Anf. They are thofe whi h we are bound to perform in the public offemblies of God's people: and indeed the Sabbath is inftitute chiefly for the folemn performance of the duties of God's worship, in the public meetings of his people: for the Lord hath a fpecial delight therein; "he loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob; and wherever two or three are gathered in his name, he will be in the midit of them." Why? It is in the affemblies of God's people for public worship, that God receiveth the highest praises from us; and hence the Pfalmift

thanks in the great congregatio," I will give thee

I will thee among much people.And in his temple doth every one. fpeak of his glory," Pfal. xxxv. 18. Pfal. xxix. 9. And as in public worship God receiveth the highest praises, fo there it is he beftoweth the richeft mercies, Pfal. Ixv. 4 "Bleffed is the man whom thou chufeft, and caufeft to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts; we shall be fatisfied with the goodnefs of thy houfe," &c. O what good things are contained in that word, the goodnefs of thy houfe!" there is pardon, peace, love, grace, life, light, ftrength, comfort, &c. Now, the public duties of the Sabbath, recorded in fcripture, which God's people ought to meet and affemble that? day for, are various; and particularly, they are to meer together for reading and expounding the word of God; for preaching, hearing, praying, praifing, par taking of the facraments, collecting for the poor, &c. for all which we may fee Lev. xxiii. 3. Pfalm xcii. Ifa. Ixvi. 23. Luke iv. 16. Acts xiii. 14. 15. 27, 44× XV. 21. xvi. 13. xx. 7. 1. Cor. xvi. 12. But particu larly,

1. Hearing the word publicly read and preached with reverence and attention, is a principal duty on the Sabbath; nay, our life depends upon it, Deut. xxxii. 46. 47. It is the great mean God hath appointed for the converfion of fouls, Rom. x. 14 17. Whatever men think of it, it is the powerful inftrument of our s falvation, Rom. i. 16. The waters of the fanctuary run only through the channels of the word; the mines of grace are found only in thefe climates where the gof

pel

pel-fun fhines. The Lord, if he pleafed, could immediately, by his Spirit, break open finners hearts; but he hath determined to honour his word in this work, as is plain in Lydia's cafe, Acts xvi 9. 10. 14. Reading the word and fermons at home is good; but hearing the word preached is the ordinary mean God hath appointed and promised to blefs for converfion: And if this be flighted, or prove ineffectual, no other way can be contrived for it, as we are told, Luke xvi. 29. 31. So that though a glorified faint or angel fhould come down from heaven, and preach upon the beauty of Chrift, and glory of heaven, in the moft lively and demonftrative manner; yet, if à preached gofpel do not perfuade finners, neither would that. Or, though a damned foul fhould come up from hell, and preach the evil of fin, and torments of hell, in the moft pathetic manner; yet neither would that perfuade, if the word do it not. Why, the one is God's inftituted mean, the other not. Let us then have an high efteem of God's ordinance, and embrace all occafions for attending it. "Be swift to hear," Jam. i. ty. Let none dare to count that mean, weak, or defpicable, which the wife God hath inititut ed to fave fouls, 1 Cor. i. 21. "It pleafed God, by the foolishness of preaching, to fave them that believe." And how comes believing but by hearing? Reading good fermons (as one fays) is like milk cold out of the difh, but preaching is like milk warm from the breaft, which is far more nourishing to the child. Let us always, then, as "new born babes, defire this milk, that we may both live and grow thereby," Pet. ii. 2.

II. Another of the public duties of the Sabbath is public prayers with the congregation.

Prayer is a principal part of God's worship, and therefore is frequently put for the whole, Zech. viii. 21. 22. Acts xvi. 23. Hence God's temple of old was called the houfe of prayer. Public prayer is moft neceffary for averting judgments, obtaining bleffings, and preferving love and unity among Chriftians; al fo it is a folemn owning the God whom we ferve in the face of the world, and fo highly glorifies God. The bountiful Lord is well pleased to fee many beg

gars

gars thronging at the beautiful gate of his temple, wait. ing for an alms from his hand. And their joint prayers are most prevalent with him, far more than private prayers: for a petition prefented by a single subject, is not fo prevalent as that which is made by a whole city, Peter is caft in prison to be executed Acts xii. but the church meets and pravs him out of his enemies hands. The united prayers of the church are most powerful to procure God's bleffing and prefence; therefore, reader, fce that you make confcience in joining therewith, and be not abfent from them. It is a most graceless practice in some, they either come not into the church till the public prayers be over, or they go out after fermon before public prayers be made. I am fure, fuch can expect nothing by the fermon but a curse, fince they join not with the prayers for a blessing upon it to themfelves or others.

