Public or church prayer required by God, and the reasons why 4/8

           (3.) For the saints’ safety and defence against their enemies.  Paul rejoiced at the order and steadfastness of the Colossian saints, Col. 2:5.  Order is a military word, and denotes cohortem ordine apto conglobatam—an army compact, and cast into a fit order that every part is helpful to each other for its defence.  And such an army are the saints when they stand in communion together according to divine rule.  Our blessed Saviour, when departing from earth to heaven, what course took he to leave his disciples in a defensive posture after he was gone?  Doth he send them home to look every one to himself?  No, but to Jerusalem, there to stand as it were in a body by joint communion, Acts 1.  The drop is safe in the river, lost when severed from it; the soldier safe when marching with the army, but snapped when he straggles from it.  Cain, looking upon himself as an excommunicated person from the church of God, expected some great evil, as well he might, would befall him. Therefore the gracious soul, meant by the spouse, is brought in asking where the assembly of the faithful is, that joining herself to it she may be protected in a rime of danger: ‘Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?’ Song 1:7.

           (4.) Because of the great delight he takes in the joint prayers and praises of his people.  We need not detract from the excellency of private devotions, to magnify the public prayers of the church.  Both are necessary, and highly pleasing to God.  Yet it is no wrong to the private devotions of a particular saint, to give the precedency to the public prayers of the church.  God himself tells us he ‘loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob,’ Ps. 87:2. No doubt the prayers which the faithful put up to heaven from under their private roofs were very acceptable unto him; but, if a saint's single voice in prayer be so sweet to God's ear, much more the church choir—his saints' prayers in consort together.  A father is glad to see any one of his children, and makes him welcome when he visits him, but much more when they come together: the greatest feast is when they all meet at his house.  The public praises of the church are the emblem of heaven itself, where all the angels and saints make but one consort.  There is a wonderful prevalency in the joint prayers of his people.  When Peter was in prison, the church meets and prays him out of his enemies’ hands.  A prince will grant a petition subscribed by the hands of a whole city, which may be he would not at the request of a private subject, and yet love him well too.  There is an especial promise to public prayer, Matt. 18:20: ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’  Non dicit ero, non enim tardat vel cunctatur, sed sum jam illic, invenior præsens gratia et favore singulari, eo quod summopere me delectet hujusmodi concordia—he doth not say, I will, for he makes no delay or demur upon the business: but I am there—let them come as soon as they will—present by my special favour and grace, because this concord in prayer highly pleaseth me.  It is the gloss of Lucas Brugens upon the place.