And lastly, a fear of anything whatever except God. Matt. x. 28. "fear not them which kill the body."

HUMILITY is that whereby we acknowledge our unworthiness in the sight of God. Gen. xxxii. 10. "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies," &c. 1 Chron. xxix. 14. "who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee." Psal. li. 17. "the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit." cxv. 1. "not unto us, O Jehovah, not unto us, but unto thy name give the praise." Isai. lxvi. 2. " to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." Matt. v. 3. "blessed are the poor in spirit." Luke ix. 48. "he that is least among you all, the same shall be great." 1 Pet. v. 5, 6. "submit yourselves," &c. 1 Tim. i. 15. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

To this is opposed, first, pride towards God. Job xv. 25. "he stretcheth out his hand against God." Prov. iii. 34. "he scorneth the scorners; but he giveth grace unto the lowly." See also James iv. 6. 1 Pet. v. 5. Prov. xvi. 5. "every one that is proud of heart is an abomination to Jehovah." Acts xii. 23. "the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory." Rev. iii. 17. "thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."

Secondly, a false or superstitious humility. Col. ii. 23. "which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh."

PATIENCE is that whereby we acquiesce in the promises of God, through a confident reliance on his divine providence, power, and goodness, and bear inevitable evils with equanimity, as the dispensation of the supreme Father, and sent for our good. Job i. 22. "in all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." ii. 10. "shall we receive, good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" 2 Sam. xvi. 10. "because Jehovah hath said unto him, Curse David, who shall then say, Wherefore hast thou done so?" Isai. xxviii. 16. "he that believeth shall not mistake." Lam. iii. 29, &c. "he putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope; he giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him."

Matt. xvi. 24. "let him take up his cross, and follow me." Luke xxi. 19. "in your patience possess ye your souls." Rom. viii. 25. "if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." xv. 4. "that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." 2 Cor. xii. 10. "therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake." Coloss. i. 11. "unto all long-suffering." 2 Thess. iii. 5. "the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ." Heb. x. 36. " 'ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise." James v. 7, 8. "be patient unto the coming of the Lord; behold the husbandman waiteth-be ye also patient, stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." 1 Pet. ii. 19, &c. "this is thank-worthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.. if when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God: for even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps.. who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” Opposed to this is impatience under the divine decrees; a temptation to which the saints themselves are at times liable. 1 Kings xix. 4. "he requested for himself that he might die." Job. iii. 2, &c. "let the day perish wherein I was born." vii. 11. "therefore I will not refrain my mouth." xix. 7. "behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard; I cry aloud, but there is no judgment." Eccles. vii. 7. "surely oppression maketh a wise man mad." Jer. xx. 15. "cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying-." xlv. 5. "thou didst say, Woe is me now, for Jehovah hath added grief to my sorrow." Jonah iv. 3. "it is better for me to die than to live."

OBEDIENCE is that virtue whereby we propose to ourselves the will of God as the paramount rule of our conduct, and serve him alone. Thus Abraham, Gen. xii. 4. " departed from Canaan, as Jehovah had spoken unto him." xxii. 3. "Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass-. ." 1 Sam. xv. 22. "hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." Psal. lxxxi. 13, 14. "O that

my people had hearkened unto me," &c. Eccles. v. 1. “be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools." Jer. vi. 19, 20. "because they have not hearkened unto my words.... your burnt-offerings are not acceptable." vii. 22, 23. "I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices; but this thing commanded Ĭ them, saying, Obey my voice." XXXV. 2. " go unto the house of the Rechabites-." Matt. vi. 10. "thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." xxvi. 39. "not as I will, but as thou wilt." v. 42. "thy will be done." John xiv. 15. "if ye love me, keep my commandments." See also v. 21, 23. Acts iv. 19. "whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." v. 29. ". ought to obey God, rather than men." Eph. vi. 6, 7. "as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service." 1 John ii. 5. "whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected." v. 17. "he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." v. 3. "this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous."

Opposed to this is disobedience.

....

me-.

we

1 Sam. xv. 23. "rebellion

is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." This was the error of the prophet of Judah, 1 Kings xiii. 22. Prov. xiii. 13. "whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed." xxviii. 9. "he that turneth away his ear even his prayer shall be abomination.” Jer. vi. 16. "thus saith Jehovah, Stand ye in the ways. . and walk therein .. but they said, We will not walk therein." V. 17. "they said, We will not hearken." vii. 26. "they hearkened not unto .” xxii. 21. "this hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice." xxxvi. 23, &c. "it came to pass that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves," &c. xliv. 16. 66 as for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of Jehovah, we will not hearken unto thee." Even where it wears the disguise of humility: John xiii. 8. "thou shalt never wash my feet;" or of a righteousness beyond what is commanded: Deut. v. 32. " ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left." See also xxviii. 14. Josh. i. 7. Deut. xii. 32. "thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." 1 Kings xx. 35. "the man refused to smite him." Prov.

xxx. 6. “add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee and thou be found a liar." 1 Cor. iv. 6. "that ye migh learn in us not to think of man above that which is written.' Rev. xxii. 18, 19. "if any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the plagues—.”

