Gospel Worship, Sermons · Sermon 6
SERMON VI.
LEVITICUS. 10. 3.
I will be Sanctified in them that come nigh me.
4 AGAINE,Stepney, Dec. 21 1645. as Naturall Conſcience doth give no ſtrength to do the duty, ſo it makes not the duty to be ſtrong to the Soul; that is thus, there's no ſtrength got by the duty, they are not by one duty prepared for another, But the way of the Lord is ſtrength to the upright, that is, when a gracious heart is in the way of Gods worſhip, it finds the very duty of the worſhip of God to be ſtrength to it, and ſo it fits it for another duty.
5 Further, A Naturall Conſcience limits its ſelf, and is bounded; that is, ſo much as will ſerve the turn for its owne peace and quiet, ſo much it will do and no more: But when one is acted by the Spirit of God, one is inlarged without any limits at all, not bounded to ones own peace, for the more peace a gracious heart hath in duty, the more it is inlarged in duty: Now a Naturall Conſcience, that puts to duty, and will act you when you want peace, when you are in trouble and fear, but when you are not in trouble and fear, then it puts not on the heart to performance of duty: but the Spirit of God puts on the Soule to duty, when there is moſt peace and comfort.
6 A little will ſerve the turn to ſatisfie a naturall conſcience, ſo be it they performe the duty it is enough; but one that is acted by the Spirit of God in duty, muſt meet with much of God or elſe he is not ſatisfied; he goes mourning in the day time if he hath not met with much of God in the morning in the performance of duty. Thus you ſee there's much difference between the Actings of naturall parts and conſcience in duty, and the acting of the Spirit of God.
There be only now Two things more for the Sanctifying of Gods Name in duty, and then we are to come to ſhew how we ſhould Sanctifie Gods Name in duty in reference to the ſeverall Attributes of God. But Firſt for thoſe Two Heads further.
8 The Eight thing is this, When you come to performe holy duties, if you would Sanctifie Gods Name; you muſt conſecrate your ſelves to God; there muſt be a reſignation of ſoul and body, eſtate, and liberty, name, and all you are, have, or can do unto God: This is to Sanctifie Gods Name, the conſecration of your ſelves to God. And the profeſſing of this in the performance of duty, when you are to pray, were a very good thing, actually to profeſſe your ſelves to be Gods, to profeſſe that you do give up all that you are, have, or can do to God: Lord, I am thy ſervant, take all Faculties of Soul and Members of body, and improve all, lay out all, to thine own praiſe, to the uttermoſt, to bring glory to thy great name. If every time you came to God in prayer you did this, this were to Sanctifie your ſelves to God: I ſpake before of a Sanctified heart, but now this is in a profeſſion of your ſelves to God; do it ſecretly at leaſt in your own thoughts; if you do not every time expreſſe it in words, yet in your own thoughts do it; devote your ſelves to God every day: Of admirable uſe it would be if every day when men and women worſhip God, either in their cloſets or families, they did profeſſedly devote and conſecrate themſelves to God; and ſo likewiſe, every time they came to hear the Word, or to receive Sacraments, God would account his name to be Sanctified in ſuch a work as this is.
