It may be safely asserted that such men as will not be persuaded to be sincerely religious, by that evidence and those arguments which God has afforded us, would not be persuaded by any other evidence or motive of religion, which their own unreasonable fancy could suggest to them to desire. And the reason hereof is plainly this: the true cause why any such wicked man neglects and disbelieves the great truths of religion, is not that these things want sufficient evidence to convince his judgment, (for then he would not believe and act upon other grounds that have less proof, as every man plainly does in his worldly business ;) but it is because his passions and affections are interested, and that his heart is set upon the sinful enjoyments of this present world; it is for this reason that he is willing to shake off the thoughts of such truths, as are contrary to these false interests and unreasonable affections. Did men follow the unprejudiced reason of their own minds, a small possibility of obtaining eternal happiness, or the least apparent hazard of falling into endless or lasting misery, would immediately determine them to make it the great business of their lives, to obtain the one and to avoid the other. Wherefore, when we see men act directly contrary to this natural principle, and almost wholly neglect these most important of all things, not only when there is a great appearance of their possibility, but when there is, moreover, all reasonable positive evidence of their being certainly true; is it not manifest that such persons are guided, not by reason and the force of evidence, but by blind passion and unreasonable affection? And where this affection and love for the sinful pleasures of the world are so strong, as to cause men to despise the authority both of reason and Scripture in conjunction; to elude the clearest and most undeniable evidence of matter of fact; to become deaf to all the promises and threatenings, the persuasions and terrors of the Gospel; to disregard all the kind warnings that God gives them by his Spirit and by his ministers, by his mercies and his judgments, and by all the dispensations of his Providence; there is little doubt but the same persons would resist any other means, that should be made use of for their conversion and reformation. We are many of us willing perhaps to imagine, that if we had lived in our Saviour's time; if we had heard his preaching and seen his miracles; if we had had the advantage of beholding

those mighty works which he performed for the proof of his divine commission, as the Jews then had; we should not, like them, have rejected the counsel of God against ourselves; but with all cheerfulness have believed his doctrine and embraced his religion; we may be apt to fancy, we should have immediately become disciples of Christ; and that the truths which he taught, would have had a powerful influence upon the whole course of our lives. But all this is a very great fallacy; and if the arguments of religion now have no influence upon us, we should then likewise as certainly have found our evasions to elude them. The Jews are a lasting instance, how far prejudice. and affection are able to prevail over the strongest convictions. When our Saviour began to preach that he was sent from God to instruct them in their duty, they required a sign of him and they would believe him but when he had worked so many miracles, that even the world itself could not contain the books if they should all be written, they still persisted in their infidelity. When they saw him hanging upon the cross, and thought themselves secure of him, they said, "Let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him;" but when he arose out of the grave wherein he had lain three days, which was a much greater and more convincing miracle; they grew more hardened and obstinate in their unbelief. And reasonably may we believe, if we live wickedly now; that the same would have been our case, if we had lived in those days.

Should God now send a messenger from the dead to assure men of the certainty of a future state, and the danger of their present wickedness: as soon as their present terrible apprehensions were ceased, it is extremely probable they would find some way or other to ascribe it all to the delusion of fancy` and imagination; and that their old vicious habits and beloved sins would again by degrees prevail over them.

In order to the making men truly religious, it is not necessary that God should on his part work more miracles to give them greater convictions; but only that they, on their own part, should become reasonable persons; lay aside their unjust prejudices, and forsake their unreasonable lusts, which hinder them from considering the true force of the arguments of religion. They have no concern for the interests of truth and virtue. The love of this present world has blinded their eyes; and it is

for that reason only, that they receive not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto them. (1 Cor. ii. 14.)

The sum of all therefore is; let us take care to free ourselves from those unreasonable prejudices, wherewith carelessness, and want of consideration, and unrighteous practice, are used to blind us and then we shall soon be convinced of the truth and of the necessity of religion. Let us but be sincerely willing to obey the will of God, and then we shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God. In a word, let us but suffer ourselves to be governed by our passions less, and by our reason more. Let us consider the arguments of reason and Scripture without prejudice or partiality, and resolve to direct our lives by those rules which shall appear most truly wise and reasonable; and then we shall certainly become as religious by hearing Moses and the prophets, by hearing Christ and his apostles, as if we had been preached to by one immediately from the dead. (DR. S. CLARKE.)

Our Saviour enjoins upon his disciples frequent prayer as a consolation under persecution. LUKE, Xviii. 1–8.

