pected reverse of fortune. But on no occasion was his equanimity disturbed. Obliged to quit the mansion in which he had looked for repose and tranquillity to the end of his days, he exclaims on the occasion, "How can I but rejoice rather than lament at a pecuniary loss, which has produced such a result as that of bringing us to dwell under the roofs of our dear children, and witness their enjoyment of a large share of domestic comforts, and their conscientious discharge of the duties of the most important of all professions." It was his happiness to survive the consummation of his labours and hopes in the declared emancipation of the slaves throughout the British colonies. As he drew near to the termination of his course, his state of mind and feeling was exactly what he had desired when in health he reflected upon death. It had always been his feeling, that the most fitting state for the last hours of life, was one free alike from excitement and from terror; in which, while the mind was conscious of the awful nature of the approaching change, it could yet resign itself to its reconciled, all-merciful Father, with the humility as well as the confidence of a child. He often mentioned it, as a proof of great wisdom, that while the younger believer is described by Bunyan, in his "Pilgrim's Progress, as passing easily through the stream of death, a less buoyant hope and a deeper flood is represented as the portion of the aged Christian. "It is the peculiarity," he said, "of the Christian religion, that humility and holiness increase in equal proportions." Praisepraise-continued praise, in every varied and beautiful form of expression, employed his later hours of life. "With regard to myself," he observed, “I have nothing whatsoever to urge, but the poor Publican's plea, God be mer

ciful to me, a sinner."" To his son, speaking of a recent dangerous attack, he said, "You must all join with me in praying that the short remainder of my life may be spent in gaining that spirituality of mind which will fit me for heaven, and there I hope to meet you." In a small borrowed house, (No. 44, we believe), Cadogan-place, Sloanestreet, Chelsea, this great and good man entered his eternal rest, at three o'clock in the morning of the 29th of July, 1883, aged seventy-three years and eleven months. He was buried

in Westminster Abbey, his funeral was attended by one of the princes of the blood, and the principal members of both houses of parliament. "It would be vain to mention," say his biographers, "all the marks of respect which were paid to him by the public societies in which he had borne part. Nor were there wanting other more private, but not less affecting tokens of regard. A number of those who had been indebted to his kindness, met after his funeral "with feelings,' as one of them expressed it, in touching, and, it is hoped, not unseemly words, "almost as disconsolate as those of the bereaved apostles, to lament his loss." "Great part of our coloured population, who form here an important body," writes a dig. nified clergyman, from the West Indies, "went into mourning at the news of his death." The same honour was paid him by this class of persons at New York, where also an eulogium (since printed) was pronounced upon him by a person purposely selected for the task, and their brethren throughout the United States were called upon to pay the marks of external respect to the memory of their benefactor." For departed kings there are appointed honours, and the wealthy have their gorgeous obsequies; it was his nobler portion to clothe a people with spontaneous mourning, and go down to the grave amid the benedictions of the poor. The memory of the just is blessed!"

This very brief notice of Mr. Wilberforce we have drawn from the ample and voluminous materials furnished by his two sons. When it was written we had not seen Mr. Joseph John Gurney's sketch of Mr. Wilberforce's character. We have reason to know that the volumes by his sons do not give a fair view of their father's opinions and intercourse with dissenters. They have thrown the shadow of their own bigotry, the bigotry of their class, upon those portions of his life which displayed, in this respect, the liberality of his principles and his nature. But this is of no importance, when compared with the injustice they have done to the memory of their illustrious relative in trying to make him a party to a very indiscreet, and we might say with truth, a malignant attack upon his venerable predecessor in the great cause of abolition, and his indefatigable coadjutor till the glorious object was achieved. The spite

against Mr. Clarkson, which in this work is rather paraded than insinuated, can do him no injury. It has, indeed, I called him forth from the seclusion of age and infirmity, to wipe off the stigma most wantonly cast upon him; and we

envy not the feelings of the reverend Adelphi, who will receive from the public, who sympathise with the veteran sufferer, the censure they so well deJ. S.

serve.

