Sermon IV - Two Cases of Conscience
you that are young beginners, or you that have made profession a longer time, but yet have not had the weight of this duty upon your spirits. Now be careful for a while to prepare for every duty of God's worship that God calls you to, and I say within a little time thou mayest bring thy heart into such a temper as thou mayest be ready at all times to perform holy duties, because you shall be able to come to that temper and frame that the Apostle exhorts, to pray continually, for indeed so it should be with us, we should be always prepared either for prayer; hearing the Word, or receiving sacraments.
Now because sacraments are so rare, those that have any enlightened conscience they think they dare not but prepare for sacraments, but you should be always in a preparation for the receiving of the sacraments, as the primitive Christians did. And those that have been acquainted with this point that I am upon, of preparing for duties, they have come to such a frame of Spirit as that there is not so much time required of them as of others, for they are in a constant fitness, so that there is no instant of time in the whole day but if God calls them to prayer they could presently fall down upon their knees and pray so as to sanctify God's Name in prayer. That were an excellent temper indeed, if you could find it so, that you walk so spiritually and holy before God as there could be never a quarter of an hour from morning to night, nor from the beginning of the week to the end, but if you were called to pray, or to receive the sacrament, you had your heart fitted, that you could come into God's presence with a prepared heart, and were able to sanctify God's Name in the duty. Acquaint yourselves with this work of preparation, and so you may have hearts fitted to come into God's presence at any time.
Sermon IV
Two Cases of conscience
LEVITICUS 10:3
I will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me.
We proceed now to what remains. There are only for the perfecting of this point two cases of conscience to be resolved, and then we are to proceed to other things.
The first is, whither we ought at all times to set apart some time for preparation to every duty of God's worship?
Secondly, suppose we do not find our hearts prepared as we do desire; whither it were better to leave off the duty than perform it?
For the first of these, Viz. Whether we are always bound to set some time apart for preparation to the duty that we are to perform.
The answer to that is this: we must distinguish of persons. There are some that are exercised in the way of godliness and do keep their hearts close with God in the ways of holiness. Now for them it may be supposed that through their exercise in the ways of godliness, and keeping of their hearts constant with God in communion with Him, walking with God closely, that they are at all times prepared to every good work, and fulfill that command of the Apostle, pray continually, that is, in the disposition of their hearts, they are fit to pray at any time, there is no day in the week, nor no hour in the day but they (if God call them to it) could fall down to solemn prayer. And indeed, this is an excellent condition and a good evidence of the hearts walking close with God that there is no time but they are fit to pray, and fit for any ordinance, yea, to receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper.
It is possible to keep the heart so close to God as to be fit for prayer, and for the hearing of the Word, and for receiving of the sacrament
every day, or any hour in the day, but this needs a very close walking with God and communion with God and the truth is this is very rare; most men let out their hearts so much to other things, as their consciences cannot but tell them, that if God call them to prayer at such a time in the day, they are altogether unfit for it. If they were called to receive the sacrament, their consciences would fly in their faces and tell them they are unfit for it, but it is not so with those that walk close with God, though they be in the world.
You will say, if a man has business in the world, how can this be?
Yes, though they have business in the world, yet they carry the heavenliness of their hearts along with them; our conversation is in Heaven, saith the Apostle, Phil. 3. Now the word that is translated,
"our conversation", it is a word that signifies our City converse; our trading is in Heaven when we go to the City or the Exchange, or about any business; yet our trading is always in Heaven. But now there are other sorts of people that had need at all times to look to their hearts in way of preparation. As first, those that first set upon the duties of religion, young beginners that begin at first to set their faces towards Heaven, to worship God they had need look to their hearts. They should spend some time in preparation when they come to holy duties, and the truth is, when the conscience of a man or woman is at first enlightened and awakened, they will be very careful in preparing to holy duties. The fear of God, it is mighty upon their spirits at first, and it should not afterwards lessen the constancy of God's fear; should bring their hearts to such a holy temper as to make them fit for holy duties always.
Secondly, those men and women that at any time shall sin against conscience, shall commit such sins as shall in a kind even lay waste conscience, shall break their peace between God and their souls.
They had need spend some time in preparation for holy duties, they cannot come into the presence of God to enjoy communion with God, but they had need beforehand be very serious in the examination of their hearts, and to endeavor the working of their hearts into mourning for their sin, and to labor to possess their souls with the
presence of God even before they come. These two sorts of people, such as have not been acquainted with the ways of godliness, or such as have broken their peace with God by some evil carriage of theirs towards God in some vile way, I say it is required of them to be more solemn in the work of preparation.
