RELIGIOUS WORSHIP A REMEDY FOR EXCITEMEI'TS.
T. JAMES seems fo imply in these words that there is that in rcligious worship which supplies ail our spiritual need, which suits every lnood of nfind and every variety of circmustances, over and abovc the heavenly and supernatural assistance which we are allowed to expect from it. Prayer and praise seem in his view fo l)e an universal remedy, a. 1)anacea, as it is ealled, whieh ought to be used at mme, whatever it be that affeets us. And, as is implied in a.scribing fo flem this univer.al virtue, they produee very opposite effeets, aeeording fo our need; allaying or earrying off the fever of the mind, as {he case may be. The Apostle is hot sl)eaking of si in the text; he sl)eaks of the emotio.s of the lnind, whether joyful or sorrowful, of good and bad spirits; and for these and all other sueh disturbanees, prayer and praise are a medieine. 8in indeed bas its a.ppropriate relnedies too, and more serious ones; 1)enitenee, self-abasemènt, self-revenge, mortification, and the like. But the text supposes the case of a Christian, not of a mere penitent—not of scaudalous wickedness, but of emotion, agitation of mind, regret, longing, despondency, mirthfiflness, transport, or rapttre; and case of such ailments it says, prayer and praise is the remedy. Indisposition of body shows itself in a pain somewhere or other;—a distress, which draws our thoughts toit, centres them upon it, impedes our ordinary way of going on, and throws the mind off its balance. Such too is indisposition of the soul, of whatever sort, be if passion or affection, hope or fear, joy or ief. If takes us off from the clear contemplation of the ne×t world, ruffies us, and makes us restless. In a word, it is what we call an excitement of mind. Excitements are the indisposition of the mind; and of these excitements in different ways the services of divine worship are the proper antidotes, ttow they are so, shall now be considered. 1. Excitements are of two kinds, sectflar and religious: First, let us consider sectflar excitements. Such is the pursuit of gain, or of power, or of distinction. Amusements are excitements; the applause of a crowd, emdations, hopes, risks, qarrels, contests, disappointments, successes. In such cases the object pursued naturally absorbs the mind, and excludes all thoughts but those relating to itself. Thus a man is sold over into bondage fo this world. I-Ie has one idea, and one only before him, which becomes his idol. Day by day he is engrossed by this one thing; to which his hear pays worship. It may attract him through the ima-
aion, or tltrough the reason; if my ppeal o his hear6, or o his self-ineres, or o Iris pride; still, whether we ho young or old, rich or poor, each age, each fortune is liable to ifs own pecfliar excitement, whic.h has power to iascinate the eye of out minds, to enervate and destroy us. Hot all af once (God forbid!), but by a adual 1)rocess, till eve W tholght,,f religion is lost before the conteml)lation of fltis nearer good. The most ordinary of these excitements, at least in this country, is the pursuit of gain. A man may live from weck to week in fle fever of a decent covetousness, fo which he gives some more specious naine (for instance, desire of doing his duty by his famfly), till the he«rt of religion is eaen out of him. He may live and die in his farm or in his merchandise. Or he nmy be laboring for some distinction, xvhich depends on his acquitting himself well on certain trying occasions, and requires a laborious preparation beforehand. Or he may be idly carried away by some light object of sense, which fills his mind with empty dreams and with pains which profit hot. Or he may be engaged in the general business of life; be full of schemes and 1)rojects, of political manoeuvres and ef)rts, of hate, or jealousy, or resentment, or triumph. He nmy be busy in managing, persuading, outwitting, resisting other nen. Again,.he my be in one or other of these states, hot for a life, but for a season; and this is the more general case. Anyhoxç u,k, ilc he is so circumstanced, whether for a longer or a shorter season, this will hold good—viz., the thought of religion is excluded by the force of the excitement which is on low, then, observe what is the remedy. "Is any afflicted? let him t)ray. Is my merry? let him sing psalms." Here we see one very momentous use of pmyer and l»raise to all of us; if breaks the current of worldly thoughts. And this is the singular benefit of stated worship, that it statedly interferes with the urgency of worldly excitements. Out daily pmyer, morning and evening, SUSl-,ends our occupations of time and sense. And esl)ecially the daily prayers of the Church do this. I say especially, becal,se a man, amid the business of life, is often tempted fo defi'md himself of his private devotions by the pressure of engagements. He has hot many minutes fo give fo them; and if by accident they are broken in upon, the season is gone and lost. tlut tire public Service is of a certain length, and cannot be interrupted; and it is long enough to cahn and steady the mind. Scripture must be read, t)salms must be sung, prayers lnust be offered; every thing cornes in course. I say, it is impossible (under God's blessing) for any one to attend the I)aily Service of the Church '" with reverence and godly fear," and a wish and effort to give his thoughts to it, and hot final himself thereby sobeed and brought to recollection. What kinder office is there, when a man is agitated, than for a friend to put his hand ut)on him by way of warning, to startle and recall him? If ofte has the effect of saving us from angry words, or extravagant talkhg, or inconsiderate jesting, or rash resolves. And such is the blessed effect of the sacred Services on
