Fourth Commandment. What ?rea'!:: prevalency then mufl: the United Prayet:s of the Sa ints have, when they joyn l ntcrcfts, and put all the Favour t.flateacfl ot them hat~ at the Throne of Grace, \,,to one Common Stock? W~en we come to the P~~hck Prayers, we arc not to come as Auditors, but as Aaors; we have our part 111 them; and every Petition th~t is ~pread befo~e God, ought to be breathed from our very B. carts and Souls: Whtch tf we affeCbonately perform, we may have good A~urance, that what is ratified by fo many Votes and Sutfrages here on Earth, fhall ltkewife be confirmed in Heaven. For GUT Saviour hath told us, Mat. 1~t 19. That if two Jhali agree together on ~a~th, as touching any thing that they /haiL ask, lt foal/ be done far them by his Father that H m Hea'Vm. Secondly, Our Rev~rcnt and Atten~ive Hearing of the Word of qod, .either Read or Preached , IS another Pubhck Duty :NeceJTary to the San(hficaoon ol the S~bbath. This was obferved alfo in the Times of the Law, before Chrift's coming into the ~orld1 -1as. J )· 21. filof~s of old time hath in e;ery Ciry them who Prtach..him, be:ng Read m the Synagogues t1.1er~ Sabbath-Day. Their Synagogues were Built for this very purpofe: And as their Temple was the great Place of Legal an:.l Ceremonial \Vorihi.P; fo th~fe were for .their ~t1oral and Nnural \Vor· Ihip. In the Temple they cluefty Sacnficed; and tn theu· Sy_nagogUes they Prayed, Read, and H eard. And every Town, and almoft ever V1llage, had one ereacd in it, as now our Churches are! where the People on the Sabbath-Day affem- . bled together, and had fome Poruon of the Law Read and Expounded to them; much more ought we to r, ive our attendance on this.~oly Ordiuance, now in the Times of the Gofpel, fin~e a g_reater ~neafure of Spmtnal Knowledge is required from \lS; and the Myftenes of Salvation are more clearly declared unto us. And m:ty that Tongue wither, and that Mouth be for ever filcnced, which fhall dare to utter any thing in contempt ::tnd vilifying of the Holy Ordinance. For fuch excellent Things are fpokcn.o~ the Preachi.ng of the Gofpel? That it is, the Power of God, 1 Cor. 1. 18. that 1t Is, the Sal'Vatwn of thofe tvho bclwCJe, ver. 21: That it is, the fwcet Savour of the Knowledge of .God, 2 Cor. 2. I 4• That certamly whofoevcr difpara g~th it, rejecteth againft h.imfelf lth.e Counfcl of God, and ~egletts the only appomted means for the begettmg of Faith, and fo for the obtamjng of Eternal Salvation: For Faith comes by Htari,;g, a11d Hearing by the Word of God, Rom. JO. 27· . 71Jirdty, Another Publick Duty pertaining to the Sanltifying of the Lord's Day, is Singing of Pfalms. For this Day bt:ing a Fcftival 1._10to God, a Day of Spiritual Joy and Gladne-fs, How can we better teftific our Joy, than by our Melody? Is any Man mmy l SJith St. 'James, chap: )· 13. ltt him /ing Pfalms. And therefore, let prophane Spirits deride this how they pleafe, yet certainly it is a moft Heavenly and Spiritual Duty. The Holy Angels, and the Spirits of Juft Men 111 Heaven, are fa 1d to fing Eternal Hallelujahs unto the Great King. And .if our Sabbath be Typical of Heaven, and the Work of the Sabbath rcprefents to us the Evcrlafting Work of thefe Bleffed -Spirits, How can it be better done than when we arc finging the Prair€s of him that fits upon the Throne, and of the Lamb our Redeemer? This is to joyn with the Heavenly Choire in their Heavenly Work; and to obferve a Sabbath here, as like that Eternal Sabbath there, .as the lmperfeB:ion of Earth can refemblc the Glory and PerfeCtion of Hea.. ven. · 129 Fourthly, Another Publick Dllty belonging unto the Sanl\ifying of the Lord's Day, is the Adminiftration of the Sacraments, efpecially that of the Lord's Supper. .~~d therefore it is mentioned, .Ails 20. 7· Vpon the Fir-ft Day of tht Week when_the Difciples came rogtther to break Bre.ad, that is, to partake of the Holy Com~ mumonof the Body and Blood of Chnft, Pa~ttl Preached unto them; which intimates, that the primary intent of th~ir Affemblies, ~as to receive the Lord's Sup- ,. pc:; and that upon occafion of th1s, the Apof\:le mftruB:ed them by Preaching. 8 "'fea; 4 It ~s l!l?ft evident by all the Records of the Church, that it was the Apoftolick and r~;;~7~~. Pnmi.uve Cuftom to partake of this moft Holy Ordinance every * Lord's Day e' Aug. and that their Meetings were chiefly defigned for this; to which were annexed Serm, in Prayer and Preaching. I am afraid, Sirs, that one of the great Sins of our Age ~ontt- 1 • M .' 1aye\'er1 m Js o~y.
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