woman-no matter what is your standing in the church, if that is the description of your character, then you are a backslider. And so you stand entered on the book of God.

If in

2. The backslider is any one who was once converted, but who does not enjoy secret prayer, and hold daily communion with God. A man may keep up the form of prayer, he may be on his knees a great deal, and yet have no communion with God-not feel that God is present with him. He may pray ever so much, in form, and yet have no spirit of prayer. your secret prayer you do not actually draw near to God, you are either a backslider in heart or a hypocrite. No matter to what church you belong, or what office you hold, or what character you may bear in the sight of men; God regards you as a backslider, if you do not enjoy the spirit. of prayer.

3. If you do not enjoy the word of God, you are a backslider in heart. If you do not habitually form your practical views from it, you are a backslider. If you do not delight in the Bible more than in any other book, if you find you can relish reading any commentary as well as you do the naked text itself, you have begun to backslide. I do not hesitate to say, that the man who finds he can relish the best commentary that ever was written, as well as he does the simple word of God, has begun to backslide. If he has gone still farther, and thinks he has read the Bible about enough, and that now he will take up other things and study, he is far gone. TAKE CARE, professor! If you find that when you read a chapter it is dark and uninteresting, your name before God is Backslider.

4. If you are worldly minded, you are a backslider. If you find the things of the world are uppermost in your mind, and occupy your first thoughts in the morning, or press spontaneously upon your attention as soon as you are alone, if your associations and thoughts and feelings are earthly, you are a backslider in heart.

5. If you do not feel your heart drawn out in painful anxiety and prayer in view of the state of the church, it is because you are a backslider. If you can look at the state of the churches in this city without pain, and grief of heart, and deep anxiety, you must be a backslider in heart.

6. If you are insensible how low the state of religion is, you are a backslider. Many people, when they see congregations as large as usual, and when there are no dissensions among them, will say, "There is a very pleasant state of things among that people; it is a very prosperous parish; how quiet and peaceful every thing is there; it is delightful." And all this,

notwithstanding there may be no conversions there, no souls saved. A person who can call that a pleasant and prosperous state for a congregation, must be either a backslider or a hypocrite. If he was not, he would never rest in such a state of things, he would never be satisfied until he knew that sinners were turning from their sins. The man that can rest satisfied with any thing short of this, must have, to say the least, but a very superficial piety.

7. When the wickedness of sinners does not distress and grieve you, it is a sign of backsliding. If any one can hear sinners profane the name of God, and see them break the Sabbath, or do other abominations, and not groan and sigh and pray and grieve for them, he must be a backslider. How little you feel like the Psalmist, when he says in regard to the wicked, "Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law." "Horror hath taken hold upon me, because of the wicked, that forsake thy law." "I beheld the transgressors and was grieved, because they kept not thy word." So does every Christian, who is not a backslider, grieve at the transgressions of the wicked.

8. A person may be known as a backslider, when his secret prayers are short, and far between. Persons who enjoy prayer, pray very frequently. If you pray but seldom, or if you do not pray as often as you eat, or do not spend as much time in communion with God as you do in gratifying your appetite, it is a sign you have backslidden. You did not do so when you enjoyed your first love. Then you had rather pray than eat. Your feeling was, that if you must cut short one, you would say, Let the body fast, but my soul must be fed. It is to be feared that very many in the church do not pray as much as they eat. They are not so frequent, nor so regular, and do not spend as much time. Let them take care. Depend upon it, if they do so, their table will prove a snare and a trap to them. He is a glutton, or worse, who spends more time in eating, than he spends with God in prayer.

9. When you can perform secret prayer in a slight manner. If a person can go to his closet end pray slightly, without any honest fervency of soul before God, or any wrestling with God for a blessing, it is proof that he is a backslider.

10. When you suffer trifling excuses to prevent your praying, either in secret, or in public. Point me to a man who absents himself from his closet for trifling reasons, or who is kept from the house of God by frivolous excuses, that man's name is backslider. If not, he would make eating and every thing else

give way to his regular hours of devotion; and the reason would be, that he enjoyed more in prayer and the word of God, than in his daily food. Job says, "I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food." If you find that a slight indisposition or inconvenience will keep you from the house of God, and lead you to set aside private duties, you are a backslider.

Perhaps I ought here to ask each one of you who hear me tonight, whether this is your case. Have I mentioned facts that apply to you, and that you know refer to you? Beloved, do any of you do these things? If you do, let the truth reach your hearts. Do not apply it to your neighbor, do not give it away, but take it home to yourself. You need it, it will do you good, if you will let it. If these things belong to you, just be honest with yourself, and write your name "Backslider," and act accordingly.

