SECTION V. 51` that secular businesses or idle amusements would have long ago thrust Christianity almost out of the world, and have gone near to banish true religion and godliness from the face of the earth ; and where the Lorcl's=day is most neglected, serious religion is almost lost and gone. 3. If after we have heard sermons on the Lord's-day, and waited on God in public prayers and praises, we should make a custom of devoting all the rest of the day to our own purposes in the labours or diversions of life, it would be a most effectual way to lose and abolish all the pious thoughts and the devout affections which might be raised in the heart by any part of the public worship in which we have been engaged : thus the very design of the seasons of worship would be lost, and all the pious sentiments and dispositions drowned and buried in business or pleasure.` It is the reviewing of the truths and duties which we have heard in the ministry of the gospel, it is the meditation' ofthem in our retirements, the conference upon them in our fami- lies or in friendly discourte, the turning them into matter of se- cret or family prayer, in confession, petition or praise, and con- verse about them between God and our own souls, and the car- rying on of the saine spiritual designs by reading books of piety and holy conversation, that is the only sureway to render public worship effectual to fit us for heaven, and to answer the religious purposes of the Lord's. day. If therefore any persons in this nation resolve to give themselves a loose in this point, and take no care to improve the hours of this day to the grand, designs of religion and salvation i if they will waste them away in trifles, in useless visits or amusements, let it never be said that a protes- tant dissenter is amongst them, or gives any encouragement or countenance to such a practice. III. I am naturally led, in the next place, to mention reli- gious discourse and conference upon themes of virtue. and prac- tical godliness, as another, thing whereby dissenters heretofore were used to distinguish themselves; they exhorted and comfort- rl one another under their sorrows by holy conversation. If a person with never so much prudence and seriousness should in- troduce a discourse of holy things into a friendly or familiar visit, and especially ifhe shouldgive a rebuke to any profane speeches, some of the company would have been ready to say, surely this was some dissenter, some precise puritan.: and this honour was done us by those who designed contempt and reproach. Well, how stands the case now ? Are not the dissenters as backward as others to begin religiousdiscourse, to put in a word for God or virtue, or to introduce any thing of heaven into their' conversation? Are we not as shy, and as much ashamed as our neighbours of bearing the face of religion in the world? Do we keep uponour tongues the language of piety, and attribute the 2
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