or ecclesiastical, resist the ordinance of God. And for their publishing of such opinions, or maintaining of such practices, as are contrary to the light of nature, or to the known principles of Christianity, whether concerning faith, worship, or conversation; or to the power of godliness; or such erroneous opinions or practices, as either in their own nature, or in the manner of publishing or maintaining them, are destructive to the external peace and order which Christ hath established in the church; they may lawfully be called to account, and proceeded against by the censures of the church,2 and by the power of the civil magistrate.3

1 Matt. xii. 25; 1 Peter ii. 13, 14, 16; Rom. xiii 1-8; Heb. xiii. 17. 2 Rom. i. 22, with 1 Cor. v. 1, 5, 11, 13; 2 John 10, 11; 2 Thess. iii. 14, and 1 Tim, vi. 3-5, and Titus i. 10, 11, 13, and iii. 10, with Matt. xviii. 15-17; 1 Tim. i. 19, 20; Rev. ii. 2, 14, 15, 20, iii. 9. 8 Deut. xiii. 6-12; Rom. xiii. 3, 4, with 2 John 10, 11; (See Section IV., note 2 ;) Ezra vii. 23, 25-28; Rev. xvii. 12. 16, 17; Neh. xiii, 15, 17, 21, 22, 25, 30; 2 Kings xxiii. 5, 6, 9, 20, 21; 2 Chron. xv. 12, 13, 16; xxxiv. 33; Daniel iii. 29; 1 Tim. ii. 2; Isa. xlix. 23; Zech xiii. 2, 3,

CHAPTER XXI.

OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP AND THE SABBATH-DAY.

THE light of nature sheweth 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. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representa

tion, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture.2

1 Rom. i.20; Acts xvii. 24; Psalm cxix. 68; Jer. x. 7; Psalm xxxi. 23; xviii. 3; lxii. 8; Rom. x. 12; Joshua xxiv. 14; Mark xii. 33. 2 Deut. xii. 32; Matt. iv. 9, 10; xv. 9; Acts xvii. 25; Deut. xv. 1-20; Exod. xx. 4—6; Col. ii, 23.

II. Religious worship is to be given to God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and to him alone : not to angels, saints, or any other creature :2 and, since the fall, not without a Mediator; nor in the mediation of any other but of Christ alone.3

1 Matt. iv. 10; (See Section I., note;) with John v. 23, and 2 Cor. xiii. 14. 2 Col. ii. 18; Rev. xix. 10; Rom. i. 25. 3 John xiv. 6; 1 Tim. ii. 5; Eph. ii. 18; Col. iii. 17.

III. Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one special part of religious worship,' is by God required of all men; and, that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son,3 by the help of his Spirit, according to his will," with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance; and, if vocal, in a known tongue."

1 Phil. iv. 6. 2 Psalm lxv. 2. 3 John xiv. 13, 14; 1 Peter ii, 5. 4 Rom. viii. 26. 5 1 John v. 14. 6 Psalm xlvii. 7; Eccl. v. 1, 2; Heb. xii. 28; Gen. xviii. 27; James v. 16; i. 6, 7; Mark xi. 24; Matt. vi. 12, 14, 15; Col. iv. 2; Eph. vi. 18. 71 Cor. xiv. 14.

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

1 (1 John v. 14-See Section III., note 3.) 21 Tim. ii. 1, 2; John xvii. 20; 2 Sam. vii, 29; Ruth iv. 12. 32 Sam, xii. 21-23, with Luke xvi. 25, 26; Rev. x. 13.

41 John v. 16.

V. The reading of the Scriptures with godly fear;1 the sound preaching, and conscionable hearing of the

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word, in obedience unto God, with understanding, faith, and reverence ;3 singing of psalms with grace in the heart; as also the due administration and worthy receiving of the sacraments instituted by Christ; are all parts of the ordinary religious worship of God:5 besides religious oaths and vows," solemn fastings, and thanksgivings upon special occasions, which are, in their several times and seasons, to be used in an holy and religious manner.1o

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1 Acts xv. 21; Rev. i. 3. 22 Tim. iv. 2. 3 James i, 22; Acts x. 33; Matt. xiii. 19; Heb. iv. 2; Isaiah Ixvi. 2. 4 Col. iii. 16; Eph. v. 19; James v. 13. 5 Matt. xxviii. 19; 1 Cor. xi. 23-29; Acts ii. 42. 6 Deut. vi. 13, with Neh. x.29. 7 Isaiah xix. 21, with Eccl. v. 4, 5. 8 Joel ii. 12; Esther iv. 16; Matt. ix. 15; 1 Cor. vii, 5. (Psalm cvii, throughout ;) Esther ix. 22. 10 Heb.

xii. 28.

