Obs. 1. That our addresses to God must be reverent, both as to the frame of the soul and as to the gesture of the body.
VeR. 21.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 403
Poor impotent Jacob desires to put himself into the posture of sup- plicants. As to the frame of the soul, our addresses to God must be reverent. Reverence is a special qualification in worship. A child of God cannot be always affectionate, for affection depends much upon the vigorous motion of bodily spirits and other accidental causes, there- fore a child of God cannot always pray with like affection ; but a child of God should be always reverent and serious. Without this it is no worship ; we forget with whom we have to do. To come otherwise is a lessening of the greatness and majesty of God. As those which offered a corrupt thing, the Lord confutes them with this; Mai. i. 13, ' I am a great king, saith the Lord of Hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.' They that come in a carnal, formal manner to the Lord, they do not consider they have to do with a great king, and with the God of all the world, Superficial dealing in God's service argues we have mean thoughts of God, and are enemies to his great- ness : we go about to persuade the world that God is not so great and terrible. The first reason, ' I am a great king,' implies it is a lessening of his majesty ; and the second reason, 'My name is dreadful among the heathen,' implies that familiarity and acquaintance should not lessen and weaken our dread of God, The very heathens have an awe of divine powers ; those that pray now and then upon some eminent judgment of God or affriglitment of conscience, are fall of dread. But tiiough we should be familiar with God, we should not forget that liis name is dreadful ; it is custom and formal worship, unless those that pray constantly are possessed with an awe of God. Heathens that have but a little light to see into the nature of God, yet they see enough to fear that which they suppose to be God. Therefore christians that know more of God, should come with a dread of his presence, and with a heart awed with a sense of God's glory. Our familiarity and constant converse should abate nothing of our godly fear and reverence, for they that know the least of God know enough to reverence him, though not to put confidence in him : ' My name is known among the heathen.' And as there should be reverence in the frame of the soul, so also in the gestures of the body ; for God that made both body and soul, will be served by both ; and Chi-ist that redeemed both, will be served by both — ' Glorify God in your bodies, and in your spirits, which are God's,' 1 Cor. vi. 20. Not that I would here stand upon gestures, you are not bound absolutely to this or that ; and the examples of saints recorded in scripture are various and different, whether standing, kneeling, or falling upon the face, to show that in such things christians are left to their own liberty ; but at least we may collect this much in the general that there is a necessity laid upon us that the gesture should be rev- erent and serious, and when we are not hindered by any just cause, we must choose such gestures, as do most of all savour of humility and reverence in worship of the gi-eat God, and such as doth argue that we are not backward. Sitting, and lying along at prayer, does not savour 80 much of reverence, humility and zeal as we should show. As to the particular gesture God would give no law, for according to the affection of the heart, such will be the motion and posture of the body ; and the receii-ed custom of the nation doth most show what is decent ;
404 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. LV.
and the use and practice of the church is to be regarded, tliat we may give the least offence ; that unless we are hindered by invincible impo- tency and weakness of body, we should be careful of our very gestures.
Obs. 2. That where faith gives a willing mind, bodily infirmities shall be no let and huidrance from duty.
Faith makes us to do our best, to do all that we can to glorify God ; and then duty is most acceptable where most self-denial is shown ; when we recover it out of the hands of a temptation, from our lazy, self-loving heart, duty is sweet then, Timothy was a weak man, he had his infirmities, 1 Tim. v. 23 ; yet he did not cease from his work in the gospel, or neglect his charge. Now 1 shall show how faith works upon such an occasion : faith looks backward, forward, round about us, and every way it engageth and encouragetli the soul against bodily distempers, to be doing something that may bring glory to God, and may conduce to the worship of his majesty. Faith looks backward : and thus faith represents Jesus Christ as dying upon the cross, what pains Christ endured in his own body, — his face spit wpon, his hands and feet nailed to the cross, his head crowned with thorns, and shall we stand upon the body ? Christ exposed his body to the utmost suf- fering ; pain was poured in upon liim by the conduit of every sense ; and if Christ stood not upon his body, but neglected his refreshment to do good to souls, shall we stand upon our bodies ? Thus faith looks backward upon the love of Christ, and urgeth the soul to do what we are able, notwithstanding bodily infirmities ; as old Jacob raised up himself in his bed when he was hardly able to move, leaning upon his staff, worshipping of God. Then faith looks round about us, and shows how far lust prevaileth with men ; and shall not the love of God pre- vail with us? Carnal men in pursuance of their fleshly lusts can weary and waste the body ; and shall we stand upon every lesser ex- cuse ? Shall others beat their brains, tire and waste their spirits, go to bed late, rise early> and all to accomplish their worldly projects, and to satisfy their vile lusts and will ; and will you not do something for God, and deny your ease and pleasure for God ? We are willing to put ourselves on self-denial for everything but for God's sake. Sin is a tyrant, it wastes and weakens men ; yet still it hath obedience paid to it. Men make their bodies drudges to their lusts and vile affections ; and in all sports and pleasures what pains will men take! Pain seems to be the very sauce of pleasure ; and shall we begrudge a little pains taken in prayer, a little struggling and wrestling with God in private and secret prayer ? So faith looks forward to things to come when this earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved, 2 Cor. v. 1, and the body crumbled to dust and ashes. It is better to be worn out with labour than eaten out with rust and consumed with idleness. Faith looks upward, and there beholds the blessed recompenses for the body ; the great things God hath provided not only for your souls (that is indeed the heaven of heaven, and the chiefest part of our happiness), but for your bodies. The body that hath a share in labours shall have also a share in the happiness: Phil, iii, 21, 'Who shall change our vile bodies,' &c. Though you waste and spend your bodies in the service