Church is now no babe Augustine in his time complained of the unreasonable burden of Ceremonies saying That the condition of the Jews was more tollerable in this respect than of Christians But alas how much is the burden encreased beyond that it was in his time so that the little finger now is heavier than the whole body was then Jer. 3.16 Jeremiah hath a Prophecy of Gospel-times that then the Jewes should forget the Ark i. e. all those external Symbols and Ceremonies which were in use before the Ark was laid aside and they should now be Spiritual worshippers The Antichristian Faction as if these were not Gospel-times have received many Jewish and Paganish rites and with those hypocrites which the Prophet Esay speaks of Isa 66.5 insult over the true Spiritual worshippers despising them and their plain simple Gospel-worship saying Let the Lord be glorified let him be honoured with a more decent splendid Worship such as we give him But men shall one day find that God will give them no thanks for going about to honour him with their gawdy Ceremonies Well beloved If this be a note of the true Gospel-worship that it shall not be Ceremony but Spirit then surely the Popish Ceremonious Worship and all Worship that is modell'd in imitation thereof cannot be true worship And I pray let this be considered which I have formerly hinted to you that they who burden the Church with a multitude of Ceremonies go about to destroy Gospel-worship which must not be Ceremonious and do what in them lieth to cast Christ out of the Church and to bring in Moses again and they who affect and plead for and delight in and practise a Ceremonious Worship seem to forget that these are Gospel-times And if men shall alleadge that many of the vulgar sort have as much need of such helps as the Jewes had surely this is a vain plea for we must alwayes consider how God will have his Worship to be managed surely he knows what is best and what is necessary and expedient Infer 3 If Gospel-worship be a Worship in Truth i. e. that which is consonant to the Word of God according to the true revelations of his Will that which is commanded and ordered by Christ and exercised according to the simplicity of Gospel-Intitution then all devised Wil-worship wherein there is an adding to the Word of God or a mingling of mans inventions with God's Institutions must needs be excepted against as no true Gospel-worship All Gospel-worship is built upon the sure pure foundation of Divine Gospel-institutions The Word of God doth appoint and order the Worship which he will have in every Essential part of it and it is a general Rule for Circumstantials It doth not indeed particularly command and order every circumstance but the Church must take heed that under the name of Circumstances and under pretence of Church-power herein she do not bring in Worship Meer Circumstances belonging to religious Actions are left to Humane determination but it is not left unto men to appoint any kinds parts or means of Worship Now Ceremonies properly sacred and significant by Humane Institution are judged to be more than Circumstances to be indeed parts of Worship to be Ceremonial Worship and that Worship which is not commanded by God is not warrantable approved Worship We have in the Scripture strict prohibitions of adding to the Word of God Deut. 4.2 Ye shall not adde to the word which I command you Deut. 12.32 Whatsoever thing I command you observe to do it Thou shalt not adde thereunto These Texts forbid all Humane Ordinances and establish God's Word as the onely Rule we must attend unto in his Worship Every word of God is pure Prov. 30.5 6. saith Agur. Adde thou not to his words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a lyar Here is a prohibition to keep men from corrupting or adulterating the Name of God in his Word by an addition of mens inventions and traditions when they are imposed as if they were the express Will of God Then there are two great Considerations to enforce this Prohibition 1. God will reprove such Adders to his Word 2. God who is Almighty and infinitely wise and holy and just will take in hand such Corrupters of his Name and Word so that he will demonstrate to them and convince them of their horrible wickedness in adding to his Word by foysting in mens inventions and he will make them to bear their iniquity with terrour And they shall be convinced that they have lyed against God and shall be made to bear the guilt of such lying and shall suffer the punishment shall receive the doom of lyars These are weighty Considerations to deter men from corrupting the Word of God There is another terrible Text to this purpose in the close of all the Scripture Rev. 22.18 If any man shall adde unto these things God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in this Book Thus you see how the Word of God witnesseth against all devised Will-worship which is not Worship in truth Now surely if men did look at God as God and look upon the Scriptures as