The guard of the tree of life, or, A sacramental discourse showing a Christians…The guard of the tree of life, or, A sacramental discourse shewing a Christians…

1. Reason. Because God commands it. God saith he will be sanctified; and God's will is our law. God doth not only command the substance, but the circumstances; not only the matter of worship, ⟨p. 104⟩but the manner: And though the matter be good, if the manner of performance be naught, God doth not regard it. You see what he saith to the Jews, He that sacrificeth, is as he who killed a man, and he that kills a Lamb, as if he cut off a Dog's head, and he who burneth incense, as he who blesseth an Idol, Isa. ¹66.3. These seem strange expressions. What, were not these such duties as God commanded? Doth not God command sacrifice? &c. Yes, but because they did them not in that manner God commanded, therefore were they abominable to him. If therefore thou gives God the bulk of outward performance, without the spirit of devotion, thou deals by him as Prometheus by Jupiter, who did eat the flesh, and present him with nothing but bones, covered over with skin; Or, to use the Scripture phrase, you compass God ⟨p. 105⟩with a lie, Hos. 11.12. ²Thou gives him the shell of outward performance, but not the kernel of inward devotion: thou gives him a body without a soul; And as the body without the soul is dead and stinks, so doth that service which wants the spirit: As God's will doth command service, so our will and affections must perform service. Though our will must be no instrument of devising service, yet it must be an instrument in performing service. Though God will not own will-worship in regard of prescription, yet he will own it in regard of performance, and none else.

1. Reason. Because God commands it. God saith hee will be sanctified; and God's will is our law. God doth not only command the substance, but the circumstances; not only the matter of worship, ⟨p. 104⟩