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; but God is to be worshipped every where2 in spirit and in truth ;3 as in private families1 daily, and in secret each one by himself; so more solemnly in the public assemblies, which are not carelessly or wilfully to be neglected or forsaken, when God, by his word or providence, calleth thereunto."

1 John iv. 21. 2 Malachi i. 11; 1 Tim ii. 8. * John iv. 23, 24. 4 Jer. x. 25; Deut. vi. 6, 7; Job i. 5; 2 Samuel vi. 18, 20; 1 Peter iii. 7; Acts x. 2. 5 Matt. vi. 11. 6 Matt. vi. 6; Eph. vi. 18. 7 Isaiah lvi. 6,7; Heb. x. 25; Prov. i. 20, 21, 24; viii. 34; Acts ii, 42; xiii. 42; Luke iv. 16.

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,

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to be kept holy unto him:1 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, which in Scripture is called the Lord's Day, and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.

1 Exodus xx. 8, 10,11; Isaiah Ivi. 2,4, 6, 7.-(See Section VI., note 7.) 2 Gen. ii. 2, 3; 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2; Acts xx. 7. 3 Rev. i. 10. 4 Exodus xx. 8, 10; (See note1;) with Matt. v. 17, 18.

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 before-hand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations; 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.2

1 Exodus xx. 8; (See Section VII., note 1;) xvi. 23, 25, 26, 29, 30; xxxi. 15-17; Isaiah lviii. 13; Neh. xiii. 15-19, 21, 22. 2 Isaiah lviii, 13; (See note 1) Matt, xii. 1—13.

CHAPTER XXII.

OF LAWFUL OATHS AND VOWS.

A LAWFUL oath is a part of religious worship,1 wherein, upon just occasion, the person swearing solemnly calleth to God to witness what he asserteth or promiseth; and to judge him according to the truth or falsehood of what he sweareth.2

1 Deut. x. 20. 2 Exodus xx. 7; Lev. xix. 12; 2 Cor. i. 23; 2 Chron, vi. 22, 23.

II. The name of God only is that by which men ought to swear, and therein it is to be used with all holy fear and reverence:1 therefore to swear vainly or rashly by that glorious and dreadful name, or to swear at all by any other thing, is sinful, and to be abhorred.2 Yet, as in matters of weight and moment, an oath is warranted by the Word of God under the New Testament, as well as under the Old :3 so a lawful oath being imposed by lawful authority, in such matters, ought to be taken.*

1 Deut. vi 13.

2 Exodus xx. 7; (See Section I., note ;) Jer. v. 7; Matt. v. 34, 37; James v 12. 3 Heb. ví. 16; 2 Cor. i. 23; (See Section I. notę 2 ;) Isaiah lxv.16. 4 1 Kings viii, 31; Neh. xiii. 25; Ezra x, 5.

III. Whosoever taketh an oath, ought duly to consider the weightiness of so solemn an act, and therein to avouch nothing but what he is fully persuaded is the truth.1 Neither may any man bind himself by oath to any thing but what is good and just, and what he believeth so to be, and what he is able and resolved to perform. Yet it is a sin to refuse an oath touching any thing that is good and just, being imposed by lawful authority.3

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1 Exodus xx. 7; (See Section I., note 2 ;) Jer. iv. 2. 2 Gen. xxiv. 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9. Numbers v. 19, 21; Neh. v. 12; Exodus xxii. 7-11.

IV. An oath is to be taken in the plain and common sense of the words, without equivocation or mental reservation. It cannot oblige to sin; but in any thing not sinful, being taken, it binds to performance, although to a man's own hurt ; nor is it to be violated, although made to heretics or infidels.3

21 Sam. xxv. 22,

1 Jer. iv. 2; (See Section III., note ;) Psalm xxiv. 4. 32-34; Psalm xv. 4. 3 Ezekiel xvii. 16, 18, 19; Joshua ix, 18, 19, with 2 Sam. xxi. 1.