Quest. What is Observance?
Answ. Observance is the second part of Religion, and stands in performance of duty to God, by obeying his Law, which is a Platform of acting for God, and he hath made it known to us for that end.
1. Observance is a second part of Religion.
1. It is a part of Religion, without which Religion is vain.2. It stands in performance of duty to God, as God is our Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter, Math. 28.20.
2. And a second part performed by Faith, Gal. 2.19,20.
3. This performance of duty is by obeying his Law, Mic. 6.8.
4. This Law of God is the Platform of well acting, and acting for God, Psal. 19.7, Psal. 118.15.
5. Hence made known for this end.
1. The first Edition of this was in the heart of man at first, a fair inscription of it upon man at first, he being made according to the Image of God in holiness and righteousness, Gen. 1.26, Eccles. 7.29.
2. Some reliques of it in fallen man, so much as may testifie that man was made to be Religious, Rom. 2.14,15, hence Consolence witnessing in respect of God, and a Judge in respect of man.
3. The Law was renewed to the Church of the Jews by a lively voice, Exod. 20 and becomes useful.
1. To discover sin, and to drive the Soul to Christ, Gal. 3.24.
2. After a believer is in Christ the Law is useful to him as a Rule of obedience, Math. 5.17.
3. But a believers obedience being imperfect it cannot merit, Rom. 4.
4. but is accepted for the sake of Christ, I Pet. 2.5.
Quest. How is obedience distributed?
Answ. Obedience is distributed into love to God, and love to man, love to God being a respect to God, nextly and directly as he is God, and may be called worship.
1. Obedience may be divided into love to God and love to man, Math. 22.37, 38, 39.
2. Love to God is a respect nextly and directly to God as he is God, Rom. 1.21 and it is called worship, Joh. 4.21.
Quest. What is that worship in the first Command required?
Answ. The worship in the first Command required to take the true God alone to be our God, cleaving to him in understanding, will and affections, and the expressions of the outward man, being suitable to that inward worship.
The Commandments of the first Table do enjoyne divine worship, in which we may consider the kinds of worship, and the manners of it.
1. The kinds of worship.
1. Natural.
2. Instituted.
1. Natural worship, not that it is natural to corrupt nature to perform it, but because the light of Reason and natural Conscience may convince us that worship is due to God, namely,
1. That there is but one true God.
2. That we ought to take him to be our God.
3. And therefore to cleave to him, and honour him as God, Rom. 1.21 and this kind of worship is required in the first Command.
1. To take the true God alone to be our God, I Chr. 28.9. Math. 22, 37.
2. Hence a cleaving to God.
1. In understanding, which is that whereby the understanding having received the light of the knowledge of his glory is satisfied with his wisdome, 2 Cor. 4.6 Rom. 11.33.
2. Hence a cleaving of the will to God, which that whereby the will makes choice of God, which is that whereby the will makes choice of God, and is satisfied with him, and therefore acts from him and for him.
1. The will doth chuse God above all, Psal. 73.25.
2. Is satisfied in him as its portion, Psal. 16.5.
3. acts from him and for him.
1. From him.
1. In staying upon him for all good, Psal. 36.9. Isai. 50.10.
2. In pouring out the heart before God, Psal. 62.8.
2. acting for him.
1. In subjecting to, being filled with, and acted by his will, Col. 4.12. willing his glory, and losing all our ends in his glory, Rom. 11.36.
3. Hence a cleaving of the affections to God, the will being affected with love to God, and hates that which displeaseth him.
1. Love to God, Mal. 18.1 from this love floweth.
1. Patient hope for God, and desire after him, and a joy and delight in him.
1. A hoping for God, Psal. 39.7,8, and that patiently, Psal. 62.1.
2. A desire after him, Isai. 26.8.
3. A joying in him, and that which it enjoyes of God, Psal. 32.11.
2. Hates that which displeaseth him. From this hatred floweth a fear and abomination of sin and sorrow because of it, with holy anger. Rev. 2.6.
1. A fear, Hos. 3.ult.
1. An abomination of the evil of sin, Ezek. 20.43.
3. A sorrow with an holy anger, 2 Cor. 7.11 and thus of the inward worship required in the first Command.
2. The expressions of the outward man ought to be suitable to this inward worship, Lam. 3.41, Eph. 3.14, 15.
Quest. What is that worship required in the second Command?
Answ. The second Command doth require instituted worship, (namely) an attendance upon God in all his Ordinances, as in Prayer, hearing, reading his Word, and celebration of Sacraments, and joyning to a visible Church, where Church discipline by Church Officers is exercised with the consent of the Church.
The Worship required in the second Command is instituted Worship, that is, the worship which without some revelation out of the Word of God, that God hath instituted it, we could not find it out, and otherwise our worship is vain, Matth. 15.9 yea Devil-worship, I Cor. 10.10.