2 But now for the second case which indeed is the main: suppose when we come to duties, and begin to examine our hearts, and begin to bethink ourselves whether we be prepared yea or no to holy duties, and we do not find our hearts prepared according to that that we do desire, whether then we may let the duty go for that time, and forbear the performance of it, as suppose prayer, or receiving the sacrament, or coming to the word or any other holy duty?
And the reason of this doubt is, because when any man or woman is conscientious, they think with themselves that they must sanctify
God's Name in holy duties. Now if they cannot find their hearts in a fit disposition to sanctify the Name of God in holy duties, they are ready to think thus, "Were it not better to neglect this duty and lay it aside for the present? Will God accept of a duty when I perform it, and am not fit for it?"
Therefore, for the answer to this because it is a temptation that sometimes carnal hearts have, and they are ready to take this temptation, and willing to neglect the duty upon such a thought as this, that they are not prepared. And the truth is, they are more glad to let the duty fall than they are sorry for want of the preparation of their hearts for the duty. I beseech you consider of this, whether you have not found it so, that sometimes when you have not been fit to perform a holy duty, there hath not been a more secret willingness of the heart to let the duty go than a sorrow of the heart because you are not fit for the duty. This is a very evil sign that the heart is very much distempered. Those that are godly indeed when they find not their hearts prepared for the duty, it is the trouble of their souls, it is that that goes near to their hearts, when they think with themselves that they are now likely to lose a duty of the worship of God. They are now
likely to lose their communion with God in a holy duty, they even look upon themselves in an evil case in regard of this; and it makes them watchful for time to come to take heed of those things that have put them in such an unpreparedness as they find their hearts to be in at this time. Now if it be so with thee, it is a good sign that thy heart may be upright with God though through infirmity it comes at such a time to be unprepared for the duty.
But yet suppose I find I am not prepared; I am grieved and troubled at it, (for that must be premised) whether were I better to leave the duty for this time than to fall upon it in such an unprepared state as this is?
Now for the answer to this question:
1 First, that which I would answer to it is this: the omission of a duty, or the laying of a duty aside, will never fit the soul for a duty afterwards; it is no way to make thy soul more fit afterwards because thou hast laid it aside now for the present. Do but observe your own hearts that way, and you will find this by experience, such a time you have been busy in the world, and occasions have hindered you so as your heart is out of temper and frame for a duty, you lay it aside; now are you more fit the next day?
If you do neglect duty in the morning upon any business, are you fitter to perform duty at night because of it? You will not find it to be so. The forbearing a duty now will not make the soul fitter for a duty afterwards. Therefore, is no wisdom to forbear a duty for want of preparation, because the forbearance will never help to further preparation, but will make the soul more unfit for duty. It is an excellent speech that I read that Luther hath concerning himself, "I have learned this by experience, that the oftener I do omit duty, the oftener do I make myself the more unfit for duty, and cause I have to abhor myself." It is not the deferring that makes thee the more fit.
2 Therefore consider that this is but a temptation, and that is the second thing that I would propound to those that shall omit a duty because they are not prepared, that this is but a temptation to keep thee from it, to tell thee that thou art not prepared. And if thou shalt forbear it because thou art not prepared, in this thing thou doest gratify the Devil, and the Devil hath what he would have, and so would be encouraged to tempt thee another time because he hath now what he would have in causing thee to forbear the duty.
First, he laboureth to unfit thee for it, and then he tempts thee to forbear it because thou art unfit; this is the subtlety of the Devil.
From whence is it that thou art unfit but from the temptation of the Devil? And I and Luther again, that was a man that had as much converse with God as any in his days, and a man that had as much to draw his heart away, as many temptations, and as many businesses as any, for indeed the great cause of Christ in all the Christian world in a great measure under God lay upon his shoulders, and yet saith he, "If anyone think that prayer must be deferred till the soul be purified from impure cogitations, he doth no other than help the Devil who is powerful enough; he thinks to be wise in deferring the duty because he is not fit, and he hath many ill thoughts and troubles in his spirit. He doth nothing else, saith Luther, but gratify the Devil that is strong enough without this. Oh, let us take heed of gratifying the Devil in his temptations, therefore remember it is a temptation for thee to omit a duty merely because thou art not prepared for the duty.
