Exposition of Philippians 3, Part 7
VERS. 3. In Spirit.
THe Apostle in these words, shewes the manner of true worship, by the most proper, and fit part of a Christian; to wit, his Spirit, that is, as soule truely sanctified, lively, and cheerfully,Reasons why God must be worshipped in Spirit. with a willing and ready mind, fitly disposed. Contrary to outward, false, and hypocriticall worship.
And the reason is, Because God is a Spirit, and therefore must be worshipped in spirit.
Secondly, it is the best part of a man; and God who challenges all, and that justly, looks especially that he hath the best part.
Thirdly, the Spirit hath a being of it selfe, and praiseth, love…h, and rejoyceth in God, when its out of the body; and the body is stirred up to this du…y onelyonly by the spirit, it being of it selfe senselesse as a blocke: and outward worship without inward, is but the carkasse of worship. The Prayer of a wicked man is abominable, because he regards iniquitie in his heart, Psal. 66.18. And this spirit of ours without the spirit of God, cannot worship him: and therefore every one that is not changed, makes God an Idoll.
Vse,This may deprive all such of comfort, as care not for this spirituall worship, thinking they have done enough, if they have mumbled a few idle words over: God accepts it no more than if they had sacrificed a dogges head, as he saith, Esay 66.3. And verily, what other is Poperie, but a bodie without a soule? when they worship in blinde sacrifices, in a strange language. Is this a spirituall worship? when they neither know what they doe nor say? Let us shew that we are not of their number: Come we with love, and with the intention of all our affections, and this will sway the whole man, body and soule; and so shall we worship him in truth, and not in hypocrisie as many doe, that bring their Idols with them; their mindes are on their pleasures and riches, though their body be present before God. And it hath ever been an error in the world, this limiting and tying Gods worship to outward worship of the body,Reasons why outward worship is so well liked and loved. with a kinde of ceremonious gesture: and it is very much liked for such like Reasons as these are.
First, the outward gesture: as holding up hands, bending the knee, casting up the eyes, they are things that may easily be done.
Secondly, they make a glorious shew in the eyes of the world ▪ its a commendable and good quality to be religious, especially if they bee observed so to be.
Thirdly, its beneficiall to men: when as hereby they are knowne to be no Atheists, and therefore not that way uncapable of preferment, or the like.
Fourthly, outward worship satisfies conscience a little: men know they must worship duplicate page duplicate page God, and go… to Church, that these are means to save men, and th…y thinke that in doing so, they stoppe the cryes of their consciences. Alas! Alas! these sleepie, blinded consciences of theirs, will …t length awake, and will accuse them, for the outward ceremonious hypocriticall worship of him, that requires the spirit to worship him with.
Ob.But some men may say, how shall we know whether we serve God in spirit, or no?
Answ.I answer, observe these properties.
Signes of spirituall worshippers.First, W…ether thou lamentest thy defects in the best actions thou dost, and art not puffed up with conceit of the sufficiencie of thy performances. Paul found this in him; for although he lived, being a Pharisee, as concerning the Law unrebukable: yet when he was converted, he saw much corruption which before he knew not, and laments and bewailes it, Rom. 7.
Secondly, Exami…e thy selfe, whether thou makest conscience of private closet duties? Of prayer in thy studie when none sees thee? Of thy very thoughts? Dost thou serve God with thy affections? and thy very soule? Dost thou weepe in secret for sinnes? yea for thy secret sinnes. Dost not thou doe good duties to be seene of men, as the Pharisees did? Contrariwise, wil… thou omit no place nor time, but alwaies and in all places thou wilt worship God. This must be done, for God is alwayes and for ever God and he is in all places, in private as well as publike▪ and therefore a Christians heart must be the Sanctum Sanctorum, where God must remaine present continually, and therefore he makes conscience of, and is humbled for the least sinnes, yea those that the world esteemes not of, and counts them as niceties, and that in as great a measure as ordinarily men are, for the greatest sinnes they commit.
Thirdly, Canst thou indure the search of thy selfe? and thy infirmities by all meanes, by thy selfe, by others, by the word, by private friends? Nay, canst thou desire this search, that thou maist know thy …inne more and more? for this end, that thou mayst truely hate it, with a more perfect hatred? Canst thou truely appeale to God, as Peter did to Christ, thou knowest that I love and preferre thee above all? It is a sure signe of thy sinceritie which the world cannot have: and therefore when they see their sinnes laid open, they spurne at the ordinances, and spite the Minister and their true friends, that put them in minde of their faults, accounting them as their onelyonly enemies. Surely they shall never be able to indure the search of God hereafter, and the last day when he shall lay them open, they shall be overcome with shame.
A fourth signe is, That at the houre of thy death, this spiritual worshipping of God will give thee content, when nothing else can: Thou mayst say with comfort as Hezekiah did; Lord remember how I have walked before thee in sinceritie. When down-right affliction comes, outward verball profession vanisheth, with all the comforts thereof, then perisheth the hope of the hypocrite. Two things upheld Iob in comfort, in his great extremity: he was first assured, that his redeemer lived: and secondly, he knew his innocency in those things that his friends charged him with: and such times will fall on us all, either at the time of death, or before, when nothing but innocencie, and sincerity shall be able to uphold us.
Labour therefore for sincerity and spirituall worship, Worship God in spirit, but let it be done outwardly also. But first, bring thy heart and intention to what thou dost, and that will stirre up the outward man to its duty, and for the performance hereof,Helps unto spiritual worship. follow these directions.
First, learne to know God aright: For worship is answerable to knowledge, for how can we reverence God aright, when we know neither his goodnesse, nor his greatnesse? how can we trust on God, when we see not his truth in the performance of his promises, in the Scriptures, and in our owne experience: those that doe not these, know not God, for as the heart affects according to knowledge. So also its true in divinitie, as we know his justice wee shall feare, as we know his mercy wee shall love him, and as we know his truth we shall trust on him. Psal. 9.10. They that know thy name shall trust in thee: and in other places of the said Psalme, the Lord is knowne in the judgement he executeth, vers. 16.
Secondly, know God to be the first mover and cause of all: men ordinarily feare the creature, attributing that to it, which belongs to the Creator. But God, he is the giver of all, and Christians looke on the secondary means, as to the first author and ground of all the rest, they behold the Magistrate as in God: feare them no otherwise, but in the Lord. Atheists they will not sticke at any sinne whatsoever, to get the love of those, that may bring them any worldly commodity. A Christian, hee pleases, and seekes the love of him that can make enemies friends, when he lists, and when its for our good; he knowes, in him we live, move, and have our being.
Thirdly, make much of spirituall meanes: God he works by meanes, by his word, attend to it: it works love, feare, joy, and reverence in us: and therefore, no marvaile if those that neglect these meanes, are not acquainted with these graces of Gods spirit.
4 Fourthly, Lift up thy heart to Christ, the quickening spirit, 1 Cor. 15. Our hearts naturally are dead: Christ is our life, when thou art most especially called to love, to feare, to humilitie, pray to him to move thee, and yeeld thy selfe to him, and then shalt thou pray in spirit: as it is said in Iude 20. heare in spirit, doe all in spirit: doe outward workes of thy calling in spirit, for a true worshipper will out of spirituall grounds doe all outward works of his particular calling; as well as the workes of his generall Christian vocation. Let us therefore doe all things from our hearts to God, and to our neighbour: else will not God accept of our workes. It is the Iew inwardly, who shall have praise of God. The want of this sincerity, hath extinguished the light of many a glorious professour, and thereby hath brought a great scandall upon the true worshippers of God in spirit.