sufferings, being made conformable to His death." Philipp. iii. 10. This was the noble prayer of He desired crucifixion with

this holy man. Christ. A crucifixion to sin, to indwelling sin— to sin in its every shape-to sin in principle, sin in temper, sin in worldly conformity, sin in conversation, sin in thought, yea, sin in the very glance of the eye. He desired not only a crucifixion of sin, of one particular sin, but of all sin-not only the sin that most easily beset him, the sin that he daily saw and felt, and mourned over, but the sin that no eye saw but GoD'sthe sin of the indwelling principle,―—the root of all sin-the sin of his nature. This is to have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. Jesus suffered as much for the subduing of the indwelling principle of sin, as for the pardon of the outbreakings of that sin in the daily practice. Have we fellowship with Him in these sufferings? There must be a crucifixion of the indwelling power of sin.-To illustrate the idea, -if the root be allowed to strengthen, and expand, and take a deeper and firmer grasp, what more can we expect, than that the tree will shoot upward, and branch out on either hand.

To cut off the outward branches is not the proper method to stay the growth of the tree. The root must be uncovered, and the axe laid to it. Outward sins may be cut off, and even honestly confessed and mourned over, while the concealed principle, the root of the sin is overlooked, neglected, and suffered to gather strength and expansion.

That the inherent evil of a believer will ever, in his present existence, be entirely eradicated, we do not assert. To expect this, would be to expect what God's word has not declared.

But

that it may be greatly subdued and conquered,its power weakened and mortified, this, the word of GOD leads us to hope for, and aim after. How is this to be attained? Faith dealing frequently and closely with Christ-The Atoning blood upon the conscience-The "fountain opened" daily resorted to-The believer sitting constantly at the foot of the cross-gazing upon it with an eye of steady, unwavering faith,"looking unto Jesus." In this posture, sin, all sin-the sin of the heart, the sin of the practice is mourned over, wept over, confessed, mortified, crucified. Let the reader again be re

minded that, all true crucifixion of sin springs from the cross of Christ.

Fourth,-A most powerful incentive to prayer, is found in a close and realizing view of the atoning blood. What encouragement does it present to this blessed and holy life of communion with GOD! The atoning blood! The mercy seat sprinkled over! The High Priest before the throne! The cloud of incense constantly ascending! The Father well pleased! What can more freely invite the soul that pants for close and holy intercourse with God? And when the atoning blood is realized upon the conscience, -when pardon and acceptance are sealed upon the heart by the Eternal Spirit, O then, what a persuasion to draw nigh the throne of grace has the believer in Christ. Then, there is no consciousness of guilt to keep the believer back. No dread of GOD. No trembling apprehensions of a repulse. GOD is viewed through the cross, as reconciled, and as standing in the endeared relationship, and wearing the inviting smile, of a Father. With such an altar, such a High Priest, such atoning blood, and such a reconciled GOD, what an element should prayer be to

a believer in Christ! Let the soul, depressed, burthened, tried, tempted as it may be, draw nigh the mercy seat. GOD delights to hear, delights to answer. Taking in the hand the atoning blood-pleading the infinite merit of Christ -reminding the Father of what His Son has accomplished-of His own gracious promise to receive and favourably answer the petition endorsed with the name, and presented in behalf of that Son, the feeblest child of GOD-the most disconsolate, the most burthened, may approach, and open all the heart to a prayer hearing and prayer answering GOD. Let the atoning blood be strenuously pleaded. Let the precious and infinite merit of Christ be fully urged, and the blessing petitioned for will be obtained.

May not this be assigned as a reason why so few of our petitions are answered-why so little blessing is obtained-the faint pleading of the atoning blood? There is so feeble a recognition of the blessed way of access. So little wrestling with the precious blood. So little looking by faith to the cross. The dear name of Immanuel so seldom urged, and when urged, so coldly mentioned,—O is it any marvel that our prayers

return to us unanswered-the petition ungranted -the draft on the full treasury of His love unhonored. The Father loves to be reminded of His beloved Son. The very breathing of the name, to Him is music. The very waving of the censor of infinite merits to Him is fragrant. He delights to be pressed with this plea. It is a plea at all times prevalent. It is a plea He cannot reject. It glorifies Himself, honours His Son, while it enriches him who urges it. And O, in the absence of all other pleas, what a mercy to come with a plea like this! Who can fully estimate it? No plea has the poor believer, springing from himself. He searches, but nothing can he find on which to rest a claim. All within is vile, all without is marred by sin. Unfaithfulness, ingratitude, departure, do but make up the history of the day. But in Christ, he sees that which he can urge, and in urging which, GoD will hear and answer. "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; And having an High priest over the house of God; let us draw