honour him, when we call the Lord's day a delight, and the place appropriated to his worship honourable -when we find not our own ways, nor our own pleasure, nor speak our own words.

The opinion, that the time of public worship is the only holy time under the gofpel, excludes all diftinction between the Lord's day and any other time which may be observed in focial worship: It does not well comport with being in the Spirit: It intermingles earthly things with heavenly: It has not a good afpect on the previous preparation and after meditation which become our stated religious affemblies, and conduce to their greatest advantage.

Our Father in heaven never intermits of his care over his great family. The author of our religion. healed the fick on the Sabbath, and blamed not his disciples for attending to their own neceffities on that day. He reproved those who poftponed mercy to facrifice, who confecrated the spoils of nature and humanity. We may not neglect the care of our dependents, or any object in diftrefs, under pretence of piety. Positive inftitutions were ordained to fubferve justice, mercy and faith. On the love of God and our neighbour hang all the law and the prophets. If any, neglecting the duties of the fecond table from a profeffed reverence for those of the first, think they are fpiritual, they deceive themselves.

We should every day obferve the power, wisdom and goodness of God difplayed in the works of nature and providence; and especially his loving-kindnefs to the children of men. We fhould fhew forth his loving-kindness every morning, and his faithfulnefs every night-fhould acknowledge him in all our ways, and commit every undertaking to him. He numbereth the hairs of our heads, and difpofeth the most contingent and casual events. He cannot be far from every one of us; for in him we live, and move, and have our being.

But the daily cares of life, the neceffary business of our particular callings, admit not of that contemplation and abstraction, which are highly useful for us as probationers for a world which flesh and blood cannot inherit; and where the powers of the foul will not be impeded by fenfitive objects. The inhabitants of that world, always on the wing of contemplation, reft not day and night from the pure and perfect worship of God and the Lamb. It is then a token of divine wisdom and goodness, that a fixed and frequently returning day is appointed for the fufpenfion of earthly cares and employments. But why fufpend them? The answer is,

Secondly, To appropriate the time to contemplations on God and Chrift, and our immortal interefts.

We are in the Spirit, if, laying afide other thoughts and cares, we are free to contemplate the foul's digni, ty; man's apoftacy; the diseases of the heart; the value of the ranfom provided by God; the fuller manifeftation of his glory in redemption than in his other works; the duties of fuch an appropriate day as this, and the good tendency of obferving them.Recollection is neceffary, that our worship may be without distraction. While the thoughts wander on every foreign concern, how are we in the Spirit? Shall our thoughts be diffipated on that day when the things of the kingdom fhould fwallow up every other thought? Shall we even then think intenfely on the things of this life? Or fhall the day of facred reft be wafted on the bed of floth? Was it appointed for bodily indolence? Is it fufficient to refrain from secular business or recreations? Does not being in the Spirit imply a collected, thoughtful frame? Can it confift in confuming the hours in fluggishness, or in vifits, or in trifling converfation, or in vain fpeculations? Is this to regard the day as the Lord's-a day fet apart for

fpecial attention to the one thing needful; the good part which can never be taken away?

Thirdly, To be in the Spirit includes felf-recollection and devotion. In other words, communing with our own heart, enquiring into our fpiritual ftate, entering into our closet, praying to him who feeth in fecret, dedicating our fouls to him, reading the fcriptures, and other pious and useful books for our inftruction. The things of heaven thus become familiar and delightful. Notwithstanding the weekly recurrence of the Lord's day, good men find that fecular thoughts and cares are apt to overcharge their hearts. How then should we be fwallowed up with fuch thoughts and cares, were it not for the return of the day appropriated to special felf-converse and religious homage, the cultivation of good principles and affec tions?

Fourthly, To be in the Spirit may well include family inftruction and devotion.

Heads of families, having the spirit of religion, will especially improve the opportunity, which the day of the Lord affords, to impart religious counfel to the members of their household. Shall it be thought a tafk, to employ a part of this day in imbuing the minds of children and youth with moral and Christian truths, taking them by the hand, and leading them in the way everlasting? This moft reasonable and profitable employment, fhould be a delightful one: It cannot be omitted without great guilt. It behoves us to talk on fpiritual concerns before our families-and especially on that day which we are exprefsly commanded to remember and keep holy.

Those who argue that early religious inftruction encourages implicit faith, appear to take it for granted that fcepticism is preferable to parental inftruction in religion. If fo, why should they blame parents for withholding inftruction in things of this life? For

the knowledge of the things of eternal life cannot be of lefs moment. Let heads of families teach their household what they believe to be the way of the Lord, and let their example enforce what they incul

cate.

Fifthly, A fteady and devout attendance on the public institutions of religion is included in the frame of fpirit with which the Lord's day fhould be obferved.

It belongs to God to fay what means of grace are needful for us-what proportion of time we must devote to public prayer, praise and inftruction-what ordinances we muft obferve-what means he will blefs. The Lord's day and the duties of it conduce to excite and improve divine and focial love, and prepare for the company and worship in heaven. By thefe means light, ftrength, animation and comfort are communicated. When the defire of the foul is to God and the Redeemer, to the exercises in which glorified faints and angels are employed, then are we in the Spirit. Are we about to approach an earthly fuperior? we confider how we shall order our fpeech and behavior fo as to find acceptance. We muft bow before the great God with preparation of heart-with exalted thoughts of him, and the loweft thought of ourselves. Were it not that he delighteth in mercy, how could we come before him? We can open our lips with no other plea than the publican's, God be merciful to me a finner. When David engaged in the folemn worship of God, his heart was fixed. Our heart must be fo. Are we present in body before the Lord, but abfent in fpirit? We pay him no homage. The fame holds true, if we worship for a pretence. God is not mocked. He dwelleth with the contrite and humble. To what purpofe is the Lord's day obferved, if we have no communion with the Lord of the fabbath? To what purpose do we affemble for Christian worship, if the head

66

of the church doth not-vouchsafe his prefence? To enjoy this bleffing, our fouls must thirst for the waters of life-muft afpire to the employments and blifs of that world of eternal reft and joy, of which the Lord's day is an emblem. The religion of the closet and family prepare for the folemnities of the fanctuary. Minds thus prepared go up with joy to the temple, to pay their homage where God recordeth his name, and meeteth with and bleffeth his people. "My foul thirst"eth for God, for the living God, to fee his beauty, power and glory in the fanctuary. I have thought " of thy loving-kindness, O God, in the midft of thine "holy temple. Bleffed are they who dwell in thy "houfe. They go from ftrength to ftrength: Every "one of them in Zion appeareth before God. We "have boldness to enter into the Holieft," through the Mediator between God and men. At the right hand of the Majefty on high, he pleads our cause. All our offerings must be prefented, and whatsoever we do must be done, in his name. We have access to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. "Whatsoever ye fhall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Fa "ther may be glorified in the Son." This is to be remembered at all times-and efpecially on the Lord's day, when the univerfal church on earth join with the church in heaven, afcribing "bleffing, and honour and "glory and power unto him who fitteth on the throne, "and unto the Lamb."

SECONDLY, The religious obfervation of the Lord's day is of the greatest utility and importance.

Separate from divine inftitution, one day has no preference to another. Reafon might dictate fome intermiffion to the labours and cares of life, and the appropriation of fome part of time for fpecial attention to our immortal concerns. But without a divine interpofition, no univerfal or general agreement could ever have taken place on thefe points. Without fuch agreement, all attempts of the kind would be conftantly de