mandment are, the receiving, obferving, and keeping pure and entire, all fuch religious worship and ordinances as God hath instituted in his word"; particularly prayer and thanksgiving in the name of Chrift"; the reading, preaching and hearing of the word; the administration and receiving of the facraments'; church-government and difcipline'; the miniftry and maintenance fon; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-fuffering and doctrine. James I. 21, 22.-Receive with meeknefs the ingrafted word. Acts 10. 33. r Mat. 28. 19. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. I Cor. 11. from the 23d to the 30th verfe. For I have received of the Lord, that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jefus, the fame night in which he was betrayed, took bread, &c. f Mat. 16. 19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatfover thou shalt bind on earth fhall be bound in heaven; and whatfoever thou fhalt loose on earth, fhall be loofed in hea thereof; religious fafting"; fwearing by the name of God"; and vowing unto him: As alfo the difapproving, detesting, opposing all falfe worfhip'; and, according to each one's place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatry2. Q. 109. What are the fins forbidden in the fecond commandment? A. The fins forbidden in the fecond commandment are, all devifing, counfelling", command t Eph. 4. II, 12. And he gave fome, apostles; and fome, prophets; and fome, evange. lifts; and fome, paftors and teachers; for the perfecting of the faints, for the work of the miniflry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. 1 Tim. 5. 17, 18. Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the fcripture faith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, and The labourer is worthy of his reward. 1, to 15. I Cor. 9. v Joel 2. 12, 13. Therefore alfo now faith the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your heart; and with fafting, and with weeping, and with mourn ing. 1 Cor. 7. 5. That ye may give yourselves to fafting and prayer. w Deut. 6. 13. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and ferve him, and fhalt fwear by his name. x Pfa. 76. 11. Vow and pay unto the Lord your God. Ifa. 19. 21 Pfa. 116. 14, 18. y Acts 17. 6, 17. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his fpirit was ftirred within him, when he faw the city wholly given to idolatry. Pf. 16. 4. Their forrows fhall be multiplied that haften after another God: their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. z Deut. 7. 5. Ifa. 30. 22. a Num. 15. 39. And it shall be unto you for a fringe that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them: And that ye feek not after your own heart, and your own eyes, after which ye ufe to go a whoring. b Deut. 13. 6, 7, 8. If hy brother, the fon of thy mother, or thy fon, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bofom, or thy friend, which is as thine own foul, entice thee fecretly, faying, Let us go and ing, ufing, and any wife approving any religi ous worship not inftituted by God himself; the making any representation of God, of all or of any of the three perfons, either inwardly in our mind, or outwardly in any kind of image or likenefs of any creature whatsoevers: all worship of it", ferve other Gods, (which thou haft not known, thou, nor thy fathers:)-thou shalt not confent unto him, nor hearken unto him: neither fhall thine eye pity him, neither fhalt thou fpare, neither fhalt thou conceal him. c Hof. 5. 11, Ephraim is op preffed-in judgment, because he willingly walked after the com. mandment. Micah 6. 16. For the ftatutes of Omri are kept. d 1 Kings 11. 33. Because that they have forfaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth. I Kings 12. 33. So he offered up on the altar which he had made in Bethel, the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even the month which he had devised of his own heart, and ordained a feast unto the children of Ifrael, and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incenfe. e Deut. 12. 30, 31, 32. Take heed to thyself that thou be not fnared by following them, after that they be destroyed before thee, and that thou enquire not after their gods, faying, How did thefe nations ferve their gods? Even fo will I do likewife. What thing Y foever I command you, observe to do it; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. g Deut. 4. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves, (for ye faw no manner of fimilitude on the day that the Lord fpake unto you in Horeb, out of the midst of the fire,) left ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the fimilitude of any figure. Acts 17. 29. Forafmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or filver, or ftone, graven by art and man's device. Rom. 1. 21, 22, 23, 25. But became vain in their imaginations, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and ferved the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. h Gal. 4. 8. Howbeit, then when ye knew not God, ye did fervice unto them who by nature are no gods. Dan. 3. 18. or God in it or by it'; the making of any reprefentation of feigned deities, and all worship of them, or fervice belonging to them'; all fuperftitious devices", corrupting the worship of God", adding to it, or taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves", or received by tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity', cuftom, devotion', i Exod. 32. 5. And when Aaron faw it, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made proclamation and faid, To-morrow is a feat to the Lord. kxod. 32. 8. They have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have facrificed thereunto, and faid, Thefe be thy gods, O Ifrael, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt. up 11 Kings 18. 26, 28. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dref fed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, faying, O Baal, hear us. Ifa. 65. 11. m Acts 17. 22. Then Paul ftood in the midst of Mars-hill, and faid, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things, ye are too fuperftitious. Col. 2, 21, 22, 23. (Touch not, tafte not, handle not: which all are to perifh with the ufing) after the commandments and doctrines of men. Which things have indeed a fhew of wifdom in will-worthip and humility, and neglecting of the body, not in any honour to the fatisfying of the flesh. n Mal. 1. 7, 8, 14. Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar. But curfed be the deceiver who hath in his flock a male, and voweth and facrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: For I am a great King, faith the Lord of Hofts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen. o Deut. 4. . Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you. p Pfa. 106. 39. Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. q Mat 15. 9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. r 1 Pet. I. 18. Forafmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as filver and gold, from your vain converfation received by tradition from your fathers. f Jer. 44. 17. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing good intent, or any other pretence whatsoever"; fimony, facrilege; all neglect, contempt', hindering, and oppofing the worship and ordinances which God hath appointed". Q. 110. What are the reafons annexed to the fecond commandment, the more to enforce it? A. The reafons annexed to the fecond commandment, the more to enforce it, contained in thefe words, For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, vifiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incenfe unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerufalem. t Ifa. 65. 3, 4, 5. A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face, that facrificer! in gardens, and burneth incenfe upon altars of brick ;-Who eat fwine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their veffels; who fay, Stand by thyfelf, come not near me, for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nofe, a fire that burneth all the day. Gal. 1. 13. 14. How that beyond measure I perfecuted the church of God, and wafted it: and profited in the Jews religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. ▼ 1 Sam, 13. 11, 12. I forced myself therefore, and offered And w Acts 8. 18, 19, 22. when Simon faw that through laying on of the apoftles' hands, the Holy Ghoft was given, he offered them money. x Rom. 2. 22. Thou that abhorrest idols, doft thou commit facrilege? Mal. 3. 8. Will a man rob God? yet ye have robbed me: but ye fay, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tythes and offerings. Exod. 4. 24, 25, 26. And it came to pafs by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and fought to kill him. z Mat. 22. 5. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandize. Mal. 1. |