520 The Life of Faith. tell thee, for the world is mine, and thepilafs thereof -Offer to Godthanksgiving, and pay thy very so the moft High. And caIl upon me in the day of trouble But to the wicked,faith God, What haft thou to do to declare my Statutes, or that thou Jhouldeff take my Covenant in tby mouth, feting thou bateft in ftruaion, andcufteff sty words behind thee a Sam. 15. 2z, 23. Hatb the Lorddelight in burnt.offerings, and facrifices, as in obeying tbe voiceof the Lord? Behold, to obey it better than facrifice, and to hearken, than thefat ofRaces. Pfal. 4 3, 4, 5 Kwm, that theLordbath chofen the man that is godly for him felt= -----Stand in awe and fin not. -- Offer the facrifices of rigbteoufnefs--- Pdal. 51. 1 7. Abe facrifices of God area broken fpirir. Match. 9, 13. & 12. 7. Learn what this meanetb, I will have mercy, and not facrifice--- &ocleC 5. a. Keep thy feet when thou goe(i to the bout ofGod, and be more ready tobear, than tooffer the facrifice of f ols., for they know not that they de evil. All this telleth us, that fools and hypocrites, while they difobcy Gods Law, do think to make up all with facrifice, or to appeafe God with offeringhim fomething that is excellent But the acceptable Worfhipper cometh to God as a penitent, a learner, refolving to obey; as a Receiver of mercy, andnot ameriter. Direct. 2. Over-value not therefore the manner of your own II3'orfhip, andover-vilifie not other wens, of a different mode : And make not men believe that God is ofyour childifh humour,and valueth or -vilifieth wards, and orders, and forms, and ceremo- nies, as much as fell-conceited people do. Ifoneman hear another pray only from the habits of hit mind, and prefent defìres, he reproacheth him as a rath pre- fumptuous fpeaker, that talketh that to God which he never tore- confidered. As if a beggar did rathly ask an alms, or a corrcded child, or a malcfador did inconfiderately beg for pardon,unkfs they learn firft the words by rote: or as ifall mens converfe, and the words of Judges on theBench were all nth or the counfcl of a Phyficiau to his Patient, becaufe they ufe not books and forms, or let not down their words long bcforc. And
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=