Essay - A Brief Instruction in the Worship of God and Discipline...

A Brief Instruction in the Worship of God and Discipline of the Churches of the New Testament

Summary

In A Brief Instruction in the ***** ***** ***** and ***** of ***** Churches of the ***** Testament, John Owen attempts to explain ***** set-up of a Christian Church. He does this by explaining how a church should be org*****nized. Furthermore, he discusses the roles that people in the Church, both office-bearers and members, should take. ***** does this in a question and answer format. In addition, ***** support his answers, ***** cites scripture. Therefore, Owen's work can best be descri*****d as a catechism or explication of *****ity.

The first ***** ***** Owen poses is, "What doth God require of us in our dependence on him, that he may be glorified by us, and we accepted with him?" Owen's answer to this question is, "That we worship ***** ***** and by t***** ways of h***** own appointment." O*****n believes that the worship of ***** is natural because of the nature ***** God and the nature of man. God's nature means that anyone who knows God must worship him. Fur*****rmore, man w***** created so that he could honor God in the *****ner commanded by God.

The next question that Owen poses is "By what ***** do we come to know that God will thus be worshipped?' O*****n answers, "That God is to be worshipped, and that according to h***** own ***** and appointment, is a princip*****l branc***** ***** the law of our creation written in our hearts, ***** sense where***** is renewed in the second commandment; but the ways and means of that worship depend merely on ***** sovereign pleasure and *****stitution. *****ccording to Owen, the worship of God requires some outward solemn worship. Furthermore, th***** worship needs to ***** done by societies as well as individuals. This type of outward worship is required by the first commandment. Furthermore, God ***** ***** be worshipped in the way and ***** the ***** ***** he himself appointed and approved.

T***** third question ***** asks is "How, then, are these ways and means of the worship of God made known unto us?" The answer Owen gives *****, "***** ***** by the written word only, which contains a full and perfect revelation of the will of God as to his whole ***** and all the concernments of it." God granted His word un***** ***** church, so that the ***** could ***** instructed in ***** mind and will. He has made this revelation in the Scripture. *****, Owen asserts that Christians should neither add to nor subtract from the revelations ***** the scripture.

Owen's fourth question is "Have ***** ways and means been always the same ***** the beginning? Owen's response is ***** "No; ***** ***** hath altered and changed *****m at sundry seasons, according to the counsel ***** his own will, so as he saw necessary for his own glory and the edification of his church." Owen explains that God could always change the requirements of his