3 In the third place, that which I would answer to this question is this: if anyone perform a duty of worship in that sincerity and strength that he is able to do it, though he be not prepared as he ought, yet it is better to do it than to neglect it. It is true, some do perform a duty in a mere formal way, and to satisfy their consciences, or to cloak and cover their sins and the like. Perhaps they may so perform it as it might be better to be unperformed than to perform it as they do, but if you do endeavor to the uttermost of your strength to do it, though you be not prepared as you do desire,
yet it is better to do it than to omit the doing of it, and you will find it so, for one duty doth prepare for another. Though it be not done as I desire it should be done, yet the doing of it as well as I can at this time will help me to do it better at another time. That is certain as one sin doth prepare the heart for another sin, so one duty prepares the heart for another.
As now, suppose a man commits a sin, and he hath a conscience that is enlightened that doth hinder him from committing his sin with that full strength that he would do it. Many a man hath a mind to sin but through the enlightening of his conscience he cannot sin with that delight as he would because his conscience flies in his face and doth interrupt him, but yet for all this, through the strength of his corruption he will break through to that sin. Now though at first they cannot commit that sin with that delight and freedom as they do at other times, yet if their corruptions be so strong as to break through the light of their consciences, the next time they come to the committing of that sin they will commit it with more freedom and ease a great deal. This is evident by experience.
There is none of you but if you well observe your hearts, you will find this, a temptation comes to a sin; now you cannot do it with so much freedom as you would, but yet you break through it; you will find that the next time you will commit it with more freedom. And so, one sin will prepare for another, and it may be you have some trouble of conscience at first, but the next time you will have less trouble, till at length you can commit it freely without any trouble of conscience at all. As it is in sin, so it is in godliness. Many times, in some degree at the first, you have a motion to a holy duty, but through the stirrings of your corruptions you are not fit for it; now do you but break through that difficulty, and the next time you will be more fit, and the next time after that you will be more fit, and so still more and more fit as it is in sin. If a man when he hath some trouble of conscience would but listen to his conscience and would not commit that sin, his conscience would grow stronger upon him, and strengthen him against that sin, so if any man or woman listens to
the temptation to defer duty and put it off because they are not prepared, why after that the corruption will grow more strong.
Therefore, set upon the duty, and the performance of one duty will prepare for another.
4 In the fourth place, while men and women are struggling with their souls and the corruption of their hearts and do not fall upon seeking
God, they by their very struggling to prepare themselves many times do ensnare themselves. It may be thou hast thoughts of atheism or other wickedness, the very struggling with those thoughts may ensnare thy heart; now the better way were to fall upon prayer, and to cry to God to help thee against them, for while thou art struggling and striving with those thoughts, thou art striving with the corruption of thy heart and with the Devil all alone. But now when thou fall to the duty, thou callest in the help of God and of Jesus
Christ, and that is a great deal better. While thou art musing, plodding, and troubling thy heart that way, I say thou art struggling alone. But now when thou fallest upon the duty, then thou callest in help from God and so thou art more able to the performance of the duty than thou wert before. And therefore, it is the best way to fall upon a duty, though thou canst not find thy heart prepared as thou doest desire; the very falling upon it will fit thee for it. And thus, much for the answer unto those two cases of conscience.
Now then, we are to proceed further in the opening of the sanctifying of God's Name in holy duties. Thus, much for the preparation of the heart. But when the heart comes to it, in what manner should the duty be performed so as the Name of God may be sanctified in the duty? Or what is the behavior of the soul in the sanctifying of God's
Name when it is in the very act of the duty?
To that I answer, first in general, thus when the soul labors to perform duties so as God may have such glory from the duty as is fit for a God to have in some measure, then do I sanctify God's Name.
You will say, this is a very hard thing to perform a duty so as that we should give God the glory that is fit for a God to have. Certainly, this
is not done by every manner of performance of a duty of worship. Yet you shall hear this opened to you, and I hope you shall have it made very plain before you.
