ADDRESS.

To you the possessor of this little Book, and to you who may chance to lay hands on it, I would say somewhat on the privilege of prayer; with the sincere and humble hope that when you have attentively read what I am going to say, you may know how to value, and how to use the precious privilege.

There are two kinds of prayer: Public with your family, or in church; and Private, alone in your room, or in the busy walk of daily life, when the heart is silently lifted up in prayer, and you are alone with

your God, unknown to the throng who may surround

you.

Of Public Prayer, I would first speak. All you who believe that there is a God, a just God, an all-seeing God, a prayerhearing God, though, an easily offended God, who, though "he sendeth his rain on the evil as on the good,"* and permits "the tares to grow with the wheat until the harvest," yet has His day of reckoning. All who believe there is such a God, (and you can all read your Bibles to be sure of the fact,) must see the great necessity for entreating that God to forgive your sins, not for your sake, but for that of his Son Jesus Christ, who died for man, "the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." You must see the infinite import

* Matt. v. 45. † Matt. xiii. 30. 1 Peter iii. 18.

ance of being reconciled to that God, through the mediation of his Son our Saviour, that at the last great day, you may hear the invitation promised to those who love him, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world."* And this kingdom, or “mansion," as it is spoken of by St. John, will be your habitation for eternity, -think of that word, who can understand it? it is like a circle, without beginning and without end. Happiness for ever will be your lot, should these words be addressed to you; but if they should not, could you bear to think of an eternity in hell, misery and torments without end? Consider this before you neglect or reject your privileges. Think of what importance it is, that you

*Matt. xxv. 34. ↑ John xix. 1.

should begin the day at peace with God; strengthened by the outpouring of his Holy Spirit, to overcome the trials and temptations it may bring, therefore collect your family before you separate to your various occupations for the day; remembering that there is an express promise to those who join together in worshipping the Father; Jesus has said "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them,"* and again, in the preceding verse, we find this precious promise, "If two of you shall agree touching anything ye shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."

Those who are in the habit of attending Church, must have felt the benefits to be derived from the hallowing effects of

* Matt. xviii. 20.

that holy ordinance, for even should the sermon not be such as they can understand, yet the hearing of the Psalms and of the beautiful Prayers of the Church, will leave a solemn and subdued feeling on their minds well suited to the holiness of the day. If you go to Church with the earnest desire to worship your Creator in spirit and in truth, you cannot but feel that you are really in the house of God, in the presence of your heavenly Father; that he is near, very near, to hear your petitions, to grant you strength to keep your promises, and to enable you to lead a new life.

To you who are not in the habit of attending Church, I would say, what prevents your going? Are not the Church doors flung open Sunday after Sunday, do not the bells ring out merrily the cheerful