serve God always, but cannot always worsliip, tlieretore they have stated times appointed tlieni. Now to cast olF the worsliip of (iod, is to renounce God himself, and connnunion with his church both on earlh and in heaven. ' Ye are they that forsake the Lord, and forget my holy mountain,' Isa. Ixv. 11. Tiiey did not give him his public worship, and he interprets this as a casting him off from being their Grod. Sometimes, I confess, the church doors are shut by persecutors, and when this flood is up the ways to Zion mourn ; yet then we are to lament after the Lord and his ark. Holy David was no stranger to private devotions, yet he coidd not but bewail his banishment from the public, — ' My flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is, to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary,' Psa. Ixiii. 1, 2. Secondly, To preserve love and luiity in the church. God is one, and dearly loves oneness and unity among his people. This reason he gives why he would have the curtains of the .tabernacle coupled together, — that it might be one tabernacle, Exod. xxxvi. 13, 18. The fastening of these curtains so lovingly together for this end, that the tent might be one, signified the knitting and clasping together of the saints in love. Now, though this be effected principally by the inward operation of the Holy Spirit u])on their hearts, for he alone can knit souls, and knead them into one lump ; yet he useth tlieir johit connnunion in ordinances as a happy means, through which he may convey his grace, that fastens them in love together. These are the ligaments that tie one memlier to another in this mystical body. And do we not see that Christians, like mendjcrs of the natural body, take care for, and sympathize with one another, so long as they are united in one communion ? But when these ligaments are cut, then we see one member drops from another, and little care for, or love to each other, is to be found amongst them. The apostle saw good reason to join both these in one exhortation, Heb. x. 2 1, 25 : ' Let us consider one another, to provoke unto love and to good w^orks, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves togetlier ;' as if he had said. If you cannot agree to worship God one with another, you will have little love one for another. When the Jews' staff of beauty was cut asunder, the staff of bands did not last long imbroken, Zech. xi. 10. Re- ligion hath its name rt religando, it is a strong binder; break the beautified order of chinxh communion, and a people will soon fall to pieces. It is observable how endearing communion is in things of an inferior nature; — scholars at school together, — those that board in the same house, — -twins, — -they have a mutual endearment of affection towards each other. How influential then must church communion needs he, where these all meet; — when they shall consider they go to the same public school of the ministrj', sit at the same table of the sacrament, suck the same breasts of ordinances, and lie together in tin- bosom, yea, womb of the same church! This was admirably seen in the primi- tive Christians, who by fellowship in ordinances were inspired with a w^onder- ful love to one another : 'All that believed were together, and had all things connnon ; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as evei'y man had need : and they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,' Acts ii. 41 — 40; but when a breach was made in the church's connnimion, then love caught cold, which grew upon Christians as divisions increased. Now one would think, the cause of oin- disease being so easily known, the cure should not be so hard as at this day we find it. Thirdly, For the saints' safety, and defence agahist their enemies. Paul rejoiced at the order and stedfastness of the Colossian saints. Col. ii. 5. Order is a military word, and -denotes an army compact, and cast into such a fit order, that every part is helpful to each other for its defence ; and such an army arc the saints, when they stand in connnunion together according to divine rule. Our blessed Savioin-, when departing from earth to heaven, what course took he to leave his disciples in a defensive posture after he v/as gone ? Did he send them home to look every one to himself? No, but to Jerusalem, there to stand, as it were, in a body, by joint conmumion. Acts i. 4. 'I'he soldier is safe when marching with the army, but not when he straggles from it. Cain looking upon himself as an exconnn\uiicated i)erson from the cluu-ch of God, expected some great evil would befall him. Therefore the gracious soul, meant by the spouse, is brought in asking, where the assembly of the faithful is, that, joining herself to
{J9(j WITH ALL l-RAYEll AND SUPi'LlCATION.