DISCOURSE V.
The duty of public worship, and its beneficial tendency.
MATTHEW iv. 10.
Then saith Jesus, get thee hence Satan, for it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
It is becoming fashionable not only to disesteem, but to speak lightly of the worship of the supreme Being, the fountain of all existence and blessedness. It is to be deeply regretted, that, by many his name is profaned, his sabbaths disregarded, his ordinances neglected, and all worship of him habitually omitted. Nay, it is even with one class of people, whose number is not inconsiderable, growing into a maxim, or kind of aphorism, that all Religion consists in doing right between man and man, in promoting the temporal welfare, the order, and best civil good of society. This is openly affirmed by men who pretend to clearness of thought, eminence of abilities, and extensive reading; and echoed by their admirers and imitators. They earnestly contend that Moral Virtue, or doing good to man is the most acceptable offering to the divine Being, and not only the most acceptable, but the only rational and acceptable worship, which can be performed by us to our Maker, Preserver and Benefactor. Having gone this length, they are compelled to take one step more, and to assert that all other Worship, or what have usually been called exercises and acts of Piety, are of no worth, are mere superstition and folly, fit only for the vulgar, or to amuse the uninformed and unenlightened. They forget not, at the same time, to remind us, that this superstition, as they term it, is nursed by an interested and mercenary Priesthood. But the fact is, that a system of Religion, which leaves out the duties we owe to God, is an essentially defective system: and no man of reflection and discernment, who is not a disbeliever in the divine Excellence and revealed religion, can adopt it. For men of thought and good capacities to deny or object against the duties, due from us to the first cause of all things, is quite unaccountable, provided they, at the same time, pretend to give credit to any religion at all. But what is still more strange is, that any who pretend to love and fear God, should yet deny all stated worship of him, whether public, social or secret, and refuse to engage in any duties of devotion, until moved or impelled thereto by some supposed inward impression. This, all must see who exercise their reason, is in effect to deny, and virtually to renounce all divine worship.—And whatever such may profess or declare, so it is, has been, and always will be judged, by all rational men.
A greater service, therefore, cannot be done to the true and spiritual Religion of Jesus Christ, to morality, to order, to virtue, and the happiness of the Community, than to explain and urge the obligations, advantages, and importance of stated public worship. This is now proposed. The low condition of Religion and the existing circumstances of our Land, have induced me to enter, at this time, on this great, useful, and essential subject. It is a subject often indeed discussed. Many excellent discourses and treatises have been written upon it. It is a cause, which hath been pleaded by learned and eloquent advocates, and of such merit in itself, as to deserve all the defence, which can be given to it, by its ablest friends. I would contribute my mite to place it in an advantageous and inviting light, hoping my exertions may not be altogether unavailing. May that gracious and merciful God, whose we are, and whom we ought to serve, smile on this attempt to recommend to all, stated public worship, the honours of his name!
In the progress of these discourses, what is intended is to evince the duty. And then illustrate the beneficial tendency of public worship.
The first thing proposed is to evince the duty of public worship. What is now before us it to prove, by plain arguments from reason and scripture, that all people are under obligations to worship, in a stated public manner, the Deity, such obligations as cannot be violated without the highest criminality. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve.
The occasion of our Saviour’s mentioning this great original law of worship, which is binding on all intelligent Creatures in all worlds, on one as much as another, was the attempt of satan to persuade him to pay divine worship to himself. For the trial of our Lord’s Virtue, this enemy of God and man was permitted to tempt him, during forty days of miraculous fasting, in the wilderness of Judea. The temptation was conducted with wonderful art and address. The ability and experience of the tempter were called forth. In the progress of his assault, and as his last effort, he endeavors to excite within the innocent bosom of the Son of God, the sinful emotions of ambition and pride. For this purpose, he makes the greatest and most splendid offers of temporal honor and grandeur, shewed him while on the pinnacle of the temple, all the kingdoms of the earth and their glory, (pourtrayed, no doubt, on his imagination,) and promised them all to him, provided our Lord would fall down and worship him, or pay him that service and those acknowledgments which were due to the one, only, living, and true God; and which could not be paid to any mere Creature, however exalted, without being guilty of gross Idolatry. But the snare, though most artfully laid, and managed with dextrous skill, was in vain. The temptation did not succeed. Our Lord was invulnerable. Though there was no sin in him for the temptation to work upon, yet the more holy and pure his nature, the more afflicting and disgustful must the temptation have been. He replies, as in the text, with pious indignation. Then saith Jesus, get thee hence Satan, for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. He most pertinently and beautifully appealed to, and cited scripture, as our supreme guide, or primary rule by which to regulate all our conduct, to repel the solicitations of the subtle tempter. Hereby he put an honor on the written word of God. And he has left us an example, whenever we are harassed with temptations, to go and do likewise. Perfect as he was, in moral goodness or innocence, he repaired not to any internal directory, as the primary guide, but to the written word of God, as the alone and supreme directory. And here, in the text, he lays down the great moral law relating to our duty to our Maker. And what he delivers is as plain and peremptory a commandment as any that can be delivered. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. We may offer religious homage and praise to no other. If we do, we are Idolaters. We must worship and serve the one true God. He does not wait to know whether his rational creatures be willing to worship him, or whether they fancy that they have an inward prompter to tell them when to worship, or how to worship him. He does not allow them to postpone his worship, till they think the spirit moves them to attend upon it. Because they may be awfully deluded here. For it is impossible for man, utterly impossible, to know whether he be not mistaken about the movings of the sprit, at the moment. We have a sure rule. The commandment is as express and peremptory, as words can make it. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. The great sovereign of the Universe, the Almighty maker of heaven and earth issues out his Mandate. It is absolute and unconditional. It is suspended on no condition whatever. It is not, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, provided you be willing, provided you feel disposed, provided you think it best, provided you fancy the spirit moves you to it. Such provisos would nullify and vacate the Commandment altogether. Are we thus at liberty to render the laws of God null and void, or of no effect? Woe unto that man, or body of men, who undertake thus to modify and tamper with the law of God, under any pretext whatever. It is at our peril to disobey, or put off, or omit to comply, with this great moral law of heaven. If we pretend to any superior rule, we presume to legislate for ourselves, and are wise above what is written. Man’s inventions are not to be put in the place of, or to supersede the express command of God, relating to his worship.