ated. In order to work any considerable effect on the life, the affections and inclinations must be brought over: it must not only be shewn us what is right and true, but we must come to feel what is desirable and good. If we make religion so very calm and rational, as to exclude from it all warmth of sentiment, all affectionate, devotional feelings, it will be left in possession of small influence on conduct. "My son, give me thine heart," is the voice of God: and the voice of reason is, that according as the heart is affected and disposed, such will be the general character and conduct.

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A Prayer. O Lord, we beseech thee pour forth upon us the spirit of prayer and supplication that we may witness ability to express before thee in suitable language those wants which Thou art already acquainted with, yet seest meet that we should mention them before Thee in the humility of our minds, under the influence of Thy Spirit. Raise us up from the low state into which we are reduced through our many failings and unfaithfulness, and the want of thy life-giving presence in our assemblies! Take pity on us, O Lord, as on sheep who have strayed from thy fold, and bring us near to thee, that we may be secure from the harms which surround us.

Poetry is never better employed than when it celebrates the Divine Perfections! In Scripture we have several instances of women as well as men expressing their conceptions of the Divine goodness in the language of poetry.

The God of love my Shepherd is,
And he that doth me feed,
While he is mine, and I am his,
What can I want or need?

Surely thy sweet and wondrous love,

Shall measure all my days,

And as it never shall remove,
So neither shall my praise.

Still has my life new wonders seen,
Repeated ev'ry year,
Behold my days that yet remain,
I trust them to thy care.

Cast me not off when strength declines,
When hoary hairs arise,

Let thy good presence round me shine
Whene'er thy servant dies.

Precatio. Ad te confugio, Domine! Ego servus tuus et filius ancillæ tuæ, concupisco toto desiderio Animæ meæ præmium illud Coleste et lucidissimam Coronam, quam præparasti, et promisisti diligentibus te! Cognosco

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magnitudinem agonis et studii longitudinem: experior imbecillitatem meam, et confiteor coram Te, qui scrutaris renes et corda, modicam ac penè nullam virtutem meam. Nec ignoro vires magnas et rabiem crudelem invisibilium hostium meorum. Illumina oculos meos, ne unquam obdormiam in Morte: adauge vires, ne deficiam in viâ: pugnet pro me Gratia tua, ne quando dicat inimicus meus, Prevalui adversus eum.

Quod autem pro me postulo, id ipsum postulo pro fratribus meis omnibus, sed potissimum pro iis qui sunt a Te in sublimitate constituti, sive Ecclesiasticis sive sæcularibus: quorum tantò grandius est periculum, quantò functio excellentior: Et quantò illustrior erit Corona gloriæ, si rectè fungantur munere suo, tantò gravior condemnatio, si culpâ ipsorum Animæ pereant, quas redimisti pretiosâ sanguine tua.

Doctrine.

THE justice and goodness of God are not to be questioned because he permits evil. To ask why he doth this, is to ask why he was pleased to make such a creature as man; or why he doth not compel a reasonable creature: that is, having given him a reasonable or intellectual will-why he doth not take away the use of it.

To talk of compelling a man to be good is a contradiction. For where there is force, there can be no choice. Were a man compelled to do that which is good, he could not be capable of any sort of virtue, nor therefore of praise; nor of any thing appertaining to the perfection and felicity of a reasonable creature.

Do not all confess that man is so free, that he may be esteemed worthy of praise or

dispraise, Reward or Punishment; that no man is excusable while he sins; that there is no one who, if he make a good use of the talents which God has committed to him, shall not be accepted of God?

God's foreknowledge, sayings, and predictions, have no such influence on the will of man, as to lay on him a necessity to do what He foreknows, or hath foretold he will do: for, were it otherwise, First, all human actions must be necessary for to that God who is omniscient, all things, both past, present, and to come, are known. If, then, this knowledge of man's actions, which the Scripture so plainly doth ascribe to God, did make them necessary, and so the freedom of them be overthrown, Secondly then, vice and virtue must be only empty names, we being capable of doing nothing which is blameworthy, or deserveth praise. For, who can blame a person for doing only what he could not help; who judge him worthy of applause, who doth that only which he cannot avoid? And then must all future recompenses be discarded, it being visibly unjust to punish any man for that which it was never in his power to avoid; and as unreasonable to reward him for that action which cannot be praiseworthy.