III. Duty is the finging of pfalms, and praising God with the congregation. Praifing God by finging, is often enjoined in fcripture; yea, no less than four times in one verse, Pfal. xlvii. 6. It is comely for the people of God; they are called finging birds, Cant. ii. 10. they are fuch as fhould fing all the months of the year; yea, even in the dead month of affliction: So did Paul and Silas in a prifon at midnight, when their backs were fore with fcourges, and their feet faft in the ftocks, Acts xvi. 25. But in a fpecial manner, finging praifes to God is our duty in public affemblies, Pfal. cxlix. 1. Luke xxiv. 53. And in thefe," both princes and people, young men and maidens, old men and children," are bound to act a part in this heavenly concert, Pfal. cxlviii. 11. 12. 13. And, above all days, the Sabbath is moft proper for this duty, Pfal. xcii. title, Pfal. cxviii. 24. It is a day of thanksgiving and holy joy: We have God's praises to celebrate for the wonders of creation and redemption, we have the glorious victories of the Captain of our falvation to extol and magnify; and therefore the duty of finging praise this day is highly neceffary. By this duty we not only glorify God, but we edify one another, Col. iii. 16. The melody and conjunétion of many ferious fouls,

tend

tend to raife and elevate the heart.

Yea, it was one mean of Auguftine's converfion; he fays," He wept when he heard the pfalms fung by the church."

Singing is a reading with meditation, and gives free vent to the thoughts and affections, and helps to excite and actuate the graces; it is the breath or flame of love or joy; it is the eternal work of heaven, the mufic of faints and angels there, Rev. v. 9. 10. 11. xv. 3. And what are church-affemblies here, but the place of our apprenticeship and preparation for heaven? I know nothing in the world that more resembles heaven, than a company of God's people harmoniously finging his praifes with grace in their hearts, making melody to the Lord;" for then the foul rejoiceth in divine goodness, meditates on divine promifes, extols divine excellencies, and mounts up to God in acts of faith and love. Let us then make confcience of this heavenly duty in the public affemblies, and perform it with heart and tongue; for were it not a rare exercise, God would not honour it to be the only work of heaven, to the exclufion of prayer, repentance, reading, hearing, communicating, &c.

IV. Partaking of the facraments is another public duty of the Sabbath.

:

1. The first day of the week, our Christian Sabbath, is the proper day for celebrating the memorial of redeeming love in the Lord's fupper, Acts xx. 7. This was the ordinary practice of the primitive Chriftians in ancient times and, becaufe of their conftant breaking of bread on this first day of the week, it wont to be called dies panis, Auguft. Epift. 118. So fired were the hearts of Chriftians in those early times with love to and zeal for their glorious Redeemer, who had fo lately poured out his blood for their redemption, that when they affembled together upon the first day of the week, the day he had inftituted for his honour, they could not think of parting, until, by the breaking of bread according to his example, they had celebrated the memorial of his dying love, his atoning blood, his victorious refurrection and triumphant return; which alfo they defigned as a pledge of their mutual love to

and

and communion with one another. And though thefe firft Chriftians were animated with more life and love, and were habitually in a better frame for partaking of this love feaft, than, alas, we now are; yet we muft own, that we are under the fame obligations of love and gratitude to our dying Redeemer, and have the fame need of the frequent application of his blood, and of a confirmed intereft in his death, that they had; and confequently ought to dedicate many more Lord's days to the celebration of this memorial feast of his supper, than now we do: Especially seeing the partak ing of this ordinance is the proper work of the Lord's day, and one fpecial defign of the inftitution of this holy day.

2. Baptifm is most proper on this day: The day is holy, and the facrament is holy. Children fhould be brought to the congregation, and baptized in face thereof; for, fince baptifm is the door to Chrift's house, it is fit to be entered when the family is convened, or the church affembled, that fo the receiving of new members thereinto may be homologate by them; that the parents engagements may have the more witneffes to them, and the children have more prayers put up for them; and alfo, that the whole congregation may be edified by this folemn ordinance, and excited to remember and improve their own baptisms. Of which afterward.

As to the feafting part of this folemnity, I do not think it proper on the Lord's day: This may well be delayed till the day after.

V. Making public collections for the poor, is a proper duty on this day, I Cor. xvi. 1. 2. This day being inftituted to keep up the memorial of Chrift's infinite charity to mankind, and for our meeting to receive new bleffings and mercies from him, we are, in gratitude, bound on this occafion to be liberal to his poor: This doth not wrong, but promote our Sabbath day's frame. Let no Chriftian then neglect his duty, which is fo plainly commanded by Chrift, and has been practifed by the Chriftian church for near thefe two thousand years.