ding also; I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."

The spirit af prayer is abundantly recommended in the new testament; and I believe that every true christian posesses it more or less, both in public and private. And although we are to pray without ceasing and in all things to give thanks, yet but very little is taught us in regard to the form of prayer. However, we have one form of words at least, what is commonly called the Lord's prayer, and that when Christians pray they are directed to say it, but if a man has not the spirit of that prayer, how can he have the temerity to address his heavenly Father in the use of that form. For if his real designs of heart do not correspond, with the tenor of those designs expressed in that most excellent form, his supplication would be but mockery in the sight of God. It is true that although he drew nigh to God with his lips, yet his heart would be far from him. Christ tells his followers that when they pray they must enter into their closet and shut the door, and there pray in secret to him who hears in secret and that he will reward them openly. But supposing a man should out of a notion of mere duty, attend to that secret form, and yet should not breathe nor express one single sincere desire of his own heart; his devotion in that case could be no real prayer, nor any act of obedience to the command of our Lord. But if a man in his own secret bosom breathes out to God the most sincere and godly designs of a faithful heart of his own, he in that case obeys his Lord's command and has his reward. And this secret prayer may be performed according to the meaning of the command, while on the road, in the field, sitting, standing, or lying down, whether in company or alone, &c. provided no one hears but him who hears in secret.

But be assured dear reader, no form of words can amount to so much as a true prayer to God, unless we have the spiritual desires in the heart to produce the form and those desires must be connected with faith, we must pray believingly. The spirit of prayer is the desire of the heart and the support and strength

of desire is faith. But desire without faith, makes despair because in that case, man despairs of having his desires granted, then let us have good desires and strong faith.

CONCLUSION.

When we contemplate on the revealed character of the ever living and ever true God; and when in our most serious meditation on the divine excellence & glory of Jehovah's name, as made manifest in his works of heav enly grandeur above, and in bis works, no less of matchless skill below; I think we must be convinced that all narrow minded, little contracted and selfish notions concerning his final will and purpose in the intellectual creation, are at once derogatory to his blessed nature whom we are all bound to acknowledge to be the God and Father of all spirits, and to be the glorious Creator, preserver and upholder of all things: and on this ground to be the only proper object of all worship, praise and adoration. However, I am persuaded that among men, the plainly revealed character of God is too much neglected, in forming their systems of doctrine, and also in their metaphysical notions of divinë service in the use of forms and vain ceremonies.

I shall therefore, in the conclusion of this work show forth the character of God as revealed in the holy scriptures, and as also exhibited in the book of nature; leaving the subject of determining whether I have or have not measured my theological writings by that invariable, rule the revealed character of God. "God said let

there be light, and there was light." Yes there was light in the works which God performed in creating all things, even a true light of revelation, which serves as a lamp to our feet, in our early sitting out to form proper notions of the adorable character of God. There is true light in the holy scriptures, which are written by divine inspiration, and serve us as the faithful man of our coun sel to aid the mind in ascertaining a proper knowledge of the true and living God. There is divine light in the spirit of grace, that true light which lighteth every

man that cometh into the world, and teaches all, more or less the knowledge of God. There is light in all the providential dealings of the Lord which tend to show us a measure of his true character of divine goodness. There is light in the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ, when faithfully preached in the world; for in it, we by faith behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus. There is light in the starry concave of heaven above and in the ponderous rolling earth and seas beneath; which all combine to teach us the grand sublimity and majesty of that being who has set the sun in his place, ordained the course of the moon, martials every twinklmg and blazing star, and balances this dusty fruitful orb we inhabit in the mids of boundless space, orders her continual rolling to the east the way of splendid light; while on her verdant flowery bosom her millions of sons recline by night, while in their soft slumbers they are gently borne from the west to the east, there to meet the morning light and glory of nature's sun. In this whole stupendous order of nature, we are taught the boundless wisdom and matchless skill of the sublime architect of the wide spread universe. No wonder then that the royal Psalmist when contemplating the works of nature should break forth in rapturous strains, as is recorded Ps. 19—1, 2, 3, 5, 5, 6. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handy work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath be set a tabernacle for the sun; which is as a bridegroom coming out of the chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is nothing hid fron the heat thereof." The regulating law of nature is perfect and instructive, therefore he says in the next verse, "The law of the LORD is perfect converting the soul. The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." Thus we discover that both the book of divine

inspiration and the book of nature teach us the adorable character of God our heavenly Father. That being who could create all things both which are celestial and terrestrial, heavenly and earthly; and then order and regulate the stupendous whole, must be infinite in the whole of his sublime nature, i. e. in all his perfections which constitute his one undivided personality and substance. Such a being the holy scriptures reveal God to be in every property attributed to his nature as Creator, preserver, and Saviour, as I shall now proceed to show, by the use of the most positive testimony.

1. God is not a material substance, as was supposed by the heathen who worshipped the sun and other material substances, for the true God is one undivided substantial spirit i e. one spiritual substance, agreeable to the testimony of the only begotten son of the true and living God: St. John 4-24. "God is a spirit and they that worship hin, must worship him in spirit and in truth." A spirit, can never be made to mean three spirits, any more than spirit means matter; hence that God whom we are to worship in spirit and in truth, is but one God being one spirit, and of course, but one personality, for one undivided spirit can be but one person. In Isa. 43-15. The Lord says "I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your king.' Mark the words; the Creator does not say, I am your Holy three, but "Holy One." Therefore, the Creator is but one personality, as he can be but one God, a spirit to be worshipped. All other spirits are his offspring, he is the father of our spirits. See Heb. 12–9. Compared with 1 Cor. 8-6. and with Acts 17-28, to which might be added many other scriptures. Of course all spirits must remain forever under the fatherly care of that God who is one spirit, the father of all subordinate spirits.

2. God is not limited to one particular time or place, therefore we may attribute to him the faculty of Omnipresence: he is always present in every part of boundless space. Hence the sweet Psalmist of Israel, Psa. 139—7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, says, " Whither shall I go from