family, but his friends, to wait on the ordinances. (2.) An acknowledgement of God's presence in a special manner in religious affemblies, We are all here prefent before God. (3.) The great end of their meeting was their fouls edification, to hear, that is, to hear and obey. And here is what the minifter is to preach and the people to receive; it is what is commanded of God. The minifter has a commiffion from God, and he muft preach, not what men would have him to preach, but what God commands; and the people are to receive nothing that is beyond his commiffion. The extent of both is all things; the minifter is to preach and the people to receive all things commanded of God.

Obf. 1. When God difcovers his mind in any parti cular to a perfon or people, it is their duty prefently to comply with it without delay. There fhould be no difputing after the difcovery of the Lord's mind, Gal. i. 15.-17. The contrary was the fault of Balaam, and of the Jews in Egypt, Jer. xliv.

2. It is a bleffed thing for a people to call that minister to whom God himfelf directs and inclines them. It is like Cornelius did not fo much as know Peter by name, Acts x. 5. but he goes to God, and God directs him.

3. It is a commendable thing in a minifter of Chrift to comply with the call of God and his people, though it fhould be offenfive to some, and not very agreeable to his own inclinations. Minifters are to go, not where they will and others would wish them, but where God wills. It was Levi's commendation, Who faid unto his father and to his mother, I have not feen him, neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have obferved thy word, and kept thy covenant, Deut. xxxiii. 9.

The doctrine arifing from the text is,

DOCT. It is the duty of a people to attend on the ordinances, to be all prefent there before God, where pure ordi

nances are fet up among them, to hear all things commands ed of God to the minifter whom the Lord has fent them.

In difcourfing from this doctrine, I fhall,

I. Give reasons why people fhould attend on and be present at ordinances, where God has fet them up among them.

II. Shew in what refpects people are before the Lord at public ordinances.

III. Confider the difpofition of foul wherewith people fhould come to them.

IV. Make fome practical improvement.

I. I am to give reafons why people fhould attend on and be prefent at ordinances, where God has fet them up among them.

1. Because God has commanded it, Heb. x. 25. The Lord calls his people to be prefent there where ever it is. Thus there was the tabernacle of the congregation in the wilderness, whither the people reforced to the public worship; and afterwards the teinple. And for ordinary the fynagogues under the Old Teftament. were the places of public worfhip, the ruins of which the church complains of, Pfal. Ixxiv. 8. It was the practice of Chrift himself to attend thefe places, as we find Luke iv. 16. He fends minifters to preach, and therefore commands people to hear,

2. Because the public affemblies are for the honour of Chrift in the world. They are that place where his honour dwells, where his people meet together to pro fefs their fubjection to his laws, to receive his orders, to feek his help, to pay him the tribute of praife, the calves of their lips. And forafmuch as all are obli ged to these things, all are obliged to be prefent and attend, and to caft in their mite into this treafury. And therefore the people of God look on Chrift's ftandard in the world as fallen, when these affemblies are gone, as Elijah did, 1 Kings xix. 10.

3. Because these affemblies are the ordinary place

where Chrift makes his conqueft of fouls, Rom. x. 14. The gofpel is Chrift's net wherein fouls are catched. And it is always good to be in Chrift's way. Who knows when that good word may come that may take hold of the man's heart, and make him. Chrift's prifoner, bound with the cords of love? A great number were catched at the firft fermon preached after Chrift's afcenfion, and cried out, What shall we do? Acts ii. 37. So Lydia hearing the apostle Paul, her heart was opened, Acts xvi. 14. The gofpel is the power of God unto falvation. Happy are they that get the deepest wounds in this field. For the weapons of this warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds, cafting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. x. 4. 5.

4. They are Chrift's tryfting-place with his people, the galleries wherein our Lord walks, Exod. xx. 24. ; the mountains of myrrh where he will be till the day break. Those that mind for communion with God, fhould feek him there, and wait on him where he has promised to be found. What a difadvantage had Thomas by his abfence from one meeting where Chrift met with the reft of the difciples?

