Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BX5200 .B352 1835 v2

SHINE IN OUR WORKS. 475 play and ludicrous device, to keep the people in servitude to the priests by a blind devotion. trod must be worshiped rationally, andwith holy wisdom, and not with childish ,shadows and trifles, nor with slovenly and imprudent words, which tend to breed in the hearers derision or contempt. Neither the cantings or seenical ac- tions, or affected repetitions of the Papists, nor the rude, disorder- ly, incongruous expressions of unskillful men, are fit to be offer- ed to the glorious God. Prudence, and holiness, and seriousness, and reverence, must appear in that worship which musthonor God. O, with what holiness should we hear fromand speak to the holy, holy, holy- God ! whowill be sanctified in all that draw near him, (Lev. x. 3.) and will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain ! They that will do ït acceptably must servehim with rev- erence and godly fear, (Heb. xii. 28.) .ás knowing that he is a " consuming 'fire; " and yet with, alacrity, love, and delight, as knowing that in his favor is life, and that he is the infinitely amia- ble good, the hope and only portion of believers. XI., The humility, meekness, and patience of Christians are greatly necessary to their glorifying of God. I join all three to- gether for brevity's sake. 1. It is a thing very amiable in the eyes of all, when men have not too high thoughts of themselves, and seek not to be overvalu- ed by others, either as great, or wise, or good. When theyseek not precedency, preferment or honor, but take the lowest place, and envy not the precedence or honor of others, but take another's honor as their own, and take another to be fitter (eeteris paribus) for places of power, trust, or eminency, than themselves. When they do, according to the measure of their worth, honor all men, (1 Pet. ii. 17.) "And are kindly affectioned one to another in brotherly love, in honor preferring one another ;" (Rom. xii. 10.) not dissemblingly and complimentally saying, ' Your servant, sir,' while they would fain have others below them, and to be obedient to their wills. 'But really to think meanly of 'their own worth and wisdom ; Rom. xii. 3. " For I say through the grace given to me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God bath dealt to every man, the measure of faith. Not thinking himself something when he is nothing ; " (Gal. vi. 3.) nor to be more learned, or wise, or pious than he is. We must be, indeed, his disciples, who "humbled himself, and made himselfof no reputa- tion ;" (Phil. ii. 7, 8.) and wiped and washed the feet of his dis- ciples, to teach them what to be and do to one another ; who bath taught us the necessity of cross-bearing and self-denial, and to humble ourselves as little children, if ever we will" enter into the

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