The excellency of a gracious spirit Delivered in a treatise upon the 14. of…The excellency of a gracious spirit Deliuered in a treatise upon the 14. of…

That which God says to Solomon, 1 King. 9. 4. is very observable to our purpose: After Solomon had finished that glorious Temple, for the honour of the Lord, after he had assembled all the Elders of Israel, all the heads of the Tribes, the chief of the Fathers of the children of Israel, to bring up the Ark of the Lord with all solemnity, to that Temple he had made for it, after he had made such an excellent prayer before all the people; and when that was done, that he might show his further respect unto the Lord, he offered to the Lord two and twenty thousand Oxen, and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep, and in his rejoicing in this great work, he made a great feast to the people seven days, and to them he added seven days more, and sent away the people with joyful and glad hearts: Here were great things done in honour to God, yet all this would not ⟨p. 273⟩serve Solomons turn, but Chap. 9. 4. After all this, God says to him, If thou wil• walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, then I will establish the Throne of thy Kingdom: As if he should have said, Do not think to put me off with any thing thou hast done; though the things be great things, yet I expect walking according to all that I have commanded thee, or else all is nothing; And therefore, as before you heard, he was charged by God, Chap. 11. 6. that he did not go fully after the Lord: One would have thought those glorious actions that he did, had been enough to have got him the commendation of going fully after God; but we see it would not be: there must be besides these, a walking according to all that God commands, a keeping his Statutes, and his judgements, yea, and that is observable that we have in the 6. verse of this 9. Chapter, where God ⟨p. 274⟩says after all this, That if you shall at all turn from following me, you, or your children, &c. then will I cut off Israel. We must take heed of the least failing in our following the Lord. God threatens Solomon, after he had done so much, that if he did at all turn from following him, he would cut him off. It is not our forwardness in some good things, it is not our serviceableness in some public and worthy employments, that will serve our turns, if we make not conscience of every duty, of secret duties, and that constantly.