no kernel, when we give God only the shell: he that only licks the outside of the glass, can never be refreshed with the rich cordial enclosed within. A cold and lazy formality will make God to withdraw the light of his countenance, and not shine with any delightful communications upon our souls; but if we come before him with a liveliness of affections, and steadiness of heart, he will draw the veil, and cause his glory to display itself before us. An humble praying Christian, and a warm affectionate Christian in worship, will soon find a God who is delighted with such frames, and cannot long withhold himself from the soul: when our hearts are inflamed with love to him in worship, it is a preparation to some act of love on his part whereby he intends further to gratify us. When John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, that is, in spiritual employment and meditation and other duties, he had that great revelation of what should happen to the church in all ages, Rev. i. 10. His being in the Spirit, intimates his ordinary course on that day, and not an extraordinary act in him, though it was followed with an extraordinary discovery of God to him; when he was thus engaged, he heard a voice behind him.

God does not require of us spirituality in worship to advantage himself, but that we might be prepared to be advantaged by him. If we have a clear and well disposed eye, it is not a benefit to the sun, but fits us to receive benefits from his beams. Worship is an act that perfects our own souls; they are then most widened by spiritual frames, to receive the influence of Divine blessings, as an eye most opened receives the fruit of the sun's light better than the eye that is shut. The communications of God are more or less, according as our spiritual frames are more or less in our worship: God will not give his blessings to unsuitable hearts. What a filthy vessel is a carnal heart for a spiritual communication! The chief end of every duty enjoined by God, is to have communion with him; and therefore it is called a drawing near to God: it is impossible, therefore, that the outward parts of any duty can answer the end of God in his institution. It is not a bodily appearance or gesture whereby men can have communion with God, but by the impressions of the heart, and reflections of the heart upon God: without this, all the rich streams of grace will run beside us, and the growth of the soul be hindered and impaired. A diligent hand makes rich, says the wise man; a diligent heart in spiritual worship, brings in rich incomes to the humble and spiritual soul.

It renders the worship not only unacceptable, but abominable to God. It makes our gold to become dross; it soils our duties, and bespots our souls. A carnal and unsteady frame shows an indifferency of spirit at best; and lukewarmness is as

ungrateful to God, as heavy and nauseous meat is to the stomach; he spues them out of his mouth, Rev. iii. 16. As our gracious God doth overlook infirmities where intentions are good, and endeavours serious and strong; so he lothes the services where the frames are naught; " If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me," Psal. lxvi. 18. Lukewarm and indifferent services stink in the nostrils of God. The heart seems to lothe God when it starts from him upon every occasion, when it is unwilling to employ itself about and stick close to him. And can God be pleased with such a frame? The more of the heart and spirit is in any service, the more real goodness there is in it, and the more savoury it is to God; the less of the heart and spirit-the less of goodness, and the more nauseous to God, who loves righteousness and truth in the inward parts, Psal. li. 6. And therefore infinite goodness and holiness cannot but hate worship presented to him with deceitful, carnal, and flitting affections. They must be more nauseous to God, than a putrefied carcass can be to man: they are the profanings of that which should be the habitation of the Spirit: they make the spirit, the seat of duty-a filthy dunghill; and are as lothsome to God as money-changers in the temple were to our Saviour.

We see the evil of carnal frames, and the necessity and benefit of spiritual frames; for further help in this last, let us practise these following directions.

Keep up spiritual frames out of worship. To avoid low affections, we must keep our hearts as much as we can in a settled elevation. If we admit unworthy dispositions at one time, we shall not easily be rid of them at another: as he that would not be bitten with gnats in the night, must keep his windows shut in the day; when they are once entered, it is not easy to expel them. In which respect, one advises to be such out of worship as we would be in worship. If we mix spiritual affections with our worldly employments, worldly affections will not mingle themselves so easily with our heavenly engagements. If our hearts be spiritual in our outward calling, they will scarce be carnal in our religious service. If we walk in the Spirit, we shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh, Gal. v. 16. A spiritual walk in the day, will hinder carnal lustings in worship. The fire was to be kept alive upon the altar when sacrifices were not offered, from morning till night, from night till morning, as well as in the very time of sacrifice. A spiritual life and vigour out of worship, would render it at its season sweet and easy, and preserve a spontaneity and preparedness to it, and make it both natural and pleasant to us.

Any thing that does unhinge and discompose our spirits, is 1 Fitzherbert. Pol. in Relig. Part. 2. Cap. 19. § 12.

inconsistent with religious services, which are to be performed with the greatest sedateness and gravity. All irregular passions disturb the serenity of the spirit, and open the door for Satan. "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath," says the Apostle, "neither give place to the devil," Eph. iv. 26, 27. Where wrath breaks the lock, the devil will quickly be over the threshold; and though they be allayed, yet they leave the heart some time. after like the sea rolling and swelling after the storm is ceased. Mixture with ill company leaves a tincture upon us in worship. Ephraim's allying himself with the gentiles, bred an indifferency in religion. "Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned," Hos. vii. 8. It will make our hearts, and consequently our services, half dough, as well as half baked. These and the like make the Holy Spirit withdraw himself, and then the soul lies like a wind-bound vessel, and can make no way. When the sun departs from us, it carries its beams away with it; then does darkness spread itself over the earth, and the beasts of the forests creep out, Psal. civ. 20. When the Spirit withdraws a while from a good man, it carries away, (though not habitual, yet) much of the exciting and assisting grace; and then carnal dispositions perk up themselves from the bosom of natural corruption. To be spiritual in worship, we must bar the door at other times against that which is contrary to it. As he that would not be infected with a contagious disease, carries some preservative about with him, and inures himself to good scents.

