out the country. These holy and devout exercises are closed in the after part of the day by a sermon, and the administration of the Lord's Supper; at which time there is not unfrequently a renewal of covenant. Frequently other religious bodies, such as Missionary, Bible, or Education Societies, meet at the same time with Conferences; and give new interest and importance to these deeply solemn and affecting occasions.

CHAPTER XXIV.

WORSHIP AND RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS.

§ 229. No time sacred but the Sabbath.

Congregationalists regard no day as holy, (that is to say, divinely set apart to rest and to religious exercises,) but the Sabbath, that seventh part of time, which is set apart in the Scriptures. This portion of time was originally the seventh or last day of the week, but since the resurrection of Christ, it has been changed to the first day of the week, called in Scripture the Lord's day.

Other days may be set apart for religious purposes, but the observance of them is not binding on the conscience, except it be for considerations, which are independent of the particular time. This is expressly asserted in the articles of the Leyden church, which may be considered in some respects the root or fountain of Congregational principles. "The Sabbath, (say those Articles,) is the only day, which is set apart, as holy and to be kept sacred in the Scriptures; but churches and

congregations are at liberty to set apart days of fasting, thanksgiving, and prayer." (See § 17.)

§ 221. Form and ceremonies of worship.

The Sabbath, then, is the select and great day of public worship. The churches meet together for the adoration of the Most High, but the religious services, in which they engage, are unostentatious and simple. They hold it to be much more important to move the heart, than merely to please the imagination, and gratify curiosity.— The morning worship on the Sabbath, commonly commences with a short prayer, in which the blessing of God is invoked, in particular, on the solemn acts of worship, which are to be performed. Then follow the reading of the Scriptures, singing, renewed supplications, and the preaching of the Word. The Sermon is followed by another prayer, and in the afternoon by prayer and singing. The services are closed by a benediction of the pastor, supplicating in behalf of his audience, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.

§ 222. Places of worship and dedications of the same.

No one place, in itself considered, is more sacred than another. God requires the homage of the heart. Such homage is the only suitable and appropriate worship; and when it is given, it matters not, whether it be on mount Gerezim, or at Jerusalem, or at any other place. Houses of worship, are, nevertheless, erected, and are dedicated to that object, with solemn services. The command of God, which requires his people not to forsake the assembling of themselves together, can hardly be fulfilled without them. Nor is the practice of erecting houses of worship more agreeable to the Scriptures, than to the nature of the human mind, since we soon attach,

by the power of association, a sort of sacredness to objects, which possess no such character of themselves.

And hence we every where meet with houses of worship, which are dedicated to God as peculiarly and appropriately his; and thus were dedicated the Tabernacle and the Temple of the Old Testament. The ministers of the neighboring churches assemble together; their prayers and praises, their reading of the Scriptures, and their solemn instructions, all have reference to the interesting occasion on which they are met. They bring their offering of gratitude before the Lord; and they say, as did Solomon of old, Now, therefore, arise, O Lord God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength.

§ 223. Custom in respect to ministerial exchanges.

The pastors of the churches often perform for each other the religious exercises of the Sabbath. This is one of the acts of communion, exercised by the churches.

In respect to the particular occasions, on which exchanges are to be made, the pastors are, in ordinary cases, left to exercise their discretion. It is neither the sentiment, nor the Usage of the churches to restrict them on this point; although the right is one, which frequently requires to be exercised with prudence. The wishes of his people ought not to be treated by the pastor with wanton disregard, although they should not control his better judgment.

§ 224. Of days of fasting and thanksgiving.

It is the custom of these churches to set apart days of prayer and fasting, and of thanksgiving. The language of the CONFESSION of Faith, (CH. XXII,) is, "Solemn humiliations, with fastings and thanksgiving upon special occasions, are, in their several times and seasons, to be used in an holy and religious manner.

Such seasons are repeatedly, and even frequently men

tioned in our ecclesiastical annals. In setting them apart and in observing them, our forefathers showed their regard for the examples, set before them in the Scriptures, and their deep sense of their own needs. There is no stated time for these occasions; each church, or each body of churches may fix upon a day, to be spent in this solemn manner, for themselves. And experience sufficiently warrants the remark, that such days, when properly and seriously observed, have proved highly propitious to the religious progress of the churches.

§ 225. Of private religious meetings.

Private meetings of Christians are kept up as in former times; nor can it be otherwise, as long as the true Congregational spirit remains. Blessed are they, who speak often to one another on the things of Christ."It is usual among us, (says Mather, RAT. Disc. Art. x.) for Christians to uphold private meetings, wherein they do, with various exercises, edify one another; and it is not easy to reckon up the varieties used in them. It is observed, that the power of godliness ordinarily prevails in a place, as the private meetings are duly kept up and carried on.

"Sometimes a dozen families, more or less, agree to meet in course at one another's houses, on a day, and at an hour agreed on once a fortnight or once a month, as they shall please. And the families, unto whose turn it falls out to entertain the rest, sometimes takes that opportunity, to invite others of their neighbors unto the religious entertainments of their houses.

"They sometimes have the company of a minister, who spends an hour or two in a prayer and a sermon with them. And the candidates of the ministry sometimes do at these meetings perform some of their first probationary exercises.

and

Otherwise, one of the brethren makes a prayer; one reads a sermon, either printed in a book, or taken by the pen of a ready writer in the public assemblies; and they close the exercise with singing of psalms," &c.

§ 226. Of the custom of renewing Covenant.

A practice has prevailed in these churches of RENEWING COVENANT; not frequently, because that might diminish the results of an undertaking so solemn, but in times of great sin and declension, and also on such occasions, (whatever they may be,) which bring together a considerable number of professors of religion. The practice is authorized and is supported on scripture grounds by the Synod of 1679. In answer to the question, What is to be done to reform the prevailing evils-they say,

"Solemn and explicit renewal of Covenant is a scripture expedient for reformation. We seldom read of any solemn reformation but it was accomplished in this way, as the scripture doth abundantly declare and testify. And as the judgments, which befel the Lord's people of old, are recorded for our admonition, (1st Cor. x. 11,) so the course, which they did (according to God) observe, in order to reformation, and averting those judgments, is recorded for our imitation, and this was an explicit renovation of covenant. And that the Lord doth call us to this work, these considerations seem to evince.

(I.) If implicit renewal of covenant be an expedient for reformation, and to divert impending wrath and judgment, then much more an explicit renewal is so ; but the first of these is indubitable. In prayer, and more especially, on days of solemn humiliation before the Lord, there is an implicit renewal of covenant, and yet the very dictates of natural conscience put men upon such duties, when they