Doth it rain upon thee while the fun is fhining ? Think, if the fun of God's countenance shine on me, may well be content to be wet with fome rain of afflic tion: This easily doth counterbalance any trouble whatfoever.

Art thou drawing near to the church? Then put up fome fervent ejaculations and prayers for God's bleffing and prefence. Say, as Abraham's fervant did, when he came to the well of water near the city, Gen. xxiv. 1-27 "O Lord God, I pray thee fend me good fpeed this day." "Let me not miss my errand; let it be the day when falvation fhall come to my heart and houfe; let it be the day of my new birth, the day when my hard heart will be broken; let it be a day to be had in evérlafting remembrance. As I am drawing nigh toothy houfe, Lord, draw nigh to my foul, and let me have a meeting with thee this day. As thou art to knock at the doors of my foul by the hammer of thy word this day, Lord, come and make patent doors for thyfelf, and command thy loving kindnefs to break in. Lord, opens my eyes, that I may fee the wonders of thy law; open my ears, that I may hear the charming voice of the Son of God; open my heart, that the king of glory may enter in; and open my lips, that my mouth may thew forth thy praife."hisp

2

Doft theu come within fight of the church? Let thy heart rejoice to fee Jerufalem a quiet habitation and pray that God may ftill create a cloud of defence upon every dwelling place in mount Zion, and upon all her afli mblies ;" and that " the mountain of the Lord's house may be exalted above all mountains." We ought to be much concerned for the church, and "prefer Jerufalem above our chief joy." Let us do, in a fpiri tual way, what Simon Maccabæus did in a natural, who, with three years labour, took down the top of the mount Acra in Jerufalem, that no hill there might compete in height with the temple of God: So let us caufe the greatest mountain of fecular intereft vail to the mountain of the houfe of the Lord.

Do you fee a poor mau begging by the way? Let it awaken your gratitude and thankfulness, that you are

not

not in his cafe, and he in yours; and that you are not begging from him, inftead of this begging from you. Hearken, how importunate fome beggars are; with what warm and feeling expreffions do they plead ? they uncover their fores, and fhew their maladies, and bufe all methods to move our con paffions; when we think to put them off with excufes or refufals, yet they fol low us and by their importunity draw an alms from us: Then think with yourfelves, 0 why do not I thus with God? why am I so careless in seeking an alms of mercy from him? is noty my need greater than any beggar's is not the alms I am feeking far better? is not the fulness and pity of the Giver infinitely more & and fhall I be fo formal and lifeless in prayer? It was a good counsel of one, that bade people learn to pray of beggars. I

As it is one of the duties of this day to make collections, and bestow alms for the relief of the poor; fo you should take heed that you perform this duty in the right manner; that you do it not for the praise of men, but for the glory of God. Pray that your alms may be perfumed by the incenfe of Chrift's merits, that they may be a "fweet fmelling facrifice unto God." Would have a bountiful alms from God this day? then

you

give liberally to his poor. Remember Chrift's eye is upon you, and noticeth from heaven what every one calts into his poor this day, as well as he noticed the poor widow's cafting in her two mites into the treasury, when he was here upon earth. Though you have not much to yourself, yet you are bound to give somewhat; and, if it be given in fincerity, God will graciously accept of it, bthough it be but two mites. But fure this will never break you, nor waste your fubftance, but rather increase it, and obtain a bleifing thereon. I pity thofe miferable perions who want not money to tipple and drink with, but yet have none to beltow upon God's poor.c

Directions concerning the Public Worship.

I proceed to the fecond thing propofed, What is neceffary to be done in time of public worship, and when we enter into the church.

I. " Keep

I. "Keep thy foot when thou goeft into the house of God," Eccl. v. i. e Look to your affections, which are tle feet of the foul, by which men go to God, and walk or converfe with him., Firmly believe, and conftantly remember, that God's eye is very much on your behaviour while you are in his houfe. Therefore in the tabernacle, which was the place of public worship, it was commanded, Exod. xxv 37. "Thou shalt make feven lamps, and they fhall light the lamps that they may give light;" to teach us, that nothing there could efcape God's fight; for in his house there was always light. You cannot fin in fecret there, for there are feven lamps to discover your mifcarriages in the Lord's houfe. And, when the temple fucceeded the tabernacle, God fays of it, 1 Kings ix. 3. " Mine eye fhall be there perpetually." God hath an eye, 1. of Obfervation, Jer. xvi. 17. to notice with what fincerity and livelinefs you offer your services and performances. 2. An eye of good will, Amos ix 4. to approve and bless you, if you worship him fincerely and faithfully. 3. An eye of indignation, Jer. xxi. 10. to bring wrath on you, if you approach God irreverently, worthip him carelessly, and profane his day. Now, you may be affured of it, that God is as jealous of his courts under the gospel, as he was under the law, and doth take fpecial notice of his people's behaviour there; for he tells us, "Where two or three are gathered in his name, he is in the midst of them," Matth. xviii. 20.

