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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A33548 Jacob's vow, or, Man's felicity and duty in two parts / by John Cockburn ... Cockburn, John, 1652-1729. 1696 (1696) Wing C4813; ESTC R10808 214,296 486

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our deeds and actions if our knowledge of God doth not lead and excite us to the honouring of him it will prove much to our hurt and dammage as we may learn from Rom 1. where we see what plagues and judgements God gave them up to who when they knew God did not glorifie him as God neither were thankful It is said he gave them up to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient that they all might be d●…mn'd who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnes●… as we have it 2Thes 2. 12 Seing therefore we have found out the True GOD and that he hath revealed himself to us let us not slight or neglect him and be careless to please him But let us with all Readiness and Cheerfulness pay that Homage Worship and Service which is due unto him To shew which was the third Particular we promised to speak to and we shall treat thereof in the following Sections SECTION IV. Shewing what Worship and Service is due to GOD and how we may come to know the same THE Knowledge of this is most necessarie for it is not enough that we find out who is the True GOD unless we also own and acknowledge him which is not done unless we pay him that Homage and Worship which is due unto Him For as He is our Master whom we serve and Obey and as He is our Soveragin to whom we swear Loyalty and pay the proper Acts of allegiance so He is our GOD to whom we give the Worship due to GOD which can never be rightly performed unless we know well what it is Now to find out this we must proceed Warrily and take right Measures otherways we cannot choose but fall into gross Mistakes we ought not to follow at random the Devices and Imaginations of our own Hearts for what pleaseth us may Displease GOD be unsuitable to his Majesty and improper for the advancing his Honour and Glory Nor will it justifie and warrand any way of Worshipping GOD that the same is observed by others for whither we view the old or the present World we shall find that the generality of man-kind have deviated much from the true way of worshipping God they have set up various forms of Religion and Worship which are not acceptable to God because in modelling these they have studied more their own several humours and dispositions then what was proper in it self or sutable to the Divine Majesty Thus for example the manner after which the Heathens worshipped God was an abomination unto him for how could he who is a spirit be but displeased with empty outward shewes with sensless insignificant actions How could it but offend his unspoted puritie to be worshipped by debauchery and acts of filthiness and impurity How odious to his infinite wisdom that Foolish and ridiculous Gestures should be thought his Honour and delight and how unsutable to his goodness and mercy to be courted with Cruelty and Barbarity As Lucian saith they rather deserve the name of Impious then Religious who think God takes pleasure to be worshipped after that manner The practices of the Heathen in their Worship destroy the very Ide●… of GOD and chock these Sentiments of him which we have by Nature for they were the occasion of these Poetical fables which made their Gods guilty of theft murder adultery and the like vices which Fables were again necessarly keept up that they might the better defend and support that Foolish and unreasonable Worship which was so far from holding forth the Glory of GOD that it did only serve to beget mean and unworthy thoughts of him The practices of men therefore is a very uncertain rule to walk by as well as our own Fancy and seing men have differed about nothing more then the way and manner of worshipping GOD it would be a tedious task to examine their various sentiments The surest and nearest way to be informed wherein the true and acceptable Worship of God consists is to apply our selves to the consideration of the Divine Nature and ●…o search out his will and pleasure concerning us for as when we are about to make presents and to offer gifts we do not so much consider what we our selves would be taken with as what will be gratefull and acceptable to the person whose favour we are seeking so the worship of God being design'd to please him we ought not to seek therein the satisfaction of our own humors inclinations as what will find acceptance in his sight And nothing will find acceptance with him but what is agreeable to his Nature conform to his will and which doth properly express the glory of his Attributes and perfections So none can shew us these things but God and if he doe not declare them we cannot be sure not to erre an expresse particular Revelation therefore is necessary to determine the Worship of God for who besides himself should presume to order it It is our part to set about the service of God but it belongs to him only to prescribe it 'T is true something of GOD'S mind and will and consequently part of his true Worship may be learn'd by Natural light for the will of GOD is founded upon his Nature which never varies but is still the same Wherefore a due and serious consideration of the Divine Nature and Attributes might bring us to the knowledge of His will and of what is acceptable to him the Dictates also of Reason and Conscience being from GOD they do teach us his Will But though Natural light may thus teach us part yet it can not shew all that is necessary it is good and usefull so far and ought not to be slighted but it is not full or sufficient neither so very certain now by Reason of that darknesse which Sin hath raised which is too thick to be dispelled by Natural Light yea Sin hath so mingled it self with our very Nature and Constitution that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish betwixt the Dictates of right Reason and Conscience and the erroneous sentiments of that Sinfull contagion And farther seing wee have not kept our First state but are become Sinners some other Homage and Worship is requisite then if it had not been so For it is not Reasonable to think that such as have offended GOD should do no more then if they had still retained their uprightnesse another acknowledgement is due from Traitors and Rebels then from these who have been always Loyal els it will not be accepted But what Homage Sinners should pay or how they should Address themselves to GOD cannot be known unlesse he declare it Natural Reason doth not teach this for though it were cleared of its present incumbrances it is only adapted to the State in which we were Created that is a State of Innocency and doth not serve to direct our behaviour if we fall from that state Thus it is evident that some new Revelation is necessary to
