ere it reach to destroy their souls, and the kingdom of the Redeemer may be enlarged.

Such prayers as these, by whomsoever in the whole world they shall be offered up, may God in his infinite mercy answer, through the merits of his beloved son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

437

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SERMON XXI.

COMMON PRAYER.

PSALM XXXiv. 3.

“O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together."

ONE Object of my last discourse was to show that God calls us to his "house of prayer," to " make us joyful in it;"* and that the peculiar services of his day, though they are indeed fit and necessary expressions of a dutiful obedience towards Him, are yet commanded wholly for our sakes, and are not to be looked upon as burdens which we must submit to and endure, but as privileges which we are permitted to enjoy.

My intention now, is to enlarge a little upon common prayer, or the worship of God in the congregation.

It is to this common worship, or pouring out of our hearts to God in concert, that the psalmist calls us in the text. "O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together."

What I shall have to say now, will rest chiefly on this last word "together"; and it will be my business to enquire whether some peculiar obligations do not lie upon us, and whether there are not some peculiar advantages in meeting together for confession, supplication, and thanksgiving; so that the glory of God and our own edification may be far better promoted in this way, than by adhering exclusively to a solitary or private worship.

Holy Scripture, reason, and experience seem all to teach this doctrine.

He who commandeth us to pray without ceasing,"* commandeth us also "not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together." ↑ Our Saviour, as if he would set a special mark of his complacency on unity and agreement in prayer, says, " if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven;" adding, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." The psalmist, in the text, bids us "exalt God's name together." St. Paul exhorts the Philippians to " strive together for the faith of the gospel."* And he prays himself, on behalf of the Romans, that God would "grant them to be like-minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus, that with one mind and one mouth they might glorify God."+ But to multiply quotations in so plain a matter is quite unnecessary.

If, however, we will look to the reason of the case, we shall the better see the mercy of God in his injunctions which he lays upon us. For let it be observed, God's ordinances for our well-being, are not wont to be mere positive appointments for the trial of our obedience, as was, perhaps, the command to Naaman to wash seven times in Jordan, for the healing of his leprosy; but they have, in themselves, a proper conduciveness (though not an effectual one, independently of his blessing) to the end proposed. By setting us to pray, for instance, he puts us upon an exercise profitable in its own nature; and by calling us to common prayer, (the case now before us,) he carries his care for our good still further, putting us upon an exercise still more profitable; or, at least, having advantages which mere private prayer has not. The benefits may be illustrated by what

passes before us continually in the world. It does, in fact, very often happen that people being connected by the ties of blood, natural affection, party, country, or the like, and having an interest in one another's welfare, and mutually depending upon one another for support, do meet and associate; sometimes to rejoice together over their common successes; sometimes to strive together against their common adversaries; and sometimes to do honour to their common benefactors. And who does not see the effects of union, and sympathy, and cooperation, upon the minds of the parties thus coalescing? Supposing the cause to be a good one, the social principle will gain by this common prosecution of it, and jealousies and differences subside and are forgotten. Let fellowcountrymen meet to celebrate a victory which has brought security and peace to all. He is a strange person who would take that opportunity to discuss a private grudge. People are elated upon seeing those about them animated by the same feelings with themselves, and whilst it is so, they cannot but look upon one another with more complacency and good will; or suppose we should be brought together to strive manfully for the repelling of some formidable common danger, how can we look to the right