186

PUBLIC PRAYERS SUITABLE TO MAN.

pagate it, to the honour and praise of the Almighty Lord of heaven and earth,

"unto

Whom be the glory in the Church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end." Amen.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE NATURE OF A CHURCH REQUIRES THERE

I

SHOULD BE PUBLIC PRAYERS.

PROCEED now to the third head of

argu

ments, whereby a Christian should be most of all moved to his duty and that is, to consider the nature of the Church, which both requires public assemblies, and makes the service performed in them far more acceptable than private Prayers can be.

And here let it be considered in general, that the very word we translate Church in the Holy Scriptures, signifies in the Greek language, an assembly; a company of persons met together, and that publicly, upon the public business, or occasions. The first time but one, we meet with this word in the New Testament, it is used in opposition to a single person, alone, by himself, or to one or two more beside him. Matth. xviii. 15, 16, 17.

"If thy brother trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault, between thee and him alone, and if he will not hear thee, take one or two more, &c., and if he neglect to hear them, tell it to the Church:" that is, to that solemn assembly which sat to judge causes, and unto which was the last resort, so that, if he did not hear them, he was to be looked upon 66 as a heathen man and a publican." And, the truth is, it signifies any sort of assembly or concourse of people; which was among the Gentiles as well as the Jews. For in the xix. of the Acts, when all the city of Ephesus was in an uproar, and ran together into the theatre, crying up Diana, this general concourse is thrice called their assembly, ver. 32. "Some cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was confused," &c., (ver. 39.) If you inquire of other matters it shall be determined, " in a lawful assembly:" and ver. 41. having thus spoken," he dismissed the assembly."

Now this being the very notion of the word Church; the Christian Church, which Christ hath called, is an assembly of men and women

met together to worship God by him, to give Him thanks for all His benefits, and to implore His grace and mercy to them and to all the world. It is an assembly or company of men, as much as any other; but our Saviour's kingdom being not of this world, the assembly which He appoints, is not to meet for civil ends and purposes, but for religious. And the great thing in all religion, is the devout worship of God, and giving Him the honour due unto His Name; for which the Church, (i. e., Christian assemblies,) being founded, it is a clear demonstration that this worship, is not so well performed alone by ourselves, as in these assemblies. For here we act most like Christians, that is, like members of the body of Christ, which is His Church. With which whosoever doth not join, he is no longer a Christian, because he is not a member of the body of Christ, which is a company joined together, to have fellowship with God and one with another, in all holy duties, of which Prayer, Thanksgiving, and Praises are the chief. For though there they receive Christian instruction, yet that is

not the principal business for which they assemble; as appears by St. Paul's words to Timothy before mentioned, 1 Tim. ii. 1.

If we could make Christian peo le sensible of this, they would immediately yield the public worship of God, to be that, which of all others, He most designs to have continued in | the world, and consequently be most affected towards it, and constantly frequent it. And how should they remain insensible of it, if they would but consider duly, that it is implied in their being Christians, members of Christ's body, which is His Church. Which being nothing else but an assembly of men, devoted unto Christ, met together for religious worship, they are not a part of it, if they do not assemble with it. That is, they are not Christians, nor | will any of their private devotions be acceptable unto God, being set in opposition to the public because they go about to destroy the very body of Christ, which is His Church; whose very being consists in assemblies, and not in separated worship alone by ourselves. Which private worship is then acceptable unto God,