science. We undervalue this principle-we despise this light, and necessarily crucify unto ourselves, the son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. But if preaching the gospel opens the understanding, we must remember and attend to its manifestations. If we do not attend unto it in its manifestations, I am convinced that we shall build up a partition wall between ourselves and our God. And what is prayer? Is it the repetition of a certain form of words, upon the knees? Does God see any particular position of the body, with acceptance; or any form of words? No, verily: And I am afraid that we often commit grievous sins by our hypocrisy, when, whether we are prepared or not, we, at stated times, fall down and make use of the words of Christ, the words of our own contrivance, or of others; and when we preach from books or extempore. Let us look a little

We never can

at the prayer of Christ to his disciples-"Our Father which art in heaven." call God father, till we are begotten into his nature, and into the likeness of his person and image, his power of holiness, righteousness and truth. Till we come to experience this operation in our own minds, he is not our Father, we are not begotten of him. And how can we say "hallowed be thy name," when we perform and

practice the absurdity of swearing by his name? "But I say unto you, swear not at all; neither

by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool: Neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shall thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black." We are not to swear at all, because the law under which we profess to live, leads into that truth and unity of conduct, in possession of these virtues which cannot make a lie, because the spirit of God dwelleth in him. Hence it is an absurdity, for any of us who are under the influence of this principle, to swear by God. "But let your communication be yea, yea; nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil, and must necessarily have the same tendency. But if the spirit of God be not operating in us, we shall not learn to speak the truth by all the tests and oaths that were ever invented-they never can do it. "Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is done in heaven." How can we say this, when we are opposing his will even in our own minds, and of course are not come into his kingdom. We never can experience it while we are in a state of rebellion, and while we are adverse to his laws: And yet we hypocritically adopt the language, "thy will be done in earth as it is done in heaven." We pray God to "give us this day our daily bread;" but instead of wanting spiritual nourish

ment, we have clothed ourselves with opinions and dogmas, and will not receive it at his hands. We are righteous and wise in our own eyes; and will not attend to his manifestations; and yet we beg on our bended knees, that he will give us our daily bread, when we have formed a system, and are endeavouring to live under its requirements, instead of receiving daily wisdom from that unalterable, that almighty and eternal source of life and light. "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. We never can forgive those who trespass against us, while in this spirit. We talk about forgiving, but we never can forgive; neither are we forgiven; and therefore I want us to examine our rule of prayer, for we must alter all these things before we can ascribe "the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen."

What is prayer? It is not a particular form of words; but it is every aspiration of the soul of man, devoted to God, with a desire to do his will. As every aspiration is a prayer, there is nothing easier than to pray to God, for he is in every devoted soul-"I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, that trembles at my word, which will receive the spirit of the humble and the contrite." Hence, however deep our contrition may be, however remote from the comforts of our own minds, if we draw near unto him in

a spirit of supplication, our prayer will be acceptable in his sight, and precious as the evening sacrifice. What an unspeakable blessing is it, that we can have this access to God the Father, through the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ.

With respect to singing. How can we sing, till we have experienced a deliverance from the influence of those dispositions which separate us from God? How can our singing avail us? I appeal to yourselves, whether there is a single psalm to be found in the whole collection, which a company like this could sing and not lie unto God? Can we for instance, begin and sing "rivers of tears ran down my cheeks, because they keep not thy law?" When we keep not the laws of God, and when many of us have never bewailed our own backslidings: or can we even say "as the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God"when our minds are more intent on the gratification of our animal propensities, than in serving God. In singing praises to his name I am renewedly convinced that Israel could not sing until they were delivered from bondage: when Pharaoh and the Egyptian host were pursuing them behind, and the Red Sea before them, this was not a time for rejoicing; for they were afflicted and distressed, and therefore commanded to be still, and see the salvation of God. when they had experienced a deliverance, and

But

had passed over the Red Sea, and their enemies had been destroyed-there was a time for rejoicing-they sung Psalms; they felt “the mountains to skip like rams, and the little hills like lambs. What ailed thee, O thou Sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs? Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters." The same power which was gracious to Israel, and which placed him in a land flowing with milk and honey, is still able to do for us spiritually, as he did for them outwardly. His arm is not shortened that he cannot save, nor his ears heavy that he cannot hear; but it is our iniquity, that has separated between us and our peace: and it must be by a removal of this obstruction, that we can enjoy the light of his countenance, and that when this mortality shall put on immortality, and this corruptible shall put on incorruption, we shall yet flourish unhurt, amid the war of elements, the wreck of matter, and the crush of worlds.