relations which you sustain; and thus you will be qualified to become a blessing to all around you, whilst you will be made wise unto salvation.

Let every one, then, regard that day as shamefully misspent, in which some portion of the Scriptures has not been read. Consider every excuse for neglecting to read them, where it can be done, as trifling and of no avail; affronting to God, whose goodness is thereby despised; and injurious to the interests of your souls, which are overlooked, perhaps, for the gratification arising from some worthless or sensual pursuit.

But, as in other religious duties, so in reading the Bible, it is important to pay attention to the spirit in which it is performed. For want of duly observing this caution, many hear and read the Oracles of God without any benefit whatever to their souls.

3. In order to make this sacred study more generally profitable, peruse the Bible with a teachable disposition. Lay aside every prejudice against it, which you have imbibed from infidel books or companions; for, until these are removed, they will prove a serious obstruction to your advancement in Divine knowledge.

If you meet with a difficulty in the Scriptures, which you cannot solve, instead of cavilling at it as an absurdity, because it is above your comprehension, rather wait for clearer light; supposing it to be much more probable that you are mistaken, than the All-wise God, whose word is unalterably true.

Come to this fountain of light, not with preconceived opinions, but with a disposition to learn from it what you must do to be saved. Say, with Elihu "That which I see not, teach thou me'." And thus

'Heb. iv. 2.

Job xxxiv. 32.

wisdom will be communicated from above, which will enable you to understand "the things that make for your peace."

4. Read the Scriptures with meditation on their contents. It is highly irreverent to turn over the 'pages of the Bible as you would those of an ordinary book; because" it has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter ff.

There is something in every chapter deserving of notice. When you come to a passage in which some important truth is inculcated, you should note it, and endeavour, by holy meditation, to extract therefrom the particular instruction which it is designed to convey".

5. Search the Scriptures, with prayer for the Divine blessing, to enable you to discover their spiritual meaning. We must expect, in a Revelation from God, that there would be some things hard to be understood. These difficult passages are intended for the exercise of our faith and patience, and, above all, to teach us the necessity of Divine illumination, "that the eyes of our understanding being enlightened by the Spirit of the Lord, we may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints"."

"He alone, who inspired the Scriptures, can help us to understand them: and if we read them in dependence on, and prayer for, his teaching, he will lead us into all truth, as far as our safety, peace, and duty may require it."

6. Read the Bible for the express purpose of learning from it the will of God, and reducing it to @ Heb. ii. 1-4. £ 2 Pet. iii. 16-18.

ff Locke.

h

1 Eph. i. 18-20.

practice. The Scriptures disclose a system of heavenly truth, which is intended "to make us wise unto salvation." This, it must be our aim, by diligent searching, to find out. Leaving the perverse disputations of fallible men, we ought to inquire, What does God enjoin us to believe and do?

You must be prepared to hearken, and to bow with reverence to the decisions of God's word, however contrary they may be to your former opinions, or to those of others who are reputed for their wisdom.

We ought to respect the authority of God, who speaks to us in his word; and not to doubt the truth of any thing he has revealed; but to study its meaning with patience.

"We should search the Scriptures, as the navigator consults his chart, and makes his observations, that he may discover where he is, and what course he must steer; or as any one looks into a glass, that he may both know what manner of man he is, and learn to adjust what is unbecoming ;-or as an heir reads his Father's will, that he may ascertain what the inheritance is, and the nature of the tenure by which he must possess it."

And the very moment you have fair ground to conclude that you have discovered the will of God, you must cheerfully obey his instructions. No loss of worldly esteem, or preferment, should bribe you to offer violence to your just convictions; nor should any sacrifice, however painful, be declined, to avoid the consequences that may ensue a profession of faith in Christ. To fortify us against the fear of reproach, and to make us courageous in defence of His cause, our Divine Master gives us this solemn admonition: "Whosoever shall confess me before

men, him will I confess before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I deny before my Father, which is in hea

Finally, if we thus seek to know our duty, and study to perform it,-if we thirst after the salvation of Christ, and strive to obtain it, then shall we imbibe true wisdom from the perusal of the Bible, and arrive at the knowledge of the truth, as it is in Jesus for "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

'Mat. x. 32, 33.

* 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.

Colossians iv. 2.

LECTURE LXXV.

ON PRAYER.

Continue in prayer; and watch in the same, with thanksgiving.

a "

"GOD is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him "." "Holiness becometh his house for ever.". It is, therefore, a duty incumbent on us to choose the best means of testifying our esteem for Him, before whom angels reverently cover their faces.

Prayer is an essential act of Divine worship; and, when rightly performed, it is pleasing to the Lord"; it is an immediate address to him, in which we lay open the secrets of our hearts, and invoke his gracious assistance, to guard us from the perils which Psalm lxxxix. 7.

ib. xciii. 5.

ib. 1. 23.

surround us, to confirm us in the possession of any good we enjoy, or to confer something upon us which is requisite to our comfort and salvation.

Prayer, then, may be defined, An address to Almighty God, in which we supplicate some blessing that he has to bestow, or deprecate those evils which he is able to avert from us. It always implies a sense of our personal guilt, misery, wants, and impotency; and a firm confidence, not only in God's power, but also in His willingness to afford us the help we stand in need of. Unless we approach the Throne of Grace with these convictions, our petitions can never reach up to heaven, nor bring down from thence the blessings which we implore; much less will they be accepted of God, who is displeased with "the sacrifice of fools."

Prayer is of two kinds; and is either oral-by words expressive of our desires; or internal and silent, where the heart is engaged in fervent breathings and aspirations after spiritual mercies.

Whether we draw nigh unto God vocally, by using words; or inwardly, "by groans and sighs, which cannot be uttered ";" we must take care to let our souls be absorbed in this act of devotion; otherwise it will be a mock service, which God abhors. Of all who deal insincerely and hypocritically in this matter, Jehovah asserts, "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."

When, therefore, we call upon the Lord in public or private, let the words of our mouth bespeak the feelings and sentiments of our hearts. And when we silently invoke his grace, oh may our aspirations proceed from the very bottom of our souls, that they may arrest the attention of God, and return