PART I. SERMON XIII, ISO merey. Itwas for this purpose that Christ, at his departure from earth, engaged the promise of his presence with his minis- ters in the preaching of his gospel. Lo I am with you always even to the end of the world; Mat. xxviii. 20. And is not this suf- ficient ground for mento expect and hopeto see God there? Besides all this, have not christians enjoyed blessed experi- ences of the presence of God in his sanctuary, in the assembliesof his saints? One can say, " I was all darkness and ignorance, and there I found divine light, discovering to me my sin andmisery, and his salvation." Another can-say, I was dead in sin, and found my soul raised to a divine life there ; " I was mourning and des- pairing, and there I found a word of support and holy joy, such as no mere words of men could convey intome ; and I am forced _ to confess Godwas in thisplace of a truth;" 1 Cor. xiv. 25. Remarks on the first head. I. Howmuch should we guard hypocrisy in divine worship, because it is an appearancebefore God ? We do then, in a solemn manner, set durselves before God, and, as it were, humbly call (mod to look upon us, and take notice of our hearts. Let us remember this, every one of us, when we go to public worship, we do in effect say to God, " O Lord, we are always in thy sight, but in a special manner we now come to shew thee our hearts, to acquaint theehumbly with our wants, our sorrows, and our sins, our desires and hopes ; and God will not hold him guiltless that takes his name invain; lie is a jealous God, he will not be mocked ; Gal. vi. 7. He is a Spirit; and hewill be worshippedin spirit and in truth; John iv. 24. He is sharp -sighted, he sees through our souls, and knows the ends and designsof our coming, whether to sed creatures, and be seen of them, or to see himself, our Creator : Whether toobserve the modes, dress, and behaviour of our fellow-creatures on earth, or to learn the will of God, and the mode of heaven. Suppose Jesus Christ, in his humannature, were there, whose eyes are as a flame offire, and through your countenancescan discern the most secret thought of your souls, would you not stand in awe of Ins majesty ? Would not this glorious appearance fix the most vain and fluttering imagination in a pious solemnity ? How soli- citously would you watch over your minds, lest they wander fromworship ! Howcarefullywould you keep yourhearts ! . Or suppose you saw the holy angels there which attend the churches in worship, would you not be ashamed totrifle in their presence ? And has not the spiritual presence of the great God as muchreal, though invisible awfulness andmajesty in it ! Howdo persons both of the polite and the vulgar world, all agreeto dress fine and gay, and make the best figure of all the week, to appear before men on the dayof the Lord ? But let us remember that we comenot only before men, but-before the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=