Attendance on Week-Day Services

Next Part Attendance on Week-Day Services 2

Our souls, like our gardens, need diligent and constant culture—without this, weeds grow fast, and flowers droop and wither. True religion is a business for all times, all places, and all engagements. It is intended to regulate and sanctify everything—to change the whole man into a burnt offering unto God—and the whole life into a service for Christ. There is no place of which we can say, "God is not here!" There is no time in reference to which we can affirm, "God's demands upon me are now suspended!" And noengagement so remote from moral obligations, that we can declare, "God takes no cognizance of this." This should be our abiding reflection,

"Within your circling power I stand,
On every side I find your hand—
Awake, asleep, at home, abroad,
I am surrounded still with God."

This is true religion—a solemn, devout, practical recollection and sense of the presence of God. This is what, by a most expressive and emphatic phrase, the Holy Spirit, in the language of inspiration, calls, "walking with God," which, viewed as a privilege, was not confined to Enoch and Noah; or as a duty, was not obligatory alone upon them. How holy is that man likely to be, and how happy, who, wherever he is and whatever he is doing, finds himself in the presence of the Holy One of Israel—who, however desolate and forlorn; however remote from every other friend; however perplexed with difficulty, or oppressed with care; however assailed by temptation or harassed by anxiety—has only to open the eye of faith, and to behold God near—with all the resources of infinite wisdom, power, and love.

To maintain this realizing sense of the Divine presence is one part of the design of the means of grace, and the ordinances of religion. Surrounded by objects of sense, engaged in pursuits of business, and living in constant fellowship with our fellow creatures, how necessary is the sabbath and how important are its solemn occupations to keep alive in the soul a practical belief in God. With what difficulty, but for that blessed day, would even the renewed heart maintain a due sense of its relations and duties to God, and its dependence upon him. But alas! how soon are the impressions of the sabbath effaced, its convictions stifled, and its resolutions forgotten—amidst the returning and urgent engagements of worldly affairs.

The current of secularity seems, in many cases, only dammed up for a season, to flow with greater violence when the temporary impediment is removed. Or to change the metaphor, the mind wearied by the cares of business, instead of gaining fresh strength on the sabbath for its spiritual interest and conflicts—employs the sacred day, in innumerable instances, only to recruit its jaded energies for renewed efforts after wealth. It is sad indeed to employ the house of the living God only as a place of repose, where the man reserves his strength for more devoted service in the temple of Mammon.

Hence, then, the necessity and vast advantage of carrying on, to some extent, the exercises of social religion through the week. It is true there is the duty of private devotion, and there is also the altar of family religion; but even those are not enough to hold such truant hearts as ours to the service of God, and therefore all sections of the Christian church, and all denominations of professing Christians, have thought it incumbent to hold week-day services. Papist and Protestant; churchman, dissenter, and methodist, have all confessed the necessity of these, to keep up a due sense of religion in individuals and in the community. Nor can anything be imagined more likely, or more effectual, to break down the idea that piety is a matter exclusively confined to the sabbath day, and to impress it upon the hearts and conscience of the feeble—as an every-day concern.

I like to hear the bell tolling for worship on a week-day; it seems to say, "Serve the Lord at all times." I love to see the people of God come cheerfully, gravely, devoutly, and earnestly; wending their way through the busy or thoughtless crowd to the house of prayer, saying in effect to the multitude around them, "Come with us, and we will do you good; for the Lord has spoken good concerning Israel." I love to see the portals of the sanctuary open on a week evening, which, while the doors of the theater, the ball-room, and the tavern are drawing in the lovers of pleasure, shall send forth the voice of wisdom, saying, "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? Why do you spend money on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods." Give your attendance then upon week-day services.

I admit there is no express command for mid-week services, laid down in the New Testament. But is nothing our duty for which no positive injunction can be pleaded? Are not general principles in many cases sufficient, as containing particular obligations? You are not commanded to keep holy the first day of the week instead of the seventh; nor to attend twice on Sunday to hear sermons—but do you not feel it your duty when you can, because it is conducive to your edification? That we are commanded not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, is matter of plain injunction—here is a general rule laid down without any specification of times, or seasons, or frequency; and surely this general rule implies an obligation to assemble as often as we can, without infringing on other rules, or violating other obligations. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Here is the promise of Christ's presence, given generally, but encouraging frequent meetings, as convenience may allow.

In very many matters, such as the amount of our property to be given to the cause of Christ; the amount of time to be devoted to devotional exercises—only general rules are laid down, which are to be left in the hand of love to be worked out at such times and in such measure as opportunity may allow. To object to meetings that tend to edification; to doubt their obligation, because not expressly commanded, demonstrates the low standard of the objector's piety; as if every step beyond the measured way were unwillingly trodden; every farthing above the stipulated payment were grudged. The language, fairly interpreted, is this—'I cannot find it in my heart to serve God beyond a given point; that ascertained, all the rest is my own.' And is this Christian experience? Is this love? Is this, 'Whom have I in heaven but you, and there is none upon earth I desire besides you?' Cold indeed must be the heart that can reason thus, and apply the stipulations of worldly policy to the service of Him, who loved us and gave himself for us.

Here, then, is the obligation of such services; their obvious tendency, as we shall presently prove, to edification, and their exact accordance with, yes, their carrying out of, general principles, which are explicitly laid down in Scripture. And, moreover, all this is strengthened by apostolic practice. We are told concerning the first disciples, that they were "continually in the temple, praying and blessing God;" and again, that they "continued daily with one accord in the temple."

This was the age of primitive and ardent piety; a type of the decision, fervor, and devotedness, which should characterize the followers of Christ in every age. This was the church's first love, before it was chilled by the contention, secularity, and earthly-mindedness, that followed. To the Christian of those days nothing would be more repugnant to the glow of their feelings, to the intense ardor of their renewed souls, than the endurance of long and tedious days of engrossing worldliness, stretching between the seasons of their solemn assemblies. Oh for the intensity of their devotion, the ardor of their love, the tenderness of their affection, the aboundings of their liberality, the fervor of their prayers, and the union and harmony of their hearts!

I will now place before you some of the rich and numerous ADVANTAGES of a constant and spiritual attendance upon such week-day services.

Next Part Attendance on Week-Day Services 2

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