9 Laſtly, That that muſt make all up, and without which all the other is nothing; it is, that you muſt tender up all your worſhip in the name of Jeſus Chriſt; let a man or woman worſhip God never ſo well, yet when they have done all, if they do not tender it up in the Name of Jeſus Chriſt, God will not account his Name to be Sanctified; thou muſt by Faith look upon Jeſus Chriſt as the glorious Mediator that is come into the world, by whom thou haſt acceſſe unto the Father: And act thy Faith upon Chriſt, and give up thy duties into his hand, as the hand of a Mediator to be tender'd up to the Father by him; though thou haſt laboured what thou canſt to performe duty as well as thou art able, yet thou muſt not think to tender it up by thine own hand unto God; but thou muſt tender it up to the Father by the hand of Jeſus Chriſt the Mediator, and ſo thou ſhalt Sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties. We read in Levit. 16. 13. that when Aaron was to tender up the Incenſe, he was to put the Incenſe on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the Incenſe may cover the Mercy Seat that is upon the teſtimony, that he die not: Mark, it is as much as his life is worth, whether he doth it, or doth it not: Now Incenſe it is in the NEW TESTAMENT called Prayer, and ſo in the OLD TESTAMENT too, it was a kind of emblem of Prayer: The offering up of our Prayers is the offering up of Incenſe to God, and the Mercy Seat it was a Type of Jeſus Chriſt. Now the Incenſe ſhould cover the Mercy Seat; ſo our prayers muſt go up to Jeſus Chriſt, muſt be upon him, and ſo muſt be accepted by the Father. And as we read in Judg. 13. 20. when Manoah offered a Sacrifice, the text ſaith, that the Angel of the Lord aſcended in the flame: This Angel of God here was Jeſus Chriſt, as we might eaſily from this Scripture make it out, and he aſcends up in the flame from the Altar, Now though we do not offer ſuch kind of Sacrifices with Fire and Incenſe as they did in the time of the Law, yet when we are offering up of our Incenſe there muſt be a flame of Fervency and Zeal: But that is not enough, together with the fame of the Altar, the Angel of God Jeſus Chriſt the great Angel of the New Covenant (for Angel ſignifies nothing but meſſenger) the great Meſſenger that is come into the world, about that great Errand of his, to reconcile the world to himſelf; he muſt aſcend up in the flame, and ſo God will account his Name to be Sanctified, the name of God is not Sanctified but through Jeſus Chriſt. The Acting of our Faith upon Chriſt as mediator is a ſpeciall ingredient to the Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties; as you know the Scripture ſaith, that the Altar doth Sanctifie the gift offered upon the Altar, Jeſus Chriſt is the Altar upon whom all our Spirituall Sacrifices are to be offered, and this Altar doth Sanctifie the gift that is offered upon it, let never ſo great a gift be offered upon any other Altar, it was not accounted holy nor accepted; ſo let men by their naturall ſtrength, or power that they have, offer up the moſt glorious and ſpeciouſeſt Service to God. It is not accepted unleſſe it be offered up upon the Altar Jeſus Chriſt, we have an Altar now, (not the Communion Table) but Jeſus Chriſt himſelf is our Altar upon whom we are to offer all our Sacrifices, and this Altar muſt Sanctifie the gift; we can never have our gift ſanctified, no nor Gods name ſanctified in this gift except it be offered upon this Altar, and our Faith acted upon Jeſus Chriſt. People little think of this, but of other things, viz. That when we worſhip God, we ſhould worſhip him with fear, and reverence, and with humility, and with ſtrength of Intention, ſuch kind of things every one that hath any inlightening of conſcience will think of at ſometime or other; but people do leaſt think of this, which is the greateſt ingredient of all that is required in the Sanctifying of Gods Name in holy duties: that is, to come and tender up all to the Father in the Name of Jeſus Chriſt: How many men and women that have been profeſſors of Religion 20 or 30 years, and yet not acquainted with this great myſterie of godlineſſe, to tender up all to God in the name of his Son. This is that that upon divers occaſions I have ſpoken unto, and am willing upon every occaſion as I meet with it to ſpeak of, becauſe it is a principall part of the great myſterie of the Goſpel, without which all our duties are rejected of God and caſt away. Now then put all theſe Nine things together and ſee by them what we ought to do that we may Sanctifie the Name of God in holy duties.
