A30585:192
Gospel-worship, or, The right manner of sanctifying the name of God in general and…
Gospel-worship, or, The right manner of sanctifying the name of God in general and particularly in these three great ordinances, viz. [brace] 1. hearing of the Word, 2. receiving the Lords Supper, 3. prayer / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being the second of the seven volumes lately published by Thomas Goodwin ... [et al.]Gospel-worship, or, The right manner of sanctifying the name of God in general and particularly in these three great ordinances, viz. [brace] 1. hearing of the Word, 2. receiving the Lords Supper, 3. prayer / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being the second of the seven volumns lately published by Thomas Goodwin ... [et al.]
London: printed by Peter Cole, 1653
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
First, By this means we come to make every Duty of Worship easy to us. Things are difficult when we come upon them unprepared. If you have a friend come to dinner or supper to you, and should come suddenly, and you have nothing prepared, there would be a great deal of stir in the house; but if you have every thing prepared, it would be carried on in an easy way: And the reason why people complain so much of difficulty in duty, it is, because their hearts are not prepared. Indeed we have naturally many things that keep us off from God, but when the heart is prepared for a holy duty, it goes off as easy to God, even into the infinite Ocean of all mercy and goodness, as a Ship goes off to be launched when you have made preparation for it; so the heart can go with an holy holdness to God when you have made preparation for holy duties. In Job 11. (the place which I quoted before for the work of preparation, do but consider a verse or two further, and you shall find what abundance of good there comes upon the keeping of the heart prepared in things that are good) vers. 13. If thou prepare thine heart, &c. and then vers. 15. Then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be steadfast and shalt not fear. When the heart is prepared for that that is good, when it comes into the presence of God, it is able to lift up it self without fear, in a steadfast comfortable way, and this will quit the cost of any labour.
First, By this means we come to make every Duty of Worship easie to us. Things are difficult when we come upon them unprepared. If you have a friend come to dinner or supper to you, and should come suddenly, and you have nothing prepared, there would be a great deal of stir in the house; but if you have every thing prepared, it would be carried on in an easie way: And the reason why people complain so much of difficulty in duty, it is, because their hearts are not prepared. Indeed we have naturally many things that keep us off from God, but when the heart is prepared for a holy duty, it goes off as easie to God, even into the infinite Ocean of all mercy and goodness, as a Ship goes off to be lancht when you have made preparation for it; so the heart can go with an holy holdness to God when you have made preparation for holy duties. In Job 11. (the place which I quoted before for the work of preparation, do but consider a verse or two further, and you shall find what abundance of good there comes upon the keeping of the heart prepared in things that are good) vers. 13. If thou prepare thine heart, &c. and then vers. 15. Then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast and shalt not fear. When the heart is prepared for that that is good, when it comes into the presence of God, it is able to lift up it self without fear, in a stedfast comfortable way, and this will quit the cost of any labor.