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both publicly, Acts xv. 21. and privately, John v 39. whereby we honour God, confulting his oracles.

4. The preaching of the word, and hearing it preached, 2 Tim. iv. 2. 2 Kings iv. 23. And confe quently the miniftry is an ordinance of God, Rom, x. 15. Eph. iv. 11. 12. and the maintenance thereof, 1 Cor. ix. 14. by an ordinance of God, though there should be no ordinance of the state for it.

5. Administration and receiving of the facraments, to wit, baptifm in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Matth. xxviii. 19. and the Lord's fupper, 1 Cor. xi. 23. &c. both which are left us in much gofpel-fimplicity. By these we folemnly avouch our felves to be the Lord's, and receive the feals of his covenant, getting our faith of covenant-blessings con. firmed.

6. Fafting, or extraordinary prayer with fafting, when the Lord by his providence calls for it, as when tokens of his anger do in a fpecial manner appear And this is public, in the congregation, Joel ik 12.613. and private too, as in families,I Cor. vii, and fe cret, Matth. vi. 17. 18. See Zech. xii. 12. 13. 14. The fame is to be faid of extraordinary prayer, with thanksgiving,

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71 Church government and difcipline. Chrift has appointed a government in his church, and has not left it to men to dispose of it, Heb. iii, 5. 6. in Cor. xii. 28. He has appointed his officers, which are paftors and doctors, Eph. iv. 11. ruling elders and ideacons, 1 Cor, xii. 28. And befides these the fcripture knows no ordinary church officers. The three first are by his appointment church-rulers. They have the power of difcipline, Matth. xvi. 17. 18, to rebuke fcandalous offenders publicly, Tim. vi. 2 d. to excommunicate the contumacious, 1 Cor. v. 40.45. And amongst thefe officers of the fame kind there is a parity by divine appointment, excluding both Pope and Prelate, Matth. xx. 26. There is alfo a fubordi

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nation of judicatories, Acts xv. which is the govern ments we call Prefbyterials or work? * 8,Inftructing and teaching in the ways of the Lord, not only by minifters, but by mafters of families, who are too teach their families, Gen. xviii. Deut. vi. 6.-7.

19.

9 Lastly, Spiritual conference, Mal. iii. 16. Deut. vi. 7. and fwearing, of which we fhall treat in the third commandment.

ball. I fhall fhew what is our duty with reference to thefe ordinances. It is fourfold.OL

We must receive them in our principles and profeffion. We muft carry them as the badge of our fubjection to our God, Micah iv.

5.

02. We muft obferve them in our practice, Matth. xviii. 20. For what end do we receive thefe ordinan

ces, if we make no confcience of the practice of them? We will be in that cafe as the fervant that - knew his mafter's will, out did it not. So here there is a number of duties laid on us by this command. It requires us all to pray, minifters to pray publicly, and the people to join; mafters of families to pray in their families, and the family to join with them; and each of us to pray in fecret. It requires all of us to ding the Lord's praifes, privately and publicly. It requires church-officers to exercife church-difcipline, and offenders to fubmit thereunto, &c. &c.??

-£q311 We muft do our duty to keep them pure, that nothing of mens inventions be added to them, and that whatever others mix with them, we adhere to the purity of ordinances, 1 Cor. xi. 2.

74. We must do our duty to keep them entire, that -nothing be taken from them, Deut. xii. ult. ; for both adding and paring in thefe matters are abominable to the Lord.da

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& Finally, It requires us, in confequence of this, to difapprove, deteft, and oppofe, according to our feveral places and ftations, all worship that is not appointed of God, whether faperftitious or idolatrous, and, ac

cording to our feveral places and ftations, to endea vour the removal of the fame, Acts xvii. 16. 17. Deut. vii. 5.

I proceed to confider what is forbidden in the fecond commandment. Anf. "The fecond command"ment forbiddeth the worshipping of God by ima

ges, or any other way not appointed in his word.” The fum of the fecond commandment is, That we worship God according as he has appointed in his word, and no otherwife. Hence there are two ways in the general whereby this command is broken, viz. by irreligion and falfe worship.

FIRST, Irreligion is the not fhewing a due regard to, and not duly complying with the worship and ordinances appointed by God in his word, Job xv. 4. It is a fin against this command in defect, as falfe worfhip is in excess. It is a not worshipping of God with external worship and by means appointed, as falfe worship is worshipping in a way not appointed. And it is as much forbidden in this command, as to have no God at all is in the firft. There are feveral forts of that irreligion, all here forbidden.

