Book 2, Chapter 5: Inward Worship of God

Of the second part of Religion touching the worship of God, and first of the inward worship.

2. Question. How God is to be worshipped and served.

For the full answer hereof, we must remember that the worship of God is twofold; inward or outward. Inward is the worship of the mind, the heart, the conscience, will, and affections; for man by all these jointly and severally performs worship and service to his creator. The outward is that worship whereby the inward is testified outwardly in the speech and actions. The former of these two, is the spiritual worship of the inward man, and the very ground and foundation of all true worship of God: for God is a spirit and therefore must be worshipped in spirit, that is, in the mind, conscience, will, and affections. Indeed all the worship of God is spiritual, even that which we call outward; yet not of itself, but by virtue of the inward, from which it proceeds.

Sect. 1.

The heads of inward worship are two: adoration of God, and cleaving to God. For as they are two different actions of the heart, so they may fitly be termed two distinct parts of God's worship. This distinction is in some part propounded by Moses, where he exhorts the Israelites, to fear Jehovah their God, to adore him, to cleave to him, and to swear by his name.

Adoration, is that part of God's worship, whereby a man, upon a vile and base estimation of himself, as being but dust and ashes, submits and subjects his soul to the glory and majesty of God.

This has two principal grounds in the heart, which if they be wanting, there can be no true worship of God. The first is abnegation or denial of ourselves, when we esteem ourselves to be merely nothing. The second is exaltation, or advancement of God's majesty, above all the things in the world. Examples of these we have many in the Scriptures, as of Abraham, who called God his Lord, and himself dust and ashes: of the Angels, whom in a vision the Prophet saw standing before God, with one wing covering their feet, which signified the abasing of themselves; and with another covering their faces, which betokened their adoration of the majesty of God. Of Daniel, when he confesses, To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness itself, but to us shame and confusion of face. Lastly, of the woman of Canaan, who calls Christ Lord, and herself, a dog.

Now in adoration, there are four virtues: fear, obedience, patience, thankfulness.

Fear, is a great part of the worship of God, which I prove by two places laid together (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8–9), wherein fear and worship, are taken for one and the same thing: for that which Esay calls fear, Matthew calls worship. Now in this fear, there be two things that serve to distinguish it from all other fears.

First, it is absolute: for by it God is reverenced absolutely. Saint Paul exhorts to yield tribute, fear, and honor to the Magistrate, not for himself, but for God, whose minister he is. And our Savior says, Fear you not them which kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. As if he should say, I allow and command you to fear men, only for God, who has set them over you, but fear God for himself.

Secondly, it makes a man, first of all, to fear the offence of God, and then the punishment and judgment. For it is not a fear of the offence alone, but of the offence and punishment together, and of the offence in the first place (Malachi 1:6): If I be a Lord, where is my fear? And where it is said in Matthew, but rather fear him that is able to cast body and soul into hell fire; there is commanded a fear of God, in regard of his anger. We fear the sword of man, and that lawfully, why then may we not fear the punishment of God? If it be said, this is a servile fear, to fear the punishment, and agrees not to God's children: I answer, slavish fear is, when a man only fears the punishment, and not the offence of God, or at least the punishment more than the offence.

The second virtue of adoration, is inward obedience of the hidden man of the heart. The Lord prefers this obedience before all sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). This stands in two things. First, in yielding subjection of the conscience to the commandments, threatenings, and promises of God, so as we are willing, that it should become bound to them. Secondly, when the rest of the powers of the soul, in their place and time, perform obedience to God. And by this means do we bring into captivity, every thought to the obedience of Christ, as Paul speaks (2 Corinthians 10:5).

The third virtue of adoration, is patience; which is, when a man in his afflictions, submits his will to the will of God, and quiets his heart therein, because God sends afflictions. This was David's counsel, Be silent before the Lord, and always wait upon his pleasure. And his practice, when in trouble he resigned himself into the hands of God, and said, Lord, if I please you not, lo I am here, do with me as seems good in your eyes. This patience is a part of God's worship, because it is a kind of obedience.

The fourth virtue of adoration, is thankfulness to God, which shows itself in two things. First, in an acknowledgement of the heart, that ourselves and whatever we have, is God's, and proceeds from his blessing alone. Secondly, in a consecration of our bodies, souls, lives, callings, and labors to the honor and service of God. Thus much of the first head of inward worship, or the first action of the heart, standing in adoration.

Sect. 2.

The second action of the heart in inward worship, or the second part thereof, is cleaving to God. Now we cleave to God by four things: by faith, hope, love, and inward invocation.

By faith, I mean true justifying faith, whereby we rest upon God's mercy for the forgiveness of our sins, and life everlasting: and upon his providence, for the things of this life. Thus Abraham, being strengthened in this faith, and relying by it upon God's promises made to him, gave glory to God (Romans 4:20). This saving faith, is the very root, and beginning of all true worship. For love, which is the fulfilling of the Law, must come from it (1 Timothy 1:5).

The second is hope, which follows and depends upon faith: and it is that grace of God, whereby with patience we wait the Lord's leisure, for the performance of his promises, especially touching redemption, and life eternal. If we hope (says Paul) for that we have not, we do with patience expect it (Romans 8:25).

The third, is love of God; which has two effects in the heart. First, it makes the heart to cleave to God, and to be well pleased with him simply for himself. In this manner God the Father loving Christ, testifies that he was well pleased in him (Matthew 3:17). Secondly, it moves the heart to seek by all means possible, to have true fellowship with God in Christ. This the Church notably expresses in the Canticles.

The fourth, is inward prayer, or invocation of the heart; and it is nothing else, but the lifting up of the heart to God, according to his will, by desires and groans unspeakable. Or, it is a work of the heart, whereby it flies to God for help in distress, and makes him a rock of defence. When the children of Israel were afflicted, They remembered that God was their strength, and the most high God their redeemer (Psalm 78:35). Of this kind of prayer Paul speaks, when he says, pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17). For solemn prayer conceived, and uttered in form of words, cannot always be used: but we are to lift up our hearts to God, upon every occasion, that by inward and holy motions and affections, they may be (as it were) knit to him.

Now to conclude this point touching inward worship, we must remember that it alone is properly, simply, and of itself, the worship of God; and the outward is not simply the worship of God, but only so far forth as it is quickened by the inward, and grounded upon it. For God is a Spirit, and therefore the true worship that is done to him, must be performed in spirit and truth (John 4:24).