The ftated devotion of the closet conduces to make God habitually present to the mind. Pious affections are cherished by this means, fo that you will endure as feeing him who is invifible. May it not prove a prefervative from fin, and stimulus to duty? May you not hence acquire the government of your paffions? the government of your thoughts? May you not be hence led to pay much attention to your inward principles and affections? No profpect of concealment from the world may then prevail over you to fin against God. Every enticement may be immediately and firmly withstood. The firft motions of luft and paffion may be ftifled. be ftifled. Aware of your own weakness, you may, by daily, fervent prayer to him who feeth in fecret, call in Almighty grace to your aid; and in your own experience find that fcripture verified;

God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempt"ed above that ye are able; but will, with every "temptation, make a way to escape, that ye may be "able to bear it." Calling to mind and acknowledg ing in his prefence, from day to day, his manifold mercies to your body and foul, may you not be impreffed with gratitude, which will conftrain to returns of obedience? May you not feel your obligations for the means, influences and reftraints of grace? for the long-fuffering of God? for prefervation from, or fuccour in, dangerous fnares? If, through remiffness and careleffnefs, you have been overcome by fome great temptation, may not the early recollection and confeffion of it in your retirement, be accompanied with like bitter compunction as that of Peter after his fall, when finitten by the piercing eye of his Lord? If a care of this duty of fecret prayer may conduce to preferve or recover from fin-may excite to an unreferved and perfevering obedience, is it not highly important that you make confcience of the duty? Can you, in the omiffion of it, keep a confcience void of offence toward God? Is not a good confcience toward God

the principal fource of a confcience void of offence toward men? Prayer is a restraint from fin. By fin ning you caft off fear, and will restrain prayer.

Further, prayer conduces to beget, improve and fix the good difpofitions prayed for-to affimilate you to the fupreme object to whom it is addreffed. Herein a devout foul has communion with the Father, Son and Spirit. Prayer, offered in faith, afcends as pure incenfe, through the Interceffor and Advocate for finners. God hath made special manifestations of himfelf, at the feafons confecrated to devotion. When Job prayed, he could fay, " Now mine eye feeth thee." When Daniel prayed, "the angel Gabriel touched him, and faid, O man greatly beloved?" Cornelius was praying, when an angel affured him, that his prayer was heard.

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Do you object, "I know not how to pray?" Have you ever attempted? The vileft finner, who feldom mentions the name of God, except profanely, can pray earnestly when in extreme diftrefs or danger. The meaneft beggar, foliciting alms, is eloquent in his expreffions. A readiness and delight in prayer proceeds from a due fenfe of our neceffities. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. He encourageth all flef

to come to him.

Do you object want of time? When you have the most business on hand, you allow time for the refreshment of animal nature. Why not allow time to pray and give thanks for it? You will not be heard for "much speaking. Let your words be few; for God " is in heaven, and you upon earth." If regular feafons for prayer were fixed, there would be no occafion to plead the want of time. No preffure of worldly business would be pleaded. Was laudable bufinefs ever impeded, by man's committing himself and his work to God? In this way he pursues the business of his common calling deliberately and difcretely, does every business in season, and infcribes on all, HOLINESS

TO THE LORD. Should you neglect to acknowledge your dependence on, and obligations to, a diftinguithed human benefactor, it would argue a bafe temper. But the obligations and dependence in this cafe may not be compared with what you owe to God, in whom you live and move, and from whom cometh every good and perfect gift. Yet this Benefactor you forget. You find time every day, perhaps, for amusements foreign to the bufinefs of your particular calling. Have you yet no time to call upon God? Do you not fo much as enquire, What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits?

The humble heart is his temple, wherefoever the facrifice is offered. If, in any fituation or circumftances, no place of retirement can be found, the devout afpirations of the heart, its ardent wishes, will afcend to the throne of that God, who is witness to the groanings which cannot be uttered. It is to be obferved, that they who are intent on fin, find no difficulty in regard to fome retired place for the purpose. Were they alike intent on praying in fecret, they might generally with as much ease find a proper place.

