known that they are Christians, beyond the mere profession?

Most of you, I trust, would undergo great uneasiness, should your children, through your fault, die without baptism. But to receive baptism is not a more express command of Christ than to receive the holy communion; and why there should be more solicitude about the one than the other, I cannot conceive. It is just as necessary that the new life we receive in baptism should be continued, as that it should be begun. Now all life must be continued by the use of such food as is proper to it; the natural life by natural food; the spiritual life by that which is spiritual. God has provided and ordained the food of this world for the support of our natural life; and he has provided and ordained food in his church for the support of our spiritual life. If we refuse this food held out to us in the holy communion, we deprive ourselves of our spiritual sustenance, and leave the soul to famish, just as the body would famish without the nourishment of bodily food. To complain, therefore, of your weakness and un. worthiness, while you neglect the means God has appointed to increase your spiritual strength, and all holy and Christian tempers and graces, is as unfair and uncandid, as for a man to complain of a weak and sickly habit of body, while he wilfully refuses the food that is necessary to his bodily health.

And, what account can you give to God for the abuse or neglect of the means of grace and holy living, which he has appointed and required you to use? You must not plead weakness, for you refuse to be strengthened; nor unworthiness, for you reject the most powerful means of becoming better. In any thing but religion, the absurdity of such a conduct would not escape your censure. And why it should not be condemned in religious matters as much as in any other, I see not. Religion is of more importance to you than

any worldly business can be, and ought more sensibly to affect you.

The sick man, who complains of his aches and pains, and who laments his misfortune in being obliged to bear such a load of misery and disease as must shortly put a period to his life, and yet obstinately refuses all the remedies which can alleviate his distress, and restore him to health, because they are bitter, or not exactly suited to his taste, becomes the object of our compassion; we pity his unreasonable and foolish conduct. Is then his conduct more reasonable, who complains of his spiritual maladies, confesses "there is no health in him," laments his unworthiness and weakness, and bemoans his deficiencies in Christian virtue, and yet refuses the means God has directed to cure the diseases of the soul, to strengthen the weakness of nature, and make him partaker of the worthiness of his own beloved Son, because the process is disagreeable to his sensual nature?

Could you flatter yourselves with the opinion that you are as good as you need be as good, and pious, and holy, as God requires you to be-it would be unreasonable in me to wish any alteration in your conduct. But when I compare your behaviour in respect to the holy communion, with Christ's positive command, "This do in remembrance of me," and see you live in the open violation of it, I cannot but be anxious for you, and anxious for myself too, lest my remissness should encourage you in a conduct so irreconcileable with the word of God, and the direction of his church. And as nothing but a regard to my duty, and an earnest desire to do you good in your most essen. tial interest, could have drawn these free expostulations from me; so I beg you will receive this address as the effort of a heart disposed to do you every service, that wishes to lead you to the embraces of the God of love, to the arms of the blessed Redeemer, and to the consolations of the Holy Spirit of peace.

If what I have said be agreeable to the truth and nature of our holy religion, your own good sense will enable you to see how indispensably necessary your attendance at the holy altar is, to keep up your union with Christ, and through him with the Father. For how can you be living members of Christ's body, without partaking of that nourishment by which the whole body is fed and kept alive? And you will, at the same time, see the necessity of your communicating frequently, even as frequently as God shall bless you with the opportunity. The cravings of natural hunger make you impatient till it is appeased with food; and the health of the body requires that this food be supplied several times in a day Faith is the hunger-the earnest desire of the soul. They who are blessed with it will hunger and thirst after righteousness, i. e. obedience to God. They need no exhortation; for they will bless God for, and gladly embrace, every opportunity of testifying their ready obedience to a command from which they receive such large supplies of grace and consolation.

In the cathedral and collegiate churches in England, all the clergy are directed to communicate every Sunday at the least, except they have a reasonable cause to the contrary.* And in the communion office she directs the proper prefaces to be used for several days together; uponChristmas-day, and seven days after; upon Easter-day, and seven days after; upon Ascension-day, and seven days after; and upon WhitSunday, and six days after. It is evident it was her intention that the communion should be administered on all these days; and I believe it is done in all the cathedral and collegiate churches.

The general practice in this country is to have monthly communions; and I bless God the holy ordinance is so often administered. Yet when I con

*The rubricks after the communion office.

sider its importance, both on account of the positive command of Christ, and of the many and great benefits we receive from it, I cannot but regret that it does not make a part of every Sun. day's solemnity. That it was the principal part of the daily worship of the primitive Christians, all the early accounts inform us. And it seems probable from the Acts of the apostles, that the Christians came together, in their religious meetings, chiefly for its celebration.* And the ancient writers generally interpret the petition in our Lord's prayer, "Give us this day," or day by day, "our daily bread," of the spiritual food in the holy eucharist. Why daily nourishment should not be as necessary to our souls as to our bodies, no good reason can be given.

