trials, and even triumphant in its difficulties, lies in the humbling, holy, heavenly work of the closet.

2. We perceive the influence here spoken of, in its securing to a preacher the needful intellectual aids and spiritual preparation of his work. His sincere applications to a throne of grace, can consist only with a proper attention, according to his opportunities, to whatever may fit him to declare the truth with effect. If

a frequenting of the closet were designed as a substitute for study, or any other duty, it could be only pernicious. But a praying minister has Do such design. Prayer contemplates no disjunction of the means from the end. It invariably seeks to make the end sure, by employing faithfully the means. He who sincerely implores the divine presence on his public ministrations, will as sincerely use those aids and put forth those efforts which are essential to the best performance of his duty. Indeed, his prayers relate in part to this very object. The arduousness and responsibility of his work induce him, without ceasing, to implore God that he may be more and more qualified for its performance. A sense of weakness aud insufficiency impels him to this course, and thus he would fain hope to receive continual additions to his gifts and graces. This is the spring of his studiousness. It affects his pursuit of knowledge in no small degree. In frequenting his study, in disciplining his mind, in cultivating his taste, in amassing information, in giving" attendance to reading," especially to reading his Bible, and in the conscientious improvement of his time for these high purposes, we perceive the effect of much "prayer and supplication in the spirit." To this source we may trace a true minister's contemplative habits. He who prays that he may be furnished with a ready talent to communicate, will submit to the labour of thinking, to patient investigation, as occasion demands, or abi

lity permits; to a careful revolving of subjects in his mind, with a view to the edification of his people. He will naturally love to meditate on the glorious truths, promises, and institutions of religion; and to weigh and compare together the various parts of the system, that he may more fully comprehend it. Prayer itself suggests the most serious and edifying topics of contemplation. Here also is the secret of his activity; for this he connects with study and meditation, so far as they do not interfere with one another. Who can more willingly submit to the irksomeness and drudgery of certain parts of the pulpit preparation, than they who have sought patience and derived an imperious sense of duty, from converse with God? Who can go forth to the laboriousness and self-denial of this high calling with greater courage and cheerfulness, than they whose spirits have been refreshed by a heavenly communion, and whose faith has laid hold on the strength of Jehovah? Who are better prepared, with untiring effort, to contend against the prejudices and sins of mankind, than they who in prayer daily mourn over their own, and have sought and obtained forgiveness and grace through the blood of the Lamb?

3. The effect of a praying spirit in ministers of the gospel, is visible, especially in the actual communication of the divine message to their people. Both their discourses, and the manner of delivering them, take a character from their private devotions. We do not pretend to lay down any rule by which the degree of those devotions may be ascertaiaed; nor is it convenient to refer to particular instances in proof of our position. This, in a great measure, is precluded by the nature of the subject.

The duty of which we speak is supposed in general to be unknown to the world. We refer, therefore, to the knowledge which the individuals concerned bave of themselves, and especially to the

nature of the case, and to scriptural principles; though it may be sum marily remarked, that we learn from the biographies of eminent preach ers their exemplary inward piety and devotion.

To those who have had any experience in the difficult work of address ing mankind on their spiritual interests, it cannot seem strange that divine assistance is greatly needed, in order that this work may be duly executed. How shall the servant of Jesus Christ appear before his hearers so as to become the instrument of their salvation? In his weakness and insufficiency, how shall he effectually "negotiate be tween God and man?" What topics shall he address to them, or in what manner shall they be presented? By what motives, in particular instances, shall be enforce the truth? How shall he avoid the disgust of his hearers; how conciliate their af fections? By what proprieties of speech shall he gain their attention? When shall he seem to impel them by terror; when shall he seek to draw them by gentleness? To what extent shall he carry his animadversions or his commendations? How shall be disarm prejudice, combat error, win the disaffected, reclaim the wayward, fix the wandering, check the impetuous, or urge forward the sluggish? How shall he bring up his mind to the greatness of his work-to that loftiness of conception and firmness of purpose which it claims--to that superiority to all selfish considerations which shall consist with entire fidelity? How shall he affect his beart with a sense of his responsibility, corresponding with its awfulness? or sufficiently sympathize with those whose everlasting interests are at stake? Without displaying himself, how shall he present the unearthly majesty and mighty power of the gospel, to the glory of its Author? These and many other things he must often make the subject of anxious inquiry; and he knows that

God only can adequately direct him. His difficulties and perplexities on this subject he accordingly spreads out before Him who heareth prayer. This is his familiar and constant practice, and it preserves him from discouragement. Yea, more; it has seemed manifest to him at times, that he has been led by the Holy Spirit to an announcement of truths, which subsequent events proved to be the very truths which were needed. It comes, perhaps, within the experience of every praying minister to learn, that a discourse with which he was far from being satisfied, but upon which he had implored the divine blessing, became the means of awakening a stupid sinner, or of relieving and strengthening some tempted and drooping saint. This circumstance shows that there is something beyond the mere character of sermons, especially their literary execution, which imparts to them an appropriateness and an edge, by which their end is answered That something is the influence of His Spirit who, after Paul has planted, and Apollos watered, giveth the increase. Sermons commended to the blessing of a prayer-hearing God, though they may not always be great, can scarcely fail of being good.

