The Practical Sabbatarian, Chapter 31
CHAP. XXXI. As we muſt be ſtrict in our behaviour, ſo we muſt be ſpiritual in our duties, when we approach the Publick Ordinances.
HAving thus largely diſcovered how we muſt be ſtrict in our behaviours in publick ordinances, We come next to ſhew, that we muſt be ſpiritual in our duties. The heart is the chief ghueſt at every ordinance. The Aegyptians of all the fruits, choſe the Peach to conſecrate to the Goddeſs, and they gave this reaſon for it, becauſe the fruit thereof reſembleth the heart. The Saints Character is from his inward carriage to God. The Kings Daughter is all glorious within, Pſal. 45. 13. If we will worſhip God indeed, we muſt worſhip him in heart. Hypocriſie is but practical blaſphemy. The heart is the King in the little world, Man. Our Saviour foreign.ſaith, John 4. 24. God is a ſpirit, and he will be worſhipped in ſpirit and in truth. In truth (i. e.) Scripturally, oppoſite to the inventions of mens heads; In ſpirit (i. e.) ſincerely, John 4. 24.oppoſite to the diſſimulation of mens hearts. The deeper the belly of the Lute is, the pleaſanter the ſound is; the deeper our worſhip comes from the heart, the more delightfull it is in Gods eye: But now that our holy duties may be ſpiritually performed, that we may hear ſpiritually, and pray ſpiritually, and receive ſpiritually.
The inward man muſt be employed in holy ordinances; not ſo much the ear, as the underſtanding; not ſo much the knee, as the memory; not ſo much the tongue, as the heart; though as our Saviour ſaith, Mat. 23. 23. This muſt be done, but the other muſt not be left undone. In legal ſacrifices God would have the fat and the inwards, Lev. 7. 3. Is it Bis adeps nominatur, et halocauſtum non tantùm ſuit res ſancta ſanctarum, ſed et locus in quo comeſta fuit â ſacerdotibus, ſanctur fuit.not to inform us, that our ſervices muſt not be ſpecious, but ſpiritual, God muſt have the fat; and they muſt be cordial not extrinſical, God muſt have the inwards. It is not the Phariſees disfigured face, but Mary Magdalens melting tears, God eyes and reſpects. God is not delighted with the Pageant of a duty. The Service doth not pleaſe God, which hath Abſolons face, but which hath Davids heart. Jehu's fained zeal, Herods ſeeming joy, no way comport with Gods will. The melting frame of a weeping Peter, and the ſpiritual 2 Kings 10. 16.agony of a praying Hannah are in Chriſt a ſweet ſmelling Mark 6. 20.ſacrifice to the Lord. The chief wheels, in prayer, in Luke 22. 62.hearing, in meditating, and other holy duties, are the faculties 1 Sam. 1. 13.of the ſoul; a ſupple will, a working mind, a faithfull memory, embracing affections, theſe are the muſick of the Sphears in holy ordinances.
The care of our ſouls muſt be the ſignal deſign in all holy Ordinances. It is not ſo grateful to perform ſervice, as to advantage the ſoul in ſervice, 1 Pet. 2. 2. When we come to 1 Pet. 2. 2.ordinances, we muſt not ſtudy a ſecular intereſt, or to quiet the clamours of natural conſcience, or to keep up a port in Religion, but we muſt ſtudy the intereſt and the emolument of our ſouls.
1. To raiſe them. Every Duty, every Sermon, every Prayer ſhould be a wing to the ſoul, that it might fly higher towards God. Duties are not onelyonly to ſatisfie, but to ſublimate the ſoul, to make it more heavenly, and more ambitious after a crown in glory; as thoſe primitive Saints who looked upon the things of this life with diſdain, ſoaring after a better Country, which was to come, Heb. 11. 13, 16.
2. We muſt ſtudy our ſouls in ordinances, ſo as ſo quiet them, to give them more peace and tranquillity. Goſpel ſeaſons are not onelyonly for the elevation, but the calming of the 1 Pet. 5. 8.ſoul. Satan diſturbs, ſin defiles, and luſts war againſt the Mark 7. 20.ſoul, and the ſoul never finds reſt, till it comes to God in 1 Pet. 2. 11.ordinances, and there quietly it lies at Chriſts feet, as Mary Magdalen, to receive the honey combs dropping from his lips. After Hannah had prayed, then ſhe was no more ſad, or diſcompoſed, 1 Sam. 1. 18. When we acquaint our ſelves with God in holy ordinances, we ſhall be at peace, Job 22. 21. and thereby good ſhall come unto us.
3. To ſpiritualize them. We ſow in duty, we reap in grace, that we may be more humble, more holy, more ſavoury, and more ſerious in the things of God and Eternity. We enjoy the glorious Goſpel, that we may paſs from glory to glory, 2 Cor. 3. 18. Means of grace are for the getting of 2 Cor. 4. 4. Eph. 3. 16.greater meaſures of grace; we feed upon the feaſt of Ordinances, Co…roborari in interiori homine eſt corroborari in mente, in intellectu, in voluntate, caeteriſ que animae potentiis.that we may be ſtrengthned in the inward man. The Apoſtle ſaith, faith comes by hearing, Rom. 10. 17. And the ſame Goſpel is both the Mother and the Nurſe of that heavenly grace. Study therefore thy ſoul in ordinances; for what will it profit thee to gain a whole world of Goſpel opportunities, and at laſt to loſe thy own ſoul?
