Chap. xxi. Of Religious worship and the Sabbath day S
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THE light of nature sheweth that there is a God who hath lordship and soveraignity over all is good and doth 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 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
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RELIGIOUS worship is to be given to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and to him alone not to angells saints or any other creature and since the fall not without a mediator nor in the mediation of any other but of Christ alone
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PRAYER with thanksgiving being one speciall part of religious worship is by God required of all men and that it may be accepted it is to be made in the name of the Son by the help of his spirit according to his will with understanding reverence humility fervency faith love and perseverance and if vocall in a known tongue
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PRAYER is to be made for things lawfull and for all sorts of men living or that shall live hereafter but not for the dead nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death
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THE reading of the Scriptures with godly fear the sound preaching and conscionable hearing of the word in obedience unto God with understanding faith and reverence singing of psalms with grace in the heart as also the due administration and worthy receiving of the Sacraments instituted by Christ are all parts of the ordinary religious worship of God beside religious oaths vows solemn fastings and thanksgivings upon speciall occasions which are in their severall times and seasons to be used in an holy and religious manner
6
NEITHER prayer nor any other part of religious worship is now under the Gospell either tyed unto or made more acceptable by any place in which it is performed or towards which it is directed but God is to be worshipped every where in spirit and truth as in private families daily and in secret each one by himself so more solemnly in the publick assemblies which are not carelessly or wilfully to be neglected or forsaken when God by his word or providence calleth thereunto
7
AS it is of the law of nature that in generall a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God so in his word by a positive morall and perpetuall commandment binding all men in all ages he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath to be kept holy unto him 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 which in Scripture is called the Lords day and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath.
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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 a holy rest all the day from their own works words and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations 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