EZEK. 36. 27.
WE subdivided the Grace here promised in the later part of the Chapter, wherein was considerable, The Action, I will cause you to walk. 2. The Object of the Action, In my Statutes; and this we are to treat upon at this time.
Now although there are three words in the Scripture, which often are used for the same thing, Commandments, Statutes and Judgements, yet there is also in many places a difference between these.
Commandments being properly those perpetual rules of the moral Law, which1 enjoyn the same Duties in all ages of the Church.
Judgements are strictly used for, those Duties of the Judaical Law, which concern (Judgements) Justice and equity one to another.
Statutes are all those Rites, and that manner of worship which God had commanded; (Statutes) and howbeit we may in this Text make Statutes and Judgements. all one, yet its better to distinguish them, because the holy Ghost doth here seem as it were to branch out the whole practice and life of a converted person, which lieth in two things, His Duty to God, and that is, To walk in Gods Statutes; His Duty to man, and that is, To walk in his Judgements to do them. And although in the New Testament, we have not the same Statutes of worship as they had, nor the same judicial Law for justice and equity between man and man, yet the meaning is, that God will cause his people to walk in all that worship and equity which God at any time shall command: And it is very usual in the Old Testament to expresse the Worship of God, which shall be used in the times of the Gospel, under these names, which were proper to the legal Administration. This then is the sense, That when God hath put this new heart and new spirit into his children, he will make them diligent in all that worship which he hath commanded, they will be careful to worship him in that pure and holy manner, which is appointed: All their Worship will be Statute-worship, there is the Statute-Law of the Scripture for it. They dare not take up any form or manner of workship concerning of which God may say to them, Who hath required these things at your hands? From whence observe,
Doct. That converted Persons are very carefull and tender in the worship of God, observing all that, and onely that which he hath commanded.
You may discover the work of Grace in a man, as much about h[…]s principles and practice in the worship of God, as about moral principles and actions. Idolatrical and superstitious worship grosly practised, is no more consistent with grace, then prophane and ungodly wayes. I grant indeed that even godly men may for want of light and better information live in some reliques of superstitious worship. As in some good Kings Reigos, the high-places were not taken away; and Johns Disciples, yea and Christs Disciples they were but old bottles, they were not able suddenly to receive such pure and spiritual worship, as Christ intended for them: Nay in the Infancy of the Church how much were Believers led aside with their love of, and doting upon the ceremonial Worship! they would be circumcised still, they would observe meats and dayes still, yea the worship of Angels was brought in under pretence of humility.
To open this point consider,2
First, That Divines make a two-fold Worship, Internal and External, Internal are all those spiritual graces of the soul, which are immediatly terminated upon God himself. Thus faith in God, and love of God, to give him the preheminency and chief room in the heart, is the worship of God: This is spiritual and inward, and this Worship is commanded in the first Commandment. But the external Worship of God consists in all those visible parts and means of worship which God hath appointed, as in the Old Testament praying, reading the Word, offering of Sacrifices, and many bodily adorations; and these are commanded in the second Commandment: for when God forbids the worshipping of him by Images, he doth thereby forbid the making to a mans self, without the Commandment of God, any part or means of Divine Worship. In the New Testament Gods external Worship lieth in prayer, reading and hearing the Word, administration of the Sacraments, sanctifying of his Sabbaths, and singing of Psalms; so then he who is truly godly, he will be carefull to perform all those Duties of Religious Worship, which are commanded in the New Testament. He doth not take up the vain customs of men, neither doth he follow the traditional worship of his Fathers, but he worshippeth as it is written, he knoweth God is most jealous of his Worship; God is very sensible of any abuse of his Worship, any corruption or mixture of it by humane presumption.