proper place? Am I about my proper work? Am I confessing Christ? Am I zealous for the honour of Christ? Am I speaking of men and things according to the oracles of Christ? O Almighty Father, forgive my past sins, for

give the sins of this my country, pour out upon it, pour out upon me, thy Holy Spirit; prepare us Lord, prepare us by thy grace for the Redeemer's appearing. Amen.

ELIAS.

DR. HINDE, the family physician of the celebrated General Wolfe, recently died at Newport, Kentucky, at the advanced age of ninety-two years. The following account of his conversion from Deism to Christianity, is from a sketch of his life and character given in the Western Medical Journal, an American publication. The Doctor was a native of England, but went to America with General Wolfe, in the time of the old French war, after the terminasion of which he resided for a time in Pennsylvania, and finally settled in Kentucky.

Dr. Hinde had been educated in the principles and practice of the Episcopal Church; but he became a Deist, and took pride and pleasure in ridiculing Christianity. His views and feelings, however, at length underwent a radical change; the immediate cause of which was so uncommon, that we shall not hesitate to relate it. His wife and daughter had been converted to Christianity, and attached themselves to the Methodist Episcopal Church. For this act, his daughter was banished from his house, and his wife was placed under medical treatment, for what he considered, or affected to consider, insanity. His remedy was a blistering plaster to the whole length of the back, which he left on for several days. By this measure of violence he hoped to deter her from further attendance on places of public worship. But, as he used to say, God placed a huge blister' upon

his own heart. The Christian fortitude and meekness with which his wife bore the protracted anguish which his cruelty inflicted on her, excited his sympathy, and filled his soul with remorse. A feeling of respect was awakened towards that religion, whose votaries could endure such persecution without a murmur; and he was led forthwith to investigate its origin and principles. The inquiry resulted in a perfect conviction of its divinity; and he attached himself to the same church, from which he had sought by violence to estrange his wife and daughter, and for nearly half a century continued one of its most devout and exemplary members. Down to his dying day, religion was his favourite theme. No waking hour ever passed, whoever might be present, in which he did not utter some expressions of admiration for the Christian faith, and thank heaven that he felt its influence. Throughout the whole of this long period he never attended the call of a patient without first retiring to pray in secret, for the success of what he might prescribe; and when he reached the house, whether of rich or poor, Christian or Infidel, his invariable practice was, to assemble such members of the family as could be conveniently brought together, and engage with them in prayer for the recovery of the sick, before he would exhibit a single remedy. In the efficacy of prayer the Doctor was a firm believer.

THEOGNIS.

when made in faith, redoubles one's strength, and removes all fear of danger.' If God be for us, who can be against us ?" observed an old carpenter, to this same minister, when he advised him not to expose himself too incautiously. A blessing terminates this pious ceremony, the pastor retires, the workmen return to their labours, and the noise of hammers begins to be heard again.-(Archives du Christianisme. Aug. 1825.) How pleasing it is to see a practical acknowledgment of the truth, "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” Psalm cxxvii. 1.

Arnaud, the French novelist was invited to Berlin by Frederick II. At a supper, where all the party made loud professions of atheism, he remained silent. The king observing it, asked him what he thought on that subject? Sire,' answered Arnaud, ' I like to believe in the existence of a Being superior to kings.'

Theophylact observes on Matt. vi. 33 that when we walk with our face towards the sun, our shadow follows us; and when we turn our back on the sun, the shadow seems to fly from us. So the things of this life are added to him who seeks spiritual things

[but disappoint him who rejects them']. Madame Guion has a similar thought in one of her songs, as translated by Cowper :

Peace hath unveiled her smiling face,
And woos thy soul to her embrace;
Enjoyed with ease, if thou refrain
From earthly love, else sought in vain,
She dwells with all who truth prefer,
But seeks not those who seek not her.

We shall all die after a short time, and then will be seen what we have been about, whether Jesus or the world has had our heart.Life of David Brown. Letters.

What is undertaken with a sincere regard to the glory of God, will succeed to our own honour and comfort at last.'-Henry.

'God often chastises faults in his own people, which he suffers to pass without correction in the men of the world. Christians are partakers of more exalted principles, have higher privileges, a glorious destination, have greater obligations, and are therefore under a different discipline from unregenerate men.'-Griffin's Life of Captain James Wilson.

