reasons:-1. If we do not confess our sins, by which God is greatly dishonoured, and express our guilt, we cannot be said to justify him when he proceeds against us in a way of punishment. 2. If there is no confession of sin, there can be no mercy; for the promise is, "Whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins, shall find mercy, but he that covereth his sin shall not prosper."-Prov. xxviii. 13. 3. The more humbled we are under a sense of sin, the more ready are we to receive divine favours with heartfelt gratitude, and especially the unspeakable mercy of the pardon of sin.-Psal. xxxii. 5, 6.

When we confess our sins, we must consider the manner in which confession ought to be made; for every confession of sin is not acceptable to God. 1. To confess sin and to love it, is not genuine confession before God. The very idea of confession implies shame, and sorrow, and hatred; and it is only when these things accompany our confession, that we can have any hope of forgiveness.-Luke xviii. 13; Job xxxiv. 32. 2. To confess sin and hide it, is not genuine confession. This is done, when some sins are acknowledged, but not all sins; when some sins are confessed, but not in all their aggravations; when some sins are confessed, but other sins palliated; or when some sins are confessed, but other sins justified.-Prov. xxviii. 13. 3. To confess sin through constraint and not willingly, is not genuine confession. Many things may occur to extort confession of sin on various occasions, but if confession is not most free and voluntary, it cannot be viewed as proceeding from a contrite heart and humbled soul.

Obs. 347.-Prayer must be offered up with thankful acknowledg ment of God's mercies.

That thanksgiving is necessary, is evident from Phil. iv. 6; Psal. ciii., and cxvi. 17, and innumerable other passages of Scripture. Mercy respects the miserable; and as man has rendered himself miserable, he is the object of mercy; and the blessings which are necessary in order to his happiness, are called mercies. Hence, whatever gifts man receives, may remind him of his misery. The mercies which we receive are called God's mercies, because they come from God, who is "the Father of mercies," and who contrived the scheme of mercy. And they come to us as free gifts.-1 Tim. vi. 17.

The mercies for which we ought to be thankful, are either of a spiritual or of a temporal nature,-mercies which respect

the life that now is, or the life which is to come. Spiritual mercies include every thing connected with the great salvation, from the gift of Jesus Christ himself to the least mercy of a spiritual nature (but no mercy is small) which comes to us in the channel of the covenant.-Eph. i. 3. Temporal mercies are those which we have received from the womb until now, both for ourselves and for others with whom we are connected, whether by nature, or grace, or gratitude. For all these we ought to be thankful. And although we are to be peculiarly thankful for mercies conferred upon ourselves, yet we ought to join with others in praising God for the mercies bestowed upon them; as they in like manner ought to do with us.-Psal. cxxxix. 14.

Thanksgiving to God for his mercies is absolutely necessary, for the following reasons:-1. That mercies may be blessed to us in the use of them; for we cannot expect a blessing to accompany them, while we have not a heart to acknowledge them. 2. Because it is a debt which we owe to God.-Hos. xiv. 2. 3. Because, if there is no acknowledgment of mercies received, it is the highway to prevent us from receiving more.-Isa. i. 15.

When we would engage in the exercise of thankfully acknowledging the innumerable and invaluable mercies which we receive from the Lord, it ought to be accompanied with the following things:-1. With wonder, that so much undeserved kindness should be conferred upon.such ill-deserving creatures as we are, who are less than the least of all God's mercies. 2. With deep humility of soul, that such mercies should be drawn from the treasures of heaven, and bestowed on us, who are utterly unworthy of the least favour from the Lord. And, 3. With fervent desire to lay them out to the best advantage, by which God may be glorified, and our brethren of mankind profited.

Obs. 348.-Prayer has been commonly distinguished into secret, private, and public prayer.

1. Secret prayer is the retirement of individuals for a time from all concern with others, that they may have an opportunity more freely of pouring out their hearts before God.Matt. vi. 6, xiv. 23, and xxvi. 37-39. Under this kind is comprehended ejaculatory prayer, which is a secret and sudden lifting up of the desires to God, when our circumstances may be peculiar, of which we ourselves are the best judges. Bb

And we may be said to engage in this kind of prayer by a simple thought sent np to God, while there are no words expressed; or by words uttered in the mind, although the voice is not heard.-Neh. ii. 4; 1 Sam. i. 13.

2. Private prayer is prayer among some Christians, met for the purposes of mutual edification and of engaging in this exercise. Under this is included family prayer, which ought to be observed by every family,-Jer. x. 25; where we find recorded the dreadful doom of all those who neglect this duty. Under this also is included social prayer, by which we are to understand, prayer among a few belonging to several families, who meet together from time to time, as a society, for spiritual edification, prayer, and spiritual conversation about the great things of God. This seems to be sanctioned by Mal. iii. 16, 17.