If the holy communion was steadily administered whenever there is an epis tle and gospel appointed, which seems to have been the original intention-or was it on every Sunday-I cannot help thinking, that it would revive the esteem and reverence Christians once had for it, and would show its good effects in their lives and conversations. I hope the time will come when this pious and Christian practice may be renewed. And whenever it shall please God to inspire the hearts of the communicants of any congregregation with a wish to have it renewed, 1 flatter myself, they will find a ready disposition in their minister to forward their pious desire.

In the mean time, let me beseech you to make good use of the opportunities you have; and let nothing but real necessity keep you from the heavenly banquet, when you have it in your power to partake of it.

May the consideration of this subject have its proper effect upon every one of you! And the God of peace be with you, "make you perfect in every good work to do his will," keep

*Acts ii. 42, 46. xx. 7. + Heb. xiii. 21.

In a former discourse from these words, my Christian brethren, your attention was called to the propriety and utility of the daily worship of God. It was shown, that the temple service, by the divine command, was a daily service; that it was attended by the devout and pious worshippers of God under the law; by our Saviour while he was on earth, and by his disciples after he had left them, until the destruction of the commonwealth; that from the Jewish church the practice passed into the Christian; that it was usual with the first Christians, not only to meet for daily prayer, but also to receive the communion daily, the petition in the Lord's prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread," being understood as involving the request, that they might every day receive the Lord's supper; that the practice was continued, in every part of the church, till the reformation; that, since that event, most of the reformed churches retain it; that it exists in the church of England; and that the only reason, which can be assigned for its discontinuance here, has arisen from the unhappy disputes which have so distracted the Christian community.

It was shown that the practice of daily publick worship, is one of the highest utility; that it promotes the

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habit of prayer, which is so necessary to the formation of the Christian character; that it produces an intimate knowledge of the holy scriptures, which, as we are assured by the apostle, are able to make us wise unto salvation that it is a continual preparation for the more solemn discharge of our duties on the Lord's day, and especially the reception of the holy communion; and what is of still higher moment, that it keeps our souls in a state of habitual readiness for death, and admission into heaven, the importance of which will be visible to every one who reflects that we know not what a day may bring forth, and that the worship of heaven is described as publick and perpetual. Unless, then, we acquire a taste for devotion in this life, how can we enjoy it in the life to come. If our souls are wearied with the few hours of prayer on earth, how can they be prepared to join in the eternal acclamations of those who "rest not day and night, saying Holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty, which was, and is, and is to come!"

From all these reasons for the daily worship of God in publick, the conclusion was drawn, that Christians surely ought not to neglect the few opportunities for publick worship, which are all that the existing state of things in this country has rendered practicable. The Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent, and the same days at other seasons preparatory to the sacrament, the whole of that solemn week in which our Lord was betrayed and crucified, and the several fasts and festivals, form an aggregate of about sixty-seven hours in the year! How numerous are the hours which are spent in the service of the world! How few the hours which the Christian has an opportunity of spending in the publick worship of his Maker! Shall then even these few hours be disregarded!

These reasons, my Christian friends, appear to me to carry so much weight

with them, that I cannot but wonder how serious persons can suffer themselves to neglect the publick worship of God. But it is always easier to find excuses and objections, than it is to practise a duty. An unwillingness to do what we know to be right, constitutes the corruption of our nature.

I. There seems to be a latent, if not an avowed persuasion in the minds of many persons, that we are under no obligation to worship God, in publick, on any other day than Sunday. Man considers it as meritorious, if he devotes one day in seven to the worship of his Maker; and if he be careful to attend both morning and evening, and does not suffer an inclement sky, or a slight indisposition, to prevent his going to the sanctuary, he regards himself as a strict observer of the will of God.

But, my brethren, the observance of the Sabbath among the Jews was much more rigorous than that of the Lord's day among Christians. If, then, the appointment of the Sabbath was intended to exclude publick worship on other days of the week, why did God appoint a daily worship for the temple? Should it be said that this was a Jewish institution, and, therefore, is not binding upon Christians, it may be replied, that the argument proves too much. The observance of daily worship is no more a Jewish institution than the Sabbath itself. What reason can be assigned, why Jews should be required to wor ship oftener than Christians? Or, to put the question in a juster form, why was it more necessary for the church of God to offer daily worship before the coming of our Saviour, than it is since his coming? The object of their worship was the same as ours. The terms on which their worship was accepted, were the same. They had no more wants and weaknesses than have we; and, as it regards thanksgiving and praise, we have more abundant reason to extol our God and King, and bless his holy name, from day to day. The only difference between the form

of the Jewish worship, and that of the Christian, is this, that theirs was designed to prepare the way for the first coming of our Saviour, as well as the second; whereas, Christ being now come, ours is designed to prepare the way for his second coming. That preparation consists in the purification of our bodies and our souls; and, for the purpose of such improvement, we stand in need of continual and daily prayer.

