A Just Defense of Hearing the Sermons, Answer to preface · Section 1
S…ct. 1. Of the worship of God, and how hearing is worship of him.
First he conceives it a reasonable Postulatum in the present enquiry concerning our part of the instituted worship of Christ under the Gospel, with respect unto the duty incumbent upon the Saints; in order thereunto, that the whole thereof be divolved upon the Scriptures of the new Testament; and those Royal Lawes, that Christ (the alone King and Law giver of his church) hath given for Saints under the New Testament dispensation to walk by, untill they arrive unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. Eph. 4.13.
Answ. The term [worship of Christ or worship of God used Chap. 1. &c.] imports such an action as whereby God is observed, served, or honoured as God, and Christ as Christ. All actions therefore, whereby God and Christ are acknowledged and glorified under the proper consideration of God or Christ as God or the Messiah, are meant by worship of God and Christ: Either of which may be real, or putative and imaginary. They that worshipped the golden Calf did proclaim a feast to Jehovah, and said, these are thy Gods O Israel that brought thee out of the Land of Egypt. Exod. 32.5, 8. which shews they intended to worship Jehovah as God by that feast, and the sacrificing to that Idol, but this was not real worship of God, but only imaginary and false worship. Real and true worship is either mediate or immediate. Mediate is when any action of holiness or righteousness, is done in obedience to God as the motive or impulsive cause, to glorifie God as God, Christ as Christ, as the end or final cause; yet not without respect to some other. So by works of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, Christ is served acceptably to God, Rom. 14.18. Servants that obey their Masters fearing God do it to the Lord and not to men, and thereby serve the Lord Christ, Col. 3.22, 23, 24. Where the Action of it self is not a worship of God or Christ, but in respect of the motive and end, though the doing of the thing be not per se of it self a worship of God, yet it being done by vertue of Gods Command and in reference to him as God, it is in that respect a worship of God and a Service of Christ. Immediate worship is that which is directed to God as the sole object of it without the intervention of any other, as for whose sake, end or use it is done, or upon whom it is terminated for his honour, though it may be that some other may be used as the means, by which the action is done. As for instance, offering Sacrifice to God was immediate worship to God, though it were done by the Priest: because, though the Priest were used by reason of his office and dignity, yet it is not directed to, or terminated on him for his honour, nor out of any such respect of acknowledging superiority or excellency in him, as in a servants obedience to his Master, nor to benefit him, or gratify him as in acts of righteousness to men out of obedience to God, but the action is done entirely, and immediately to and for God his honour, and glory, by testifying thereby his excellency, worthiness, soveraignty, goodness, or other excellency, which I conceive agreeable to the notion of worship, which seems to be a contract of [worthyship] and notes singular respect, esteem, or regard, by reason of some worth in the thing worshipped conceived in the heart, and expressed by some signe, the former being inward worship, the other outward, this] gather from the use of the term Worshipfull; your worship given to superiours by reason of their dignity, and the use of the words in the solemnity of marriage, [with my body I thee worship] that is, honour thee in the sence in which St. Peter 1 Epist. 3.7. requires the husband foreign to distribute, render, impart or give honour, esteem, price or valuation to the wife as his own for his use as a helper, or to gratifie her as in the old ritual alledged by Mr. Selden in his Uxor Ehraica, l. 2. c. 27. was in Latin [corpore meo te dignor] I bestow on thee, to gratifie thee out of singular regard to thee, my Body. Both which notions seem to be implied in that old version of the words, 1 Sam. 2.30. mentioned in the Conference at Hampton Court [them that honour me I will honour] in the old [them that worship me I will worship] in the one our worshipping of God importing our glorifying him as God, as the expression is, Rom. 1.21. in the other Gods worshipping of us his gratifying us as a benefactour, out of that love, favour and esteem he hath of us. Now hearing is worship of God or Christ in the former notion, it being for enquiry of God or Christ, what is their minde or will towards us, out of apprehension of our dependence on them or respect to them, as a Servant on his Master, a Scholler on his Teacher. And then we worship God in hearing when we hear, as it is said of the Thessalonians, 1 Thessal. 2.13. that when they received the word of God, which they heard of St. Paul and other Teachers, they received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the word of God, which effectually worketh also in them that believe. Hearing then, as it is a worship of God, is a seeking from God such revelation as may be for our benefit, arising from the apprehension we have of his omnisciency, goodness, wisdome, and truth, who neither can be deceived nor deceive, that he only knoweth all things, that we are to call no man our Father upon the Earth: for one is our Father which is in Heaven, Mat. 23.9. As on the contrary when Ahazias 2 Kings 1. sent to Baalzebub the God of Ekron to enquire of that Idol, he worshipped Baalzebub, and when Saul enquired of one that had a familiar Spirit and not of the Lord, 1 Chron. 10.13, 14. He worshiped that familiar Spirit. Our Lord Christ is that Prophet whom God requires us to hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto us, Acts 3.22. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last dayes spoken to us by his Son Heb. 1.1, 2. And they that hear his word as the person to whom all things are delivered by the Father, Mat. 11.27. as he in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome, and knowledge, Col. 2.3. as that great Prophet who was to come into the World, Luke 7.16. do worship Christ in hearing. As on the other side he that heareth any other as Rabbi or master, in that sense in which Christ asserts himself to be the only Master, Mat. 23.8, 10. (as the Papists do, who enquire of the Pope as infallible, when he speaks or determins from his Chair) doth worship him as his great Prophet, Rabbi, or Master, which Christ forbids as an usurpation of his prerogative. This worship of Christ is immediate even when we enquire of his minde by hearing other teachers who bring his word to us, though not called as the Apostles, and some others in the first planting of the Christian Churches, as he that attends to a Kings Proclamation read or brought by never so inconsiderable a person, declares by his Loyal hearing of it his honouring of his Prince, not of the reader, C…ier, or messenger. Yea God is worshipped and Christ honoured by hearing the Gospel read as the word of God, as immediately and truly, though not so solemnly, by a boy at home, as by a Pastor of a Church.