A brief instruction in the worship of God, and discipline of the churches of…

Explication.

For the most part, the instituted worship of God is neglected and despised in the World. Some are utterly regardless of it, supposing that if they attend, after their manner, unto moral obedience, that neither God nor themselves are much concerned in this matter, of his worship. Others think the disposal and ordering of it to be so left unto men, that as to the manner of its performance, they may do with it as it seems right in their own eyes, And some follow them therein as willingly walking after their commandments, without any respect unto the will or authority of God. But the whole Scripture gives us utterly another account of this matter. The honour of God in this world, the trial of our faith and obedience, the order and beauty of the Church, the exaltation of Christ in his professed subjection to him, and the saving of our souls in the ways of his appointment, are therein laid upon the due and right observance of instituted worship, and they who ⟨p. 68⟩are negligent about these things, what ever they pretend, have no real respect unto any thing that is called Religion. First therefore, in every state and condition of the Church, God hath given his Ordinances of worship, as the touchstone and trial of its faith and obedience, so that they by whom they are neglected, do openly refuse to come unto Gods trial. In the state of innocency, the trial of Adams obedience according to the law of nature, was in and by the institution of the trees of life, and of the knowledge of good and evil, Gen. 2.16, 17. And the Lord God commanded the Man saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou, shalt surely die. This was the first institution of God, and it was given unto the Church, in the state of innocency and purity. And in our first Parents neglect of attending thereunto, did they transgress the whole law of their creation, as failing in their duty in that which was appointment for their ⟨p. 69⟩