The 1689 London Baptist Confession Of Faith; Read by Eric Kahure

Chapter 22: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day

PARAGRAPH 7

As it is the law of nature, that in general a proportion of time, by God's appointment, be set apart for the worship of God, so by his Word, in a positive moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all men, in all ages, he has particularly appointed one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy unto him,28 which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's Day:29 and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished.

28 Exod. 20:8
29 1 Cor. 16:1–2; Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:10

Chapter 22: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day

PARAGRAPH 6

Neither prayer nor any other part of religious worship, is now under the gospel, tied unto, or made more acceptable by any place in which it is performed, or towards which it is directed; but God is to be worshipped everywhere in spirit and in truth;23 as in private families24 daily,25 and in secret each one by himself;26 so more solemnly in the public assemblies, which are not carelessly nor wilfully to be neglected or forsaken, when God by his word or providence calls thereunto.27

23 John 4:21; Mal. 1:11; 1 Tim. 2:8
24 Acts 10:2
25 Matt. 6:11; Ps. 55:17
26 Matt. 6:6
27 Heb. 10:25; Acts 2:42

Chapter 22: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day

PARAGRAPH 5

The reading of the Scriptures,16 preaching, and hearing the Word of God,17 teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord;18 as also the administration of baptism,19 and the Lord's supper,20 are all parts of religious worship of God, to be performed in obedience to him, with understanding, faith, reverence, and godly fear; moreover, solemn humiliation, with fastings,21 and thanksgivings, upon special occasions, ought to be used in an holy and religious manner.22

16 1 Tim. 4:13
17 2 Tim. 4:2; Luke 8:18
18 Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19
19 Matt. 28:19–20
20 1 Cor. 11:26
21 Esther 4:16; Joel 2:12
22 Exod. 15:1–19, Ps. 107

Chapter 22: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day

PARAGRAPH 4

Prayer is to be made for things lawful, and for all sorts of men living, or that shall live hereafter;13 but not for the dead,14 nor for those of whom it may be known that they have sinned the sin unto death.15

13 1 Tim. 2:1–2; 2 Sam. 7:29
14 2 Sam. 12:21–23
15 1 John 5:16

Chapter 22: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day

PARAGRAPH 3

Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one part of natural worship, is by God required of all men.8 But that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son,9 by the help of the Spirit,10 according to his will;11 with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance; and when with others, in a known tongue.12

8 Ps. 95:1–7, 65:2
9 John 14:13–14
10 Rom. 8:26
11 1 John 5:14
12 1 Cor. 14:16–17

Chapter 22: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day

PARAGRAPH 2

Religious worship is to be given to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to him alone;4 not to angels, saints, or any other creatures;5 and since the fall, not without a mediator,6 nor in the mediation of any other but Christ alone.7

4 Matt. 4:9–10; John 6:23; Matt. 28:19
5 Rom. 1:25; Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10
6 John 14:6
7 1 Tim. 2:5

Chapter 22: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day

PARAGRAPH 1

The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and sovereignty over all; is just, good and does good to all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart and all the soul, and with all the might.1 But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself,2 and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.3

1 Jer. 10:7; Mark 12:33
2 Deut. 12:32
3 Exod. 20:4–6

Chapter 21: Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience

PARAGRAPH 3

They who upon pretence of Christian liberty do practice any sin, or cherish any sinful lust, as they do thereby pervert the main design of the grace of the gospel to their own destruction,16 so they wholly destroy the end of Christian liberty, which is, that being delivered out of the hands of all our enemies, we might serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our lives.17

16 Rom. 6:1–2
17 Gal. 5:13; 2 Pet. 2:18,21

Chapter 21: Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience

PARAGRAPH 2

God alone is Lord of the conscience,12 and has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in any thing contrary to his word, or not contained in it.13 So that to believe such doctrines, or obey such commands out of conscience, is to betray true liberty of conscience;14 and the requiring of an implicit faith, an absolute and blind obedience, is to destroy liberty of conscience and reason also.15

12 James 4:12; Rom. 14:4
13 Acts 4:19,29; 1 Cor. 7:23; Matt. 15:9
14 Col. 2:20,22–23
15 1 Cor. 3:5; 2 Cor. 1:24

Chapter 21: Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience

PARAGRAPH 1

The liberty which Christ has purchased for believers under the gospel, consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin, the condemning wrath of God, the severity and curse of the law,1 and in their being delivered from this present evil world,2 bondage to Satan,3 and dominion of sin,4 from the evil of afflictions,5 the fear and sting of death, the victory of the grave,6 and everlasting damnation:7 as also in their free access to God, and their yielding obedience unto Him, not out of slavish fear,8 but a child-like love and willing mind.9 All which were common also to believers under the law for the substance of them;10 but under the New Testament the liberty of Christians is further enlarged, in their freedom from the yoke of a ceremonial law, to which the Jewish church was subjected, and in greater boldness of access to the throne of grace, and in fuller communications of the free Spirit of God, than believers under the law did ordinarily partake of.11

1 Gal. 3:13
2 Gal. 1:4
3 Acts 26:18
4 Rom. 8:3
5 Rom. 8:28
6 1 Cor. 15:54–57
7 2 Thess. 1:10
8 Rom. 8:15
9 Luke 1:73–75; 1 John 4:18
10 Gal. 3;9,14
11 John 7:38–39; Heb. 10:19–21