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In difficult times our care con

cerning the events of the day, should be swallowed up in a care concerning the duty of the day.'— Henry.

It is the vainest of all vanities, and pride in perfection, to pretend to separate from the world outwardly, before we are separated from it inwardly.'-Adam's Private Thoughts.

once borrowed a horse of a nonconformist minister, to go and call on a Catholic priest. This anec. dote is the best comment on the Apostle's words, when he exhorts his flock to 66 put on charity above all things, which is the bond of perfectness," 1 Col. iii. 14; or as in Eph. iv. 3. "Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Pray for grace to go well through to-day, and do not harass yourself with matters to come.'

• Blessed be God, whatever pleases him, pleases me.-Father Paul Sarpi.

Most of the translations of Psalm cx. 3. have some obscurity about them. The Septuagint reads very sweetly and most consistently with the subject of our Lord's

anointing," Unto thee shall be the kingdom in the day of thy power, in the brightness of thine holy ones. Before the morning star have I begotten thee from the womb."

'Ricci, the late Bishop of Pistoia and Prato, in Tuscany, endeavoured to bring about some important reforms in the religion of that country. Being attacked by a mob, several of them were seized and imprisoned; and he not only interceded with the Grand Duke Leopold, but as they were chiefly labourers, on whose employment the support of their families depended, he relieved their wives and children out of his own funds, till they were pardoned and set at liberty.'-Life (written by an Infidel!).

HAVING lately addressed to you a letter on the great danger of living as strangers and foreigners from the covenant of God, I now solicit your attention to another subject of considerable importance, namely, the benefits which are derived from prayer and social worship. Many among you are by no means regular attendants in the house of prayer, and are doubtful whether it is more proper to worship together with those who use a prescribed form, or with those who decline the assistance of a liturgy, and who sometimes affirm, that it is impossible to pray spiritually and fervently while using such aid.

some

On these points, therefore, on which your minds are liable to be embarrassed and led astray, I now offer the following considerations.

Prayer, in order to be acceptable to God, must come from the heart, and all our supplications must be presented to the throne of grace, in the name, and through the me

M.

diation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. When our prayers are sincere and fervent, and when they spring from a feeling sense of our great sinfulness and helpless condition, and are offered up in the name of Christ, we have every encouragement to hope, that they will be mercifully heard and answered. But can we, for a moment, suppose that our heavenly Father delights in new, and fine, and elegant expressions? that he requires incessant variety in our petitions, and that we must never address him twice in the same language? If then all novelty of language, and an ever-varying chime of expressions are not necessary to true prayer, it follows, that we may pray fervently unto him, as our Lord himself did "in his agony, using the same words."

If then we may pray acceptably and profitably, though we frequently make use of the same words, while we avoid the ostenta

tion of the Pharisees, who indulged themselves in many vain repetitions, and only aimed at human applause; it follows, that it must be quite immaterial, whether the words which we use, are derived from a printed or written form, from memory, or from some form and mode laid up in the mind. We ought indeed humbly to look for the aid of the Holy Spirit to help our infirmities, and enable us to pray in an acceptable manner; but this divine assistance is no where restricted to those who pray without a form. If it had been impossible to pray in a prescribed form of words, we cannot imagine that our Lord would have instructed his disciples thus to pray, nor would he have given them a model or form, whether that model or form was intended to be permanent in his church, or was only to be temporary.

You must further acknowledge, that they who object to a regular and prescribed form, are continually in the habit of using an irregular and unprescribed form. Have you not found these persons often using the same expressions, and offering up their petitions in the same words and phrases? Do I censure them for this? No-it is unavoidable, and is not improper; it arises from the infirmity of man in his present state, where the same wants are continually recurring, the same difficulties are continually presenting themselves, and the same enemies are continually opposing us. There is, however, this difference, the same petitions are not always offered up in the same order; there is a little variety, and a change is kept up, to relieve the ear of those who are fond of change. This ringing of changes pleases those who are of fickle minds, and have not much devotion, but are continually looking out for something new. This art of praying, as well as that of preaching, may be acquired and exercised by those who are destitute of true religion. For

proof of this I might appeal to historical facts both ancient and modern.