340 tVcli£ioe«s kVorshii Christians busied about many things; reminding them of the one thing needful, and keeping them from beg dra into the great whiflpool of te and sense. Tlfis, let it be observed, is one imposant benet m-ising from the institution of the Lord's day. Over and above the privilege of being allowed one day in seven for regious festivity, the ChHstian may accept it as a merciftfl break in upon his usual emploents, lest they shotfld engross hn. Most men, indeed, perceive this; they 'fll feel wearied with the dust o{ this vorld when Saturday cornes, and undemtand it to be a mercy that they are not obfiged to go on tofling thout csation. But stfll, there are many who, if it were not an express ordinance of religion, would feel tempted, or think it their duty, fo continue their secular labos, even though the custom of society allowed them to rest. Many, as it is, are so tempted; tlmt is, at rimes, when they have some pressing object in viexv, and think they cannot afford to lose a day: and many alwayssuch, for instance, as are in ceain professions, which are hot regulated (as trade is, more or less) by rimes and places. And great numbers, it is to be feared, eld to the temptation; and the e effect of it shows itself in various miserable ways, even in the oveoEhrow of their health and reaso In aH these cases, then, the weekly Services of prayer and praise corne to us as a gTaCiOUS relief, a pause from the world, a glimpse of the third heaven, lest the world shod rob us of oto hope, and enslave us to that hard nmster who is plottg our eternal destruction. You see, thon, how secular cxcitements are remedied by religious worslfip; viz., by breaking them up, and disabling them. 2. Next, let us consider how religious excitements are set right by the saine Divine medicine. If we had always continued in file vay of light and truth, obeying God from chfldhood, doubfless we shotfld know little of those swellings and tumults of the sorti which are so common among us. Men who bave grown up in t.he faith aud fear of God, have a cahn aud equable piety; so much so, that they are often charged on that very account with being dull, cohl, formal, insensible, dead to the next world. Now, it sttnds to reason, thtt a man who has always lived in the contelnpltion and improvement of his Gospel privileges, wil] hot feel that agitating surprise and vehelnence of joy, which he would feel, and ought to feel, if he had never knoai nnything of them before. The jailor, who for the first t.ime heard the news of salvation through Christ, gave evident signs of tïansport. This certainly is natur,l and right; stfll it is a state of excitement, and, if I might say it, ail states of excitement bave dangerous tendencies. Hence one never can be sure of a new convert; for, in that elevated state of mind in which he is at first, the affections bave rauch more svay than the reason or conscience; and lmless he takes care, they may hurry him away, just as a wind might do, in a wrong direction, tic is balanced on a single point, on the summit of an excited nfind, and he may easily falL tIowever, though this dnger would hot exist, or, at least, hot commonly or seriously, did men turn to God from early youth, yet, alas! in mat.ter of fact they do hot so turn; in matter
342 2ïc[i,g'ious lForshi of fact they are open fo the influence of excitement, when they begin to seek God; a.nd the question is, what is then to be done wiflt them? low, this advice is often given:—"Indulge the excitement; when you flag, seek for another; live upon the thought of God; go about doing good; let your light shine before men; tell them what Goal bas done for your soul;"—by all which is meant, when we go into part.iculars, that they ought to fancy that they bave somcthing above all other men; ought to neglect their worldly calling, or at best only bear it as a cross; to join themselves fo some pa'ticular set of rcligionists; to take part in this or that religious society; go to bear strange preachers, and obtrude their new feelings and new opinions upon others, at rimes proper and improper. I ara spealdng now of the retaper, hot of those who profess adherence to the Church, but of such as detach themselves, more or less, from its discipline; and the reason I allude to them is this. It is often said, that schism and dissent are but accidents of a religious temper; that they who fall into them, if pious, are the saine in heart as Churchmen, only are divided by some outva'd diflbrence of fonns,-md circumstances.:Not so; the mind of dissent, viewed in itself, is far other flan the nhd of Christ and His Holy Church Catholic; in whatever proportion it may or may hot be realized in individuals. It is full of self-importance, irreverence, censoriousness, display, and tumult. It is right, theefore, ever to insist that it is different, lest men should be seduced into it, by being assured that it is hot different.
