with

for? Why certainly, then we muft pray other devout People, that come together to obtain the very fame Thing that we defire. In common Reafon one would think that the united Force of a Number joining together, to make a Requeft, fhould have more Power, than a Petition from a fingle Man, whoever the Perfon be that is addreffed to. But we have more Caufe to think fo with reference to those Prayers we make to God; Christ Jefus having given us his Promife, that where-ever two or three of us are gathered together in his Name, there he will be in the midst of us. Not but that he will be prefent to every devout Soul that prays as he fhould do; but the Promife is more exprefs to thofe that join their Prayers together. Nay, our Saviour, even when the Occafion led him to difcourfe of private Prayer, fuch as ought to be performed in the Closet, yet being to give a Form of Prayer, he delivers it in fuch Words, as are moft proper to be ufed in a Congregation, fpeaking in the plural Number, Our Father, which art in Heaven, give us this Day our daily Bread, forgive us our Trefpaffes, and fo on : Intimating hereby, that it was his Design that all his Difciples fhould join their Prayers together. But this is not all; do we think it our Duty to pay Honour to God in our Devotions, to give him the Glory that is due unto his Name? why certainly, this is never fo properly done, as when we affem

ble

ble together with our Fellow-Chriftians, to express our Dependance upon him, and to fet forth his Praife. In true fpeaking, to give Honour and Glory to God, is to publifh to others the Sense we have of his adorable Perfections, of his infinite Kindnefs, and Benefits, and of the continual Need we ftand in of his Bounty and Influences; but this can no way be done fo effectually as by joining in the Expreffion of those Things, with the religious Affemblies of our Brethren. Nor indeed can we be more properly faid to ferve God by our Devotions in private, than we can be faid to honour him. And yet all of us think there is fome Service due from us to God, and we think likewife that we serve him by our Prayers. That is fo conmon and obvious a Notion, that if a Man do but hear the Service of God mentioned, he is naturally apt to apply that Word to praying to him, and worshipping of him, as looking upon that as the principal Part of that Service we owe to God. Why this is true; but praying to God in private is doing him no Service, in the proper Senfe of the World; there we rather ferve ourselves than God Almighty. To ferve one is properly to promote the Intereft of that Perfon, whom we pretend to ferve; to do his Business with all thofe, among whom we are employed. This now is truly and properly done with refpect to God, when we refort to the publick Affem

blies, to pay our Devotions and Acknowledgements to him, for by that Means we really do our Parts, that all the World should honour, and fear, and worship God as well as our felves. Nay, and contribute a great deal to the keeping up a Senfe of Religion among Men, which is the trueft Service we can pay to God. For were it not for the publick ftated Meetings for the Worship of God, and the Inftructing Men in the true Religion out of the Holy Scriptures, not only the Spirit of Christianity, but the very Face of it, would be in Danger to be loft in the World. But further, that I may yet more recommend to you the Ufe of publick Prayer, let me defire you to confider this: Is it reasonable to worship God in a way fuitable to our Nature? Iffo, then we must certainly think our felves obliged to affemble together for the celebrating his Praises, and the putting up our Joint-Petitions to him, for the Things we stand in need of. Man by his own Nature is a fociable Creature, and is fo contrived that in order to the ferving his Neceffities, he muft join in Society with others of his own kind: and can it be thought reasonable to have Society with one another in all other Things pertaining to Life, and yet to have no Society with one another in Matters of Religion, which is certainly of higher Concernment than any worldly Affairs whatsoever? Is it neceffary to our Happi

nefs,

nefs, that we should every Day communicate together in our Bufineffes, and in our Enjoyments, and muft we never communicate together in owning the Author of our Society, the Head of our Community, and paying our Acknowledgments for the daily Benefits we receive from him? For what did God Almighty give us Speech? Was it only for the tranfacting our temporal Concerns one with another? And not rather for the setting forth the Praises of our Maker, which is certainly the noblest Use it can be put to. And yet that End of our Speech would be wholly loft, if it were fuppofed, that we were only to perform our Devotions in private; for private Devotions are as well performed with the Mind as with the Tongue. Add to this, that the most and the greatest Benefits and Bleffings which we every Day and Hour enjoy, and do every Day and Hour ftand in need of, are common Benefits, in which we all have a Share, as well as this or the other particular Perfon. Such are the Air we breathe in, the Food we eat, the Light we fee by, the Peace and Liberty and Safety we enjoy; above all, the Advantages of the Gofpel, and the Promifes of Eternal Salvation. These are publick and common Bleffings; and therefore is it not infinitely reasonable, that we fhould all join in publick and common Affemblies, to offer up our Sacrifice of Praise

1

to God for these Bleffings, and to implore the Continuance of them.

Once more, and I have done with this Head. Have we ever ferioufly confidered the Nature of our Religion, and the Duties of our common Chriftianity? If we have, we must needs look upon our felves to be indifpenfably obliged to frequent the publick Affemblies, that are appointed for the Chriftian Worship. It is a very falfe Opinion that fome-People amongst us are apt to take up, that Chriftianity is no more than a Sort of more refined Philosophy, and that Christians are but a Set of Men, that have truer Notions about Divine Matters, and that therefore ought to live better than the reft of the World. It is enough, according to this Account, to entitle any Man to the Name of a Chriftian, that he doth believe the Doctrines of Jefus Chrift, and that he doth live a moral, virtuous Life, tho' he exercises no Acts that express his Relation to that Body or Society which we call the Church. But certainly this is a great Miftake. For when Chrift came to plant his Religion in the World, and by the Means of that to bring us to everlasting Happiness, his Defign was not only to give us fuch a Syftem of Doctrines to be believed, and Precepts to be practifed feparately by every Person, without Relation to one another, but to mould and form all his Disciples into one common Body or Society, or

as