Quotes- Worship
“…The rule, according to his revealed will. Every part of divine worship must have a divine precept. As the first command teacheth us what God is to be worshipped, so the second command teacheth in what way he will be worshipped. The tabernacle and all the instruments thereof, yea, the very snuffers and ash-pans, were to be made exactly according to the pattern in the mount, Exod. xxv. 40; Heb. viii. 5. Typifying that all the exercise of worship used by the church, whether in doctrine or discipline, must be conformed to the written word, Gal. i. 8. Our religion must be not only rational but regular; our worship must be both universal and canonical…., Gal. vi. 16 ; “As many as walk according to this canon, or rule, peace be unto them.” The saints' service must be word-service …Rom. xii. 1; …….The institutions of Christ, not the inventions of men, are the rule of worship. Our work is not to make laws for ourselves or others, but to keep the laws which the great prophet of his church hath taught us; that coin of worship which is current amongst us must be stamped by God himself. We are to be governed as the point in the compass, not by the various winds, (the practices of former ages, or the fashions of the present generation, which are mutable and uncertain, ) but by the constant heavens. Our devotion must be regulated exactly according to the standard of the word. It is idolatry to worship a false god, or the true God in a false manner.”
-George Swinnock Works Vol. 1
"Whether its advocates realize it or not, the contemporary worship movement is the instrument of the hour to pull down the doctrinal walls of Zion. How the arch-enemy of the churches of Christ and of human souls must be straining to bring about such a catastrophe! The new worship scene is undoubtedly our enemy, not our friend. If we give new worship the smallest foothold it will ruin the highest activity rusted to us- the reverent, intelligent and joyful offering of spiritual praise. Those who begin by singing one new worship song at every service will soon be singing two, then three, then adding the band, and so on. It is very noticeable that wherever the new worship has been embraced by evangelicals, a perceptible loss of reverence, coupled with worldliness and shallowness, has set in."
-Peter Masters
“…such is our folly, that when we are left at liberty, all we are able to do is go astray. And then when once we have turned aside from the right path, there is no end to our wanderings, until we get buried under a multitude of superstitions.”
-John Calvin
"Men manifest abundance of arrogancy in undertaking to prescribe newer and neater ways of worship than God himself, as if they excelled his Majesty in wisdom; but little do they think how exceedingly by such practices they provoke him to fury. Ezek. viii. 3-5 per tot; Ezek. xliii. 8, ' In their setting of their thresholds by my thresholds, and their posts by my posts, they have even defiled my holy name by the abominations which they have committed; wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger ;' so Ezek. vi. 9 ; 2 Chron. vii. 20."
-George Swinnock Works Vol. 1
"God is a spirit, and he will be worshipped in spirit and in truth,' John iv. 24. In truth, that is, scripturally; opposite to the inventions of men's heads : in spirit, that is, sincerely; opposite to the dissimulation of men's hearts. The deeper the belly of the lute is, the pleasanter the sound ; the deeper our worship comes from the heart, the more delightful it is in God's ears."
-George Swinnock Works Vol. 1
"It is almost incredible how the vain mind of man is addicted unto an outward beauty and splendor in religious worship. Hence the generality of men, although professing the Christian religion, are quickly weary of evangelical worship, and do find out endless inventions of their own, wherewith they are better satisfied, in their divine services. Therefore have they multiplied ceremonies, fond superstitions, and downright idolatries, which they prefer before the purity and simplicity of the worship of the gospel."
-John Owen Works Vol.21
