The Existence and Attributes of God, Volumes 1 and 2Charnock, Stephen
Religion
The Existence and Attributes of God, Volumes 1 and 2
Charnock, Stephen
God (Christianity) -- Attributes; Providence and government of God -- Christianity
according to the excellency of his nature, discovered in the frame of
our own. It is as much our sin not to glorify God as God, as not to
attempt the glorifying of him at all; it is our sin not to worship
God as God, as well as to omit the testifying any respect at all to
him. As the Divine nature is the object of worship, so the Divine
perfections are to be honored in worship; we do not honor God if we
honor him not as he is; we honor him not as a Spirit, if we think him
not worthy of the ardors and ravishing admirations of our spirits. If
we think the devotions of the body are sufficient for him, we contract
him into the condition of our own being; and not only deny him to be
a spiritual nature, but dash out all those perfections which he could
not be possessed of were he not a Spirit.
_Prop. V._ The ceremonial law was abolished to promote the
spirituality of divine worship. That service was gross, carnal,
calculated for an infant and sensitive church. It consisted in
rudiments, the circumcision of the flesh, the blood and smoke of
sacrifices, the steams of incense, observation of days, distinction
of meats, corporal purifications; every leaf of the law is clogged
with some rite to be particularly observed by them. The spirituality
of worship lay veiled under a thick cloud, that the people could not
behold the glory of the gospel, which lay covered under those shadows
(2 Cor. iii. 13): “They could not steadfastly look to the end of
that which is abolished:” They understood not the glory and spiritual
intent of the law, and therefore came short of that spiritual frame in
the worship of God, which was their duty. And therefore in opposition
to this administration, the worship of God under the gospel is called
by our Saviour in the text, a worship in spirit; more spiritual for
the matter, more spiritual for the motives, and more spiritual for
the manner and frames of worship.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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