That if is different from the mind and spirit of the early Christians af least, is quiLe plain from history. If there was a rime, when those partienlar irregulrities, whieh now are so eommon, were likely fo abound, if was in the primitive Chureh. Men, who had lived all their lives in the pollutions of sin unspeakable, who had been involved in Llie darkness of heathenism, were suddeuly brought fo file lighL of Christian gruLl. Their sins were ail fi'eely forgiven flem, clean washed away iii he waters of Baptism. A new world of ideas was opened upon them; and the most astonishing objects prcsented to their tàith. What a state of transport must have been theirs! We know it was so, by the accouut of such men in the book of Acts. The jailor "r@iced, believing in God, with all his house." And what an excited and critical state theirs! Critical and dangerous in proportion to its real blessedness; for, in proportion to the privileges we enjoy, ever will be out risk of misushg them. spire, then, of their blessedness, they were iu a state of risk, and that from tbe excitement of their minds. II[ow then did they escape that enthusiasm vhich now lrevails, that irreverence, immodesty, and rudeness I say, if in any age that feverish spirit was likely fo havê prevailed, which now prevails, the eafly rimes of the Gospel was such; how is it we do hot read generally of what happened in a measure and for a season h the Corinthian Church, of Christians disobeying their ulers, saying that their own hem'ts were the best judges in religious matters, censuring those about them, taking teachers for themselves, and so brea -t5ng up the Church of Christ into ten thousand parts? If ai any rime the outward frame-work of Chr.istianity was in jeopardy, surely it was then. How was it the ungovernable elements within it did hot burst ïorth and shiver to pieces the vessel which contained them? IIow was it, that for fifteen hundred years the Church was preserved from those peculiar affections of mind and irregularities of feeling and conduct, which now torment it like an ague?:Now certainly, looking ai external and second causes, the miracles had much fo do in securing this blessed sobriety in the early Christians. These kept them fivm wilfulness and extravagance, and tempered them to the spirit of godly fear. Thus St. Paul, when converted, was hOt let go by himself, so fo speak. His merciful Lord kept His hand upon him, and directed his every step, lest he should start aside and go astray. Thus He would hot tell him all at once what to do, though St. I'ul wished it; but bade him "arise, and go into the city," and there it was to be told him what he was to do. He was led by thc hand (a fit emblem of his spiritual condition), and brought fo Damascus. Then he was three days without sight, and without meat and drioE. During this time he was still kept in suspense and ignorance what wa.s to happen, and was employed in praying. Such desolateness—his darkness, fasting, and suspense —had a sobering influence. Then Ananias was sent to him to baptize him. Forflwith he began to preach Christ at Damascus, but was soon checked, thwarted, sent into Arabia out of the way, for three years. Then he returned to Damascus, and again, preaching Christ, was in no long time obliged to flee for his life. He came to Jerusalem, and began agaiu to preach. Here first he had a difficulty in getting acknowledged by the Aposrles, who were for a rime afraid of him; then the Jews laid a plot to kill him. As he was praying in the Temple, Christ appeared to lfim, and bade him depart from Jerusalem. The brethren brought him down to Coesarea; thence he went to Ttrsus. Now, who does hot sec in this history how thc Apostle was repressed and brought under by the plain eommands and providences of God, hurrying him to and ri'o, without saying why? After ai1 this, many years passed before he was employed to preaeh to the heathen, and then only after a solemn ordination. Thus, God's miraeulous providence, awing and controlling the heart, would seem to be one especial means by which the early Christians were kept from enthusiasm; and the persecutions of the Chureh beeame another. But the more ordina3r means was one whieh we may enjoy at this day, if we choose: the course of religious Services, the round of prayer and praise, which, indeed, was also part of St. Patfl's discipline, as we have seen, and which has a most gracious effect upon the resrless and excited mind, giving it an ourlet, yet withal calming, soothing, directing, purifying it. To go into details. It often happens that in a famfly who have been brought up together, one suddenly takes what is called a religious turn. Such a person wishes to be more religious than the rest, wishes to do sonlething more than ordinary, but does not know exactly
[dcl«'gious IUorshe'
