Chapter 21. Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day

Chapter 21. Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath-day

I. The light of nature showeth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all; is good, and doeth good unto all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might.⁴²⁰ But the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited to⁴²¹ his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations⁴²² or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture.⁴²³

II. Religious worship is to be given to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and to him alone:⁴²⁴ not to angels, saints, or any other creature:⁴²⁵ and since the fall, not without a Mediator; nor in the mediation of any other but of Christ alone.⁴²⁶

III. Prayer with thanksgiving, being one special part of religious worship,⁴²⁷ is by God required of all

men;⁴²⁸ and that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son,⁴²⁹ by the help of his Spirit,⁴³⁰ according to his will,⁴³¹ with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance;⁴³² and, if vocal, in a known tongue.⁴³³

IV. Prayer is to be made for things lawful,⁴³⁴ and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter;⁴³⁵ but not for the dead,⁴³⁶ nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death.⁴³⁷

V. The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear;⁴³⁸ the sound preaching;⁴³⁹ and conscionable hearing of the Word, in obedience unto God with understanding, faith, and reverence;⁴⁴⁰ singing of psalms with grace in the heart;⁴⁴¹ as, also, the dne administration and worthy receiving of the sacraments instituted by Christ; are all parts of the ordinary religious worship of God:⁴⁴² besides religious oaths,⁴⁴³ vows,⁴⁴⁴ solemn

fastings,⁴⁴⁵ and thanksgivings upon several⁴⁴⁶ occasions;⁴⁴⁷ which are, in their several times and seasons, to be used in an holy and religious manner.⁴⁴⁸

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 directed:⁴⁴⁹ but God is to be worshiped every where⁴⁵⁰ in spirit and⁴⁵¹ truth;⁴⁵² as in private families⁴⁵³ daily,⁴⁵⁴ and in secret each one by himself,⁴⁵⁵ so more solemnly in the public assemblies, which are not carelessly or willfully to be neglected or forsaken, when God, by his Word or providence, calleth thereunto.⁴⁵⁶

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; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him:⁴⁵⁷ which, from the

beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,⁴⁵⁸ which in Scripture is called the Lord's day,⁴⁵⁹ and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.⁴⁶⁰

VIII. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts, about their worldly employments and recreations;⁴⁶¹ but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.⁴⁶²