more then that we should encrease in knowledge The reading of the Holy Scripture should be recommended to People according to the practice of all the Fathers It was not the People who wrested the Scripture and spread Heresies they were the Bishops and Doctors and Persons of the Clergy Arrius Macedonius Nestorius Eutyches Pelagius were all Church-men 2ly The Worship of the Roman Church has not a Resemblance to the Christian Religion because it wants the purity and simplicity thereof to make Worship look like Christian as we formerly shewed it should be Plain and Simple that is free of Ceremonies except what are requisite to Excite and Fix the attention should chiefly consist of Actions which are Grave and Serious and which do properly expresse the Divine Majesty and Glory But the Worship of the Papists is meerly Pomp Pageantry a vain external Shew of Ceremonies fitter for the Theatre then the Church Their Churches are dressed with Gaudy Scenes like Play-Houses and like them too they use not the light of the Sun but the dazling deceiving light of Lamps and Wax-Candles their Priests are sumptuously decked with various kinds of Garments and as for the Service it self it consists in sprinkling of holywater kindling Perfumes Kneeling and bowing and often crossing Turning to the Right or Left Hand according to the Sign given the Elevating and Lowing of the Voice at certain Times the vain repetition of unintelligible Words and in a multitude of impertinent and insignificant Ceremonies which chock the very Spirit of Religion and which would render what is read or spoken to no purpose though it could be understood For 't is impossible that the mind can be attentive or make any Serious application where there is such a multitude of external performances The Worship enjoyn'd and practised in the Church of Rome has more resemblance to Paganisme then the Christian Religion it contains indeed Acts and Instances of the true Worship of GOD but so buried in Heathnish Superstition that they lose their Efficacy both with GOD and Man Their Sprinklings Processions Scourgings Pilgrimages and in a word the most of their Ceremonies both in their Ordinary and Extradinary Devotions are derived from ancient Paganisme and are indeed more suited to Pagan tempers then Christian minds for such as understand the Gospel know that GOD taketh no pleasure in such Actions The hour cometh saith Christ and now is that the true Worshippers of GOD shall Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to Worship Him 3ly Popish worship is not only full of Superstition but Idolatry it not only is made up of many foolishly and uselesse Actions which can pretend to no Shadow of Reason or Divine Authority But it contains also many things expresly forbidden as the Invocation and Adoration of Angels and Saints c. What St. Paul said of Rome Pagan holds true of Rome Christian they have changed the truth of GOD into a lie and Worship the creature more then the Creator For the most of their Worship is not tendred to GOD and JESUS CHRIST but to Angels the blessed Virgin and other departed Saints to Images Reliques that is the Bones Ashes and other forged appurtenances of their supposed Saints I say supposed for their is no evidence for the most of them but the Popes Cannonization which is very unsufficient 'T is laid on the name of one Pope Gregory that he should have said multorum corpora venerantur in terris quorum animae cruciantur in infernis that is many are Worshipped as Saints who are damned in Hell The Papists in their publick Worship are required to adore Bread as GOD to Pray to the Dead and for the Dead and to do several other things which not only have no warrant in Scripture but are quite contrary thereto and therefore GOD can be pleased neither with such a worship nor those who offer it more then he was with the Nations whom the King of Assyria planted in Samaria of whom it is said that they feared the LORD and served other Gods besides 4ly The Mass which is the chiefest part of their Worship is the highest abomination For it is used in stead of the Holy Sacrament which our LORD instituted that night wherein he was betrayed but in Truth it is is quite another thing because they have added to it and pared from it and use it in another sense and to other purposes then what that Sacrament was design'd for First they withhold the Cup which is the one half of the Sacrament though it be clear that our Saviour commanded All to drink of it as both the Councill of Constance and Trent acknowledge in their Acts which prohibite the use of the Cup to the Laity And as for the other part of the Sacrament besides that their Wafers cannot be counted Bread they do not use the rite of breaking it which is so essential that this Sacrament is ordinarly denominat by it in Scripture Indeed what the Priest takes to himself he breaks in three pieces one whereof is cast into the Cup another is left upon the Altar until the end of the Service and the third he puts in his own Mouth but this doth not answer to that breaking which our LORD used and which is necessary to hold Forth the purport of the Sacrament That this Action may be agreeable to our LORD'S institution it is necessary that all the Communicants eat and have distribute to them one broken Bread 2ly Our LORD ordain'd the Bread in this Sacrament to be only a symbol of his Body but they give it out to be His very self and command Divine Adoration to be payed thereto which is the greatest absurdity and the grossest Idolatry imaginable as we have formerly made out 3ly Our LORD designed this Sacrament to be only a memorial of his Death and of that satisfaction was given thereby to the Iustice of GOD for the sins of men but they teach and command under pain of damnation to be believed that in the Masse there is a real propitiatory Sacrifice for the living and the dead because according to them Iesus Christ is dayly Sacrificed and Offered therein Which Doctrine contains a heap of Absurdities and makes their Mass a Blasphemous action and most injurious to the Sacrifice of the Cross. For hereby it would follow that Christ was Sacrificed before he was Crucified viz. when he instituted this Sacrament that his Death was no sufficient Attonement there being such necessity for repeating it so frequently and that St. Paul erred grossely in thinking it absurd that he should offer himself often in saying he was but once offered to bear the sins of many and in preferring that one Oblation of IESUS CHRIST upon the Cross to all the legal Sacrifices because they behoved to be offered year by year continually to shew their insufficiency whereas he by one offering hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified see Heb. 9. 25. 28. 10. 1.