far off, or too great, to attend to the petitions of menthat he is too determined, and too careless, or too powerful to be moved by them, and that therefore they must pray to inferior Deities. But in what a much sublimer light do the Christian Scriptures lead us to think of God! He is every where present-in Him we live, move, and have our being: He performeth all things for us; He seeth in secret. Ogden says on this subject, "How magnificent is this idea of God's government! That he inspects the whole and every part of the universe every moment, and orders it according to the counsels of his infinite wisdom and goodness, by his Almighty will! whose thought is power, and his acts ten thousand times quicker than the light; unconfused in a multiplicity exceeding number, and unwearied through eternity."

Christian! when you enter your closet for private prayer, you are going into the presence chamber of this great King of Kings; you are about to hold intercourse with him in the character of a tender father. He is indeed every where present, but he manifests his presence to those that seek him. He bestows on them his grace and blessing. O the dignity and glory of the Christian! O the vanity of the world! O the astonishing blindness and perverseness of man, who can think slightly of his richest privilege, and his highest honour!

The advantages of prayer, generally, have already been pointed out; but consider farther--Intercourse with God in secret prayer, HAS A TRANSFORMING EFFICACY. When Moses had been with God in the mount, the skin of his face shone. Something of that glory which had been then manifested to him remained with him. And thus the Christian often comes from his closet, with some of the beams of heavenly light and

glory shining as it were in his countenance. Coming into the world is sometimes to him like coming back again into a lower sphere, into a new society. He has been holding converse with the unseen world, and he returns invigorated and refreshed for every duty. "Our graces will languish and die, our spirits grow heavy and dull, unless we are refreshed and revived by constant intercourse with the great paternal spirit." Grove says, "The effects of Christian retirement will appear in the sweet composure of the passions, the evenness and affability of the behaviour, the charitableness of the temper, and the purity and tranquility of the life." The retired. violet, which hides itself in the shade, gives one of the sweetest scents: and the lowly Christian, who is constant in secret prayer, diffuses a holy feeling, a heavenly atmosphere around him.

This blessed employment in secret RAISES THE CHRIS

TIAN ABOVE ANXIETY ABOUT TEMPORAL

THINGS.

A

holy intercourse with his Maker gives him a fixedness and serenity which nothing else can bestow, and hardly any thing can discompose. It prepares him for all events, and fills him with a noble contempt for all the sinful pleasures and pursuits of a world lying in wickedness. It is like a sure anchor, safely fixed in solid ground, which though unseen above, keeps the vessel steadfast and secure amid the tumultuous waves and the stormy tempest.

They shall

The devout Christian, praying in secret, MAKES RAPID ADVANCES IN THE DIVINE LIFE. They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint. Sins with which the indolent and careless Christian is contending to his life's end, soon yield to continued fervent prayer.

Prayer gains for us that strength which enables us to surmount every difficulty, and removes every obstacle in our way to Sion. Are our affections towards God and Christ becoming cold? prayer is as a fire to which we must approach, and doing so, we shall perceive a gentle warmth insensibly overspread us, and our benumbed powers will acquire fresh energy and vigour.

It was the daily practice of the eminent Physician Boerhaave, through his whole life, as soon as he rose in the morning, which was generally very early, to retire for an hour to private prayer, and meditation on some part of the Scriptures. He often told his friends, when they asked him how it was possible for him to go through so much fatigue with such patience and quietness, that it was this which gave him spirit and vigour in the business of the day. This he therefore recommended as the best rule which he could give.

*

Private prayer is AN ENGINE OF GREATER POWER THAN ALL HUMAN MEANS PUT TOGETHER." The greatest of earthly monarchs, neglecting prayer, has not that power to glorify God, benefit man, and secure his own happiness, which the humble and praying Christian has. The prayer of a poor, destitute, and afflicted Christian, in the name of Christ, may turn the hearts of kings and princes, save his country, raise up pious ministers, secure a blessing to their labours, send the gospel to the heathen, and advance the kingdom of Christ in the world. Prayer has an advantage above alms, and every other good work, which can only benefit a few, while faithful prayer can help all. It is also

*"Admirable is the power of prayer. It calms the surges of a troubled spirit-shuts lions' mouths-opens prison doorsbeats the fiercest enemies--nay,arrests the impending judgments of God." Reading's Guide to the Holy City.

a resource, of which man cannot deprive you; he may despoil, blind and maim, imprison, or otherwise injure you; but he cannot keep you from prayer. Observe the power of prayer in the example of Elijah. He was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

It MAKES US FRUITFUL IN EVERY GOOD WORK.-"[ reckon it," says Bennett, "matter of common experience among good men, that they find themselves more or less disposed, and fit for their respective duties and services, according as their diligence, constancy, and seriousness in secret prayer is more or less." The root that produces the beautiful and flourishing tree, with all its spreading branches, verdant leaves, and refreshing fruit, that which gains for its sap, life, vigour, and fruitfulness, is all unseen; and the farther and the deeper the roots spread beneath, the more the tree expands above. Christians, if you wish to prosper, if you long to bring forth all the fruit of the Spirit, strike your roots deep and wide in private prayer. That faith and support, that strength and grace, which you seek of God in secret, that it may be exercised in the hour of need, God will in that hour give it you before men.

Mr. Scott says, "Depend upon it every thing will prosper in the event in a very near proportion to our earnestness and perseverance in prayer? but negligence here will be followed by a declension perhaps almost unperceived in all other respects, and will make way for temptations, falls, corrections, darkness, and award distresses: If like Jacob we wrestle with God and prevail, we shall eventually prevail in all ou other conflicts." oud

It WILL BE REWARDED OPENLY.-Our Lord does not in these words promise the very thing which you request; but your Father will reward you; he will give you a free, a full return, a gracious retribution, evidently, though not perhaps identically. How manifestly before all men Hannah was rewarded, when the name of her son Samuel (meaning asked of God) told all Israel, and tells the Church in every age, that God hears and answers prayer! How openly were Jacob's secret prayers answered, when Esau publicly received him so graciously! Our heavenly Father will also, before men and angels, hereafter reward thy secret devotion. Now it is unknown to man, but it will all be known, and known by the greatness of its reward. Every tear of godly sorrow, shed in secret, will then be a brilliant gem in the crown of glory surrounding the brow of the Christian. Christian's reward comes from a Father of infinite power, riches, wisdom, and love; and therefore cannot be a small reward, or an unsatisfying portion.

The

May every reader then, be encouraged to begin,.or more constantly to practise, and persevere in this sacred duty. However dull our spirits, however wearied our body, however wandering our minds, let us never wholly omit this duty, never put it off with a vain excuse to another season. To do so is Satan's temptation. It is better to attempt to pray in the best way you can than not to pray at all. And you will sometimes find the Lord assist you with the supply of his Spirit, enliven your soul, fix your mind, and draw and raise your heart to himself.

One of Malancthon's correspondents gives this account of Luther's private devotions, in one of the most trying and critical times in the course of the Reformation. "I cannot ough describe the cheerfulness,