Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

11. Spiritual worship is performed with spiritual ends, with raised aims at the glory of God. No duty can be spiritual that hath a carnal aim: Where God is the sole Object, he ought to be the principal End: In all our actions he is to be our End, as he is the principle of our Being; much more in Religious Acts, as he is the Object of our worship. The worship of God in Scripture, is expressed by the seeking of him^*; Him, not our selves; all is to be referred to God. As we are not to live to our selves, that being the sign of a carnal state; so we are not to worship for our selves, Rom. 14.7, 8. As all actions are denominated good from their end, as well as their object; so upon the same account they are denominated spiritual. The end spiritualizeth our natural actions; much more our religious: Then are our faculties devoted to him when they centre in him. If the intention be evil, there is nothing but darkness in the whole service, Luke 11.34. The first institution of the Sabbath, the solemn day for worship, was to contemplate the glory of God in his stupendous works of Creation, and render him a homage for them, Revel. 4.11. Thou art worthy oh Lord, to receive Honour, Glory and Power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. No worship can be returned, without a glorifying of God; and we cannot actually glorify him, without direct aims at the promoting his honour. As we have immediately to do with God, so we are immediately to mind the praise of God. As we are not to content our selves with habitual grace, but be rich in the exercise of it in worship; so we are not to acquiesce in habitual aims at the glory of God, without the actual outflowings of our hearts in those aims.

11. Spiritual worship is performed with spiritual ends, with raised aims at the glory of God. No duty can be spiritual that hath a carnal aim: Where God is the sole Object, he ought to be the principal End: In all our actions he is to be our End, as he is the principle of our Being; much more in Religious Acts, as he is the Object of our worship. The worship of God in Scripture, is exprest by the seeking of him