Prayer cannot alter God; but it altereth the creature, proving that he is fenfible of his wants, and from whom the fupply of them must come. It is a needful evidence of that temper, which is the requifite qualification for the defcent of God's bleffings upon us. He will be enquired of. On what easier terms than afking can we defire the things we need? It is a good reason for maintaining the devotion of the closet, that he who feeth in fecret, will reward openly.

The other branch of perfonal devotion, to which I would call your attention, is mental or ejaculatory prayer. This is an effufion of the heart in petition, penitence, praise, thanksgiving, fupplication or interceffion, according to the circumftances or exigencies of the moment. It is a fervent addrefs to God, in fome

concise acknowledgment of his wisdom and holiness, power, goodness and faithfulness.

This kind of prayer may, or may not, be expreffed in words, as the occafion may be. It is fairly comprehended in various general precepts, and comes recommended by various examples, in the facred oracles. We are instructed to fet the Lord always before us, and pour out our hearts before him at all times to pray always with all prayer-in every thing by prayer and fupplication with thanksgiving to make known our requests unto God-to bless him at all times. Poffeffing the spirit of prayer, we fhall not neglect the regularly returning feafons of worship in the fanctuary, the family or clofet. Shall we not alfo continue inftant in prayer out of feafon as well as in feafon? Juft and needful occafions for it frequently occur in our own state and character, and in the ftate and character of our connections.Our eyes and our hearts fhould be often lifted up, amidst the business and viciffitudes of life, to that Being who filleth immenfity, who worketh all in all, who is the fovereign difpenfer of good and evil.Those petitions, which are dictated by a prefent feeling of our neceffities or obligations, exprefs lively faith in the perfections and government of God-a deep fenfe of dependence-real and earneft defires to engage his direction and aid, as our exigencies may require; to obtain his light, help and comfort.

Have your hearts never glowed with gratitude on the first reception of fome diftinguifhed mercy? recovery from threatning fickness, for inftance, or fome furprising escape from the jaws of death? Have you not felt a peculiar tenderness in the moment of fome fignal misfortune, or in the day of grief, or of impending danger? Have you not felt inward fhame and contrition in the time of fin, or alarming apprehenfions under the preffure of temptation? And have you not, in fuch a fituation, poured out your foul unto God? either in praise and thanks, or in humble confeffion,

and fervent prayer for pardon, or in request for grace, or to be extricated from calamity.

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Affliction may indeed for the prefent foften and humble a bad man. Or fome great deliverance may, at first, kindle in him fparks of gratitude. But is there not reason to doubt whether you have the spirit of devotion, if you do not immediately addrefs God in mental prayer, as fpecial occurrences may call for it? This duty is recommended by examples in fcripNehemiah, called on a preffing emergency to exert his abilities and influence for his nation, committed the caufe to God in a fhort ejaculation. So I prayed unto the God of heaven. What the prayer was is not mentioned. But it must have been of the kind we speak of. For he was then in the presence of a prince who had it in his power to restore the Jews to their former privileges; and being asked, For what doft thou make requeft? he tells us, that between the queftion and anfwer he prayed to this effect probably; "Lord, teach me what anfwer to give: Incline "the king to hear my request." Our Lord, looking up into heaven previously to the cure of the dumb and 'deaf man, was an inftance of the fame kind of prayer. So was his groaning in fpirit on the death of Lazarus; firft at the house of mourning, and again at the grave. (John, xi. 33; 38; 41.) Therefore we read, that "he "lift up his eyes and faid, Father, I thank thee, that "thou haft heard me." If his groaning in fpirit were not a prayer, why did he give thanks for being heard? There are no other expreffions which intimate his making a request to his Father on that occafion. Every part and circumftance of his life afford an example of his pouring out his foul in short, fervent effufions of devotion. Sometimes nothing was expreffed in words. At other times words were used in these effufions. "Father, fave me from this hour. Father, glorify thy "Son. Father, forgive them. Into thy hands I com"mend my spirit."