3. Public prayer is a part of the public worship of God, in which we join when we meet together, according to Divine appointment, in public assemblies; and when one, who is authorised to preach the Gospel, is the mouth of all in offering up their desires to God for things agreeable to his will. And when we thus join in public prayer, it is the same as if we were individually offering up our desires to God; or, as if the desires which proceed from the mouth of the speaker were offered up by ourselves.

Obs. 349.—It is possible to know that our prayers are heard and accepted.

If it were impossible to come to the knowledge of our prayers being heard by "the Hearer of prayer," this exercise would in a great measure be useless, and we could receive little comfort from it. Two things may satisfy us on this subject, viz., if we have been enabled to be importunate with God in prayer respecting any thing; and if, at the same time, we have attained to submission to the Divine will with regard to this very thing; then we may conclude that our prayer has been graciously heard.-2 Chron. xx. 12-19.

INFERENCES.

From this subject we learn,-1. That prayer is a suitable exercise for all; that it is a necessary duty; and that it is a great privilege. 2. From whom and through whom our mercies flow. 3. The necessity of faith in prayer. 4. That all prayer is not accepted; many prayers never reach the

throne. 5. That we must be particular in the confession of sin. 6. That if prayer is not answered, it is our own fault. 7. That they who neglect this duty, oppose a known command. 8. That the danger of those who neglect family prayer is very great,-Jer. x. 25; where such are classed among heathens; and, consequently, they cannot be Christians but in profession. Indeed they are worse than heathens, for even they were convinced of the necessity of this duty by the light of nature; seeing we read that every family had their household gods, to which they prayed, together with their children. But as family prayer is a very important part of family religion, and as it seems to be much neglected in the present day by those who call themselves Christians, we shall extend this inference a little. We say, then, that they who neglect this duty, do not believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God. They may, indeed, acknowledge them to be so; but they do not firmly believe that they are the Word of God. For instance, they do not believe the passage formerly alluded to, viz., that God will " pour out his fury upon those families that call not upon his name;" otherwise why do they neglect this duty? But to reject part of the Scriptures, or those parts of them which are not agreeable to their natural inclinations, is the same as to reject the whole. The true Christian believes the whole Scripture to be the Word of God, notwithstanding that there are many parts of it which oppose his natural inclinations; and he endeavours, through the strength of Divine grace, to perform every commanded duty; and this he knows to be one, viz., family worship. But again, They who neglect this duty, live in a continual breach of the Fifth and Sixth Commandments of the moral law,-of the Fifth Commandment, which requires parents to instruct their children in the doctrines and duties of religion, and to pray with and for them; and of the Sixth Commandment, which not only forbids us to take away the natural life of ourselves or others; but also, according to its spiritual import, commands us to do what we can to promote the life of our own souls and of the souls of others. Surely, then, he must be a hard-hearted parent, who does not do what he can to save the souls of his children; or, in other words, who does what he can to damn them; for we may readily believe, that he who neglects family religion, will not be very anxious to keep his family from conforming themselves to the world,—that is, from following its maxims, cus

toms, and amusements; the love of which and the love of God are utterly inconsistent. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."-1 John ii. 15. He, then, who neglects the duty of family worship, has sure and infallible evidence that he has no real concern about the salvation either of his own soul or of the souls of his family. But farther; they who call themselves Christians, while they neglect this duty, are guilty of very great hypocrisy. They pretend to worship God in public, when the eyes of their fellow-creatures are upon them; but when in private and secret, or in the presence of the heart-searching God alone, they neglect religion altogether-they bow not a knee to him who made them. Such have a name to live; but they are dead-spiritually dead; and if they do not consider their ways, and turn to the Lord and to their duty, they will in a short time be eternally dead. Let those, then, who neglect family religion, begin the performance of this duty, humbly depending on the grace of God; and ever remembering that none can be true Christians who neglect it. Although there is no express command for it in Scripture, yet we find that it was practised by the saints; which is equal to a command; and surely they who would be Christians, must imitate Christ, who did not neglect this duty, but prayed with his disciples who were his family; and, moreover, it is, as formerly mentioned, a duty of mere natural religion; or a duty, the obligation of which is evident from the light of nature alone.

Of the Rule of Direction in Prayer.

The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ taught his disciples, commonly called "The Lord's Prayer."

ANALYSIS AND PROOFS.

We are here taught,—

1. That we need a rule to direct us in prayer. Rom. viii. 26.-"We know not what we should pray for as we ought." 2. That the whole Word of God is of use to direct us in