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

3. Though it would not be reasonable, to suppose, that merely such a Circumstance of Prayer, as many People's praying at the same Time will directly have any Influence or Prevalence with God, to cause him to be the more ready to hear Prayer; yet such a Circumstance may reasonably be supposed to have Influence on the Minds of Men; as the Consideration of it may tend to encourage and assist those in praying, that are united in Prayer. Will any deny, that it has any reasonable Tendency to encourage, animate, or in any Respect to help the Mind of a Christian in serving God in any Duty of Religion, to join with a christian Congregation, and to see an Assembly of his dear Brethren around him, at the same Time engaged with him in the same Duty? And supposing one in this Assembly of Saints is blind, and sees no one there; but has by other Means Ground of Satisfacti•• that there is present at that Time a Multitude of Go•'s People, that are […] him in the same […] will any deny, tha• •is supposing this, and being satisfied of it, can have any reasonable Influence upon his Mind, to excite and encourage him, or in any Respect to assist him, in his Worship? The Encouragement or Help that one that joins with an Assembly in worshipping God, has in his Worship, by others being united with him, is not merely by any Thing that he immediately perceives by Sight, or any ⟨p. 96⟩other of the external Senses (for Union in Worship is not a Thing objected to the external Senses) But by the Notice or Knowledge the Mind has of that Union, or the Satisfaction the Understanding has that others, at that Time, have their Minds engaged with him in the same Service: Which may be, when those unitedly engaged are at a Distance one from another, as well as when they are present. If one be present in a worshipping Assembly, and is not blind, and sees others present, and sees their external Behaviour; their Union and Engagedness with him in Worship, is what he does not see: And what he sees encourages and assists him in his Worship, only as he takes it as an Evidence of that Union and Concurrence in his Worship, that is out of his Sight. And Persons may have Evidence of this concerning Persons that are absent, that may give him as much Satisfaction of their Union with him, as if they were present.