II. I am to mention some of the principal causes of back. sliding.

1. Ill will towards any person. If ill will is harbored towards any being that God has made, you cannot continue to enjoy the presence of God. No matter how wicked that being may be, or how worthless, if you hate that being, you are the same as a murderer in the sight of God, and the spirit of God cannot dwell with you. You must be a backslider. Sometimes persons who are perhaps really injured, will let it fester in their minds, and rankle there, till it eats out all their piety. You cannot pray, when you have ill will towards any. I defy you to pray with such a spirit in you. God will not hear your prayer. If you think you pray, you are deceived. You cannot have the spirit of prayer, nor hold communion with God, in such a state. "When ye stand praying, FORGIVE, if ye have aught against any, that your Father, also, which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

any

2. Another fruitful source of backsliding is having too much worldly business. If you have so much worldly business as to absorb your thoughts, and take up too much of your time, you will backslide. You ought not to have so much business that you cannot pray. And you need not. God does not require it. He does not wish his clerks to have so much work to do that they cannot get time to confer with him, to tell him their situation and progress, and ask his direction. If you accumulate so much business that you cannot attend on God, it is evident that you have not right views of business. If you really considered it as God's business, you would not think that this was the best way

God

to please and honor God, to plunge into such a mass of worldly business that you cannot pray nor read your Bible. Business is a duty. I have always inculcated this, as you know, that it is a duty which God requires, to be busy, always usefully employed in some way. But to get into business that will encroach upon secret prayer and eat out religion, is all wrong. never requires it. Men are God's stewards, and HE never employs them so that they cannot have time to commune with him. And if they run themselves into such a press of worldly busi ness and cares, it is a sure sign that they have set up to do business for themselves, and not for God, and are now hastening to be rich. Otherwise they would never think of doing so, for they would have no motive. Love to God never shows itself in that way. And he who sets up business on his own account

will surely backslide.

3. Another frequent cause of backsliding is being associated in business with an unconverted partner. Whoever forms such a connection after he is converted, will infallibly taper off his religion, his piety will decay, and he will backslide.—The reason is obvious. The unconverted man never pursues his business on Christian principles. He has not the beginning of such a principle. And therefore the business of the concern can never be conducted on such principles as God requires. And if you consent to have it conducted on any other principles, you are ruined. You will backslide, and your religion is ruined. God requires that business to be carried on for his glory, and if you do not have your business conducted in this way, you will backslide. I could mention a multitude of facts here, some of which you are acquainted with, where Christians have formed business connections with the unconverted and have been greatly injured, and often injured not only in their piety but their reputation also. I do not mean to say, that unconverted men are not honest, in the sight of men, and so far as men are concerned. But they are not honest in the sight of God, unless they do business for him. God requires them to carry on their business for his glory, and to be as faithful in it as if God was standing by, overlooking and directing it. Now where you find a man doing this, you have found an excellent Christian. But if you associate yourself with one who will do nothing of the kind, you do in fact go with him and adopt his principles. And then you will backslide. I do not believe an instance to the contrary can be found, of a Christian who has taken a worldly partner, and has continued to enjoy religion. You must either offend your partner or offend God. You offend God at first by

placing yourself in these circumstances. And no doubt you will continue to do so.

4. The influence of worldly companions, is a common cause of backsliding. When a person is converted, if he continues to associate as before with unconverted companions, he will backslide..

5. Taking a worldly partner for life is a cause of backsliding. In fact it is a proof that the individual is already a backslider. Before a Christian can give the heart to one who is not the friend of God, there must certainly be a departure from first love, which may be expected to grow worse till God gives him up to be filled with his own ways.

6. The fear of giving offence to worldly friends by being strictly religious, often produces backsliding. If you are so much afraid of hurting the feelings of your friends, that you will let them abuse God in your presence without reproof, you will soon be a backslider. Some will even go so far as to abuse God themselves, or break his laws for fear of giving of fence, or for the sake of being civil to their ungodly companions.

7. When you begin to neglect or slightly perform the duty of secret prayer, you are on the brink of backsliding. I have mentioned this as one of the evidences of backsliding. It is also a cause. Backsliding often takes its rise here. I will mention the case of Mr. Oliphant of Auburn, whose memoir is recently published, by the title of "OLIPHANT'S REMAINS." It is to be found at the bookstores, and I wish you would all read it, for you will find it to contain much that is useful. He was an excellent man, I knew him well. In the "Remains" you will find a letter which he wrote to his son, giving an account of his own backsliding. He says:

"I think I enjoyed religion for two years, or two and a half years, after my marriage. It then became evident, that I had lost nearly all sweet enjoyment of God. I had greatly relaxed in secret prayer-was off my guard, and began to fall an easy prey to sin. I began to associate with vain companions, and, of course, did not reverence the Sabbath, as I had formerly done. The cares of the world loaded me down, and I sought comfort in that which I knew was offensive to God. My conscience often

smote me; but I still retained the form of prayer, with my wife and children. My spiritual father, Mr. Thomas Wills, died— I did not love his successor at Silver street-I became a rambler, on the Sabbath-and having ‘itching ears,' I became fond of a variety in preaching; and sought it to my hurt. I injured my wife and children, by my example, and became involved in the