to my relation to God, and my dependence upon him, so that I cannot be long without being reminded of my destination to a future and everlasting state; as by this means I hope I am more in the way of acquiring those sentiments and habits which will qualify me for it. Let others fancy that they can do without these ordinary helps; I cannot but think there would be more wisdom in a greater distrust of themselves. Happy is he that feareth always.

I am, &c.

You think, that by refusing to pray in public, you avoid ostentation, which is certainly a bad thing, and ought, no doubt, to be guarded against. But an apparent indifference to religion is another bad thing, and therefore ought likewise to be guarded against; and how is it to be known that a man is devout at all, if no person ever see, or know him to be so? To avoid ostentation on this rigorous idea, not only must a man never pray out of his closet, but be careful that it be not known that he prays, even there; because his retiring for that purpose will, if it be known, have the same effect. And since the same reason requires that similar precautions be taken with respect to alms-giving, and every other moral virtue, how is the religious man to be distinguished from the irreligious, at least from the careless and indifferent? Is no man ever to discover any zeal for religion, or is his zeal to be shewn in words only, and never by his actions, lest his conduct should savour of ostentation?

Our Lord absolutely requires of his disciples, that they should confess him before men; for that, otherwise, he will not confess or acknowledge them before his heavenly Father and the holy angels. But how is this to be done upon the plan of refraining from all public worship, and even from celebrating the Lord's Supper? Is there to be no outward badge or visible token of a man's being a Christian? Is he to wait till he be interrogated on the subject? The primitive Christians thought and acted very differently.

Ostentation of religion is not the vice of the present age. Mankind in general are verging to the opposite extreme. You may even attend to the whole conversation and con

duct of many persons, who make profession of Christianity, and even habitually attend public worship, and, except in that single circumstance, you would not be able to discover whether they were Christians or not. How much more difficult, then, must it be to discover the Christianity of the man who does not attend Christian worship, never joining in the devotions of his fellow-christians, either in the church, or in his family! Ostentation of religion has existed in this country, especially among the Puritans and Dissenters; but there are few traces of it to be found at present. The peculiar practices mentioned with ridicule and contempt by Mr. Wakefield, (but which I own I should look upon with respect,) I never heard of before. Why, then, so much precaution against a vice from which there is no danger? It is like directing our whole force to the defence of one side of a fortress, when the enemy is making a breach at the opposite side.

Let us consider a little what is the ground of this so much dreaded ostentation. It is a man's valuing himself on something that is uncommon; not on doing what is merely proper in itself, and simply his duty, but something more than is expected of him. But is this the case with respect to the homage we owe to our Maker? Why should it be deemed a subject of ostentation to acknowledge the being and providence of God, and our obligation and subjection to him? Is this a thing so extraordinary as to afford just cause of boasting? And if I do acknowledge the being and providence of God, and should not be ashamed to profess it, if I were interrogated on the subject, where can be the impropriety of doing it in the most public, as well as in the most private manner? If I wish, as I think I ought to do, that my belief, and corresponding practice, should be known, for the sake of any influence that it may have on others, am I not under obligation to do it in public, that my neighbours and the world may know that I do it? David thought himself bound in duty to do this "in the presence of all the people." (Psalm cxvi. 14-18.) Daniel was not content with praying in secret at the court of Babylon, but chose to pray in such a manner as to shew that he was neither ashamed nor afraid to do it, (Dan. vi. 10,) and he is not blamed for his ostentation on that

account.

When you have considered with attention what I have advanced in these Letters, in favour of public worship, I flatter myself you will be convinced of the reasonableness

and real value of it; and not be carried away, as young persons are apt to be, with what has nothing to recommend it besides its novelty, seeming liberality, and remoteness from vulgar prejudice. Be especially upon your guard against that dislike of restraint which is peculiarly incident to youth, and suspect yourself, and suspend your determi nations, when the experience of mankind is against you. An institution recommended by the constant observance of all ages and all nations, and especially all Christians, and which has never been objected to before yesterday, will probably be found to have serious uses, and certainly should not be abandoned till after a very deliberate examination. I am, my young friend,

In addition to the observations of Philander* and Subsidiarius,† and in reply to the communications of Eubulus,‡ I beg leave to make a few remarks on what he has advanced with respect to the manner in which Christians in general spend the Sunday, or the Lord's day, making it a cessation from all worldly business.

This, Eubulus says, is "an institution which cannot be productive of any valuable ends, but such as are easily attained without it." It" not only occasions a loss to individuals, and to the community at large, of one seventh part of the industry of the manufacturers and labourers of every ↑ Ibid. pp. 331-349.

*Theol. Repos. VI. pp. 22-38, 113-135.

