What Does Thomas Manton Mean By This?

[bookslover]

If you check out the top post of my new blog (for July 16; see under my signature, below), you will see that Manton says that Christians should prefer "natural worship before instituted." Well, that got me to scratch my head.

Any guess as to what he means by this phrase?

 

[CathH]

This post?

I'll guess ... maybe it means something like prayer or praise which are sort of natural/instinctive should be prioritised before (say) a burnt offering or a baptism which have had to be revealed/instituted?

 

[Jonathan95]

The fundamental article of the covenant is to have God for our God and to prefer natural worship before instituted, the means stated before manner and time, God before man, parents before others.

Well the archaic definition of institute is:

a commentary, treatise, or summary of principles, especially concerning law.

So this make me think that he's essentially saying that we should prefer to worship God not only because it's in keeping with the law but because it springs up naturally within us.

 

[bookslover]

This post?

I'll guess ... maybe it means something like prayer or praise which are sort of natural/instinctive should be prioritised before (say) a burnt offering or a baptism which have had to be revealed/instituted?

Yes, that post. Glad you found the blog, Cath!

 

[TylerRay]

If you check out the top post of my new blog (for July 16; see under my signature, below), you will see that Manton says that Christians should prefer "natural worship before instituted." Well, that got me to scratch my head.

Any guess as to what he means by this phrase?

It seems to me that he's distinguishing between natural and positive law, as the distinction relates to our worship of God. We are to transcend the positive mode of our worship to the natural law of worship that finds expression in the positive ordinances. The quote you posted today gets at the same idea.