THE means of grace, in their varied characters, are the channels through which the Christian receives all the enjoyment and consolation necessary to support and animate him in his pilgrimage through life, and it is to the recurrence and employment of these means he continually looks as a privilege and indulgence of the highest order; and, as the pipes which convey the water to the cistern, without which they cannot be supplied, they convey to him all the sweets of Christian comfort, assurance, and hope, while engaged in communion and intercourse with his God. In these he relieves his burdened conscience, and unfolds his sorrows to a kind and sympathising Saviour; in whose invitation he rejoices, and whose promise he pleads, -"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." It is there he joins in grateful strains of unaffected praise to God as his merciful and gracious friend and protector, and commits himself, in temporal and spiritual matters, to his kind and paternal care and guidance for the future. He anticipates the means of grace as a time of rest to his soul; and while the world around see no charm or pleasure therein, he partakes of all that is solid and really delightful in the enjoyment of his Saviour's presence. He is persuaded that Christ has appointed the means by which he will be sought, and through which he will reveal himself to his people; remembering his injunction, "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is;" and, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

"Forsake

It is not, however, so much the purpose in the present communication to dwell upon the different means of grace, as they are connected with our duty and happiness, and therefore important in

their use, as to establish, first, the vast importance of prayer, as a chief means of grace; and, secondly, to in quire whether the practice of family prayer does not come within, and form a portion of those means, and, cousequently, incumbent upon the Christian to practise.

The importance of prayer appears most strikingly when we reflect it is the positive command of God himself,

Continue in prayer," &c. And were this all that could be adduced, it were sufficient to establish it; but, in addition, if the experience of believers in all ages of the church, and the blessings they enjoyed in the exercise of prayer as the chief means of grace, and the relief they invariably received after, or in answer to prayer, be taken into the calculation, it renders it doubly convincing that it is indeed to the Christian vastly important, and constrains the adoption of the poet's language, that

"Prayer is the Christian's vital breath," &c.

He cannot spiritually live without it; for in it he partakes and feeds upon the bread of fife, and is nourished by the communications of God's love, and the application of pardon to his conscience; in its exercise, he traces his interest in the Saviour's blood, and the assurance of his hope of eternal life through his righteousness and justification.

The existence of a throne of grace is familiar to the true Christian, the very terms of which imply a necessity of approaching it to receive supplies: for by a throne, we understand a superior seat -an exalted station-a chief dispensary of favour, unto which, all desirous of receiving and partaking of its benefits must come, ere they can receive or partake; for it is incompatible with the nature of a throne, to suppose that the monarch seated upon that throne should, unsought and undesired, come individually to his subjects to distribute or impart

his bounties for their good. The throne of grace is the place to confess all sin, to acknowledge our vileness-our pollution, to humble ourselves in the dust and ashes of self-abasement, before the holy Monarch that sits upon that throne, and to seek forgiveness and pardon, and relief from the anxieties, the doubts, the fears, and the misery which the knowledge of our state entails upon us.

The importance of prayer further appears, if we reflect that we continually need the supplies of God's providence as well as his grace. We are the creatures of his hand: he is the God of the universe; he sustains the order of nature by regulating the seasons, the light and the darkness, the rain and the sunshine; causing vegetation to produce its crops for the nourishment of our bodies. And inasmuch as naturally He is the author and giver of every good thing, and even continues to us the breath of life, which is liable to be snatched in a moment at his will, for "in him we live and move, and have our being," were there no higher, no spiritual motive to cause us to pray and supplicate the continuance of his goodness, these alone were sufficient. Yes, God requires us, as his creatures, more especially as his own peculiar people, to ask of him all that we need; for he says, "I will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them."

He

cannot, consistently with his Divine authority, impart unto his creatures any spiritual blessing unsought and undesired by them. The apostle says, "Pray without ceasing;" not (as often from the pulpit has been explained) that he would have us in the continual act of devotion, but to show the importance and constant necessity for prayer, to remind us of our continued dependence upon the goodness of God, that we may always be in the temper or mood for prayer; that, whenever occasion may be, we may be enabled by ejaculatory prayer to ask his aid and

assistance.

Again, prayer must be pleasing and acceptable to God if we reflect that he always answers it: he never did turn a deaf ear to his people's cry. Hear Christ's own language,-" Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he will give you." "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of

need." "Pray that ye enter not into temptation."

