fpirit of religion can be maintained and advanced without any external profeffion, rites or ordinances. While we dwell in flesh, we need external fymbols, and external worship. The perfected spirits of the just have no occafion for ordinances. Prefent with the Lord, purified from fenfe and fin, they stand in no need of a memorial of him.

Lord, revive thy work. The ways of Zion mourn, because few come to her folemn feafts. Pour out thy Spirit upon the youth of this fociety; that one and another may fet their faces toward Zion, and subscribe with their hand to the Lord. It will be a pleasing reflection, in years to come, should they be able to make the folemn appeal, O Lord God, thou art my hope, my truft from my youth. The privilege of thofe youths who yield themselves to God as alive from the dead, may be estimated from the words of our apostle, Being made free from fin, and become fervants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Whether they live, they live unto the Lord; and whether they die, they die unto the Lord: Whether they live therefore, or die, they are the Lord's.

17

SERMON IX.

PRAYER.

EPHESIANS, vi. 18.

PRAYING ALWAYS WITH ALL PRAYER

THE

HE context and other fcriptures reprefent the Christian life as a warfare. The foes are enumerated at the 12th. verse, and the arms in the verses succeeding. Thefe arms, or weapons, are called the armour of God, of which prayer is a part. Praying always with all prayer. Every part of the Chriftian armour is effen tial.

The exhortation of the text doubtless comprehends focial worship as well as perfonal-family and public prayer as well as fecret devotion. But I would call your prefent attention to perfonal prayer. This is of two kinds; viz. that of the closet, and mental or ejaculatory prayer. We will give each of these a diftinct confideration. It may be proper to introduce the dif cuffion with a few obfervations on the general fubject.

Prayer is an acknowledgment of the infinite perfections of God, of our own infufficiency and abfolute dependence. Were we felf-fufficient, prayer would be unneceffary. Were not God all-fufficient and immutable, it would be ufelefs. To maintain prayer is to confefs that we are dependent and unworthy; to profess our faith in God as wife, powerful, good and merciful. To neglect prayer is practically to fay, that man is independent; or that God doth not know our wants, or is unable or unwilling to do for us.

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Were there really no object, to whom we might repair, or whom we might make our confidence, we fhould unavoidably frame one to ourselves. Mankind, prompted by nature or neceffity, manifeft, in various ways, a feeling of their own indigence-fome by impatience, or by recourse to external objects-fome by the invocation of idols-fome by addreffing the hearer of prayer. All nations have confented in the acknowledgment of a God. Idolatry is a proof of this. Observe the zeal of the pagans for their fuperftition. "Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no પ gods!" Christianity hath revealed the only living and true God, that we might be kept from idols. Christ hath abolished death, and brought immortality to light. Through him, as the only Mediator," we have accefs, "by one Spirit, unto the Father." We may

" come

boldly, that we may obtain mercy, and grace to help." Are we, notwithstanding, at a lofs whether this is a reasonable service-a privilege? whether it is incumbent on us to exprefs before God a fenfe of our dependence, our unworthiness? whether the gifts of nature and providence, and the fuperior gifts of grace, call for our explicit thanks? We feel our own poverty and mifery. Is it yet a queftion, whether it behoves us to apply to HIM "who is able to do for us exceeding abundantly above all we afk or think ?” who, in his fuperabounding grace, hath made full provifion for all the neceflities of our fallen nature? Barbarous nations, in acknowledging a fuperior power, condemn many in polished nations, who practically declare, that there is no God who governeth the world, and weigheth the actions of men.

We proceed to apply these general remarks, first, to the devotion of the clofet.

The public offices of religion are not more neceffary to the public weal-family devotion is not more important to these smaller focieties, than fecret prayer is to individuals. The last is founded in the fame general

reasons as each of the former.

Individuals have con

cerns appropriate to their own ftate and character, proper to be mentioned only before HIM who knoweth the fecret groanings of the foul. It is fit that they fhould pour out their hearts before him. The breath in your noftrils is his. Acknowledge him at all times, in all things, as long as his breath is in you. Obferve regular seasons of retirement for converse with him, for felf-communion. Your fecret fins are in the light of his countenance. Confefs them before him in whofe fight they have been committed-with whom you have to do. Your wants, outward and fpiritual— your temptations, dangers and diftreffes, are various and conftant. Seek fupplies and fuccour from him whe knows them all, and hath all fulness. Let a man worship with the greatest apparent devotion in his family and in public, if he yet neglects fecret devotion, there is reafon to fufpect, that his family and public worship proceed not from a pious principle. Secret prayer may indeed he attended merely from the compulfion of confcience. A formal discharge of it fhould fatiffy no one. It should proceed from the abundance of an heart impreffed with a sense of its condition, and of the perfections and mercies of God.

The fcriptures fupply matter adapted to every occafion, to perfons of every defcription and character, and to all circumftances. The fpirit of prayer is the principal thing in the view of God who is a Spirit, and requireth that we worship him in fpirit.

Such as find their devout affections moft excited, and in the beft exercife, by means of a stated form, would do well to use it. But the best form may be varied from to advantage, on fome occafions and emergencies. A prefent fenfe of our own neceffities will dictate feasonable, pertinent expreffions-more expreff ive language, perhaps, than any ftudied form-efpecially if the language of fcripture has become familiar by frequent reading and meditation.