He is in our Churches, per fpecialem cultum. 2. The duty: Let all the earth keep filence before him. This as you heard, is a poftulation of reverence; he doth not put us to filence that we fhall fay nothing, for he hath commanded us to call upon him, and invocation is a note of his children; He faith hee shall call upon me, and I will hear him. The wife man doth help us to expound this Text: Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hafty to utter any word before God: for God Ecclef. 5. is in beaven, and thou upon earth, therefore let they words bee Reg. lib. few. ver. 2. I So that temerity and rafhneffe is here forbidden, and reve- Gen. 5.1. rence and holineffe required. 1. Let us confider God in our Churches, the temples of his holineffe, there we are taught. 1. Take heed that thou have not an unreverent opinion of the Ufe. I house of God. St. Paul faith, defpife ye the Church, that is, the place fet apart for the worship of God? and that he meaneth so, the place and not the company, So Theophil. loco ipfi infertis injuriam,you dowrong to the place, Lyranus,eft contemptus ecclefia que confecrata eft divinis ufibus, the very words of that Text do fhew it:For our own houses,and Gods houfe, our houses for our common meals, and Gods house for the Supper of the Lord, are compared together. 2.There must be in us a love of those houses of God;God faid of Ufe. 2. his holy City where his Temple was built, here will I dwell, for I have a delight therein. It is Davids proteftation for Ierufalem, For the house of Gods fake I will feek to do thee good. The heart never more defired the water-brooks, then he did to go to the Tabernacle where God was; my foul longeth and fainteth for them. I was glad when they faid to me, come, we will go up to the boufe of the Lord. Xx 2 Let Pfal.33.13 mine, the divinity is a non ens. For he addeth that there is no God but one;and whereas many be called gods in heaven and in earth, as there be many gods and many Lords; yet he faith there is but one God, the reft are nomina, not numina. For there were that worshipped the, Sun the Moon and the ftarres; thefe as creatures and fecond caufes do us good, but they serve our God. When our God is in his Temple, all thofe help to make up the quire of them that praise him; For the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmaments and the outgoings of the morning praise him. Therefore do we lift up our eyes to heaven when we pray, we fay that every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights. Yet is not God fo far off, but that as heaven is his throne, earth is his foot-ftoole. The Lord looketh from heaven, he beholdeth the fonnes of men. He is not fo far off but if we pray to him, Prope eft invocantibus ipfum, he is neer to them that call upon him. And in this refpe& all the earth is a common oratory, fo is the fea, for our prayers. But as the perpetuall duty of a Religious fervice of God,which doth require holineffe and righteousneffe all the days of our lives, doth not take away the particular duty of the Sabbath: neither doth the great hahitation of God in heaven abate any thing of his special presence, both in the temples dedicated to his fervice, and in every particular perfon which doth belong to the electi on of grace. : For fo God faith, Idwell with him that is humble and contrite in heart and he faith so presently after he had said, I will dwell in the high and holy place: in fo much as St. Auguftine upon those words of David,exaudivit de templo fancto fuo vocem meam, faith Exaudivit de cordo meo in quo habitat Dominus vocem meam. For know you not that you are the temples of the holy Ghost, and that God dwelleth in you, &c. God is in heaven, Per fpecialem gloriam. He is in our Churches, per fpecialem cultum. 2. The duty: Let all the earth keep filence before him. This as you heard, is a poftulation of reverence; he doth not put us to filence that we fhall fay nothing, for he hath commanded us to call upon him, and invocation is a note of his children; He faith bee shall call upon me, and I will hear him. The wife man doth help us to expound this Text: Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hafty to utter any word before God: for God Ecclef. 5. is in beaven, and thou upon earth, therefore let they words bee. few. ver. 2. Reg. lib. So that temerity and rafhneffe is here forbidden, and reve- Gen. 5. I rence and holineffe required. 1. Let us confider God in our Churches, the temples of his holineffe, there we are taught. 1. Take heed that thou have not an unreverent opinion of the Ufe. I: houfe of God. St. Paul faith, defpife ye the Church, that is, the place fet apart for the worship of God? and that he meaneth fo, the place and not the company, So Theophil. loco ipfi infertis injuriam,you do wrong to the place, Lyranus,eft contemptus ecclefie que conjecrata eft divinis ufibus, the very words of that Text do fhew it:For our own houfes,and Gods houfe, our houses for our common meals, and Gods house for the Supper of the Lord, are compared together. 