CHAPTER V. 193 IV. ,The honour of God, and the credit of religion in the world, will afford me another spring of arguments to excite you to attain this skill of prayer. The great God esteems himself dishonoured, when wedo not pay him the best worship we are capable of. The work of the Lord must not be donenegligently. It is highly for his honour, that we be furnished with the best talents for his service, and that we employ them in the best man- ner. This discovers to the world the inward high esteem and veneration we have for our Maker : This gives him glory in the eyes of men. But to neglect utterly this gift of prayer, and to, serve him daily with a few sudden thoughts, with rude and im- proper expressions, that nevercost us any thing but the labour of our lips while we speak, this is not the way to sanctify his name among men. There is a sinful sloth' and indifference in religion, that bath tempted some men to believe that God is no curious and exact enquirer into outward things : And if they can but per- suade themselves their intentions are right, they imagine that for the substance and formof their sacrifice, any thingwill serve: And as though he were not a God of order, they address him often in confusion. Because the heart is the chief thing in divine wor- ship,; like some foolish Israelite, they are regardless what beast they offer him, so it bath but a heart. But the prophet Malachi thunders with divine indignation and jealousy against such wor- shippers. Ye have brought that which was torn and lame, and and the sick, should I accept this at your hand? I am a great king, aaith the Lordof hosts, and esq name. is dreadful; Mal. i. 13, 14. Ileupbraids us with sharp resentment, and bids us vier it to our governor, and asks, if he will be pleased with it? Now our consciences sufficiently inform ús, how careful we are when we make an address to an earthly governor, to have our thoughts well ordered, and words well chosen, as well as, to ten- der it with a loyal heart : And maynot our supreme Governor in heaven expect a due care in ordering our thoughts, and chusiog our words, so far at least as to answer all the designs of prayer, and so far as is consistent with the necessity of' so frequent ad- dresses to him, and our other christian duties ? The credit of religion- in the world is much concerned in the honourable discharge of the, duty of prayer. There is an inward beauty in divine worship that consists in the devout tem- per of the worshippers, and the lively exercise of holy affec- tions : but of this, God only is witness Who sees the heart. There is also an outward, beauty that arises from a decent and acceptable performance of all the parts of it that come within the notice of our fellow-creatures; that those that observe us may be forced to acknowledge the excellency ofreligion in our practice of it. Voe. y. N
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