bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity:" (Acts viii. 22, 23:) he having an idea that the gift of God, or genuine preferment was to be purchased with money.

5, And whereas it is signified directly by our Saviour in different places of the gospel, (Matt. vii. 8. xxi. 22, &c.,) and also by his apostles, St. Paul and St. James, and St. Peter, and St. John in the passages before cited among others, that receiving from our heavenly Father is simultaneous with asking, and asking with believing,-this also, namely the gift of Faith may be thought as essential a part of our preparation for prayer, as prayer for obedience; and no success to be expected in that line without it. We may be well assured from authorities in the New Testament, that however we may press our wants on the divine consideration, it will not signify without faith: as there were many who pressed on our Saviour once, thronging about him as he taught by the sea-side, equally with the woman who was miraculously cured by him in a desperate case, without deriving any of that virtue from his contact which she so happily shared, (Mark v. 29,)-and simply for this reason-because they did not expect it.

These then, namely grace, and other properties before mentioned; that is, Grace on the heavenly side, with these corresponding preparations, Inclination, Obedience, Repentance, Faith-on ours, are great pre-requisites to prayer as a preparation for obedience: while

2. Other requisites also attend in the shape of concomitants, making collectively the Mode of prayer before alluded to, and exercising an important influence on its success, when joined with a due preparation.

1, In one respect, for example; to strengthen our petition as it were by numbers, and palliate at the same time our freedom in petitioning the High God, though not without a Mediator, the sympathetic style which that same Mediator taught us, is to be employed-by praying individually from ourselves in the plural number, as he said, "After this manner therefore, pray ye," "OUR Father,"

&c., also for ourselves in the person of all, if there be any, in the same circumstances; that as Christ, our Life and Soul is not divided; so neither we, his body and members may be divided; but that we may all be one in Christ-one general care and sympathy pervading every part of the combination from head to foot: and "whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it." (Cor. I. xii. 26.) Every idea of a several interest, or even of an independent existence, must be laid aside; our thoughts being entirely occupied with Him to whom they aspire and his also, before they contract or recede toward the needy object by whom they are conceived in particular.

2, To make any petition admissible in the highest quarter another concomitant is necessary, we must be careful to pray always with reason and reverence: not appealing to God abruptly, like some who can venture to approach him with more ease and self-complacency than they would assume toward many of their own species, if they should happen to have offended them. We ought to apprehend some reason, though he wants none, inclining him to our wishes, before we presume to mention them to him; and though the Lord only says, "Ask; and it shall be given you," (Matt. vii. 7,) we still cannot venture to ask any thing without remembering and confessing how often and grievously we have offended-feeling deeply his gracious encouragement, with the more hearty sorrow for having ever offended him, beside other parts before mentioned among our preparations.

3, With this spiritual form or mode the Terms of our prayer following, or starting up with its conception, will be rather a secondary consideration, if they be not very choice, nor any in private as far as we can wish and devise our necessary objects without them. In public it may be well, to pray verbally and distinctly together; but even then we may severally notice such petitions as fall most in our way beyond the rest; applying the words as we go on

in the way of a clue or index to mental prayer,—so superior is the spirit to this grosser element, the word or letter: "For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." (Cor. II. iii. 6.)

4, Indeed, as prayer is chiefly a profession of views or principles on particular points with a general reference to the will of God, who is at once both the principal judge of our views, and their guarantee likewise so far as they deserve it, one might query, if it be not more direct and consistent, to use publicly professions instead of petitions, with this salvo, God willing, or by the help of God. Looking, for example, to the kingdom of God upon earth, or to an happier state of society than the earth exhibits at present, we might firmly and openly declare, how cordially we approve of such a state as we understand only by the kingdom of God upon earth—how happy it would make us! how we wish it would please God to send us such a state here in this country or kingdom; how resolved we are, to promote such a state with his gracious assistance. To this state of society will we bend our united endeavours-GOD WILLING: whoever may dare to oppose this happy state shall be regarded as an alien to our counsels, and an enemy to our purpose; he shall be spurned from our society, as unworthy and unsafe-IF IT PLEASE GOD; or, if not so, we will suffer any thing from him rather than enjoy any thing with him-IF SUCH BE THE WILL OF GOD: Having your conversation honest among the gentiles, (says St. Peter;) that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may by your good works which they shall behold glorify God in the day of visitation." (Pet. I. ii. 12.)

