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to have never been perused by some into whose hands this volume may fall; and it is hoped, that even they who have read and admired them, may profit by a repetition of the caution, not to suffer fami

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liarity with the words of devotion to produce indifference to its spirit.

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The Author's more intimate friends may, perhaps, receive this labour of his pen with kind partiality, and with more approbation than it deserves: slighter acquaintances may be led by curiosity to examine its pretensions and others unknown to the writer may be attracted by the mere love of novelty to inspect a recent publication. Reader, to whichever class you belong, your candour is solicited; and in return, a fervent supplication is offered, that He who can employ the feeblest instruments for the noblest purposes will render these pages conducive to your immortal benefit. If with a a sense of obligation which natural aversion could not totally overcome, you have

been accustomed to adopt the Saviour's formulary of Prayer, on account of its convenient brevity, may you now perceive its capacious fulness or if habitual usage has caused you to hear it and respect it, regardless of its import, may you henceforward utter it with all the sincerity which is due to its Divine object, and its Divine Author.

Some of the most pleasing reflections that have ever engaged the Writer's thoughts, and which he has indulged with the most grateful satisfaction, have arisen from the hope, that his ministerial labours have been sometimes attended and followed by the blessing of the Almighty.- - He has no ambition to extend the narrow sphere of his notoriety; but he is not ashamed to avow, that he is anxious and emulous to enlarge the yet more narrow sphere of his usefulness. Should one who has never prayed before be persuaded by these addresses to begin now; or should the cold indifference of the formalist be, in a single instance,

abandoned for the glowing ardour of the devout man; or should the imperfect perceptions of any misinformed Christian be rendered clearer, so as to give new energy to his wonted aspirations, abundant will be the reward, and to God shall be the glory.

Frome, June, 1825.

DISCOURSE I.

MATTHEW, Vi. 9.

Our Father, who art in heaven.

PRAYER is one of the most reasonable and important duties which we owe to our Creator. It is reasonable, because our existence, and all our happiness, depend on his will; and it is important, because the sincere and enlightened use of it evinces piety, and is indispensable to the enjoyment of the Divine favour. In the Holy Scriptures we are furnished with many impressive examples of this sacred exercise, illustrative of those passages in which true religion is described as, "walking with God," and having “our fellowship" with him. The Book of Psalms, in a great variety of instances,

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places this duty in a most affecting and interesting light, and induces us to infer, from the holy emotions which glow in almost every line of its sacred pages, that prayer is not a cold and vapid ceremony, but the sincere and fervent expression of our desires before God.

The portion of scripture which stands at the head of this discourse, is the first sentence of a form of prayer which our Lord prescribed to his disciples; and which, for its just arrangement, its brevity, its comprehensiveness, and its adaptation to the wants of mankind, is unequalled. With respect to forms of prayer, it is well known, that, previously to the incarnation, they were generally adopted by the Jewish nation; but whether any one form universally obtained, is a very questionable point. The Rabbins, indeed, allege, that Ezra, during the captivity, composed eighteen prayers, and compelled the Israelites to learn and repeat them every day; but, while it is admitted, that the prayers which are still in use among the Jews, are of considerable antiquity, very little reliance is to be placed on any testimony that would assign them an earlier date than that of the destruction of Jerusalem. The fact appears to be this; that, as several forms of prayer were extant prior to that time, every religious teacher made such selections from them as suited his

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