cerns are at all Times fo much in our Heads, and our Hearts are fo bent upon them, that we are always ready for Them, without any previous Preparation. But the Cafe is much otherwife in Heavenly Things: The Natural Man favoureth not the Things that be of God: We have naturally no Savour or Relish for Spiritual Employments; and are generally fo Backward and Indifpofed for them, that it requires fome Pains to be taken with Ourselves, to abftract and get off our Thoughts from the World; to raise our Earthly Minds to Heavenly Objects, and bring them into a Frame and Posture of Devotion; fuch as is meet for the Service of God, and fit to appear within his Prefence. Therefore if we defire to ferve God in our Religious Affemblies as we ought to do, I think we may beft Prepare Ourselves for it by the Obfervation of these three Rules, 1ft, That on the Day fet apart for God's Service, we lay afide our Worldly Business. 2 dly, That we caft off our Sins, and come to the Service of God with intire Purposes of Obedience. And, 3dly, That when we are to come to the Houfe of God, we do what we can to put our Minds into a proper Frame and Temper of Devotion. 1. That on the Day fet apart for God's Service we lay afide our Worldly Business and Cares, and wholly abstain from the Employments and Labours of our Callings; and, as far as we can, discharge them even from our Thoughts. God no fooner commanded a Day to be kept Holy to himself, but he immediately fubjoyns,In it thou shalt not do any Work. Not that bare Reft from our Bodily Labours or Secular Business is any Duty of itself, or of itself any Part of his Service, but in order to his Service. Refting from our Labour is in itself fo far from being acceptable to God, that he has commanded Us not to be flothful in Bufinefs, but to Labour in the Business of our Callings, and to be Industrious in it, at proper Times and Seafons.Six Days fhalt thou Labour: But the Seventh he has referved for himself, and therefore we must not intrench upon it; For the Seventh Day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. When we are upon the Service of God, we must devote ourselves wholly to it: If we think to ferve God and the World together, the World will get the better; the World will keep Poffeffion of our Hearts, and nothing will be left for God but the Service of our Lips. Surely there was a Moral Meaning in it, Kings vi, that God would have neither Ax nor Ham 7: mer } mer heard in the Building of his Temple. 1 He will not have his Service difturbed with the Noise and Cares of Human Life. Sacred and Civil do not mix well together: Each must have its proper Seasons: Our Civil Concerns must not intrude into our Religious Performances: They muft neither take up any Part of our Time that is due to the Service of God; nor the Thoughts of them be fuffered to disturb or distract us in it: But we must rid ourselves of them, caft them out of our Hearts, and ftrive to lay them wholly afide, before we go to the House of God, that we may be intirely Free for the Service of God, and may ferve him there, as we ought to do, with All our Hearts, and with All our Minds. For fince God requires not only our External Visible Worship, but requires especially to be worshipped by us in the Inward Man of the Heart, it is not enough that we hold our Hands, and forbear the common Labour of our Worldly Callings, unless we endeavour to take off our Thoughts from them too, that our Hearts and Souls, as well as our Bodies, may be present at his Service, and at full Leifure and Liberty carefully to attend it. 2dly, We must not only put off the World and its Cares; but we must especially disbur then ourselves of our Sins, to fit ourselves for the Service of God. This is above all things the most necessary Part of our Preparation: I fhall therefore the more largely insist upon it; and fhall endeavour to fhew, 1f, That our Sins whilft we retain them, will make our beft Services unworthy of God, and unacceptable to him: And 2dly, What we must do to make them Acceptable and well pleafing to him. 1. That our Sins, whilft we retain them, will make our beft Services Unworthy of God, and unnacceptable to him. The very Heathens themfelves, I mean the Wifer and Better Sort, that followed their Reason, and not the Errors and Corrupt Cuftoms of the Times (which had plainly debauch'd their Religion, and had introduc'd all Manner of Vice and Immorality into it,) could not but think that it was fit and requifite to purify themselves; and that both in Body and Soul, before they came to their Religious Worship; And that if they did come Polluted and Impure, God himself would be the Avenger *. And therefore they had a proper Officer to warn them of their Ad * Tully thought it a Law fit for his Republick. Divos adeunto caftè: Pietatem adhibento: Qui fecùs faxit, Deus ipfe Vindex erit. De Legib. Lib. 2. Et fi Cafto Corpore adeundum fit, multo in Animis id Servandum magis; Nam illud vel afperfione Aqua, vel Dierum numero tollitur: Animi labes nec diuturnitate vanefcere, nec manibus ullis elui poteft : Ibid. Danger, Danger, and publickly to proclaim, that no But Our God is truly a God of Holiness and Purity, and cannot endure to behold Iniquity. He therefore requires of all that come to worship him, that they fhould conform themselves to his Image, and come, to the best Degree they can, Pure and Holy to his Worship. He has fet Fences and Bounds about the Holy Place, that nothing that is impure fhould dare to approach his Prefence. When the People were to meet the Lord at Mount Sinai, if a Beaft do but touch the Exod. xix. Mountain, it fhall Dye. And They themfelves were first to fanctify themselves for three Days together (before they were to come into his Prefence,) against the third Day wherein the Lord would come down a- ver. 10. mongst the People; when they were to present themselves before him, and receive the Divine Law from him, by the Hand of Mofes: In which Law it was given them as a standing Rule, that they should always purge and purify themselves from all their Pollutions, before they at any Time came to offer their Sacrifices and Oblations to him. There λογο * Procul, O Procul efte Profani, Conclamat Vates, totoque abfiftite Luco. Virg. En. And fo in the ancient Greek Formulary, Εκὰς ἑκὼς ἔτε Βέβη fore |