VII.

SER M. However, this I think is fo, that tho' natural Reafon direct Men to allot fome certain space of Time for the immediate Service of God; yet how much that fhall be, cannot be determined by any Light that Nature gives us, but must be taught by divine Revelation. And if God had never made any Revelation, it must have been determin'd by common Confent, or by the fupreme Authority of every Nation. Upon the whole, it is fufficiently evident that the feparating of fpecial Times and Places for Religious Service is grounded upon the fame Foundation,which is,the Neceflity of publick Worship and therefore the Light of Nature does evidently direct us to both; tho' it is not fo clear what certain Proportion of our Time we are to dedicate to God, as it is, that the Place, which is most convenient for the generality of the Worshipers fhould be chofen, and that it fhould be fufficiently large for those who are to refort to it.

II. I am to fhew, That the fame Sort of Regard is due to Times and Places, fo feparated for the Service of God. 1. And here the firft Point to be confider'd is,in what degree of Duty and Obligation we are to place the providing, and ufing fit Times and Places for publick Worship. That you may the better underftand me, I muft remind you of a Di

ftinction

VII.

ftinction which I have often made of the SER M. Duties of Religion, namely, that fome of them are Final,fome Inftrumental only. Final Duties of Religion are by much the greatest, and moft valuable; they are the Love of God, and of our Neighbour, Temperance, Humility, and the like: thefe are Duties of abfolute perpetual Obligation, without which 'tis impoffible for a Man to be faved in another World; they are Duties that may, and must be practis'd at all Times, and in all Places; they are fuch Difpofitions of Mind, without which no Man can be well pleasing to God; they are not only neceffary in this World, but alfo in the World to come. For if it could be supposed that a Man could enter into Heaven, without a fincere Love to God and Man, without a Love of Temperance, or with a proud and haughty Mind, it is certain Heaven would not be a Place of Happiness to him; there can be no Injoyments there but for pure and holy Souls that love their Maker and their Fellow Creatures; not for such as have a hankering after fordid Pleasures, or Souls fwoln with Pride, or Envy, or fuch like diabolical Paffions: These Duties are to be learn'd, and practis'd for their own Sakes, and are the chief Perfection of humane Souls; and therefore are called final Duties, or Duties of the End. There are other Duties, that

are

SER M. are only Inftrumental; fuch are Fafting,

VII.

Reading, Self-examination, the publick Worship of God, and fetting apart proper Times, or Places, and ufing of them to that Purpose: Thefe are Duties only in order to the improving and promoting ourselves in the Practice of those other greater and weightier Matters of the Law and Gospel, and to be learn'd, and exercifed for the Sake of them, which are the moft excellent Virtues of Religion. For the End of all outward Exercise of the Inftrumental Duties is to raise our Love to God, and our Neighbours, and to bring us to the Practice of Sobriety, Meeknefs, and fuck like divine Graces; therefore we are to Read, and keep the Lord's Day, and go to Church, that we may by these means graft in our Hearts, and train and difcipline our felves in those Duties, which I just now mention'd, and which are the most exalted Parts of Virtue and Religion, and which crown all our other Performances. A Man may be very acceptable in God's Sight, and be very dear to him, tho' he be in a State of Captivity, and fo as that he can neither obferve a Day unto the Lord through the Tyranny of thofe under whose Power he is, as if they be Turks, or Heathens; nor have any Place of Worfhip, to which he may refort. But no Man can have any juft grounds to hope

for

VII.

for Acceptance with God, who has not a SER M prevailing Love toward him, and a fincere Affection, and Good-will toward all Men and in a Word, who does not to the best of his Power lead a Sober, Righteous, and godly Life: nay it is certain, that God loathis the outward Worship and Service of those Men, who fo are void of true moral Goodness: To fuch he says by his Prophet Ifaiah, Ch. i. 12, 13, 14. When ye come to appear before me, who bath required this at your Hands to tread my Courts? Tour new Moons, and Sabbaths, and calling of Affemblies, I cannot away with, it is Iniquity, even your folemn Meeting.

God is the Standard of all Excellence and Perfection, and thofe Virtues and Graces in which we refemble, or imitate him, are certainly the most of all to be efteem'd and valu'd. But now the Graces in which we do come nearest to that Pattern which he sets us, are holy Love; for God is Love, Juftice, Purity from all filthy Pleasures therefore there is no Room to doubt, but that these Graces are in themfelves most excellent, and most pleasing to him. On the other fide, God's Goodness. does not confift in feparating Days and Places, for conferring his Benefits on his Creatures; he exercises all his divine Artributes without any Intermiffion of Time,

or

SER M. or Exception of Place: He is the fame

VII.

God from Everlasting to Everlafting, he fheds his Beneficence and Mercy on all the most distant Regions of the Universe: His Goodness knows no Bounds. And the Reafon, why we are obliged to obferve certain Times and Places more than others, arifes from the present Imperfection of our Natures, viz. because we cannot always, every Day and Hour, attend the immediate Service of God, and because we cannot be together in any one Place to ferve our Creator with Unity of Heart and Voice, but by having certain Places feparated for that Ufe. And certainly those Virtues and Duties, which arife from the Defects and Weakness of our Natures, are not to be efteem'd the greateft; but fuch wherein we are Partakers of the divine Nature.

It may indeed be faid, that the Jews by obferving the seventh Day did follow the Example of God, who is faid to have created all the univerfe in fix Days, and to have refted, or ceafed from all his Works on the feventh Day. But then it is obfervable, that this was only imitating God in a mere Negative, not in doing good, but in ceafing to work: Then we do in the most commendable Manner follow the Example of God, when we follow him in his Works, his pofitive Works of Mercy ;

then