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Show 1668. 1../'V""...) Chap. VI. Prov, 16. J, Rom.8.14• No CROSS, No CROW li. VoL, f. §. Ill. But True Worjhip can only tome from an Heart -~r:pt!red hy the Lord. This Preparation is by theSanEHtlc:nlon_of the ~pm~; by which, if God's Children are led in the general Courfe of thetr Ln·es, (as Palfl teaches) much mOre in their Worfhip to their CreJtor and Redeemer. And wh:never Prayer be made, or Doftrine be uttered, and nor from t~e Preparfltion nf rbe Holy Spirit, it is not accepra~le wirh God : Nor _c~n It be the' True f.vangeliclllWorjhip, whic.h is in Spirit and Tr11th; thac IS, by the Prepqnuion and .Aid of the Spirit. For what's an Heap of the moft p,ubuical Words to God Almighty, or the Dedication of ao~ P.lace o! Time to Him? He is a Spirit, to whom Words, Pbces and Ttmes (ftnctly confidercd) are improper or inJdequate. And tho: they be the lnltrumcnts of publick l¥odhip, they are hut Bodily and Vlfible, and cannot carry our Requefts any further, much lefs recommend them to the Invijible God; by no Means: They are for the Sake of the Congregation : 'Tis the Language of rhe Soul God heau; nor can that Spe:Jk, but by the Spirit; or Gto:Jn aright co Almighty God, wichouc <he Alliftance of ic. §. IV. The Soul of Man, however Lively in other Things, is Dead to God, till He breath the Spirit of Lift into lr: It cannot Live to Him, much lefs Worfhip him, without it. Thus God, by Ezekiel tells us, when in a Vifron of the Rejloration of Mankind, in the Perfon of Jfrae!, (an ufwl Way ofSpe:1king among the Prophets, and as often miibken) I tviiJ open Euk. i7· t2, your Grttves ( flrith the LorJ) and p11t my Spirit in yo11, nnd )'e jha/1 hvt. 13• 14· So, tho' Chrift taught Hi.r Dijciple.r ttJ Prny, they were, in fome Sort, Difa cip!e.r before he taught them ; not Worldly Men, whofe Pr:~yers are o;~n Abomination to God. And HH Teaching them, is not an Argument thu every Body muft fay that Pra;•u, whether he can fay it with the fame Heart, and under the fame Q.ualifications, as His Poor Difciples and Followers did, or not, as it now too Superfi:itiouOy and Prefumptuoufly praailed. Hut rather, that as they then, fo we now, are not to Pray our own Prayers, but His; that is, fuch as He enables us to make, as He enabled them then. Mat. to. 19, §. V. For if we are nor to take Thought wbnt ttlt jhnlJ jny when we tolle 20. befOre TVor!dly Princes, becaufe it jba1l then be given us; and that ic is r.ct tee rbat fpeak, but the Spint of our Heavenly Father that f!J(nk.eth in 111; much lefs can our Ability be needed, or ought we to fi:udy to our felvcs Forms of Speech in our Approaches to the Grear Prince of Princes, Kin,t of Kingt, and Lord of Lords. For be ir his Gre:itnefs, we ought not by CbrifPs Command : Be it our Re!11tion to him, as Chillren, we need not : He wl1l help us, he is our Father; that is, if he be fo indeed. Thus not only the Mouth of the Body, but of the Soul is !hut, till God opens it; and then he loves to hear the Language of ir. In which the Body ought never to ~o ~{~:~~~: ~~u;hotf:~;ta~J~r ~k~~o fuch Requefts, and his Spirit flrong y §. VI. But it may be a!k."d, Harp jhalJ tbU Prtpn1ation he ohtain'd? I Anfwer: By_ waiting p4tiemly, yet roattb[ttllyand intently upon God: Lord Pfal.