It is in prayer that the Christian meets with his God, and communes and holds sweet converse with him, to which he is encouraged in the words of the Saviour,-"He that cometh unto me 1 will in nowise cast out." Many are the passages of holy writ which might be adduced to prove the position, that prayer is the chief duty and privilege, nay, the very evidence of vital Christianity, but the above will for the present purpose suffice.

The importance of prayer being thus incontrovertibly, though briefly, estab lished, the second proposition now comes under consideration, "Whether the practice of family prayer does not come within, and form part of the means of grace, and consequently incumbent upon the Christian to practise ?"

And first, we observe that family prayer is a means of grace, and as such ought to be used in common with the other means, the Sabbath-day exercises of the sanctuary. To constitute a family there must necessarily be present more than one person; and in general, by the term family, may be understood the whole household; and upon taking an average for every family in England, for instance, we should find them, parents, children, and servants, about seven to each family. Now supposing seven to be the number, these will certainly constitute a meeting; and let us inquire, why should not the means of grace be afforded to these seven, though only a portion of them really know the truth, as a means by which they may all be brought to its knowledge, as much as the sanctuary is afforded to all classes, and is always composed of a mixed congregation, it being fair to suppose that even one half of the average congregations of our land are destitute of real religion? In the one case they are not all Christians, and yet the doors are not closed against them; therefore, in the other, though all in the family be not Christians, is it right to abstain altogether from family prayer? The argument is analogous; for, inasmuch as prayer, whether private or public, is a means of grace, and prayer-meetings, or assemblages for prayer, have been often known to produce lasting impressions on the minds of those hitherto unconcerned about eternity, it is as criminal to ab

stain from engaging in the one (the more private) when perhaps only seven may be met, as in the other, (the public service,) when as many hundreds are together. It is upon this broad principle we rest; that if family prayer be a means of grace, it is as criminal to neglect it as the public service of God's house. And, is it not a means of grace? Does not God often manifest himself in it? Has he not often owned and blessed it? Instances innumerable have occurred to substantiate this. Christians need the continual help of their God; and perhaps there are none need it more than they do, even in temporal affairs, and surely there can be no more endearing evidence of a constant dependence upon the goodness of God, than beholding him unremittingly engaged in this delightful exercise. Imagine the family where it is pursued: so soon as the morning dawns, and ere they enter upon the business of the day, they commit themselves, bodies, souls, and spirits, to the gracious care and protection of God; they thank him for his goodness in preserving them during the night,during the unconscious hours of sleep,they confess themselves still dependent upon him, and implore his Divine guidance, protection, and care during the day; they ask him to bless and prosper them in their worldly business, to keep them from contamination of evil, and preserve them in the paths of rectitude and truth above all, to enable them in their walk and conversation to glorify God, and by their example to cause others to glorify him also. This must be a delightful exercise; and who can tell the extent of good resulting from such a practice? There may be those in the assembly altogether indifferent about religion, and who regard this exercise as an irksome and hard duty; but a continued and importunate perseverance in the plan, may lead them to see its importance, and to concur and join in its devotion. Then is the time for the child to discover the anxiety of his parent for his welfare; and while he hears his father fondly commit his child into the hands of his God, beseeching him to bless and preserve and help him through life, he is induced by a principle of gratitude, and reciprocal affection, to love, honour, and obey his father; and in return for his earnest concern for his welfare, the child

strives to please and meet the favour of his parent; and is led to reflect, that if his father is so concerned in prayer to God for his temporal and eternal welfare, it is worth his while to consider for himself; and is thus induced to think of the future, and of the value of his soul, and be concerned about eternal things. Often will the prayer of the parent in the morning come forcibly to the mind of the child in the day; and when tempted or liable to fall into any snare, when enticed by any particular evil, or about to commit any violation of propriety and consistency, may enable him to refrain from evil. And this is not all; many a thoughtless, careless husband, wife, child, or servant, has been suddenly arrested in their indifference, and brought, by means of this exercise, to inquire the way of salvation.

Family prayer may be considered further, as authorised by the injunction, "Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together;" thereby constraining Christians, at all times, upon all occasions, to meet for the purpose of prayer and supplication, and worship of God.

