bullocks; but he requires us to offer to him the sacrifice of praise continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks' to his name." On a point of such moment as prayer, we have line upon line, and precept upon precept, mixed with gracious promises; that when we are ready to hesitate or halt, our doubtful steps may be directed, and our feeble, lingering souls supported, and urged forward to the throne of grace.

On this duty, Jesus Christ uses a variety of expressions, clothing his meaning in many different, and yet striking forms of language. He commands us to ask, that we may receive; to seek, that we may find; and to knock, that it may be opened. Paul, who speaks by the Spirit of inspiration, exhorts us "to be careful for nothing, but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, to let our requests be made known unto God." Now it should be remembered, that the Divine authority lays the basis and ground of duty, and forms the bond of obligation to it. As heaven's court of requests is ever open, heaven's call to enter that court, and present our suit, is a solemn, impressive, and oft-repeated call. Prayer, as may be seen in the above scripture, is clearly enjoined, and strongly enforced. The commands of God bear a royal, authentic stamp, not to be mistaken or overlooked, except by those who

wilfully shut their eyes; and they carry a weight not to be resisted, unless any will venture to rush upon certain destruction.

3. The duty of prayer may be inferred from the practice of those distinguished servants of God, whose steps we are exhorted to follow. It is a trite, but just observation, that examples have a greater influence over us than precepts. Whether it is that truth in the abstract is less easily apprehended, and more easily forgotten; or whether it is, that being early accustomed to imitate, we acquire the habit of looking up to human characters, rather than learning from doctrines and divine commands; whatever be the cause, the fact is undeniable. Precepts give us the bare outline, or at best the lovely picture of religion; examples present it embodied, alive, and in motion. We are exhorted to pray, and the simple testimony of the Word is sufficient to set the duty before us and make it evident; but when we see the saints of God engaged in ardent devotion, we feel persuaded that it is not only plainly required, but also practicable. While we hear Moses cry to Jehovah, I beseech thee shew me thy glory; while we behold Jacob wrestling with God to obtain the blessing; while we view Daniel shutting himself up in solitude, to intercede for Israel, and draw down the Divine favour on a revolting and ungrateful people; let us remember it is

said, Be ye not slothful, but be followers of them who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises. The way of duty is marked, not merely by the distinct line of preceptive truth, but also by the footsteps of all who have walked in it. The Apostles of our Lord were remarkable both for the frequency and fervour of their devotions. Neither the multitude of their labours, nor the measure and variety of their sufferings, were pleaded as excuses for the omission of that prayer, without which they knew all labours must be unsuccessful, and all sufferings unsanctified. But the highest example in this, as in every other duty, is that of Christ. How often did he retire from the multitude to pray, and sometimes continued all night in prayer! How earnestly did he pour out his supplications to the Father, with strong crying and tears! If we call him Lord and Master, let us walk as he walked, and act as he acted, and pray as he prayed.

II. I shall now proceed to answer some objections.

1. It has been objected, that prayer opposes the purposes, and dishonours the perfections of God.

The Epicureans, a sect of ancient philosophers, some of whom St. Paul encountered on

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Mars Hill, are said to have maintained that all prayers were visionary and useless, because, according to their views, the gods sat tranquil and at ease in the highest heavens, without either knowing or regarding the actions of men. And, strange as it may appear, there are many even in Christian countries, and in these more enlightened times, whose whole life proceeds upon the same Epicurean principle. wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; God is not in all his thoughts. From their system, the mighty Maker, Preserver, and Judge of the universe, is wholly excluded; and they are content to think, or rather dream, that they are the inhabitants of a fatherless and forsaken world! Wherefore do the wicked thus contemn God? Men of this cast affirm, that the purposes of God are all fixed, and it is impious to expect or wish any change in them; that natural causes produce their regular effects by certain unalterable laws, which it is vain and foolish to suppose can be influenced by our prayers. They assert, that to spend our breath in supplication, is to cast a reflection on the wisdom and goodness of the Supreme Being. And who are these sages that plead for the honour of God? Whence did they derive their wisdom and their wings to soar so far above prophets, and apostles, and martyrs? Such sentiments are not from the

"philosophy which has been baptized in the pure fountain of eternal love," but from that vain philosophy which is after the tradition of men, and the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. These are the principles of Bayle and Voltaire, Hume and Paine. I shall venture, therefore, to call the objection here raised, an infidel objection, founded on ignorance and misrepresentation. We do not expect or desire to alter the purposes of God, but we know that his purposes and his promises cannot be in opposition; and both are accomplished by his giving answers to prayer. We grant, there is an order of close connexion between natural causes and effects; but many links in the grand chain, and the Divine agency which supports the whole, are invisible to the blind presumptuous philosopher. How the sovereign Ruler of the universe connects and combines the prayers of the righteous with events which fulfil his purposes, we pretend not to explain; but the fact is not less certain because it is inexplicable. Devotion is designed chiefly to affect our own minds, not to change the mind of God. "As the plain man only got up and walked to prove there was such a thing as motion, in answer to the caviller who denied it; so the plain Christian, when he is borne down with the assurance that there is no efficacy in prayer, requires no better argument

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