be felt, or ever prayer be made to God with earneftnefs. The ftate ftyle likewife feems unfeasonably introduced into thefe prayers, as illaccording with that annihilation of human greatnefs, of which every act that carries the mind to God prefents the idea.

IV. That it contain as few controverted propofitions as poffible.

We allow to each church the truth of its peculiar tenets, and all the importance which zeal can afcribe to them. We difpute not here the right or the expediency of framing creeds, or of impofing fubfcriptions. But why fhould every pofition which a church maintains be woven with so much industry into her forms of public worship? Some are offended, and some are excluded: this is an evil in itfelf, at least to them; and what advantage or fatisfaction can be derived to the reft, from the feparation of their brethren, it is difficult to imagine; unless it were a duty, to publish our fyftem of polemic divinity, under the name of making confeffion of our faith every time we worship God; or a fin, to agree in religious exercifes with thofe, from whom we differ in fome religious opinions. Indeed, where one man thinks it his duty conftantly to worship a being, whom another can

not,

not, with the affent of his confcience, permit himself to worship at all, there seems to be no place for comprehenfion, or any expedient left, but a quiet feceffion. All other differences may be compromised by filence. If fects and fchifms be an evil, they are as much to be avoided by one fide as the other. If fectaries are blamed for taking unneceffary offence, established churches are no lefs culpable for unneceffarily giving it: they are bound at least to produce a command, or a reason of equivalent utility, for fhutting out any from their communion, by mixing with divine worship doctrines, which, whether true or falfe, are unconnected, in their nature, with devotion.

CHA P.

CHAP. VI.

OF THE USE OF SABBATICAL INSTITUTIONS.

A

N affembly cannot be collected, unless

the time of affembling be fixed and known before-hand; and if the design of the affembly require that it be held frequently, it is eafieft that it fhould return at ftated intervals. This produces a neceffity of appropriating set seasons to the focial offices of religion. It is alfo highly convenient, that the same seasons be obferved throughout the country, that all may be employed, or all at leisure together; for, if the recefs from worldly occupation be not general, one man's business will perpetually interfere with another man's devotion; the buyer will be calling at the fhop when the feller is gone to church. This part, therefore, of the religious diftinction of feafons, namely, a general intermiffion of labour and business during times previously fet apart for the exercise of public worship, is founded in the reasons which make public worship itself a duty. But the celebration

of

of divine fervice never occupies the whole day. What remains, therefore, of Sunday, befide the part of it employed at church, must be considered as a mere rest from the ordinary occupations of civil life; and he who would defend the inftitution, as it is required to be observed in Chriftian countries, unlefs he can produce a command for a Chriftian fabbath, must point out the uses of it in that view.

First then, that interval of relaxation which Sunday affords to the laborious part of mankind contributes greatly to the comfort and fatisfaction of their lives, both as it refreshes them for the time, and as it relieves their fix days labour by the profpect of a day of reft always approaching; which could not be faid of cafual indulgences of leifure and reft, even were they more frequent than there is reason to expect they would be, if left to the discretion or humanity of interested task-masters. To this difference it may be added, that holidays, which come feldom and unexpected, are unprovided, when they do come, with any duty of employment; and the manner of spending them being regulated by no public decency or established ufage, they are commonly confumed in rude, if not criminal paftimes, in ftupid floth or

brutish intemperance. Whoever confiders how much fabbatical inftitutions conduce, in this respect, to the happiness and civilization of the labouring claffes of mankind, and reflects how great a majority of the human species thefe claffes compofe, will acknowledge the utility, whatever he may believe of the origin, of this distinction; and will, confequently, perceive it to be every man's duty to uphold the obfervation of Sunday when once established, let the establishment have proceeded from whom or from what authority it will.

Nor is there any thing loft to the community by the intermiffion of public industry one day in the week. For in countries tolerably advanced in population and the arts of civil life, there is always enough of human labour, and to fpare. The difficulty is not fo much to procure, as to employ it. The addition of the seventh day's labour to that of the other fix would have no other effect than to reduce the price. The labourer himself, who deferved and fuffered moft by the change, would gain nothing.

2. Sunday, by fufpending many public diverfions, and the ordinary rotation of employment, leaves to men of all ranks and profeffions fufficient leifure, and not more than what is fuffici

ent,