A phrase in the confession?

Southern Presbyterian · #1 (**permalink**) 07-06-2008, 10:19 PM

I've been racking my brain today and looking through the Free Presbyterian Publications' Westminster Confession of Faith for the phrase "stated worship". Is this particular wording, in fact, found in the Confession and/or annexed documents? If so, where? If not, where am I dredging this up from? The PCA BOC? Can someone help me out? ...Andrew?

Thanks!

Presbyterian Deacon · #2 (**permalink**) 07-06-2008, 10:43 PM

I could be wrong, but I don't think the phrase "stated worship" is part of the Westminster Standards. It is however, a very common phrase used by the Puritans in referencing the coming together of God's people for the purpose of worship on the Sabbath.

Writing in the 17th century, Turretin states:

Quote:

For although sacred assemblies for the public exercises of piety can and ought to be frequented on other days also by everyone (as far as their business will allow) and every pious person is bound in duty to his conscience to have privately his daily devotional exercises, still on this day above others a holy convocation ought to take place (as was the custom on the Sabbath, Lev. 23:3) in which there may be leisure for devout attention to the reading and hearing of the word (Heb 10:25), the celebration of the sacraments (Acts 20:7), the psalms and prayer (Col 3:16; Acts 1:14), to alms and help to the poor (1Cor 16:2) and in general to all that sacred service pertaining to external and stated worship. [Turretin, Vol. II, 11, Q. XIV, xxvi].

toddpedlar · #3 (**permalink**) 07-06-2008, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Southern Presbyterian

I've been racking my brain today and looking through the Free Presbyterian Publications' Westminster Confession of Faith for the phrase "stated worship". Is this particular wording, in fact, found in the Confession and/or annexed documents? If so, where? If not, where am I dredging this up from? The PCA BOC? Can someone help me out? ...Andrew?

Thanks!

It's not found in the PCA BCO certainly, and from what I can find the phrase "stated services" only is used in the OPC's. However, in both denominations, "stated worship" is a phrase I've heard quite commonly... just don't seem to find it in their respective BCOs.

Presbyterian Deacon · #4 (**permalink**) 07-06-2008, 11:05 PM

Richard Baxter used the phrase "stated worship":

Quote:

If necessity deprive you of the benefits of God's public or stated worship, see that you labour to repair that loss, by double diligence in those spiritual duties, which yet you have opportunity for.' If you must march or watch on the Lord's days, redeem your other time the more. If you cannot hear sermons, be not without some profitable book, and often read it ; and let your meditations be holy, and your discourses edifying. For these you have opportunities, if you have hearts.

VirginiaHuguenot · #5 (**permalink**) 07-07-2008, 02:31 AM

I did not see the phrase "stated worship" in a cursory perusal of the Westminster Standards. Below is it used quite frequently in Fisher's exposition of the Shorter Catechism, however, and in Robert Shaw's exposition of the Westminster Confession, for instance.

The Westminster Confession of Faith Index to Words and Phrases

The meaning of "stated," of course, relates to regular, or recurring worship within specified times.

Quote:

2. Recurring at regular times; not occasional; as, stated preaching; stated business hours.

As such the phrase, and variations thereof, is found in the writings of many Puritan and Reformed writers.

John Brown of Haddington's Exposition of the Shorter Catechism:

Quote:

Q. What is social prayer? -- A. Prayer performed by two or more persons occasionally, or at such stated times as they agree on betwixt themselves.

William Harris in Matthew Henry's Commentary on Phil. 4.6:

Quote:

1. We must not only keep up stated times for prayer, but we must pray upon every particular emergency: In every thing by prayer.

Robert Jefferson Breckinridge, Protest against the use of instrumental music in the stated worship of God on the Lord's Day

Increase Mather, Testimony Against Prophane Customs:

Quote:

All stated holidays of man's inventing, are breaches of the Second and of the Fourth Commandment. A stated religious festival is a part of instituted worship. Therefore it is not in the power of men, but God only, to make a day holy.

