of God's extraordinary goodness far and near; whereas when few or none tread in the courts of his house which were built to contain a multitude of worshippers, and to represent the inconceivable greatness of that God who is therein worshipped; this very much damps the sense of God and religion in the world, and represents him after a poor and contemptible fash+ ion: O! how unsuitable then is it, that the worship of such an excellent and glorious being as God is, should be confined to our closets and private houses, when it is much more suitable and agreeable to his nature, that we magnify and praise him as openly and publicly as possibly we can, that so we may not seem to worship some little petty deity, but the almighty and universal Lord of heaven and earth;

9. As public worship glorifies God most, so he accepts it best, for there is nothing that Almighty God more delights in, than in the joint prayers and praises of his people. Psal. lxxxvii. 2. The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than all the dwel lings of Jacob." No doubt, the prayers which good men put up to almighty God from under their private roofs, are very acceptable to him; but if a christian's single voice in prayer be so sweet, what is the church's choir, the joint prayer of a multitude of good men in concert together! A father is glad to see any one of his children at his house, and makes him welcome when he visits him, but when they meet altogether there, then is the feast and splendid entertainment. Verily the public prayers and praises of God's children, are the emblems of heaven; and a devout soul, when joining in the public assemblies, looks upon himself as in the very suburbs of heaven, it being the nearest approach that can be made to that glorified society on this side glory.

In order to your profitable attendance upon God in

his public worship, let the following directions be observed by you:

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1. Come always at the beginning of the Service, and be sure to stay till the whole is ended: neither come late, nor run away early, before the blessing be given, which many careless people rudely do, as if they were as glad to get out of God's house as out of a prison. Those two pious and useful men, whose memories you of this place have such a deserved veneration for, Mr. Rogers, some time your minister, and Mr. Hildersham, the one in his exposition of St. Peter, and the other in his Lectures on St. John, do give frequent advice to their people, not only to come at the beginning, but before the beginning of public worship: "It becoming the people, say they, to wait for the minister, rather than the minister to stay for the people." Think not then that you are time enough at church, if you get to the sermon, though you miss the prayers, for they prepare you for the word, and sanctify the word unto you. It is not the way to profit by one ordinance, to neglect

another.

2. Enter the public assemblies awfully and reverently Presume not to come into the house of God as you do into a play-house or dancing-school, laughing and toying, nor to go out of it as such; but labour for a lively vigorous sense of God impressed upon your minds, and to get your hearts possessed with the consideration of the infinite majesty and glorious excellency of that God whom you are addressing yourself unto.

3. When present in the public assemblies, join uniformly with the congregation in all the parts of God's worship: It makes much for the comeliness and reverence of God's worship that all things be done in order; when the congregation prays, hears,

kneels, and sings together, as if the whole congrega tion were but one man.

4. Look that the intention of your mind, and the reverence of your body, do always accompany each other in the public worship of God; particularly in prayer, look that your soul ascend with every petition that is put up at the throne of grace, and let the posture of thy body declare the veneration of thy soul. To that end, always kneel at prayer, if with any conveniency you can. This posture of kneeling, and sometimes of lying prostrate upon the face in prayer, was constantly used in the Jewish church; and the christian church was never acquainted with any other posture, except only betwixt Easter and Whitsuntide, when, in memory of Christ's resurrection, they were wont to stand. As for such amongst us who rudely sit at prayer, it shews that their minds are not possessed with an awful sense of that vast and infinite distance and disproportion that is betwixt God and them. Sitting no where appears in the scripture to have been used as a praying posture. And for that one text, 2 Sam. vii. 18. that "David sat before the Lord, and said, &c." it may as well be read, David abode or stayed before the Lord, and so is rendered, 1 Sam. 1. 22. Nor is it to be supposed, that David would present his supplications to almighty God in such a saucy manner, as he would not suffer any of his own subjects to present a petition to himself. A prince would not like an irreverent behaviour from his servants in his bed-chamber, where none besides himself is witness to it, much less would he bear it in his presence-chamber, when he sits upon his throne before a multitude of his subjects.

5. Therefore to compose the frame of your mind, and to regulate the behaviour of your body, whilst you are attending upon almighty God in his public

ordinances, often remember the several eyes that are upon you, and taking notice of you; namely, the allseeing eye of God, the observing eye of conscience, the vigilant eye of the world, and the malignant eye of Satan.

6. Never attend upon Almighty God in public duties, before you have waited upon him in your private devotion: Enter the closet before you enter into God's house, and there first consider, and then pray. Consider with thyself the weight and importance of those duties which thou art about to engage in: Consider the worth and value of an opportunity for thy soul, which thou art that day entrusted with; but especially reflect often upon the strictness of that account which is to be given, for the long enjoyment of the plentiful means of grace afforded to thee. Next bow thy knees to Almighty God in prayer, humbly implore his gracious presence with thee, and assistance of thee in thy private preparations, and in thy public performances also. Remember that as thou canst do nothing of thyself at the ordinance without God's assistance, so will God do nothing for thee by the ordinance without thy endeavours: The remembrance of the former will stir thee up to a more fervent supplication, and a more importunate expectation of help from heaven; and the consideration of the latter, will excite thy diligence and care both in thy preparation for and attendance upon, all the secret and solemn institutions of almighty God.

Never therefore go forth out of thine own house without preparation and prayer to the house of God; and let such of you as plead to me want of ability to express your desires to God, make use of the prayer for the Lord's Day at the end of this book, or some other, composed to your hand, both in your closet alone, and also in your family, changing only the per

son, according as you pray by yourself alone, or to gether with your houshold.

7. As soon as the public ordinances are over, retire and withdraw thyself from the world; think and méditate upon what thou hast heard. If thou art a single person, call thyself to an account, if thou hast a family, call thy houshold to give an account of what they have heard that day, and endeavour thyself (according to thy duty) to be their remembrancer, by repeating to them, either by the strength of thy memory, or by the help of thy pen, the chief heads of discourse which were insisted upon, for the informing of their judgments, and directing of their practice. This was the pious practice of your forefathers; and if ever religion recovers its decayed strength, it must be by the help and encouragement of masters of families, who holily resolve, that whatever others do, they and theirs shall serve the Lord.

8. Conclude and end each day of public worship with family prayer, and a psalm of praise, bewailing the miscarriages of your hearts in holy duties, imploring forgiveness of the iniquity of your holy things, and the acceptation of your sacrifice and service in and through our great high priest and worthy mediator. And if thou wantest words to express thyself, thou wilt find assistance among the prayers at the end.