These means of worship are either, Prime or first, or in order to those,
The Prime,
1. Hearing and reading the word of God, and to which also belongeth Repetition fo the word, and Christian conference, Deut. 5.1.
2. Celebration of the Sacraments, Baptisme Mat. 28. 19,20. The Lords Supper, I Cor. 11.24, 25.
3. Praying with all manner of Prayer, Eph. 6.18.
2. Those Ordinances which are in order to the former.
1. A visible Church, Math. 18.17
2. Church Officers, Eph. 4.11,12.
3. Church Discipline, Math. 18.18, 20.
Quest. What doth the third Command require?
Answ. A worshipping of God with all meet Reverence, respecting both the Attributes of God and his Name, which he hath put upon all his Ordinances, and therefore to prepare for them, and to behave our selves reverently in the time of the dispensation of them, and after the use of them to bring forth suitable fruit.
The two former Commands respect the kinds of worship, next of the manners of worship, most reverent, and solemn.
1. Reverent, this the third Command requireth, Psal. 89.7.
The Name of God is that whereby God hath made known himself, as his Attributes and Ordinances.
1. His Attributes, Exod. 33.19. and the Reverence respecting his Attributes is that whereby we take heed of a vain mentioning his Attributes, or being too frequent or familiar in using them, Eccles. 5.2 and that we practically shew forth his praises and virtues, I Pet. 2.9.
2. His divine Ordinances, upon which he hath put his Name, Deut. 12.5 and the Reverence respecting these stands
1. In preparation for them, Eccles. 1.
2, in the time of the dispensation of them to behave our selves reverently with a reverent delight, Isai. 58.13 and in a comely and orderly manner, I Cor. 14.40.
3. And after the use of them that we retain the favour of them, and bring forth the fruit of them, I Thes. 5.21, Col. 1.6, Math. 21.43.
Quest. What doth the fourth Command require?
Answ. The fourth Command requireth to sanctifie a seventh part of the week, which was the last of seven, from Creation until Christs Resurrection, but ought to be the first of seven from Christs Resurrection, until the last day.
In this we may consider the sanctification itself, and the day to be sanctified.
Quest. How ought we to sanctifie the Sabbath?
Answ. We ought to sanctifie the Sabbath by resting from our own works, that is all such works as are neither works of mercy, nor necessity; nor have any direct respect to the comely sanctifying of the day, and to sanctifie the time unto the Lord by attendance of divine worship in publick, in the Family, and in secret.
In sanctifying a Sabbath there ought to be a rest, and a sanctifying our rest.
1. A resting from our works, Isai. 58.13 hence to rest from such works as are not works of mercy, nor necessity, Math. 12.7. nor such works as have no direct respect to the sanctifying of the day, Math. 12.5.
2. A sanctifying our rest by attendance upon gods worship in publick, in Family, and in secret, for they were to attend the dayly offerings appointed for every day, and besides the continual offerings, they were to bring the Sabbath offering, Numb. 28.6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Ps. 92.1 Acts 20.7.
And hence we ought to prepare for the Sabbath by a timely calling off our thoughts and actions from worldly occasions, and to call them in, and to go forth and welcome the holy day approaching, Isai. 58.13. and after the Sabbath is ended, not greedily nor suddenly rush into worldly occasions, as if we were weary of the Sabbath, and glad it were at an end. Concerning the day to be sanctified let us consider.
Quest. How doe you prove that we ought in these Gospel dayes to keep a weekly Sabbath?
Answ. First because Christ taught his Disciples to pray, that their flight might not be on the Sabbath, Mat. 24.25. If no Sabbath then it was needless for Christs Disciples to pray that their flight might not be on the Sabbath, but Christ saw it needfull to leave this instruction with his Disciples, because the Sabbath should as certainly continue as the winter, and as they were to pray that their flight might not be in the winter, so likewise that it might not be on the Sabbath day.
Quest. How doe you prove this in the second place, that in Gospel dayes we ought to keep a Sabbath?
Answ. Because Christ came not to destroy the moral Law, but to fulfill it.
If no Sabbath, then Christ hath destroyed some part of the moral law, but this cannot be. Mat. 5.17.
Quest. How do you prove that we ought not to keep the seventh day of the week a Christian Sabbath?
Answ. Because God's rest in the seventh day from the work's of Creation, was spoyled by the sin of man, and another rest by Christ the Redeemer, and another day came which doth remain.
1. God rested in the seventh day from the works of Creation, Gen. 2.1, 2 and in the fourth Command it is exprest to be the Reason of sanctifying the seventh day of the week.
2. This rest was spoyled by the sin of man, Gen. 6.6, 7.
3. Another rest came from the work of Redemption, and another day of rest, Psal. 118.24, Heb. 4.4, 8.
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