To be near unto God - pagina 503

something from God. He who worships that his soul and his whole being may devote itself to God. He who prays intends that something shall come to us from God. He who worships intends that something from us shall come to God. desires desires

That grace operates

in worship,

is

self-evident,

but it is another kind of grace. It is grace, that the infinite, almighty and self-sufficient God will accept the magnifying of his name at the hand of the creature. He is so infinitely exalted that the creature can not bring him anything. And though every voice of angel and every tongue of man were to be silent forevermore, the Eternal Being would be in need of nothing, and would remain sufiicient unto himself. And herein is grace that the most High God, who is in need of nothing, will take pleasure in the songs of praise of angels and of men, and that he grants unto them the sacred joy of showing forth his praises. All worship, all thanksgiving, every hymn of praise and every tribute of honor rests upon the foundation of this to us impenetrable grace. This worship and tribute of praise can at the same time serve to make great the name of God before our fellow-creatures, but in worship at least this is not the intended aim. He w^ho sings the praises of God, can do this for the sake of confessing his Holy Name before unbelieving multitudes, and of winning them for God, but worship is an holy utterance of soul, which takes place between our soul and God, and can at most adapt itself to the worsliip of fellow-believers. In its highest utterance, worship can not be mechanical. Worship only comes to pass when 495

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