other caufe than the regular establishment of affemblies for divine worship; in which, either portions of fcripture are recited and explained, or the principles of Christian erudition are fo conftantly taught in fermons, incorporated with liturgies, or expreffed in extempore prayer, as to imprint, by the ve ry repetition, fome knowledge and memory of these fubjects upon the moft unqualified and careless hearer.

The two reafons, above ftated, bind all the members of a community to uphold public worship by their prefence and example, although the helps and opportunities which it affords may not be neceffary to the devotion or edification of all; and to fome may be useless: for it is easily foreseen, how foon religious affemblies would fall into contempt and difufe, if that class of mankind, who are above feeking inftruction in them, and want not that their own piety fhould be affifted by either forms or fociety in devotion, were to withdraw their attendance; efpecially when it is confidered, that all who please are at liberty to rank themfelves of this clafs. This argument meets the only ferious apology that can be made for the abfenting of ourfelves from public worship. "Surely (fome will fay) I may be excufed from going to church, fo long as I pray at home, and have no reason to doubt but that my prayers are as acceptable and efficacious in my clofet, as in a cathedral; ftill lefs can I think myfelf obliged to fit out a tedious fermon, in order to hear what is known already, what is better learnt from books, or fuggefted by meditation." They, whofe qualifications and habits best supply to themselves all the effect of public ordinances, will be the last to prefer this excufe, when they advert to the general confequence of fetting up fuch an exemption, as well as when they confider the turn which is fure to be given in the neighbourhood to their abfence from public worship. You flay from church, to employ the fabbath at home in exercises and ftudies fuited to its proper bufinefs; your next neighbour ftays from church, to fpend

the feventh day lefs religioufly than he paffed any of the fix, in a fleepy, ftupid reft, or at fome rendezvous of drunkennefs and debauchery, and yet thinks that he is only imitating you, because you both agree in not going to church. The fame confideration fhould overrule many fmall fcruples concerning the rigorous propriety of fome things, which may be contained in the forms, or admitted into the adminif tration of the public worship of our communion: for it seems impoffible, that even "two or three should be gathered together," in any act of focial worship, if each one require from the reft an implicit fubmiffion to his objections; 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 Christian duty) there are other valuable advantages growing out of the ufe 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 exercife of focial 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 Source of power and bounty, having all one intereft to fecure, one Lord to ferve, one judgment, the fupreme object to all of their hopes and fears, to look towards, it is hardly poffible, in this pofition, 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 fome portion of the tenderness, which belongs to the most endearing of our domeftic relations. It is not to be expected, that any single effect of this kind fhould be confiderable or lafting; but the frequent return of such fentiments as the prefence of a devout congregation naturally fuggefts, will gradually melt down the rug. gedness of many unkind paffions, and may generate in time a permanent and productive benevolence.

2. Affemblies for the purpose of divine worship, placing men under impreffions, by which they are taught to confider their relation to the Deity, and to contemplate thofe around them with a view to that relation, force upon their thoughts the natural equality of the human fpecies, and thereby promote humility and condefcenfion in the highest orders of the community, and infpire the loweft with a sense of their rights. The diftinctions of civil life are almost 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 fides. 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 highest of men are removed from the Supreme Being: and this comparison is naturally introduced by all acts of joint worship. 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 adverse 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, the peaceable government of the community, requires.

The public worship of Chriftians is a duty of divine appointment. Where two or three," fays Chrift," are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midft of them."* This invitation will want nothing of the force of a command with thofe, who respect 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 ;"t which reproof feems as applicable to the desertion of our public worship at this day, as to the forfaking the religious affemblies of Chriftians in the age of the Apostle. Independently of thefe paffages of fcripture, a difciple of Christianity will hardly think himself at liberty to difpute a practice fet on foot by the infpired preachers of his relig ion, coeval with its inftitution, and retained by every fect into which it has been fince divided.

Chapter v.

FORMS OF PRAYER IN PUBLIC WORSHIP.

LITURGIES, 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:

1. 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 must always be in danger of producing, + Heb. x. 25.

* Matt. xviii. 20.

where the conduct of the public worship is entrusted, without restraint or affiftance, to the discretion and abilities of the afficiating minifter.

2. That it prevents the confufion of extemporary prayer, in which the congregation being ignorant of each petition before they hear it, and having little or no time to join in it after they have heard it, are confounded between their attention to the minister, and to their own devotion. The devotion of the hearer is neceffarily fufpended, until a petition be concluded; and before he can affent to it, or properly adopt it, that is, before he can address the fame request to God for himself, his attention is called off to keep pace with what fucceeds. with what fucceeds. Add to this, that the mind of the hearer is held in continual expectation, and detained from its proper business by the very novelty with which it is gratified. A congregation may be pleafed and affected with the prayers and devotion of their minifter, without joining in them, in like manner as an audience oftentimes are with the reprefentation of devotion upon the stage, who, nevertheless, come away without being confcious of having exercised any act of devotion themfelves. Joint prayer, which amongst all denominations of Chriftians is the declared defign of " coming together," is prayer in which they all join; and not that which one alone in the congregation conceives and delivers, and of which the reft are merely hearers. This objection feems fundamental, and holds even where the minifter's office is difcharged with every poflible advantage and accomplishment. The labouring recollection and embarraffed or tumultuous delivery of many extempore fpeakers, form an additional objection to this mode of public worship; for thefe imperfections are very general, and give great pain to the ferious part of a congregation, as well as afford a profane diverfion to the levity of the other part.

Thefe advantages of a liturgy are connected with two principal inconveniencies; firft, that forms of