ing event of our Saviour's fufferings, appears to have proceeded from a very important cause. "But he having, by one offering, per"fected for ever them that are fanctified," thefe rites were abolished; and a reasonable fervice, a pure spiritual worship, was introduced; according to which we are required to offer in facrifice, not the fruit of our bodies, fields, or flocks, but the fruit of our lips, in adoration, prayer, and praife, in the name of our great High Prieft Jefus Chrift. By him therefore, fays the Apostle, let us offer the facrifice of praife, &c.

But left we fhould reft in fuch acts of worfhip as the end, forgetting that it is a moft acceptable fervice, and one main defign of our prayers and praifes being injoined us, to imitate the divine Being in goodness, love, and benevolence to mankind, it is added in the next verse, But to do good, and to communicate, forget not; for with fuch facrifices God is well pleafed. The end we ought to aim at in all our addreffes, is to raise our minds to the admiration, reverence, and love of God, and to engage us to the love and practice of goodnefs to one another.

Thus the light of nature and revelation equally teach us, firft, That God is to be wor fhipped, and that publicly, and before the world; for of fuch worship, it is evident from the context, the apoftle is fpeaking; befides, that it is the doctrine every where inculcated throughout the fcriptures. Secondly, That pu

D 3

blic

blic worship is a means of begetting in us fuch difpofitions and virtues as are,neceffary to the prefent happinefs of mankind: fo the apoftle here infinuates; and fo all nations have understood it, as is evident from their religious inftitutions.

There is this alfo in public religion, confirmed both by general practice and by revelation, that, for the right performance of divine worship, there must be an order of men feparated from the common affairs of life, and confecrated to this fervice.

Thefe a

mongst all nations have been held in honour; and towards thefe the text recommends a respectful fubmiffive behaviour: Obey them that have the rule over you, and fubmit yourfelves.

But here it may be fuggefted by fuch as difown divine revelation, That all this matter of public religion and priesthood has no other foundation than ignorance, fuperftition, and enthufiafm. "Does not true worship confift," they will afk, "in our having right notions and juft "fentiments of the being and perfections of "God, in fuitable affections of foul towards "him, and in a courfe of actions agreeable "to right reafon ? If he knows our most fe"cret thoughts and defires, to what purpose "utter words, or perform external acts of

worthip? And are not all actions of this "kind expreffions of our thoughts, and then only neceffary when thefe cannot otherwife "be difcovered? But will we pretend to in

"form

<< were

" form him who is omniscient ; or move him "with our cries who is unchangeable? Or " will we think to gain his favour, as if he an earthly monarch, by flattering fpeeches, and fubmiffive proftrations? Is "not religion entirely a perfonal thing be"tween God and a man's own confcience, in "which the reft of the world cannot join, " and have no concern? And if all this be "fo, why the institution of priests? Have "they not in all ages been a turbulent set of "men, who have aimed at nothing but power, "and enflaving mankind? Nay, is not all "external religion an encroachment upon na"tural liberty, and destructive of the interests "of fociety? at leaft, is it any further useful, "than to overawe the vulgar, and make them "obedient to government?"

Now, in answer to these questions, we shall endeavour to fhew,

1. That public worship is reafonable in itfelf.

2. That it is neceffary to the well-being of fociety. And,

3. That there must be an order of men to regulate and prefide in the affairs of public worship; to whom, upon account of their office, honour and refpect are due.

I. FIRST, I am to fhew, that public wor fhip is reasonable in itself. And as my business will be chiefly with thofe who may refufe to fubmit to the authority of the facred fcrip

tures,

tures, I fhall not urge it against them, but fhall reafon from fuch principles as they themfelves do not controvert.

We shall take it for granted, that man, being endued with reafon, is capable to know that he is a creature formed by an infinitely powerful, wife, and good Being, who is alfo the preferver and governor of the universe, and who is intimately prefent with him, and perfectly knows both his thoughts and temper, and actions; that his own happiness depends upon his favour, and his misery flows from his difpleasure; and hence that certain regards are due from him to this being; particularly esteem, reverence, love, and gratitude, a fenfe of his precarious neceffitous con. dition, and of his abfolute dependence upon God: all which lays a fure immoveable foundation for private perfonal worship: But befides this relation, which every individuał ftands in to his maker, and from which refult the reasonableness and duty of such worship; men being made for fociety, (at least society being neceffary to their well-being, and mankind accordingly being every where incorporated into bodies-politic, and united together under certain forms of government), there arifes from hence another relation between God and them, which establishes a like reasonablenefs and neceffity of external public worship. Thus we must confider ourfelves in this twofold capacity, as creatures having a relation only to our creator; and likewife as connect

ed

ed with our fellow-creatures, and fubject to the laws of fociety. In the former view, our worship, and our whole behaviour, is entirely a perfonal thing between God and our own confciences, in which the rest of the world have no concern; in the latter, both our actions and worship regard the fociety of which we are members. In this fenfe, we are as a family of children, living under the protection and authority of a common father; whom it becomes us to acknowledge and reverence by our outward behaviour, as well as in private, or in our thoughts and fentiments: and as it would be highly abfurd in a child to imagine, that he owed his parent no regard unless when they were together by themselves, it is no less abfurd to say, that the only worship we are to perform to God, ought to be perfonal, and in fecret; for it is to be remembered, that we have no other way of acknowledging him publicly, but by worshipping him publicly.

Further, is it not reasonable we fhould publicly do homage to the Almighty Lord of the univerfe? We will not fay he is delighted with our homage, or that there is any worth in external actions; but may not a king require public homage from his fubjects for other purposes than gratifying his own vanity? May he not justly demand a public teftimony of their respect and obedience; whereby they may be mutually confirmed in their efteem of him, in their zeal for his honour, and in