In

II. But it may be said, that this daily prayer may be in private, and that, for those who are constant in such devotions, continual publick worship is not necessary. On this point, let me appeal to the experience of my hearers. Are there any who feel the importance of publick worship so much, as those who are most constant in the prayers of the closet? And, on the other hand, are not those who feel the most indifferent about publick worship, the very persons who are most negligent with regard to worship in private ? prayer, as in every thing else, the ap petite grows with the indulgence; and they who are most devout in secret will, with the holy psalmist, feel a desire and longing to enter into the courts of their God.* It is to be observed, that no one was more constant, and frequent, and fervent, in private prayer, than the holy psalmist. In the evening, in the morning, and at noon, were his stated hours of prayer. his soul was in that happy state, that, in the midst of the business, and pleasures, and cares, of his high office, he had God always before him. Not a blessing came, which was not followed by a prayer. Not a temptation was escaped, which did not call forth an ejaculation of gratitude. Not a sin was committed, which did not produce the cry for mercy. Not an affliction was suffered, without the instantaneous remembrance, that the Lord, in very faithfulness, had caused him to be trou bled. Yet, notwithstanding this high degree of perfection, the psalmist never

What is more,

*Psalm lxxxiv. 2.

thought of assigning the frequency, or the efficacy, of his private devotions, as a reason for neglecting the publick worship of God. On the contrary, the one always produced a desire for the other. In proportion, then, my brethren, as we imbibe the same spirit, shall we derive enjoyment from the same sources; and when deprived of the privileges of the temple, we shall utter from our hearts the exclamation of this sweet singer of Israel, "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts. My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord!"* On the supposition, therefore, that the worship of the closet is observed with fidelity and devotion; that no trifling excuses are made for the omission of this duty; that the Christian has the love of God shed abroad in his soul; and that he becomes tenderly alive to every question which concerns his conscience; then, we may appeal to him with confidence, and ask, whether he is not bound to let his light shine before men? Whatsoever ye do," says the apostle, "do all to the glory of God." Is there any way in which the glory of God can be better promoted than by a publick and general spirit of devotion? There can be no other way of promoting, among men, the glory of God, than to set a publick example ourselves, of reverence for his holy name and word. My hearers all know the power of example, and especially the example of those who hold eminent stations in society. Were such persons to be seen going, regularly, at the hour of prayer, to worship God in publick, and making this a part of the business of life, what an effect might they not produce upon the habits of society. Every one must be aware that men, from their social nature, are much governed by the power of sympathy. It is of vast importance, therefore, that their sympathies be properly directed. And the more frequently they meet for the pur

Psalm lxxxiv. 1, 2.

poses of publick worship, the more are those sympathies directed towards the promotion of God's honour, and the good of their fellow creatures. It is impossible that they, who meet every day to worship God, can long continue enemies to one another; for he who loveth God will love his brother also.

There is another consideration which renders it of the utmost importance to unite, as often as possible, in publick worship, and that is, that we are more likely thereby to obtain God's blessing upon our private prayers. We are to remember, that the acceptance of the prayers of such sinful beings as we are, is an unmerited act of God's mercy; and we can expect nothing from his hands but upon the terms which he himself prescribes. As, therefore, he requires publick worship, how can we expect to have our private prayers answered, unless we obey his will. "Where two or three," says our Saviour, are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.' This is a promise peculiar to publick worship. Our divine Saviour is present with us, though invisible. He is present with us to receive our prayers; and he intercedes for us at the throne of God. It is a thought, my brethren, full of comfort, that every time we assemble in this place, our Saviour is in the midst of us. Shall we then, by our own negligence, be deprived of so great a privilege!

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III. The most formidable objection to the daily attendance upon the services of the sanctuary, remains to be considered. We are all engaged in the daily, avocations of life. Few persons are so wealthy as to be placed beyond the necessity of daily labour, of some kind or other, for the support of themselves and their families. An intermission of these labours, at the hours of prayer, would oftentimes be the occasion of serious losses in busi

St. Matthew xviii. 20.