attend the instituted duties of religion? Here several good reasons may be mentioned. And,

1. It was because he loved to obey his Father. He says, "I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." He says, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me." Again he says, "I do always those things that please him." Christ knew that nothing could be more pleasing to his Father, than his constantly attending the public worship and sacred ordinances which he had appointed. All divinely instituted duties are founded on divine authority; and therefore more direct respect is paid to God, by obedience to these, than by obedience to moral duties. Christ paid more direct respect to God by attending his public worship, and keeping the passover, than by healing the sick, or feeding the multitudes, or paying tribute to Cæsar. The duties of justice and mercy are all moral duties, and are in their own nature binding, aside from the authority or command of God. But the instituted duties of religion derive all their authority from the commands of God. If he had not commanded them, they would not have been duties, nor laid men under the least obligation to perform them. But since they are the positive commands of God, and clothed with his infinite authority, those who cordially obey them, pay a cordial, direct and supreme respect to him. It was supreme love to his Father that prompted Christ to observe the Sabbath, to attend public worship in his house, and keep the feasts he had appointed. His love to his Father's authority and sacred institutions, filled him with a holy zeal and indignation, to see his Father's house profaned. "And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen, and sheep, and doves, and the changers of money, sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple-and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." He knew that all the laws of his Father's house, and all his religious institutions were clothed with divine authority, and, of course, that all profanation of them was pointed directly against him, and poured contempt upon his infinite authority, which he could not patiently bear. His zeal on this occasion was a beautiful and striking expression of his sacred and supreme regard for the worship and ordinances of God. He came to the passover with love to that sacred feast, which kindled into zeal against those who polluted and made the table of the Lord contempti

ble. By this he gave clear and convincing evidence that he attended public worship and divine ordinances, in cordial obedience to his Father's will.

2. Christ constantly attended the worship and ordinances of God, because he loved all religious duties, whether secret, social, or public. How many instances are mentioned of his leaving his disciples and the multitudes, and retiring for the purpose of secret devotion. He spent a whole night in praying to his Father in secret, just before he chose his twelve apostles. He humbly and submissively prayed to his Father, that if it were possible, he would save him from the tremendous sufferings in the garden and on the cross. And he most devoutly and pathetically prayed for his disciples and all his followers, at the celebration of the last passover and first sacrament. He preached the gospel for about four years constantly, Sabbath after Sabbath, and day after day; and spent almost the whole of that time in the performance of some of the instituted duties of religion; which affords the highest testimony of his love to public worship, divine ordinances, and all religious duties. It is not strange, therefore, that he constantly observed the Sabbath, constantly attended public worship, and punctiliously celebrated the passover. The men of the world are constant in pursuing the objects of their pleasure and delight. Good men are constant in the discharge of the public and private duties of devotion; which give them peculiar pleasure and satisfaction. David says, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." At another time, he cries in ecstasy, "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God." Christ loved God far more ardently than David did, and enjoyed far greater delight and satisfaction than David did, in the secret, private and public exercises of religious worship. And this inspired him with a zeal to travel from place to place in heat and cold, to perform the duties of the Sabbath, and all other instituted duties. Whether he was in Galilee, or any part of Judea, he would surmount all difficulties or dangers in the way, to attend the annual passover, or any other religious feast of divine appointment. His love to religious duties never failed to produce a constancy and punctuality in attending public worship and divine ordinances.

3. Christ loved to hold communion with his Father and his friends; and therefore he was constant in meeting them, when

gathered together for the purpose of union and communion in religious services. He said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." He said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Again he said, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.' "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." He anticipated the peculiar happiness he should enjoy in the union and communion with his Father and his friends at the last passover and first sacrament. "Then came⚫ the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water: follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the good man of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall show you a large upper room furnished; there make ready. And they went, and found as he said unto them and they made ready the passover. And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer." He first administered the passover, for the last time; and then administered the sacramental symbols of his body and blood; which was the first institution of a standing memorial of his death. At this communion-table we see why Christ had always been so constant and punctual in attending the public worship of God, and especially the celebration of the passover, at the very day and hour appointed. It was because with desire he desired to hold communion with his people in divine ordinances. He looked forward to the Sabbath to see the Lord's day; and he looked forward to the passover to see that day of communion with his beloved disciples and friends, with strong and ardent desires for spiritual and divine enjoyments. Christ enjoyed much greater pleasure and satisfaction in communion with his disciples and sincere Israelites, than they ever enjoyed in communion with him. We have no account that he ever neglected the public duties of the Sabbath, or the celebration of the passover; and the reason was, that he sincerely desired to attend every divine or

dinance, for the sake of enjoying union and communion with his Father and his friends. Besides,

