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Nor yet, 2. Does the worshipping of God in Spirit exclude all ferving of him with Rites and Ceremonies ; for God's appointing them under the Law, when he was as much a Spirit, and requir'd to be ferv'd in Spirit as well as now; and likewife his enjoining the Rites and Ceremonies of the two Sacraments under the Gofpel; fhew these not to be inconfiftent with fpiritual Worfhip, but rather Helps

and Furtherances of it.

To worship him then in Spirit and Truth, is to worship him with our Spirits, and not with the Tongue only; to draw nigh to him with our Hearts, and not barely with the Lips; and to serve him truly and fincerely, in oppofition to all feign'd, formal, and hypocritical Service. In fhort, to ferve him futably to his Nature, is to have our Affections ftirring towards him in a way becoming his feveral Attributes; that is, to love him for his Goodness, to fear him for his Greatness, to truft him for his Faithfulness, and to honour him for all his divine and adorable Perfections.

2dly, To worship God aright, we are to do it not only in a way futable to his Nature, but likewife agreeable with his Will; that is, we must serve him according to his Direction and Appointment, and no otherwife: for divine Worship being that Homage, which as Creatures we owe to our great Creator, 'tis but fit that he himself fhould have the ordering of it, and that we fhould do in it as he hath commanded: to do otherwife, is to disclaim his Authority and to be guided only by our own Will, which is the worst fort of Will-worship.

But here it may be ask'd, whether nothing may be done in the Worship of God, but what is exprefly commanded by him? To which I anfwer, by diftinguishing between the fubftantial parts of divine Worfhip, and the accidental or alterable Circumftances of it. As for the

Subftantial part of Religion, confifting of all that is neceffary to be believ'd or done in order to Salvation, that requires the exprefs Precept and Revelation of God, withour which nothing is to be fo efteem'd: for God himself is the beft Judge both how he fhould, and how he will be ferv'd; and having deliver'd his mind about it in Holy Scripture, we are to make that the Rule and Standard of our Duty: to add to it, would be to charge it with Imperfection, and to make a new Religion of our own. for the

But

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Circumftantial part of divine Worfhip, fuch as Time, Place, Gesture, and the like; thefe being not particularly determin'd by God in the Holy Scripture, are in a great measure left to every one's Difcretion in their private Worfhip, and to the Prudence and Authority of Superiors in the publick Service of the Church, whom we are bid to obey in fuch things for the Lord's fake.

But here Care must be taken,

1. That the Rites and Ceremonies fo enjoin'd be futable to thofe general Rules of Order, Decency, and Edification, prefcrib'd by God himfelf, and that they be every way fitting and becoming his Service.

2. That they be not too numerous and cumberfome, left they prove a Clog rather than Convenience to the divine. Service. And,

Laftly, That they neither be enjoin'd or obferv'd as effential parts of Worfhip, or as things in themfelves pleafing unto God and neceffary to Salvation; for this is to add to the Subftance of Religion, and to teach for Doctrines the Commandments of Men; but only as outward Circumstances for the Order and Comelinefs of publick Worfhip, and as things that may vary, as Times, and Place, and other Occafions may require. And where thefe Conditions are obferv'd, the Service thus injoin'd and perform'd is agreeable to the Will of God, and is part of the Duty here requir'd in this Commandment.

By which it appears, that the Worfhip of God here inculcated upon us in this Precept, is partly Internal, and partly External.

The Internal part of it is the Worship of our Hearts and Souls, whereby we inwardly admire and adore his divine Excellencies, efteeming, loving, fearing and trusting him as our great Creator and beft Benefactor and all this not in Pretence and Appearance only, but in Sincerity and Truth, not in Word or in Tongue, but in Deed and in Truth, from the very bottom of the Heart.

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The External part of this Worfhip, is the Worfhip of the Body or outward Man, whereby we exprefs the inward Reverence of the Mind, by the outward humble Geftures of the Body; which God frequently calls for, and David exhorts to in those words, O come let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker. This fome Expofitors of this Commandment have thought to be principally intended and requir'd in it; making the for

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mer, that is, the internal Worship of the Soul, to be requir'd in the firft Commandment: the latter, viz. the external Worship of the Body, to be commanded in this: in which, as God forbids the bowing down or giving any bodily Worship to graven Images, fo he requires the Bowing down and other Gestures of bodily Adoration to be given to himfelf. But because these humble Geftures, and all other Acts of bodily Reverence have been decry'd and impugn'd by fome, and are ftill but too much neglected by others 'twill be requifite to add fomething, to recommend and enforce this bodily Worfhip upon us. To which end, we may observe,

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That as he challenges this external Worship as due to himfelf, fo he threatens to punish all fuch as give it to any other he here forbids the bowing or falling down to any graven Image, as an Invafion of his Prerogative, and fhews that the proftituting our Bodies as well as Souls to them, will ftir up his Jealoufy. How fharply are the Ifraelites reprov'd for bowing the knee to Baal? And the Idolatry of the Heathens is frequently exprefs'd in Scripture, by their ferving other Gods, and bowing themselves unto them, Josh. 23. 16. Whereby it appears, that as thefe vifible Acts of outward Worship are not to be paid to any falfe Deities, fo are they claim'd, and to be carefully perform'd to the true God.