But there is ſomething further to be ſpoken that may help you to Sanctifie Gods Name in holy duties, and that is, ſeverall, workings of heart, ſuitable to the ſeverall Attributes of God, for that is to Sanctifie Gods Name, to have the duty to be ſuch as is ſome way ſuitable to ſuch a God as we are now worſhipping. Now then let us conſider what the Scripture ſaith of God, and then let us ſee what ſuitable diſpoſitions we ſhould have in us unto thoſe things that the Scripture ſaith of God:
1 Firſt, You know the Scripture ſaith, that God is a Spirit, in Joh. 4. 24. Then preſently Chriſt ſaith, That he that worſhips him, muſt worſhip him in Spirit; that is, there muſt be a ſuitableneſſe in our worſhip to what God is: Is God a Spirit? then all that worſhip him, muſt worſhip him in Spirit and Truth: that is thus, When I am to go to worſhip God, I muſt conſider of him, as he is an infinite and glorious Spirit; well then, ſurely bodily worſhip is not ſufficient for me: Though I do kneel down in prayer, or do come and preſent my body to hear the Word, or my body to receive the Sacrament, this is not to worſhip God as a Spirit: If indeed that our God were as the Heathens, that were corporeall, then it were another matter, then bodily worſhip would ſerve the turne, but God being a Spirit, he muſt have Spirituall worſhip, therefore my ſoul and all that is within me, magnifie his name: ſaith David, my Soul magnifie his name, not my lips only, but my Soul: The Apoſtle in 1 Tim. 4. 8. ſaith, that bodily exerciſe profits little; it is no great matter for the body, God looks but very little at bodily exerciſe; but it is godlineſſe that is profitable, it is the work of the Spirit; when we come to pray, we muſt pray in the Spirit; that is, we muſt pray with our Souls, we muſt poure forth our ſouls before God, and when we come to hear, our hearts muſt not go after our coveteouſneſſe, we muſt ſet our hearts to what we hear, we muſt hear with our hearts as well as with our ears, our Souls muſt be at work in hearing of the word, when you hear it is not enough for you to come and ſit in a Pew, and have the ſound of a mans voice in your eares, but your Souls muſt be at work: And ſo when you come to receive the Sacrament, your Souls muſt feed upon Jeſus Chriſt: Bodily worſhip without Soul-worſhip is nothing, but Soul-worſhip may be accepted without bodily worſhip; therefore it is the Soul that God doth principally look at in holy duties: If you be not able to worſhip God in your bodies, you may worſhip him in your Souls, and God regards that Bodily exerciſe in holy duties is little worth, ſome what it may be worth, I confeſſe ſometime bodily exerciſe may further the ſoul, as a reverend carriage of the body and the like, but it is nothing in compariſon, the great work is the work of the Soul, for God is a Spirit and muſt be worſhipped in Spirit. And God is ſaid to be a Spirit not only in that he is not of ſo thick a capitall ſubſtance, but it notes the ſimplicity of God, he is without any compoſition, whatſoever is in God is God himſelf, he is abſolutely one, there are not divers things in God; now then, thoſe that come to worſhip him, muſt worſhip him in Spirit and in Truth: that is, there muſt not be a heart and a heart, there muſt not be a compounded heart, but you muſt bring ſimple hearts before God, without any compoſition of drofte in your ſelves, and of any kind of falſeneſſe, but in the ſimplicity of your hearts you muſt come to worſhip God, and thus you ſhall worſhip him with ſuch worſhip as is ſome way ſuitable to him as he is a Spirit.
2 Further conſider God as he is an eternall God, what ſuitable diſpoſition doth this require of me when I am to look upon God as an eternall being; it requires this only, That therefore thy heart muſt be taken off from all temporal good things, and ſet upon that eternall good, thou maieſt indeed deſire theſe outward good things but in order to thy eternal good.
Then further, Thou art worſhipping an eternal God: hence then whatſoever ſin thou doeſt confeſſe although committed 20. or 40. years ago, thou muſt look upon it as if it were now preſently committed, and be humbled as much before the Lord as if it were now committed at this preſent, you will ſay, Why ſo? Becauſe God is an Eternal God? Yes: For if I underſtand Gods Eternity, I know that there is no ſucceſſion in Gods being: therefore the ſins that I committed in my youth, if I come to confeſſe them, they are before God as if they were now a doing in regard of time; and therefore I muſt (as much as I can) look ſo upon them, and be humbled for them as if they were ſins lately committed. Many people are troubled for their ſins the very day after they commit them, but a little time wears off their trouble; but if you did conſider that you had to deal with an eternal God, then you would look upon your ſins though a long time ſince committed as if they were now done.
Likewiſe there will be this required from the conſideration of Gods Eternity, you muſt come with ſuch a diſpoſition of heart as not to think much, though what you deſired be defered and not granted in your time when you would have it. For if there be no time that alters with God, but a thouſand years are with God as one day, then that that we account long before its done, it is nothing with God; and therefore we muſt have our hearts ſo work towards God as towards an Eternall God, as one with whom there is no alteration of time at all, with whom there is no ſucceſſion of time. If we come to a man and ſeek any thing of him, if he doth not anſwer us preſently, we will think that he will forget it, and other things will come into his mind: but when we come to worſhip God, we muſt look upon him as an Eternall being, and that time alters nothing with him: Thus underſtanding God in a right way will much help us in his worſhip, and ſo to Sanctifie his Name. We cannot Sanctifie Gods Name, without knowing his Name, without having ſerious thoughts about his Name; and getting our hearts to work accordingly.
