Reflect a while, whilst yet upon the road,
Where? before whom, thou go'st! on what design!
Ere thou arrivest to the house of God:
Then calmly enter to that place divine.

Thou goest to th' Almighty's own abode,
Before the greatest Sov'reign to appear,
Thou goest with thy Maker and thy God,
Upon thy knees, a conference to bear.

Thou goest to Jehovah's sacred place,
To hear the language of thy gracious Lord,
And commune with him, tho' not face to face,
Yet through the medium of his blessed word.

Thou goest to confess thy sins, before
Thy God, who dwelleth in the realms above;
Thou goest his forgiveness to implore,
And grace and strength, thy errors to remove.

Thou goest help and pardon to implore,
With grace and absolution from the Lord,
By the Priest's lips, for all thou didst before,
In contradiction to his holy word.

Thou goest to address thy heav'nly Sire,
Who promises each needful boon to grant,
Which those corporeal frames of our's require,
With ev'ry grace our sinful souls may want.

Thou goest to applaud th' Almighty's name,
For ev'ry gift which he vouchsaf'd to thee,
Thou goest his encomiums to proclaim,
Where his blest votaries assembled be.

Thou goest, with a pleasure-blended awe,
Christ's Gospel, and the word of life, to hear,
God's will reveal'd from heaven in the law!
Which only can direct a Christian there.

Thou go'st the share of that good gift to gain,
Which God does of his own free will bestow,
To make the way wherein thou walkest plain,
And prosper ev'ry thing that thou shalt do.

Go therefore to the house of God with glee,
With ardent zeal unto his temple go,
And long within his sacred courts to be,
As for the brook of Siloh, longs the roe.

Go cheerfully, go joyously to pray,
Go boldly, yet with aweful rev'rence go,
Go speedily, go early in the day,
Go with submission and prostration low.

Go to the temple with the first that come,
And be not idle, whilst thou there dost wait ;
But be amongst the last returning home,
And do the work of God without deceit.

Behave not there with listless indolence,
But do thy work, whilst life endures, with care:
For cursed is the man, who void of sense
Performs God's work without respect or fear.

Low, on thy bended knees, with rev'rence fall,
Upon heaven's King with eager accents cry,
With importunity unto him call,
Nor, if a Christian, use hypocrisy.

Receive the Gospel with a ready ear,
And in thy mind the precious treasure store,
Watch it, lest sable fiends the seed shou'd bear,
'Till 't has produc'd an hundred fold, or more.

Thine eyes from roving diligently keep,
And hear the Gospel, or devoutly pray,
But neither idly chat, nor dully sleep,
Or from the temple quickly haste away.

The righteous Judge no hypocrite can bear,
Who wou'd be thought the Godhead to adore;
But with feign'd services and in sincere,
Treats the Almighty and Omniscient Pow'r.

The minister through ev'ry pray'r attend,
And be with him in each petition join'd:
Repeat each word unto the very end,
In perfect unison of voice and mind.

Whene'er he preaches the celestial word,
Fix on the priest attentively thine eye;
Let all his words be in thy bosom stor'd,
And all his precepts zealously obey.

Whene'er he preaches the inspired word,
See, that thou turnest not thy head away :
The Gospel is the power of the Lord,
Which leads us safe along salvation's way.

Return not thoughtlessly, nor simply, home,
Before the service of the day be done;
Nor e'er, for fear of some great curse, presume
To quit the church, until the priest be gone.

Let thy demeanour in the church be right,
Let it be Christian-like, sincere, and free,
As if thou wert in the Almighty's sight,
And ev'ry angel did thy actions see.