fold advantages that the public worship of a Deity would introduce among men. Accordingly temples were every where built, facred ceremonies were inftituted, an order of men was appointed to officiate in holy things, and certain days were set apart for the people to join in the celebration of divine worship. Indeed, as to the objects, and the manner of worship, little care was taken. The magiftrate gave his authority to the current belief, though ever fo abfurd and ridiculous, and established that form of religion which the people were best disposed to receive. It was thought fufficient, if by public and folemn acts of piety, a sense of Deity, and feelings of religion, could be impreffed, and frequently renewed in the minds of men. But in fome nations this practice, fo highly beneficial to mankind, was enjoined by an authority fuperior to that of human governors. God himself, in the fyftem of laws which he delivered to his ancient people, hallowed the seventh day, and appointed other festivals in which the people fhould affemble together in order to join in the fervices of the fanctuary. In what concerns the celebration of the Sabbath, Chriftianity confirms the Mofaic law. Our Saviour, whose practice ought to be a rule of life to Christians, attended upon the public worship in the Jewish fynagogues; and the Apostles followed his example, till by their labours in the ministry, they had gathered together in one place, a fufficient number of converts to form a church. Then they constituted regular affemblies of Chriftians, they ordained proper perfons to prefide in the public worship, and both by their precept and example, recommended a constant attendance on these meetings of the faithful.

That there must be an established religion in every state, is a principle in which not only Christians, but infidels, have been agreed. In order that the public religion may be productive of any good effects, it is neceffary that it make a deep impreffion upon the minds of the people. But if it were not for our af fembling together on the Lord's day, for public worship, that form of Christianity which is established in this country would perhaps take too feeble a hold of the mind, to produce its proper effects. The Chrif tian religion is very different from those systems of fuperftition which prevailed in the Pagan world. The Heathen religion had attractions for every feeling of the human frame. It contained every thing that could strike the fenfes, or please the imaginations of men. All the apparatus of false religion, which at once amufes and engages the mind, was exhibited: ceremonies, pompous feftivals, coftly facrifices, were continually paffing before the eyes of the worshipper. In the majesty of the temple, and the splendour of the worship, the Deity feemed to be prefent. Ancient fuperftition introduced the fine arts into her train, called the powers of genius to her aid, and employed the painter and the poet to hold out her charms to the world.

Very different was that religion of which Jesus Christ was the author. When the Son of God defcended, he appeared not like the idols of the nations. The Christian religion is pure, spiritual, divine. It is the religion of the mind and the heart; the worfhip of God, who is a fpirit, in spirit and in truth. There is nothing here but the fimplicity of truth and the majesty of reafon to perfuade the world. Man,

however, is not a pure intelligence, and reafon is not the only attribute of his nature.. Were it not therefore for the mode of communication by discourse in public affemblies, Christianity, in its simplest form, could never be a popular religion. It might employ the leifure of philofophic men; it might operate its effect upon the few who are given to inquiry; but it never could engage the generality of mankind. They, who have not confidered the subject, cannot poffibly conceive the astonishing difference there is between written and spoken language; between the dead letter that appears to the eye, and the living voice that comes to the heart. The fame difcourse that in a popular affembly would raise the paffions of the audience to the highest pitch; fend it abroad in print, and it will often have no effect at all. Add to these, that it is to the meetings of the faithful, that the promise of the divine presence is made. In the gates of Zion, God delights to dwell; and when his difciples are gathered together, Jefus has promised to be in the midst of them. True piety indeed is not confined to the fanctuary. High is the pleasure, and great the benefit of private devotion. But fure I am, that they who have entered into the fpirit, and tafted the pleasures, of devotion in fecret, will not be thereby prevented from approaching to God in the ordinances of public worship. Society heightens every feeling, and improves every delight. All that charms the eye or the ear, or the imagination or the heart, is attended with double pleasure, when we share it in the company of others. In the presence of striking and exemplary piety, the careless worshipper will become devout, and the de

vout will become fervent. A holy emulation will rife in the bofoms of the faithful: the ardour will spread from breaft to breaft, and the paffions of one inflame the paffions of all. May I not appeal to your own experience, and afk, When you have been in the Spirit on the Lord's day, when the word of life was spoken from the heart to the heart, have you not felt that there was a divinity in virtue, have you not found yourselves as if tranflated from earth to heaven, and experienced the emotion of mind which the Patriarch felt, when he awoke from his dream, and cried out in rapture, "Surely the Lord is in "this place! This is none other than the house of "God, and this is the gate of heaven ?"

Secondly, Let us view the effect of religious inftitutions upon men, with regard to their moral character.

Whatever brings men together, and connects them in fociety, has a tendency to civilize and improve them. Efpecially when they affemble together for fuch important purposes as the worship of a Deity, this will be the effect. There is fomething in the very idea of drawing nigh to God, that infpires virtue. When men accustomed to meet together as bufy and as focial creatures, affemble at ftated times. as rational and immortal beings, a fenfe of propriety will prompt them to act up to that high character. When the fons of God come to prefent themselves before the Lord, whatever is displeasing to God, and hoftile to men, will vanish from their mind. The connection between fuch exercises of piety, and the practice of virtue, is nearer and more intimate than superficial reasoners are apt to imagine. There are

indeed pretences to religion, without any virtue, as there are pretences to virtue without any religion; but whoever in reality poffeffes the fear of God, will be thereby determined to keep his commandments. It must be obvious at firft view, that the sense of a Supreme Being, the infpector of human affairs, the patron of virtue, the avenger of fin, and the rewarder of righteousness, has a powerful tendency to ftrengthen moral obligation, to annex a new fanction to the laws, and to inspire purity into the manners of a people.

By the operation of fuch a principle, open violence will be restrained, and secret enmity will be checked. Society will affume a happier form, the infolence of the oppreffor will be humbled, and the wild paffions of the licentious be fubdued. What the Scripture calls," the power of the world to come," is felt ftrongly through every corner of this world. Heaven improves the earth, and the life which is to come, is a fource of happiness to the life which now is. There are, indeed, I acknowledge, to the honor of the human kind, there are perfons in the world who feel that the poffeffion of good difpofitions is their best reward, who would follow goodness for its own fake, and do their duty, because it is their duty, although there were neither rewards nor punishments to come. But I know as well, that the world is not compofed of fuch perfons. Men in general are governed by their paffions, their interest, the prevailing bias of their minds; and whenever their paffions, their intereft, or the bias of their mind, stand in one fcale, and their duty in the other, it is very evident where the balance will incline. To fuch persons you might