The substance of "The Puritan Principle of Worship" was delivered on December 18, 1957 at the Puritan Conference, London. The article was published serially in Blue Banner Faith and Life, vols. 14-16 (1959-61), edited by Johannes G. Vos. We have extensively reorganized the material for greater clarity of presentation. Editorial revisions by Sherman Isbell of this article and of its footnotes are not to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other media, or mirrored at other sites without written permission of Sherman Isbell.

Jeremiah Burroughs, in his treatise Gospel Worship (1647), gives the following account of the strange fire offered by Nadab and Abihu: "But had God ever forbidden it? Where do we find that ever God had forbidden them to offer strange fire, or appointed that they should offer only one kind of fire? There is no text of Scripture, that you can find from the beginning of Genesis to this place, where God hath said in terminis, in so many words expressly, You shall offer no fire but one kind of fire. And yet here they are consumed by fire from God, for offering strange fire. I find in the thirtieth of Exodus, verse 9, that there they were forbidden offering strange incense, but I do not find that they were forbidden offering strange fire. In Lev. 6:13 and diverse verses in that chapter, we find that God had appointed that they should keep constantly the fire on the altar burning, and never to let it go out: Now that was it seems God's intention that therefore they should make use of that fire, and that fire only. God would have them to pick out his meaning: God sent fire down from heaven upon the altar, so in the latter end of the ninth chapter God sent down fire from heaven, and gave them a charge to keep that fire on the altar constantly, and never to let it go out: so that it seems God would have them pick out his meaning, that because he had sent down fire from heaven upon the altar, and gave them power to keep that constantly, God would have them to understand, that what incense or sacrifice he would have the use of fire in, it should be only that fire and no other, though God did never say to them directly in these words, You shall make use of this fire and no other, but God would have them to understand this. That's their sin therefore in offering of strange fire."(57)

Burroughs proceeds to formulate the regulative principle of worship as follows: "That in God's worship there must be nothing tendered up to God but what he hath commanded; whatsoever we meddle with in the worship of God, it must be what we have a warrant for out of the Word of God."(58) And further: "For this speech of Moses is upon occasion of the judgment of God upon Aaron's sons for offering strange fire: They offered fire that God had not commanded. Hence I say that all things in God's worship must have a warrant out of God's Word, must be commanded. It is not enough that it is not forbidden. I beseech you observe it: it is not enough that a thing is not forbidden, and what hurt is there in it? But it must be commanded. I confess in matters that are civil and natural, there this may be enough: If it be but according to the rules of prudence, and not forbidden in the Word; we may make use of this in civil and natural things. But now when we come to matters of religion, and the worship of God; we must either have a command, or somewhat out of God's Word by some consequence drawn from some command wherein God manifests his will; either a direct command, or by comparing one thing with another, or drawing consequences plainly from the words. We must have a warrant for the worship of God. One would have thought that these priests offering incense to the true God, what hurt was there in taking other fire? But there was no command for it, and therefore it was not accepted."(59)

Burroughs adopts the standard Puritan distinction of elements and circumstances of worship, terming the latter "natural and civil helps." "It's true that there are some thing in the worship of God that are natural and civil helps, and there we need not have any command: As for instance; when we come to worship God, the congregation meets, they must have a convenient place to keep the air and weather from them: now this is but a natural help, and so far as I use the place of worship as a natural help, I need have no command."(60) A further important distinction is made between those natural circumstances just described, and significant circumstances, or ceremonies which require a warrant. Further developing the example of a place of worship, Burroughs writes: "But if I will put any thing in a place beyond what it hath in its own nature, there I must look for a command. For if I account one place more holy than another, or to think that God should accept of worship in one place rather than in another: this is to raise it above what it is in its own nature. So that when any creature is raised in a religious way, above what it hath in it by nature: If I have not Scripture to warrant me I am therein superstitious. It's a very useful rule for to help you: If any creature that you make any use of in a way of religion beyond what it hath in its own nature, if you have not some warrant from the Word of God (whatsoever specious show there may be in it) it is superstition."(61)

The importance of the regulative principle of Reformed worship is eloquently proclaimed by John Owen in his work, Of Communion With God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost (1657). The third thing in which the saints' chastity towards Christ consists is, "In his institutions, or matter and manner of his worship. Christ marrying his church to himself, taking it to that relation, still expresseth the main of their chaste and choice affections to him, to lie in their keeping his institutions and his worship according to his appointment. . . . On this account, those believers who really attend to communion with Jesus Christ, do labor to keep their hearts chaste to him in his ordinances, institutions, and worship; and that two ways: -

"1.) They will receive nothing, practice nothing, own nothing, in his worship, but what is of his appointment. They know that from the foundation of the world he never did allow, nor ever will, that in anything the will of the creatures should be the measure of his honor or the principle of his worship, either as to the matter or the manner. . . . Believers know what entertainment all will-worship finds with God: 'Who hath required these things at your hand?' and, 'In vain do you worship me, teaching for doctrines the traditions of men,' - is the best it meets with. I shall take leave to say what is upon my heart, and what (the Lord assisting) I shall willingly endeavor to make good against all the world, - namely, that that principle, that the church hath power to institute and appoint any thing or ceremony belonging to the worship of God, either as to matter or manner, beyond the orderly observance of such circumstances as necessarily attend such ordinances as Christ himself hath instituted, lies at the bottom of all the horrible superstition and idolatry, of all the confusion, blood, persecution, and wars, that have for so long a season spread themselves over the face of the Christian world; and that it is the design of a great part of the Revelation to make a discovery of this truth. . . . This, then, they who hold communion with Christ are careful of: - they will admit nothing, practice nothing, in the worship of God, private or public, but what they have his warrant for; unless it comes in his name, with 'Thus saith the Lord Jesus', they will not hear an angel from heaven. They know the apostles themselves were to teach the saints only what Christ commanded them, Matt. 28:20. . . .

"2. They readily embrace, receive, and practice everything that the Lord Christ hath appointed. They inquire diligently into his mind and will, that they may know it. They go to him for directions, and beg of him to lead them in the way they have not known. The 119th Psalm may be a pattern for this. How doth the good, holy soul breathe after instruction in the ways and ordinances, the statutes and judgments of God? This, I say, they are tender in: whatever is of Christ, they willingly submit unto, accept of, and give up themselves to the constant practice thereof; whatever comes on any other account they refuse."(62) A full discussion of the regulative principle may also be found in Owen's Discourse Concerning Liturgies.(63)

Notes

(57) Jeremiah Burroughs, Gospel Worship (London: Peter Cole and R. W., 1647), p. 3.
(58) Ibid., p. 8.
(59) Ibid., p. 9.
(60) Ibid.
(61) Ibid.
(62) John Owen, The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold (Edinburgh: Johnstone and Hunter, 1850-53), 2:150-52.
(63) Ibid., 15:1-55.

Go to the next installment:
The Puritan Principle of Worship: Part VII