First therefore, I shall show you that when we are to perform a duty of worship, we should set ourselves to glorify God as a God, that is, to do it in that manner that God may have that glory that is fit for a God to have. As now in the duty of praise, Psalm 66:2, "Make His praise glorious", that is, do it so as you may lift up His Name in it, and that God may be glorious in your praise. And Rom. 1:21, there the Apostle speaking of the heathens, he doth rebuke them. For what? It was for this, because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful. Now this is spoken especially of the worship of God; for he saith afterwards, verse 23, that they "changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man", etc. So that it's spoken of the worship of God, that they glorified not God as God. That is then to sanctify God's Name, to glorify God as God. And therefore, our Savior in Chapter 4 of John, when He spoke to the woman of Samaria, He tells her that God is a Spirit, and must be worshipped in spirit and truth, that is, we must labor to suit our worship to what there is in God; that our worship may be proportionable in some measure even to the nature of God
Himself. And therefore, God being a Spirit, His worship must be a Divine worship.
I have read of some of the heathens that did worship the sun for a god, and they would offer to the sun somewhat suitable; therefore, because they did so admire at the swiftness of the motion of the sun they would not offer a snail to the sun but a flying horse, a horse with wings. Now a horse is one of the swiftest creatures, and the strongest creature to continue in motion for a long time together; and they added wings to the horse, and they thought that suitable to be a sacrifice for the sun. So, when we come to worship God, that is, to sanctify His Name, we must behave ourselves so as to give Him the glory that is fit for a God to have.
As now in those three particulars which I opened to you when I showed you wherein we draw nigh to God, this was one. I told you that when we come to worship God, we come to tender up some present to God; now then we must tender up such a present as is suitable to God's excellency. If a man should come to a poor man to give a present, if it were not worth twelve pence, yet it may be taken well. But if you were to tender up a present to a Prince, a Monarch, an Emperor, then you must tender a present that is fit for the quality of the person. Therefore, Malachi 1:8, when the Lord rebukes them for their sacrifices that they were such poor things, "Go," saith God,
"and tender up this to your governor, and see whether he will accept of it or no." So certainly, that which may be accepted of by a mean man would be accounted a scorn if you should tender it up to a Prince or an Emperor. Now when we are to worship God, we must consider that we are to tender up our service to God, who is the great
King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. But you will say, is it possible for any creature when it comes to tender up its worship to God, to tender up that which is fit for a God to have? This may rather be a discouragement unto prayer or any other duty of worship, than an encouragement. To that I answer thus, though we be very poor and mean, yet it doth not hinder but we may tender up that to God which God will acknowledge to be suitable to His infinite excellency.
1 As first, if we tender up to God all that we have, though we be never so poor and mean, yet if God hath the strength of our souls, God accepts it. For we are to know that God doth not stand in need of what we have, or of what we do; but that we might show our respect to Him. Therefore, if we give all that we have, God accepts it. As a child, if it puts forth all its strength that it hath to do a business which the father bids him, whether the business be done or no, the father looks upon it and accepts it as suitable to the child's strength; and it shows the respect that the child hath to his father. And as it is storied of an Emperor that when a poor man had nothing to offer him but a little water that he had taken up with his hand, he having nothing else, the Emperor accepts of it. So that's that which God looks for, that the creature should lift Him above all. If therefore
when thou comest to worship God, God hath more of thy heart than ever any creature in the world had, God accepts of that, and that you must look unto. Can you say so, when you go to worship God, "Lord it is true there is much weakness in my spirit, but Thou that knowest all things knowest that Thou hast more of my heart than ever any creature in the world had." This is suitable to God. God will account this (in the Covenant of Grace) to be a present suitable to Himself. As in the Law, when they offered to the building of the Temple, everyone could not offer gold and silver and precious stones, but some came and offered badgers-skins, and some women did spin and offered goatshair to the building of the Temple, and so God accepted of that being the most they could do.
2 In the second place, when we do not only offer unto God the most we can, but when we add to this the grief of our souls that we can do no more, when the soul shall strive to the uttermost it can, and when it hath done all, saith, I am an unprofitable Servant, oh that I could do more! This is suitable to God.
3 Thirdly, the people of God though they be weak, yet the weakest Servant of God is able to offer up to God somewhat that is suitable to the infinite Majesty of God, upon this third ground, because that there is a kind of impression of God's infiniteness in those services that a gracious heart doth tender unto God, and therefore suitable unto God.