his Word owning the Soveraign Authority of Scripture they would then be fearful to corrupt the Worship of God seeing God in his Word doth so strictly prohibit and so earnestly testifie against such Corruption But here is the mischief that however men may say that they believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God yet they are indeed no better than Infidels concerning the Scripture and the Name of God in it Jer. 6.10 The word of God is to them a reproach they have no delight in it Men think that they have as good words as the Word of God is and that they have Traditions which are of as great Authority as God's Revelations Now when Scripture is slighted so that it lays no awe upon mens spirits no marvel that men follow their own inventions Well Beloved Gospel-worship is a Worship in truth Regular worship which hath its foundation in the Word and is ordered according to the Word of God VVe read in Scripture of pure Religion certainly Jam. 1.21 that Religion is most pure which hath its foundation and dependence upon the VVord of God and this Religion stands for ever will stand in the Judgement-day when all other Religions will be condemned to Hell The VVord of God endures for ever and so do they that conform themselves to it Now for such as slight Divine Institutions and cast off the onely sure Foundation they make other Rules to themselves and ground their Worship upon other rotten Foundations As 1. The imagination of their own hearts Me thinks saith one and another this is very good Worship this is decent and this is good order But God often forbids the setting up of such a Rule telling us that we must not follow our own hearts we must not go in the way
He that believeth will not make hast The godly are spoken of Psal 123.2 as having confidence in God and waiting for his goodness 3. Faith keeps the heart in a praying disposition frame sets the Soul on work to pray again and again often to ask the same things till we have a clear and full Answer from God And Faith makes the Soul importunate with God still rising higher and higher in holy importunity I believe that this Mercy will come in answer to Prayer therefore I will pray instantly that it may come and constantly till it doth come Thus Faith is necessary with respect to prayer-worship which is indeed a principal part of the Worship of God Secondly Faith is necessary to the Worship of God in general or to all Worship and that upon this account or for these reasons 1. Because to the worship of God there is required a knowledge of his Will and of the Rule of Worship and an assent unto and approbation of the Truth and Holiness and goodness of his Revelations and an Interest in him Can a man worship he knows not whom or when he understands not how he is to worship or when he is not perswaded in his own conscience that what he doth is right or when the Soul hath no recumbency on the Object of Worship Now this knowledge and this assent and this perswasion and this recumbency is Faith 2. Without Faith the Soul hath no way to God and so cannot draw nigh to him in Worship Jesus Christ is our onely way to God in him we have access with boldness and confidence to the Throne of Grace Now it is Faith in Jesus Christ which gives us the benefit of this way no Faith no Christ no Christ no way to God no possibility of any approach unto him without a Mediator for God out of Christ is a consuming Fire and poor Christless Souls have cause to fall into trembling when they think of God Now faithless souls are Christless and without Faith the Soul hath no access unto God or communion with him therefore Faith is necessary to the Worship of God It is only in this way of recumbencie by Faith on Jesus Christ that the Soul hath any peace toward God and hope and comfort in it's approaching unto him While we look unto weak corrupt sinful Self and upon our own imperfect faulty sinful performances there must needs be doubts and fears and unquietness of spirit Being justified by Faith Rom. 5.1 we have Peace toward God Peace i. e. that tranquility of Conscience or that comfort and joy which a Believer hath in a Conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ and that boldnesse which he hath toward God as being his Father in Christ Jesus 3. Faith is necessary to the worship of God because where Faith is not there can be neither will nor ability for any hold action for any duty of worship What desire can the Soul have to draw near to God till it hath some hope through Christ of it's acceptance with God till it hath some hold-fast on the Covenant of God his Love so long as the Soul is estranged from Christ it is a stranger to God and God is a stranger to it Till there be an Vnion between Christ and the Soul even a Marriage Vnion there will be no desire of Communion or Spiritual Intercourse Christ his Spouse is delighted to see him even thorough the lattices to hear his voice at the door but she rejoyceth greatly to be with him in the Galleries to have his