Attributes of God - Charnock - XIV - Chapter 4 (Spiritual worship) concluded

Required reading
Attributes of God by Charnock (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Conclude Chapter 4 (A discourse upon spiritual worship).

My summary
This week we finish Charnock's chapter on spiritual worship.  To conclude the subject Charnock gives us the uses of this doctrine.

Firstly we see that the doctrine serves for information:
(i) how sad it is for them that are so far from giving God a spiritual worship, that they render him no worship at all;
(ii) that diligence in outward worship is not to be rested in;

Secondly knowing about spiritual worship should be used to examine ourselves concerning the manner of our worship:
(i) how are our hearts prepared to worship?
(ii) how are our hearts fixed upon him?
(iii) how do we act our graces in worship?
(iv) how do we find our hearts after worship?

The third use of the doctrine is one of comfort:
(i) it is to be confessed that our many starts of spirits and rovings to other things is natural to us;
(ii) these distractions may be occasions to make our hearts more spiritual after worship;
(iii) we should not be discouraged by those interruptions and starts of our hearts.

Charnock's fourth use of the doctrine of spiritual worship is one of exhortation:
(i) not to give God our spirit is a great sin;
(ii) to have our spirits off from God in worship is a bad sign;
(iii) carnal worship is dangerous.

What grabbed me
Really good point about the emptiness of unspiritual worship: 'Men may attend all their days on worship, with a juiceless heart and unquickened frame, and think to compensate the neglect of the manner with abundance of the matter of service. Outward expressions are but the badges and liveries of service, not the service itself. As the strength of sin lies in the inward frame of the heart, so the strength of worship is in the inward complexion and temper of the soul. What do a thousand services avail, without cutting the throat of our carnal affections? What are loud prayers, but as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals, without Divine charity? A Pharisaical diligence in outward forms without inward spirit, had no better a title vouchsafed by our Saviour, than that of hypocritical. God desires not sacrifices, nor delights in burnt offerings.  Shadows are not to be offered instead of substance. God required the heart of man for itself; but commanded outward ceremonies, as subservient to inward worship, and goads and spurs unto it: they were never appointed as the substance of religion, but auxiliaries to it.'

If your spirit isn't in it, it doesn't matter how much you worship God with external motions.

Next week's reading
Commence Chapter 5 by reading up to the paragraph beginning 'IV. Use. 1. Information. (2.) If God be of an eternal duration, then Christ is God'.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.