2. The serving of them. This implies whatsoever service the true God required of his worshippers, or the Pagans gave to their idols. So the serving them lies in these things, setting them up on high, carrying them in processions,

3. Are not our present divifions an infatuation? Muft Prefbyterians be worrying one another, while the common enemy is at our doors, that will make no difference betwixt us? Muft we be breaking with one another, while we are in fuch hazard to be all broken together? Are we not all together weak enough for our enemies! Muft one party stand at a fide till they have devoured another? Herod and Pontius Pilate are become friends. The mafs and the English service are contributing joint endeavours to ruin the church of Scotland. Papifts and malignants agree toge ther against us; and fome of them will tell you, that they would rather be Papifts than Prefbyterians. Some of them acknowledge the church of Rome a true church, but not the church of Scotland. They will have us to be no minifters, because we want Epifcopal ordination, and you no Chriftians, because ye are unbaptifed in their account, as not being baptifed by minifters having fuch ordination. And yet we must be breaking more and more among ourselves? Learn from the beafts in the ark to lay by your antipathies. They were but in hazard of drowning in a fea of water, but we in a fea of blood. I am not bidding you quit or deny any truth for peace; only do not think that it will abfolve you from what is required in the fixth commandment, that ye cannot get others racked your length, who agree with you in the main.

4. Is not our prefent fecurity an infatuation? Is it not time now for fleepers to awake? Is it not time now to be stirring ourselves in our several ftations for the preservation of religion, and the getting it felt in power in our own hearts? For a bare profeffion will expofe you.

IV. Unless the Lord give up his turtle to the multitude, all their power and force fhall not be able to hurt her. However we are befet with enemies this day, our God mult give us up ere they can reach us. This is comfortable. Therefore let me fay,

1. Let us make up our peace with Heaven: for if God be for us, who fhall be against us? O that the nations were now fo wife as to repent and reform, and renew their covenant with God. We would then have ground to hope, that the Lord would not give them up. But if this cannot be had, be ye fo wife, each of you for yourselves, as to lay hold on the cove nant and Mediator of peace, repent and reform; and let there be no ftanding controversy betwixt God and you, come what will.

2. Let us pray much for the church of God. In the year 1588, when the Spanish Armado fet off to fink England, to ruin the Proteftaut religion in Britain, great was the confternation on the fpirits of Proteftants then; but there were wrestlers then in Scotland and England; and God armed the winds and waves against them, and made that proud monarch fee that his Armado was not invincible. The outpouring of the Spirit of prayer would do more this day against our enemies than all the power of France is able to do for them.

3. Lastly, Let us encourage ourselves in the Lord: prepare for the wort, yet hope that God will plead the cause that is his own. We have

erecting temples, chapels, altars to them, making vows to them, praying to them, offering incense to them, and dedicating days to them. All which the Papists do to their idols.

The Papists will tell you, they do not worship them absolutely, but relatively; not ultimately, but mediately; whereby they beguile unstable souls. But the command strikes through all these fig-leaf covers, and says absolutely we must not worship them, nor give them the lowest degree of worship: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, &c.—Thou shalt not bow unto them, nor serve them.

But we have not yet the full meaning of the negative part of this command. Does it only forbid the making and worshipping of images? No. Remember the rule, That where one sort of sin is expressed in a command, all others of that kind are included. When in the seventh command adultery is forbidden, all manner of uncleanness is forbidden, though one of the grossest sort only is named. So here, when the corrupting of the worship of God by images is forbidden, all other corruptions whatsoever of God's worship are included.

The matter of this command is the worship of God and his ordinances; and it says to every man, Thou shalt not make any thing whereby thou wilt worship God. And as the seventh command meets him that defiles his neighbour's wife, saying, Thou shalt not commit adultery; so this meets the church of Rome, and says, Thou shalt not make any graven image, &c. But as the seventh says also to the fornicator, Thou shalt not commit uncleanness; so this says also to the church of England, thou shalt not make crossing in baptism, kneeling, bowing to the altar, festival days, &c. -And to every sort of people, and to every particular person, it says, thou shalt not meddle to make any thing of divine worship and ordinances out of thy own head.

All holy ordinances and parts of worship, God has reserved to hiimself the making of them for us, saying, with respect to these, Thou shalt not make them to thyself. Men are

a good caufe, and a good God to look to, who keeps the balance in his own hand. And we have the fworn enemy of Chrift, even Antichrift, to oppofe; and better die in Chrift's caufe than live on Antichrift's fide; for the day is hafting on, when the Roman beaft and its adherents fhall get blood to drink for the blood they have fhed, Rev. xix. 17, 18, 19, 20. VOL. II:

3 F

said, in scripture, to make a thing to themselves, when they make it out of their own head, without the word of God for it. But when they make any thing according to God's word, God is said to do it, Matth. xix. 6. If there be not then a divine law for what is brought into the worship and ordinances of God, it is an idol of men's making, a device of their own. And so Popery, Prelacy, ceremonies, and whatsoever is without the word, brought in God's matters, is overturned at once by his word, Thou shalt not make, be thou Pope, King, Parliament, minister, private person, synod or council. So ye see it is not only the making of images, but the worshipping and serving them, that is forbidden.