You must also consider, that the prayers of those who lead the devotions of a congregation, whether they use a regular form, or depend on their own powers and memory, are a form to those who join with them in prayer. The only question then is, Which is the best mode ? For we must acknowledge, that whatever mode we adopt, we shall still be sensible of human imperfection, and that the best and wisest men are only feeble mortals.

Now with regard to unprescribed forms, I think you will often find great coldness and languor in them, much irreverence and self-conceit, much affectation and listless barrenness. And you may observe, that they who pretend to avoid formality, are frequently very formal, and that those who listen to these prayers, stand or sit, like lifeless statues, and are afraid to say, Amen, at the conclusion, lest they should seem to resemble those who use a prescribed form. Did Jesus Christ kneel down, when he offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears; did his Apostles kneel down in prayer, even on the sea-shore? Yes; but some now refuse to kneel, because that would be too formal; or an infringement of their Christian liberty, or too painful. God does indeed look to the heart, and if that be not humbled, the humble position of the body is of no avail; but when our souls are truly humbled before him, we shall naturally and instinctively be led to express our reverence and godly fear" by a lowly posture of the body.*

* How many have we seen affect irreverence, as a part or sign of spiritualness; and choose the most unseemly postures they could, only that it might appear they did not flatter nor compliment with God! It is a weakness, hugely incident to human nature, and that I think with which the world was never more tainted than in these our days, to cure extremes

The body is also a frequent occasion of sin; let the body then be mortified and laid low before the majesty of heaven. This may often tend to check the pride and arrogancy of our hearts, and we shall perhaps rise from our bended knees with recruited strength. This we may lay down as a general rule, that if our hearts are truly humbled before God, we shall also be willing to prostrate ourselves before him with lowly reverence.

As all Christian congregations, then, must of necessity use some form, if one person, or more, offer up vocal prayers, whether the form be one that is well known, or something uncertain and partly new, the only inquiry is, which method is the best adapted for general edification? As these prayers are offered up by weak and sinful beings, we must allow that imperfection will be found to adhere to them, whatever mode be adopted. And I think we may take it for granted, that a person may pray sincerely and fervently in either way; and that many who used one or both these methods, while on earth, are now united in the world of glory, and are worshipping God, in the beauty of holiness, without imperfection, in perfect love and harmony.

If we will candidly examine the matter, we shall be constrained to confess, that there are advantages and disadvantages attending each of these methods. Those who pray without a regular form in public, are liable to be hurried and confused, and to lose the spirit and energy of prayer in their anxiety to acquit themselves well, and in

by extremes; because hypocrites worship

God only with the outward man, and content themselves only with the pomp and ostentation of an external devotion, therefore do so many think it a demonstration of sincerity to discharge the body utterly from bearing any part in their worship: they despise reverence as a piece of formality, and make communion with God to consist in a familiar rudeness.'-Bishop Hopkins,

the labour to conduct themselves with order and propriety, and in studying to bring forward something that is new. And notwithstanding their greatest labour and care, they will sometimes give utterance to things that are low, trivial, and irreverent. Hence there is frequently a dryness and stiffness in their prayers. And with regard to those who join in them, they must generally wait till the end of each sentence, before they can tell, whether they can sincerely consent to them, and offer them up as their own. This is apt to beget languor and cold formality. A spirit of restless curiosity is also kept up, instead of the spirit of earnest supplication. Hence many return from prayers deriving little benefit, still carnal, still worldlyminded, still under the dominion of evil lusts and passions.

You will say, perhaps, that many who attend in places of worship, where regular forms of prayer are used, still continue the same characters, unconcerned and unmoved, as to matters of religion. This I freely acknowledge, but all I am now endeavouring to prove is, that the divine blessing does not seem to rest in any peculiar manner on those who set aside all prescribed forms in offering up their prayers.

The disadvantages attending regular forms of prayer are these ; persons may repeat them without duly considering what they utter, and may join in the use of them, from mere habit and custom, and may think themselves very devout and pious, because they have offered up some excellent prayers. Forms of prayer also, however scriptural and good they may be in themselves, are liable to become wearisome, and to lose their effect, by frequent repetition. To obviate these inconveniences, we must "watch unto prayer," and "watch in prayer," that our attention may never flag, and that our desires may really accompany the words of our