company in the Chamber delighteth to enjoy him in Ordinances and converse with him in worship Where there is such an Union to Christ there is pleasure in seeing him and hearing him joy to be with him The Soul having tasted the sweets of his Love desires to be led up to a more full enjoyment of him and so is making toward him in the use of means in attending on Ordinances and performing Duties Now this Union between Christ and the Soul is by the means of Faith it is by believing that the Soul comes to be one with Christ and so to be desirous of conversing with him to delight in his Ordinances and Worship Again It is by Faith that the Soul being made one with Christ doth fetch strength and abilities from Christ without whom we can do nothing that good is Of Christ his fulness the believer receiveth grace for grace Christ dwelling in the heart by Faith makes a holy heart is the worker of Grace in the heart and furnisheth the Soul with abilities for Duty that the Soul being justified and so sanctified by him may serve God and worship him acceptably Lastly There is one thing more which is considerable in the description of Worship viz. the End of it concerning which our Conclusion is this Concl. 5 5. The main end which we must aim at in all our Worship and Service is That God may be glorified by us This is God his great end of all his Works of all his appointments and Commands even his own Glory God hath made all things for himself and he will have all to be done to him 1 Cor. 10.31 Do all to the glory of God we are called upon to glorifie God in our souls 1 Cor. 6.20 and in our bodies Then may we be said to glorifie God when apprehending him to be such a God as he in his Word and Works hath discovered himself to be we make a sutable profession in Word and Deed really acknowledging his Power and Wisdom and Holiness and Goodness and Faithfulness and the rest of his Attributes and Properties reverently and humbly worshipping and serving the onely true God to whom all Worship and Service is due from us referring all our actions to the right end terminating all in him Paul would have the Philippians to be filled with the Fruits of Righteousess Phil. 1.11 which are by Christ Jesus to the praise and glory of God Thus I have finished the Explication of the Point explaining the Subject briefly and the Attribute more largely Proof Now for Proof of the Doctrine I shall refer you to the whole Sacred Story Look thorow the Book of God and you shall find it verified in all true Professors that the Scripture maketh mention of they were all worshippers of God I shall give you two words for the demonstration of the Point viz. That true Professors of the Christian Religion are worshippers of God according to the Principles and Rules of the Religion which they profess that real Christians do indeed worship the Father The first Demonstration shall be 1. From the true state of Religion 1. Demonstration and of a profession of Religion Religion properly notes a right acknowledgment and holy pure worship of God according to the rule laid down in his Word And Profession is a plain open declaration of our owning embracing and adhering to the true Religion Now Profession may be either that which
powers is to resist the Ordinance of God and so to resist God himself and this wounds the Conscience and layes us under a fear of God his revenging Justice A Christian is bound to perform civil duties upon grounds of Religion God's Command binds the Conscience to keep men's righteous Laws Here is another Argument from the rule of Justice which is 7 Arg. ab aequo to render to every one his due and here he reckons up four particulars of civil obâ—dience according to the degrees of civil powers or the several Orders and Offices of men in power Render tribute to whom tribute is due viz. to the Prince his Treasurers Custome to whom custome is due To the Prince his Farmers and Collectours Fear to whom fear is due viz. to the Prince his Deputies to Governours Judges Justices Officers sent by him while they act in their places under him according to the Prince his declared will and the power derived to them and vested in them by the Laws as they are Ministers of Justice Lastly render honour to whom honour is due viz. to the Person and Authority of the Prince or cheif Ruler as Saint Peter commands honour the King Now Tribute is that which is charged upon and paid out of a man's possession and estate Custome is properly that which is paid out of Merchandize or Traffick exported or imported Fear is an acknowledgment of the power ordained by God and a care not to offend it lest we incur blame and punishment Honour is a due inward affection toward him whom we judg worthy of reverence and respect either for his vertue or for the eminency of his place or for his beneficence toward us or upon some other just consideration and an outward due signification and testification of our inward reverence and respect toward him honour is due to the powers especially