You will say, God is an Infinite Glorious God? Be it so; He is Infinite, that's certain, but the duty of worship that a gracious heart tenders unto God, it hath an impression of God's infiniteness upon it. How is that? If that can be made out, then indeed we may be encouraged to worship God. Thus that that a gracious heart tenders up to God, hath an impression of His Infiniteness in this regard, because as God hath no limits of His Being, so a gracious heart, when it comes to worship
God, will not propound any limits or bounds, but in the desires of it would fain be enlarged infinitely if it could. If it were possible for a creature to be enlarged to God infinitely, it would be.
Here lies, I conceive, the main difference between the most glorious hypocrite in the world and one that hath true Grace, yea, that hath but the least degree of Grace. The most glorious hypocrite in the world, who it may be for the outward act, doth more than one that hath true Grace, yet such a one doth limit himself. He doth great things, but he doth it so as he limits himself, that is, so much as may serve for such and such ends of his, so much as may serve his turn, either to satisfy his conscience, or to get credit and esteem, to be accounted eminent in such a way, so much he doth do. But his duty is always limited within such bounds and if he could conceive that he might go to heaven, and that he might have as much credit and honor, and as much peace of conscience with doing less, he would do less. But now one that hath Grace, though but little, though but the least dram of Grace, he goes farther. Indeed, saith he, though through the little Grace that I have, I cannot do what another can do, yet this doth so enlarge my heart that I would have no bounds set in what I do for God, but I would have it enlarged to the uttermost latitude, if it were possible beyond what ever yet was done for God in the world; and the more I do, the more I do desire to do. That's now a kind of infiniteness that there is in the heart where Grace comes. I say, Grace enlarges the heart to a kind of infiniteness that the more it doth, the more it would do. There is no hypocrite but will have his periods, he will rise thus, and thus, and thus high; ordinarily you shall find that if he lives in some company, there he is high; but if he lives in other company, there he is lower.
Now there is nothing doth limit a gracious heart, but to all Eternity it would work and work more and more for God. Here now is a worship that is some way suitable to the infinite excellency that there is in God. Here's a kind of proportion (as I may so speak) even between the creature and God Himself in this thing, but it is the Grace of God in the creature; here is the Image of God indeed, because grace doth so enlarge the heart even to an infiniteness as it were for God. And thus, you see in the general what it is to sanctify God's Name, to tender up to God that which is some way suitable to the glory of the infinite God.
2 You know there was a second thing, viz. That then I do sanctify God's Name when I come so to worship God as my heart works, and follows after God as a God, so as it doth beseem the soul of a creature to follow the infinite Creator, and to work after the infinite Creator.
So, David in Psalm 63:8, "My soul followeth hard after Thee, O God, and (mark it's a very sweet Scripture) Thy right hand upholdeth me," those whose hearts follow hard after the Lord, they have the right hand of God upholding of them. It is a mighty encouragement to put forth the heart to the uttermost, because when thou doest so, the right hand of God upholds thee; so that thy heart must follow after God more than it followed after any creature.
3 When I come to draw nigh to God, I come to present myself for the communication of the choicest of His mercies. So, then I sanctify
God's Name when I labor to prepare and open my heart for God as for the choicest mercies that God hath to bestow upon His creature.
When there is such a temper of heart that my conscience tells me it is suitable to that that is fit for a soul to have, that expects to receive the choicest mercies from God. But that we spoke to more in the opening of our drawing nigh to God. Now we are to come more particularly to this, to open the sanctifying of God's Name.
1 First, in what particulars the behavior of the heart may be discovered to be suitable to God in respect of God's greatness and glory.
2 Secondly, What the behavior of the heart should be as suitable to the several attributes of God.
It will cost us some time to open the particular things in the behavior of the heart as in reference to the Greatness and Majesty of God, considered more generally as in Psalm 48:1, "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised." And so in Malachi 1:14, "Cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing." Why? "For I am a great King," saith the Lord, and therefore cursed is he that doth not offer a sacrifice
suitable to My Greatness. And in 2 Chron 2:5, we find that Solomon when he was preparing for the Temple, he would build a great
Temple, why? Because God was a great God that He would build it to, so that the worship of God must be some great thing because the Lord is a great God, and it must be suitable to His greatness. Now if you ask me in what particulars doth the behavior of the soul consist that is very suitable to the greatness of God in the general? There are many things in this:
1 The first is, you must be careful to bring a sanctified heart. You cannot tender up a worship suitable to His greatness except you bring a sanctified heart with you; there must be holiness in the heart.
