Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day
I. The light of nature shows that there is a God, who
has lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and does good unto all, and is therefore
to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and
with all the soul, and with all the might.a But the acceptable way of
worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed
will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or
the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not
prescribed in the holy Scripture.b
a. Rom. 1:20; Acts 17:24; Ps. 119:68; Jer. 10:7; Ps. 31:23; 18:3; Rom.
10:12; Ps. 62:8; Josh. 24:14; Mark 12:33.
b. Deut. 12:32; Matt. 15:9; Acts 17:25; Matt. 4:9-10; Deut. 15:1-20;
Exod. 20:4-6; Col. 2:23.
II. Religious worship is to be given to God, the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost; and to Him alone;a not to angels, saints, or any other
creature:b and, since the fall, not without a Mediator; nor in the mediation of
any other but of Christ alone.c
a. Matt. 4:10; John 5:23; II Cor. 13:14.
b. Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; Rom. 1:25.
c. John 14:6; I Tim. 2:5; Eph. 2:18; Col. 3:17.
III. Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one special part
of religious worship,a is by God required of all men:b and, that it
may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son,c by the help of His
Spirit,d according to His will,e with understanding, reverence,
humility, fervency, faith, love and perseverance;f and, if vocal, in a known
tongue.g
a. Phil. 4:6.
b. Ps. 65:2.
c. John 14:13-14; I Pet. 2:5.
d. Rom. 8:26.
e. I John 5:14.
f. Ps, 47:7; Eccl. 5:1-2; Heb. 12:28; Gen. 18:27; James 5:16; 1:6-7;
Mark. 11:24; Matt. 6:12, 14-15; Col. 4:2; Eph. 6:18.
g. I Cor. 14:14.
IV. Prayer is to be made for things lawful;a
and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter:b but not for the
dead,c nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto
death.d
a. I John 5:14.
b. I Tim. 2:1-2; John 17:20; II Sam. 7:29; Ruth 4:12.
c. II Sam. 12:21-23; Luke 16:25-26; Rev. 14:13.
d. I John 5:16.
V. The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear,a
the sound preachingb and conscionable hearing of the Word, in obedience unto
God, with understanding, faith and reverence,c singing of psalms with grace in
the heart;d as also, the due administration and worthy receiving of the
sacraments instituted by Christ, are all parts of the ordinary religious worship of God:e
beside religious oaths,f vows,g solemn fastings,h and
thanksgivings upon special occasions,i which are, in their several times and
seasons, to be used in an holy and religious manner.j
a. Acts 15:21; Rev. 1:3.
b. II Tim. 4:2.
c. James 1:22; Acts 10:33; Matt. 13:19; Heb. 4:2; Is. 66:2.
d. Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19; James 5:13.
e. Matt. 28:19; I Cor. 11:23-29; Acts 2:42.
f. Deut 6:13; Neh. 10:29.
g. Is. 19:21; Eccl. 5:4-5.
h. Joel 2:12; Esth. 4:16; Matt. 9:15; I Cor. 7:5.
i. Ps. 107; Esth. 9:22.
j. Heb. 12:28.
VI. Neither prayer, nor any other part of religious
worship, is now, under the Gospel, either tied unto, or made more acceptable by any place
in which it is performed, or towards which it is directed:a but God is to be
worshipped everywhere,b in spirit and truth;c as, in private
familiesd daily,e and in secret, each one by himself;f
so, more solemnly in the public assemblies, which are not carelessly or willfully to be
neglected, or forsaken, when God, by His Word or providence, calls thereunto.g
a. John 4:21.
b. Mal. 1:11; I Tim. 2:8.
c. John 4:23-24.
d. Jer. 10:25; Deut. 6:6-7; Job 1:5; II Sam. 6:18, 20; I Pet. 3:7; Acts
10:2.
e. Matt. 6:11.
f. Matt. 6;6; Eph. 6:18.
g. Is. 56:6-7; Heb. 10:25; Prov. 1:20-21, 24; 8:34; Acts
13:42; Luke 4:16; Acts 2:42.
VII. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due
proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in His Word, by a positive,
moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, He has particularly
appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him:a which,
from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the
week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,b
which, in Scripture, is called the Lord's Day,c and is to be continued to the
end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.d
a. Exod. 20:8, 10-11; Is. 56:2, 4, 6-7.
b. Gen. 2:2-3; I Cor. 16:1-2; Acts 20:7.
c. Rev. 1:10.
d. Exod. 20:8, 10; Matt. 5:17-18.
VIII. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when
men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs
before-hand, do not only observe an holy rest, all the day, from their own works, words,
and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations,a but also are
taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of His worship, and in the
duties of necessity and mercy.b
a. Exod. 20:8; 16:23, 25-26, 29-30; 31:15-17; Is. 58:13;
Neh. 13:15-22.
b. Is. 58:13; Matt. 12:1-13.
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