gain the spirit of prayer. An unforgiving temper, also, not only hinders the spirit of devotion, but also prevents the acceptance of your petitions. Our Lord says, Go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Matt. v, 24. Bishop Taylor, in a beautiful figure, shews the evil effects of anger as an impediment to devotion. "Anger is a perfect alienation of the mind from prayer, directly contrary to that disposition which makes our prayers acceptable to God. Thus the lark rising from his bed of grass soars upward, singing as he rises, but the poor bird is beaten back by the sudden blast of an eastern wind, and his motion made irregular and inconstant, descending more at every breath of the tempest, than it can recover by the libration of its wings, till the little creature is forced to sit down, aud pant, and stay till the storm is over, and then it makes a more prosperous flight, and rises still, and sings, as if it had learned music and motion from an angel." Again, immoderate, or unnecessary indulgence of ease, appetite, sleep, &c. are serious obstacles to the attaining a devotional spirit. The man of self-denial will, like Daniel, (ch. i, 12.) be the man of prayer. Chap. vi, 10. Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, is a solemn admonition of the Lord, before he gave the charge, Watch ye, therefore, and pray always. Our sins are one great reason why our prayers are not oftener heard. When you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers I will not hear; your hands are full of blood.' Remember St. John's remark: If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God: and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and

do these things that are pleasing in his sight.' See farther passages, Ps. iv, 3; xxvi, 6; xxxiv, 15, 17; Prov. viii, 29; James v, 16; John ix, 31. Yet remember, the meaning of these passages is not that we must not pray if we have committed actual sin; for then none would pray; but that we are not to go to our prayers with the love of sin, or with a purpose to go on sinning still. See page 22.*

2. BE NOT CONFORMED TO THE WORLD.--We hope that the happy day is coming on when all the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him; but, at present, who can go much into the world, unless his duties call him there, without suffering from it? For a Christian to enter into worldly company and join in vain amusements, is, as if a man were to put a burning torch into water: the flame of devotion will be, must be, extinguished. Those who go into a large manufactory, filled with people and machines, find it difficult, when in the midst of such a scene, to converse with each other; but those who go much into the bustle of company, find it still more difficult to hold converse with God. It is only when compelled to be there in the way of duty, and not otherwise, that they may expect

*Sir Matthew Hale, in his Treatise on the Knowledge of God well remarks-"A frequent, solemn, and serious use of the duty of prayer interrupts a custom of sin, by degrees weakens the old man, and will in time make a strangeness between our lusts and our souls. And let a man be sure of these TwO TRUTHS: that as he that comes upon his knees with a secret purpose to hold confederacy with any sin, he shall be the worse, the more hardened, and the more neglected by that God which searches the heart; so whosoever he be that comes to his Maker in the integrity of his heart, though sin adheres as close to that heart of his, as his skin does to his flesh, shall find that employment will make those lusts that were most dear to him, by degrees to become strange and loose to his soul.

tuat, as his special grace preserved Daniel in the spirit of prayer, even in Babylon, so it will preserve them.— Being immoderately engaged in worldly business is another hinderance, filling a man with the cares of this life. He whose whole time is incessantly occupied in worldly affairs, finds his heart entirely distracted, and utterly unfitted for holy and retired duties. The Apostle says, Be careful for nothing;' and then adds, but in every thing, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.' believe me, it is far better to have a small income, with a quiet conscience and a devout heart, than the largest income without God's blessing.

3. RESIST THE TEMPTATIONS OF SATAN.--There is a powerful spiritual adversary of man, who goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.-Here is your great enemy. Other things are but his engines. His object in other things is to keep you from or hinder you in prayer. Be not ignorant of his devices. He will suggest that prayer is a dull and gloomy service, or useless and vain. If these do not succeed, he will suggest the putting off the duty to another opportunity, on account of some other employment: some favourite book to be read, some letter perhaps to be written, or some other business which he will propose to your mind, important perhaps in itself, but not good for this time. Consider every thing which would tempt you to neglect prayer, in its appointed season, whether it be any of those objections which have been answered already, (see p. 17, &c.) or the fear of man's ridicule, or love of ease, or any other, cause, as a mere tempta. tion, and resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.— This evil spirit will be cast out by prayer and fasting. Matt. xvii, 21. Does he present to you various diffi

culties? Remember, that nothing excellent is obtained without effort and difficulty. Remember, men pursue human schemes of great difficulty, amidst every opposition; they go through the most arduous enterprises, without any certainty of success, or any promise of Divine help. In seeking communion with God, you are sure to succeed, and have his faithful promise that he will help you. Will you not be condemned by the conduct of men in general, respecting the things of this world, if difficulties should deter you from endeavouring to obtain a good which, as a christian, you must acknowledge to be the greatest and most profitable that can be gained in the present life? Difficulties give way to real efforts."Prayer is in its nature a kind of wrestling and striving for a victory, which pre-supposes an opposition." The opposition of Satan will be vanquished by a steady resistance in the strength of your Saviour.

4. BEWARE OF A SELF-RIGHTEOUS SPIRIT, or any thing like fancying, because you have said your prayers, and especially, if you have prayed with more than ordinary freedom and affection, that therefore you deserve any thing from God, or are holy and righteous in his sight. Such a view of yourself, provokes God to withdraw his Spirit, and leaves you to your own natural barrenness and dryness. Nay, if you trust in your prayers, and put them in the place of your Saviour, they will as much ruin your immortal soul as the grossest sins. This is a very common temptation, of which we are all in danger. Even the excellent Milner describes himself as naturally always setting up for himself, always aiming at independence, and that it was with the utmost difficulty he was brought to feel what a poor, sinful creature he was by nature. This spirit of self-righteousness manifests itself in complacency and self-satisfaction when any

thing right has been done, and in overwhelming despondency and depression after our sins. But we should learn to rejoice in Christ alone when most lively in the way of duty, and to trust in him alone when most low. Nothing is more natural to us, than, when we have been greatly assisted, and our heart softened, and our mind enlarged in prayer, to flatter ourselves, and trust in our performance. But as in the flood, neither the tallest tree, nor the highest mountain saved any of the ungodly world who were shut out of the ark, the only refuge; so Jesus Christ alone can save us. The directions of the pions Anselm to the sick man, are in point here. "See then," he says to him," while life remains in thee, that thou repose try confidence only in the death of Christ,-trust in. nothing else; commit thyself wholly to his death-cover thyself with this alone,And if the Lord will judge thee, say, Lord, I. cast the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between myself and thy judgment, otherwise I will not engage in judgment with thee.' And if he shall say unto thee, Thou art a sinner!' say, 1 place the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and my sin. And if he shall say Thou has deserved damnation!' say, 'Lord, I cast the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and my evil deserts, and I offer his merits for that merit which I ought to have bad, and have not." "

6

One good man said,

"I am more afraid of my duties than of my sins, for my duties make me often proud, but my sins make me always humble." Though an expression of this kind may be somewhat unguarded, it may shew us, in a strik ing way, a danger which many Christians hardly even suspect. O rest not then, in any duties; put no confidence at all in them as grounds of salvation; count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of