' No histories are comparable to the histories of the Scripture — (1.) for antiquity; (2.) rarity; (3.) variety; (4.) brevity; (5.) perspicuity; (6.) harmony; (7.) verity; all which should greatly encourage Christians to a serious perusal of them.
TO ALL SUFFERING SAINTS. 429
of God/ Col. ii. 23. God gave Moses a pattern for the making of the tabernacle, Exod. xxv. 9, and David for the temple, Heb. viii. 5, and all things were to be ordered and regulated according to this pattern, God hath set us a perfect rule of worship in his word, and no service pleaseth him but what is according to this rule. As our Saviour told the woman of Samaria concerning the Samaritan worship at Mount Gerizim, and the Jewish worship at Jerusalem, that the Samaritans worshipped they knew not what, John iv. 20-22 ; the Jews knew what they worshipped, for salvation was of the Jews. Why so ? Because the Jews had (rod's special direction and appointment of God's word for their worship and service, which the Samaritans had not. All our worship must be regulated by God's will, not our own : Non ex arhitrio Deo serviendum, sed ex imperio ; Not according to our own fancy, but God's command and prescription. I say of all human-in- vented will-worship of God, as Tertullian of the heathen worship, Ex religione superstitio compingitur, et eo irreUgiosior, quanta Ethnicus paratior ; Men in this are no better than laboriously superstitious, taking pains to be irreligious. And so the apostle, 2 Pet. i. 19-21, sends his hearers to the Scriptures, as to a surer word than that of the revelation, all which speaks out the sufficiency of the Scripture, to direct us in all matters of divine worship, and in whatever else may help on the internal and eternal welfare of our precious and immortal souls.
That which bred the popish religion, superstition, idolatry, and pompous worship, was men's departing from the word, and not cleav- ing to the word as a sufficient rule to direct them in all- matters of worship ; and what woeful mischiefs and miseries have been brought upon the people of the Lord in this land and elsewhere by men that make not the word the rule of their worship, but cry up an outward pompous worship, I have no mind to enumerate at this time. But how will these vain men, that accuse the holy Scriptures of insuffi- ciency, blush, be ashamed, and confounded, when in the great day the Lord shall plead the excellency and vindicate the sufficiency and authority of his blessed book, in opposition to all the mixtures of men's traditions with divine institutions ! Now they that suffer for asserting the holy Scriptures to be a sufficient rule to order, guide, and direct them in all matters of worship, they have a good cause, and they suffer as Christians for well-doing. But,
[4,] They that are assertors of the true God, in opposition to the idols of the nations, have a good cause ; and they that suffer upon this account suffer as Christians for well-doing. Upon this foot the Chris- tians under the heathen emperors in the primitive times suffered great things ; and are there none that suffer this day upon this account by the Romish powers ? But,
[5.] Fifthly, They who assert that God will not hear with mixtures in his worship and service, hut revenge himself upon the corrupters of his ivorship, they have a good cause ; and they that suffer upon that account suffer as Christians for well-doing. All mixtures debase the worship and service of God, and makes the worship a vain worship, Isa. xxix. 13, 14 ; Mat. xv. 3, 6, 8, 9. As the mixing of water with wine is the debasing of the wine, and the mixing of tin with silver, or brass with gold, is debasing of the silver and gold, so for men to mix
430 A GENERAL EPISTLE
and mingle their traditions and inventions with God's institutions is to debase the worship and service of God, and to detract from the excellency and glory of it. You know that the kings and princes of the world have most severely punished such who by their base mix- tures have imbased their coin ; and assuredly there is a day a- coming when the King of kings will most severely punish all Buch who have imbased his worship and service, by mixing human inventions and Eomish traditions with his holy institu- tions: Kev. xxii. 18, 'For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book/1 And no wonder ; for what horrible pride, presumption, stoutness, and baseness is it in foolish man to be so bold with the great God, as to dare to mix anything of his own with his worship and ser- vice, which, according to divine institution, is so perfect and complete. God will never bear it to see men lay their dirt upon his gold, and to put their rags upon his royal robes. Ah, Christians, it is best to stand up for holy ordinances and pure worship, in opposition to all mixtures whatsoever. Oh, do not touch a polluted worship, do not plead and contend for a polluted worship, but let Baal plead for Baal, 1 Kings xviii. 21 ; and though all the world should wonder^ after the beast, yet do not you wonder ^ after the beast, Kev. xiii. 3, 4, 6, 17 ; and though every forehead should have the mark of the beast upon it, yet do you abhor his mark, and whatever else it be that does but smell and savour of the beast, Kev. xiv. 9, 11. It is a very dangerous thing for any mortals to be adding to God's worship and word ; there is a horrible curse that hangs over the heads of all such that add or detract from the blessed Scriptures. If falsifiers of coin are liable unto the civil curse of the law, how much more shall the anathema of eternal dam- nation be inflicted upon the corrupters of God's word and worship. ' To them that add thereto, God will add all the plagues of this book ' — to wit, the seven last plagues — * and cast them into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet,' Kev. xix. Now they that suffer for asserting that God will not bear with mixtures in his worship and service, but revenge himself upon the corrupters of his worship and service, they have a good cause, and they suffer as Christians for well-doing. But,
[6.] Sixthly, They who are hated, scorned, despised, reproached, opposed, persecuted, imprisoned^ ruined for their non-compliance luith the times, and ivith the wills and lusts of men, and ivith the ivorship of the toorld and the luays of the loorld, they have a good cause, and they suffer as Christians for well-doing, 1 Pet. iv. 4, 5 ; Jude 15 ; Kev. iii. 4 ; 1 Cor. vii. 23 ; Gal. i. 10. And is not this the very case of the people of God this day ? for would they, or durst they, comply with the times, and with the wills and lusts of men, and with the wor- ship of the world and the ways of the world, they should be white- boy8,3 and instead of prisons might stand in princes' palaces as well as