met together to worship God by him, to give Him thanks for all His benefits, and to implore His grace and mercy to them and to all the world. It is an assembly or company of men, as much as any other; but our Saviour's kingdom being not of this world, the assembly which He appoints, is not to meet for civil ends and purposes, but for religious. And the great thing in all religion, is the devout worship of God, and giving Him the honour due unto His Name; for which the Church, (i. e., Christian assemblies,) being founded, it is a clear demonstration that this worship, is not so well performed alone by ourselves, as in these assemblies. For here we act most like Christians, that is, like members of the body of Christ, which is His Church. With which whosoever doth not join, he is no longer a Christian, because he is not a member of the body of Christ, which is a company joined together, to have fellowship with God and one with another, in all holy duties, of which Prayer, Thanksgiving, and Praises are the chief. For though there they receive Christian instruction, yet that is not the principal business for which they assemble; as appears by St. Paul's words to Timothy before mentioned, 1 Tim. ii. 1. If we could make Christian people sensible of this, they would immediately yield the public worship of God, to be that, which of all others, He most designs to have continued in the world, and consequently be most affected towards it, and constantly frequent it. And how should they remain insensible of it, if they would but consider duly, that it is implied in their being Christians, members of Christ's body, which is His Church. Which being nothing else but an assembly of men, devoted unto Christ, met together for religious worship, they are not a part of it, if they do not assemble with it. That is, they are not Christians, nor will any of their private devotions be acceptable unto God, being set in opposition to the public; because they go about to destroy the very body of Christ, which is His Church; whose very being consists in assemblies, and not in separated worship alone by ourselves. Which private worship is then acceptable unto God, when performed by a true member of Christ's body, that is, by one who attends upon the public assemblies; by which he procures acceptance for his secret and private services. Which are so far from being most acceptable, that we cannot reasonably think, they are acceptable at all, when they are set in opposition to the other, or when the other is constantly neglected. If I knew how to make this plainer, I would do it, because it is a matter of great importance, that we may not be guilty of neglecting the public worship of God, where it may be enjoyed. For so far as we neglect this, we cut ourselves off from the Church; which is the body of Christ. That is, we cease to be Christians, and become bare natural men and women; for Christians are made to worship God together in a body, of which every particular person is a part, which cannot subsist but in conjunction with the rest of the members of that body. Perhaps this will be better understood by considering how we come to be Christians. Which is not barely by belief in Christ, but by receiving baptism; where, professing faith in Him, we are admitted into the Christian society and communion, to partake of those blessings, which are bestowed by Christ upon the Christian fellowship. But then, we must continue. therein, by living like Christians; and particularly by assembling together continually for Christian worship; otherwise we renounce our baptism, which admitted us into a society, and not to act separately by ourselves alone. In which society, if any man behave himself so scandalously, that he is thrust out of it, he is denied to have communion with them in their Prayers, all the time he remains so cut off from the Church. Which is a demonstration, that to have a communion with the faithful in Prayer, is the very thing unto which we are admitted by being made Christians! it being the thing of which men are debarred, when they are turned out of the Christian society. For the farther manifestation of which great truth, which I have thus explained in general, I shall in the following chapters offer several |