But now as to some of the objections urged against this exercise.

And, first, as to the objection urged chiefly by those professors distinguished by their adherence to high doctrines, and who, it is to be regretted, are not the most competent judges on a question of this delicate order; but to desist from allusions that might be deemed irrelevant, let us treat the objection itself. They say that family prayer ought not to be encouraged, save by those who are of the family of Christ; that is, unless all engaged are assembled for the purpose are really Christians, and united in spirit; inasmuch as others, who may be present from necessity or custom, and know not the truth, while the head of the family is engaged as the mouth of the rest in prayer, will be trifling or playing, or be restless till it is concluded; thus rendering it, instead of worship, insult and mockery. From this view of the subject we quite differ; for it appears that even supposing such conduct to occur as stated by them, it will not serve as a plea for abstaining from the practice. Let it be remembered, that it is a mean of grace; and if the objection as to trifling, &c. be substantial with regard to prayer in the family, it is equally so with regard to prayer in the church, for,

Fal

alas! too much trifling and loose conduct and conversation take place in the sanctuary; and it is often profaned by the inconsistencies of professors; and as the same cause should produce the same effect, if the one be discontinued or abstained from, the other ought; but it is not so. What should we say, were the house of God to be closed, and upon inquiring the reason we were told, because the conduct of many that assembled was such as to profane it, and derogatory to the God of heaven; therefore, since mockery and insult became unavoidably entangled with the service of God, that service was therefore discontinued. lacious reasoning! So far from discontinuing the practice of family prayer for such an idle excuse, it should cause the real Christian to be more indefatigable; to pray the more earnestly that God would influence their minds, and impress upon them the solemnity and importance of the engagement, and warn them that to trifle with God is no slight offence; to tell them of the thunders of God's law; and thus aim to convince them, by Divine assistance, of the necessity of using, and not abusing, so great a blessing; they would hear the aspirations of the pious head of the family, and it is as likely as the public service of God's house, to produce a good effect upon their minds, their lives, and conduct. So far therefore from operating as a reason to abstain, it serves only the more to enforce its practice, in the hope that God will bless it to their immortal souls. This objection, it is certain, never would be urged by the real Christian, for the real Christian cannot be idle; and we find that those who object to family prayer, are those cold, phlegmatic creatures who are too slothful to engage therein, or grudge the time it would occupy; for the Christian embraces every opportunity of communing with his God from off the mercy-seat, and engaging in all the solemn and appointed means of grace. Thus, we trust, this visionary objection may be considered as

that only one human being was ever brought to the knowledge of the truth by its instrumentality, it establishes its necessity and importance, evidencing the Divine sanction in blessing it to the soul of that one creature, which could be done by no other agency than the Holy Spirit. And the salvation of only one soul brings home abundant glory to God. But still there is evidence to prove it is a great blessing; that God smiles upon its prac tice, many having been brought through it to the feet of the Saviour. But who are

those generally that despise family prayer? Alas! (in the language of your corres pondent on prayer-meetings in your July number,) they are such as pray not for themselves, and cannot be expected to pray for others. The fact of there being so many prayerless persons should stir up the Christian to a more steady and persevering attention to prayer, both private, social, and public, knowing this to be God's appointed means, and that none are so likely to procure his blessing upon a preached Gospel.

Prayer, therefore, at all times, upon all occasions; especially stated family prayer, prayer-meetings, and the ordi nances of the sanctuary, are the Christian's "reasonable service;" a sacrifice holy and acceptable to God. And that Christian is at a very low ebb, who can neglect meeting with others for such a "high and holy purpose as prayer."

Thus, we trust, the subject has been fairly brought forward; and when we view family prayer as a means of grace, and certainly not an inferior one, and recollect that it is the Christian's duty and privi lege to be found waiting upon the means, and to be engaged in all the ordinances of God; and when we reflect further, that God will be asked before he bestows his blessing; that he will be sought after by his people before he reveals his goodness to them; and, above all, that communion with God is the dearest privilege of the Christian; it constrains us to the conclusion, in answer to our question, that

Family prayer, as a mean of grace, is incumbent upon the Christian to practise.

W.E. N.