Gospel-worship, or, The right manner of sanctifying the name of God in general. And…

Secondly, If to Worship God, be to draw nigh to God, hence we see the reasons why guilty consciences have little mind to the duties of Gods Worship. When a man or woman hath given liberty to any licentious way, & sinned against their consciences, if they have any light in their consciences, it is one of the tediousest things in the World to come to the duties of Gods Worship; they had rather do any thing than come to Holy duties, as to prayer, and especially to secret prayer. A man or woman that hath an enlightened conscience, and is under the guilt of sin, the coming to God in holy duties is a very grievous burden to them: Why? Here's the Reason, Because to Worship God, is to draw nigh to God, and the guilt that is upon them hath made the presence of God terrible to them, and therefore they had rather go into their company, & be merry, eat, drink, ⟨p. 32⟩sport, or any thing rather than to come into Gods presence. We know how it was with Adam, when God appeared in the garden and called to him, he ran to hide himself; Why? Because he had guiltiness upon him: Oh the evil that the guilt of sin brings upon the soul, it makes the presence of God terrible. The presence of God it should be more comfortable to us, than our lives, but our sin makes Gods presence grievous and terrible. A Child sometimes when it hath offended the Father, and is conscious to its self of the offence that it hath given the Father, it had rather be in the Kitchen among the Servants, than to come into the Hall or Parlour where the Father is, because it hath offended him: and so it is with a guilty conscience, when it is conscious to its self of some haunt of evil that it hath given it self unto, it hath no mind at all of coming into the presence of the Father, but hangs off. My Brethren, the very presence of God in the Communion of His Saints is terrible to a guilty conscience, the very looking upon a godly man is terrible to a guilty conscience. When as thou hast bin abroad, & bin loose and wicked in thy ways, I appeal to thy conscience, when thou comest into the presence of some holy gracious man or woman that lives close with God, doth it not daunt thee? Now is the presence of God in the very faces of his Saints terrible to a guilty conscience: How terrible is the presence of God in His Ordinances then?

Secondly, If to Worship God, be to draw nigh to God, hence we see the reasons why guilty consciences have little mind to the duties of Gods Worship. When a man or woman hath given liberty to any licencious way, & sinned against their consciences, if they have any light in their consciences, it is one of the tediousest things in the World to come to the duties of Gods Worship; they had rather do any thing than come to Holy duties, as to prayer, and especially to secret prayer. A man or woman that hath an enlightened conscience, and is under the guilt of sin, the coming to God in holy duties is a very grievous burden to them: Why? Here's the Reason, Because to Worship God, is to draw nigh to God, and the guilt that is upon them hath made the presence of God terrible to them, and therefore they had rather go into their company, & be merry, eat, drink,