what to do. You will find, generally, that he joins himself to some dissenting party, mainly for this reason, to evidence to hin,self ga'eater strictness, tIis naind is under excitement; he seems to say vith St. Paul, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" This is the cause, again a.nd aga.in, of persons falling from the Church. And hence, a notion has got abroad that dissenting bodies have more of true religion within them than the ('hurch; I sa.y, for this reason, because earnest men, awakiug to a sense of religion, wish to do something more thau usua.1, and join sect.s and heresies as a relief fo their minds, by way of ridding themselves of strong feelings, which, pent up within them, distress them. And I cannot deny, that in this way those bodies do gin, and the Church does lose, earnestly religious people, or ratiner those who would have been such in time; for it is, I fear, too true that, while the sects in question are in this vay recruited and improved from the Church, the persons themselves, who join them, are injured. They lose the greater part of that religious light and warmth which hung about them, even though they have been hitherto careless, and but partially availed themselves of it. It is as if a living hand were to touch cold iron; the iron is somewhat warmed, but the hand is chilled. And thus the blossom of truth, the promise of real religion, is lost to the Church. lXIen begin well, but being seduced by their own waywardness fall away. Here, then, if we knew how fo employ them, the Services of the Church corne in to soothe and guide the atated mind. "Is any aftlicted? let him pray: is any merry? let him sing psalms." Is any in a pertm'bed state of miud? he need hot go off fo str,nge pl'e,chers and meetings, in order to relieve himself of his uueasiness. We can give him a stricter nfle of lire, al)d a safer one. I)id 1)ot our Lord lllke OE distincti))l between the lire of Martha and that of Mal\y, and without diselaiming Martha, who was trohble(l fi)r I[is sake with the ioils of lire, yet praise hlary the rathm; who sat at I[is feet? I)oes hot St. Paul lnake a distinetiou))etween the duties cccss«rj for a Uhristian, and those which are comcly and of good '«l»Ort? Let restless pcrsons attend ul)on the worship of the Chureh, whieh will attune their lninds in harlnony with Christ's law, while it mlbnrdens them. Did hot St. Paul "1)ray '' during his three days of 1)linduess? Afterwards he was praying in the Temple, when Christ al)peared to him. Let this be well considered. We may build t[ouses of God without nmnber, up and down the land, as indeed our duty is; we nlay nmltil)ly resident ministers; we lna.y (with a less COlnmendable zeal) do out utlnost to please the many or the wealthy; but all this will hot deprive I)issenting bodies of their virtue and charm, such as if is. Their strength is their semi)lance of a strictness beyond members of tl)e Church. Tfll we act up to our wofessed prineiples more exact.ly; tfll we have in deed and actual praetiee more frequent Services of praise and prayer, more truly Catholie plans for honouring God and benefiting man; till we exhibit the nobler and more beautiflfl forms of Christian devotedness tbr the admiration and guidanee of the better sort, we bave, in a manner, done nothing. Surely we want something more than the material walls, we want the "spirit and truffe" of the Heavefly Jerusalem, the worshippers "with one accord continuing in the Temple, with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God," persevering and prevafling in prayer, and flms, without seeking it, "lmving favour with all the people." Is any one then desirous of gaining comfort to his soul, of bringing Christ's presence home to his very heart, and of doing the highest and most glorious things for the whole wofld? I have told him how to proceed. Let him praise God; let holy David's Psalter be as familiar words in his mouth, his daily service, ever repeated, yet ever new and ever sacre& Let him pray; especially let him intercede. Doubt hot the power of faith and prayer to effect all things with God. However you try, you cannot do works to compare with those which faifla and prayer accomplish in the naine of Christ. Did you give your body to be burned, and all your goods to feed the poor, you cotfld not do so much as by continual intercession Few are rich, few can surfer for Christ; all may pray. Were you an Apostle of the Church, or a Prophet, you cotfld not do more than you can do by the power of prayer. Go not then astray to find out new modes of serving God and benefiting mar I show you "a more excellent way." Corne to out Services; corne to out Làtanies; throw yourself out of your own selfish heart; pour yom'self out upon the thought of sin and sinners, upon the contemplation of God's Throne, of Jesus the Mediator between God and man, and of that glorious Church to which the dispensation of His lnerits is committed.
Aspire fo be what Christ would make you, His friend; having power with Him and prevailing. Other men will not pray for themselves. You may pray for them and for the geneml.Church; and while you pray, you will find enough in the defects of your praying to remind you of your own nothingness, and to keep you from pride while you aire at perfection.
But I nmst dmw to an end. Thus, in both ways, whether our excitelnents arise ri'oto objects of this world o1" the next, praise and praycr will be, through God's mercy, out remedy; keeping the lnind frolu rulming to waste; calming, soothing, sobering, steadying it; attuning it to the will of God and the mind of the Spirit, teaching it to love all nlen, to be cheerful and thankfu], and fo be resigned in all the dispensations of Providence towards us. 0h that we knew out own true bliss, now that Christ is conle, instead of being, as we still are, for the most part, like the heathen, as sheep without a shepherd! May the good Lord fulfil ltis purpose towards us in His own rime! Amen.