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
Saviour commands in closet‑duties.[499] It was not his meaning to
command the shutting the closet‑door, and leave the heart‑door open
for every thought that would be apt to haunt us. Worldly affections
are to be laid aside if we would have {a227} our worship spiritual;
this was meant by the Jewish custom of wiping or washing off the
dust of their feet before their entrance into the temple, and of not
bringing money in their girdles. To be spiritual in worship, is to
have our souls gathered and bound up wholly in themselves, and offered
to God. Our loins must be girt, as the fashion was in the eastern
countries, where they wore long garments, that they might not waver
with the wind, and be blown between their legs, to obstruct them in
their travel: our faculties must not hang loose about us. He is a
carnal worshipper that gives God but a piece of his heart, as well as
he that denies him the whole of it; that hath some thoughts pitched
upon God in worship, and as many willingly upon the world. David
sought God, not with a moiety of his heart, but with his “whole heart;”
with his entire frame;[500] he brought not half his heart, and left
the other in the possession of another master. It was a good lesson
Pythagoras gave his scholars,[501] “Not to make the observance of God
a work by the bye.” If those guests be invited, or entertained kindly,
or if they come unexpected, the spirituality of that worship is lost;
the soul kicks down what it wrought before: but if they be brow‑beaten
by us, and our grief rather than our pleasure, they divert our
spiritual intention from the work in hand, but hinder not God’s
acceptance of it as spiritual, because they are not the acts of our
will, but offences to our wills.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account