Affemblies, to pay our Devotions and Acknowlegements to Him; for by that Means we really do our Parts, that all the World should honour, and fear, and worship God, as well as ourselves; nay, and contribute a great deal to the keeping up a Sense of Religion among Men, which is the trueft Service we can pay to GOD: For, were it not for the public ftated Meetings for the Worship of Gop, and the inftructing Men in the true Religion out of the Holy Scriptures, not only the Spirit of Christianity, but the very Face of it, would be in Danger to be loft in the World. But further, that I may yet more recommend to you the Use of public Prayer, let me defire you to confider this: Is it reasonable to worship GoD in a Way fuitable to our Nature? If so, then we muft certainly think ourselves obliged to affemble together for the celebrating his Praises, and the putting up our joint Petitions to Him, for the Things we ftand in Need of. Man, by his own Nature, is a fociable Creature, and is fo contrived, that, in order to the serving his Neceffities, he must join in Society with others of his own Kind: And can it be thought reasonable to have Society with one another, in all other Things pertaining to Life, and yet to have no Society with one another in Matters of Religion, which is certainly of higher Concernment than any worldly Affairs whatsoever? Is it neceffary to our Happi

nefs,.

nefs, that we should every Day communi-
cate together in our Bufineffes, and in our
Enjoyments, and muft we never communi-
cate together in owning the Author of our
Society, the Head of our Community, and
paying our Acknowledgments for the daily
Benefits we receive from him? For what
did God Almighty give us Speech? Was it
only for the tranfacting our temporal Con-
cerns one with another? and not rather for
the fetting forth the Praises of our Maker,
which is certainly the nobleft Use it can be
put to? And yet, that End of our Speech
would be wholly loft, if it were fuppofed,
that we were only to perform our Devo-
tions in private; for private Devotions are
as well performed with the Mind as with
the Tongue. Add to this, that the most
and the greatest Benefits and Bleflings which
we every Day and Hour enjoy, and do every
Day and Hour ftand in need of, are com-
mon Benefits, in which we all have a Share,
as well as this or the other particular Per-
fon: Such are the Air we breathe in, the
Food we eat, the Light we fee by, the Peace,
and Liberty, and Safety we enjoy; above
all, the Advantages of the Gofpel, and the
Promifes of Eternal Salvation. Thefe are
publick and common Bleffings; and there-
fore is it not infinitely reafonable, that we
fhould all join in publick and common Af-
femblies, to offer up our Sacrifice of Praife
VOL. IV.
M

to

to GOD for thefe Bleffings, and to implore the Continuance of them?

Once more, and I have done with this Head. Have we ever seriously confidered the Nature of our Religion, and the Duties of our common Christianity? If we have, we must needs look upon ourselves to be indifpenfably obliged to frequent the publick Affemblies that are appointed for the Chriftian Worship. It is a very falfe Opinion that fome People amongst us are apt to take up, that Christianity is no more than a Sort of more refined Philofophy, and that Chriftians are but a Set of Men, that have truer Notions about Divine Matters, and that therefore ought to live better than the rest of the World. It is enough, according to this Account, to intitle any Man to the Name of a Chriftian, that he doth believe the Doctrines of Jefus Christ, and that he doth live a moral, virtuous Life, tho' he exercises no Acts that express his Relation to that Body or Society which we call the Church. But certainly, this is a great Miftake: For when Chrift came to plant his Religion in the World, and by the Means of that, to bring us to everlafting Happiness; his Defign was not only to give us fuch a Syftem of Doctrines to be believed, and Precepts to be practifed feparately by every Perfon, without Relation to one another, but to mould and form all his Difciples into one common Body or Society,

ог

or as we ordinarily exprefs it, into one Church; and in order thereunto, he appointed that every one who would embrace his Religion, fhould be entered into that Church or Society by Baptism; and when they were fo entered, they fhould continue to exercife all Acts of Membership and Communion with that Society. And that they might be the more effectually obliged to this, he appointed that the ordinaryMeans, or Conduits, or Chanels in which he did convey his Grace and Spirit to Believers, should be this Exercife of Communion with his Church; the joining in her publick Prayers and Sacraments: So that if we would partake of the Divine Influences which Chrift hath purchased, and without which we cannot expect to perform the Terms required to our Salvation, there is a Neceffity we should be Members of his Church. And if we be Members of his Church, there is a Neceffity likewife we should perform thofe Acts, by which that Membership is expreffed, and the chiefeft of those Acts are to meet together for the Profeffion of our Faith in Chrift, for the worshiping GOD by Prayer and Thankf giving, and for the receiving the Holy Sacra

ment.

Nay, I may add farther, Chrift hath ftrictly combined all his Difciples in a Church or Society, and fo indifpenfably tied all that believe in him to join in the publick Duties

of Religion, as Members of that Society, that it is in virtue of the Relation we have to that Society, and our Willingness to join in those Duties, that GOD accepts even our private Prayers and Devotions; fo that if we voluntarily cut off ourselves from Communion with Chrift's Church, and refufe to join in the publick Service of GoD with other Chriftians, we have no reasonable Grounds to expect, that GOD will have any Regard to the Petitions we put up in our Closets.

These Things that I have now said, may be, I hope, of fome Force to convince us of the great Reason, nay, of the great Neceffity that is upon us, not to make a flight Bufinefs of the publick Service of the Church, but to attend it both seriously and conftantly, as we have Opportunity. Sure, after what has been faid, none of us will think it an indifferent Matter, whether we be present at the publick Prayers, or whether we be abfent. No, if we have any Regard to the Honour of GOD, if we have any Regard to our own Benefit, if we have any Regard to the Duties which either Natural Religion or Chriftianity doth oblige us to, we fhall think ourselves obliged to be very diligent and very conftant in attending the publick Service of GOD. And if our Circumftances be fuch, that either we have not Opportunity of reforting to it, or

if,