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s day, should be God's in a special manner; all e, all that we have, all that we can do, should be Foted to God's worship and service on this day, 3. God would not only have our hands tied up ing, but also our tongues from talking, and our thinking on worldly things this day.

respect to the day, we should spend the whole y duties, either public, private, or secret. It is hour or two only that we must study to be spe, but through the whole day; we should count ment of Sabbath time precious, and suffer none of st that we can save, still aiming to be doing for God and our own souls.

respect to the duties of the day, we should esall, and make conscience of them all, since they divine stamp upon them; reading, hearing, pray, communicating, meditating, conferring, cateving alms, &c. God is to be found in every one aties, and therefore none of them is to be negd, when we find him not in one of them, we him in another; and, if we conscientiously go of duties, we shall surely " find him whom our "Cant. iii. 4.

This expression of being " in the Spirit on the y," imports the performing the duties of it with spiritual ends, viz. "to glorify God, and enjoy od is the sole object of our worship, and he must cipal end of it too. In our worship we must Heb. xi. 6. not ourselves. It is natural for man

God for self ends; we often perform duties, be seen and esteemed of men, but also to be valued by God for them, Isa. lviii. 3. " Wherewe fasted, say they, and thou seest not ?" &c. not perform duties to glorify God, but to obtain a themselves, and have a righteousness of their - found and plead upon. Let us study to be dear own duties, and guard against a selfish and t in our Sabbath-days' performances. This will fly to spoil the ointment, and will keep our best in being savoury to God. Let us study then to nem all" in newness of spirit, and not in the oldme letter," Rom. vii. 6. Let us use them all as means for bringing God and our souls for obtaining communion and fellow: holding special intercourse with him way to fit us for glorifying God both h

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Concerning the holy Duties requisite u

THE duties necessary upon this da private, or secret.

I shall not meddle with the duties such on the Sabbath, or what is special magistrates or ministers upon this day, tions, but shall insist only upon those all Christians in common.

Quest. I. What are those public dut upon the Lord's day ?

Ans. They are those which we are boun public assemblies of God's people: and bath is instituted chiefly for the solemn duties of God's worship, in the public m ple: for the Lord hath a special delight the gates of Zion more than all the du and wherever two or three are gathered will be in the midst of them." Why? blies of God's people for public worship eth the highest praises from us; and ho saith, " I will give thee thanks in the gr I will praise thee among much people. doth every one speak of his glory," Psa xxix. 9. And as in public worship God est praises; so there it is he bestoweth th Psal. lxv. 4. "Blessed is the man wh and causest to approach unto thee, that thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the house," &c. O what good things are c word, the "goodness of thy house!" peace, love, grace, life, light, strength, co

the public duties of the Sabbath

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I's people ought to meet and assemble that day rious; and particularly, they are to meet togethling and expounding the word of God; for preachag, praying, praising, partaking of the sacraments, for the poor, &c. for all which we may see Lev. Psalm xcii. Isa. Ixvi. 23. Luke iv. 16. Acts 5. 27. 44. xv. 21. xvi. 18. xx. 7. 1 Cor. xvi. Darticularly,

ing the word publicly read and preached with and attention, is a principal duty on the Sab, our life depends upon it, Deut. xxxii. 46, 47. great mean God hath appointed for the converIs, Rom. x. 14. 17. Whatever men think of it, owerful instrument of our salvation, Rom. i. 16. s of the sanctuary run only through the chanword; the mines of grace are found only in ates where the gospel-sun shines. The Lord, if , could immediately, by his Spirit, break open arts; but he hath determined to honour his word k, as is plain in Lydia's case, Acts xvi. 9, 10. ing the word and sermons at home is good; but e word preached is the ordinary mean God hath and promised to bless for conversion: and if this , or prove ineffectual, no other way can be conit, as we are told, Luke xvi. 29. 31. So that Clorified saint or angel should come down from ad preach upon the beauty of Christ, and glory in the most lively and demonstrative manner; reached gospel do not persuade sinners, neither - Or, though a damned soul should come up from preach the evil of sin, and torments of hell, in the tic manner; yet neither would that persuade, I do it not. Why, the one is God's instituted other not. Let us then have an high esteem of nance, and embrace all occasions for attending swift to hear," Jam. i. 19. Let none dare to mean, weak, or despicable, which the wise God uted to save souls, 1 Cor. i. 21. " It pleased e foolishness of preaching, to save them that beAnd how comes believing but by hearing? Readermons (as one says) is like milk cold out of the preaching is like milk warm from the breast, which is far more nourishing to the then, as "new-born babes, desire th both live and grow thereby," 1 Pet. i II. Another of the public duties of prayers with the congregation.

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Prayer is a principal part of God's is frequently put for the whole, Zech xvi. 23. Hence God's temple of old of prayer. Public prayer is most n judgments, obtaining blessings, and unity among Christians; also, it is a God whom we serve in the face of the glorifies God. The bountiful Lord i many beggars thronging at the beautif waiting for an alms from his hand. ers are most prevalent with him, fa prayers: for a petition presented by a so prevalent as that which is made b ter is cast into prison to be execute church meets and prays him out of The united prayers of the church are cure God's blessing and presence; t that you make conscience in joining th absent from them. It is a most gracel they either come not into the church t be over, or they go out after sermon b be made. I am sure such can expect mon but a curse, since they join not w blessing upon it to themselves and othe

III. Duty is the singing of psalms, ar the congregation. Praising God by s joined in scripture; yea, no less the verse, Psal. xlvii. 6. It is comely for they are called singing birds, Cant. ii. should sing all the months of the year dead month of affliction: So did Pau son at midnight, when their backs were and their feet fast in the stocks, Acts special manner, singing praises to God lic assemblies, Psal. cxlix. 1. these,

both princes and people, young concert, Psal. cxlviii. 1, 12, 13. And above all Sabbath is most proper for this duty, Psal. xcii. cxviii. 24. It is a day of thanksgiving and hoWe have God's praises to celebrate for the wonation and redemption, we have the glorious vice Captain of our salvation to extol and magnify; ore the duty of singing praise this day is highly By this duty we not only glorify God, but we another, Col. iii. 16. The melody and conjuncny serious souls, tend to raise and elevate the a, it was one mean of Augustine's conversion ; He wept when he heard the psalms sung by the

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is a reading with meditation, and gives free vent ghts and affections, and helps to excite and acraces; it is the breath or flame of love or joy; ernal work of heaven, the music of saints and e, Rev. v. 9, 10, 11. xv. 3. And what are church here, but the place of our apprenticeship and for heaven? I know nothing in the world that ables heaven, than a company of God's people sly singing his praise" with grace in their hearts, Hody to the Lord;" for then the soul rejoiceth goodness, meditates on divine promises, extols ellencies, and mounts up to God in acts of faith Let us then make conscience of this heavenly e public assemblies, and perform it with heart ; for were it not a rare exercise, God would not o be the only work of heaven, to the exclusion repentance, reading, hearing, communicating, &c. taking of the sacraments is another public duty

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first day of the week. our Christian Sabbath, is day for celebrating the memorial of redeeming Lord's supper, Acts xx. 7. This was the orditice of the primitive Christians in ancient times: se of their constant breaking of bread on this of the week, it wont to be called dies panis, Aut. 118. So fired were the hearts of Christians in times with love to and zeal for their glorious who had so lately poured out his blood for their B, that when they assembled together upon the

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