darkness, how great is that darkness? Literal darkness is a fit emblem of evil. Both ideas seem sometimes to be blended in the same passage. For example "He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind." The grand design of our Savior was, to light or enlighten every man that cometh into the world; to enlighten the eyes of the understanding; to give light to them that sit in darkness, and to be a hight to the Gentiles that he may be their salvation to the ends of the earth.

Were it not for the darkness that reigns over the human mind, the want of mental sight, sound argument in vindication of the cause of truth, could not have been so long withstood. One, who imagines he sees the pure light of gospel truth, might suppose there was no difficulty in converting as many as would hear him preach. But experience shows us that such a supposition only argues a want of acquaintance with the human mind. A man may have the literature and qualifications of St. Paul, and preach with the tongue of an angel, if his arguments embrace nothing within the compass of his hearers' experience, and draws nothing conclusive from their own mode of thinking, it would prove no more effectual than sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. The fruit of instruction depends much on the previous situation of the mind, as the seed sown on good ground, produced not to the same amount in every place; but yielded, some thirty.. some sixty, and some an hundred fold. It is not to be forgotten that the wayside, stony places, and land infested with thorns, were altogether unfruitful.

To what but blindness can we attribute the many extravagant rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices, that the world has witnessed? The funeral piles, Juggernaut, and Moloch in the valley of Hinnom, have devoured their multitudes in literal fire and torture. To such and many others, applies the divine denunciation; Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness;

that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! To the same source may be traced much that bears the name of religion in our age. As the Jews made void the law by holding the tradition of the elders, so are the unnatural and contradictory interpretations of scripture now supported. While one is made a dupe to the traditions of his ancestors, another falls a prey to a blind philosophy that yields to nothing but its own speculations. The word of God, designed as a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path, through such veils, can afford but little light. In short, tho it is but little that we can see, we must be blind indeed, not to perceive that this is a world of darkness. Is there then a Jesus that says, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? Happy are we, if we can answer like the blind man, Lord, that I might receive my sight. But how often does it fall to their misfortune to be insensible of their situation, and say with the church of the Laodiceans, I am rich, and increased in goods, and have nezd of nothing; whereas he that sees things as they are, is prepared to tell them, Thou knowest not, that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

Two things are noticeable in the situation of the blind man. First, he was sensible that being blind deprived him of many invaluable privileges; and, secondly, confiding in the power of Jesus, he did not believe him inflexible to the cries of the needy. Had he anticipated, there was a decree of reprobation against him, by which he was doomed to a state of endless woe, would it not have damped the ardor of his prayer? Would he have been likely to surmount perseveringly the obstacles of approaching Jesus, at that time? If the doctrine of partícular election and reprobation be true, which embraces comparatively few on the side of election, is it not strange that among all who called on Jesus for help, while he was upon earth, not one proved to be a reprobate? It could form no plausible plea for the doctrine, to say Christ was not pleased to distinguish the elect from the reprobate, because it

would allow him to perform miracles of healing on those, who were the decreed subjects of endless misery. It would be saying to some, Thy faith hath made thee whole, when it only fattened them for the slaughiter.

The blind man's petition was a prayer that flowed from the immediate impression of his feelings. It admitted no ostentatious preamble for an introduction; nor was it lengthened by vain repetitions. It required no premeditative study to indite it; but flowed as the language of feeling and want. It was short, comprehensive, expressive, and energetic. Such prayers afford proper models of imitation. Disencumbered from superfluities and many excrescences of language, they express with energy, the ideas, which are suited to the wants of the supplicant. When a person is acquainted with his necessities, and is anxiously engaged for relief, he seldom fails to express himself to the purpose. Hence to pray with propriety, we must study our own and the necessities of others. We must learn to model our petitions from the language of nature. As all counterfeits are designed to represent that which is true, but generally exhibit some marks of deception; so the prayers of hypocrites are designed to imitate the feelings of piety, but they are rarely able to secrete their imposture. Those that pray for things in which they feel no interest, or which, if accomplished, would cross their feelings, cannot fail of falling much short of the energy and expressiveness of the blind man's petition. Anciently, hypocrites made long prayers to be seen of men. It appears to have been less their object to be heard than to be seen. Perhaps, in some instances, the custom has since assumed a new form, so that men have sought to be heard more than to be seen, and in secret prayer would have us believe, the impressions of the spirit are such that their sonorous exclamations, which fill the surrounding villages with noise, cannot, or ought not to be restrained. The old form of hypocritical prayer has become too stale to be always servilely imitated. Like most

other things of this world, it varies with the fashions of the times.

Forms of prayer, committed to memory and often repeated, are apt to lose much of their intended-energy. They are not, however, in all cases to be condemned. Were this the case, specimens for imitation would not have been left on record, nor would our Lord have given the admirable form of prayer which he granted at the request of his disciples. Such is the nature of the human mind, that in time it becomes weary with the repetition of a single thing, however good in itself considered. What is true of other things in this respect, is equally true of prayer. Variety is needed in spiritual, as well as in temporal food.

Our Maker has so constituted the nature of his worship, that in those things which he made our duty to perform, we are to derive the benefit and pleasure that we need. For he is not worshipped as tho he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life and breath, and all things needful to enjoy. He requires no servile labor. The performance then of ceremonial prayer, we have no reason to believe, is acceptable to him, who requires the honest effusions of the heart.

It is observable that the scriptures have no where any commands for set times for prayer. To pray without ceasing, seems to be a general injunction. Altho we read of the ninth hour, being the hour of prayer, it appears to have been established more by custom, than by any particular command. And tho, for convenience, it may be proper to adopt particular times for prayer as well as preaching; another ought not to be condemned for adopting a different time; nor should he that prays many times a day, judge him that prays less. It has become a custom with many to censure those families, where prayers are not heard every morning and evening. But such censures have but little foundation, so long as verbal prayers are very uncertain tokens of real christianity. They are known to be the boasts of hypocrites and the glory of pha

risees. Prayer, however, is not on this account to be exploded. It destroys not the true, because there is counterfeit. But it is to be reckoned among outward performances; and, when without mercy and truth, with other irregularities, that superstition has attached to the service of religion. The blind man, sensible of his need, prayed when he heard that the Savior was near. Our heavenly Father is sensibly near to all that put their trust in him. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. The blind man prayed earnestly and was heard; not for much speaking, but for an effectual, fervent prayer. The favor he requested was of the first importance to him, and what the Lord was very willing to bestow.

We may further notice that prayer and works naturally accompany each other. When a man prays in earnest, he will not only use words, but such means as properly come within the compass of his ability. For a rich man to pray that the Lord will feed the hungry and clothe the naked, and himself withhold a portion of what the Lord has given him, it would be a sure token of impropriety and hypocrisy. For a poor man to pray for an earthly blessing and not labor to obtain it, would be equally inconsistent. The man that prays for the salvation of all men, ought not to oppose the faith that embraces the salvation of all men. A man ought by no means to pray for what he believes to be in opposition to the decree of heaven; but to account all such desires of opposition, as unholy, and what he ought to oppose. But if persuaded that his desires are good, and yet in opposition to his faith, it ought, at least, to lead him to a careful re-examination. When he believes God will have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth, he ought not to consider it unholy for him to possess the same desire; neither ought he to be fearful, that he is criminal, when he seeks for the truth of that doctrine, which he desires, and which he believes to be embraced in the will of his Maker.

Let the man, therefore, that feels his own need of