5. The delights of Chrift and his people meet there; for ordinances are the heaven on earth. Chrift delights to be there with his people, Pfal. lxxxvii. 2. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion, more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Luke xxii. 15. With defire, faid our Lord, I have defired to eat this paffover with you before I fuffer. And they delight to be there with him, and for him. How paffionately does David defire the ordinances ! Pfal. Ixxxiv. 1. 2. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hofts! My foul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. He prefers a day in God's courts to a thoufand I had rather, fays he, be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedVOL. III.

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ness. And again, One thing, fays he, have I defired of the Lord, that will I feek after, that I may dwell in the boufe of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple, Pfal. xxvii. 4. What good news was it to him to hear of an opportunity of waiting on God there! Pfal, cxxii. 1. I was glad, fays he, when they faid unto me, Let us go up into the houfe of the Lord.

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Laftly, The neceffities of all that mind for heaven require it. Had the ordinances not been neceffary, God would never have appointed them. And fure they are not more neceffary for any than those that leaft fee their need of them. Thefe are the blind fouls that have need to come to the market of free grace, for that eye-falve that opens the eyes of thofe that fee not. Have not Chrift's foldiers need of them to clear their rufty armour? do not dead fouls need them to quicken them? fleepy fouls to awaken them? They are the pools in the way to Zion, which the travellers to Zion have much need of to quench their thirst in their weary journey.

Surely the due confideration of these things may engage us all to make confcience of being all there prefent, as God gives opportunity.

people are be

The Lord is ewhere but he is before him in at

II. I come to fhew in what refpects fore the Lord at public ordinances. very where prefent; we can be no there, Pfal cxxxix. 7. But we are fpecial manner in the public affemblies. He holds the ftars in his right hand, and walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks. Our Lord has a special concern there; the main part of his bufinefs on earth lies there; and muft he not be about his Father's bufinefs? This confideration fhould engage us to be there. Satan will not mifs to be there: where Chrift has a church, the devil will endeavour to have a cha pel. The fowls will be where there is feed fowing. So fome understand that, 1 Cor. xi. 10. For this

caufe ought the woman to have power on her bead, because of the angels. Now Chrift is in the affemblies of his people,

1. Reprefentatively. He has his agents there, his minifters, who are the Lord's proxies to court a wife for their Master's Son, 2 Cor. xi. 2. his ambassadors to negotiate a peace betwixt God and finners, 2 Cor. v. 20. Matth. x. 40. Chrift's minifters are but as John was, the voice of one crying in the wildernefs. The Speaker is in heaven, Hence the Lord is faid to speak in or by the prophets. It is the Lord's goodnets that the treafure is lodged in earthen, not in heavenly veffels, left their fplendor fhould darken his glory in mens eyes, and fo dazzle their eyes. And for the now glorified, God holdeth back the face of his throne, and Spreadeth his cloud upon it, Job xxvi. 9.

2 Efficacioufly. His power is there, he works there, et nihil agit in diftans, Pfal. lxxv. 1. For that thy name is near, fays the pfalmift, thy wondrous works declare. The word of the Lord is a powerful word. The minifters of Chrift drive not an empty chariot, Pfal. xlv. 4. In thy majefly ride profperously. Chrift is there giving life to fome, ftrength to others, and death's wounds to others, Mic. ii. 7. Pfal. xlv. 5, Hof, vi. 3.The Lord's word returns not empty; it does always fomething. Every preaching will either harden or foften you; it will drive you a ftep nearer heaven or hell. Now are we before him in his ordinances,

. As our witnefs. They had need to carry warily that have many eyes on them. While we are at ordinances, mens eyes and the devil's eyes are upon us; but what should affect us moft is, that God's eye is on us in a special manner, noticing how we behave, with what tendernefs we handle holy things: and though our outward carriage be never fo promiing, God is witness to the heart-wanderings, Ezek. xxxiii,

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