↑ Ibid. V. pp. 342-355; VI. pp. 352–371.

kind; but, what is infinitely more important, induces a very large majority of that most useful and numerous part of the people, to mispend that seventh of their time in dissipation and intemperance, which too naturally and too certainly lead them to vicious immoralities, and crimes of every degree."*

In support of this opinion, he says, "The apostles and first disciples of Jesus Christ are no where said to have distinguished the first day of the week, in any manner whatsoever;"† and again, "the Christians of the second century did not observe, and consequently had not received, any such institution from the apostles of Jesus Christ, and their immediate disciples."+

Farther, speaking of the writers" of the three first centuries," he says, "Instead of informing us such a sabbath was kept, they expressly assure us, that neither had the Gospel enjoined, nor did they practise any such observance. -In the first and purest ages of Christianity, their meetings were short, and either very early in the morning, before the usual hours of business, after which they departed, each to his several daily occupations, or else in the evening, after all the business of the day was ended."§

As Eubulus seems to acknowledge that the practice of the second and third centuries will enable us to astertain what was the practice of the apostles, and agreeable to the will of Christ, I shall endeavour to satisfy him, that Sunday was spent by Christians of that age, as far as circumstances would permit, in the same manner as it is generally spent now, viz. that it was considered as a sacred day, and that then Christians passed as much time in places of public worship as they do now.

I need not quote particular passages to prove, what must be allowed by all, viz. that in every place in which Christians were numerous, there was a place for their assembling themselves, distinct from a private house. This is evident from Paul's Epistles to the Corinthians, especially 1 Cor. xi. 22. Indeed it is natural to suppose, that Christians would imitate the Jews in this respect. In these places of general assembly, the epistles directed to whole churches were, no doubt, publicly read, as they continued to be in after times. In these places several services were regularly performed, and proper officers were appointed, and paid for the purpose.

• Theol. Repos. V. pp. 342, 343. (P.) 1 Ibid. VI. p. 365. (P.)

+ Ibid. p. 345. (P.)

§ Ibid. V. pp. 348, 349. (P.)

We read in the New Testament of elders, deacons, and deaconesses. This so exactly resembles the custom of a later period, that it affords a considerable presumption that those officers were employed in the same manner from the begin. ning, viz. some of them in the instruction of Christians assembled for that purpose, and especially on the Lord's day.

That there were these assemblies of Christians, and that they were held on the Lord's day, appears pretty clearly from the epistles of Ignatius; which, whether genuine or not, were, no doubt, written within the period mentioned by Eubulus.

Exhorting Christians to perfect unanimity, he says, “ As therefore the Lord did nothing without the Father, being united to him, neither by himself, nor yet by his apostles, so neither do ye any thing without your bishop and presbyters. Neither endeavour to let any thing appear rational to yourselves apart; but being come together into the same place, have one common prayer, one common supplication, one mind, one hope, in charity undefiled.-Wherefore come ye all together as unto one temple of God, as to one altar, as to one Jesus Christ, who proceeded from one Father, and exists in one, and is returned to one.'

Again, speaking of perfect Christians, he says, "No longer observing sabbaths, but keeping the Lord's day, in which also our life is sprung up in him, and through his death," &c.t

To these places of general assembly, which were called churches, Christians came sometimes from considerable dis. tances, which must have taken up much time, as also must the business that was done when they were assembled. The most authentic account of this is found in Justin Martyr, and is as follows:

"On the day that is called Sunday, there is an assembly of all who live in the cities, or in the country; and the Acts of the Apostles, and the writings of the Prophets are read,

Μηδε πειρασητε ευλογον τι φαίνεσθαι ιδια ύμιν· αλλ' επι το αυτό μια προσευχή, μια δεησις, εις νες, μια ελπις, εν αγάπη, εν τη χαρᾳ τη αμωμῳ. Εις εςιν Ιησες Χρις-Θ-, οτ άμεινον εδεν επιν. Πανίες εν ὡς εἰς ἕνα ναον συντρεχείε Θεῷ, ὡς επι το ἐν θυσιαςήριον, ὡς επι ένα Ιησεν Χριςον, τον αφ' ένος παίρος προελθονία, και εις ένα ονία και χωρησανία. Ign. Ad. Mag. C. vii. p. 19. (P.)

* Ει εν εν παλαιοις πραγμασιν αναςραφενίες εις καινοίηία ελπιδος ηλυθον; μηκετο σαββαλιζονίες αλλα κατα κυριακην (ζωην) ζωντες, εν ᾗ και ζωη ήμων ανέτειλεν δι' αυτέ, &c. Ibid. C. ix. p 20. The Greek has the word any, but as it is not in the Latin translation, and without it there is a better contrast to keeping the sabbath, mentioned immediately before, it is, I believe, universally considered as an interpolation. See the note of Cotelerius on the passage. (P.)