viii P R E F A C E . of Earth !/fall you make to me. And ifyou will needs make it of Stone, it /hall not be of heaven Stone ; fir if you have lift up a Tool upon it, you have polluted it. The Worfhip is pol- luted, and God is difhonored ; mwe do not fanc`?ify the Name of God in our Approaches to him, if vie keep not clofe to his Ap- pointments. Nadab and Abihu did not fanélify the Name of God in their Approach to him, Lev. x. 1. Yet they were the Priefls of the Lord to whom it belonged to offer Incenfe; they had Genfers, they had Incenfe both of divine Appointment, but they took Fire which the Lord commanded them not. And God man f fled his Difpleafure againji it, he fènt a Fire from him- fell and flew them. Our God is a confùming Fire frill, and there had need be Awe and Fear in worAipping him, fo that his Name may be fanhl fed by us ; otherwife the nearer we ap- proach to him, the more Danger we are in. (3.) We cannot acs either in Obedience or in Faith in Mat- ters of Worfhip or Difcipline, unlefs we keep clofe to Divine Appointments. Every All of Obedience prefuppofeth a Pre- cept, and every All ofFaith prefuppofeth a Promife : If we at! without a Command, we may expel-? that God will fay to us, as he did to Ifrael, Who bath required this at your Hands ? °This is to do as Nadaband Abihu did, tooffer that whichGod commanded not ; And are we fare that we /hall efcape better than they ? Has not God paid, I will be fanétified in them that draw nigh me, and before all the People I will be glo- rified ? And can we lantliify the Name of God in drawing nigh to him, if we keep not clofe to Divine Appointments? And if what we do he not done in Faith, it will not be acceptable to God. Without Faith it is impoifible to pleafe God. How can we bottom on Chrif for Acceptance in any Thing that is done by us, where we have no Promife of Acceptance to look to ? Could Churches keep to the Rule both in Worfhip and Difci- pline, how amiable would they he in the Eyes of God! The Apofilefpeaks highly of the Church of Coloffe. Col. ii. 5. Tho' I am abfent in Body, yet am I prefent in Spirit, joying and rejoicing, beholding your Order, and the Stedfaiinefs of your Faith in Christ Jefus. Now that Order as well as Faith may be preferved and maintained in the Churches of the Saints, is the D fgn of this enfuing great f , and(hall be the Prayer of the Author, to him who is the God of Peace and Order, and not of Con, ìJion, in all the Churches of the Saints. A DISCOURSE +.n.. ..;.,er.w.,y.'..:,a°:ia.,.&.w.,<:,,;..r:, ...,,rE .
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