and integrity of heart is the ultimate end of the di vine dispensations ;—yet external religion is a certain means of promoting it.—Each of them has its just bounds; and therefore, as we would not be fo carnal as merely to reft contented with the one,-fo neither can we pretend to be fo fpiritual as to neglect

the other.

And though God is all-wife, and therefore underftands our thoughts afar off,and knows the exact degrees of our love and reverence to him, though we fhould withhold thofe outward marks of it ;————yet God himself has been graciously pleased to command us to pray to him;-that we might beg the affistance' of his grace to work with us against our own infirmities; that we might acknowledge him to be, what he is, the fupreme Lord of the whole world;-that we' might testify the fenfe we have of all his mercies and loving-kindness to us,and confess that he has the propriety of every thing we enjoy ;-that the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof.

Thus much of this duty of prayer in general.-—-——' From every individual it may be reasonably expected, from a bare reflection upon his own ftation, his per➡› fonal wants, and the daily bleffings which he has received in particular; but, for those bleflings be flowed upon the whole fpecies in common,-reafon seems farther to require, that a joint return should be made by as many of the fpecies as can conveniently affemble together for this religious purpofe.From hence arifes, likewife, the reafonableness of public worship, and facred places fet apart for that purpose; without which, it would be very difficult

to preferve that fenfe of God and religion upon the minds of men, which is fo neceffary to their wellbeing, confidered only as a civil fociety, and with regard to the purpofes of this life, and the influence which a just sense of it must have upon their actions. Befides, men who are united in focieties, can have no other cement to unite them likewife in religious ties, as well as in manners of worship and points of faith, but the inftitution of folemn times and public places, deftined for that ufe.

And it is not to be queftioned, that if the time, as well as place, for ferving God, were once confidered as indifferent, and left fo far to every man's choice, as to have no calls to public prayer, however a fenfe of religion might be preferved a while by a few fpeculative men, yet, that the bulk of mankind would lofe all knowledge of it, and, in time, live without God in the world.Not that private prayer is the lefs our duty, the contrary of which is proved above; and our Saviour fays, that when we pray to God in fecret, we shall be rewarded openly; but that prayers which are publicly offered up in God's house, tend more to the glory. of God, and the benefit of ourselves,-for this reafon, that they are prefumed to be performed with greater attention and seriousness, and therefore most likely to be heard with a more favourable acceptance. And for this, one might appeal to every man's breaft, whether he has not been affected with the most elevated pitch of devotion, when he gave thanks in the great congregation of the faints, and praifed God amongst much people?Of this united worship,

there is a glorious defcription which St. John gives us, in the Revelation, where he fuppofes the whole universe joining together, in their feveral capacities, to give glory in this manner to their common Lord. -Every creature which was in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and fuch as were in the feas, and all that were in them, heard I, crying,-Blefling, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that fitteth upon the throne.

But here it may be asked, that if public worship tends fo much to promote the glory of GOD,-and is what is fo indispensably the duty and benefit of every Chriftian ftate,-how came it to pafe, that our bleffed Saviour left no command to his followers, throughout the gofpel, to fet up public places of worship, and keep them facred for that purpofe?— It may be answered,-That the neceflity of fetting apart places for divine worship, and the holiness of them, when thus fet apart, feemed already to have been fo well established by former revelation, as not to need any exprefs precept upon that subje&t :

for, though the particular appointment of the temple, and the confinement of worship to that place alone, were only temporary parts of the Jewish covenant; yet the neceffity and duty of having places fomewhere folemnly dedicated to GOD, carried a moral reason with it, and therefore was not abolished with the ceremonial part of the law.-Our Saviour came not to destroy, but to fulfil the law; and therefore, the moral precepts of it, which promoted a due regard to the divine Majefty, remained in as full force as ever. And accordingly, we find it attefted, both

by Chriftian and Heathen writers, that fo foon as the fecond century, when the number of believers was much increased, and the circumftances of rich converts enabled them to do it,that they began to erect edifices for divine worship;—and, though, under the frowns and oppreffion of the civil power, they every Sabbath affembled themselves therein, that, with one heart and one lip, they might declare whose they were, and whom they ferved; and as the fervants of one Lord, might offer up their joint. prayers and petitions.

I wish there was no reafon to lament an abatement of this religious zeal amongft Chriftians of later days. Though the piety of our forefathers feems, in a great measure, to have deprived us of the merit of building churches for the fervice of God, there can be no fuch plea for not frequenting them in a regular and folemn manner,-How often do peoplé abfent themselves (when in the utmoft diftrefs how to difpofe of themfelves) from church, even upon thofe days which are fet apart for nothing else but the worship of GOD;when, to trifle that day away, or apply any portion of it to fecular concerns, is a facrilege almoft in the literal fenfe of the word!

From this duty of public prayer arifes another, which I cannot help speaking of, it being fo dependent upon it;-I mean, a ferious, devout, and respectful behaviour, when we are performing this folemn duty in the house of GoD.-This is furely the least that can be neceffary in the immediate prefence of the Sovereign of the world, upon whofe ac

ceptance of our addreffes, all our present and future happiness depends.

External behaviour is the refult of inward reve◄ rence, and is therefore part of our duty to God, whom we are to worship in body as well as fpirit.

And as no one fhould be wanting in outward refpect and decorum, before an earthly prince or fuperior, much lefs fhould we be fo before him, whom'→ the heaven of heavens cannot contain.

Notwithstanding the obviousness of this branch of duty,it feems often to be little understood; and whoever will take a general furvey of church behaviour, will often meet with fcenes of fad variety.

-What a vein of indolence and indevotion fometimes feem to run throughout whole congregations!

-What ill-timed pains do fome take in putting on an air of gaiety and indifference, in the most interesting parts of this duty, even when they are' making confeffion of their fins, as if they were ashamed to be thought ferious with their GoD !Surely, to addrefs ourfelves to his infinite Majefty, after a negligent and difpaffionate manner, befides the immediate indignity offered, it is a fad fign we little confider the bleffings we afk for: and far less deferve them. Befides, what is a prayer, unless our hearts and affections go along with it? It is not

fo much as the fhadow of devotion; and little better than the papists telling their beads,or honouring GoD with their lips, when their hearts are far from him. The confidération that a perfon is come to proftrate himself before the throne of high Heaven, and in that place which is particularly distin