The practical divinity of the papists discovered to be destructive of Christianity and mens…

In short, the Lord requires the heart in Worship, without this, nothing else can please him, nothing in his account will be a real honour or worship of him, but only in appearance and fiction. The Romanists teach, that God need not have any thing of their hearts in their Service, not any one act or motion thereof, while they are at it, only some sort of intention before, while they are going about it; but this no act of will or heart neither, but only a virtual, or habitual, or implicit something; they have minced it so small, that an ordinary eye cannot discern in it so little, as a purpose to serve God; yea in fine, they have reduced it to that which is worse than nothing: and if the heart must be cumbered with any such thing, as an intention about serving God, yet a sinful intention may serve: this satisfies their holy Church and her Precept fully; she doth not, she cannot require any more for God, what burdens soever in other cases she lays upon the Consciences of men. But though the heart, and every act of it be thus discharged from any concern in their service, yet it may be, they will have the mind more engaged. One act thereof, and but one (mental attention) they seem to require; and its true, some of them make show of calling for it, but as soon as ever it appears, it is dismissed immediately, ⟨p. 10⟩as needless; for they conclude generally, that a purpose to attend will serve, though they attend not, and this purpose too by their handling (as we have seen) comes to nothing, or worse. But suppose they did (though they do not) account an intention to worship God needful, and that actual, express, and well qualified, yet they confess ^(x)an intent to worship, or wait on God, is not to worship him really: no more than a man is Sober when he is Drunk, because he intended to be Sober. But they leave us no ground for this supposition, yet ascribe as much to their intention, and more, than the best imaginable will bear; after they have reduced it to as bad, as nothing. However since all the worship they count necessary is included in this purpose, and all their pretensions depend on it; they are concerned to have it though to be something, and they will seem cautious about it, as a thing material, so this proviso they lay down.

In short, the Lord requires the heart in Worship, without this, nothing else can please him, nothing in his account will be a real honour or worship of him, but only in appearance and fiction. The Romanists teach, that God need not have any thing of their hearts in their Service, not any one act or motion thereof, while they are at it, only some sort of intention before, while they are going about it; but this no act of will or heart neither, but only a vertual, or habitual, or implicite something; they have minced it so small, that an ordinary eye cannot discern in it so little, as a purpose to serve God; yea in fine, they have reduced it to that which is worse than nothing: and if the heart must be cumbred with any such thing, as an intention about serving God, yet a sinful intention may serve: this satisfies their holy Church and her Precept fully; she doth not, she cannot require any more for God, what burthens soever in other cases she lays upon the Consciences of men. But though the heart, and every act of it be thus discharged from any concern in their service, yet it may be, they will have the mind more engaged. One act thereof, and but one (mental attention) they seem to require; and its true, some of them make shew of calling for it, but as soon as ever it appears, it is dismissed immediately,