To this end, be much in secret ejaculations to God; these are the purest flights of the soul, that have more of fervour and less of carnality; they preserve a liveliness in the spirit, and make it more fit to perform solemn stated worship with greater freedom and activity: a constant use of this would make our whole lives, lives of worship. As frequent sinful acts strengthen habits of sin, so frequent religious acts strengthen habits of grace.

Excite and exercise particularly a love to God, and dependence on him.

Love is a commanding affection, a uniting grace; it draws all the faculties of the soul to one centre. The soul that loves God, when it has to do with him, is bound to the beloved object; it can mind nothing else during such impressions. When the affection is set to the worship of God, every thing the soul has will be bestowed upon it; as David's disposition was to the temple, 1 Chron. xxix. 3. Carnal frames, like the fowls, will be lighting upon the sacrifice, but not when it is inflamed. Though the scent of the flesh invite them, yet the heat of the fire drives them to their distance. A flaming love will singe the flies that endeavour to interrupt and disturb us.

The happiness of heaven consists in a full attraction of the soul to God, by his glorious influence upon it; there will be such a diffusion of his goodness throughout the souls of the blessed, as will unite the affections perfectly to him. These affections which are scattered here, will be there gathered into one flame, moving to him and centring in him: therefore the more of a heavenly frame possesses our affections here, the more settled and uniform will our hearts be in all their motions to God, and operations about him.

Excite a dependence on him. "Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established," Prov. xvi. 3. Let us go out in God's strength, and not in our own; vain is the help of man in any thing, and vain is the help of the heart. It is through God only we can do valiantly in spiritual concerns as well as temporal; the want of this makes but slight impressions upon the spirit.

Nourish right conceptions of the majesty of God in your minds. Let us consider that we are drawing to God; the most amiable object, the best of beings, worthy of infinite honour, and highly meriting the highest affections we can give; a God that made the world by a word, that upholds the great frame of heaven and earth; a majesty above the conception of angels, who uses not his power to strike us to our deserved punishment, but his love and bounty to allure us; a God that gave all the creatures to serve us, and can in a trice make them as much our enemies as he has now made them our servants. Let us view him in his greatness and in his goodness, that our hearts may have a true value of the worship of so great a Majesty, and count it the most worthy employment with all diligence to attend upon him. When we have a fear of God, it will make our worship serious; when we have a joy in God, it will make our worship durable. Our affections will be raised when we represent God in the most reverential, endearing, and obliging circumstances. We honour the majesty of God, when we consider him with due reverence according to the greatness and perfection of his works; and in this reverence of his majesty does worship chiefly consist. Low thoughts of God will make low frames in us before him. If we thought God an infinite, glorious Spirit, how would our hearts be lower than our knees in his presence! How humbly, how believingly pleading is the Psalmist, when he considers God to be without comparison in the heavens; to whom none of the sons of the mighty can be likened; when there was none like to him in strength or faithfulness round about! Psal. lxxxix. 6-8. We should have also deep impressions of the omniscience of God; and remember we have to deal with a God that searches the heart and tries the reins; to whom the most secret temper is

as visible as the loudest words are audible; that though man judges by outward expressions, God judges by inward affections. As the law of God regulates the inward frames of the heart, so the eye of God pitches upon the inward intentions of the soul. If God were visibly present with us, should we not approach to him with strong affections; summon our spirits to attend upon him; behave ourselves modestly before him? Let us consider, he is as really present with us as if he were visible to us; let us therefore preserve a strong sense of the presence of God. No man but one out of his wits, when he was in the presence of a prince, and making a speech to him, would break off at every period, and run after the catching of butterflies. Remember, in all worship you are before the Lord, to whom all things are open and naked.

As

Let us take heed of inordinate desires after the world. the world steals away a man's heart from the word, so it does from all other worship; it chokes the word, Matt. xiii. 22; it stifles all the spiritual breathings after God in every duty. The edge of the soul is blunted by it, and made too dull for such sublime exercises. The apostle's rule in prayer, when he joins sobriety with watching unto prayer, 1 Pet. iv. 7, is of concern in all worship, sobriety in the pursuit and use of all worldly things. A man drunk with worldly fumes cannot watch, cannot be heavenly, affectionate, spiritual in service. There is a magnetic force in the earth, to hinder our flights to heaven. Birds, when they take their first flights from the earth, have more flutterings of their wings, than when they are mounted further in the air, and got more without the sphere of the earth's attractiveness; the motion of their wings is more steady, that you can scarce perceive them stir; they move like a ship with a full gale. The world is a clog upon the soul, and a bar to spiritual frames: it is as hard to elevate the heart to God in the midst of a hurry of worldly affairs, as it is difficult to meditate when we are near a great noise of waters falling from a precipice, or in the midst of a volley of muskets. Thick clay-like affections bemire the heart, and make it unfit for such high flights it is to take in worship: therefore get your hearts clear from worldly thoughts and desires, if you would be more spiritual in worship.

Let us be deeply sensible of our present wants, and the supplies we may meet with in worship. Cold affections to the things we would have, will grow cooler: weakness of desire for the communications in worship, will freeze our hearts at the time of worship, and make way for vain and foolish diversions. A beggar that is ready to perish, and knows he is next door to ruin, will not slightly and dully beg an alms; and will not be diverted from his importunity by every slight call, or the mov