-to. 17. (f:tys the. Pfalmtft) tbou ~afl beard tpe Dejire of the Humhl~; thoJJ gj/r pre· pare thet~ H~art, thou uulr c~ufe th111e Ea,· to hear: And, (fays Wifdom) Prov. 16• 1• . The Pr~paratton of the Heart 111 Alan U from the Lord. Here it is thou muft not t~mk thy own Thoughts, not fpeak thy own Wor-ds, (which indeed is <he S1lence ofche_ Holy Crofs) buc be fequeftred from all che confufed !rna· gtn~uons, th:Jt ar_e apt to throng a~d l?refs upon the Mind in thofe Holy RetHemems. It ts not for thee to thmk to overcome the Almighty by rhe moft ~ompofed Matter, caft inca the apreft PhrJfe: No, no ; One Grod!l, o~c Srgb, from a Wounded S~ul, _an Heut touch'd with True Remorft, :1 SJnce':e an_d, Godly Sorrow, Whtch IS the w-ork of God's Spirit, excels and pr~v~uls Wt~n ~~· Wherefore !b.nd frill in thy Mind, w:J.it w feel iOmethmg that n Dtvme, ro pr~pare and difpofe thee to Wor(hip God truly and :~c~ptably. And thus t:~;kmg up the. Crojs, and fhutting the Doors :md Wmdows of the Soul agamft every Thmg that...,. would interrupt this Anen· dance upon God, how_Ple:Jfant fvever the ObjeU be in it felf, how L:1wful or needful at another Seafon, the Power oft he Almighty will break in, Hit Spirit VoL. 1. No Ci.WSS; Np CROWN. 1668. V"'V"0 Chap. VI. Spirit will work and prepare the Heatt; that it may offer up an Accept 1h!e Sturifi~e. :Tis _he. that difcovers and P.reffcs Wants ~!'On the Soul ; ~nd when lt cnes, It JS he alone t~at fupphes them. Peuuons, not fpringing f10m fuch a Senfe an~ Prep.aratton, ~re Formal nnd Fiflitiolli: T hey .:tre not True; for Men pray m the1r own Blind Defires, :1nd not in the fV111 r{God . and_his Ear is ~op'd to them : ~ut for ~he ~ery Sighing of tbt Poor, and · Crytng of the 1\eedy, God.has fa1d, He wtJi.,pt·iJc; that js, the Poor in Spi- Pf:tl.u. ~· rit, the Needy S011!, thofe thar- want his Afiifbnce, who ~re readv ·to be overwhelmed, that feel a Nee~, an_d cry aloud for a Deli\•crcr, aild that have none on Earth to help, l\one rn Heaven /u11 hin1, nor in tbc Earrb in Comparifon of him:. He will deliver (faid David) the jVee.ly, «Jbcn l•e cries, Pral. ·72, 12, and t_be Poor, mtd IJJm that ha~_ no Helper. He foa/1 t·edccm r}u•ir Snu! from 14• Drcett and Violen~e, and Precw11s fb.tlJ their Blood lc in JJi! Sigbr.. This pnor ft[an (fays ~e) cncd, and the Lord heard him, nnd fav~J film Ol't of aU bis ;,r·t 34, 6• Trouble~. The .A1tgd of tbe L~rd .encnmpetb round about rbem rb11t fo1Jr {1;111, nnd debver.r them: And¥hen mvaes all to Come and T11jle ·how Good the Lmi U. Yea, He will 8/ef.; them tbdr Fear the Lord borb SmolJ a11d Grcnt Pral. 1t 1• ij; §.· VII .. Bitt wbat's tbnt to tbcm .. thnt nrc not Hm,'gry? Tbe Whole +teed 'nor "Ptlat. 