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Now this Principle will immediately lead us to the publick Worship of God, because it tends more in the very Nature of the Thing to promote the Honour and Glory of God, than private Worship can poffibly do, being performed with greater Solemnity, and in the Presence of many Witneffes. When the Nobles or Reprefentatives of the whole Nation unite in one Body to address their Prince, no Man can deny that greater Honour is done to him, than by the separate Compliments of each Man paid privatively to him in his Closet. And when a whole Congregation unite with one Heart and Voice, to confefs their Sins in Presence of each other, and humbly to beg God's Pardon upon their Knees, and praise his adorable Excellencies,and by fo doing, reciprocally raise and enflame their Affections and Devotions, there is a peculiar Force, Solemnity, and Beauty in fuch Worship, that is not to be found in that

which is private and fecret. This is worshipPf. 29.8.9.ing God in the Beauty of Holiness, and Pl. 13. 1. giving him the Glory due unto his Name. This is that Praise that is comely.

The Worship of Heaven is doubtless the most perfect Pattern of divine Wor

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ship; and there we find that ten thousand S ER M. times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. fall down together, faying, Bleffing, and Ho-Revel. 4. nour, and Glory, and Power be unto him that fitteth upon the Throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever. There is fomething fo great and Magnificent in this Description, that every Man who reads it must be ready to tune his Heart and Voice to join in the glorious Concert.

Now if after all this, any one should demand Authorities for publick Worship, I shall refer him to the Pfalms of David, where they are found in Plenty, and to the Practice of our bleffed Saviour and his Apoftles, and the Chriftians of that Time, who often affembled to worship God. And when fome particular Persons abfented themselves, perhaps under the fame Mistakes or Pretexts that I have before mentioned, St. Paul admonishes them to provoke one another unto good Works; not forfaking the affembling of themselves together as the Manner of Jome was. So early did this evil Practice begin among some lukewarm Chriftians to the great Reproach of their Profeffion.

Hebr.10.2

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For the Religion of the Heathens taught ,them a better Behaviour in this Refpect, it being the particular Care of the wisest Governments to maintain the Practice of publick Worship among the People, as the only Means of keeping up a Spirit of Virtue and Sobriety. In the twelve Tables of the Roman Laws which were borrowed from the Greeks, and adopted by the Senate: This was one "Ad Divos "adeunto Cafte, Pietatem adhibento;

Opes amovento": i. e. Let all Men refort to the Temples of the Gods, let them perform divine Worship with Modesty and Purity, laying afide all rich and wanton Attire. "Qui fecus faxit, Deus ipfe vindex esto": i. e. If any Man fhall contemn these facred Inftitutions, may God himself be the Avenger. So apprehenfive were these wife Legiflators, that a general Corruption of Manners must be the Confequence, if Atheism and a Contempt of Things facred fhould once prevail among the People. Cicero look'd upon this as a Matter of fo much Importance, that he imputes the great Power and Dominion of the Roman Empire to no other cause but the

Cicero de legib, lib. 2.

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wife Care of the Government in maintain- SER M. ing Religion and divine Worship. And we find one of their greatest Wits repenting that he had been betrayed by the licentious Doctrines of the Epicureans, into a Neglect of the publick Worship, and refolving upon a Reformation. +

I must not omit ancther Part of Devotion which naturally offers it felf under this Head, as being in fome fort publick, in Contradistinction to that which is personal and private, and this is Family Worship. And the very fame Arguments that establish publick Worship in the Church, hold proportionably for this, because every Family is a little Church or Congregation of Christians collected under the fame Roof; and thus St. Paul exprefly calls it in his Epistle to Philemon, which he addreffes to him, and to the Church in his Houfe, v. 2.

The Priest or Minister of this particular Church, is the Father or Ruler of the Fami

Pietate ac Religione, atq; hac una fapientia, quod Deorum immortalium numine omnia regi gubernarique perfpeximus, omnes gentes nationefque fuperavimus. Orat. de Arufpic. Refponf. ch. 9.

+ Pareus Deorum cultor & infrequens. Hor. Ode lib. I. Ode 34.

ly

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SER M. ly, whose Right and Authority is founded the Law of Nature. Accordingly we upon find it exercised in the patriarchal Times; for Gen. 8. 20. Noah upon his going out of the Ark, built an Altar, and offered burnt Offerings upon it with his Children. Abraham was commanded to offer up his Son Ifaac in SacriJob i. 5. fice. And Job offered up a burnt Offering for each of his Children.

Gen. 22. 2.

It is by virtue of this Truft, that every Father or Master of a Family is responsable to God for the Performance of divine Worship within his little Jurisdiction. Joshua understood it thus, and refolved to discharge his Conscience. Choofe ye this Day, says he Joh. 24. 14. to the People, whom ye will ferve, but as for me and my Houfe we will ferve the Lord. And God himself vouches for Abraham's faithful Performance of this Office; For I know him that he will command his Children and his Houfhold after him, that they shall keep the Way of the Lord, i. e. in training them up by his Example as well as Precept, in the Worship of the true God, in Oppofition to Idolatry.

As Priest therefore of the Church in his own House, the Nature of his Office requires every Father or Ruler of a Family

to