ever. in all its original glory. Its past continuance | Lest, from the deceitfulness of our own weak and amid all the fluctuation of human affairs, and all wicked hearts, the privileges and prospects here the vicissitude of events, in combination with revealed should produce the feeling of personal which it has existed, accords with the voice of elation, we are reminded of the author and the prophecy in telling us, that it shall endure for giver of them all. The deep consciousness of obligation to free and sovereign grace, should mingle with every favour we enjoy, and every hope which we cherish. These feelings of humility and gratitude will prompt the prayer, 'Let the whole earth be filled with his glory."'" This language, the sincerity of which must be evinced by corresponding endeavour, will ever be that of all the true subjects of Christ's spiritual kingdom.-What claim had we to thy favour, which all do not equally possess. If we are the happy people who truly know the joyful sound, it reached our ears when we too were the captives of sin; let it penetrate still deeper the dark and dismal dungeon, and bring forth other sinners from their captivity. If we have been made an obedient people, and our minds enlightened with the knowledge of thy will, no obduracy is too great to be subdued by thy power, no soul too dark to be irradiated by thy glory. Let that light shine into every heart, till the whole earth, filled with its brightness, shall reflect with its full orb, the uncreated effulgence of the Sun of righteousness. It shall endure, as a continual and increasing blessing. Men shall be blessed in him. Besides the indirect, the accompanying benefits which his spiritual administration brings to the world, it confers unnumbered and lasting blessings on its true subjects. They are blessed in him with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places,-with pardon, acceptance, peace, purity, eternal life. The happiness enjoyed by the subjects of the most powerful and enlightened of human administrations, affords a faint emblem of their blessedness, who own the sway of him, who reigns upon Zion's hill. Earthly kings cannot know the whole of their subjects, but he is intimately acquainted with them all. Earthly kings cannot always defend their subjects from the aggression of a foreign power, but he will at length bruise Satan, and all their other enemies, under their feet. The enactments of earthly kings cannot reach the heart, the seat of much of the disquietude and misery that embitters the existence of man; but he, having access to the spirit he has made by all the avenues through which it may be approached, can rectify its disorders, and pour into it the oil of spiritual gladness. And, where human power and legislation cannot extend,-for their jurisdiction is limited by the grave,-Christ stretches the sceptre of his authority, having the keys of the invisible world and of death, to open for his subjects the portals of immortality, and to make them blessed with himself through the whole range of a ceaseless being. TWENTY-FIFTH DAY.-MORNING. 'O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come,' Psal. lxv. 2. A MERE consciousness of guilt, danger and helplessness, may lead to superstition, not to prayer. To deprecate by outward acts of homage, by Well therefore may they who are so highly painful, or it may be by bloody rites, the wrath favoured, raise their ascription of gratitude and of an offended and dreaded power, is a very difpraise, to the source and dispenser of their bless- ferent thing from the offering of a spiritual and edness. And how delightful and refreshing to acceptable worship. Two things are equally the Christian spirit to reflect, that such blessed- essential to the existence of a devout spirit; some ness is yet to be shared, and such ascriptions are knowledge of God, and some knowledge of ouryet to be raised by ALL NATIONS. Hitherto the selves. He that cometh unto God must believe rightful authority of our heavenly King has only that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them been partially acknowledged. Many causes have that diligently seek him. It is from an acquainttended to impede the establishment of his king-ance with his revealed character as the hearer dom. It shall not be so always. The truth as of prayer, that unto him shall all flesh come. it is in Jesus, fitted as it is for universal diffusion, shall be universally diffused, to bless the world. He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. To whom do we owe such signal blessedness, such bright anticipations? To the power and grace of him, who 'only doeth wondrous things.' The cry of alarm for deliverance, the cry of guilt for mercy, may indeed be the first utterance of the awakened sinner. But, as the believer is progressively taught to pray in the exercise of filial fear and love, expectation and confidence, he will be progressively instructed in the character of the great object of his worship, as