1. AND he spake a parable unto them, in reference to the necessity of praying frequently, and not being faint and languid in the performance, saying; 2. In a certain city, was a certain judge who neither feared God nor regarded man. 3. And in that city was a widow; and she came unto him saying, 'Do me justice on mine adversary? 4. And for a while he would not: but after these things, he said within himself, Though I neither fear God nor regard man, 5, yet because this widow troubleth me, I will do her justice, lest by her coming, she at length weary [stun] me.'

6. And the Lord said, Hear what the iniquitous judge saith. 7. And if the importunity of a poor widow thus prevailed on an unrighteous person, shall not a righteous God do justice for his own approved servants who, under oppression, cry unto him night and day, though he linger and seem to delay with regard to them? 8. I tell you that he will do justice for them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man shall have come for this purpose, will he find in the land of Judea this belief that he would come in due time to vindicate their cause?

OUR Saviour's injunction to pray always cannot be taken in a literal acceptation, without impeding all the active obligations of society but the precept is susceptible of a practical application in the following senses:

1. To pray always may import the cherishing a ready and habitual disposition to pray. Thus it is said of the righteous man that he is ever merciful: not that he is dispensing alms at every moment of his life; but that he is constantly disposed to supply his neighbour with needful relief. As a true friend is ever ready to receive his friend with courtesy, so should we be always disposed cheerfully to converse with God, when he freely comes to us, or when we have need to apply ourselves to him.

2. To pray always may denote a vigilant attendance upon devotion; such attendance as men usually bestow on their affairs; which, though a pause intervene, are never wholly laid aside. We say that such a one is building a house, or writing a book, even though he be sleeping or following some other business; because his main purpose continues uninterrupted.

3. To pray always imports that we embrace all fit occasions of devotion as when we have received any singular blessing from God; when success has attended a virtuous enterprise; when ourselves, or children, or friends, have been rescued from danger; when we undertake any business of special moment; when we fall into doubts and darkness.

4. To pray always imports that, in all our occupations, we lift up our hearts to God. We can never be so fully employed, but that we may reflect on our sins, and breathe a penitential sigh; feel the need of God's help, and despatch a brief petition for it; remember his mercies, and send forth the fervent ejaculations of gratitude.

5. To pray always may imply that we appoint certain times, conveniently distant, for devotion. The lamb which, under the Mosaic Law, was sacrificed every morning and evening, was termed the continual sacrifice. The morning, on which we receive (as it were) a new life; the evening, after being protected during the day; these devotions may be termed incessant. It was the resolve of David, "Evening and morning and noonday, will I pray." No hazard could prevent Daniel from praying and giving thanks to God three times a-day.

6. This precept is more especially exemplified in observing

the times of devotion ordained by public authority or settled by general custom. Thus the apostles were continually in the Temple; that is, they resorted thither at the stated times of meeting. In the same sense, Anna departed not from the Temple.

Lastly. To pray always may signify, that we should never cease from praying, till our requests have been granted. We, like Jacob, may wrestle with God, and say with him, 'I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me.' In this sense, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence. The disabled man, at Bethesda, waited thirty-eight years. This is the perseverance to which our Saviour alludes, in the present parable. Hateful is the character of the unjust judge, who neither feared God, nor reverenced man; but centered all his regards in himself. Yet even he was prevailed upon by importunity and our Lord mentions it to encourage the fervour of our addresses to the throne of grace. Not that the blessed God, like this unjust judge, is to be wearied out with a peal of words; and thereby weakly induced to do what would otherwise have been contrary to his designs. Far from us be so absurd and impious a thought. Our condescending Lord only intended to intimate, that if the repeated importunate cries of the afflicted may, at length, prevail even on an inhuman heart, they will be much more regarded by a righteous and merciful God, who is always ready to bestow his favours, when he sees we are prepared to receive them. (BARDODDRIDGE.)

ROW.

Self-righteousness condemned. Luke, xviii. 9-14.

AND Jesus spake this parable in reference to certain persons who were self-confident of their own righteousness, and set all others at nought.

10. Two men went up into the Temple, to pray: the one, a Pharisee; the other, a publican. 11. The Pharisee stood, and prayed thus with himself: O! God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, rapacious, fallacious, adulterous; or even as this contemptible publican. 12. I fast twice in the week: I give tithes of all that I acquire.'

13. But the publican, standing at some distance from the Sanctuary as not daring to approach it, was reluctant even to