Any one now that reads and confiders thefe Paffages of our Saviour's Life, cannot but fee a wide Difference between his Principles, and Temper, and Carriage in thefe Matters, and thofe of many of his Followers in our Days. Several there are among us that would be thought Chriftians, who are fo far from being duly and conftantly attendant on the publick Worship of God, that they rarely joyn in it at all, except invited by Curiofity, or to fave themselves from the Reproach of being Infidels, and of no Religion. Others are zealous for a publick Worship, and do conftantly attend it: But unhappy it is for them, and for us, that we cannot worship God in the fame Way, but are parcelled out into feveral Communions. Sure, every good Man fhould think, that it is not a little Thing that should divide us from the Established Church, when he confiders that our Saviour paid fuch Regard to the publick Establishments, that he made no Scruple of communicating in the Services and Liturgies of the Temple and Synagogue of his Time; which yet certainly were not the perfecteft and moft unexceptionable, fince the Scribes and Pharifees had the chief Management of them. I might go on in comparing our Saviour's Practices with fome Modern ones, and fhewing the Difference between them as to A a 2 all all the other Inftances I have mentioned out of his Life: But I take no Delight in such a Subject, and therefore will pursue it no further. All that I meant by the Paffages I have quoted, was, to give you fome kind of Tafte of what Nature our Saviour's publick Devotion was; from whence you may eafily gather, that if we mean to copy out our Saviour's Example, and to be devout as he was, it will concern us to take all Opportunities, that our Occafions will allow us, of worshipping God in publick, and not think it fufficient to fay our Prayers in private. It will concern us, especially on the folemn Days appointed for this End, never to abfent ourfelves without very great Reafon. It will concern us likewife to worship God in publick, according to the Laws and Conftitutions of the Place where we live, unlefs it do plainly and evidently appear to us that there is fomething in the established Worfhip that we cannot joyn in without finning against God. It will concern us alfo, when we are at the publick Affemblies, to behave ourselves decently and reverently, as remembring we are in the Prefence of God; and at all other Times likewife to make a Difference between the Houfe of God and Houses to eat and drink in, as St. Paul diftinguishes them. Laftly, it will concern us to contribute, ac cording cording to our Measures and Proportion, All thefe Par These Inftances may ferve to give you a Tafte of our Saviour's Devotion in publick, and of the Nature of it, and of what Principles he was acted by, and what Temper and Carriage was in Matters relating to the outward Worship of God. Application hereof I make none. I leave that to be made by every one's felf, as he finds Occafion for it. But farther, which deferves our special Confideration: Our Saviour was not more exemplary in his Devotions in publick than he was in private ones. He was much converfant with God by Prayer and Meditation. He frequently took Occafions of retiring himself from all Business and Company, that he might the more freely contemplate, and the more intensely fix his Thoughts upon fpiritual Things, and the more ardently pour out his Soul to God, and enjoy Communion with him ; and very confiderable Portions of Time did he spend in fuch devout Privacies. When the Time came that he was to enter upon his Office, which was at his Baptifm, we find he prepared himself for it, by a A a 3 Retire Retirement of forty Days, which he spent in Fafting and Prayer, in conflicting with the Devil, and in all the Exercises of Faith, and Truft, and Devotion towards God, (in Imitation of which our forty Days Faft of Lent was appointed). Here he gained his firft Victory and Triumph over the Devil and his Kingdom; and here he experienced all the Sweetness of an uninterrupted Converse with God and Angels, and found the Influences of it his whole Life after. And as he thus begun the great Work committed to him, so in the same Manner he carried it on, though never any lived a more publick Life than he did; though never any was more crowded with Company, or had his Hands fuller of Business than he had; yet nevertheless he would either find, or make his Times for his Privacies and Devotions: If he could not have it in the Day, yet would he take it from his Reft in the Night; nay, fometimes in fuch Portions as to continue a whole Night in these his Retirements, as you may fee in the ift of St. Mark, verse 35. Luke vi. 12. This Practice of our Saviour's may convince us how neceffary it is that we should be frequent and diligent in the Performance of our private Devotions; that we often take occafion to abftract ourfelves from worldly worldly Business, that we may the better be at leifure for pious Thoughts and Meditations, for devout Prayer and other religious Exercises. If our Saviour found it needful fo to do, who had attained to the Perfection of Virtue, who had a conftant Prefence of Mind, who was Master of himfelf and his Bufinefs, and could not be fuppofed easily to be prevailed upon by any Temptation either from without or within; how absolutely needful will it be for us to put this Duty in Practice, who are pitiful, forry, weak Creatures, apt every Moment to be diftracted by worldly Objects, and to be drawn away by the Temptations and Allurements of Sin that are round about us. People may imagine what they please about the mighty Feats that may be performed through the Strength of a good Refolution. But when all this is done, they will find that there is no getting fuch a Victory over their Lufts and Corruptions; no living fuch a Chriftian Life, as the Gofpel requires of us, without the Practice of carnest and ardent Prayer to God, and a conftant Attendance to Reading and Meditation, and other fuch devout Exercises. Though we have formed our Purposes, as we think, never fo ftrongly, and doubt not but we shall be fufficiently able to stand upon our Guard; yet, if we do not daily A a 4 apply |