seated upon a throne of grace. It is in Zion therefore, or in other words, as Jehovah has manifested himself in his church, as a reconciled and redeeming God, that praise waiteth upon him as a devout and grateful attendant, that prayer is now presented by his saints, and shall at length be universally offered. Unto God as the hearer of prayer all flesh should come. Prayer is a commanded duty. He who came from heaven to instruct us in the will of God, spake a parable to this end, that men should pray always and not faint. The injunction of his word is at once distinct and imperative, be instant in prayer,' 'pray without ceasing,' 'in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.' No one therefore who desires to be regulated in this matter by a regard to the divine will, needs now to ask,-Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do? Prayer is a befitting and reasonable duty. To whom should we yield the homage of our adoration and worship, but to him who gave us our existence, and in whom we live and move and have our being? To whom should we come confessing our sins, but unto him whom we have offended, and who only can pardon us? To whom should we come making known our wants, but unto him who alone can supply them? To whom should we come expressing our gratitude, but unto him who giveth us all things richly to enjoy? What more reasonable, than that creatures should acknowledge their dependence upon their Creator, than that redeemed sinners should bend with reverence and thankfulness before their redeeming God. . tact with the most solemn truths, and the most sublime realities. Never is a sense of spiritual destitution more intense, never has temptation less power to prevail, never does sin seem so exceeding sinful, never does the world appear so insignificant and unsatisfying, never do the beauties of holiness rise with so much attraction upon the view, as when we come with any measure of the spirit of prayer into His presence, who has promised to supply all our wants according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. By such effects produced upon the devout mind, there is an immediate accomplishment of the promise, While they are yet speaking I will hear.' And this brings us to remark, that prayer should be made from the consideration that Jehovah condescends to reveal himself as the hearer of prayer. Shall he whose displeasure we have incurred open a way of access to his favour and presence, and shall we neglect or refuse to enter it? Shall he whom it hath pleased, that in Christ all fulness should dwell, invite us to seek that we may obtain the rich provisions of his grace, and shall we prefer to perish with hunger? Shall the great Lord of the universe bend his ear to listen to our supplication, and shall not the silence be broken by the sigh of our contrite acknowledgment, or by the cry of our urgent necessities. Yet, numerous as are the inducements and encouragements to prayer, the duty has never been suitably performed, nor the gift suitably exercised, till the grace has been bestowed. Let this therefore be our request-Lord, teach us to pray. Then that which should be, is that which shall be. The mournful disinclination to this spiritual duty,—the coldness and formality in its performance, will be made to disappear, when the spirit is poured out from on high. The gracious command will be obeyed, the reasonableness of the service will be acknowledged, the efficacy of it will be felt, the benefit arising from it will be enjoyed, the grace and condescension of the hearer of prayer will be estimated, in proportion as the promise is fulfilled, 'I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications.' Prayer too is the appointed means for bringing down from above, spiritual blessings. It is connected with the reception of these blessings in some sense, as the cause is connected with the effect, -as the sowing of the seed is connected with the reaping of the harvest. Ask, and ye shall receive. Receiving is suspended upon the condition of asking. And that, by no mere arbitary act of the divine will. Desire is the essence of prayer; and desire must necessarily precede its fulfilment. A capacity to receive spiritual blessings must be induced, before they can be bestowed. Hence the relation of prayer and its answer, is that of faithfulness upon the part of God, to fulfil the desire he has awakened; And of fitness upon the part of the recipient, to wel-proclaimed; the language of prediction encourages come and enjoy the favours implored. Prayer besides, exercises the most beneficial moral influence upon the heart of the spiritual worshipper. It brings the soul into nearest con Few as are now the number of spiritual worshippers, even where the name of Jehovah is known and professedly adored,—and large as are the regions of the earth, in which it has never been the petition we would present; Pour out thy Spirit upon all flesh, and then, O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. TWENTY-FIFTH DAY.