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that though men expect all this from people below them, yet God does not; that God fees the heart, and if that be right, that is all that God requires of us.

I will fhew you that it is not, and that God expects an outward as well as an inward worship; that God will be offended with our indecent behaviour as well as our betters; and that he will judge us according to that fense we have of our duty towards men above us. A fon (faith God) honoureth his father, and a fervant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear?—And if ye offer the blind or the lame for facrifice, is it not evil? offer it unto thy governor, will he be pleafed with thee, or accept thy perfon? faith the Lord of hofts.

By this you fee, that God is as jealous of his honour as any prince on earth can be; that he is concerned even for the outward fervice which men pay him.

And though all the beafts of the field are his, and the cattle upon a thousand hills, as the Pfalmift fpeaks; though the most perfect facrifice is of no value in the fight of God, but as it is offered in obedience to God's commands; yet God would have a facrifice as perfect as may be; and he will be offended if his worshippers fhall bring him the lame or the blind.

Agreeable to this, he expects we should pray to him for what we want, and give him thanks

e Malachi i. 6, 8,

thanks for the bleffings he every day bestows upon us.

He fees with what affections we do this, and will be offended with our infincerity; he will alfo be offended with our irreverence, even as much as a father or a master would in reafon be with the difrefpect of a son, or the ill behaviour of a servant.

Put off thy fhoes from off thy feet, was God's command to Mofes, when he was in God's presence:-a way of expreffing the greatest refpect.

And this is fo natural, that St. Paul does fuppofe, that if an infidel should come into a congregation of believers, and should there be convinced that God is in truth amongst them, he would immediately fall down and worship God; there being fo ftrict a correfpondence betwixt the foul and body, that our hearts are no fooner affected with any thing, but it presently appears in fome outward figns of fear, or joy, or reverence.

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Nay, we may add farther, that an outward reverent behaviour is of ufe even to create an inward fenfe of God, and of the duties we owe to him. Thus the priests, in Joel, are directed to weep between the porch and the altar. At another time they are commanded to put fackcloth upon their loins, and ashes upon their heads.

Now, neither tears, nor fackcloth, nor ashes, are well-pleasing to God, any farther than f 1 Cor. xiv. 24. & Chap. ii. 17.

they

they are either expreffions of forrow, or means of creating it, when a fenfe of our fins requires it, or when it is fit we should be made fenfible of our guilt and danger.

In fhort; both our fouls and bodies are God's, and we are to worship him with both; and those that do not fo, do offer the lame and the blind, which God has declared he abhors.

Since, therefore, it is fo very criminal to behave ourselves irreverently. in the presence of God, and yet a fault that is very common among Christians; as I have proposed to you the pattern of the inhabitants of heaven, who worship God in the most humble manner, fo I do wish, that with them you would confider, II. The wisdom, and greatness, and goodness, and majesty of God, in whose house you are, and before whofe prefence you appear; and then you will be convinced, that he is worthy of all the duty and reverence that his creatures are capable of paying him; for he created all things, and for his pleafure they are, and were created.

And, in truth, it is for want of confideration, that men appear before God with the fame indifference and want of fear, as they would do before an idol, which neither fees, nor can be angry at, the indevotion and ill behaviour of its worshippers.

Now, Chriftians would not do fo, if they would but open their eyes, and fee the wif dom and power of God in the works of the

creation.

creation. The heavens declare the glory of God, (faith the Pfalmift") and the firmament fheweth bis bandy-work. There is neither Speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Or, as this is finely paraphrafed by an English poet:

All people do their language understand;
Nor was there ever favage nation known,
Who in them could not read God's hand:
In their own tongue all read what's written there,
For Heaven alone's THE UNIVERSAL CHARACTER.

But left these things fhould feem to be above the reach of ordinary capacities, let us confider the things that are about us; all which do manifeft fome of the attributes of God, and excite us to glorify him after a becoming manner.

And, in the first place, one would wonder, that of fo many forts of creatures, not one of them, fince the creation, is loft. This fhews the wonderful providence of God, who has taken care of the most contemptible creatures; has provided them with convenient food; has taught them where to feek for fhelter against all forts of storms and enemies, how to defend themselves when they are affaulted, and how to leave a race behind them when they die.

Our bleffed Lord affures us, that not a fparrow dies without God's knowledge and permiffion; and would have us learn from

Pfalm xix.

that

that inftance of God's providence, to put ourfelves under his protection, and not to fear what man can do against us. He puts us in mind of another inftance of God's care: Confider (faith he) the fowls of the air: they reap not, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly father feedeth them; that is, they meet with food convenient for them, as certainly as the day cometh. A fufficient reason why man fhould depend upon God for his daily bread, and be very thankful for it!

In short; every thing we stand in need of, every thing we enjoy, every thing we fee, is capable of exciting in us devout affections, if we would but confider them. For example: Have we not great reafon to blefs God, that for fo many ages he has never denied the world his bleffings fo. long as to destroy it for want of neceffaries?

If we should want rain but for one fummer, neither man nor beaft could live one year longer. If it should rain one whole winter, all things neceffary for our support would perish. If we fhould have a long calm, the very air would be corrupted, and we should be foon destroyed; and if we should have too long a ftorm, we should want many things from abroad, which are neceffary to our well-being.

Does not this convince us of the goodness of God; and fhould not this make us very thankful when we come before him?

And

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