Under the Law you know, if anyone came to offer a sacrifice in his uncleanness, he must be cut off. And so it must be here, we must look to it that we offer not to God in our uncleanness. "Wash you, and make you clean," in Isaiah 1, and then, "come let us reason together." There is no coming to God without washing and making clean. In Psalm 93:5, "Holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, forever." Holiness becometh the presence of God forever; we must look to get a sanctified heart.
Sanctification consists in those two parts: Mortification, and Vivification. There must be a mortifying of the lusts of the heart. We read in the Law that every Sacrifice was to be salted with salt. That did signify the mortification of our hearts when we come to offer up ourselves as a sacrifice to God; the salt did eat out the raw humors and kept the flesh from putrefying; so doth the Grace of God in mortifying our lusts. In Heb 9:14, you have a notable Scripture for the cleansing of our hearts when we come to offer any service to God,
"How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God?" So that you cannot serve the living God until your consciences be purged from dead works.
And how comes your consciences to be purged from dead works? It is through the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
Himself without spot to God, He must purge your consciences.
So that here's the way of sanctifying God's Name by applying of Jesus Christ who was offered to God without spot that our consciences might be purged from dead works, that we might be purged from that natural filthiness and uncleanness in which we all were; for the whole world doth lie in filth, as a carrion doth lie in his slime. Now if we would worship God so as to sanctify Him, we must apply Christ to our souls, and get our consciences purged from dead works, and to have the Spirit of Christ in us to quicken up our hearts in the ways of holiness; to have the image of Jesus Christ in us, whereby we may be holy according to our proportion even as He Himself is holy, this is the sanctifying of the heart. There must be an habitual sanctification and an actual sanctification of the heart. An habitual, that is, that the heart must be changed through the work of Regeneration; there must be a Regeneration in the heart, there must be Divine principles of the Graces of the Spirit of God in the heart.
But you will say, may not an unregenerate man pray? To that I answer.
It is true, it is his duty to pray, "Pour forth thy wrath upon the Heathen, and upon the families that call not upon Thy Name". But it's as true that they cannot sanctify God's Name in doing of it. But if we would sanctify God's Name in it, there must be an habitual holiness in the heart, for everything doth act according to its principles, in nature it is so; and so doth the heart when it comes to worship God, it doth act according to the principles that it hath.
And then there must not only be habitual sanctification, but actual sanctification likewise; as in Exodus 19:10, 11, there you see what ado there was to fit them for the hearing of the Law because God was to come among them. God is to come among us, and we are to come to God when we are to perform holy duties. Therefore, it is not enough to have Grace, but there must be an improving of Grace, there must be an acting of Grace, not only when you come to receive the sacrament, to think that then there must be an acting of Grace, but every time you pray and hear there must be an acting of Grace, a
purging out of your corruptions and acting of Grace, so that one cannot sanctify God's Name in holy duties unless he come thus far, to be able to say, "Lord, Thou that knowest all things, knowest there is nothing that Thou doest reveal to be contrary to Thy will, but my heart is against it," that's the least. Thou canst not have any peace of conscience in drawing nigh to God until thou come thus far, to have thy heart to work thus against sin, and to be set upon every good that God reveals to be His mind. You know when a man of quality comes to your house what a deal of stir there is not only in sweeping, but in making all things as clean and tidy and shining as possibly can be.
Thus, it should be when thou comest to God.
And the reason why there must be this sanctifying of the heart:
1 First, because the Lord doth first accept of the person before He doth accept of the action. Men indeed do accept of the persons of men because they do good actions, but God accepts of the actions of men because their persons are good. If indeed we see a man do good, then we love him and accept of the person of the man, but God first will accept of the person before the action, as the Lord accepted of Abel first, and then He accepted his offering. So you must look to that, to have your persons first accepted of God before any duty can be accepted. You think though you be wicked and sinful, yet if you amend your life God will accept of you, you go that way to work; but certainly that is the wrong way; you must first look after means of acceptation of your persons which is through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and through the Sanctification of His Spirit, whereby you come to have His image and life and so are accepted, and then all that proceeds from you comes to be accepted. There is not any action which comes from you that comes to be accepted to eternal life, until your persons be accepted before God. And therefore there must be a sanctifying of the heart before there can be a sanctifying the Name of God in the duties of His worship. Therefore, when you come to perform any duties of God's worship you should consider this, is my heart sanctified? I must sanctify God's Name, and how can I do that, except my heart be sanctified?