-EVENING. Like as father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him,' Ps. ciii. 13. GOD is in some sense the parent of the universe. Intelligent creatures are all his offspring. He made them, and upholds them in the existence he gave them. But a delusive inference is deduced from the truth, if it be hence imagined, that he will without reference to their dispositions and conduct, be equally indulgent to them all. At once the parent and the governor of the universe, his administration is, and must ever be conducted in his great household, by those principles of rectitude and truth which form the unchangeable excellence of his nature. Where there has been a departure by any of his creatures from those principles, and from himself the centre of all good, they must be brought back to a conformity to his will before they can be happy. In producing this result in regard to any of our apostate family, he first makes them the subjects of his regenerating grace. They are born of God. They receive the spirit of children here expressed by the one epithet of fear,-filial fear which is the essential element of true religion in the heart. They thus become in a more strict and peculiar sense, the objects of his love and care, the children of his family. But still helpless, and liable to innumerable evils, infirmities, and sufferings, like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. And, in regard to this paternal pity it is tender, constant,-enlightened, and it will bring ultimate relief to those who are the subjects of it. It is tender. It is likened not to the pity of a stranger, or even of a friend. It is the pity of a father. What more touching evidence can we have of its reality. Exceptions indeed, there may be, even in the working of the natural affections of the human heart. But where amid the imperfection of earthly things can a fitter image be found of the overflowings of the divine compassion, of the depth, the sincerity and truth of his relentings, who repenteth him of the evil? who cannot find in his heart as it were to strike the deserved blow; whose memorable language of soliloquy is, 'How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel?' It is constant pity. Not the transient emotion of a spectator who witnesses a spectacle of woe, but soon leaves the object, or forgets the scene that drew forth his tears. It is the pity of a father towards those who dwell beneath his roof, who live under his eye,-of a father who every day and hour knows all their sorrows, perplexities, and fears, and who is ever present to soothe and to comfort them. It is enlightened pity. Not the childish and feminine pity, amiable it may be, but ruinous, which would fondle a wilful, malignant, or disobedient spirit, which would scruple to curb ungovernable passion, or restrain unbridled license. It is the pity of a wise father, who consults the present welfare, and the prospective happiness of his children. In the case of his reclaimed sons and daughters in this our fallen world, it is reasonable therefore to suppose, that the discipline to which their heavenly Father may see it necessary to subject them, should sometimes be both protracted and severe. Evil tendencies are to be counteracted, evil habits to be broken, evil passions to be expelled. Difficult lessons are to be learned, hard conquests are to be achieved. Self-denial, conflict, suffering, are consequently unavoidable. The Father of our spirits loves his children too well to spare the infliction that is for their profit. But assuredly, his pity is too great to subject them to one moment's suffering not absolutely necessary to make them partakers of his holiness. It is a pity that will bring ultimate and effectual relief. Here all earthly comparisons fail. A father's pity while it is sincere may be unavailing. He may see the object of his tender solicitude pining away before his eyes. Notwithstanding all his compassion, his assiduity, his efforts, his prayers, his child is in the hand of an inexorable power, from which he can do nothing to deliver, and the tear of pity which he lately shed over the bed of the helpless sufferer, is succeeded by the tear of sorrow which bedews his grave. But in the case of our heavenly Father, his infinite pity towards the children of his spiritual family is united with Almighty power. regulates and controls the whole process to which they that fear him are subjected. He says with the voice of resistless authority to the agents or instruments he employs for their discipline,hitherto shall ye come, and no further. makes use of the furnace not to consume but to purify. Every member of the household of faith may adopt as his own the confiding language of one of their number, he knoweth the way that I take, when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.' He He Let this view of the character of God induce submission to his will under afflictive dispensations. Let ours be the resignation, not