Fisher's Catechism:

Quote:

Q. 49/50.9. How manifold is religious thanksgiving?

A. TWOFOLD; stated and occasional.

Q. 49/50.10. What is stated thanksgiving?

A. It is not only the thankful acknowledgment of mercies daily received, which is a branch of prayer; but likewise the singing the praises of God with the voice, which is a stated act of worship, distinct from prayer, though ejaculatory prayer ought always to be joined with it, Psalm 57:7.

Q. 49/50.11. How do you prove that singing with the voice is a stated act of worship appointed under the New Testament?

A. From the example of Christ and his apostles, who, after the first supper, sang a hymn, (or psalm, as on the margin,) Matt. 26:30; and from the injunction laid upon all Christians to be employed in this exercise, as a stated duty, Eph. 5:18, 19; James 5:13.

Q. 49/50.26. Is religious fasting an occasional or a stated duty?

A. It is merely occasional and extraordinary, to be observed as the call of Providence may require and direct.

Q. 57/58.1. To what about the Worship of God has this command a reference?

A. It refers to the special TIME of God's worship.

Q. 57/58.2. Is the TIME of God's worship left arbitrary to the will of man?

A. No; we are to keep holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his word.

Q. 57/58.3. Why should such set times be kept holy, and no other?

A. Because God is the sovereign Lord of our time, and has the sole power and authority to direct how it should be improved.

Q. 57/58.4. What is meant by the set times mentioned in the answer?

A. The stated feasts, and holy convocations for religious worship, instituted under the ceremonial law, which the church of the Jews was obliged to observe during that dispensation, Lev. 23.

Q. 57/58.5. Is there any warrant for anniversary, or stated holidays, now, under the New Testament?

A. No; these under the Old, being abrogated by the death and resurrection of Christ, there is neither precept nor example in scripture, for any of the yearly holidays observed by Papists, and others: on the contrary, all such days are condemned, Gal. 4:10; Col. 2:16, 17.

Q. 57/58.6. What crimes does the observance of them import?

A. The observance of them imports no less than an impeachment of the institutions of God, concerning his worship, as if they were imperfect; and an encroachment upon the liberty wherewith Christ has made his church and people free, Col. 2:20.

Q. 57/58.7. What is the special and stated time, which God has expressly, appointed in his word, to be kept holy?

A. One whole day in seven, to be a holy Sabbath to himself.

Q. 57/58.20. What part of this commandment is it, that is founded entirely on nature's light; or is what they call moral-natural?

A. The substance of it; namely, that as God is to be worshipped, so some stated time should be set apart for that end.

Q. 57/58.28. When was the Sabbath, first instituted?

A. The will of God, that some stated time should be set apart for his worship was written with the rest of the commandments, upon man's heart at his first creation; and God's resting from all his works on the first seventh day; his blessing and sanctifying it, Gen. 2:1-3, were sufficient evidences of his will to mankind, that they should observe every seventh day thereafter, till God should be pleased to alter it.

Thomas M'Crie, Lectures on the Book of Esther:

Quote:

Stated and recurring festivals countenance the false principle, that some days have a peculiar sanctity, either inherent or impressed by the works which occurred on them; they proceed on an undue assumption of human authority; interfere with the free use of that time which the Creator hath granted to man; detract from the honour due to the day of sacred rest which he hath appointed; lead to impositions over conscience; have been the fruitful source of superstition and idolatry; and have been productive of the worst effects upon morals, in every age, and among every people, barbarous and civilized, pagan and Christian, popish and protestant, among whom they have been observed. On these grounds they were rejected from the beginning, among other corruptions of antichrist, by the reformed church of Scotland, which allowed no stated religious days but the Christian Sabbath.

