Pfal Ixxxix 7 God is greatly to be feared in the aſſembly of his faints, and to be had in reverence of all that are abou
Sacramental Meditations.
Thatthebleffing ofGod, and thebreathingsofhisgood Spi rit, may accompany theſe poor labours to thy foul, is the heart's defireof, Thyfervant in Chrift,
JOHN FLAVEL.
THE FIRST
MEDITATΙΟΝ,
UPON PSAL. lxxxix. 7. God is greatly to befeared in the affembly ofhisfaints, and to be had in reverence ofallthat areabout bim.
THERE are ſpecial ſeaſons,wherein the faints approach nearuntoGod in this life,andwhereintheLord comes near unto them.
Itpleaſeth the Majestyof heaven, ſometimes to admit poor worms ofthe earth toſuch ſenſible and sweet perceptions of himſelf, as are found above all expreſſion, and ſeem to be a tranfientglance upon that glory, which glorified eyes more ſteadilybehold above:"Believing,werejoicewithjoyunſpeak- " able, and full ofglory; or, glorifiedjoy ; as it is, i Pet. i. 8. Andyet how fweet and excellent ſoever theſeforetaſtes ofheaven are, heaven itſelfwillbe anunspeakable ſurpriſe to thefaints, when they ſhall comethither.
Now among allthoſe ordinances, wherein the bleſſedGod manifeſts himſelfto the children of men, none are found to fet forthmoreofthejoyofhis prefence, than that ofthe Lord's ſupper : at that bleſſed table, areſuch ſenſibleembraces betwixt Chrift and believers, as do afforddelight and folace, beyondthejoyofthe whole earth.
Andwhere ſuch ſpecial manifeſtations ofGod are, fuitable difpofitions andpreparations ſhouldbe found on our part, to meet the Lord.
And, certainly, we shall find reaſonenough forit, ifwewill confider the importance of this ſcripture before us ; "God is
" greatly to be feared in the affembly ofhis ſaints, and to be *Αγαλλιασεχαρα ἀνεκλαλητω και δεδοξασμενη. Innerrabili,&gloris ficato, Montanus.
Sacramental Meditations.
had in reverence of all that are round abouthim."
Wherein we have, r. The object ; 2. The ſubject ; 3. The mode ofdivine worſhip.
First, The object of worship, God; God is to be feared.
In all divine worſhip, men and angels have to do with God.
" All things (faith the apostle) are open and naked to the " eyes ofhim with whom wehave to do," Heb. iv. 14. With whomwe have ſpeech, or buſineſs ; ſoit may be understood.
When we worship, we draw nigh to God ; and thatabout the greatest concerns, and weightiest buſineſs in the world.
Secondly, The ſubject, or the perſons that approach unto God inhis worship ; " His faints, and all that are about him ."
Byfaints, many interpreters do (inthis place) understand the angels, called faints, from the purity and holiness oftheir nature; and ſo make the next clauſe exegetical of this.
Thoſe thatbefore were called ſaints in reſpect oftheir nature, are, in the next words ſaid to be ſuch as are round about him, his fatellites, attendants, orthoſe that ſtand as fervants about him, to do his pleaſure ; where they are deſcribed by their office.
Both theſe ſeem to be grounded upon the precedent verſes :
" Who in heaven can be compared to the Lord ? Who among " the fons ofthe mighty," (orofGod, fo the angels are called,
Job i. 6.) " can be likened to the Lord ?" And though it be true, that the angels worship, and ſerve the Lord with the greatest reverence and dread (for theſe are his nigh ones, or fuch as are round abouthim;) yetthere is no neceſſity to limit this ſcripture ſo narrowly, by excludingthe people ofGod on earth ; theyalſo are his faints, and more frequently ſo ſtiled, though they be faints ofa lower claſs and order : and they alfo are round about him, as well as the angels ; and when they worſhip him, he is inthe midst of them, Matth. xviii. 20.
Andtheplace where they aſſemble to worſhip, is called the place ofhis feet, Ifa. lx. 13. But ifwe find not the faints on earth in the direct and immediate ſenſe ofthis text, yet we muſt needs meet them in the rebound and confequence.
For ifcreatures ſo much above us, as the angels, do perform their ſervice, and pay their homage to the highest Majesty with ſo much fear and reverence ; ſhall not inferior creatures, the poor wormsofthe earth, tremble at his prefence ? And this brings us to the third thing ; namely, Thirdly, The mode, or manner, in which the worſhip of God is to be performed ; viz. with great fear and reverence :
VOL . VIII.
Sacramental Meditations.
"God is greatly to be feared "
Pifcator tranflates it, Vehementer formidandus, tobe vehemently feared ; and oppoſes it to that formal, careleſs, trifling, vain fpirit, which too often is found in thoſe that approach the Lord in the duties ofhis worſhip.
The obſervation from hence will be this :
Obſervation. That thegreatest compoſedness andferiousness of Spirit isdue toGod,from all those that draw nigh unto him inhis worship.
And this isno more than what the Lord expreſly requires at our hands ; Lev. x. 3. " I willbe ſanctified inthem that " come nighunto me."
SoHeb xii. 28, 29. "Let us have grace,wherebywemayferveGod acceptably, with reverence
" and godly fear.
For ourGod is a conſuming fire."
And as this diſpoſition and temper of ſpirit isdue to every act and part ofGod's worship ; fo (to accommodate this general to our particular occaſion) it is eſpeciallydue to thisgreat and folemn ordinance of the Lord's ſupper.
It is the obſervation of the Cafuifts, that facramentum et mortis articulus aequiparantur : The facrament ofthe Lord's ſupper, and the very point ofdeath, require equal ſeriouſneſs : aman's ſpirit ſhouldbe as deeply folemn and compoſed at the Lord's table, as upon a death-bed. We should go to that ordinance, as ifwe werethengoing into another world.
The primitive Chriſtians uſed to fit up whole nights inmeditation and prayer, before theirparticipation of the Lord's fupper ; and theſe nights were called Vigiliae, their watches.
Suchwasthe reverencethe faints had forthis ordinance (which theyusually called mysterium tremendum, a tremendous myſtery,) thattheywouldnotgive " fleep to theireyes, or flumber
" to their eye-lids," when fo great andfolemn aday drew near.
Chryfoft. lib . 3. defacerdot, And that all this folemn preparation is nomore than needs, will convincingly appear to us, upon the following grounds and reaſons.
Reason 1. From the folemn nature andends of this ordinance.
For what is the expreſs deſign and uſe of it, but a lively reprefentation of the Lord's death ?
1 Cor. xi. 26.
" As often as ye eatthis bread, anddrink this cup, yedo ſhew "the Lord's death till hecome." Jeſus Chrift is therein ſet forth crucified before us ; andnot tomake abare repreſentation ofit to us, as a thing wherein we have no perſonal intereſt or concernment, but to repreſent.his death lively, and feal our title to it firmly : " This is mybody,which isbroken foryou,"
2.4