2.There must be in us a love of thofe houfes of God; God faid of Ufe. 2. his holy City where his Temple was built, here will I dwell, for I have a delight therein. It is Davids proteftation for Ierufalem, For the house of Gods fake I will feek to do thee good. The heart never more defired the water-brooks, then he did to go to the Tabernacle where God was; my foul longeth and fainteth for them. I was glad when they said to me, come, we will go up to the houfe of the Lord. Xx 2 Let Mich 6,6. I Sam.16. 20. 3. Let us prepare our felves before we come to Gods houfe; for he is prefent there; come not hand over head as thou wouldeft go into thine own house; confider if thou wert to go before thy Soveraign King, how thou wouldeft compofe thy felf that nothing in thy apparel, in thy gefture, in thy countenance, in thy wordsmight give him offence. Wilt thou do leffe when thou art to appear before the Lord of Hofls, who is the King of glory? Micah faith, Wherewithalfball I come before the Lord, and bow my self be fore the most high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offe rings? The old law was, None shall appear before me empty. When leffe heard that David his fonne was fent for to King Saul, leffe took an affe laden with bread, and a bottle of wine and a kid, and fent them by David to Saul. So facob fent a prefent to Pharaoh when his fons went the fecond time for corne. Solomon faith, and it is no news in our times, Areward in the bofome pacifieth strong wrath; we know what Pro.21.14 cause we have given our God to be angry with us, let us think of it when we are to come and ftand in his fight at Charch. Manus in finu tuo,manus in finu dei He is not ashamed to askit, fili prabe cor. 4. Take heed to thy foot when thou entreft into the house of God, for the place where thou art entring is holy ground, put off thy fhooes, that is, all earthly and carnal affections, and say Gen, 28. with lacob, quam terribilis eft hic locus! this is no other but the 16, 17. house of God, porta cœli. 5. When thou art entred into Gods house, remember thou art come before the face of God and his holy Angels, into the place where God's honour specially dwelleth. 1. It is not enough thy heart be reverent, let thy outward man expreffe it also, do not think that because the Papifts do fuperfti riously adore the Crucifix, and the Altar, and idols therein, therefore it is fuperftition to do worship to God; every man that comes into anothers house, doth in good manners falute the Mafter of the house when he enters the fame; may not a visible wor fhip be due to the invifible God? O come, let us worship, and fall down down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker. It is a godly cuftome if done in zeal of Gods glory,with devo⚫ tion, and not in a cuftomary formality, to fanctifie our entrance into Gods houfe with Prayers, to fall low upon our knees before God, to invocate him for his bleffing upon our selves, upon our Minister, upon the whole Congregation. 2. Learn of the Apostle, Let all things be done decently and in good order; compofe thy outward man to all due reverence, and conformity with the holy Congregation, and thine inward man to all zealous devotion; remember the meetings of the Saints in the primitive times of the Church, utador. Do not give God thy knee, and thy tongue, thine eye, thine eare and thy hand,thy whole outward addrefle,and keep thy heart from him, and let thy thoughts go and wander from the fervice thou art about. Confeffe your fins together, pray together, give thanks together; confeffe your faith the common faith together, hear the Word together both read diftinctly, and preached profitably. Remember that God fpeaketh in the Miniftry of his Word, and fay with David, I will heare what the Lord God Will Say. Gather Manna whilft you may for you and your houses. Take heed that Satan coole not your zeale of Gods glory, by fuggefting irreverent opinions of the Prayers, and forme of fervice of the Minifter, of the Ceremonies of the Church, or uncharitable opinions of the Congregation. For all these be whips of Satans twifting to whip thee out of Gods Temple, and to make the ordinances of God ineffe Яual. Bring with thee an humble and contrite heart, and say within thy felf, as St. Paul did, I am the worst of finners, I am the worst Perfon in all this Congregation, for I know mine own wickedneffe, and my finne is ever against me. Bring faith with thee that will fhew thee the glorious and gracious face of God;by that eye thou shalt fee the fonne of God making interceffion for thee, and thou shalt feele the spirit of God helping their infirmities: mingle faith with thy hearing,and the word fhall profit thee. Hide |