the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths." May the Lord hasten the time when this shall be the language of His people, and "all nations shall flow unto the Lord's house."

STAPENHILL,

BURTON-ON-TRENT.

1839.

INDEX.

SERMON I.

WHY IS THE HOUSE OF GOD FORSAKEN?-

NEHEMIAH XIII. 11.

A Consideration of the Reasons generally alleged for the

Neglect of Public Worship.

1.—The unprofitable attendance of others

Page

6

2.- Fear of increasing responsibility and guilt

3.- Private reading and prayer may be substituted for

11

the public means of grace

4.- Six days' labour require one day of rest

13

5.- Poverty and want of decent clothing

88

15

SERMON II.

WHY IS THE HOUSE OF GOD FORSAKEN?.

NEHEMIAH XIII. 11.

An Inquiry into the Real Causes of the Neglect of Public

Worship.

1.- Ignorance

2.-Indifference, arising from—

Infidelity of heart.

Disrelish for spiritual things

Pride

3.-The power of example and opinion

4.—Trivial circumstances leading to occasional omission,

and ending in habitual neglect

SERMON III.

WHY IS THE HOUSE OF GOD FORSAKEN?-

NEHEMIAH XIII. 11.

An Inquiry into the Real Causes of the Neglect of Public

Worship-continued.

5.- Love of pleasure, and a spirit of independence

6.- Open sin

7.- Love of change

8.-Satanic influence and agency

SERMON IV.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF NEGLECTING PUBLIC WORSHIP.

HEB. X. 25.

Page

42

46

52

56

"Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the

manner of some is."

Loss sustained

Private means of grace found insufficient thereby

The House of God the appointed place of instruction

THE ADVANTAGES OF PUBLIC WORSHIP, AND THE MOTIVES

WHICH SHOULD LEAD TO ITS OBSERVANCE.

PSALM V. 7.

"As for me, I will come into thy house, in the multitude of

thy mercy, and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy

temple."

1.- General advantages of Public Worship

82

The house of God the place of prayer, and the

means of promoting a spirit of praise

86

Public Worship affords an opportunity for confes-
sion of faith in Christ

xi.

2.-Motives which should lead to its observance

Obedience to God's command

To engage in prayer and praise

To be instructed by preaching

3.—The spirit in which the service of the sanctuary

should be attended

Page

91

.

Ibid.

92

Ibid.

94

SERMON VI.

THE CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH RENDER AN ATTENDANCE ON

THE SERVICES OF THE SANCTUARY UNPROFITABLE.

MALACHI iii. 14.

"Ye have said, It is in vain to serve God, and what profit

is it that we have kept His ordinances, and that we have

walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts?"

1.-Carelessness and irreverence

2.- Coldness and formality

3.- Self-righteousness

4.- Submission to opinion

5. Want of faith

Complaints of unprofitable attendance.

Causes of so little profit being derived

Means to be used for deriving profit

101

103

105