William Perkins Commentary on Hebrews 11:6 “…he that cometh to God must believe that he is…“ He that will have any fellowship with God in Christ must first believe that God is. That is, not so much that there is a God—for that we are taught by the very light of nature—but that this God whom… Read More Natural Idolatry
William Ames Marrow of Sacred Divinity, Book 2, ch. 5 § 1-8 & ch. 13 Natural Worship. 1. The parts of religion are two; natural worship, and voluntary or instituted worship. 2. This distinction is grounded on Exodus 20:6, those words of the second commandment: “who love me, and keep my commandments.” 3. Natural worship is that… Read More Natural Worship and Instituted Worship
Anthony Burgess Treatise on Original Sin Part 3, Chapter 6, Sections 1-20. “And God saw that every imagination of the thoughts of mans heart was only evil, and that continually.” (Genesis 6:5). SECT. I. This Text explained and vindicated against D. J. Taylor, Grotius, the Papists and Socinians. We have at large discovered the universal… Read More The Sinfulness of the Imagination
It can be known from nature that we must worship God how he pleases rather than how we please (Acts 17:24-29), but we cannot know how God desires to be worshiped unless he reveals it to us through special revelation. Being the root of the second commandment, the Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW) itself is discernable from the light of nature as flowing from “that which may be known of God” (Rom. 1:19), while the parts and acts of God’s instituted worship is of divine positive law.… Read More The Second Commandment and the Light of Nature
Michael Bushell, Songs of Zion, chapter 4, section 3, pp. 163-165. The second commandment is by far the most important scriptural passage dealing with worship. It teaches us that God alone determines what kind of worship is acceptable to Him and that He rejects all forms of idolatry irrespective of source or good intention on… Read More The Regulative Principle of Worship in the Second Commandment
Scripture captures a fascinating chain of events in the history of King David and the people of Israel that results in a dramatic killing of a Priest named Uzzah who was helping to transport the Ark of the Covenant. This incident in the history of God’s people is a highly instructive one as it relates… Read More The Death of Uzzah
Q. 108. What are the duties required in the second commandment? A. The duties required in the second commandment are…the disapproving, detesting, opposing, all false worship (Acts 17:16-17; Ps. 16:4); and, according to each one’s place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatry (Deut. 7:5; Isa. 30:22). George Gillespie, Popish Ceremonies are Proved to be… Read More Monuments of Idolatry | George Gillespie
Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, vol. 2. Whether not only the worship but also the formation and use of religious images in sacred places is prohibited by the second commandment. We affirm against the Lutherans. I. In the preceding question we treated of the worship of images. It remains to inquire further concerning their… Read More Images of Christ Are Unlawful, Even If Not Used For Worship
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