The Account Audited and Discounted, Exercitation 2 · Section 16
Sect. 16. 6. Reaſon it ſelf aſſures us, that things done in the ſervice of God, are not therefore ill, becauſe Spontaneous, &c.
IN application of my diſtinction of voluntary Worſhip, I ſaid, [Worſhip of God commanded, p. 154. n. 3.is not ill becauſe it is Spontaneous or voluntary, (I took both for one) that is, willingly performed, &c. but in Worſhip deviſed by man, the will bears all the blame, &c.] He anſwers, That [Worſhip is either falſe or true, &c. His rule is perfectly true, in unlawful wicked VVorſhip, all the blame thereof lies on the will of man: but it can have no place, where the worſhip is lawful, &c.] I deſire no more, to determine the queſtion: and thus I argue, In all wicked unlawful VVorſhip, the will muſt bear the blame: But all uncommanded worſhip, is wicked unlawful worſhip; ergo, the will that deviſed it, muſt bear the blame; and (as I ſaid) the more voluntary, the more abominable.] What can the Doctor except to? The Major is his own here, in expreſs words: the Minor hath been proved from himſelf alſo; becauſe uncommanded worſhip, is forbidden by God; who alone muſt preſcribe his own worſhip. And the Doctor hath often granted in his former Tract, that [to deviſe new ſorts, or kindes of worſhip, not commanded by God, is utterly unlawful.] But ſay I, to ſet up uncommanded worſhip, is to deviſe new ſorts of Worſhip not commanded by God; ergo, It's utterly unlawful: how he will extricate himſelf, I profeſs, I know not: But he addes, [This can have no place, where the worſhip is lawful.] He muſt mean though deviſed by the will of man: Now this is as much as to ſay, [Mans will may deviſe and inſtitute lawful true worſhip, but not falſe or wicked:] When the queſtion is, whether all worſhip deviſed by the will of man is not wicked and unlawful; and whether all uncommanded Worſhip (which is, the ſame with will-deviſed worſhip) be not falſe and wicked: No, (ſayes the Doctor) good and true worſhip, not commanded by God, but by man, is blameleſs; that is, is lawful, and good, and true Worſhip: Does this become the Doctors learning? It ſeemes he likes it well, for he ſayes, [That a worſhip in it ſelf and materially lawful, p. 154. n. 4.i. e. whilſt it is abſtracted from the conſideration of Gods commanding it, or not, ſhould by not being commanded by God, become unlawful, this is to confound things moſt diſtant, forbidding and not forbidding.] But, firſt, No worſhip, can be materially lawful, without reſpect to the command of God; a thing ſo conſidered, abſtracted from the command of God, is no worſhip at all; ergo, beaſts, were the materials of Jewiſh worſhip, but till Gods command paſſed upon them, for ſacrifice, they were no worſhip: It's Gods command that makes things Indifferent, and lawful to be worſhip. 2. This is not to confound things diſtant, for in worſhip, not commanding, is forbidden; as I have often ſaid: Indeed in things Indifferent, as Circumſtances of worſhip, &c. not commanding, is allowing, due cautions being obſerved. And I ſhall joyn with him in this ſentence, [It is as impoſſible that any thing ſhould be unlawful, in reſpect of Gods Law, which is not forbidden by it; as any thing ſhould be lawful which is forbidden.] But then I adde, all worſhip not commanded, is forbidbidden; ergo, all Worſhip not commanded, is unlawfull.
But ſtill he asks, n. 5. He changes my words: the voluntarineſs of an action: which I ſpake of worſhip.[How can the voluntarineſs be the irregularity, unleſs the law forbid voluntarineſs?] Let not the Doctor equivocate with us, in the ſenſe of the word voluntarineſs, and he may eaſily anſwer his own queſtion; voluntarineſs, in preſcribed Worſhip, is not forbidden, but commanded in every Worſhip; but voluntarineſs in uncommanded Worſhip is forbidden, becauſe that Worſhip is forbidden. And the Doctor told us, juſt now. n. 3. that [in unlawful wicked Worſhip, the whole blame, lies on the will of man.] But I ſhall aſſume, once more, all uncommanded Worſhip, is unlawful and wicked Worſhip; ergo, I ſhall continue ſtill to ſay, [There is an Ʋniverſal Negative command in Scripture, prohibiting all Worſhip, all new ſorts, and degrees of that Worſhip, beſide what are in particular commanded.] The Doctor deludes us again by changing Worſhip, into acts and degrees of acts; the ſecond Commandment does forbid the former, as I have proved in the other Tract, and I durſt make the Doctor judge in this caſe; who hath often renounced all new ſorts of Worſhip. Yet the Doctor likes not what I ſay, of the ſecond Commandment; n. 6.[It's as far from all appearance of truth, as any thing affirmable by any, (for what word is there in that Commandment which can ſound that way, &c.] I will not ſend the Doctor to thoſe two learned Catechiſts above mentioned; but to himſelf, who hath affirmed a principle, upon the ſecond Commandment, which will fully conclude this point; which muſt be often repeated, to ſilence his confidence: this it is, [God is to be worſhipt in a way peculiar to him, and appointed by him.] Then all Worſhip, not commanded by him, is forbidden; let the Doctor now go on and ſay, [Certainly none (no word ſounds that way) unleſs every Ceremony deviſed by man, &c. not particularly under precept, be preſently metamorphoſed into a graven Image.] But the thing is proved ſufficiently above, by Scripture and teſtimony of moſt approved Authors, to which I remit him. And now let him conſider how well he hath vindicated his ſix reaſons, for a good ſenſe of the word foreign, in this one place.