Gospel Worship

Gospel Worship

I am presently reading Gospel Worship by Jeremiah Burroughs (1599-1646). My reason for desiring to read this book is to stir up my mind and affections to God in Biblical worship. As I have been preparing for this coming Lord’s Day worship my mind has been fixed upon these words of Burroughs,

“It is fitting that God should be glorified, whatever becomes of you. You are dear to God, but God’s name is dearer to Him than you are.”

As God’s people come together on the Lord’s Day for corporate worship God is most concerned for the glory of his name and he will glorify his name as holy before the world in worship. Burroughs says that God’s name is glorified in two ways among his people. He says,

“The saints sanctify God in their hearts when they fear God as a holy God, and reverence Him and love Him as a holy God. They sanctify Him in their lives when their lives hold forth the glory of God’s holiness. Then God is sanctified.”

“But if we do not do so, God sanctifies Himself in ways of judgment upon those who do not sanctify His name in ways of holiness.”

God is sanctified in the minds and hearts of those who behold his beauty in holiness and worship him with right thoughts and affections in accord with his expressed commands. But if we draw near to worship with our thoughts and affections far from him and his holiness we should expect that God will be glorified as holy in his judgment upon us. This seems harsh to us who are more concerned about what our neighbors think about our worship than we are about God. But when the name of man becomes dearer to the church than the holy name of God we make a god of our own thoughts and desires and truth is hidden in darkness. And it is in this darkness that we make a mockery of God in our worship. Let us return to reverence for the holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.