t of great
consequence, and I fear not laid to heart. The worship must be like the
worshipped. It is a spirit must worship the eternal Spirit. It is not a
body that can be the principal and chief agent in the business. What
communion can God have with your bodies, while your souls are removed far
from him, more than with beasts? All society and fellowship must be
between those that are like one another. A man can have no comfortable
company with beasts, or with stones, or with trees. It is men that can
converse with men, and a spirit must worship the self being Spirit. Do not
mistake this as if under the cays of the gospel we were not called to an
external and bodily worship--to any service to which our outward man is
instrumental. That is one of the deep delusions of this age, into which
some men, "reprobate concerning the faith," have fallen, that there should
be no external ordinances, but that Christians are now called to a worship
all spirit, pure spirit, &c. This is one of the spirits, and spiritual
doctrines (that call themselves so) which ye must not receive, for it is
neither the Spirit of God nor of Christ that teacheth this. Not the Spirit
of God the Creator, because he hath made the whole man, body and soul, and
so must be worshipped of the whole man. He hath created man in such a
capacity as he may offer up external actions in a reasonable manner, with
the inward affections. As the Lord hath created him, so should he serve
him--every member every part in its own capacity,--the soul to precede, and
the body to follow,--the soul to be the chief worshipper, and the body its
servant employed in the worship. True worship hath a body and a soul as
well as a true man, and as the soul separated is not a complete man, so
neither is the soul separated a complete worshipper without the body. The
external ordinances of God is the body, the inward soul affection is the
spirit, which being joined together make complete worship. Neither is it
the Spirit of Christ which teacheth this, because our Lord Jesus hath
taught us to offer up our bodies and spirits both as a reasonable service,
Rom. xii. 1, 2. The sacrifice of the bodily performance offered up by the
spiritual affection and renewed mind is a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable and reasonable. That Spirit which dwelt in Christ above
measure, did not think it too base to vent itself in the way of external
ordinances. He was, indeed, above all, above the law, yet did will