Robert Shaw, An Exposition of the Confession of Faith:

Quote:

Stated festival-days, commonly called holy-days, have no warrant in the Word of God; but a day may be set apart, by competent authority, for fasting or thanksgiving when extraordinary dispensations of Providence administer cause for them. When judgments are threatened or inflicted, or when some special blessing is to be sought and obtained, fasting is eminently seasonable.

James Bannerman, The Church of Christ:

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And who does not see, that upon the very same principle the observance of holidays appointed by the Church, as ordinary and stated parts of Divine worship, is an expression of religious homage to man, who is the author of the appointment,--an unlawful acknowledgment of human or ecclesiastical authority in an act of worship. In keeping, after a religious sort, a day that has no authority but man's, we are paying a religious homage to that authority; we are bowing down, in the very act of our observance of the days as part of worship, not to Christ, who has not appointed it, but to the Church, which has. We are keeping the season holy, not to God, but to man.

Southern Presbyterian · #6 (**permalink**) 07-07-2008, 02:45 AM

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by VirginiaHuguenot

I did not see the phrase "stated worship" in a cursory perusal of the Westminster Standards. Below is it used quite frequently in Fisher's exposition of the Shorter Catechism, however, and in Robert Shaw's exposition of the Westminster Confession, for instance.

The Westminster Confession of Faith Index to Words and Phrases

Looks like a great resource. I'll bookmark this one for future reference.

Quote:

The meaning of "stated," of course, relates to regular, or recurring worship within specified times.

Quote:

2. Recurring at regular times; not occasional; as, stated preaching; stated business hours.

As such the phrase, and variations thereof, is found in the writings of many Puritan and Reformed writers.

John Brown of Haddington's Exposition of the Shorter Catechism:

Quote:

Q. What is social prayer? -- A. Prayer performed by two or more persons occasionally, or at such stated times as they agree on betwixt themselves.

William Harris in Matthew Henry's Commentary on Phil. 4.6:

Robert Jefferson Breckinridge, Protest against the use of instrumental music in the stated worship of God on the Lord's Day

I had found this one by Google search, but it does not apply to my particular need at the moment.

Quote:

Increase Mather, Testimony Against Prophane Customs:

Fisher's Catechism:

Thomas M'Crie, Lectures on the Book of Esther:

Robert Shaw, An Exposition of the Confession of Faith:

Quote:

Stated festival-days, commonly called holy-days, have no warrant in the Word of God; but a day may be set apart, by competent authority, for fasting or thanksgiving when extraordinary dispensations of Providence administer cause for them. When judgments are threatened or inflicted, or when some special blessing is to be sought and obtained, fasting is eminently seasonable.

James Bannerman, The Church of Christ:

Quote:

And who does not see, that upon the very same principle the observance of holidays appointed by the Church, as ordinary and stated parts of Divine worship, is an expression of religious homage to man, who is the author of the appointment,--an unlawful acknowledgment of human or ecclesiastical authority in an act of worship. In keeping, after a religious sort, a day that has no authority but man's, we are paying a religious homage to that authority; we are bowing down, in the very act of our observance of the days as part of worship, not to Christ, who has not appointed it, but to the Church, which has. We are keeping the season holy, not to God, but to man.

Thank you so much!

I was almost certain that I had read the term in relation to one absenting themselves from regular worship. I appear to be mistaken.

Do you know if there are any commentaries available on "The Directory For The Publik Worship Of God"?

VirginiaHuguenot · #7 (**permalink**) 07-07-2008, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Southern Presbyterian

Thank you so much!

Do you know if there are any commentaries available on "The Directory For The Publik Worship Of God"?

You're very welcome!

I'm away from my library at present, but some works along these lines that come to mind are:

1. Thomas Leishman, The Westminster Directory

2. Rowland Ward's essay in Richard A. Muller & Rowland S. Ward, Scripture and Worship: Biblical Interpretation and The Directory For Worship

3. Iain Murray, "The Directory of Public Worship," in To Glorify and Enjoy God: A Commemoration of the 350th Anniversary of the Westminster Assembly, ed. by John L. Carson and David W. Hall