The Necessity and Benefits of Religious Society.
ECCLESIASTES iv. 9, 10, 11, 12.
_Two are better than One, because they have a good Reward for their Labour._
_For if they fall, the One will lift up his Fellow: But woe be to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up._
_Again, if Two lie together, then they have heat; but how can One be warm alone?_
_And if One prevail against him, Two shall withstand him; and a threefold Cord is not quickly broken._
AMONG the many reasons assignable for the sad decay of _true christianity_, perhaps the neglecting to assemble ourselves together, in _religious societies_, may not be one of the least. That I may therefore do my endeavour towards promoting so excellent a means of piety, I have selected a passage of scripture drawn from the experience of the wisest of men, which being a little enlarged on and illustrated, will fully answer my present design; being to shew, in the best manner I can, the necessity and benefits of society in general, and of religious society in particular.
“Two are better than one, &c.”
From which words I shall take occasion to prove,
_First_, The truth of the wise man’s assertion, “Two are better than one,” and that in reference to society in general, and religious society in particular.
_Secondly_, To assign some reasons why two are better than one, especially as to the last particular. 1. Because men can raise up one another when they chance to slip: “For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow.” 2. Because they can impart heat to each other: “Again, if two lie together, then they have heat; but how can one be warm alone?” 3. Because they can secure each other from those that do oppose them: “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” From hence,
_Thirdly_, I shall take occasion to shew the duty incumbent on every member of a _religious society_.
And _Fourthly_, I shall draw an inference or two from what may be said; and then conclude with a word or two of exhortation.
_First_, I am to prove the truth of the wise man’s assertion, that “two are better than one,” and that in reference to society in general, and religious societies in particular.
And how can this be done better, than by shewing that it is absolutely necessary for the welfare both of the bodies and souls of men? Indeed, if we look upon man as he came out of the hands of his Maker, we imagine him to be perfect, entire, lacking nothing. But GOD, whose thoughts are not as our thoughts, saw something still wanting to make _Adam_ happy. And what was that? Why, an help meet for him. For thus speaketh the scripture: “And the LORD GOD said, It is not good that the man should be alone, I will make an help meet for him.”
Observe, GOD said, “It is not good,” thereby implying that the creation would have been imperfect, in some sort, unless an help was found out meet for _Adam_. And if this was the case of man before the fall; if an help was meet for him in a state of perfection; surely since the fall, when we come naked and helpless out of our mother’s womb, when our wants increase with our years, and we can scarcely subsist a day without the mutual assistance of each other, well may we say, “It is not good for man to be alone.”
Society then, we see, is absolutely necessary in respect to our bodily and personal wants. If we carry our view farther, and consider mankind as divided into different cities, countries, and nations, the necessity of it will appear yet more evident. For how can communities be kept up, or commerce carried on, without society? Certainly not at all, since providence seems wisely to have assigned a particular product to almost each particular country, on purpose, as it were, to oblige us to be social; and hath so admirably mingled the parts of the whole body of mankind together, “that the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again, the hand to the foot, I have no need of thee.”