60 THE NATURE AND BEAUTY
Father, is all one consideration ; for, as a Father, he is all love, grace, and mercy to his children in Christ. When God came of old to institute his worship in giving of the law, he did it with the dreadful and terrible representation of his majesty, that the people chose not to come near, but went and " stood afar off, and said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die," Exod. xx. 18, 19. And by this dreadful representa- tion of the majesty of God, as the object of that worship, were they kept in fear and bondage all their days. But now are the saints encou- raged to make their approach unto God as a Father; the glory whereof the apostle excellently expresseth, Kom. viii. 14, 15. That fear and bondage wherein men were kept under the law is now removed, and in the place thereof a spirit of children, with reverent boldness going to their father, is given unto us. This, I say, adds to the glory, beauty, and excellency of gospel worship. There is not the meanest believer but, with his most broken prayers and supplications, hath an immediate access unto God, and that as a Father; nor the most de- spised church of saints on the earth but it comes with its worship into the glorious presence of God himself. And this I shall add, by the way, — that men's attempting to worship God who are not inte- rested in this privilege of access unto him, is the ground of all tho superstitious idolatry that is in the world. I shall instance in two ihings, which are the springs of all others: —
[1.] Having not experience of the excellency of this privilege, nor being satisfied with the use of it, men have turned aside to the wor- ship of saints and angels in heaven. This is the very substance of all the reasons that the Papists plead in the justification of that superstition : " To have access to God ! It is too great a boldness to come to him immediately; and so it becomes us humbly to make use of the favourites of the court of heaven, of saints and angels, to desire them to entreat with God for us." Now, not to speak of their unac- quaintedness with the mediation of Christ herein, which is plain infi- delity, what is this but directly saying, " We understand nothing of gospel worship (wherein believers by Christ have a direct ' access with boldness' to God himself); and therefore it is that we had rather fix on this ' voluntary humility,' as the apostle calls it, Col. ii. IS, than venture on this access unto God"? This, I say, is the reasoning of men unacquainted with this part of the glory of gospel worship.
[2.] Hence are they forced to invent outward, visible pledges and signs of God's presence, as they imagine, to which they may have access ; seeing they are unacquainted with that which is directly unto God himself. Hence images and pictures, altars and the east, must be regarded in worship; with which they can have an immediate conversation, — have an access in their thoughts to them, and, as
OF GOSPEL WORSHIP. 61
they think, by them unto God. And on the same account must the sacraments be changed, and that which was appointed to assist us in our entrance unto God be made a god, that men may have an easy access unto him. Carnal men, that know nothing of the other, whose souls are not at all moulded or affected by any pure act of faith, are here stirred by their senses, and act by them in their worship. And this is the ground wherein all their pompous rites, invented by men in the worship of God, do grow ; — even a design and engine to afford carnally-minded men somewhat to be conversant about in their wor- ship, who have no principle to enable them to use this privilege of approaching unto God himself. It is true, they will say it is God alone whom they worship, and whom they intend to draw nigh unto ; but I must needs say, that if they knew what it were to do so imme- diately by Christ, they would be satisfied therewith, and not seek such outward helps in their way as they do.
4. It appears from the principal procuring cause and means of this our access to God ; which is Jesus Christ, — through him we have this access. This is a new spring of beauty and glory, which we must consider in the particulars of it. That access which the people of God had to the outward pledge of his presence, was by their high priest ; and that not in his own person, but barely in his representa- tion of them; and that but once a year: but in the worship of the gospel, the saints have an access through Christ unto God himself in their own persons, and that continually. Now, we have this access through Christ upon many accounts: —
(1.) Because he hath purchased and procured this favour for us, that we should so approach unto God, and find acceptance with him. We are " accepted in the Beloved," Eph. i. 6. I must not stay to show how, by paying a ransom for us, and " bearing our iniquities/' he hath answered the law, removed the curse, reconciled us to God, pacified his anger, satisfied justice, procured for us eternal redemp- tion; all which belongs to his procuring for us this favour of accept- ance with God. The apostle gives us the sum of it, Heb. ii. 1 7, He hath, as a high priest, "made reconciliation for the sins of the people;" on the account whereof they have an " access by faith into this grace," Rom. v. 1, 2. In this sense have we our access unto God through Christ. He hath purchased it for us. It is no small portion of the price of his blood. Nothing else could procure it ; — not all the wealth of the world, not all the worth of angels in heaven : none could do it but himself. Go into the most pompous, stately place of outward worship upon the earth, — consider all the wealth and glory of its structure and ornaments ; it is an easy thing for a wise man to guess what it all cost, and what is the charge of it. However, none so foolish, but can tell you it is all the price of money ; it w as bought