3 Thirdly, Look upon God when you come to worſhip him in his incomprehenſible being; that is, as a God that fils all places, his being is as reall in the room that we are praying in, the place that we are meeting in as it is in heaven. Now then when we come to worſhip him, we muſt conſider that that infinite glorious being ſtands before us, looks upon us, is at our elbow; and therefore eſpecially when you worſhip in Secret conſider this, it is good to conſider it when you are with others, but eſpecially I ſay, conſider it when you are in Secret, and know that when you are moſt private, you have one that looks on you, and takes notice of you, who is more then if you had ten hundred thouſand witneſſes ſtanding by you, and looking upon you: For it is the Lord that ſtands by you, and ſees your behaviour, ſees what you do in your worſhipping of him; take heed therefore that there be nothing done by you that is unbeſeeming the preſence of ſuch a God as the Lord is: Suppoſe that ſome of you were praying, and there were ſome godly able Miniſter ſtood neer you, it would be ſome meanes to ſtir up your hearts to mind what you did; but now the Lord he is not in the next room only, but in the ſame room, and ſtands by you: Let there be nothing done therefore unbeſeeming the preſence of that infinite holy God that ſtands by you: and hold this Truth forth, The Lord is preſent with me, I acknowledge it, and I owne it, and therefore I carry my ſelf thus, and all becauſe I would witneſſe to Angels and men, that I do acknowledge that the Lord is preſent with me in this duty.
4 Fourthly, Conſider God is an unchangable God, immutable. That is another Attribute of God, he is unchangeable.
Firſt, Therefore our hearts muſt be taken off from theſe mutable things, and ſet upon God as that unchangable good.
Secondly, We muſt be humbled for our …ickleneſſe, and unconſtantneſſe; there is no ſhadow of change in God, and there is no ſhadow of con…tancy in us.
Thirdly, When we come into the preſence of a God who is unchangable, then we ſhould look upon God as being the ſame now that ever he was heretofore he hath as much diſpleaſure againſt ſin now as ever he had, and that God that hath done ſuch great things for his Church in former times, is the ſame God to do good to his people as ever he was, and make uſe of this; When you read the Word, and there find how God hath made himſelf appear to be glorious for his people; and now every time I am to Worſhip God, I ſhould think that I am to deal with God that is the ſame that ever he was, as mercifull, and gracious, and juſt, and powerfull as ever he was, and ſo my heart is to worke towards him.
5 Fiftly, When I am to Worſhip God, I am to look upon him as the living God, as that God that hath life in himſelf, and gives life unto his creatures.
Then what ſuitable behaviour doth become me? I muſt come before his preſence with fear; It is a fearfull thing to fall into his hands that is the living God; that hath my life under his feet, he hath the abſolute diſpoſe of my preſent and eternall condition, he gave me my life, he hath preſerved my life, and ſo may take it away when he pleaſes, and bring death, eternall death unto me. Theſe things may marveilouſly help your meditation when you are to come before him, you who are barren in your meditations, go over the Attributes of God thus, and conſider what you may be able to draw from thence. God he is the living God: What behaviour then doth beſeeme me towards this living God? Oh let me be afraid leaſt my Soul depart from the living God. Let me bring a living Service to him, I muſt not bring a dead heart; let me take heed how I come before the living God with a dead heart, and with a dead ſervice, to ſacrifice that that is dead before it comes, its like a carrion that lies dead in the ditch. Oh let us be humbled for our dead hearts, and dead ſacrifices; it is a living God that I am Worſhipping, & therfore I muſt pray, Lord, turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken my heart in thy Law. Pſ. 1. 19. 37. Remember when thou comeſt to worſhip, that thou come with a quickned heart, for thou haſt to deal with the living God: A man or Woman that is of an active ſpirit, cannot iudure a dull and heavie ſervant in the family; but the Lord is a pure act, and nothing elſe but act, and therefore he doth expect that all his people ſhould have quick active and lively ſpirits.
