up to our own wills is mifery and diftrefs, fo to know no will but God's is the fummit of our happiness.

That we may experience this, let it be our first concern to know that God, who has the direction of all our affairs, and who only can work in us that chearful refignation to his divine will, which is attended with unfpeakable advantages here, and, through Jefus Chrift, a fure prelude to an admiffion into those blisful abodes, where the will of God is perfectly and chearfully performed, and happiness reigns in the highest perfection. N.

HINTS ON PRAYER.

PRAYER is the fweet and strong breathing of the new born foul, toward a covenant God in Chrift; ever wishing to draw in the life-fupporting air of heaven and to live in its own proper element. No hunted hart ever panted more after the water-brooks, than a believing foul will pant after communion with God through the bleffed Jefus.

The beloved object of prayer is a reconciled Father, whose heart is full of tenderness to the complaints and miferies of his dear children,-his promises are the declarations of his pure love-a dependance upon his fulfilling them, does him honour, and is fure always to bring down the bleffing.

The Holy Spirit teacheth the children of God how to pray in faith." He helpeth their infirmities in prayer, ftrengthens their graces, and bestows on them all their comforts. He enables them to come with boldness, and have accefs with confidence.

Whatever their Father has freely promised to give them in Jefus, they afk in faith, nothing wavering, for they know his promifes cannot fail, and as they find them daily fulfilled, their holy familiarity with him increafes. He draws near to them, and they draw near to him.

This mutual intercourfe is the fource of much joy, and makes the house and ordinances of the Lord a delight; for there he is always difpofed to hear, and will fulfil his promife to his children, "I will make them joyful," fays he in my houfe of prayer."

T. D.

AN ESTIMATE OF THE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.

To afcertain the value of characters, we should be able which fuch characters are formed: their principles, as they relate to the divine will; their influence, as they affect fociety; or in other words, their fentiments and views in the relation they bear to God, and the effects of thofe fentiment and views in the relation they bear to men. With respect to the former, we are certain it is the will and command of God that we fhould be humble, thankful, and holy and these tempers of mind the principles of a Chriftian beget, nourish, and perfect. By the knowledge of himfelf and of his God, he is able to difcern fomething affecting, and abidingly impreffive of the vast disparity there is in every point of view, between a finful worm of earth, and the adorable Jehovah. This makes him feel little and worthless in his own account. And, while it serves to reftrain and counteract every temptation to be proud, and high-minded, and to difpute the right of his Maker to dispose of him, and to act toward him as he pleases; it has also a happy tendency to render him lefs affected by the applause or cenfure of mortals, and lefs liable to be hurt by either. He knows he is nothing in himself but imperfection: and this is a reason why he should fubmit to God, and be patient toward men : a reason which enters into his feelings, and is interwoven with all his religious fentiments: a reafon which he can no more diveft himfelf of, than he can ceafe to think.. His principles must inspire him with thankfulness; for they originate in the knowledge of that mercy of God toward him which has paifed by others, and of which he deems himself the most undeferving, and the most unpromifing subject. He is fenfible he is faved by grace: taken into favour with God by the righteoufnefs and death of an exalted furety, provided and accepted for him. He knows he is delivered from wrath through him: that the blood of his Prince was the purchase of his ranfom; and that by virtue of this grace towards him, nothing fhall be allowed to befal him, which his reconciled Father will not render fubfervient to his good. His Saviour loved him and gave himself for him; and declares, in confequence thereof, he fhall never perish. And

every believing confideration of this furprifing grace, is a pure fpring of gratitude that must exift as long as he is able fo to reflect.

The Chriftian's love, holinefs and obedience, must be. traced to the fame caufe, and flow from the fame fource. The knowledge of the Lord's love to him, prompts and difpofes him to love again. The author of this grace being holy, is a cogent reafon why he fhould be like him: and a conviction of his character, in this view, as fupremely excellent and amiable, fupplies the defire of being like him, and inftigates to prayer for the fame end. But he receives the fpirit of love and holinefs in the grace that extricates himfrom ignorance, bondage and death.

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His obedience fprings from a fenfe of obligation, founded in this very principle; and will be preferved and regulated by it; and, were it to meet with no oppofition from his finful nature, would be as perfect in degree as it is in kind. He loves his Saviour with his whole heart, His fubjection, therefore, to him is voluntary and of choice; and every failure therein will be his punishment and his grief. He was bought for the fervice of Chrift. This he has been taught: and he must prefer this fervice to every other, becaufe only in it he can be eafy, comfortable, fatisfied and fecure. His mind is enlightened to difcern its propriety and beauty, and his heart is formed to relish its sweetness. It is in this fervice, in a word, his freedom confifts, and in it alone his best pleasures can live: and as obedience to his Lord and Mafter thus corresponds with the leading defires of his mind, growing attainments therein will conftitute the principle views, wifhes and purfuits of his life. To honour and pleafe him is indeed the native, unequivocal language of the Chriftian's principles, and the ardent breathing of his heart.

