sanctuary, and listen to the voice of God, who says, Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give, the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil." Eccles. v, 1. "How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Gen. xxviii, 17.

Others manifest their carelessness and irreverence by their practice of coming in late, perhaps in the middle or end of the service, when they have it in their power to come in good time. One would suppose that such characters thought that divine service never commenced till they had taken their seats; or, that all which passed before their arrival, was of no consequence. Such an example has a bad effect, and such a conduct disturbs much the devotion of others.

Others are careless during public worship: they sit down when they should kneel or stand, when the solemn prayers of the Church are offered up to the throne of grace, in the name of the great Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ: or, they are gazing around, and their attention is attracted by any thing that may

pass in the congregation; and so they seem

A

to consider public worship as any thing, but the worship of Almighty God. (Though the ignorance of such may not be so gross as that such a conclusion should exist in their minds, yet it is manifest that their ideas or notions of the nature of divine worship are vague and incorrect, and erroneous.) With some the sermon is every thing: they regard the preacher as a mere orator, or an actor, who is so to act his part, as to secure the approbation of his audience: in that case, as soon as they go out, they will be saying, "what a good sermon!" or, "what a capital discourse we have had to-day!" while no notice whatever seems to be taken of the solemn and devotional service of our Church, in which supplications for and in the name of the people are offered up to the throne of grace, in the name of Jesus Christ. There can be but very little, if any, religion in the heart of those, who listen perhaps with attention to a well-composed discourse, and applaud the learning and talents of the preacher, while at the same time they have no disposition to unite in the important work of prayer and praise. In such a case it is evident that the object of these in coming to the house of God, is to

be amused, and not to be improved; to entertain the ear, and not to feed and satisfy the soul with the bread of life. Others probably consider the sacred duties, as services decent in themselves, venerable for their antiquity, and useful as engines of state. Such notions or ideas of our most holy religion are certainly impious and profane: and those who entertain them must be unconscious of the divine origin of religion, and of the gracious design of God in giving mankind a revelation of his will. Those, who come to the public worship of God with minds unprepared, thoughtless of the work they are about to be engaged in, are not likely to worship God in spirit and in truth, or to offer to him a spiritual sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

Wrong motives, it is to be feared, bring others to the house of God. Some come merely from form, custom, or for decency's sake to see or to be seen; not desirous to obtain divine grace, and not expecting to enjoy the presence of God in his house of prayer. There are others, who make it a self-righteous act to come, imagining that their attendance on public worship is a kind of a meritorious obedience, which will entitle them to heaven.

Such things are inconsistent with the due worship of God; for HE requires his “true worshippers to worship him in spirit and in truth."

Let it be next enquired, what sort of behaviour becomes us when in the house of God, and engaged in his service. God is to be duly worshipped in his house; he is to be worshipped" in the beauty of holiness." We are to approach the throne of grace in the name of Jesus Christ, and through the help of the Holy Spirit: all the faculties of the soul are to be absorbed in the great act of worshipping Almighty God. Our souls should be thirsting after the living God. In a word, the whole man, body and soul, must be wholly fixed and engaged in the solemn work. As God cannot look on sinners with acceptance, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, so HE is the High Priest of our profession, who bears the iniquity of our holy things, who sympathizes with our infirmities, being "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin;" therefore we are to come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." See Heb. iv, 14, 15, 16;

also Exod. xxviii, 36, 38. We are required to offer up to the throne of grace all our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, who 66 ever liveth to make intercession for us." "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name," says Jesus," that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." John xiv, 13, 14. The various collects in our national Liturgy conclude with a reference to the intercession of our blessed Redeemer; so that the members of our Church, when joining in public worship, have the opportunity of offering up every petition in the name of Him, who is the only mediator between God and man, and who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." This peculiar excellence in our evangelical Liturgy has often afforded edification and comfort to the pious worshipper.

There are some who imagine that the sermon is the principal part of public worship. This is a very erroneous idea; for, in fact, the sermon is no part of the worship of God, but only the message of God delivered by the Christian minister for the instruction or edification of the hearers. Prayer and praise are the essentials of divine worship, to which may