6 When you come to Worſhip God; you are to look upon him as Almighty. And ſo are 1
To Feare his great power when you come before him And 2,
Then you are not to be diſcouraged by any difficulties. I come to ſeek for ſome great thing, and I come to ſeek to a great God, that hath all power in heaven and earth, and infinitly more power then there is in all creatures in heaven and earth; I am praying to a God that can create peace, create help: My condition cannot be ſo deſperate, but this infinite Almighty God is able to help me Let me make him the object of my Faith as he is ſo infinitly Almighty: What a full object of Faith is this God that hath all power in him? Let me therefore come to him as a ſtrong tower; run to the name of God as a ſtrong tower, that can help in all ſtreights whatſoever. There would be much drawing forth of our Faith; if we could preſent tht Lord before us as an infinite Almighty God: when we ſee outward helps and meanes neer at hand, then we can beleive that we may have ſome ſuccour from him, but when all outward helps and meanes fail then we are diſcouraged; we do not ſanctifie Gods name, but we rather take this name of God in vain, when as our hearts are diſcouraged with any difficulties; now the Lord expects that all his children that come to worſhip him, ſhould worſhip him as the Almighty God, and ſo have their hearts working towards him; there would be mighty workings of Spirit towards God, if we ſaw him by the eye of Faith as well as reaſon.
7 Looke upon God as an Omniſcient God, as a God infinitly underſtanding all things. Now what doth this call for?
Firſt if God be a God of infinite underſtanding, then let not me bring a blind ſacrifice to God, then let not me bring an ignorant heart to God; this is the excellency of an underſtanding Creature to know the rule and end of its own Actions; now thou comeſt to worſhip an infinite God, of infinite underſtanding, then know the rule of what you do, and know the end of what you do, and come with underſtanding into his preſence
Secondly, If he be ſo underſtanding, come with a free open heart, to open whatſoever is in thine heart to God; take heed of keeping any ſecret reſolutions in thine own heart, God knows thee, and can tell how to find thee out; God knows all that is in thine heart before; all the ſecret baſeneſſe that is in thine heart the Lord doth underſtand it, the Lords eye is a peircing eye, he ſees through and through thy heart. Its a vaine thing for thee to come and conceale any thing before him.
You will ſay, If God underſtand a mans heart, what need he come and confeſſe?
Yes, he requires it it as thy duty that thou ſhouldeſt come and open all before him: In ſpight of thy heart thou canſt not cover any thing from the Lords eyes; but the Lord will ſee whether thou beeſt willing of thy ſelf that he ſhould underſtand all: God doth not require us to come and confeſſe our ſins, that ſo he might know that which he knew not before, but for this end, That there might be a teſtimony, that thou art willing that he ſhould know all that is in thy heart; therefore now when thou comeſt to worſhip him, ranſack every corner of thy heart and confeſſe all before the Lord, and give glory to his name, as that God that is an All-ſeeing God, that knows all the windings and turnings of thy heart: Now meditate of theſe things that be preſented to thee, and it will be a mighty means to help thee to Sanctifie his Name.
8 God is a God of infinite Wiſdome, therefore when we come to worſhip God, let us be aſhamed of our folly: When thou comeſt to have to deal with God, look upon him as a God of infinite wiſedome, and I ſay be thou aſhamed of thy folly then, and do thou exerciſe the grace of wiſdom too when thou comeſt to God; that is, by propounding right ends (of which we ſpake before) That is one part of wiſdome to have right ends, and right meanes towards thoſe ends, ſo that the meditation of the wiſdome of God when we come to worſhip him will further us to Sanctifie his Name.
And further; This is to Santifie Gods Wiſdome, when thou comeſt into Gods preſence, in thy greateſt ſtreights, deny thy own wiſdome, come with a reſolution to be guided by the wiſdome of God, in this manner, Lord, I know not how to order my ſteps, there is much folly and vanity in my heart, but thou art a God of infinite wiſdome, I come to thee for direction, and I profeſſe here, I am willing to give up my whole Soul to be guided by thy wiſdome. If every time we come to worſhip God we came thus, Oh Lord whatſoever our thoughts have been heretofore, yet if thou ſhalt but reveale thy mind to us, we will hearken to thee, Lord, we beleeve that thy wiſdome it is thy ſelf, and therefore we profeſſe to give up our ſelves to thy Wiſdome. Now this is to Sanctifie the Name of God.
