hereafter"; but not for the dead?, nor for those of whom it may be known that they have finned the fin unto death". V. The reading of the fcriptures with godly fear; the found preaching, and conscionable hearing of the word, in obedience unto God, with understanding, faith and reverence'; finging of any thing according to his will, not say, that he shall pray for he heareth us. OI Tim. 2. I, 2. I exhort therefore that first of all, fupplications, prayers, interceffions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men :-For kings and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. p 2 Sam. 12. 21, 22, 23. Then faid his fervants unto him, What thing is this that thou haft done? Thou didst faft and weep for the child while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst arife and eat bread. And he faid, While the child was yet alive, I fafted and wept for I faid, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore fhould I faft? can I bring him back again? I fhall go to him, but he fhall not return to me. Luke 16. 25, 26. and Rev. 14. 13. q1 John 5. 16. If any man fee his brother fin a fin which is not unto death, he fhall afk and he fhall give him life for them that fin not unto death. There is a fin unto death; I do it. V.r Ads 15. 21. For Mofes of old time hath in every city. them that preach him, being read in the fynagogues every fabbath-day. Rev. 1. 3. Bleffed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand. f 2 Tim. 4. 2. Preach the word; be inftant in feafon, out of feafon; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering, and doctrine. t Jam. I. 22. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own felves. Acts 10. 33. Immediately therefore I fent to thee; and thou haft well done that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here prefent before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. Heb. 4. 2. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. Mat. 13. 19. Ifa. 66. 2. pfalms with grace in the heart'; as alfo, the due administration and worthy receiving of the facraments inflituted by Christ; are all parts of the ordinary religious worship of God": befides religious oaths and vows, folemn faftings, and thanksgivings upon fpecial occafions"; which are, in their feveral times and feafons, to be ufed in an holy and religious manner". VI. Neither prayer nor any other part of religious worship, is now, under the gospel, either tied unto, or made more acceptable by any place. in which it is performed, or towards which it is v Col. 3. 16. Let the word of Chrift dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in pfaims, and hymns, and fpiritual fongs; finging with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Eph. 5. 12. Jam. 5. 13. w Mat. 28. 19. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, & of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2. 42. And they continued ftedfaftly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. I Cor. 11. 23. to verfe 29. x Deut. 6. 13. Thou fhalt fear the Lord thy God, and ferve him, and fhalt fwear by his name. y Eccl. 5. 4. When thou voweft a vow unto God, defer not to pay it, for be bath no pleafure in fools; pay that which thou haft vowed. Ver.. 5. Better is it that thou shouldeft not vow, than that thou fhouldeft vow, and not pay. Ads 18. 18. z Joel 2. 12. Therefore alfo now, faith the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fafting, and with weeping and with mourning. Mat. 9. 15. Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom fhall be taken from them, and then fhall they faft. 1 Cor. 7. 5. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with confent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fafting and prayer: and conie together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. a Pfal. 107. throughout. b Heb. 12. 28. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which directed: but God is to be worshipped every where" in fpirit and in truth; as in private families daily, and in fecret each one by himself", fo more folemnly in the public affemblies, which are not carelessly or willfully to be neglected or forfaken, when God, by his word or providence, calleth thereunto. cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may ferve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. VI. c John 4. 21. Jefus faith unto her, Woman believe nie, the hour cometh wher ye fhall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerufalem, worfhip the Father. d Mal. 1. II. From the rifing of the fun even to the going down of the fame my name fall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place in cenfe fall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name fhall be great among the heathen, faith the Lord of hofts. I Tim. 2. 8. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. e John 4. 23, 24. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers fhall worship the Father in fpirit and in truth for the Father feeketh fuch to worship him.God is a Spirit, and they that worship him, muft worship him in fpirit and in truth. f Jer. 10. 25. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy' And as foon g Mat, 6.11. Give us this day our daily bread. Jof. 2415. h Mat. 6. 6. But thou when thou prayeft, enter into thy clofet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in fecret, and thy Father which feeth in fecret fhall reward thee openly. Eph. 6. 18. i Ifa. 56. 7.-Mine houfe fhall be called an houfe of prayer for all people. Heb. 10. 25. Not forfaking the affem VII. As it is of the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; fo, in his word, by a pofitive, moral and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in feven for a fabbath, to be kept holy unto him: which, from the beginning of the world to the refurrection of Chrift, was the last day of the week; and, from the refurrection of Chrift, was changed into the first day of the week', which in fcripture is called the bling of ourselves together, as the manner of fome is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye fee the day approaching. Prov. 8. 34. Bleffed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. Acts 2. 42. And they continued ftedfaftly in the apoftles' doctrine and fellowship, and breaking of bread, and in prayers. VII k See the 4th command. ment in Exod. 20. 8, 9, 10, II. Ifa. 56. 2, 4. Bleffed is the man that doeth this, and the fon of man that layeth hold on it that keepeth the fabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing a ny evil. For thus faith the Lord unto the Eunuchs that keep my fabbaths, and choose the things that pleafe me, and take hold of my covenant. IL. 56. 6, 1 Gen. 2. 3. And God bleffed the feventh day and fanctified it: becaufe that in it he had refted from all his work, which God created and made. 1 Cor. 16. I, 2. Now concerning the collection for the faints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even fo do ye.-Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in ftore, as God hath profpered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. Acts 20. 7. And upon the first day of the week, when the difciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his fpeech until midnight. Lord's day, and is to be continued to the end to the world, as the chriftian fabbath". VIII. This fabbath 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 obferve an holy reft all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts, about their worldly employments and recreations; but alfo are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his m Rev. I. IO. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day; and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet. n Exod. 20. 8. 10. (Sec let ter k) Mat. 5. 17. 18. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to deftroy, but to fulfil. For verily fay unto you, Till heaven and earth pafs, one jot or one tittle fhall in no wife pafs from the law till all be fulfilled. VIII. o Exod. 16. 23, 25, 26, 29, 30. And he faid unto them This is that which the Lord hath faid, To-morrow is the reft of the holy fabbath unto the Lord: bake that which you will bake to-day, and feethe that ye will feethe; and that which remaineth over, lay up for you to be kept until the morning.-And Mofes faid, Eat that to-day; for today is a fabbath unto the Lord; to-day ye fhall not find it in the field.-Six days e fhall gather it, but on the feventh day which is the fabbath, in it there fhall be none.-See, for that the Lord hath given you the fabbath, therefore he giveth you on the fixth day, the bread of two days: Abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the feventh day,-So the people rested on the seventh day. Exod. 31. 15, 16. Six days may work be done; but in the feventh is the fabbath of reft, holy to the Lord; whofoever doeth any work in the fabbath day, he fhall furely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Ifrael fhall keep the fabbath, to obferve the fabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual coveniant. a. 58. 13. Neh. 13. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22. |