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5, Such is the nature of our creeds or confessions of faith; which we repeat continually; but, it may be feared, not always perhaps with so much consideration as the occasion requires. Such also is the nature of the ten commandments: and rather more indeed; being an acknowledgment of our views and principles in relation both to God and man. And this is an advantage that the

form of the commandments has over that of other creeds, namely, acknowledging our views and principles on both sides, that is, toward man, as well as toward his Maker; whereas the creeds acknowledge only one. For how would it sound, if to one of them-as to the apostles' creed for example, after saying, "I believe so and so of the Deity," one should add, and "all things whatsoever I would that men should do to me, even so will I do to them, (BY GOD'S HELP,) for this is the law and the prophets." (Matt. vii. 12.) We ought certainly to pray with an understanding of that sort, to judge from our Saviour's inference on a prominent part of his prayer. (Ib. vi. 15.) And one great object of prayers and other devotional exercises being to attune the heart correctly in all its sympathies, especially in those toward God and man; that their divine, and this their human tendency; it may be thought, whether an equal or proportionate regard has been had to either part in the ordinary preparation of creeds and confessions. Some may think it has not, and be accordingly inclined to ascribe the ill success of creeds in one respect to their deficiency in the other, or their obvious inability to uphold a belief in the Deity to their inattention no less obvious to the claims of humanity. For we know the love of God to us: and "he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked." (John I. ii. 6.)

6, If however, this notwithstanding, you can still pray sincerely like a Christian, as our Saviour says, "After this manner pray ye;" and not like the hypocrites, who make long prayers without any meaning,—you will find an accompaniment to your prayers most likely that you did not reckon upon; the same not being congenial to sincere prayer, if it be a necessary and unavoidable consequence of the same. For if you pray sincerely, meaning what you say and believing what you profess in praying, it will shew that Christ has called you to himself out of a wicked world, and for that the world will be sure

to hate you, as he says, 66 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." (John xv. 19.) So the calling of Christ and hatred of the world being inseparable, you must be content to take them together as a contradictory endowment of his prayer, or of those who rightly use it. We have an host of enemies to assay in the world, at the same time that we have to bear our own infirmities. Some of us have likewise other people's infirmities to bear as well as their own, and an active part to support as well as a suffering. For, as the Psalmist exclaims, "Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations," (Ps. lxxiv. 5,)— those who have least business there are most heard: 66 O God the heathen are come into thine inheritance: thy holy temple have they defiled, and made Jerusalem a heap of stones:" (Ib. lxxix. 1:) they come on so fast sometimes, that we have hardly a moment to make our supplication before the Philistines are down upon us. (Judges xvi. 9; Sam. I. xiii. 12.) Then who is the happy man but he who may take refuge, not in a venal sanctuary, as of late; but in the house of God as long before: while with tears for his meat day and night they daily twit him with the question, " Where is now thy God?"him, who formerly brought such numbers to church? (Ps. xlii. 3, 4.) But, to proceed with our subject;

7, The most general, primitive and natural mode of praying to God is with the spirit in point of expression; being that in which not only the rational but irrational part also of the creation are used to wait upon its author; as signified in that lovely hymn to the same which we have, and no small acquisition for us, in the 104th Psalm. "The lions roaring after their prey do seek their meat from God." (Ps. civ. 21.) The earth, the sea, and all that is in them, or moves on their surface, not excepting the ships or their crews which traverse the ocean-" these wait all upon thee!" the seaman who has never learned