As you ought to have a lively fenfe of God's omnifcience when you enter God's house, so you ought to have awful impreflions of God's greatnefs, into whofe prefence you come, and a deep fenfe of your vileness and unworthinefs to appear before him: And therefore be putting up ejaculations to God for acceptance in Chrift Jefus. I do not mean that you should stand up (as some do) to private prayer in a public way, as the Pharifees did of old in the fynagogues, to be seen of men, for which our Saviour reproves them, Mat. vi. 5. 6. telling us, that fecret prayer fhould be performed in a fecret manner; And far lefs fhould this be practifed (as fome do) when the congregation is employed

employed in other worship: for this were a confounding of worship, and unacceptable to him who is the God of order, and is plainly reproved by the apostle;

Cor. xiv Alas! it is to be fufpected of many that do so, that these are all the prayers they use on Sabbath morning, for preparing themfelves or their families for the public worship. But, if you come in before worfhip be begun, it is very proper you have your private ejaculations, and be lifting up your thoughts to heaven in a private manner; and, when you are fet down in your feats, fee if you be able to give a fatisfying anfwer to that question the Lord put to the prophet, 1 Kings xix. 13. What doft thou here, Elijah ?" Can you fay, "Lord, I have come, at thy command, to the place where thy honour dwelleth, to the place where thou ufeft to tryft with thy people, that I might meet with thee, and get a glimpse of thy countenance?" Alas! it is much to be regretted, that many come to church, they cannot tell for what end, like thofe Ephefians, mentioned Acts xix. 32. "The more part knew not wherefore they were come together." They come for nothing, and they ordinarily go away with nothing.

But as for you, whofe errand is to meet with God, and get quickening to your fouls, look to the frame of your hearts, let yourselves to hear God's word, and join in his worship with great reverence and fear; confider, not only ministers (God's ambassadors) are present, but the glorious angels are prefent, nay, the God of angels himself is prefent; therefore fay, as Jacob did of Bethel, Gen. xxviii. 16, 17, "Surely the Lord is in this place. How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the houfe of God, and the gate of heaven." In every part of God's worship, this day, whether finging, praying, hearing, partaking, ftudy to behave as one that believes he is fitted in the prefence of the all-feeing God, as one that is working for his immortal foul, as one that, within a few days, thail enter the gates of death, and render an account at the bar of the great Judge of the world.

II. Study to be at the beginning of worship, that you may be able to fay with Cornelius, Acts x. 33. "Now we are all here prefent before God, to hear all things

that

that are commanded thee of God." Think not that you are in time if you win to the lecture or fermon, though you mifs the prayers that went before; for, if you finfully mifs thefe, you have no ground to expect good by the whole day's preaching, fince it is by the means of the public prayers that the word is fanétified to you, and you are prepared for it; and what good can the word do you, if God bless it not to you? and how can you look for the bleffing, if you come not to feek it? It is not the way to profit by one ordinance, to neglect another. To be late of coming is offenfive to God, ftumbling to ferious Chriftians, and injurious to your own fouls. Alas! upon what fmall and frivolous excufes do many stay back from the public worship, or linger in coming to it? A little bufinefs, a little rain, fnow, or cold, will detain them from the means of fal vation. You that cannot hear the word, or come in time to God's worthip for a little cold now, confider what an alteration there will be in hell; there it will be hot enough, and you fhall not have liberty of hearing. Did the cold hinder you? There the heat thall punish you for it. Doth a little rain or frow keep you at home, when Chrift is calling you to receive him? How then will you endure that horrible tempeft, which he will rain on gofpel-flighters, even a flood of kindled brimftone that wil never ceafe nor quench.

III. When you firft fee the minifter this day in the pulpit, think, "Q how welcome fhould I make him that bringeth glad tidings, even the news of reconci liation to a perithing world? Lord, how great is thy clemency to us this day, in fending thy ambaffadors with an olive branch of peace, and not a trumpet of war in their mouths?" Confider our reiterated rebellions and provocations, it might have been expected we fhould have had a fearful meffage fent us, like that of te flying angel, Rev viii ult. "Wo, wo, wo to the inhabitants of the earth," &c. But, instead of this, we have the fweet meffage in Ifa. lv. 1. renewed, "Ho, every one that thirfteth, come to the waters, and he that hath no money, come, buy," &c. and that in ver. 7. "Let the wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous

man