give us a System of Doctrines to be believed, and Precepts to be practifed, feparately, by * every Perfon, without relation to one another; "but to mould and form all his Difciples into

one common Body, or Society; or, as we ufually "exprefs it, into one Church; and, in order "thereunto, he appointed that every one, who "would embrace his Religon, fhould be entered into that Church, or Society, by Baptifm; and;

when they are fo entered, and made Members "of one Body, they fhould continue to exercife "all Acts of Membership, and Communion with "that Society; and that they might be the more "effectually obliged to this, he appointed that "the ordinary Means, or Conduits, or Chan

nels, in which he would convey his Grace to Believers, fhould be this exercife of Communion with his Church, the joining in her publick Prayers, and Sacraments; fo that if we *would partake of the divine Influences, which *Chrift hath purchafed, and without which we

cannot perform the neceffary Terms of Sal"vation, there is an abfolute Neceffity that we

fhould be Members of his Church: And, if "we be Members of his Church, there is a "Neceffity, likewife, that we should perform

thofe Acts by which that Membership is exis preffed; and the chiefeft of thofe Acts are, to meet together for the Profeffion of our Faith in Chrift, for the worshipping God by Prayer, " and for receiving the Holy Sacrament. Nay, I may add farther, that Chrift has fo ftrictly combined all his Difciples in a Church, or So

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ciety, and fo indifpenfably tied all that believe in him to join in the publick Duties of Reli-, gion, as Members of that Society, that it is in virtue of the Relation which we have to that Society, and our Willingness to join in thofe Duties, that GOD accepts even our pri"vate Prayers; fo that if we voluntarily cut "ourselves off from Communion with Chrift's Church, and refufe to join with other Chriftians, we have no reasonable Grounds to expect that God will have any Regard to the Prayers "that we put up in our Closets.-What I have faid, I hope, cannot fail of having fufficient "Force to convince reasonable People of the "great Neceffity of attending the publick Service "of the Church, as often as we have an Op"portunity; much lefs can it reasonably be "thought an indifferent Mattter, whether we

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attend it or not. No. If we have any Re"gard to the Honour of God; if we have any Regard to our own Benefit; if we have any Regard to the Duties which either natural Religion, or Chriftianity, requires from us, we hall think ourfelves obliged to be very diligent and conftant in attending the publick "Service of God; and, if our Circumftances "be fuch that, either we have not Opportunity "of reforting to it; or, if, having Opportuni"ties, our other neceffary Bufinefs will not al"low us to attend it; yet, in that Cafe, these "Confiderations will oblige us to take care that "the Worship of God be performed in Fa"milies, where Fathers and Mafters have Au

"thority

"thority to command their Children and Ser "cants to attend. If they can no oftener than "one Day in the Week be prefent at the pub «lick Affemblies. yet, they fhould every Day "in the Week join with the Catholick Church, "in their own Families, in offering up, the fo"lemn Sacrifice of Prayer for themselves, and "all others. In this Cafe every Mafter of a Family is allowed to be a Prieft; or, he may, depute that Office to whom he pleaseth; but, "if no care be taken of the Worship of God in "Families, efpecially, where they have not an Opportunity of reforting to the publick Offices, "I must confefs, I think the Mafter of that, "Family has not much Senfe of Religion, and "has a fevere Account to make for the Truft committed to him.".

Thus fpeaketh this excellent Perfon: To what has been faid, I fhall only add two fhort Obfervavations, t, That if the Point of religious Duty were quite out of the Question, it would be their Intereft, with regard to this Life, to keep up a Face of Religion in their Families, as it would tend greatly to make their Children dutiful, and their Servants faithful, by preferving a Sense of Duty amongst them, which is the only thing that can fecure to them a fettled Esteem, and Love, and Obedience; and, wherever this is regularly done, the good Effects of it are very vifible in the Behaviour of the whole Family. 2dly, That all People ought to beg a Bleffing upon their fet Meals, and afterwards to return Thanks for them: This is a Part of Family-wor

fhip, a proper Acknowledgement of God's Providence, that we owe the Support of our Lives to his Bounty: This is fo natural to every reli gious Perfon, and fo proper a Means of preferving a due Senfe of our conftant Dependance upon God, that wherever I find this Practice neglected, I must take it for granted that they' are, either very ignorant, or very irreligious in their Notions; at least, that they have not true Senfe of Religion.

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CHAP. VIII.

Concerning the Place of Prayer.

Y the Place of Prayer I mean, Places appropriated and folemnly confecrated for publick Prayer; I hope I have fufficiently proved the Duty of private Prayer; which inay be very acceptably performed in any Place, neither can there be any one Place appropriated, much less confecrated for fuch Prayers, because they must often be put to common Ufes; the fame may be faid of Family-prayer; and, as to larger Affemblies of Chriftians meeting, and joining, together in Prayer, if they have not the Opportunity of any fet Place, no doubt, they may meet together in any Place which they can procure, occafionally, for that purpofe; and fuch Prayers, when properly offered, will be accepted; or, if" they can have the Conveniency of fome fet Place," which it may not be proper to confecrate, (which is very often the Cafe) fuch Places are preferable

to

to any other Place, occafionally, chofen for that purpofe: But, what I mean to advance is this, that it is highly expedient, wherever they can be had, not only to fet apart, or appropriate, particular Places for religious Worship, but folemnly to confecrate, and devote, them to the Worship of God, in fuch a manner that they fhall for ever ceafe to be ours to put to any other Use: This is the true Notion of holy Places; in this Sense they are God's Houfe; and, if they be, in a particular Manner, God's Houfe, we have Reafon to believe that he will dwell, or be prefent in thofe Places, in a manner in which he has not promised to be prefent in other Places that are not fo peculiarly given, or devoted, to his Ufe. The Philofopher, full of his own vain Conceits, will fcornfully afk whether Confecration alters the Nature of those Buildings, as the Papifts affirm of the Confecration of the Elements of Bread and Wine at the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper; to which impertinent Queftion we Chriftians may fafely anfwer, No; and, yet, affirm that Prayers offered up to God in fuch Places may be more acceptable to him, and more profitable to us, than if the Places were not fo folemnly devoted to that Ufe. We affirm, that nothing can be more natural and rational than this Notion. Let us put the Cafe of Perfons, inftead of Places, and every Chriftian Objector must be filent. The Clergy, like the Churches, are fet apart and folemnly confecrated? for the publick Worship of God, to adminifter the Sacraments, and to offer up the Prayers of

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