General 'DireEfions for right Worjhipping God. good fadnefs, and is employed in a work, that is worthy of an immortal rational foul. The delights of Ordinances as they are performed by man, will favour of his imperfections, and talle of the in.. flrurnent, and have a bitterncfs often mixed with the fweet; When the delight that cometh from Gvd b;mfelf will be more pure: Ordinances are uncertain : You may have them to day, and lofe them to morrow! when God is cvcrlafiing, and evcrlafiingly to be enjoyed. 0 therefore take not up ihort of God, in any of his wor!hip, but before you fet upon it, call up your (0uls to mind thechd, ~nd tell them what you are going to do, that you mifs not of the tnd for want of feeking ir. The Devil will give hypocritical worldtings leave to play them with the rnofi excellent Ordinances, if he can but keepGod out of fight, even as you will let your children play them with a box ofGold, as long as it is !hut, and thcytCe not whar's within. . ~· 25• Dire& 11. Be laboriouJ n·ith your heart/ in aU God1 worjhip to ~tp them employed on their DtrelJ. J f, duty ; and be watchful ovtr them, left they Jlug or wander. Remcmbh that it is heart-war~{ thar you ~P~· 6 · 186 are princip.illy aboUi. And theretore fee rhar your heartt be all the while at . work. Takeyour felvu R~v~ ;.1 j.~ · as idle when your hearts are idle. And if you take not painJ rPith them, how little pains will thty Col.4. t. take in duty. If you watch them not, how quickly will they lye down, and forget what ·they are l\b.tth. 26.38~ doing, and fJll alleep when you are in treaty with God ? How cafily will they turn afide, M -:o -tr. and be thinking of impertinent vanities! TYatcb therefore unto prayer and every duty, 1Pet. 4·17• at.IJ·:t,·~;~ 2 'fjm. 4· 5• · ~· 2 6. Dircd. J2· LooV ttp ftJ Heaven 111 that which aU you~ dutiu tend to , that from thmce ypu Dzrel1. 12· may fetch your encouraging mutivu. Do all as a means to l1fe eternal: feparate no duty from its rew.trd and end. As the traveller rcmembreth whither he is •going all the Way, :and a defired end doth make the foulejl jltpt leem tolerable; fo think in every prayer you put up, and in every duty, that it is all for Hesven. ?· 27· o;rc~. 13. Drpend upon 1he Spirit ofGod f,r htlp. You cannot fcel{ God fpiritually and ac. DirctloJ3• ccptably without him. Think not that you are fufficient to worfhip G,,d aright without his help. where this is dcfpifed or neglc~ed, you fee what lamentable work is made by blind corrupted mture ifl Gods fcrvice. Senfoal wretches that h:Zvt not the Spirit, are litter for any thing than !O Jude 1.9. w01fhip God. If he tiJJ! bath 1101 tbe Spirit of Chrij1 be no•e of hi<, Rom. 8. 9· then he that pretends to worfhip God without the Spirit of Chrifi, can ill think to be heard for the fake of Chrifi. 9· 28. Direct. 14· Look 11l{o to your Mnguu a1zd the drptJrtmtltt of your bodies, that the whole man Direl1. 14 • may rPor./hip God in boline[!, as be rtquireth. Pretend nor your good meanings, nor the fpiritualiry of your ~orlhip, to cxcufe you from wodbipping alfo with y~ur baditt· YI')Ut Hearts mufi be firjl Jookt to ; but your wards and bodiu mufi next be lookt to : And if you regard not thefo , it is hardly credible that you regard your btaru. r. Your words andgefturu are the due expreffion ofyour hearts : And the Heart will defire to expr<f; it fclf as it is : Many would cxprefs their Hearts to be bttter than they are : and thereforegood expr<ffiont are oft to be fufpecred: But tew would exprcfs theit heart! as wmfe than they arc,and therefore bad appearances do fddome lye.2.Your wordJ and amonr arc needful to rhc: due honouringofGod; As evil wordr and al1ions do difhonour him, and tl1e unfeemly djf. orderly performance of his iC:rvice, is very injurious to fuch holy things; fo yourmeet and comely words and grjluru are the ext<rnal beauty of the worfhip which you perform:And God lhould be fcrved with the be(\. 3• Your worJr and geft•ru reflect much on your own hearts: As a6ts rend to the increafe of the habits; fa the external expreffions tend to increafe the internal affections,. whether they be good or evil. 4· Your words and gcftures mu£\ be regarded for the good ofothers, who fee not your hearts but by rhefe expteffions: And where many have communion in wotlhipping God, fuch acts of com: munion are of great regcrd. srrr CHAP.
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