tions; and if no man will attend upon a religious fervice which in any point contradicts his opinion of truth, or falls fhort of his ideas of perfection.

Befide the direct neceffity of public worship to the greater part of every Chriftian community (fuppofing worship at all to be a Chrif tian duty), there are other valuable advantages growing out of the use of religious affemblies, without being defigned in the inftitution, or thought of by the individuals who compofe them.

1. Joining in prayer and praises to their common Creator and Governor, has a fenfible tendency to unite mankind together, and to cherish and enlarge the generous affections.

So many pathetic reflections are awakened by every exercise of social devotion, that moft men, I believe, carry away from public worship a better temper towards the reft of mankind, than they brought with them. Sprung from the fame extraction, preparing together for the period of all worldly diftinctions, reminded of their mutual infirmities and common dependency, imploring and receiving fupport and fupplies from the fame great fource of power and bounty, having all one interest to secure, one

Lord

Lord to ferve, one judgment, the fupreme object to all of their hopes and fears, to look towards; it is hardly poffible, in this position, to behold mankind as ftrangers, competitors, or enemies; or not to regard them as children of the fame family affembled before their common parent, and with some portion of the tenderness which belongs to the most endearing of our domeftic relations. It is not to be expected, that any fingle effect of this kind fhould be confiderable or lasting; but the frequent return of fuch fentiments as the prefence of a devout congregation naturally fuggefts, will gradually melt down the ruggedness of many unkind paffions, and may generate in time a permanent and productive benevolence.

2. Affemblies for the purpofe of divine worship, placing men under impreffions by which they are taught to confider their relation to the Deity, and to contemplate those around them. with a view to that relation, force upon their thoughts the natural equality of the human species, and thereby promote humility and condefcenfion in the highest orders of the community, and infpire the loweft with a fenfe of their rights. The diftinctions of civil life are almost always

E 4

always infifted upon too much, and urged too far. Whatever therefore conduces to restore the level, by qualifying the difpofitions which grow out of great elevation or depreffion of rank, improves the character on both sides. Now things are made to appear little, by being placed befide what is great. In which manner, fuperiorities, that occupy the whole field of the imagination, will vanish, or fhrink to their proper diminutiveness, when compared with the distance by which even the higheft of men are removed from the Supreme Being: and this comparison is naturally introduced by all acts of joint worfhip. If ever the poor man holds up his head, it is at church: if ever the rich man views him with respect, it is there: and both will be the better, and the public profited, the oftener they meet in a fituation, in which the confcioufnefs of dignity in the one is tempered and mitigated, and the spirit of the other erected and confirmed. We recommend nothing adverfe to fubordinations which are established and neceffary; but then it should be remembered, that fubordination itself is an evil, being an evil to the fubordinate, who are the majority, and therefore ought not to be carried a tittle beyond what the greater

good,

good, the peaceable government of the community, requires.

The public worship of Chriftians is a duty of divine appointment." Where two or three," fays Christ, "are gathered together in my name, "there am I in the midst of them *." This invitation will want nothing of the force of a command with thofe, who refpect the perfon and authority from which it proceeds. Again, in the Epiftle to the Hebrews," not forfaking "the affembling of ourselves together, as the manner of fome is;" which reproof feems as applicable to the desertion of our public worship at this day, as to the forfaking the religious afsemblies of Chriftians in the age of the Apostle. Independently of these paffages of scripture, a disciple of Christianity will hardly think himself at liberty to dispute a practice fet on foot by the inspired preachers of his religion, coeval with its inftitution, and retained by every fect into which it has been fince divided.

*Matt. xviii. 20. Heb. x. 25.

СНАР.

CHAP.

V.

OF FORMS OF PRAYER IN PUBLIC WORSHIP.

L

ITURGIES, or preconcerted forms of

public devotion, being neither enjoined in fcripture nor forbidden, there can be no good reafon either for receiving or rejecting them, but that of expediency; which expediency is to be gathered from a comparison of the advantages and difadvantages attending upon this mode of worship, with those which ufually accompany extemporary prayer.

The advantages of a liturgy are thefe:

I. That it prevents abfurd, extravagant, or impious addreffes to God, which, in an order of men fo numerous as the facerdotal, the folly and enthusiasm of many muft always be in danger of producing, where the conduct of the public worship is entrusted, without reftraint or affiftance, to the discretion and abilities of the officiating minifter.

II. That