Gospel-worship, or, The right manner of sanctifying the name of God in general. And…

The Second Note is, In the Matters of Worship God stands upon little things: Such things as seem to be very small and little to us, yet God stands much upon them in the matter of Worship. For there is nothing wherein the Prerogative of God doth more appear than in Worship: as Princes, they stand much upon their Prerogatives: Now God hath written the Law of natural Worship in our hearts, as that we should love God, fear God, trust in God, and pray to God; this God hath written in our hearts: But there are other things in the Worship of God that are not written in our hearts, that only depend upon the Will of God revealed in his Word, which were no duties except they were revealed in his Word. And these are of such a nature as we can see no reason for but only this, because God will have them. As now, There are many kinds of Ceremonies to manifest honour to Princes that there is no reason for them at all, but merely because it is a Civill Institution so appointed: So God would have some ways for the honouring of Him that the Creature should not see into the reason of them, but merely the Will of God to have them so: Now God stands much upon little things, though men would think it a little matter whether this fire, or that fire, and will not this burn as well as that? But God stands upon it: And so for the Ark, when Uzza did but touch the Ark, when it was ready to fall, we would think it no great matter, but one touch of the Ark cost him his life. There is not any one minim in the Worship of God, but God stands mightily upon it: In the matter of the Sabbath, that's His Worship, for a poor man to gather a few sticks, what great matter ⟨p. 12⟩is it? Put God stands upon it. And so when the men of Beth-shemesh did but look into the Ark, it cost the lives of fifty thousand threescore and ten men. If it be a matter of a holy thing that concerns his worship, he would not have it abused in any thing. Let us learn to make conscience of little things in the Worship of God, and not to think, O how nice such are, and how precise and nice in such small things! Thou doest not understand the nature of Divine worship if so be thou art not nice about it; God is nice and stands upon little things in the matter of his Worship.

The Second Note is, In the Matters of Worship God stands upon little things: Such things as seem to be very small and little to us, yet God stands much upon them in the matter of Worship. For there is nothing wherein the Prerogative of God doth more appear than in Worship: as Princes, they stand much upon their Prerogatives: Now God hath written the Law of natural Worship in our hearts, as that we should love God, fear God, trust in God, and pray to God; this God hath written in our hearts: But there are other things in the Worship of God that are not written in our hearts, that only depend upon the Will of God revealed in his Word, which were no duties except they were revealed in his Word. And these are of such a nature as we can see no reason for but only this, because God will have them. As now, There are many kinds of Ceremonies to manifest honour to Princes that there is no reason for them at all, but meerly because it is a Civill Institution so appointed: So God would have some wayes for the honoring of Him that the Creature should not see into the reason of them, but meerly the Will of God to have them so: Now God stands much upon little things, though men would think it a little matter whether this fire, or that fire, and will not this burn as well as that? But God stands upon it: And so for the Ark, when Ʋzza did but touch the Ark, when it was ready to fall, we would think it no great matter, but one touch of the Ark cost him his life. There is not any one minnim in the Worship of God, but God stands mightily upon it: In the matter of the Sabbath, that's His Worship, for a poor man to gather a few sticks, what great matter