9· u. . the Phyfiuan: Tbc Full have no ~c~d to Sigb, nor the l~icb to ay for Hrlp. Thofe thar are not fenfible of thetr mward Wanrs. that have not Fears and Terrors upon them, who feel no Need of God's Power to help them nor o~ rhe Light of hf~ Counte_nan~e to comfort them; Wh:It hll'e fuch :o do w~th Prayer? Their Devouon IS bur at heft, a ferious Mockery of the AI· mtghty. They know n?t, they want not, they defire nof wh:J.t they Prny for. Th;~ Pray, t 1Je rl(t!lo[. God may be done, and do conft:amly their own: For, tho It be foon fatd, t1s :1 mofi terrible Thing to them. The}' Jfk for Grace, and abufe that th~Y. have: They Pray for the Spirir, hut refift it ir1 themfelves, and fcorn a~; It m others: They requeft the Mercies ::tnd Good.; nefs of God, and feel no real Want of them. And in this inward Infenfibi· lity, they are as unable to Praife Go~ for wh:J.t they have, as to J>ray for w_hat t~ey h:1ve ~or. They foa~ Praife tbeLord (f.1ys :Pavid) tbut foek pr. 21, 26• b11~: l or b~ J atufieth the longmg Soul, and fiUetb the !JJJngry 1vith .(Ood Pf.:1o7. 9, Thmg.;. This al fo. ~e rcfcrves for the Poor and Needy, and thofe that Fear God. Let the(Sp~mna~ly) Poor ttnd the NEedy praife tbyName: 1t-tboi pr. 74, 21, /etlf the l:ord, praife hmJ; _and ye the Sud oj Jacob, glorijie him. ]leah Pt:'22. 21~ was a pl,am !vtan,_ of an upr1gbt Heart; and they that are 10, are his Seed. And tho .Cwtth h1m) they may ~e as poor 3s Worms in their own Eyes, yet they rece1ve Pow~r to Wrtjlle With God, and pre vall as he did. §. YIII. But wtthout the Prepuar!on and Confccration of this Power, IIQ Man 1s fit to co~e before God ; elfe tt were Matter of lefs Holinefs and Rc· verence to worfhtp God under the Gofpel than it was in the Times of rhe Law, when all Sacrifices were fprinkled, before offered ; the People Confecrated, that ~ffered them, before they prefented themfelves before the Lord. If the touchtn~ of a dead or. uncle~n Beaft then, m.::tde People unfic fo~ Temple or S:~cr~fice, yea, .Soctety wah the Clean, till fir(l fprinkled and fan~Ifi.ed, how c~n we th10k f~ meanly oft~e Worfhip that is infHtuted by Chntl m 9ofpel-ttmes, as that It fhould admit of unprepared and un/(tnffi· fled 0./fcnngs .? Or, allow that. tho_fe who eirher in Thought~. \Vord!, or Deeds, do datly touch t~Jt whtch ~~ mcr:~lly uncle:m, can ·(wirhour coming to the Blood of ~ESUS, tblll fprm~le.r the Confcience from De11d TVorks} acceptably worfhtp the Purt God: 'TIS a down-right Contradiction ro good ;:,enfc: The U~cle~n cannot acceptably worfhip that which is Holy; the Nuqib.3.and ch.t9• . 2Chron.29. V, 36o &ch. 30. 16r '7· Impure !hlt wh_tch ts P~rfeel-. There is an Holy Jmercourfe :~nd Communi· on bet~txt Chnft and ~ts Followers; but none at all berwi,xt Cl/ lUST 2 C'?r. 6. t1i a_nd &bnl; be~ween ~Jm and thofe that difobey his Commandment9, and )6• • live noc <he L1fe of Hu 8/cffed Crofs and Self· Denial. §. IX. Rut as ~in, fo For~nJli_ty cannot worfhip God; no, thoup-h t.,he ~hnner ~'ere of hts o~n OrdmatJon. V/hich m.::tde the Pro~her, perfona-ung one m a great Sne1ghr, cry out, TVberewirlJ jhan 1 come /Kfrre tbe Uml, Mic. 6. 6, 1i and bow my ftlf btfor& tbe HzglJ God? Shall I comt before hl1hrith Burnt· S. ·Q.q 2 • O.ffain!,r? |