the higher powers because of their Office and Place as to our civil Parents by vertue of God's command Honour thy Father Honour comprehends reverence fear subjection obedience love and thankfulness Thus I have dispatched the Doctrinal part of this my discourse I have stated the duty of subjection to Magistrates telling you that it imports mainly reverence and obedience and shewing you what reverence is and what it is to obey Now whereas I assigned this limitation of our universal obedience viz. it must be in the Lord in all things according to the mind of God only so far as God his Word gives us command or allowance to act This is the limitation which the Scripture suggesteth and in many place holdeth forth and therefore cannot be justly offensive to any nor will it offend any good Magistrate who acknowledgeth God to be his Superiour and the Supream Law-giver and desires that God should be honoured above all And whereas touching the binding power of humane Laws in the Conscience I determined That the Laws of men bind not the Conscience directly and immediately nor universally and unlimitedly nor absolutely as the Laws of God do but only by the intervention of God's Command and as they are grounded upon and derived from and agreeable to the Eternal Law the Law of God and I concluded That no voice but God's Voice is to be heard in the Conscience as commanding there and binding indispensibly to obedience This determination is warranted by Scripture and therefore not to be quarrelled with Concerning the whole I shall shew you what was the sence and Conscience of our late King Charles the First as he expresseth himself in that Book of his Entituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Portraiture of his Sacred Majesty his words are these I have often declared how little I desire that my Lawes and Scepter should entrench on God his Soveraignty who is the onely King of mens Consciences and yet he hath laid such restraint upon men as commands them to be subject for Conscience sake giving no men liberty to break the Law established further then with meekness and patience they are contented to suffer the penalty annexed rather than perturb the publick peace And again Next to fear God is honour the King next to it not before it Thus our late Soveraign I now come to a word or two of Application Application The first Use shall be for Confutation 1 Confutation First of Papists and Popish Doctrine Of Papists 1. Of that horrible and hellish Doctrine That it is lawful and meritorious to murther Princes in the quarrel of Religion justifying abetting and applauding the heinousest Treasons against the highest Powers upon earth Doth God say Let every Soul be subject to the higher Powers and shall the Pope teach Subjects to murther their Princes and to blow up Parliaments c. for the advantage of the Catholick Cause as they call it Doubtless saith a learned Divine The Romish Religion is the most horrid Rebel in the world 2. There is another false absurd idle Doctrine of theirs hereby confuted viz. this That the Pope and his Bishops and Clergy who call themselves Spiritual are exempted from subjection to civil Magistrates both as to their persons in the tryal of Ecclesiastical Civil and Criminal Causes and as to their purses and possessions in paying Tributes Whereas the Apostle here chargeth every Soul to be subject to the higher powers to the powers ordained of God and Christ we read paid tribute for himself and Peter Act. 25.11 and Paul pleaded before the civil Magistrate and we know that Aaron the high Priest was subject to Moses the chief Magistrate yet these men as if they were higher than high Priests and before Peter and better than Apostles must forsooth be exempted from subjection to any civil Powers Secondly Our Text and Doctrine serves for Confutation of Donatists and Millenaries and Quakers and some Anabaptists who look for the abolishing of all Magistracy that Christ alone may reign among the Saints who cry down Magistrates and deny that they have any coercive punitive Power that cry up an equality and parity among Christians holding that Christians need no Magistrates and that they need not be subject to any And why so What do they plead for this opinion of theirs and for their denial of subjection i. e. reverence and obedience to Magistrates Object They say that they are the Lord his Freemen and that it is against Christian liberty for Christians to be under the power of any but Christ who is their only King who hath made them free and that they must not be the servants of men Answ The Liberty unto which Christ doth free his people in this life is inward and spiritual Gospel liberty is a liberty from sin a liberty unto duty a liberty to serve God in our order place and station a liberty from the yoke of Ceremonies c. and surely civil subjection to Superiours is not inconsistent with such spiritual liberty Indeed the Apostle Paul discourseth largely of Christian liberty and yet he doth more than