the forward working of the spirit of man is stayed and hindered from mixing itself with the worship of God."*_

In sect. 15. after having described the true worship in spirit established by Christ, and clearly proved the necessity and advantage of it, he proceeds thus: "He hath also instituted an inward and spiritual worship; so that God now tieth not his people to the temple of Jerusalem, nor yet unto outward ceremonies and observances; but taketh the heart of every Christian for a temple to dwell in and there immediately appeareth, and giveth him directions how to serve him in any outward acts. Since, as Christ argueth, God is a Spirit, he will now be worshipped in the Spirit, where he reveals himself, and dwelleth with the contrite in heart. Now, since it is the heart of man that now is become the temple of God, in which he will be worshipped, and no more in particular outward temples, since, as blessed Stephen said out of the prophet, to the professing Jews of old, The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands. As before the glory of the Lord descended to fill the outward temple, it behoved to be purified and cleansed, and all polluted stuff removed out of it; yea, and the place for the tabernacle was overlaid with gold, the most precious and cleanest of metals; so also before God be worshipped in the inward temple of the heart, it must also be purged of its own filth, and all its own thoughts and imaginations, that so it

* Isai. x. 20. and xxvi. 3.

may be fit to receive the Spirit of God, and to be actuated by it. And doth not this directly lead us to that inward silence, of which we have spoken, and exactly pointed out? And further, this worsnip must be in truth; intimating, that this spiritual worship, thus actuated, is only and properly a true worship."

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Franciscus Lambertus," as quoted by Robert Barclay, in sect. 18. "speaketh well, tract 5. of prophecy, chap. 3. saying, Where are they now that glory in their inventions, who say, A fine invention! A fine invention! This they call invention, which themselves have made up; but what have the faithful to do with such kind of inventions? It is not figments, nor yet inventions, that we will have, but things that are solid, invincible, eternal and heavenly; not which men have invented, but which God hath revealed for if we believe the scriptures, our invention profiteth nothing, but to provoke God to our ruin. And afterwards, *Beware (saith he) that thou determine not precisely to speak what before thou hast meditated, whatsoever it be ; for though it be lawful to determine the text which thou art to expound, yet not at all the interpretation; lest if thou so dost, thou take from the Holy Spirit that which is his, to wit, to direct thy speech, that thou mayest prophesy in the name of the Lord, void of all learning, meditation and experience, and as if thou hadst

* It is not intended by us to adopt the sentiment of a liberty to deter mine or choose the text; that, as well as the exposition, ought to be left to the dictates of the Holy Spirit.

See the whole section in R. B's Apology.

studied nothing at all, committing thy heart, thy tongue, and thyself wholly unto his Spirit, and trusting nothing to thy former studying or meditation; but saying with thyself, in great confidence of the divine promise, the Lord will give a word with much power unto those that preach the gospel. But, above all things, be careful thou follow not the manner of hypocrites, who have written almost word for word what they are to say, as if they were to repeat some verses upon a theatre, having learned all their preaching as they do that act tragedies. And afterwards, when they are in the place of prophesying, pray the Lord to direct their tongue; but in the mean time, shutting up the way of the Holy Spirit, they determine to say nothing but what they have written. O unhappy kind of prophets, yea, and truly cursed, which depend not upon God's Spirit, but upon their own writings or meditation! Why prayest thou to the Lord thou false prophet, to give thee his Holy Spirit, by which thou mayest speak things profitable, and yet thou repellest the Spirit? Why preferrest thou thy meditation or study to the Spirit of God? otherwise, why committest thou not thyself to the Spirit."

"Sec. 22. That there is a necessity of this inward retirement of the mind as previous to prayer, that the Spirit may be felt to draw thereunto, appears, for that in most of those places where prayer is commanded, watching is perfixed thereunto, as necessary to go before, as Mat. xxiv. 42. Mark xiii. 33. and xiv. 38. Luke xxi. 36. from which it is evident, that this

watching was to go before prayer. Now to what end is this watching, or what is it, but a waiting to feel God's Spirit to draw unto prayer, that so it may be done acceptably? For since we are to pray always in the spirit, *and cannot pray of ourselves without it acceptably, this watching must be for this end recommended to us, as preceding prayer, that we may watch and wait for the seasonable time to pray, which is when the Spirit moves thereunto."