9 Conſider the holineſſe of God: God is a God infinitly pure from all ſin, and therefore when we come to worſhip God, we muſt be aſhamed of our unholineſſe, as the Prophet in Iſa 6. when he heard the Seraphins cry, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hoſts, he fals down and ſaith, Wee is me for I am undone, becauſe I am a man of unclean lips. And is God a holy God? Then let me take heed when I come before him, that I bring not with me a love to any ſin for the Lord hates it, and let me take heed that I do not caſt dirt in the very face of Gods holineſſe, but give up my Soul to be rul'd wholly by him:
And labour that there may be a ſuitableneſſe between the holineſſe of thy heart and of the infinite God. Now this is to Sanctifie Gods Name, when the conſideration of this Attribute of God hath ſuch effect upon my heart, that I labour upon this to come with a ſuitable heart before God.
10 When thou comeſt before God, Conſider that thou comeſt to a mercifull God: And what ſhould this work?
Firſt, It ſhould make me come joyfully into his preſence, as a God that is willing to do good to his poor Creatures that are in miſery.
Secondly, It ſhould make me to come with a heart ſenſeable of the need of this mercy; O Lord, I have had my heart let out to other vain things heretofore, but now Lord, thy mercy it is that my Soul comes for, as that wherein my chief and only good conſiſts.
Thirdly, It ſhould make me come with expectation of great things from God; do not come unto God as unto an empty Vine, but as unto a full Vine, and the more thy Faith is raiſed to expect great things from God, the more acceptable art thou to God: Certainly the higher any ones faith is raiſed when they come into his preſence, to expect the greateſt things the more acceptable; It is otherwiſe with God then men, if you come to men to begge a little thing, you may be welcome, but if you come to ask a great matter, they will look a skew upon you: but the truth is, the greater the things are that we come to God for, the more welcome are we into Gods preſence and thoſe that are acquainted with God they know it, and therefore they come the more fully. When they come to ask Jeſus Chriſt himſelf and his Spirit that is more worth then ten thouſand worlds they come with more freedom of Spirit then when they come to ask their healths and the like.
Fourthly, It will be likewiſe another means of Sanctifying this Attribute of God when thou comeſt to him: If thou doeſt come with a mercifull heart towards thy brethren. Take heed whenſoever you come to worſhip God, that you come not with a rugged and cruell heart towards any of your brethren; therefore you find that Chriſt laies this upon you in teaching how to pray; you muſt ſay, Forgive us our treſpaſſes as we forgive our brethren that treſpaſſe againſt us; And you find it repeated again, If you forgive, then your heavenly Father will forgive, and not otherwiſe. As if Chriſt ſhould ſay, When you come to begge mercy be ſure you bring mercifull hearts.
Fifthly, It is a good way to Sanctifie the Name of God in this Attribute, for the Soul to be ſolicitous with it ſelf: What is that that will hinder me from the mercy of God, and let me avoid it? It is otherwiſe, a taking of the name of God in vain, for me to come to profeſſe what need I have of Gods mercy, and yet for al that, never regard to avoid thoſe things that may hinder the work of his grace upon me.
11 Conſider the Juſtice of God, (that is another Attribute) Conſider that thou haſt to deal with an Infinite, Righteous, and Juſt God: Do not think that if thou beeſt a beleever, that thou haſt nothing to do with the Juſtice of God, for certainly thou art to Sanctifie the Juſtice of God.
Now you will ſay, How ſhould a beleever Sanctifie the Juſtice of God? Thus;
Firſt, He ſhould be apprehenſive ſenſeable how by ſin he hath put himſelf under Juſtice, and deſerved the ſtroke of Juſtice to be upon him to eternity; he ſhould conſider what he is in himſelf: It is true, that Jeſus Chriſt hath come between a beleeving Soul and the juſtice of the Father, and hath taken the ſtroke of juſtice upon himſelf: yea but though he hath done it, it doth not hinder but that thou ſhouldeſt be apprehenſive of what thou haſt deſerved thy ſelf.