of the man who bends under the pressure of a visitation, which he knows he cannot escape,--who yields with a sullen and reluctant spirit, to a stern | these the psalmist is one of the chief. He had necessity over which he feels he has no control: long tried the faithfulness of his God. He had let ours be the calm, cheerful, hallowed acquies- put it to the test in all circumstances. Among cence, which arises from the thought, that our friends and foes, on the field of contest, as well lot is cast, and all its varying circumstances as in the shepherd's tent, in youth and in age, in arranged by a wise and tender Father. It is the day of spiritual gladness, and in the very THE LORD, let him do what seemeth him good. depths of mental agony, he had put his trust in If the infliction should seem dark, protracted, God, and ever found him his strength, his desevere, overwhelming, let us still remember, that fence, his rock, his salvation. And now from as a Father he pitieth his children. While we long tried experience, from the sweet convictions do not know what is needful, or what is best, we of God's readiness to meet the confidence of sinknow this, that no ingredient of bitterness will ners, he breaks out, Trust in him at all times, be shed into the cup of affliction put into the ye people.' He cannot be satisfied till others are hands of his own dear children, that is not essen- as blessed as he. tial to promote their spiritual health, and their eternal welfare. Now, 'no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.' Shall we not therefore be 'in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live.' 1. God reconciled in Christ can alone be the sinner's refuge. A refuge implies protection to such as flee to it, and confidence on their part in its security. Before a sinner turn to God as his refuge, he must know that he is pacified towards him for all that he has done.' He must be the sinner's salvation, before he become his refuge. For how could God protect the creature that has insulted his authority, contemned his goodness, and made no satisfaction? Or how could the alarmed and guilty conscience of the sinner rest peacefully on him, who will not clear the guilty? He bids us then come to him in Christ, who has magnified his law, and made it honourable. No other manifestation of God will beget and sustain the heart's confidence. It was the psalmist's delight to make known to others what God had done for his soul. He was happy and satisfied in the possession and enjoy- 2. All may come and make God their refuge, ment of God's plenteous grace, and heartily for his heart is large, and his power omnipotent, desired to see others as happy as himself. He Isa. xl. 28. He is not content with inviting one keeps not to himself the secret of his abiding joy. and another here and there. In him the fatherGrace will not let him. If it but once get less findeth mercy, the helpless a refuge, and entrance into the heart, it must break out from all need these blessings. And all, if they will, that heart again. It comes from God, and it must may have them in God. A believer shall not share go back to him. It enlarges also the heart's pity the less, that all around him are satisfied to the for the perishing, it must go forth to them. The full. My neighbour lessens not my share of the dying thief no sooner looked with gracious con- sun's light, by opening every window to catch his fidence to Christ, than he poured out his heart beams, nor will he diminish my share of grace to him, and would have his fellow-malefactor do by opening his mouth wide that the God of all the same. David found God a refuge; an un- grace may fill it. Nay, let all my neighbours get failing refuge, and he will have all poor sinners to the full, I only shall have the more, for their to be as secure as himself. getting will only enlarge their heart to pray for me. 3. And all are commanded to trust in him at all times. The beginning of our confidence ought to be kept steadfast. Why should it be ever abated? Our necessity never ceases; our need of a refuge is constantly felt. God never wearies It has been well said that from beginning to end the voice of all God's promises and invitations is, 'Prove me, prove me.' Sin has made us suspicious of God. The silly heart dreams that he will do it evil and not good, that he will visit it with wrath. While affection remains alienated, the eye can dis-in giving strength and grace. He fainteth not cern no ground of confidence in God. To meet and overcome this suspicion, and put the fears of the heart to shame, God has established in his word the standing testimony of many witnesses, that they confided in him and were not ashamed. Of neither is weary; therefore it is no fatigue to him to support. He is ever merciful, therefore he will reckon it no intrusion for us to flee unto him every hour of the day. He bids us come, for he is able to make all grace abound toward us, that we always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound in hope, and rest in his love. Much need then have I to beware lest I dishonour his goodness and vex his compassionate heart, by even once admitting the thought, that he who spared not his own Son, could even for a moment let go the desire of his soul to do my soul good. 4. Since God reveals and pours out his heart of love, to beget our confidence, we must meet his gracious approaches by pouring out our heart before him. But if we pour out our heart before him, we shall display before his sight all its filthiness, and its abominations. We like not to unveil it to ourselves, how shall we unveil it to our God? Fear not to do it. He bespeaks our confidence not to beguile us to the confusion of our face, and then laugh us to scorn, but that he may search and try the evil that is in us, purify us from it, and lead us in the way everlasting. Let me then hold back nothing of my heart from my God. Let me unreservedly pour out all that is in it, my rebellious enmity, my wilful frowardness, my earthliness, my suspicions, my guile, my unholiness, and my guilt. I well may be ashamed, but I need not dread to do as he bids me. It is God in Christ who entreats my willing obedience. Specially in the time of need, let me pour out my prayers for a refuge in him. Whether in gladness or affliction, in comfort or distress, in joy or in sorrow, 'God is a refuge for us.' 5. True prayer is the voice of the soul reposing on the promises of God, who keepeth covenant and truth for ever. Knowledge of God may make the lips speak fluently, but trust in God can alone draw out the heart. And trust in him is found only in the heart that can call Jesus Lord. And the ability to call Jesus Lord comes only from the grace of the Spirit. May the Lord grant me this Spirit otherwise my prayer must be sin. David implored his God not to forsake him until he had showed his strength to the generation then living, and his power to every one to come, and he has received an everlasting answer to his prayer. The Spirit has in all generations past made David's experience an encouragement to every believer's heart. The Spirit, to the end of time, will employ David's confidence for the same end. TWENTY-SIXTH DAY.-EVENING. This people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me,' Isa. xxix. 13. OUR earnestness and sincerity in prayer, ought to be in proportion to the encouragement which God gives us to engage in the exercise. He loves to bend his ear to the requests of his people. Genuine prayer on the part of a poor sinner is a strain well pleasing to the ears of Jehovah. acknowledgment of his supremacy, and the creature's dependence. God is not in all the thoughts of the wicked, they cast off fear, they restrain prayer, and in the spirit of rebellious Israel virtually say, 'We are lords, we will no more come unto thee.' This spirit is the spirit of proud independence and defiance of God. But to the hearer and answerer of prayer, confession and supplication intimate a return to the lowliness and humility which becomes a creature, and God loves to hear them because he delights in all his works, but especially in the triumph of his grace. But the prayer which the Lord delights to hear is the prayer of the heart. In vain is it to have the language graceful, and the words ever so well chosen, if there be no hearty desire to do honour to God. This was the fault of Israel's devotion. The blood of the sacrificial victim was shed with the deepest solemnity; the priest carried it with awe and reverence into the temple; the cloud of incense ascended, while he sprinkled it before the vail; and while intercession by blood was made within, the multitude without bowed the head and worshipped. No one would have suspected any fault in all this. But to the eye of the heart-searching God it was only a mock show of worship. The people drew near with their mouth, and with their lips they honoured him, but they removed their heart far from him.' This is the solemn declaration of God Let me then inquire what it says to my soul. It says— himself. 1. That God takes due notice of every thing which is presented to him in the form of devotion. True prayer glorifies him, and he takes special notice of it, that he may answer it. Mock prayer dishonours him, and he takes special notice of it, that he may reward the mockers. It was so in the case before me; he solemnly declares, that because Israel mocked him by heartless prayer, he would proceed to do a marvellous thing, the wisdom of their wise men should perish, and the understanding of their prudent men should be hid,' that is, he would utterly remove from them the fear of the Lord, and all wish to depart from evil, so that they would proceed from evil to evil, helpless and unpitied. 2. God not only notices every thing which is presented in the form of prayer, but he scrutinizes the nature of it. Genuine prayer is God's own work. It is not the voice of the sinner, simply feeling what he needs, and venturing to |