The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 120

pn,.yer WIIB the third hour; aud Peter went up to the house-top to pray (oh. x, 9) about the sixth hoar, which W&B noon; and the evcnin;1: prayer W&B this to which Peter and ,Tohn were i!:Oing up." We fix attention on the fact that, though the apostlea bad the new per.;onnl "life in Christ," they found publio religions service and duties still demanded their attention. Soul-life, spiritual life, still needs for its culture "publlo prayer" and "united worship." 1. THE TWO SIDES OF TH& DEVOTIONAL LIFE. The private and the publlo. Both are necC'Rsary. Each helps the other. Sinco men aro not isolated individuals, their personal nnd private devotions cannot satisfy all their needs and claims. And since the in<li\"idual can never be lost in the crowd, public devotions can never adcqu11tely exprcRs the preci~e personal needs. Our Lord taught us the duty and value of private prayer (Matt. vi. ~). II. 'l'IIE RELATION OF PUBLIO PRAYER TO PERSONAL OULTUBE, AND TO THE DOTY OF WITKESSING FOR Goo. Take first to "personal culture." In private devotion there is danger of m.oi·bid introspection; public prayer fills our thought with God rather than ma.n. When alone the self-sphere may brcome too prominent; when we join with others we are helped to forget self in common sympathies, desires, and prayers. At home communion and petition are prominent in our prayers; in the assembly of God's people the prominent thing is intercei;sion. Ilc,;ides this, in public worship we are influenced by holy sentiment, and swayed by high emotions, and realize the joy of the Divine life. 'l'bese things bear most directly on healthy soul-culture. Further, H is our bounden duty to make solemn public declaration of our belief in God, and submission to his authority and rule. Such a declaration we ma.kc in the act of going to and joining iu public prayer and worship. Our "houses of prayer," a.nd our "hours of prayer," and our "millions of worshippers," still attest England's belief in God; and every one should feel jealous lest the fulness and clearness of that testimony should be in the least degree impaired. Deal with modem neglect of worship, and the custom of half- day worshipping. III. TEE DIPORTANCE OF GOOD HABITS IN RELATION TO POBLIO PRAYER. Herein we have the example of our Lord, of his apostles, and of the saints through all the ages. It would be difficult to find the case of one eminently holy man or woman, in all the Christian history, who held ligl,tly or neglected the public worship and '.ordinances ,of the Church. Such habit.s should be formed and well watched over in early life. '!'hose i.nited together as friends, as husbands and wives, should help each other to maintain the habits. For they bear good influence on family life, on ,ocial life, a.nd on national lire. The constant association with Divine things has a gracious and hallowing influence, and renews every earnest purpose to live the godly life. The formation and m::iintenance of such good habits is, further, a sign of self-mastery in the spirit of loyalty and obedience to God. And such self-mastery is the very beginning a.nd necessary foundation of all high morality and virtue. It guarantees that effort will be made to enthrone God and duty over bodily passion, and over all life-associations. IV. THE PED.IL8 OF FOIIMALITY IN POllLIO DEVOTIONS. We may come to share in worship "to be seen of men." We may put the sensual (or sensuous) above the 1,pirituaL We may find our hearts satisfied with the ceremonial. We may pride our- selves upon our regularity. Om: very familiari~y with w~rship-forms may lead to repetition without thought or feeling. The J ud&1Bm of the time of our Lord presents a painful instance of how sadly the life may go out of a national religion, leaving only the formal observance of ever-multiplying rites and ceremoniee. And the Mohammedan, droppiu" prostrate at the sound of the muezzin, and incoherently muttering words of prayer, ~arns us of th~ insidi~us and fatal peril of for~alism in_public reli~on. In conclusion, explain and impress the close and direct relation that exists between private devotion and public devotion. The life we can put into public worship must be the life which bas been touched, quickened, and cultured by God into strength, in our prayer-chamber at home. We cannot, with any surety, get life at public wol'llhip; but we can always 'bring it with us to the worship. The law works broadly, and it may be thus briefly stated : The nourished and kept soul llaB life for wor,~i.r,, Then "forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some 1s, and sco to it that you carry to the sanctuary of God hearts beatiDg high with lovo and reverence and trW!t.-R. T. OH, II(, 1-26.] THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 115