190 CIVIL POWER IN THINGS SACRED. . Col.. iii. 17. Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name- of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to Godand the Father by him. Now a christian may think it unlawful to come and worship even the one true God together with the deists, and to join with them. in those prayers and praises which are not offered in the name of Christ or by his mediation, and therefore he should never be constrained to attend this natural worship by any penalty. VI. Reason III. I know not how far it may be supposed to alleviate this difficulty and make the conscience of every christian more easy, to tell him, that there are many parts of worship paid to God in christian churches without the actual use of the name of Christ. Do we not sing David's Psalms ?` Do we not repeat the Lord's-prayer ? And if it be lawful to address God by several of these psalms or this prayer, wherein there is not the least locution of the name or mediation of Christ, may we not join with the natural religion and worship of deists in their prayers andpraises, supposing that all their expressions be conformable to what reason and the light of nature dictate; which the chris- tian religion always pre- supposes and confirms? VII. Reason IV. If it shall be said here, that when God is worshipped by Jewish psalms or by the Lord's- prayer, christians do or should in their own mental meditations join the name of Christ and his mediation to these addresses to God; may it not be said also, that the same mental meditations may join the name and mediation of Christ to all these public and national invoca- tions and adorations of God performed according to the light of nature ? VIII.. Reason V. If this might' be allowed, there would be then indeed a sort of natural religion, which is the foundation of all true revealed religion, which niht be taught universally to all the people, which might be practised and established through the nation, and perhaps be. supported by the state : Iiut, still I fear the universal attendanceon worship could not be commanded under any penalty, because all christian people will not, or can- not satisfy their consciences with the salvo proposed ; and per- haps other sects may dislike it too upon the same foundation. IX. Reason VI. Anil besides, many persons may find their consciences dissatisfied with the men whom, the state shall chuse to offer np their social worship to God ; they may be dissatisfied withother expressions or other omissions in the public worship or in the appointed forms thereof', besides those which I have men- tioned ; they may be also'dissatiafied to have communion in wor- ship with a congregation of deists, or with mere unitarian wor- shippers, if they profess the holy scripture and the trinity. Many sects may declare their consciences are.really dissatisfied with this woìship, because all men are bound to oiler their best unto God, and they would complain that such mere natural wor-
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