Gospel-worship, or, The right manner of sanctifying the name of God in general and…

You will say, Cannot we sit at home and read a Sermon?

You will say, Cannot we sit at home and reade a Sermon?

But hath God appointed that the great Ordinance for the converting and the edifying of souls in the way to eternal life? True, there is some use of it; but the great Ordinance is the Preaching of the Word, Faith comes by hearing (the Scripture saith) and never by reading; So that though when you come to hear, you do not hear that which you heard not before, yet you come to attend upon this Ordinance for the conveyance of some spiritual good that (it may be) hath not been conveyed before, or in a further degree than it hath been conveyed before: and so you should come to hear the Word with your hearts possest with that meditation, That it is the Word of God, and the great Ordinance that God hath appointed for the conveyance of spiritual good; so that I come now in obedience to God, and in this I do testify my respect to God, that I will attend upon this Ordinance of His for the conveyance of spiritual good to me, and although I may think that this or the other means may do the deed as well, yet because God hath appointed this to be his Ordinance, therefore in obedience to him I will attend upon this means rather than upon other means: as you know Naaman he thought the other waters would have been as good as the waters of Jordan to have healed him, but if God will appoint him the waters of Jordan, that they should heal him rather than other waters, he must wash there: No question but other waters had as much natural virtue in them as they had, but because the waters of Jordan were the Ordinance that God for that time had appointed to cure his Leprosy withal, he must come and wash in those waters rather than in any other: ⟨p. 168⟩So, because preaching of the Word is the great Ordinance that God hath appointed to convey himself by, therefore he doth require that thou shouldest show thy respect to him, so far as to attend upon him in this Ordinance.

But hath God appointed that the great Ordinance for the converting and the edifying of souls in the way to eternal life? True, there is some use of it; but the great Ordinance is the Preaching of the Word, Faith comes by hearing (the Scripture saith) and never by reading; So that though when you come to hear, you do not hear that which you heard not before, yet you come to attend upon this Ordinance for the conveyance of some spiritual good that (it may be) hath not been conveyed before, or in a further degree than it hath been conveyed before: and so you should come to hear the Word with your hearts possest with that meditation, That it is the Word of God, and the great Ordinance that God hath appointed for the conveyance of spiritual good; so that I come now in obedience to God, and in this I do testifie my respect to God, that I wil attend upon this Ordinance of His for the conveyance of spiritual good to me, and although I may think that this or the other means may do the deed as well, yet because God hath appointed this to be his Ordinance, therefore in obedience to him I will attend upon this means rather than upon other means: as you know Naaman he thought the other waters would have been as good as the waters of Jordan to have healed him, but if God will appoint him the waters of Jordan, that they should heal him rather than other waters, he must wash there: No question but other waters had as much natural vertue in them as they had, but because the waters of Jordan were the Ordinance that God for that time had appointed to cure his Leprosie withal, he must come and wash in those waters rather than in any other: