[2.] Others that make conscience of external worship, prayer, hear- ing, reading, singing of psalms, but not of internal worship, faith, love, and ho])e. The external fornis were appointed ft)r the acting or increasing of internal grace ; and so they superficially are conversant about the means, and never mind the end. External worship is sen- sible and easily done, but internal worship is dilficult. External wor- ship nuiy procure us esteem with men ; but intei-nal, acceptance with God. External worship satisfieth blind conscience, but doth not better the heart. External worship may pulf us up with a vain confidence.
Phil. III. 3.] the tkue circumcision. 29
but internal worsliip malceth us lament spiritual defects. We have not that purity of heart, that deep sense of the world to come, that absolute dependence upon God, which may quiet our souls in all exigencies. Surely they are better Christians that have the effect of the ordinances than they that have only the formality of them. The external duty may procure us toil and wearisomeness to the flesh, but the internal worship bringeth us comfort and peace. The more faith in Christ, and loVe to God, and lively hope of eternal life, the more is the soul comforted. Therefore, if you will always lick the glass, and never taste the honey, go on in a track of duties, but you will have no comfort in them. In short, they that go on in external duties may be said in some sense to serve God, but they do not seek after him. In pretence they make God the object of their worship, for they do not worship an idol ; but they do not make him the end of their worship. A man maketh God the end of his worship when he will not go away from God without God ; when he looketh to this, that his delight in God be quickened, his dependence upon God strengthened, his hatred of sin increased, and by every address to God is made more like God.
[3.] It reproveth and disproveth those that put on a garb of devo- tion when ministering before the Lord, but are slight and vain in their ordinary conversation. A man should be in some measure such out of duty as he giveth out himself to be in duty ; for his whole life should be, as it were, a continued act of worship : Prov. xxiii. 17, ' Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.' We should still live in a dependence upon God, and in subjection to him : Ps. xvi. 8, ' I have set the Lord always before me : he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.' In point of reverence, and in point of dependence, because we are in danger to miscarry, both by the delights of sense and the terrors of sense. If a reverence of and a dependence on the great God do still possess our hearts, we shall carry ourselves more soberly as to the comforts of the world, and not be easily discouraged and daunted with the fears of the world. This is our preservative, and maketh us true and faithful to our great end.
3. Those that do not serve God in the spirit. You should worship God so as it may look like worship and service performed to God, and due to God. It is spiritual worship God requireth, and is ever pleased withal. He ' seeketh such to worship him as worship him in spirit and in truth,' John iv. 23 ; and this is most agreeable to his nature : John iv. 24, ' God is a spirit, and they that worship him must wor- ship him in spirit and in truth.' When hearts wander, when affec- tions do not answer expressions, is this like service and worship done to an all-seeing and all-knowing spirit ? Is there any stamp of God upon the duty, of his majesty, goodness, and great power ?
Use 2. For the comfort of good Christians. Here is their carriage towards God briefly set down — they ' worship God in the spirit.' A Christian is described by his pi-oper act, ivorsMp ; and by the proper object thereof, God; and by the proper part and seat thereof, in Ike spirit. Do you worship him with reverence, and with delight and affection, with a trust, hope, and confidence ?
30 A DESCRii"rioN OF [Phil. III. 3.
1. With reverence. Considering God's majesty and our own vile- ness. Tlie majesty of God : ]\Ial. i. 14, ' For I am a great king, saith the Lord of hosts.' Slight worsliip argueth lessening thoughts of Gt)d. Do you know to whom you speak ? It is a contempt of God if you think anything will serve the turn ; you have mean thoughts of him, and do not consider him as you ought to do. So our vileness : Gen. xviii. 27, ' Who am I, that am but dust and ashes, that I should speak unto God ? ' — dust as to the baseness of his original, and ashes by the desert of sin. In our nearer approaches to God, thus should we think of ourselves.
2. With delight and affection, as our reconciled father in Christ. So he is to us as the well-spring of all grace and goodness. The great work of the gospel is to bring us to God as a father, Gal. iv. 6. God as a judge, by the spirit of bondage, driveth us to Christ ; but Christ, by the spirit of adoption, bringeth us back again to God as a father. This is the evangelical way of worshipping, that in a child-like manner we may come to God,