Next, by the same rule, whereas this command forbids not only the making of images, but bowing to them, and serving them, though they be made by others, that is not all that is included in that. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them. But the meaning of it further is, Whatever any make without the word, in the matter of God's worship and ordinances, thou shalt not comply with it, approve of it, or use it. So that to thee they must be as if they were not made at all, make them who will, under whatever pretence, whether of decency or strictness, seeing God has not made them. To the law and to the testimony, be of what party they will, if they speak not according to this word, fear them not to comply with them in what they advance in God's matters, that is not according thereto. So much for the negative part of this command.

The positive part of it is implied, according to the rule, That every negative implies an affirmative part. It consists in these two things.

1. Thou shalt worship the Lord, and him shalt shou serve; worship him with external worship. This is implied in that, Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. This says, But thou shalt bow down to me, and serve me. Even as due benevolence betwixt married persons is implied in that, Thou shalt not commit adultery. Internal worship is the worship required in the first, external in the second command. There is a generation that do not worship images, but they lie fair for it, if it were once come in fashion; it is those that do not worship God, they do not bow down to

him, nor serve him. They say, God looks to the heart, and they hope and trust in him, and give their hearts to him, though they do not go about the outward worship as some others do, but their hearts are as true with God as theirs for all that. These, I say, lie fair for worshipping images; for if the devil were come, their house is empty, swept, and garnished. They may worship idols, for they do not worship God in secret, or in their families. If the book-prayers of England, and the idolatrous prayers of Rome, were come to their hand, there is no other worship to be put out for them, for they have no other.

What they talk of their hearts towards God, therein they join with the Papists, who put the second command out of the number of the ten. For the worship of God which they slight on that pretence, is the very worship required in this command. Now, let us try whether ye that will hold with the worship of the heart, or this command that requires outward bodily worship too, has most reason on your side.

1st, Is not God the God of the whole man, the body as well as the soul? Christ has redeemed the body as well as the soul; the Spirit dwells in the bodies of his people as well as their souls. The whole man, soul and body, is taken into the covenant. The body shall be glorified in heaven as well as the soul, or burn in hell as well as the soul. Is it not highly reasonable, then, that we worship God with outward bodily worship, as well as with the inward worship of the heart?

2dly, God will not only be worshipped by us, but glorified before men, Matth. xvi. 24. But our inward worship cannot do that, for that is what none can know but God and our own souls. Therefore outward worship is necessary. If men will be accounted God's servants, why will they not take on his badge?

3dly, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh in other cases, and why not in this? The apostle says grace in the hearts appears by the mouth to the honour of God, Rom. x. 10. And though outward worship may be performed where there is no inward in the heart, yet if the heart be a temple to God, the smoke will rise up from the altar, and appear without in outward worship.

Lastly, Outward worship is not only a sign of the inward, but it is a help and furtherance to it. Prayer is a blessed

mean to increase our love to God, sorrow for sin, faith, hope, and other parts of heart-worship. So, the partaking of the sacrament of the Lord's supper, another part of external worship, in the profane neglect of which many live, is not only a mean appointed, whereby we publicly profess our selves engaged to the Lord, but is the mean to strengthen faith, and confirm our union and communion with him.

2. Thou shalt fall in with and use the external worship and ordinances which God has appointed. This is implied in that, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, &c. They are made already, God has made them, and ye must use those that God has made, that worship, and those ordinances. And thus, by this command we are bound to all the parts of God's worship, and to all his ordinances appointed in his word. If we baulk any of them, it is at our peril. It is not enough to leave idolatrous or superstitious worship and ordinances, but we must inquire what are the Lord's statutes, that we may do them.

I come now to thaf question, "What is required in the second commandment? The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in his word.'

In handling this point, I shall shew,

I. What is that religious worship, and those ordinances, which God hath appointed in his word.

II. What is our duty with reference to those ordinances. I. I shall shew what is that religious worship, and those ordinances which God hath appointed in his word. That God has appointed that religious worship, and those ordinances, whereby we are outwardly to glorify him, is evident from this, that God will be so honoured by us, yet has forbidden us to make any thing that way, consequently they are made by himself in his word. These ordinances appointed in the word are,

1. Prayer, whereby we tender to him the homage due from a creature to his Creator, acknowledging our dependence on him as the Author of all good. The parts of it are petition, confession, and thanksgiving. And that public in the assemblies, Acts ii. 42; private in lesser societies, particularly in families, Jer. x. ult; and secret, every one by