Secondly, Here is a ſpeciall thing in the Sanctifying of the juſtice of God: When we come before him, we ſhould conſider that we have to deal with an infinite juſt God, and therefore not to dare to come but through a mediator: Here you have the reaſon why we muſt tender up all in the name of Chriſt, becauſe when we are to come before God, we are to Sanctifie the name of his juſtice: For thee to think thus, I have ſinned, and God is mercifull; and I will go and pray to him that he might be mercifull, and there's an end. Is this all? Oh no, God requires the Sanctifying of his Juſtice, and there is nothing that doth Sanctifie his Juſtice ſo much as this, That when a poor creature ſees the infinite diſtance that ſin hath made between that infinite God and it, it ſees that through ſin, it hath made its ſelf liable to juſtice; and when it ſees that there is an abſolute neceſſity that infinite juſtice muſt have ſatisfaction, and thinks the ſinner, If it comes to me that I muſt ſatisfie the juſtice of God I am never able to do it, but there is a mediator, and therefore I'le fly to him, and by Faith tender up to the Father all the merits of his Son as a full ſatisfaction to his infinite juſtice: When thou comeſt thus before the Lord, thou Sanctifie… his Name indeed. Many think that when they come to pray, they ſhould look upon Gods Grace, and Mercy, and not upon his Juſtice; but thou muſt look upon both.
Another Attribute it is Gods Faithfulneſſe: Conſider thou haſt to deal with a God of Infinite Truth, and Faithfulneſſe, and therefore look upon him as an object of thy Faith to reſt upon. And likewiſe thou muſt bring a faithful heart ſuitable ſome way to this faithfulneſſe of God that is, a heart faithfull with him, to keep within the Covenant that thou haſt entered into and to performe all the Vows that thou makeſt with God; Remember thou haſt to deal with a faithfull God, and as the Lord delights to manifeſt his Righteouſneſſe to poor Creatures that ſeek his face, ſo this God doth expect that thou ſhould … be faithful in all the Covenants that thou doeſt make with him, and this is to Sanctifie Gods Name.
Now then put all theſe Attributes of God together and there you have his Glory, the infinitneſſe of his Glory. The ſhine and luſtre of all the Attributes together is Gods Glory. I have then to deal with a glorious God, and let me labour to perform ſuch ſervices as may have a ſpirituall glory upon them, that ſome image of the divine luſtre that there is in God may be upon my ſervices; and let me look for glorious things ſeeing I have to deal with ſuch a glorious God.
You will ſay, Here is a great deal of doe in ſerving of God, how much is here that we muſt do?
I appeal to any gracious heart, what canſt thou want of any of theſe, or what wouldeſt thou want? Doeſt thou ſay, Here's a great deal? Can there be too much to make thee happy? Theſe things are not only thy duty, but thy happineſſe glory and excellency conſiſts in them: If any one ſhould bring you a great many Jewels and Pearls, would you ſay, Here's a great deal adoe? Oh no, the more the merrier. So ſay I, this one meditation would take off the thoughts of a great deal, for in al theſe my happineſſe conſiſts, and the more I have of theſe, the more ſhall I injoy of God, the more happy ſhall I be both here and for ever.
Now I had thought to have given you ſome Reaſons why the Name of God muſt be Sanctified; only I beſeech you by all that hath been ſaid go away with this thought, what little cauſe is there that any of us ſhould reſt upon any of our duties; If this be required of us thus to Sanctifie the name of God in duty, I ſay we have little cauſe any of us to reſt in any duties that we performe. There are many poor creatures that have no other Saviours to reſt upon but their Prayers, and coming to Church, and taking the Communion; Now if in all theſe the Lord expects that thou ſhouldeſt thus Sanctifie his Name: Thou haſt little cauſe to reſt upon any thing that thou haſt done, thou haſt cauſe rather to go alone and mourne for taking the Name of God in vain in the duties of his worſhip: Reſt not in any of your performances; labour to performe duties as well as you can, but when you have done, know that you are unprofitable ſervants after all, and renounce all as in the point of Juſtification, and reſt upon ſomething elſe, otherwiſe you are undone for ever.