Yet to the sermons themselves, prayer must be peculiarly auspicious. They owe to it, as a principal means, whatever they possess of spiritual richness of thought, and appropriate sacred diction. Prayer infuses into these authorized forms of communication between God and man, its own heavenly spirit. It stores them with truth, and arms them with energy. It pours over them a sanctity and an unction which neither nature nor art can reach. That glow of feeling, the vivida vis anami, which speaks to the heart in addresses from the pulpit, is the offspring of a praying spirit. Their experimental cast is also the result of the same spirit. He who communes much with God, must become

acquainted with the springs of holy action; and he will naturally stamp on every such mental effort, that character of knowledge and experience which he derives from so pure a source, and which constitutes his own distinction.

4. The influence of a minister's prayers may be perceived in the success of his preaching Our limits apprise us that but little can be said on this branch of our subject. We would not refer to this instrumental cause alone, the saving effect of the dispensation of divine truth. But we may safely assert, that it is one of the main pillars of success; that without it, none could be rationally expected. As we have learned, prayer is necessary to impart to preaching itself a large share of its peculiar excellency-its adaptation to the great end in view. But what is more, the accompaniment of prayer is indispensable, as the means of securing the special blessing of God. This is the fact, in regard to the common transactions of life. How much more must it be, in this most important of all human agencies in the present world! God would be too much insulted to bestow bis blessing on that preached word, in relation to which the Holy Spirit's influences had never been implored. Here it would be eminently disastrous for us to violate or neglect that rule of his spiritual kingdom by which he will be inquired of," to do ought for his people.

Accordingly, the wretched success of an impious, which is a prayerless, ministry, is notorious; and we need no other comment on such a dereliction of duty, than the feeble, distracted, and secularized churches which it rears, the pestilent errors which it sows, and the want of every thing like life and vigour in religion, by which it is characterized. It is true, that very pions, praying ministers, sometimes labour without much apparent success; and we may be deceived in forming our estimate of the real character of preaching by such a criterion alone. We

must however observe, that certain external indications may lead us to judge erroneously concerning the fact itself of success. More good

may be done than at once appears to be the case, and since God's word shall not return unto him void, it is hardly to be supposed that any communication of the truth, duly accompanied by prayer, is entirely without saving benefit. Who is competent to maintain such a supposition? and who will dare to deny that many silent glorious effects have been wrought, which eternity alone will bring to light, particularly in the building up of saints in faith and holiness, if not in the conversion of sinners? Important as widely extended reformations are, and glorious as they are to the grace of God, through the preaching of his ministers, we cannot for a moment suppose that other effects, which are less noticeable, are not his operation, and in some respects are not equally important. The internal work of sanctification is essentially connected with the prosperity of the church, and should follow its external enlargement! The advancement of this work constitutes the silent, and almost unobserved success of a much praying ministry. And even in regard to those highly gifted servants of Jesus Christ, who have had the greatest agency in promoting glorious revivals of religion, what but a spirit of prayer has been the cause of their success? It cannot be superior talent alone, for talent never converts the soul. It would be an object with those who are skeptical on this point, to inquire whether these men have not the reputation of being eminently devoted to the religion of the closet. We have no doubt that such devotion is the principal instrumental cause of their success, and we would say to every minister in view of this fact, and of the infinite interests committed to his care, "Go thou and do likewise"-go much to thy closet.

B. N.

For the Christian Spectator

A SERMON.

1 Peter iii. 15.

Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. THIS exhortation was originally addressed to those Christians who were scattered about in different parts of the Roman Empire. It will be recollected that they were often called before magistrates to answer for their religion; and were liable to suffer for their steadfastness. The apostle exhorts them not to be afraid of their persecutors; but to "sanctify the Lord God in their hearts," that is, to serve him in spirit and in truth, and to be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh them a reason of the hope that is in them, with meekness and fear. Such a conduct he alleges would put their adversaries to shame.

The word translated answer, in this passage signifies a defence, either oral or written. The word hope here as in many other places, has reference to the Christian religion. The text therefore, in its primary application, may be paraphrased thus:-Be ready always for a defence of your religion, with that meekness which becomes Christians, and that respect which is due to the magistrates before whom you are called.

