was then the fashion. They who sought popularity prayed; but they prayed that they might be seen of men! "Verily, verily," said our blessed Lord, "they shall have their re"ward!" Their reward they cer tainly had. They desired popularity, and they obtained it; but it became a snare for their souls! Our Saviour, whose doctrines are not only directed against all actual transgression, but against all those corruptions of the heart which are the sources of self-deception, as well as of hypocrisy, while he pointed out the abuse of prayer, described in most explicit terms its advantages. Ask, and it shall be given you; "seek, and ye shall find; knock, and "it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; "and he that seeketh findeth; and 66 to him that knocketh it shall be "opened. "opened. For what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread will "he give him a stone? or if he ask "6 a fish will he give him a serpent? "If ye, being evil, know how to give "good gifts to your children, how "much more shall your Father which "is in heaven give good things to "them which ask him! Therefore," (observe, I pray you, the force of this connecting adverb, as it evidently implies, that on no other terms can we expect our prayers to be heard,) Therefore, all things "whatsoever ye would that men "should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the "prophets." The difficulty of acting thus is de noted in the passage immediately following, where this line of conduct is described, metaphorically, as the path which leads to life, "strait and "narrow;" "narrow;" in opposition to that pride and uncharitableness, described as the wide gate and broad way that feadeth to destruction. Pride and selfishness are represented throughout the Scriptures as the great enemies of our salvation: humility and benevolence as the genuine offspring of a true and lively faith. Al the institutions of the Gospel offer us assistance in combating the for mer, and tend to implant and cherish the latter in our hearts. Prayer had by the Pharisees been so far perverted, as to have become a mean of augmenting the spirit of pride and selfimportance.. It was by Jesus Christ erected into a barrier against the incroachment of each sinful passion; and by its operation in purifying the affections, to render us heirs of the kingdom of God. The direct instructions which our Saviour has given us upon this subject, must surely be deemed worthy of serious attention by those who profess to believe in him. With the form of words in which he instructed us to pray, we are all familiar; but perhaps that very circumstance may sometimes prevent their making a due impression upon the mind. Let us examine this divine composition, and we shall be sensible that every petition it contains is in such perfect unison with all he taught, that it may be considered as an epitome of his doctrines; calculated to impress them upon our hearts, and to call us to a perpetual remembrance of the spirit which they inculcated. When we contemplate the works of God, and behold such astonishing proofs of power and greatness, we are apt to shrink in dismay on recollecting our own comparative insignificance, significance, and to say with the Psalmist, "Lord, what is man, that "thou art mindful of him; or the son of man, that thou visitest "him!" 66 By our Saviour we are taught to look to the Eternal Governor of the universe with other sensations than those of doubt or terror; encouraged to address ourselves to him, not as to a sovereign removed from us by the awful state of inapproachable majesty, but as a father; an appellation so endearing, so connected with the ideas of love and confidence, as to speak peace to the trembling heart, and tranquillize the timid soul. In addressing him as Our Father, we are reminded of our fraternal connection with the whole human race. We are reminded that our situation in society makes no difference in his |