disposing God to give. He is ever ready to give abundantly unto us, "more ready to hear than we are to pray, and wont to give more than either we desire or deserve." But it is good as it is pursuing the plan which God has appointed for obtaining his blessings ;-it is good, as it is the way in which he bestows them. Renounce, then, your own righteousness; and thus humbly and believingly seek, and you shall find.

If you did but know the true character of your fancied righteousness, you would say with Isaiah, all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, as a rejected garment. You would enter into the feelings of the excellent Bishop Beveridge, who declares,'' I know not how it is with others, but for my own part I do not remember, neither do I believe, that I ever prayed in my life-time with that reverence, or heard with that attention, or did any other work, with that pure and single eye, as I ought to have done.' 'Or,' as he says in another place,' I do not only betray the inbred venom of my heart, by poisoning my common actions, but even my most religious performances also with sin. I cannot pray but I sin; I cannot hear or preach a sermon, but I sin; I cannot give an alms, or receive the sacrament, but I sin. Nay, I cannot so much as confess my sins, but my very confessions are still aggravations of them; my repentance needs to be repented of; my tears want washing; and the very washing of my tears needs still to be washed over again with the blood of my Redeemer. Thus not only the worst of my sins, but even the best of my duties speak me a child of

1 See Beveridge's Private Thoughts, a most useful and practical book for the young Christian.

Adam. Insomuch that whenever I reflect on my past actions, methinks I cannot but look on my whole life, from the time of my conception to this very moment, to be but as one continued act of sin.' With these feelings, you would be sensible at once, that Jesus Christ is the only and complete Saviour of sinners, and that it is only by his obedience many are made righteous. Instead of trusting in your prayers, you would mourn over their imperfections, and be led to trust simply, wholly, and entirely, in Christ and him crucified. An old writer, Scudder, observes, God uses, when he is overcome by prayer,' (alluding to Jacob, Gen. xxxii. 28,)' to work in them that do overcome, some sense of weakness, to let them know that they prevail with him in prayer, not by any strength of their own, not by any worthiness of their prayers, when they have prayed best, but from the goodness of God's free grace, from the worthiness of Christ's intercession, by whom they offer up their prayers, and from the truth of his promise made unto them that pray. If it were not thus, many when they have their hearts' desire in prayer, would ascribe all to the goodness of their prayers, and not to the free grace of God; and would be proud of their own strength, which is in truth none at all.'

I have thus endeavoured to show you the nature and privilege of prayer; may you be so convinced that it is your duty, as to be desirous of further instruction on this subject.

CHAPTER III.

THE GROUND ON WHICH SINNERS CAN COME TO THE HOLY GOD.

THE great God is unutterably holy. This is the character in which the seraphim above celebrate his praise; One cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. How then can sinful worms of earth come into his presence? How can we approach, with any confidence, this holy God? Our carnal mind is enmity against God. We fly from his presence. Prayer is a task and a burden to an alienated mind.

How can all this be so changed that I can delight in God's holiness, that I can with confidence approach him, that I can see his loving-kindness to me a sinner, and rejoice in him always?

God has provided for this great necessity of our fallen nature. In his infinite love and mercy he has made it easy, practicable, and delightful, for the most sinful immediately to return to him, and enter at once into the privilege of prayer.

It is justly asked, How can two walk together, except they be agreed? But God has, in his boundless grace and love, laid an ample foundation for the re

conciliation of our souls to the Holy God: and Ob, what treasures of loving kindness are developed in the wondrous plan! The incarnation, the life, the sorrows, the agonies, and the death of the Lord Jesus, irresistibly evidence, to the believing heart, God's intense love to us sinners, and yet his inextinguishable and most awful wrath against sin, and his perfect and spotless holiness. God loves me, I see here as clear as the noon-day; but with a holy love that makes me hate sin, and view it, as my loving Father views it, as of all evils the greatest and most abominable. Thus God hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ. The ministry of reconciliation is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.

Oh, what a depth of holy love was that, how great the mystery of godliness, when God was manifest in the flesh, and identified himself with us! God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh. Jesus put himself in the place of sinners and suffered for us the just for the unjust. What love there must be in God to us! What holiness there must be in God! What hatred of all sin, and yet what compassion for sinners. See Jesus weeping over the lost Jews in Jerusalem. It is the mind of God. How he sympathizes with us in our misery; and yet his purity and holiness demand the punishment of those who perseveringly reject his great salvation: and therefore he pours out the affecting desire, Oh that thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! How clear it is that he loves us sinners and would have us to be saved! Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world!

It is by viewing God as displayed in the whole work of the Lord Jesus Christ, that I a sinner can see all my sins forgiven through this stupendous sacrifice. Thus, thus only, the enmity of my heart against him is put away, and I can have full confidence in approaching the Holy God. Let me credit God's word really; let me not reckon God false but true; let me receive the testimony concerning his Son, (1 John v. 9—12,) and joy and peace, love and holiness enter my heart, and I can go to God with the same confidence with which the unsinning angels go to him. How very strong are the beautiful expressions of God's own word! Having, therefore, brethren, BOLDNESS to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say his flesh, and having an High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in FULL ASSURANCE OF FAITH, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water; or as in another place, let us come BOLDLY to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need; or again, Through him we have access by one Spirit unto the Father; or again, In Jesus we have BOLDNESS and access with confidence by the faith of him. Do, reader, notice the anxiety of the Holy Spirit to shew the freedom of the sinner's access with holy boldness and confidence, and cast away all doubts and suspicions of God's love and of his willingness to receive you, as the very suggestion of Satan the great enemy of your souls. Whoever you are, there is no reason why you should not by Jesus at once, go to God and delight in his presence and love to you, and obtained from him every promised blessing.