only, can we draw near to the awful hour of death, and the more awful day of judgment, with humble confidence in his blood, trusting to be received to his eternal joy.

Surely such trust, so placed, shall not be in vain.
Nevertheless, "Be not high-minded, but fear."

SERMON IX.

OUR LORD A PATTERN OF PRIVATE PRAYER.

MATT. vi. 6.

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

WHAT can be more simple and easy to be understood, than the picture which these words present to us? A devout worshipper, with his door closed, the world shut out, and he alone with his God, pouring out his heart earnestly in the confession of his sin and infirmity, in prayers for pardon and grace, in thanksgivings for mercies received, and in intercession for all whom he loves. Every one perceives at once, that this sort of communication with the Almighty, regularly kept up, is the best way to exercise himself in devotional feelings. Accordingly, even among heathens and misbelievers, as many as have not given up all notions of God altogether, have used and recommended prayer at set times, as the best way of securing help from above, and of keeping up something like religion in the minds of men.

But no false religion, nor any wisdom merely human, could ever add with authority and power such a promise as this of our Savior in the text. They might say, pray so many times a year, or a day; use such and such helps to seriousness and devotion: but they could not with authority follow up their good advice by saying, Thy Father which seeth in secret, the same shall reward thee openly. He who came from heaven, and is above allthe very God who hears prayer, and the Savior for whose sake it is heard-he assures us that it is acceptable to his Father and himself. It is not only edifying to us,

but it is the way to get a blessing from him. This, man never could have known, except God himself had revealed it to him. And to have the revelation confirmed so expressly by no less a person than his own incarnate Son, is the strongest mark of its great importance to us, and how much concerned our heavenly Father is, that we might know quite thoroughly the value he sets on our prayers.

This appears yet more, when we come to consider our Lord's own practice, the best interpreter of his precepts. One might have supposed that he, the very Word incarnate and wisdom of the Father, in whom dwelt the Spirit without measure, and to whom all things were committed of God-one might have supposed that he would not have needed the practice of prayer like other men. But it is plain that prayer was, humanly speaking, the very life and comfort of our blessed Savior's soul. He hastened as it were back to prayer, for a refuge from all the cares and sorrows which beset him in his painful and laborious life. Was he wearied out with teaching and with working miracles? His refreshment was, to withdraw himself and pray. Was he preparing for any great work? He continued the night before in Did prayer to God. any sorrow press heavily on him? He prayed more and more earnestly, till an angel came from heaven to strengthen him. In short, no one ever prayed so constantly as he of whom one might beforehand have imagined that he stood in no need of prayer.

Now observe what follows from this. We know that Jesus Christ our Savior is the only pure example the world ever saw of that temper and frame of mind which the children of Adam must learn to practise before they can be happy in heaven. The mind of Christ is the mind of heaven: and none ever prayed like Christ. Does not this show most clearly, that he who would be ever fit for heaven, must begin by learning to delight in his prayers? Ought it not with reason to alarm those to whom prayer is a burden and a weariness? It is not only that they lose the blessing they ask-that God will not hear them for that time: their loss is far greater

than that they are living, and are like to die, without any practice of that temper which must be practised if they would be happy in heaven. Every hour that you go on in that mind takes you farther from the resemblance of your Savior. Can you think of this, and not wish, and pray, and desire that God would give you a better mind?

But our Lord's example teaches us another thing besides the great necessity of prayer; and that is, the best way of praying, so that one's prayers may be sure to be heard. If we knew it no other way, we might be sure from our blessed Lord's pattern, that God is never so well pleased with us, as when we approach him with the deepest reverence of heart.

He, then, who was infinitely nearer the Father than any other of the children of men ever was or can be ; the man who was in his own person the very Son of God incarnate: he who alone had no sin to make him unworthy of approaching his Father's throne: he of all others set us the pattern of deepest reverence and humiliation of body and mind in our addresses to the Majesty of heaven. This, we may reasonably believe, was one reason of his withdrawing himself, as we read that he did repeatedly, to places where he might be least interrupted and where he might unreservedly pour out his divine soul. This made him fall down in so lowly postures, sometimes kneeling, sometimes lying prostrate. This breathed over all his prayers, of which there are several in the gospels, that unspeakable mixture of majesty and humility, which no words can describe, but of which surely one effect ought to be, to make every Christian man very fearful lest he be found drawing near the high and holy One with any other than the most serious words and thoughts.

Now one part of this reverence will be, that men will pray to God regularly; not at random, and as it may happen, now performing and now omitting their devotions, just as they chance to be minded for the time. Do you not plainly see, first of all, that such irregular unpunctual prayer is very likely indeed to dwindle into

no prayer at all; just as everything else which is done irregularly is sure to be often left undone. And in the next place, which is more respectful to the great king of heaven and earth? to wait till you are at leisure, or so disposed, before you draw near to offer him your acknowledgments; or to humble yourself before him at set hours, making time when you seem to have none, and forcing yourself to perform that solemn service in spite of all distractions whatever? Common sense will tell you at once which of these two is the more devotional way, quite as plainly as if one had asked, whether a parent or benefactor is more honored by our visiting him or otherwise remembering him now and then, or by our coming regularly so often, and putting other engagements by to wait upon him. We may therefore rest assured, that our Lord approved and himself practised the custom of private prayer morning and evening, which natural piety teaches us all; though neither in his discourses, nor in any other part of the Bible, that I remember, are people expressly enjoined to practise it. Our heavenly Father has left this, as he has so many other things, for a trial of our dutiful affection toward him. But wo to that unthankful child, who, because he finds no express command, encourages himself in the liberty of omitting either his morning or his evening addresses to the Author of his being.

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Perhaps you will say, nay, but it is better not to pray at all, than to pray formally;" that one prayer with the spirit is worth ten with the lips only; and, therefore, that it is best not to tie yourself to times and forms, but to pray in this or that place, as God shall move your heart, in season or out of season. But by thus talking, you show plainly that you know very little of religion; very little of the true fear of God. For if you were really practised in that, you would know that it is like other right dispositions, other good tempers of mind and heart it will not take root nor thrive in us without continual practice and effort, and earnest wishing and striving on our parts. Suppose an undutiful child were to say, "It is no use, my coming and waiting on my