CHAP. IV. OF EXTERNAL WORSHIP.

THUS much of the internal worship of God. We are now to speak of his external worship, which is commonly denominated RELIGION; not that internal worship is not also religion, but that it is not usually called so, except as it manifests itself in outward actions. Although external worship is, for the convenience of definition, distinguished from internal, it is our duty to unite them in practice, nor are they ever separated, except by the impiety of sinners.

True religion is that by which God is worshipped with sincerity after the form and manner which he has himself prescribed. Mic. vi. 6. "wherewith shall I come before Jehovah-?" Worship is expressed in Scripture by the verb λarpeen, Matt. iv. 10. and douλsús, vi. 24. Gal. iv. 8. The Papists therefore err in explaining λarpsía, of the worship paid to God, dovλía of that paid to holy men and angels.2

3

Opposed to this is, first, superstition or will worship (30200pnoxsía), the offspring of man's invention. Thus Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire before Jehovah, for which they were forthwith punished with death. Levit. x. 1, 2. 1 Sam. xiii. 12. "I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.... thou hast done foolishly." xv. 15, 16. "they have brought them.... to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God.... stay and I will tell thee what Jehovah hath said to me.' 1 Kings xii. 31, 32. " he made an house of high places." 2 Kings xvi. 10." he saw an altar that was at Damascus," &c. 1 Chron. xv. 13, 15. "Jehovah our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order. . . . so the children of the Levites bare the ark of God. . . . according to the word of

2 See Grotius and Wetstein on Matt. iv. 10. and Leigh's Critica Sacra on the words δουλεύω and δουλεία. See also the Homily Against peril of Idolatry; Stillingfleet's Discourse concerning the nature of Idolatry; Waterland's Vindication of Christ's Divinity, Works, I. 166.

3 Hammond gives a favourable interpretation to the word, Col. ii. 23.

Jehovah." Isai. xxix. 13. "their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men." Mark vii. 7, 8. "in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matt. IV. 3, &c. "why do ye also transgress the commandment of God-?" Gal. vi. 12. "as many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised." Some of the early teachers of the church are chargeable with this grievous error, in that they, to facilitate the conversion of the heathen to Christianity, retained the pagan rites with a slight

4 He (Constantine) gave and ministered occasion to bring in a deluge of ceremonies, thereby either to draw in the heathen by a resemblance of their rites, or to set a gloss upon the simplicity and plainness of Christianity, which, to the gorgeous solemnities of paganism, and the sense of the world's children, seemed but a homely and yeomanly religion.' Of Reformation in England. Prose Works, II. 382. This was that which made the old Christians paganize, while by their scandalous and base conforming to heathenism they did no more, when they had done their utmost, but bring some pagans to Christianize; for true Christians they neither were themselves, nor could make others in this fashion' Animadversions upon the Remonstrant's Defence. Ibid. III. 60. For numerous instances of these corruptions, see the ecclesiastical historians and other authorities. The policy which led to what one of the most eloquent of living writers happily calls 'paganizing Christianity in order to christen paganism,' has found its supporters in Mosheim and Gibbon. The former says; 'in these early times it was both wise and necessary to show, in the establishment of outward forms of worship, some indulgence to the ancient opinions, manners, and laws of the respective nations to whom the gospel was preached. .. .. In a word, the external forms of worship used in the times of old must necessarily have been regulated and modified according to the character, genius, and manners of the different nations on which the light of the gospel arose.' Ecclesiastical History, I. p. 100. The bishops augmented the number of religious rites in the Christian worship, by way of accommodation to the infirmities and prejudices both of Jews and heathens, in order to facilitate thus their conversion to Christianity,' &c. Ibid. p. 162. After the conversion of the Imperial city, the Christians still continued in the month of February the annual celebration of the Lupercalia; to which they ascribed a secret and mysterious influence on the genial powers of the animal and vegetable world.' Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, chap. xxxvi. Barbeyrac (Traité de la Morale des Pères, Chap. v. Sect. 59, &c) accuses Clemens Alexandrinus of having permitted the heathen converts to worship the sun, and moon, and other heavenly bodies; but the passage alluded to, when candidly considered, seems to admit of a different construction. See Strom. Lib. VI. Cap. xiv. p. 795, 796. Edit. Oxon. The author of the life of Gregory Thaumaturgus mentions the following instance of a concession granted to the Christians of the second century. Cum animadvertisset (Gregorius) quod ob corporeas delectationes et voluptates simplex et imperitum vulgus in simula