The law unsealed

Secondly. We sin before we go about this duty: 1. In not preparing for it. 2. In not praying for the Spirit, to fit and enable us to Praise, 1 Cor. 14. 15. and for a fixed heart for that work, Psalm 108. 1. 3. In our not aiming at a spiritual disposition for such a spiritual duty. 4. In our not endeavouring for a right impression of the Majesty of God. And 5. For clearness of our interest in him: And 6, For an impression of the excellency of his way, and meaning of his Word; all which are exceeding necessary unto the right performance of this duty, and without them we cannot Praise suitably.

Thirdly. We are guilty of many faults in the time of praising. 1. Doing it without respect to Gods glory, and for the fashion only. 2. Hypocrisy, not praising him with the whole heart, performing it only with the lips, when the heart is away. 3. Ignorance, when we want understanding of the words we express. 4. No suitable impression of Gods greatness and goodness upon our hearts when we praise. 5. Not aiming at Communion with God in this duty, as desiring, minding, and hoping to praise him for ever. 6. Not being taken up with Spiritual and Heavenly delight in him, and in the work of his praise, 7. Lightness, laughing, or mainly affecting of, and carnally doting upon, some tone or voice more then being suitably affected with the matter, and making melody in the heart to the Lord. 8. Forgetting what we do sing, and not knowing or considering what it is we sing, the heart not being present nor fixed. 9. Not being constrained by love to praise, but some custom or natural Conscience constraining us to it. 10. Not offering up our praises in and through Christ Jesus, Heb. 13. v. 15. 11. Soon satisfied in our praising, as if we were little troubled to be fitted for it, and because little of our selves lieth in it, we are the less careful how we discharge it, but stint and limit our selves to some certain customary matter which puts us to few prayers before, and makes but few challenges after. 12. Not intermixing ejaculatory prayers in our praisings. 13. Much Hypocrisy when we sing the cases of others, or their thoughts and estimation of God, and study not to be something-like their frame and exercise. 14. Not framing our affections in praising to the subject of our praise; whether it be some sad case or some cheerful condition, or some Historical or Prophetical subject; and when imprecations are a part of the Song, we soon fall off, or praise one and the same way in all. 15. Not serious in blessing God for former mercies to his Servants, if it be not so well with us in the mean time, nor cheerfully acknowledging his former deliverances of his Church and people in which we have not personally shared. 16. Not being affected with his keeping of us free of many sad cases we sing, and others have been in, nor blessing him for delivering them. 17.