Gospel-Worship

3 Thirdly, There must be likewise the strength of all the Faculties: We should stir up what ever we are or have, or can do to work in prayer, then the bent of mind, and conscience, and will, and affection; yea, and the body should be put to it too, and those that worship God to purpose, they spend their bodies in nothing so much as in the worshipping of God. It will be a sad thing another day when this shall be charged upon many, Thou hast spent the strength of thy body upon lusts, but when diddest thou spend any strength of thy body about any holy duty? What a riddle is this to most people, to tell them of spending the strength of their bodies in prayer, or hearing of the word, or Sanctifying a Sabbath; they think the Sabbath is a time of rest, I confess it is a time of rest from an outward labour, but it is a time of spending strength in a spiritual way; and those that shall worship God aright on the Sabbath, will find it a spending of a great deal of strength, and blessed is that strength that is spent in the worship of God rather then in the ways of sin, as most spend their strength: If God gives thee a heart to spend thy strength in his worship, thou mayest think thus, Lord, thou mightest have left me to have spent my strength in sin, how much better is it spent in the worshipping of thy Name? There is one notable Scripture in Jer. 8. 2. that shows how much strength the Idolaters put forth in the worshipping of their Idol, they would not do it in a slight and vain way, but their hearts were much in that false worship, saith the text, And they shall spread them before the Sun, and the Moon, and all the host of Heaven, (mark now) whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and when they have sought, ⟨p. 84⟩and whom they have worshipped: All these are put together in reference to their Idols; Oh that it could be said so of us in reference to God, when we come to worship him, whom we have loved, and whom we have served, and after whom we have walked, and whom we have sought, and whom we have worshipped; there is all these several expressions to show the strength of their spirits in following after their Idols: And that is the Fifth thing in our Sanctifying of Gods Name.

3 Thirdly, There must be likewise the strength of all the Faculties: We should stir up what ever we are or have, or can do to work in prayer, then the bent of mind, and conscience, and will, and affection; yea, and the body should be put to it too, and those that worship God to purpose, they spend their bodies in nothing so much as in the worshipping of God. It will be a sad thing another day when this shall be charged upon many, Thou hast spent the strength of thy body upon lusts, but when didest thou spend any strength of thy body about any holy duty? What a riddle is this to most people, to tell them of spending the strength of their bodies in prayer, or hearing of the word, or Sanctifying a Sabbath; they think the Sabbath is a time of rest, I confesse it is a time of rest from an outward labour, but it is a time of spending strength in a spirituall way; and those that shall worship God aright on the Sabbath, will find it a spending of a great deal of strength, and blessed is that strength that is spent in the worship of God rather then in the waies of sin, as most spend their strength: If God gives thee a heart to spend thy strength in his worship, thou mayest think thus, Lord, thou mightest have left me to have spent my strength in sin, how much better is it spent in the worshipping of thy Name? There is one notable Scripture in