The apostle evidently did not intend that these Christians should be expert controvertists; for all have not the requisite natural faculties, and as he was exhorting to practical religion, such an idea would be foreign to his purpose. A sober, rational defence of what they believed and felt, might have been made by all who had become acquainted with the general principles of the gospel, and the reasons on which they are founded.

Such is the original meaning of

our text. Its application to Christians of every age, is then sufficiently obvious. We shall now consider, 1. The exhortation itself, and 2. The spirit in which it is to be complied with.

In the first place.—The exhortation itself—Be ready always for a defence of your religion.

A defence on this subject is twofold: of opinions, and of personal piety. A part of the exhortation of our text then is, that we be able to defend our religious opinions.

There are many men who believe firmly in a particular set of doctrines, but who, when asked, have not one reason to offer in their defence. Now this is not generally owing to an original want of mind, or of opportunity, but to indolence. They are willing to follow others who they imagine are better quali fied to find out the truth than themselves. Such men will sometimes happen to be right, but it is not to their praise. Accidental circumstances alone have formed their opinions, and for ought that they can tell, they may be right or wrong. He that assents to a proposition merely because some other man believes it, does not discharge the duty which he owes to himself. God has given us rational powers, and he expects that we shall use them. He has given us a religion too which requires thought; and no man ever understood it without careful attention.

It is the duty then of every man to examine for himself the ground of his religious belief. This is the only way to be able to defend it. No man can defend bis opinions but by recurring to the source whence he derived them. If therefore he has taken them upon human authority, as he cannot with any consistency recur to that, he is at once stripped of every plea. But let him go to his Bible and let him weigh every thing by that standard, and be will soon know the ground of his religious opinions, and be able to de

fend it, or take a new ground which is defensible. He that neglects this, is liable to fall into dangerous errors which may lead his soul to perdition. Imperfect as human nature is, it must be expected that public teachers will sometimes be wrong; and no man can say that they do not sometimes intentionally deceive. How many there are, my brethren, who blindly follow what certain men dictate, without even inquiring what saith the scripture ! These we may conclude will of course be unable to give a reason of the hope that is in them. The Savjour commands, "Call no man master upon earth;" but these follow in the steps of fallible men, as if there were no Master in heaven to teach them, or to call them to account.

To examine for one's self, gives one confidence in his opinions, and therefore a greater ability to defend them. As he has viewed the whole field, he knows where are the places of attack, and is ready to fortify them. Knowing, by personal inspection, what the truth is, and the reasons on which it is founded, he is aware when error is presented, how elegantly soever it may be decorated. Being in the habit of seeking a reason for his own opinions before he adopts them, he looks for reasons of others who propose any thing new to his mind. When therefore be hears a public discourse or private conversation on the subject of religion, if the truth be not there, be knows it; and no glare of eloquence, or cunning expressions, can deceive him. He knows the voice of his divine Shepherd, and the voice of a stranger he will not obey.

Such a man then will of course be firm and decided in the cause of truth. Able to defend his opinions, he does not inquire what this man or that will say, but goes straight forward in the path which heaven has pointed out, and looks to God for approbation and assistance. While multitudes around him who

have no foundation for their belie but the mere whim of a day, or the popularity of a fellow-mortal, are running after novelty; he remains firm and unmoved, like a pillar in the temple of his God. The blasts of the tempest which prostrate others to the ground, leave him a monument of strength and beauty

On the other hand, the man who has not examined into the reasons of his religious belief, is carried about by every wind of doctrine; or rather he has no system at all which he really believes. He goes to one place and hears a discourse which is full of error-he goes to another and hears the truth—and pronounces them both to be good Now what definite views of religious truth can such a man have? Are not his opinions a mere show, destitute of solidity, and for aught that he does to prevent it, fleeting as the time which is spent in declaring them? Like the vapours which rise from the rivulet in the wilderness, though they appear considerable at a distance, they are hardly perceived as you approach them.

The man then who knows so little of the ground of his opinions, as to mistake falsehood in important particulars for truth, or who really has no religious opinions at all, cannot be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh bim a reason of the hope that is in him.

There are those who will give profound attention to what is addressed to the imagination or the feelings, but in an argument, their thoughts will be wandering, like the fool's eyes, to the ends of the earth. Reasoning is no part of their business. They are too indolent to apply their minds without the spur of feeling. How can such men expect to be" rooted and built up in Jesus Christ, and stablished in the faith," if they will not labour sufficiently to comprehend the truth? Religion indeed consists much in feeling; but it is no random feeling. It is founded in reason; in those princí