any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the holy scripture. b a Rom, i. 20. Acts, xvii, 24. Psal cxix, 64. Jer. x, 7. Psal. xxxi. 23, and xviii, 3. Rom. x, 12. Psal. Ixii, 8. Josh. xxiv, 14. Mark xii, 33. ¿Deut. xii, 32. Mat. xv, 9. Acts xvii. 25. Mat. iv, 9, 10. Deut. iv, 15 to 20. Exod. xx, 4, 5, Col. ii, 23. II. Religious worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and holy Ghost, and to him alone; c not to Angels, Saints, or any other creatures; d and since the fall, not without a Mediator, nor in the mediation of any other but of Christ alone. e a Mat. iv, 10. John v, 23, and II Cor. xiii, 14. d Col. ii, 18. Rev, xix, 10. Rom, i, 25. e John xiv, 6. 1 Tim. ii, 5. Eph. ii, 18, Col. iii, 17. III. Prayer with thanksgiving, being one special part of natural worship, fis by God required of all men; g but that it may be accepted it is to be made in the name of the Son, h by the help of the Spirit, i according to his will, k with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance : and when with others in a known tongue. m f Phil. iv, 6. g Psal. lxv, ii. h John xiv, 13, 14. I Pet. ii, 5. i Rom. viii, 26. k I John v ? Psal. xlvii, 7. Eccl. v, 1, 2. 14, Heb. xii, 28. Gen. xviii, 27. Mat. vi, 12, 14, 15. I Cor. xiv, 14. James v, 10. Mark xi, 24. IV. Prayer is to be made for things lawful, n and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter, o but not for the dead, nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death. q n I John v, 14. 1 Tim. ii, 1, 2. John xvii, 20. II Sam. vii, 29. Ruth iv, 12. ↑ Il Sam. xii. 21, 22, 23, with Luke xvi, 25, 26. Rev. xiv, 13, John v, 16. V. The reading of the scriptures, r preaching, s and hearing the word of God, singing of Psalms, u as also the administration of Baptism and the Lord's Supper are all parts of religi ous worship of God, to be performed in obedience unto God with understanding, faith, reverence and Godly fear w solemn humiliations with fastings, and thanksgiving upon special occasions, y are in their several times and seasons to be used in an holy and religious man ner.z ↑ Acts xv, 21. Rev. i, 3. s II Tim. iv, 2. Jam. i, 21 22. Acts x, 33. Mat. xiii. 19. Heb. iv, 2. Isa. lxvi, 2. u Col. iii, 16. James v, 13. Eph, v. 19. Mat, xxviii, 19. I Cor. xi, 23 10 29. Acts ii, 41, 42. Joel ii, 12. Est. y Psal. cvii v, 16. Mark ix. 29. I Cor. vii 5, per tot Esther ix, 22. z Heb, xii, 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 every where, b in spirit and in truth, c as in private families d daily, e and in secret each one by himself f so more solemnly in the publick assemblies. which are not carelessly nor wilfully to be neglected or forsaken, when God by his word or providence calleth thereunto. g a John, iv, 21. ✔ John, iv. 23, 24. Job, i, 5. -X, 2. b Mal. i, 11. I Tim, ii, 8. d Jer. x, 25. Deut. vi, 6, 7. Sam. vi, 18. 20. I Pet. iii, 7. Acts, e Mat. vi, 1. Mat. vi, 6. Eph. vi. 18. g Isa. Ivi, 6, 7. Heb. x, 25. and viii, 34. Acts, xiii, 42. ii, 49. VII. Prov. i, 20, 21, 24, Luke, iv, 16. Acts, As it is of the law of nature, that in gener al, a proportion of time, by God's appointment, be set apart for the worship of God; so by his word in a positive, moral and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath to be kept holy unto him, h which from the beginning of the world to the resurrecG tion of Christ, was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, i which in scripture is called the Lord's day, k and is to be continued to the end of the world as the christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished. m h Exod. xx, 8 to 11. Isa. lvi, 2, to 7. i Gen. ii, 2, 3. I Cor. vi, 1, 2. Acts, xx, 7. * Rev. i, 10. / Exod. xx, 8, 10, with Mat. v, 17, 18. 2 Col. ii, 16, 17. Heb. iv, 9, 10. VIII. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord when men after a due preparing of their hearts and ordering their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words and thoughts, about their wordly employments and recreations, n but also are taken up the whole time in the publick and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy. o n Exod. xx, 8, and xvi, 23, to 30, and xiii, 12, to 18. Isa. Iviii, 13. Neh. xiii, 15, to 23. o Isa. Iviii, 13. Mat. xii, 1, to 14. A CHAP. XXIII. Of Lawful Oaths and Vows. lawful oath is a part of religious worship, a wherein the person swearing in truth, righteousness and judgment solemnly caileth, God to witness what he asserteth, or promiseth, and to judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he sweareth. b a Deut. x, 20. b Jer. iv, 2. Exod. xx, 7. Lev. xix, 12. II Cor. i, 23. II Chron. vi, 22, 23. II. The name of God only is that by which men ought to swear, and therein it is to be used with all holy fear and reverence: c Therefore to swear vainly or rashly by that glorious and dreadful name or to swear at all by any other thing is sinful and to be abborred: d yet as in matters of weight and moment an oath is warranted by the word of God under the new testament as well as under the old, e so a lawful oath being imposed by lawful authority in sucli matters ought to be taken.f c Deut. vi, 13. d Exod. xx, 7. Jer. v, 7. Mat. v, 34, 35, 36. James, v, 12. e Heb. vi, 16.` II Cor. i, 23. Isa. lxv, 16. fl Kings, viii, 31. Ezra, x, 5. * Neh. xiii, 25. |