2. God Almighty created the Body as well as the Soul, and united them together for his Service, and therefore he expects the Homage of both. Indeed the Service of the Heart and the Soul is what he principally regards and calls for: My Son, give me thy Heart, faith he; that being the beft Offering we can make to a fpiritual and immaterial Being; without which, all other Service is but dead and unfavory. But yet he hath an eye likewife to the Service of the Body, and expects the Humility and Adoration of the outward Man; he calls for the Ear, to hear Inftruction; for the Eyes, to be lifted up in Prayer; for the Tongue, to fpeak the Praises of our Maker: In a word, he expects that our whole Man fhould bow with the profoundeft Awe and Reverence to him, before he will bow his Ear, or incline to hear us; and justly too, for 'tis he that made us, and not we ourselves; 'tis he that fram'd and fuftains our Bodies, and therefore all the Members of it are to be employ'd and devoted to his Service.

3. Our Bodies as well as Souls partake of the Benefits of Chrift's Redemption; and therefore both are to be dedicated to him, and to join together in his Service: Te are bought with a Price, faith the Apoftle; which he affirms there of the whole Man, both Body and Soul, which are both the Purchase of his Blood, and juftify'd by his Redemption; for which reafon he tells us we are not our own, to dispose and order ourselves as we pleafe; but being bought with a Price, we are to glorify God in our Bodies, and in our Spirits, which are both his, 1 Cor. 6. laft. In the verfe immediately preceding, he ftyles our Bodies the Temples of the Holy Ghoft, in which therefore we are to worship our Maker; and being redeem'd and fanctify'd by his Holy Spirit, ought to be confecrated to his Service.

Laftly, We hope to be glorify'd hereafter in our Bodies as well as Souls, and therefore both are to glorify God here. Many and great things are declar'd concerning the future Felicity of our Bodies, that they fhall be fashion'd like unto Chrift's glorious Body, being impaffible and incorruptible like his, and made for ever Veffels of Honour fitted and prepar'd for our Mafter's ufe: and being to be crown'd with fuch invaluable Bleffings hereafter, 'tis but reafonable to fit them for it, by engaging them in his Service here; prefenting our Bodies to him, as a living, holy, and acceptable Sacrifice, which is our reasonable Service.

Thus we fee what is requir'd of us in this Commandment; namely, to raise our Minds above all grofs Senfe and Fancy in our Adorations of our Maker, not framing any outward Images or Refemblances to worship him by, as the manner of fome is; nor forming any falfe Notions or Mifreprefentations of him within, by thinking him fuch a one as ourfelves, and ferving him accordingly, as others do, who fondly imagine him delighted only or chiefly with new Phrafes, and that he must be daily ferv'd with fuddenlyconceiv'd and varied Prayers: which Mistakes proceed from fome falfe Ideas and Mifapprehenfions of him, which we are here willed to remove.

Moreover, we are here commanded to entertain high and worthy Thoughts of him; conceiving of him as a Being tranfcendently perfect, infinitely fuperior to all in Goodness, Juftice, Wisdom, and Power; and fo to be lov'd, fear'd and trufted above all, and directing all our Service to him with fuch Apprehenfions: which is to worship him in Spirit and in Truth.

And

And this is to be done not only with the inward, but with the outward Man; that is, the Body as well as the Mind is to be employ'd in these Adorations. The negative Precept here, Thou shalt not bow down to a graven Image, includes the contrary pofitive Duty, Thou shalt bow down to the Lord thy God: meaning, that our bodily Worship, as well as that of the Mind, is due and must be paid to him. He that bows, or kneels, or ufes any Pofture of Reverence to a graven Image, breaks this Commandment by Idolatry: And he that refuses to bow or kneel, or use any reverent Pofture in publick Worship unto God, breaks it by Sacrilege; for God is equally robb'd of his Honour, whether we give it to another, or deny it to himself.

This Commandment then as much requires us to bow down and kneel, and give bodily Worship unto God, as it forbids us to give it to a graven Image : And the Practice of holy Men in all Ages hath been accordingly, who have been equally forward to do the one, as to deny the other. In the Old Teftament we find the People of God always ufing a Pofture of Reverence in the Worfhip of God, by ftanding, or kneeling, or proftrating themselves; but we never read of any irreverently fitting at their Devotions. In the New Teftament we find our bleffed Saviour and his Difciples in all their Prayers unto God either bowing, kneeling, or proftrating themselves before him; which is that glorifying God with their Bodies enjoin'd and practis'd by them: And where this is neglected, he reckons himself difhonour'd and defpis'd by us.

Indeed, the inward Reverence and Devotion of the Mind will evermore draw after it this outward Reverence of the Body: And therefore we find the whole Worfhip of God reprefented in Scripture by thefe external vifible Acts of Adoration; the outward bending and bowing of the Body being both the Signs and Effects of the inward bending and fubmiffion of the Soul to him. Hence bowing and kneeling unto God is generally in Scripture us'd to fignify the worshipping of him, as we may fee in Pfal. 95. 5.

Mic. 6. 6.

This therefore is here requir'd to be paid unto God and no other: And that first because he is a jealous God, that is infinitely tender of this outward as well as inward Honour, and impatient of any Competitor in this incommunicable Homage that belongs to him. Again,

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