118. There is required a deadness to Ordinances, the Tabernacle is not God: David may be banished from it. The Temple is a Type of Christ, yet it is burnt with fire, and the Sanctuary profaned: And the Lord required a sort of lentnesse or leisureliness of motion of the heart toward these, and will have his people in their exile resting upon this, Ezek. 11.16. Therefore say, thus saith the Lord God, although I have cast them far off from the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little Sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. And they who remained still at Jerusalem reproached their poor captivated brethren, as hated of God, and gloried in themselves as Citizens and Inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, v. 15. to the exiled brethren, Get you far from the Lord, unto us is this Land given in possession. They were not mortified in looking upon the Holy Land and City, but vainly gloried in it. And therefore there are two things in Ordinances.2 1. God that fills the Ordinances. 2. The external bulk of them. Mortification to God and his presence in Ordinances, is not that we here require, for the affections cannot be vigorous enough in following God. There may be a limiting and binding of God to means, to the Temple, Sanctuary, hearing, Seals, and a fleshly heat and liveliness to means, and bare and naked Ordinances; and in both these there is so far required a deadness, as there would be an holy submission to all these, when the Lord deprives us of Ordinances, and a retiring in to the fountain, to the Lord himself, that he may be all in all. So some cannot sleep except the Bible be under the head in the night: Some tie their faith and comfort so to one man, if he be not their Pastor nothing is right. But so much of CHRIST, or the substance of Gospel-promises must be neglected, as means and instruments. and Ordinances are Idolized: In a word, mortification calls for liveliness of affection to God in Christ, and a holy deadness to all things that are not God.
118. There is required a deadnesse to Ordinances, the Tabernacle is not God: David may be banished from it. The Temple is a Type of Christ, yet it is burnt with fire, and the Sanctuary prophaned: And the Lord required a sort of lentnesse or leasurlinesse of motion of the heart toward these, and will have his people in their exile resting upon this, Ezek. 11.16. Therefore say, thus saith the Lord God, although I have cast them far off from the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countreys, yet will I be to them as a little Sanctuary in the countreys where they shall come. And they who remained still at Jerusalem reproached their poor captivated brethren, as hated of God, and gloried in themselves as Citizens and Inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, v. 15. to the exiled brethren, Get you far from the Lord, unto us is this Land given in possession. They were not mortified in looking upon the Holy Land and City, but vainly gloried in it. And therefore there are two things in Ordinances.2 1. God that fills the Ordinances. 2. The externall bulke of them. Mortification to God and his presence in Ordinances, is not that we here require, for the affections cannot be vigorous enough in following God. There may be a limiting and binding of God to means, to the Temple, Sanctuary, hearing, Seals, and a fleshly heat and livelinesse to means, and bare and naked Ordinances; and in both these there is so far required a deadnesse, as there would be an holy submission to all these, when the Lord deprives us of Ordinances, and a retiring in to the fountain, to the Lord himself, that he may be all in all. So some cannot sleep except the Bible be under the head in the night: Some tye their faith and comfort so to one man, if he be not their Pastor nothing is right. But so much of CHRIST, or the substance of Gospel-promises must be neglected, as means and instruments. and Ordinances are Idolized: In a word, mortification calls for livelinesse of affection to God in Christ, and a holy deadnesse to all things that are not God.
- 115. A deadness to Ordinances.15. A deadnes to Ordinances.
- 2There be two•things in Ordinances.There be two•things in Ordin•nces.
