[tekjng •fitr him l We have much adoe to bring fame rntn from their diver£ions tO Gods outward worjhip: But 0 how much harder is it to bring the foul to feek God unfeignedly in that Worlhip where the Body is prefent? When David in the Wildernef"s was driven from the Sanctuary, he cryeth out in the bitternefs of his foul, [ As the Hart P•ntct!J after the water Braoi(f, fo pantet!J my foul after thee 0 God :Myfoulthirftetb fvr God, for tbe. living God: when j11ali I come and appear btfore God: My t:e.srs hav~ been my meat day and night wh~le they contmually [1y unto me, whrre u thy God? You fee here that tt Was God himfelfthat D11 vitJ thirficd after in his Wor01ip. Alas, what is all the eutward pomp of Worfhip, if God be not the end and life of all? Without him how vain a thing would the wordJ of prayer and preaching, and the adminitlration of the Sacraments be? It is not the dead letter, but the quic'<.er.ing [pirit, that makcth the dead in lin to live; that convinceth or comforreth the foul; or maketh the worfuipper holy or 1r2• 19, 1 ~. happy. Nay it is fomc aggravation of your mifery, to be defiirute of true Communion witb God Matth. I5· s. while you feem to wor01ip him; and to be far from him in the Heart, while you draw fo nea; M,,h. ' 1· 'l· him wirh the lips: To boafi of the 'femp!eof tht Lord, and be forf.ken by the Lord of the 1tmplt t ~:mt. lo. '~· · That Capernaum {hall be call: down to Hdl, that is but chu~ lift up to Heaven: And it wiJI be e 4 fier im · n . :!: for Sodom in the day of judgement, than for fuch as had the publick ordinances without God. Dtt– ~ Slm.H. 2f, vid left the Arl{ with Abfa/rJm at Hieruf:.~lcm; but God was not with Abfolam bur With Davjd. No ,s, 29. !f!arvel if fuch Hypocrite! grudge at all that is cofily in Gods fervice, even the necetfary mainre.. nance of the MinHl:ers: For if they have only the fhell of Ordinances without God, it will fcarcc: re.. quire rhem for their coil. No marvel if they think all their pJins roo much, when they take up wirh the chaff which is fcarcely worth rheir pains~ No wonder i( they find fmall pleafure in Gods Service: For what pleafure is there in the husks or chaff, or in a deaf nut? No wonder if thcy.grow no better, no holier or llronger by it; For what firength will chaffand fhadows breed ? No marvel if they arc qnickly weary, and if a little of fuch Religion feem enough, when the life and ffiirits and ftrength and JWeemef! is neglected. 0 finners, remcmbc:r, that God defireth not yours but y 9H, and. all your wealth, and fervice is as nothing to him, if he have not yBttr [elves (when yet you are fo little worth the having); N•y how earnefily doth he (ue to have you? How dearly hath he bought you? he may chalknge you as his own. Anfwer this kindnefs of God aright : Let no ordinance, nor no common mercy fi.tisfie you, if you have not God hirnfelf: And ro encourage you let me fur· ther tell you. 9· 24- ro.lf it beGod himfilf that thou feekefi in his worlhip ( fincerely) thou fl~alt find him; luk. to. 42 , Bccaufe thou hafl chofen the better put, it £hall not be taken from thee. Becaufe thou hungrefi and thirfieth after him thou !halt be fatisfied. What joyful news is this to the thirfiy foul? 2· Thou art mofi welcome to God with thefe high defires ; This holy ambition and afpiring of Love is only acceptable to him: If all ordinances be nothing to thee without God, he will fee that thou under– fiandell the true ufe of ordinances, and put down thy name among his Lovt:rs, whom he cannot dcfpife. Heloveth not to fee men debafe their fouls, to feed on husks and chaff with hypocrires, no Ch 11 'lu more than to feed on filth and dirt, with fenfualifis and worldlings. As he accepted Solamo/u prayer 1 ro ;:-; 1;: becaufc he asked not for little things, but for great, fo he is very much pleafed wilh the foul, ~bar is unfatisfied with all d1e world, and can be content with nothing lower or worfe than God h1mfdf. 3. Nay becaufe thou feckefi God himfelf, thou !halt have all rhings with him that are worth fhe having, Mattb. 6. 33· B ..om. 8. 28. When hypocrites have but the carKafs and thadow, it's thou that f11llt have the fubfiantial food and joy. As they that wen; with Paul when he was Converted did hear the voice but faw no man, AU. 9· 7· fo others fhall hear the found of the word, and t!le name of God ; but it is thou that ilTlli fee him by fairh that is invifible, and feel the power and ffficacy of all. Thou fiult hear God fpeak to thee, when he that fitteth in the: fame feat with thee, lha.H hear no more than the voice of man: It is he that feeketh after God in his Ordinances, that is Religious in good
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