An humble attempt to promote explicit agreement and visible union of God's people in…

For Men to go about by Law to establish and limit Circumstances of Worship, not established or limited b• any Law of God, such as precise Tim•, Place and Order, may be in many Respects of dangerous Tendency. But surely it cannot be unlawful or improper, for […] to c•me into some Agreement, with Regard […] Circumstances: For it is impossible to carry ⟨p. 88⟩on any social Worship without it. There is no Institution of Scripture requiring any People to meet together to worship God in such a Spot of Ground, or at such an Hour of the Day; But yet these must be determined by Agreement; or else there will be no social Worship, in any Place, or any Hour. So we are not determined by Institution, what the precise Order of the different Parts of Worship shall be; what shall proceed, and what shall follow; whether Praying or Singing shall be first, and what shall be next, and what shall conclude: But yet some Order must be agreed on, by the Congregation that unite in Worship; otherwise they can't jointly carry on divine Worship, in any way or method at all. If a Congregation of Christians do agree to begin their public Worship with Prayer, and next to sing, and then to attend on the preaching of the Word, and to conclude with Prayer; and do by Consent carry on their Worship in this Order from Year to Year; tho' this Order is not appointed in Scripture; none will call this Superstition. And if a great Number of Congregations, through a whole Land, or more Lands than one, do by common Consent, keep the same Method of public Worship; none will pretend to find Fault with it. But yet for any to go about to bind all to such a Method, would be Usurpation and Imposition. And if such a precise Order should be regarded as sacred, as though no other could be acceptable to God, this would be Superstition. If a particular Number of Christians shall agree, that besides the stated public Worship of the Sabbath, they will, when their Circumstances allow, meet together, to carry on some religious Exercises, on a Sabbath-day Night, for their mutual Edification; or if several Societies agree to meet ⟨p. 89⟩together in different Places at that Time; this is no Superstition; tho' there be no Institution for it. If People in different Congregations, voluntarily agree to take Turns to meet together in the House of God, to worship him and hear a public Lecture, once a Month, or once in six Weeks;