1. The not receiving, but rejecting the worship and ordinances of God, Hof. viii. 12. This is the fin, (1.) Of Atheists, who as they have no reverence for God, feeing they deny him, do alfo reject his worship. (2.) Of Quakers, who throw off almoft the whole external worthip and ordinances of God, under the pretence of worthipping him in fpirit. (3.) Of all thofe who do not receive, but reject any one ordinance of God whatsoever, as fome do finging of pfalms, others the facraments, others the government inftituted by Chrift, &c.

2. All neglect of God's worship and ordinances, in not obferving them in their practice. The neglect of thefe, though men do not profeffedly reject them, is very offentive, Exod. iv. 24. 25. So in this command is forbidden,

neglect of prayer, Pfal. xiv. How can

they read or hear this command without a check, who do not bow a knee to God? This command forbids,

(1.) The neglect of public prayer in the congregation; whereof people are guilty when they unneceffarily abfent themselves from the public ordinances, or, through laziness or careleffness, the prayers are over ere they come; or unneceffarily go away and leave public prayers; or do not in their hearts join and go along with the fpeaker in them.

2(2.) The neglect of family-worship, and prayers particularly, Jer. x. ult. Chriftian families fhould be churches, wherein God fhould be worshipped. It is the fin of the whole family, efpecially of the heads thereof, when it is neglected. I fay the whole, because it must needs be offenfive to God, that while his worship lies neglected in a family, there is none there willing to take it up, and fupply the defect. Befides, there is a neglect of it where it is performed, viz. when any members of the family neglect to join therein, but unneceffarily abfent themselves, or being present do not join in their hearts with the speaker. biữ c (3) The neglect of fecret prayer. It is a pofitive ordinance of God, Matth. vi. 6. and the neglect of it, as it will not readily be the fin of those exercised to godliness, Cant. vii. 11. fo it is a fad fign of little defire of communion with God. gað b

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-adly, The neglect of finging the Lord's praises, whether in public or in private. There are fome who fit mute like fishes in the congregation praifing God, who are ready enough to rant in the congregation of drunkards. There are no pfalms fung in their fami lies, for they are strangers to spiritual mirth; but they can laugh and fing to express their carnal mirth... i

3dly, The neglect of reading and hearing the word read in public, private, or fecret. Has God.com.. manded to fearch the fcriptures, and will men be fuch neglecters of it? What irreligion is it thus to neglect the word of life, our Father's teftament, the book of God that teaches the way to eternal happiness?

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4thly, The neglect of preaching the word is the fin of minifters, 2 Tim. vi. 1. 2. This is to ftarve fouls, instead of feeding them, which will make a dreadful account. So this command condemns, (1.) The practice of the lordly prelates, the lealt of whofe work is preaching the golpel. They will needs have Timo. thy a bishop: with what face can they read then that folemn charge, 2 Tim. iv. 1. 2. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jefus Chrift ;-preach the word; be inftant in feafon and out of feafon, &c. who (as if they would give us the perfect reverfe of John Baptift's character) are found more in the palace than the pulpit, Matth. xi. 7. 8. (2.) Their devolving this work upon their curates and parfons, who often devolve it again upon their hirelings, Ezek. xliv. 8. (3) Minifters having plurality of benefices and charges, whereby it is rendered impoffible for them to feed them as is neceffary, unless they could be in feveral parishes at once. (4.) The non-refidence of minifters, whereby they are under the fame incapacity. (5.) All negligence of minifters, whereby they lightly and without weighty grounds leave their flocks deititute of the preaching of the word fhorter or longer time.

5thly, The neglect of hearing of the word. People are thus guilty when they totally abfent themselves from the public ordinances, Heb. x. 25. It is lamentable to think how God is difhonoured, and graceless people hardened, by the prevailing of this among us. Whatever religion men place in this, this command makes it irreligion. If we be in our duty to preach, people are out of their duty that neglect to hear. Thus are people alfo guilty, when without any neceflity they do at any time abient themselves; and when they rove and wander, and do not attend to the word preached when prefent.

6thly, Minifters neglecting the administration of the facraments. God has joined them together with the word in their commiffion, and therefore the neglect of any of them must be their fin. Chrift has ordered

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