4. He constantly observed the Sabbath and all divine ordinances, because he knew that they were absolutely necessary, in order to maintain and promote the cause of true religion in the world. He said, he came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them, by promoting the great and important design which they were intended to promote; that is, the spread and perpetuity of true religion and vital piety. Though, as Lord of the Sabbath, he changed the day; yet he did not annul the duty and obligation of keeping it as holy time, and consecrated to the special service of God. Though he abolished the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic dispensation, yet he did not set aside all divine institutions; but actually instituted 'Baptism and the Sacrament, as perpetual ordinances, in the room of Circumcision and the Passover. He knew that there must be perpetual divine ordinances, and that these must be practically observed, in order to preserve and keep religion alive in the world. And for this reason, he not only instituted Baptism and the sacred Supper, but by his supreme authority, commanded all men to attend them according to their appointment. Accordingly, he strictly and constantly attended the divine institutions under the Mosaic dispensation, so long as they continued in their full force and obligation, to show all his followers and the world at large, the vast importance of maintaining and perpetuating his own sacred ordinances and institutions. He knew that his cause and interest could not be promoted, unless his Sabbath and his other sacred ordinances should be maintained and perpetuated. He had a deep sense of the infinite importance of that cause, for which he was about to suffer and die; and he knew, that his new spiritual kingdom, which he designed should extend through the world, and continue to the end of time, could not be maintained, extended and continued, unless its fundamental laws and ordinances should be kept and perpetuated. As he paid tribute to Cæsar, to show the world the importance of maintaining civil government for the good of civil society; so he constantly and punctually attended the passover and all other divine ordinances, to show the world the importance of maintaining the Sabbath and all other divine institutions, for the sake of preserving and promoting true religion and vital piety, from generation to generation as long as the world stands.

This subject now applies to those in particular, who are about to celebrate the memorials of Christ's death. He appointed this sacred ordinance for the agreeable purpose of holding mutual

communion with his Father, and his own sincere followers. With desire he has desired to meet you at his table. Though he is now absent in body, yet he is present in spirit, and will fulfill his promise, which he made to his friends for their consolation: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." He now practically says, as he verbally said on the last great day of the feast; "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Yea, he says, "Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." As he has exercised astonishing benevolence towards you in his death, and now exercises peculiar complacency towards you at his table; so it becomes you to exercise supreme complacency towards him, and the sincerest and warmest gratitude for the rich and distinguishing blessings which he has already bestowed on you, and the still richer blessings he has prepared for you in his kingdom above. As he is united to you as the head is united to the members, so it becomes you to be united to him as the branches are united to the vine. Such a mutual union lays a permanent foundation for mutual and permanent communion, which will afford you the purest and highest felicity both in time and eternity. Open wide the door of your hearts, that the King of glory may come in.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. In view of this subject, it appears that a constant attendance on public worship and divine ordinances, is a good mark of vital piety and Christian sincerity in professors of religion. It indicates submission to divine authority. It indicates love to every species of religious worship. It indicates a delight in communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and all true believers. And it no less indicates a sincere and ardent desire to perpetuate and promote the cause of true religion and vital piety to the end of time. In a word, it indicates that they have the spirit of Christ, and are his cordial friends and servants. A constant and punctual attendance on divine institutions certainly indicates all these things. Look at such attendants. Do they not daily read the Bible? Do they not constantly practice social and secret prayer? Do they not bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? Do they not remember the Sabbath-day, and keep it holy; abstaining from all secular concerns, and performing all