Second Commandment. Now here I !hall firft (peak concerning the External Worlhip of God; and then of thofe Sins which are contr:1ry unto it, and condemned in this Commandment. Concerning the Worlhip of God l lh1lllay down thefollowing Propofi tions: I . Firft, The true and fpiritual WorJhip of God in thegeneral, is an Action of a pions 'soul, wrought and excited in us by the Holy Ghoft, whereby with godly Love and Fear we fervc God acceptably according to his Will revealed in hisWord; by Faith embra~ing ~is Promifes, and in Obedience performin& his Corn~~nds, to his ~~ory, · the Edtficatton of other.s, and our own eternal S::tlvatton. Th1s JS the true fj)ttt tual Worfhip of the true God , who is a Spirit; and it comprehends in both the inward \ \Tor!bip ofour Hearts and Souls, and likewife the outward Worfhip of holy and religious Performances; of which 1 am now varticubrly to treat. Secondly, Therefore this external Worlhip of God is a f:tcred ACtion of a pious4 2. Soul, wrought and excited by the Holy Ghoft, whereby with all reverence we ferve God both in Words and Deeds accord ing to his revealed \~ill, in partaking of his Sacraments, attending on his Ordinances, and performing thofe holy DutieS which he hath required fmm us, to his Gloq', the Edification of others, and our own eternal Salvation. This Worfhip of God although it be external, is nevenhclcfs fpirit ual ; for it proceeds from the Spirit of God exciting our Spirits to the performance of it, and is diretl:ed by a fpiritual Rule, unto a fpiritual End, the Glory of God, and our own Salvation. 'Thirdly, The parts of this external Worrhip are divers and manifold; whereof 3· t he moft principal and efrcntial arc the Celebration of the Sacraments, Solemn Prayer, and Solemn Praife and Thankfgiv ing: But befides thefe, there be many other things which belopg to the Service of God, yea, as many as there are Duties of Religion and Piety; fi.1ch arc a free, op.en, and undaunted profcffion of the Truth, a Religions Vowing unto God things that are Lawful, and in our own Power, an Invoking of the Teltimony ofGod to the Truth ofwh:~t we arrert, or to the faithfu l Difcharge of what we promife, when we are duly called to do it by lawful Authority; a diligent.reading of the Word of God, and q ~onftant and reverent Attendance on it when it is read and preached; and divers other Duties too long to be here particularly enumerated; fame of which belong to the proper Worfuip of God, imme~ diately as parts of it, others mediately, as means and helps to it. Fourth(y, Although God doth efpecially delight in the aCts of onr internal Wor... fhip, and principally regards the efreem and veneration that we have for his great and glorious Majcfty in our Hearts; yet this alone fi.dficeth not, without the perfor!llancc of thofe parts of ext~rnal Worfhip and vifiblc aCl:s of Piety and Relig_·ion, wh1ch may to the Glory of God exprefs the devout difpofitions of our Souls. The inward aCl:s nf Piety are thofe of Faith in believing, of Hope inexpctl:ingnurReward, ofqhari ty in loving hoth Go~ an~ our Neighbour, of Fear in reverencing him, of P~t1cnce in a contented bearing whatfoever burthens it (hall pleafethe All-wife ProVIdence ofGnd to lay upon us, and of a chcarfu l Willingncfs to perform all the Duties of Obedience which he injoyns us. Thefe belong to the inten1:1l \Vorlhip a nd Service of God, and are efpecially pleafing and acceptable unto him. And indeed, without thefe all other aCts ofWorfhip are both dead and unfavory; for as the Spirit of a Man is his Life, fo the internal and fpiritnal Piety of the Heart, our Love, Fear, and Reverence of God is the Life of all our Duties, without which they arc bnt as a dead Carcafs, fo far from being a fweetfin~llingfuvour, that they are noifom and olfen{ive to that God to whom we offer them. But of this interna l WorJhip 1 have already fpoken. That which we are now to confider, is the external Worlliip of God, which he path abfolntely.required from us, when we have ability and opportunity to perform ~ . For although there need no overt-aCtions to make the ijnccrity of our affetl:ions ~nd intentions known unto God, yet it is nece!Tary for h,is Glory, and the good Ex~ ample ofot~ers, to declare that to the World by vifible Sig~sand Expreffions, which Was before known unto him in the fecret Purpofes and ThO~ghts of our Hearts. h . For p;,ft, God bath no lefs ftriaty injoyned his externa[ Worlhip, than he hath _l,S ll)ternal: What can be more external than the Ceremorri;ll part of the Evangeiic:ll Law, ·thCParticipation of .Baptifm and the Lord's Slipp6T? ·Both of which are yet moft cxprcGy commanded, Matth. 28. 19. Go teach all nations, bapciz.ing them in the name of the Father, and ofthe Son, 11.nd of the Holy Ghoft. .AEfs 2. 38. Repttft, and be · bapthed
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