And, in fome inftances, the words are fo hastily and irreverently spoken, that the form itself borders very nearly on profanenefs. The offence which this has justly given to ferious people, has driven fome of them into an oppofite extreme, which hath not failed to be sharply cenfured as favouring of pharifaicifm. Prudence and piety, plainly dictate the medium between the two extremes. Let us be ferious and felf-collected, whilft, in two or three fentences, we are addreffing ourselves to God. The importance of this is great. For it ftands to reafon, that a heedlefs deful. tory manner of performing this duty must be very offenfive to God, and not only defeat the falutary ends. of the fervice, but tend to fix a habit of trifling with facred things.

We fhall close the whole, with fubmiting to the confideration of mafters of families, a few thoughts on a fervice of an extraordinrry kind, in which our pious ancestors, and fome I truft now living, have found their account: I mean the fetting apart a day, on special occafions, for folemn prayer and thanksgiving to God. The reafonableness and utility of fuch fervices, in regard of nations and churches, have been generally admitted and I know not why they should not be admitted in regard of private families. It is true, fome families be fo circumftanced as to render the may obfervation of a day of fafting and prayer abfolutely impracticable: or, however, it would be difficult for them to fix on a time in which the bufiness of the houfe would allow all of them to attend. But this furely is not the cafe with every family. Nor is it to be doubted but moft good people might, in the course F

of

of a year or two, or at certain periods of their lives, find a convenient feafon for this purpofe, if they were really fenfible of the importance of it. To fix upon your minds, therefore, a fenfe of its importance, is my object; and then the time and manner of conducting the fervice, may very well be fubmitted to difcretion.

Events of a momentuous kind do fometimes take place in families, fuch as births, deaths, change of habitation, and other extraordinary providences, either adverse or profperous. Now if on fuch occafions every family, to ufe the language of the prophet Zechariah, were to mourn and pray, and offer prayer apart; would not fuch fervice be acceptable to God, and highly beneficial to themselves? A giddy world, who pay little attention to the providence of God in their temporal concerns, and lefs to the religious interests of their families, may treat what we are recommending with contempt. But will a wife, prudent,' ferious man, who has the welfare of his house at heart, fay that this is an unmeaning unneceffary fervice? Figure to yourself fuch a little affembly, on a fixed day, convened, without noife or oftentation, in fome retired part of the house, there feriously recollecting their past fins and mercies, there earnestly pleading with God for a bleffing, there cheerfully acknowledg. ing his goodness, and there cordially devoting themfelves to his fervice; figure to yourself, I fay, fuch a little affembly, confifling of parents, children and fervants, all deeply impreffed with the folemnity of this extraordinary act of domeftic worship, and tell us whether it is not a lovely fight. Can any one find it in his heart to fneer at the idea of fuch a fervice as trifling,

* Zech. xii. 14.

trifling, nugatory, and unprofitable? Or will any one in his fober fenfes pronounce fuch a day, a loft day? Be that as it is at as it is may, they who have enjoyed the comfort of thefe folemnities, and felt the fubftantial benefit that refults from them, will think and act otherwife. May the number of fuch affemblies increafe in our land! and may they joyfully accept the falutation of an infpired apoftle!" Greet the church that is in their houfe."

TO

EPH. V, 33 wordt diad

Let every one of you in particular, fo love his wife even as himself; and the wife fee that he reve rence ber bufband.

S all focieties, civil and religious, originate from families; fo families derive from that first and moft important of all focial connections, the conjugal relation. Upon the right difcharge, therefore, of the duties of this relation, the welfare and happiness of mankind in general very much depend. To explain and enforce thefe duties is the object of the prefent difcourfe.

Previous to this, it will be neceffary to confider what it is that conftitutes the conjugal relation, or the true grounds and reafons of it. The conjugal or marriage relation is not the refult merely of a connection of the fexes: for if that were the case, there would be no fuch thing as fornication. It is the refult of a folemn contract between one man and one woman, to live together as husband and wife, till death shall part them. This is what we call mar Iriage, what we maintain was inftituted by God in the beginning, and what our Saviour refers to in the

following

following words, "Have ye not read, that he which "made them at the beginning, made them male and “female and faid, For this caufe fhall a man leave "father and mother, and fhall cleave to his wife : "and they twain shall be one flesh. What there"fore God hath joined together, let no man put a"funder. To the fame purpofe the apofle fpeaks in the verfe but one before our text.

Now upon thefe words, together with the farther light which fcripture, in concert with the law of nature, hath thrown upon them, thefe four important pofitions are founded-that the conjugal relation can lawfully fubfift between one man and one woman only-that the parties must be competent to the entering into fuch contract-that the contract ought to be duly attefted-and that adultery and death only can diffolve it. The particular difcuffion of all these queflions, would carry us to too great a length. We fhall therefore infift chiefly on the first of them; and fay little more even on this than is neceffary to open the way for an explanation of the duties of the mariage ftate, which it is the object of this difcourfe to recommend,

ལ་

We affirm then, that "the conjugal relation can lawfully fubfift between one man and one woman only." It is generally admitted with refpect to the woman, for reasons obvious at first view, that she cannot marry any other man during the life of her hufband. But it has been doubted refpecting the man. We fhall therefore prove that he can only lawfully marry one woman. And this we infift is the language of Nature and of Chrift.

Math. xix.4, 5, 6.

I.