1It is good for those who have been guilty in this kind of superstitious ways of worship, even to prevent God by casting shame upon themselves; for if they do not, God will cast shame upon them, he will make them to be ashamed. That is our best way, to come in and to prevent God and to lie down in our shame, to take shame unto our own souls & to lie down therein. God knows how we have defiled our selves, even all of us, in ways of superstitious worship; and the truth is, God is casting shame upon all those ways at this day, and doth cast shame upon them. Happy are those that before these times did take shame to their own souls for all their defilements in the ways of false worship. Howsoever, before God doth yet further force it upon us it will be our wisdom to take shame to ourselves. Ezek. 43.11. that text is a famous text for this purpose, first in the tenth verse, Show them the bouse that they may be ashamed, show them the true way of my worship that they may be ashamed. The truth is, if we did but understand the beauty, the excellency, the true beauty of holiness in the ways of Gods Ordinances, in the purity and simplicity of the Gospel, that were enough to make us ashamed if there were nothing else, we would even be very vile in our own eyes to think that while our hearts have been taken up about such vain and vile ways of false worship, that such glorious Ordinances of God, that beauty of holiness that is in his Ordinances hath been neglected by us; show them the way of my house that they may be ashamed; But further, in the 11. vers. If they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the Ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, (again) and all the Laws thereof, and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the Ordinances thereof and do them. First show them my ⟨p. 329⟩house,2 Let them have some kind of knowledge of my ways and Ordinances in the general, perhaps that will make them ashamed: And at this day we know though there be but a little light let out unto us, to show us a little more of the ways of Gods worship than we saw before, we do begin to be ashamed of what we have done:3
1It is good for those who have been guilty in this kind of superstitious waies of worship, even to prevent God by casting shame upon themselves; for if they do not, God will cast shame upon them, he will make them to be ashamed. That is our best way, to come in and to prevent God and to lie down in our shame, to take shame unto our own souls & to lie down therein. God knows how we have defiled our selves, even all of us, in waies of superstitious worship; and the truth is, God is casting shame upon all those waies at this day, and doth cast shame upon them. Happie are those that before these times did take shame to their own souls for all their defilements in the waies of false worship. Howsoever, before God doth yet further force it upon us it will be our wisdom to take shame to ourselves. Ezek. 43.11. that text is a famous text for this purpose, first in the tenth verse, Shew them the bouse that they may be ashamed, shew them the true way of my worship that they may be ashamed. The truth is, if we did but understand the beauty, the excellency, the true beauty of holiness in the waies of Gods Ordinances, in the purity and simplicitie of the Gospel, that were enough to make us ashamed if there were nothing else, we would even be very vile in our own eyes to think that while our hearts have been taken up about such vain and vile waies of false worship, that such glorious Ordinances of God, that beauty of holiness that is in his Ordinances hath been neglected by us; shew them the way of my house that they may be ashamed; But further, in the 11. vers. If they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the Ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, (again) and all the Laws thereof, and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whol form there•f, and all the Ordinances thereof and do them. First shew them my ⟨p. 329⟩house,2 Let them have some kind of knowledg of my waies and Ordinances in the general, perhaps that will make them ashamed: And at this day we know though there be but a little light let out unto us, to shew us a little more of the waies of Gods worship than we saw before, we do begin to be ashamed of what we have done:3
- 1Use. Admonitions to the defiled with superstitious worship to take shame to themselves.
- 2Ezek. 33.10, 11. opened
- 3Note