Let us ſtudy a broken frame of ſpirit in Ordinances. A eleven foot is a ſign of Satans appearance: A cloven tongue was a ſign of the ſpirits appearance; but a cloven, broken Pſal. 51. 17.heart is the ſign of a Saints appearance. Our beſt compoſed Acts 2. 3.ſervices flow from a broken heart; Hezekiahs chattering foreign Plural. numeri denetare amplitudinem & magnitudinem ſacrificii cordis contriti.like a Crane, Iſa. 38. 14. And Davids weeping oratory were forcible engines to batter heaven. Our hearts, like clouds, they are beſt when melted. It is well, when our ſervices, like Pauls companions, come to the ſhore upon broken planks. A melting ſpirit will melt God into compaſſion. Moaning Ephraim is a pleaſant Child, Jer. 31. 20. The ſofter the Luke 4. 18.heart is, the ſweeter is the duty. Squeezed Grapes onelyonly Pſal. 34. 18.yield the Wine. The Pſalmiſt avers, That the Lord is nigh to them, who are of a broken heart; he loves to dwell near Iſa. 57. 15.them; nay, the Prophet ſaith, he loves to dwell with them. Unqueſtionably God is never more ſeen in the Sanctuary, Pſal. 63. 1, 2.then when it is a Bochim, a place of tears, and ſpiritual diſſolvedneſs. Foramina Petrae ſunt vulnera ſanciantia. Alap.Broken clouds forerun a fair day; broken hearts foretell a fair acceptation: Thus Chriſt comes in at the clefts of the Rock, Cant. 2. 14. And when we faint moſt, we ſink leaſt: When the Spouſe is ſick of love, Cant. 5. 8. then is Cant. 2. 5.her beloved well pleaſed.
When we are moſt ſpirituall in ordinances, let us h…ve ardent deſires to be better in thoſe ſacred adminiſtrations. The gracious ſoul is good at deſires; he would offer better, if there was better in the flock; his love ſhall piece up what is wanting in his duty; though he cannot be excellent, yet he Duplicem Cain culpam impingit; unam quòd poſt multos dies obtulit, ſerò obtulit, cúm celeritate ſacrificium commendatur, alteram, quōd ex fructibu…, non ex primis fructibus obtulit. Phil. Jud.would be obedient, if he cannot offer an entire ſervice, yet he would ſacrifice a broken heart to God; and though his ſervices are wanting in weight, yet they are not deficient in wiſh; his deſires are plumed, though his performances flag and hang the wing. Abel will give the beſt, though he hath no better; and though the Saint can only offer a little Goats hair, or a pair of turtle Doves, yet he would offer a young Bullock, or the fat of Rams; he could wiſh his tongue was more fluent in prayer, his ear more attentive in hearing, his ſpirit more melting in ſervice, his heart more open in ordinances; his deſires are fledged, though often his duties are in the ſhell. And this would become us in holy ordinances; when we are beſt, to think we are ſhort, and when we fly faſteſt, to complain of our clipt wing; and Pſal. 63. 8.when we follow hardeſt after God, to ſuppoſe we might mend our pace. And ſurely, holy deſires after better things are moſt pleaſing to God. The Child who offers to ſerve his Father is very acceptable, though his deſire be more then Phil. 3. 14.the Act. Paul preſſed forward towards the Mark; in this, our exſample.
We are moſt acceptable, and more truly ſpiritual in Ordinances, when we bring the whole man to them, when the knee doth bend, and the eye doth weep, and the heart doth yield, and the ſoul doth ſtoop, and the ear incline in holy duties. Gods great work was to make the whole world for man; and mans good work in ſpiritual approaches, is to give the whole man to God. We muſt come to Ordinances as the Iſraelites went out of Aegypt, with their whole train, we muſt come with all the faculties of our ſouls, and all the Pſal. 103. 1.parts of our bodies. If there be one wheel miſſing in a In divinis officiis non tantùm ſit totus homo, ſed & totum homini….watch, it cannot go at all to be an Index of time. And ſo in holy duties, if the ear be miſſing, or the memory wanting, or the heart lacking, all our deſign falls to the ground. Thoſe who will ſerve God in ordinances muſt give him their hotteſt love, their higheſt joy, their ſtrongeſt faith, their greateſt fear; they muſt act every grace, extend every faculty, improve Pſal. 9. 1.every part; all the worſhipper muſt be employed in that ſacred work. The Ship which ſails well muſt have all Pſal. 119. 34.its tackle, the Maſt muſt be up, the ſails muſt be ſpread, it muſt have both its pump and its lanthorn, the want of any furniture may endanger the whole. There muſt be head Jer. 3. 10.work, and hand work, and heart work in ordinances. It was the reſolution of the Pſalmiſt to keep the Commandments Jer. 24. 7.with his whole heart, Pſal. 119. 69. It is the whole man which is gratefull to God in holy duties: we muſt as the poor widow, give all we have, caſt in all our capacities into the treaſury of holy worſhip.Mark 12. 44.