1. If the soul be so precious, see then what that Use 1 worship is that God doth expect and accept; namely,1 that which comes from the more noble part of the soul. Branch. 1 Psal. 25.1. To thee O Lord do I lift up my soul. David did not only lift up his voice, but his soul; though God will have the eye and the knee, the service of the body; yet he complains of them that draw near with their lips, when their hearts were far from him, Isa. 29.13.* The soul is the jewel; David did not only put his Lute and Viol in tune, but his soul in tune to praise God. Psal. 103.1. Bless the Lord O my soul; his affections joining together in worship made up the consort. The soul is both Altar, Fire and Incense; it is the Altar on which we offer up our prayers, the Fire which kindles our prayers, and the Incense which perfumes them. Gods eye is chiefly upon the soul; bring an hundred dishes to Table, he will carve of none but this; this is the savoury meat he loves He who is best, will be served with the best; when we give him the soul in a duty, now we give him the flower and the cream; by an holy Chemistry we still out the spirits. A soul inflamed in service, is ⟨p. 460⟩the cup of spiced wine, and the juice of the Pomegranate, which the Spouse makes Christ to drink off*; without the worship of the soul, all our Religion is but [Greek or Hebrew], bodily exercise, 1 Tim. 4.8. which profits nothing; without the soul we give God but a carcass. What are all the Papists Fastings, Penance, Pilgrimages, but going to hell in more pomp and state? What are the Formalists prayers, which do even cool between his lips, but a dead devotion? It is not sacrifice, but sacrilege; he robs God of that which he hath a right to, his soul.
1. If the soul be so precious, see then what that Use 1 worship is that God doth expect and accept; namely,1 that which comes from the more noble part of the soul. Branch. 1 Psal. 25.1. To thee O Lord do I lift up my soul. David did not only lift up his voyce, but his soul; though God will have the eye and the knee, the service of the body; yet he complains of them that draw near with their lips, when their hearts were far from him, Isa. 29.13.* The soul is the jewel; David did not only put his Lute and Viol in tune, but his soul in tune to praise God. Psal. 103.1. Bless the Lord O my soul; his affections joyning together in worship made up the consort. The soul is both Altar, Fire and Incense; it is the Altar on which we offer up our prayers, the Fire which kindles our prayers, and the Incense which perfumes them. Gods eye is chiefly upon the soul; bring an hundred dishes to Table, he will carve of none but this; this is the savoury meat he loves He who is best, will be served with the best; when we give him the soul in a duty, now we give him the flowre and the cream; by an holy Chymistry we still out the spirits. A soul inflamed in service, is ⟨p. 460⟩the cup of spiced wine, and the juyce of the Pomgranate, which the Spouse makes Christ to drink off*; without the worship of the soul, all our Religion is but 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, bodily exercise, 1 Tim. 4.8. which profits nothing; without the soul we give God but a carcass. What are all the Papists Fastings, Pennance, Pilgrimages, but going to hell in more pomp and state? What are the Formalists prayers, which do even cool between his lips, but a dead devotion? It is not sacrifice, but sacriledge; he robs God of that which he hath a right to, his soul.
- 1Inform.
- *Neque enim in Sacrificiis munera eorum, sed corda intueba•ur Deus. Cypr.
- *Cant. 8.2.
