To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
OUR Blessed Saviour has Taught us that there are some Ways of Worshiping God, which have so great a Mixture of Human In∣vention in them, that they are Vain and Unacceptable to Him, Mark VII.7. In vain, saith He, do they Worship Me, teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men. This obligeth every Man who has a Con∣cern for his Soul, to examine carefully the Wor∣ship
he offers to God, whether it be such as God has Instituted; lest his Service should be Re∣jected with that Censure in the Prophet, Who has required this at your Hands? But more especi∣ally it concerns the Pastors of the Church, who have the Direction of the Publick Worship of God, to be careful in Examining this Matter, that they may be able to satisfy their own Con∣sciences, as well as the People's Committed to their Charge, concerning the Purity of the Worship which they practice Themselves, and recommend to Others.
II. It has pleased God in his Providence to make Me an Overseer over some part of his Flock in this Kingdom; and I look upon it to be my Duty to use my Endeavours to Instruct Those that are committed to my Charge, in the Worship of God, according to the Rules He has prescribed; and to warn such as I conceive to swerve from them, of their Mistakes. I hope it will be of Use and Satisfaction to those that joyn with Me in the Publick Worship of God, to find on Examination, That what they there practice, is agreeable to God's Institution: And as to those that think otherwise, I per∣suade my self that an Admonition in the Spirit of Meekness can give them no just Offence, but rather be of Use to them also, by obliging
them to Examine and Revise their Ways, that they may correct their Judgments, if from what I offer, they shall see reason for it.
III. In Order to help those concerned to make a true and impartial Judgment in these matters, I desire them to consider,
1st, That it belongs only to God to give Rules how He will be Worshiped. This, I suppose, will be granted by all, since it seems to be a Truth, naturally implanted in the Minds of Men, and Universally acknowledged in all times.
2dly, I take it for a Truth agreed to by the generality of Protestants, That the Holy Scrip∣tures contain the Revelations of God's Will, concerning his Worship.
3dly, From these two, we may reasonably infer, That it concerns us to keep as close as we can to those Directions which God has been pleas'd to afford us in his Word; without ad∣ding to, omitting, or altering any thing that He has there laid down. For since God has vouchsafed us a certain Direction for his Wor∣ship in the Holy Scriptures, it is to be supposed that all ways of Worship are displeasing to Him, that are not expresly contained, or warranted by Examples of Holy Men mentioned therein.
4thly, We must observe that the Worship of God is either Inward or Outward; The Inward
Worship of God consists in the inward Homage and Subjection of our Minds to Him. The Out∣ward consists of such Acts and Duties as serve to express this inward Subjection of our Souls, or that promote, increase, or contribute to∣wards it. Thus, for instance, Vocal Prayer is a part of Outward Worship, because it expresses the inward Dependance of our Souls on God: Thus reading the Word of God is a part of the same, because therein we acknowledge our Subjection to Him, and to his Laws, and use it as a means to promote and increase this Sub∣jection: Thus Celebration of the Sacraments is a part of the same Worship, because in them we not only express our Dependance on God for his Grace, but likewise oblige and bind our selves to serve Him: And the same holds in all Out∣ward Acts of Worship.
5thly, We must remember, That 'tis in these Outward Acts that we are more immediately concerned as Publick Worshipers; for we can∣not know the Inward Worship which Men pay to God in their Minds, but as it appears to us by these Outward Acts; And generally when we speak of the Publick Worship of God, we mean this Outward; and concerning it are the great Disputes and Differences among us; all of us be∣ing agreed as to the inward, and of what sort that ought to be.
IV. Having premised these few things, which I hope will be granted by all; I shall proceed directly to my proposed Undertaking; and shall with the greatest Fairness and Impar∣tiallity I can, Examine and Compare the Wor∣ship of God, which is directed and warranted by Scripture, as well with that which is pre∣scribed and practis'd by our Church, as with that which is practis'd by such as differ from us.
V. Now if we consider the ordinary Service of God as prescribed and practic'd in Scripture, we shall find the main substantial parts of it to be these five: vizt.
The Method I shall take in Discoursing of each of these, shall be,
First, To shew what the Holy Scriptures di∣rect concerning them particularly.
Secondly, I shall consider the Practice of our Church, with relation to those Directions and Examples. And,
Thirdly, The Practice of Protestant-Dissenters.