A creature thus related to the Lord in the way he has appointed, from the the principles he has implanted, and for the end he has purpofed, muft be a character infinitely valua ble in his account. It is a character formed by himself, for himself, and after the image of himself; and cannot, therefore, be lefs than his pleafure and delight.

The happy effects of thefe principles, &c. for the good of fociety may be naturally expected, and eafily determined. It may, indeed, be fuppofed that the workmanship of divine grace fhould be defigned to anfwer fome good and valuable purpofe to the bulk of mankind: and their being called the light of the world, the falt of the earth, &c. are teftimonies in favour of the beauty and ufefulnefs of their characters,

which their tempers and practice may be fuppofed to justify and confirm. Their holy difpofitions and examples mult emit, like the fun, a facred brightnefs, excellent and glorious : and by another fimilitude, muft ferve to counteract that tendency to putrefaction and destruction, which is univerfally vifible in the principles and manners of men about us.

The love of Chrift cannot live in the heart without the love of our neighbour for Chrifl's fake. This is the noble and valuable characteristic of grace. It is that which can do all things, and bear all things for the good of another; and that which makes the righteous more excellent than other men. It feeketh not her own, thinketh no evil, and means and wishes none. The Chriftian, therefore, infpired therewith, is above ferving himfelf at the expence of another's good or on the terms of another's injury. The cunning and art ufually employed for this purpofe, enter not into his compofition and are denied by his principles and calling. His rejoicing is in acquifitions of a very different kind, to wit, in thofe of fimplicity, uprightnefs, and love. He need not feek to profit himself by circumvention, fraud, or over-reaching; for his heavenly Father hath promised him every thing needful without; and his faith fupercedes, the ufe of fuch practices, and his confcience and peace would be violated thereby. That frame of mind which conftitutes him upright with God, will render him the fame towards men. But love infpires pity, and pity, under the government and influence of truth and grace, will be directed toward every cafe of known dittrefs, whether of any enemy or friend. Hence a Christian is fet for the defence of the injured, and the relief of the afflicted. His Saviour commiferated and helped him in trouble, and has fet him an example that he fhould follow his fteps. He confiders the exigent and needy as having a legal claim upon him for fome ufe of what the Lord his God has lent him with that view, whether it be little or more: and to with-hold from the poor and afflicted he is taught is to rob and to deny his Maker. The fame principle which infpires compaffion and tenderness will make him ready to forgive. He has had much forgiven himself, and it would be criminal in him to be backward to fhew the fame kindness to others.-But a good man will guide his affairs with difcretion; he is ever merciful and lendeth. Hence the Chriftian will be induftrious and frugal, temperate and prudent, that he may be able to give to all their due, and be generous and charitable therewith; to owe no man any thing, but to love. In a VOL. II.

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civil capacity, his obedience to the powers that be, is what he owes to that God who hath ordained them to rule and the fame reasons which induce him to fear the one, prompt him to honour the other. He is therefore peaceable and quiet, and willing to render to Cæfar the things that are Cafars, as well as to God the things that are God's. As a pa rent, he is defirous to have his offspring happy in the fear and knowledge of God. The grace that has inftructed and faved him, lays him under the obligation of inftructing and faving them, by every mean in his power, which precept and example can fupply. In the character of a mafter he is concerned to be juft and faithful, tender and kind; not requiring what is unreasonable, not withholding what is due, and in that of a fervant to be diligent and upright, humble and meek careful of his mafter's property, interest and credit, out of regard to him whom he owns and ferves as his Mafter in heaven. Thus in every capacity the Christian fills, in every relation he sustains, in every business he undertakes, he acts by a perfect rule, the word of God, and has a principle correfpondent thereto, in his heart, to act from; by which fuch a rule becomes more or less attainable and pleafant. The law of uprightnefs and love is in his heart, and his concern is to incorporate it with his life. To this he is called, and for this is more or lefs capacitated and qualified, by having Chrift in him the hope of glory, and the fource of ftrength and fufficiency.

The Chriftian's principles and character, therefore, when truly exemplified, are calculated to diffuse luftre and happinefs in every direction. He is in favour with God, and the native influence of that flate is to be a bleffing, and nothing but a bleffing to men. Contemplated in this view, his value is beyond eftimate, and his worth above the power of calculation to afcertain. May grace only enable every dif ciple of Chrift to act in character, and his price, to true wif dom and difcernment, will appear above rubies.

H. K.