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Confession 21.1. The
light of nature showeth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty
over all, is good, and doth 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.(a) 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 representation,
or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture.(b)
(a) Rom. 1:20; Acts 17:24; Ps. 119:68; Jer. 10:7; Ps. 31:23; Ps. 18:3; Rom.
10:12; Ps. 62:8; Josh. 24:14; Mark 12:33.
(b) Deut. 12:32; Matt. 15:9; Acts 17:25; Matt. 4:9, 10; Deut. 4:15 to 20; Exod.
20:4, 5, 6; Col. 2:23.
Confession 21.2. Religious worship is to be given to
God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and to Him alone;(c) not to angels,
saints, or any other creature:(d) and since the fall, not without a Mediator;
nor in the mediation of any other but of Christ alone.(e)
(c) Matt. 4:10 with John 5:23 and II Cor. 13:14.
(d) Col. 2:18, Rev. 19:10; Rom. 1:25.
(e) John 14:6; I Tim. 2:5; Eph. 2:18; Col. 3:17.
Confession 21.3. Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one
special part of religious worship,(f) is by God required of all men:(g) and
that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son,(h) by the
help of His Spirit,(i) according to His will,(k) with understanding,
reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance;(l) and, if
vocal, in a known tongue.(m)
(f) Phil. 4:6.
(g) Ps. 65:2.
(h) John 14:13, 14; I Pet. 2:5.
(i) Rom. 8:26.
(k) I John 5:14.
(l) Ps. 47:7; Eccles. 5:1, 2; Heb. 12:28; Gen. 18:27; James 5:16; James 1:6,
7; Mark 11:24; Matt. 6:12, 14, 15; Col. 4:2; Eph. 6:18.
(m) I Cor. 14:14.
Confession 21.4. Prayer is to be made for things
lawful;(n) and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter:(o)
but not for the dead,(p) nor for those of whom it may be known that they have
sinned the sin unto death.(q)
(n) I John 5:14.
(o) I Tim. 2:1, 2; John 17:20; II Sam. 7:29; Ruth 4:12.
(p) II Sam. 12:21, 22, 23 with Luke 16:25, 26; Rev. 14:13.
(q) I John 5:16.
Confession 21.5. The reading of the Scriptures with
godly fear,(r) the sound preaching(s) and conscionable hearing of the Word, in
obedience unto God, with understanding, faith and reverence;(t) singing of
psalms with grace in the heart;(u) as also, the due administration and worthy
receiving of the sacraments instituted by Christ; are all parts of the
ordinary religious worship of God:(w) beside religious oaths,(x) vows,(y)
solemn fastings,(z) and thanksgivings, upon special occasions,(a) which are,
in their several times and seasons, to be used in a holy and religious
manner.(b)
(r) Acts 15:21; Rev. 1:3.
(s) II Tim. 4:2.
(t) James 1:22; Acts 10:33; Matt. 13:19; Heb. 4:2; Isa. 66:2.
(u) Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19; James 5:13.
(w) Matt. 28:19; I Cor. 11:23 to 29; Acts 2:42.
(x) Deut. 6:13 with Neh. 10:29.
(y) Isa. 19:21 with Eccles. 5:4, 5.
(z) Joel 2:12; Esther 4:16; Matt. 9:15; I Cor. 7:5.
(a) Ps. 107 throughout; Esther 9:22.
(b) Heb. 12:28.
Confession 21.6. 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:(c) but God is to be worshipped everywhere,(d) in spirit and truth;(e)
as in private families(f) daily,(g) and in secret each one by himself;(h) 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, calls
thereunto.(i)
(c) John 4:21.
(d) Mal. 1:11; I Tim. 2:8.
(e) John 4:23, 24.
(f) Jer. 10:25; Deut. 6:6, 7; Job 1:5; II Sam. 6:18, 20; I Pet. 3:7; Acts
10:2.
(g) Matt. 6:11.
(h) Matt. 6:6; Eph. 6:18.
(i) Isa. 56:6, 7; Heb. 10:25; Prov. 1:20, 21, 24; Prov. 8:34; Acts 13:42; Luke
4:16; Acts 2:42.
Confession 21.7. As it is 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:(k) 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,(l) which,
in Scripture, is called the Lord's Day,(m) and is to be continued to the end
of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.(n)
(k) Exod. 20:8, 10, 11; Isa. 56:2, 4, 6, 7.
(l) Gen. 2:2, 3; I Cor. 16:1, 2; Acts 20:7.
(m) Rev. 1:10.
(n) Exod. 20:8, 10, with Matt. 5:17, 18.
Confession 21.8. 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,(o) 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.(p)
(o) Exod. 20:8; Exod. 16:23, 25, 26, 29, 30; Exod. 31:15, 16, 17; Isa. 58:13;
Neh. 13:15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22.
(p) Isa. 58:13; Matt. 12:1 to 13.